8 Ways to Get in the Fall Mood when it is Still Hot Outside

It is early September and I long for the autumn weather in our lingering hot Phoenix climate. Even here in the Arizona mountains, the days are warm with slightly cooler weather in the mornings. With the official start of autumn only a few weeks away, here are 8 ways to get in the Fall mood.

In spite of summer like conditions, it’s time to do some simple things inside to mentally transition to autumn.

1. Fall Scents and Smells

There are many ways you can make your home smell like fall. Scents that come to mind are apples and apple cider, pumpkin spice, coffee roasting and bread baking.

Rosy Rings are visually beautiful candles, and mine has lasted over multiple fall seasons. The Rosy Rings Spiced Apple Candle is a favorite and well worth the price. It comes in 3 sizes: 3″, 5.5″ and a 6.5″ tall candle. I have the 6.5″ tall one which has 200 burn hours! You can find the 5.5″ one on Amazon here and the other sizes can be found directly through Rosy Rings.

The Threshold line (Studio McGee) at Target generally has a very good selection of fall candles at a reasonable price. Aren’t these cute glass pumpkin holders adorable? This candle with a Pumpkin Woods scent is only $5.00. See it here.

Stove top potpourri for the fall is so easy to make. It’s all natural, inexpensive, a great way to use up fruit that has gotten soft or spices that are at their prime, adds moisture to the air and makes your home smell FABULOUS.

My guess is that you already have many of the ingredients, but the beauty is you can create your own recipe. For fall, I like to use apple cider, sliced apples, cloves, cinnamon sticks, an old vanilla bean, and cardamon (either pods or ground). The apples are from our orchard harvest in June and are a bit wrinkly; the cider is past its sell by date and the vanilla bean is a bit dried up. Simmer it all on the stove or in a crock pot and your home will smell like a crisp morning in October.

2. Slipcovers

As you know, I am so happy with the rebuilding/reupholstering of my ancient sofa. When I purchased the sofa back in 2001, slipcovers by the same manufacturer (Mitchell Gold) were relatively affordable. As a result, I have 4 of them~three denims in natural, a pale yellow denim, and cranberry plus a sage green velvet.

With a busy family and lots of pets, being able to remove and wash a slipcover has been a blessing. Now 23 years later, some of the slipcovers are in poor condition (mostly pet damage). With the new upholstery I also have a new natural denim slipcover! This a great way to change up the look of your sofa or chairs by season.

Remember how I added slipcovers to my yard sale chairs for the dining room? If not, you can read it here.

You can find slipcovers online or a local seamstress may be able to make them for you. Changing out the slipcover is an affordable option to give your sofa a seasonal look.

3. Pillows

It’s so easy to add a decorative, fall pillow to your furniture. Once you buy the insert, then the sky is the limit on how many seasonal covers you need to decorate by season.

I often use decorative pillows both inside and outside. There is a large selection with Amazon here or you can find them with an online search at Etsy or from many retailers.

Walmart has a huge selection of fall throw pillows, from pillows with inserts to pillow covers. You can find them here.

4. Use Natural Materials

If you are fortunate to have leaves turning beautiful colors in your area, gather them and put together a natural arrangement. Or this can be done with faux fall leaves also, for those of us without colorful deciduous trees.

It is a great time of year to collect natural grasses, leaves, and pinecones. You can do so much with what may be in your backyard or neighborhood. In 2020, I wrote a post about how to make your 2 different fall wreaths using natural materials. You can see it here.

My friend, Rachel, from The Ponds Farmhouse, makes this pretty fall wreath using fresh leaves she collected. You can see how she preserves the leaves here.

5. Throws or Blankets

There are so many affordable, attractive throws available in all sorts of colors. Depending on whether your fall palette is colorful or neutral, the thought of cozying up with a blanket is definitely a fall behavior.

I use throws in multiple locations. Here’s one on our front porch that I change up every season.

I am so amazed at how affordable this oversized chenille knit throw is from the Studio McGee line (Threshold) at Target. This cream one is a neutral choice for the fall and is priced at $20.00. Find it here.

6. Bring out Seasonal artwork

Since our wall space is very limited due to all our windows and doors, I rotate seasonal pieces of art throughout the house. Often, I don’t hang them, but place them on a mantel or bookcase to add a bit of autumn to a room.

If you don’t have any seasonal artwork, there is a plethora of autumn images you can download from the internet. Here is a sweet one from Anderson + Grant and you can find it here.

And how adorable is this vintage pear acrylic painting from Craftberry? You can find out how to download it here.

7. Get a jump on making fabric pumpkins

With this easy DIY, you can truly make fabric pumpkins in any color to go with your decor.

A few years ago, I made fabric pumpkins to go with the tones in my dining room rug. I love how these pumpkins turned out. If you save your pumpkin or gourd stems from year to year, then it is easy to hot glue them onto your fabric pumpkins.

You can search the internet on how to make fabric pumpkins, or I have a quick tutorial on the ones I made back in 2020. You can see it here.

8. Hallmark Movies for Autumn Vibes

If all else fails, according to Collider, here are the top 8 Hallmark movies to get you in the autumn mood.

• Under the Autumn Moon (2018)
• Harvest Love (2017)
• Pumpkin Pie Wars (2016)
• October Kiss (2015)
• Love, Fall and Order (2019)
• Roadhouse Romance (2021)
• Falling for Vermont (2017)
• Autumn in the Vineyard (2016)

or check out the current Hallmark movies on Saturday nights.

If you are living in a climate that is still rather hot, I hope this post gets you in the mood for fall. Thanks for joining me today!

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