Image credit: @yasminthomasphotography
With autumn sweeping the landscape, it is the perfect time of year to get outside and make the most of the UK’s fantastic natural scenery. Yet with the evenings drawing in, there’s also more time to spend curled up around the fire, enjoying a creative hobby whether that’s crocheting, painting or scrapbooking.
If you are the artsy type, you could combine your foraging and creative skills with these autumn craft ideas inspired by nature. We’ve put together a collection of beautiful photographs from last year’s autumn watch challenge to inspire you, and a few simple arts and crafts to get you started.
If you’re ready to get outside, take a look at our guide to the most stunning spots for autumn walks in the UK – and any youngsters in your group will love this countryside treasure hunt!
Stay in one of our holiday cottages for autumn and enjoy a creative break inspired by your natural surroundings or keep reading for wonderful photographs and simple autumn craft ideas to inspire your next adventure.
Autumn cottages
@thecourtyardatstbotolphs (top), Helen Balcombe
(bottom left), @carolahenshaw (bottom right)
Autumn leaf craft ideas
When diving into autumn arts and crafts, there is certainly no shortage of crispy leaves about to gain inspiration from. Every leaf is different with interesting shapes and a variety of colours – from pale yellows to deep reds – creating a wonderfully warm colour palette for your autumn crafts.
Pull on your scarf and boots to head out on a walk to an autumn forest and see what varieties of leaves you come across as you explore.
Ideas for crafting with autumn leaves:
- Scrapbook with leaves – scrapbooking is the perfect way to record your holiday. Stick down or sew in leaves and other flat items like receipts and photographs, then doodle and write notes for a unique keepsake of your retreat.
- Metallic leaf garlands – spray paint leaves silver, gold or bronze and string them up across doorways or around the garden to create a statement.
- Leaf wall art – simply adhere your leaf to a piece of paper then pin it up on the wall to bring the outdoors in.
- Leaf candles – press autumn leaves and then adhere them onto tall white candles ready to light on those darkening autumn evenings.
You could search for unique leaves inside the magical Grizedale Forest in the Lake District or scour the slopes of Haldon Forest Park in Devon on an unforgettable autumnal walk. Take a look at our top UK destinations for October half term.

Image credit: @jennymarston_xo (top left), @Anglorain (top right), @kellywd (bottom)
Pumpkin craft ideas
As soon as autumn comes along, pumpkins and gourds begin to appear in doorways, supermarkets, and even flavours of coffee! So, it only makes sense to incorporate them into your crafting itinerary; their varied sizes and colours ensure any pumpkin-inspired piece of crafting can be a true showstopper.
Ideas for getting crafty with pumpkins:
Image credit: Kate Newton (left), @yasminthomasphotography (right). If you enjoy perfecting your fine art skills, why not try painting or drawing from one of these atmospheric photographs of autumnal pumpkins?
Pumpkin carving ideas
How could we collate our favourite autumnal craft ideas without mentioning pumpkin carving?
It’s one of the most popular things to do at this time of year, especially in the run-up to old Hollow’s Eve at the end of October. Stand out from the crowd with one of these unique pumpkin-carving ideas.
- The nature-inspired pumpkin – draw and carve swirls, spirals and squiggly lines all over your pumpkin then add leaves to each one. You could even glue on berries you’ve collected on your walks and it will look like the pumpkin is being taken over by plants!
- Give your pumpkin a crazy hairstyle – another one for the green-fingered gardeners! Simply carve a face as usual but instead of lighting a candle inside your pumpkin, plant it up with some heather, herbs or grasses – depending on whether it’s being kept inside the house or out – to give your pumpkin a super cool hairstyle.
- Cookie-cutter pumpkin – for an easy and cute pumpkin carving idea, try gently hammering a cookie cutter of your choice into the side of your pumpkin. Wiggle out the cookie cutter and you have a ready-made design. Zero carving required.
A few more ideas for pumpkin carving:
- Spiders, ghosts, bats and all things Halloween
- Gnome or fairy house pumpkin
- Geometric shapes like squares, triangles and hexagons
- The night sky – carve a moon and a couple of stars for a magical pumpkin design
Image credit: Wanda Proctor (top left), Georgina Parkinson (top right), Lyn Sullivan (bottom)
Nuts and berries craft ideas
It’s the time of year that purple blackberries, spikey-shelled conkers and even walnuts can be found growing throughout the UK countryside. Colourful berries can add vibrancy to any autumn display, while nuts and seeds provide a sturdy base for crafting.
- Make a vase display – put pretty berries and nuts still attached to their twigs aside to dry out for a couple of days then display them together in your favourite vase, perhaps with a few freshly-picked leaves from an evergreen shrub or some interesting grasses.
- Napkin rings, bracelets or hanging garlands – drill holes into whatever you’ve gathered, you could use conkers, acorns, or sweet chestnut, and thread string through to create pretty napkin holders, natural jewellery or hang them up from trees or in an empty corner of your house for a little autumn decoration.
- A natural picture frame – if you find a selection of hard-shelled nuts, glue them onto a picture frame from the local charity shop in a pattern, and once you’ve returned from holiday, you could use it to display your favourite photo from the trip!
More nuts and berries craft ideas:
Image credit: Janet Powell
An autumn wreath – perfect in the run-up to Christmas!
Finally, why not combine all these elements of nature into one extraordinary wreath? The perfect way to showcase all your autumn finds from nature.
Tangle and tie twigs together to create your base, then tie and glue on autumn leaves, nuts and berries for texture and colour. If you manage to get hold of any mini pumpkins, you could make a hole to thread string or wire through and tie them onto your wreath for a wonderful final touch.
Cottages for autumn in the UK
We hope you’ve gained some autumn arts and crafts inspiration and are planning a trip into the great outdoors to see what you can collect.
Uncover an enchanting setting for your next autumn break with a look through our collection of October half-term cottages and begin planning your next UK escape.
Autumn cottages