I think it is safe to say that Autumn is my favourite time of year. The colours, warm wrapped up in front of the TV, hot chocolate and the air being fresh and chilled but not enough to make you shy away form venturing outside. I love autumn, of fall, for those of you in the USA!

I find that when I have friends and family over during this time of year you can create the perfect Autumn atmosphere by choice of smells and colours in your home.

Candles:

Candles are perfect and a very quick and easy way to create a welcoming atmosphere. With the huge range available on the market now you can get your hands on some ideal autumn candles easily. Big red and brown church candles, small groups of gold and cream candles in glass and wood holders, and even some really cute autumn leaves floating candles!

I always find that certain smells remind me of certain times of year. For me, the smell of cinnamon and apple always conjured up lovely warm memories of baking andtucking into some lovely treat covered in warm custard. Due to this I tend to choose these smells in the form of In the form of potpourri and scented oils.

Making your own potpourri is simple and rewarding to do. Below is an easy version of my favourite:

1 c. dried apple slices 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 c. whole allspice berries 10 (2") cinnamon sticks 2 tbsp. whole cloves 1/4 c. canella or nandina berries 10 sm. pinecones 7 drops cinnamon oil

Place all the bits and pieces into a air tight jar and shake a few times each day for 4 days. Once everything has fused together, place it in a lovely bowl and pop somewhere central to visitors.