DIY leaf crown: Enchanting autumn picnic with pumpkin pie in the forest

One of the last days of October I invited my friend @nolemire for an autumn picnic in the forest. You see, we happen to be almost neighbours a few times of the year, as she coinsidentally moved to the area my family’s seaside cabin is located, with basically just some fields and a little forest between her house and the cabin. And in the middle: a little forest owned by my parents!

The thought of owning my own forest has always felt so thrilling to me. We own some woodland around our current home, bordering to forests and fields, but not as much as I’d like…. The amount of forest I would prefer is endless (I have countless things I would like to use it for, for example inviting people to live there in harmony with nature and create a wondrous, magical, blessed life full og beauty and biodiversity)

Anyways, it was exactly in that little forest halfway between me and Nolemire that we decided to have a picnic. I woke up early that day together with my little toddler (as usual), and baked a pumpkin pie. We then travelled to our seaside-cabin, before venturing up towards the forest, bringing a picnic blanket and a tiny bit of decorations… As well as the leaf crowns I’d made a few days before.

It was wonderful to see Nolemire again, over a year since last time, due to lockdown and not getting to travel much lately… I hadn’t managed to go up north to meet my friends and family since last christmas, although a few have come visiting me.

Now the ground were covered in frost and Halloween was just a couple of days ahead. Nolemire always looks like the autumn queen herself, and here home is like a medieval autumn forest. She brought spicy tea to pour in wooden goblets, and leafy plates for the pumpkin pie and cream.

I also brought a copy of Enchanted Living @faeriemagazine for us to enjoy out in the forest. I’ve forgotten to show you, but I wrote an article with my best tips about how to make your home look and feel magical 🌿🍂🌸 It’s really personal to me and I rarely share this much about it, so I hope it can be useful for people. It’s in the Magical Spaces issue, available also as a digital download here.

We had such a cozy time! And we always have so much to talk about. I definitely fulfilled my picnic dreams among those trees 🌳🌲 And she captured these beautiful moments which I will cherish forever.

P.S. My velvet gold kimono was found on Etsy. The knitted flags are from Maileg. Everything else is thrifted.

How I made our maple leaf crowns:

I’d been seeing those gorgeous leaf crowns on some of those inspiring Waldorf kids accounts, and knew that when I one day got kids myself I would make them some. So when I randomly came across this illustration in a the book ”Linneas Årsbok” by Lena Anderson this autumn, I knew that the time had come. I absolutely adore the book “Majas Alfabet” from the same author by the way! If you need further tips about how to make such a leaf crown, check out this article:
How to make a crown of leaves. And this youtube video: Crown of maple leaves. They look a little bit more time consuming than the one from Maja, but they have a similar look.

I’ve also seen those gorgeous maple crowns in the books of Elsa Beskow, which I’m a huge fan of! The book above is titled “Christopher’s Garden”, and depicts the personification of September in the shape of a boy clad in a golden outfit.

And this, from the story “Görans bok”. The little knight Göran complains to the trees of a distinct lack of dragons in these woods, and they say there are dragons elsewhere in the world, and give him treats to take on his journey, among other things a rowan necklace for his princess to be.

The little knight Göran deep in the woods goes
looking for dragons among brush and shrubs;
Dear Uncle Pine and kind Uncle Fir,
I have looked for the dragon all day long,
big strong Uncle Oak and little sister Rowan,
beautiful and fine Sister Birch and Eversweet Maple,
I want to find the dragon, cut off his throat,
but I cannot find a dragon at all.

THE TREES REPLY:
There are no more dragons in these woods,
but in the wide world you will probably find them.
Listen little Göran, wait here and you will receive
something to bring with you, along the way.
A golden crown you’ll get from Uncle Maple
and a beautiful necklace from sister Rowan.
It will suit well, when you a princess have had
and become a ruler in your own castle.
Pine and Fir offer you cones big and small.
With them you should aim at the grey trolls.
The Oak gives you a cudgel, with it you will be safe.
The Hazel bestows rods to the dragon’s ugly back.
The Birch asks you take charge with a proper broom.
The Sallow gives you sly to catch the dragon.
Brown hazelnuts, red small lingonberries
you will have with you in your bag to eat on the road
Ride then little Göran out in the wide world!
The entire forest wish you good luck on your journey!