The evenings feel like they should be cold, the dark settling in around us. The house seems suddenly cooler in the evening, and I throw a cardigan around my shoulders and switch out shorts for sweatpants. The cool calls me to make warm cups of apple cider and Earl Grey vanilla tea, to go outside and feel the subtle autumn chill pricking at the edges of my skin. 

But I know that a step out the side door and the humid heat encloses, thick and suffocating. Definitely not autumn yet; definitely still summer.

Autumn, here, hides at the end of summer, elusive and tricky. Sometimes you can feel it — a chill in the morning air one day, a certain smell carried on a random breeze. The seasons don’t slowly swap, instead, there might be an autumnal day or two here, then another week of summer temperatures and humidity there, followed by another week of chilly mornings and sweater weather.

Even when autumn does arrive here, it doesn’t stay nearly long enough anymore. 

My mind is seeking coziness, and I find that in the traditions of autumn — settling in, warm, soft blankets, warm cups of tea heating hands and noses. I want to light cinnamon spice-scented candles and have a slice of my brother’s homemade apple pie.

And maybe I’m reaching out for that call, that crisp chill in the air, those cool mornings wrapped in a soft sweater, since the world around us feels so isolating again, so scary, and “normal” seems to have jumped out of reach again. It’s easier to think about what you can control — a cup of tea, a string of twinkle lights around the living room, cookies baking in the oven. The world doesn’t feel cozy, but I can make my own little space feel cozy.

and, a new “crisp, cozy autumn” surface design collection

I’m so happy to share my newest collection of surface pattern designs! This collection is inspired by crisp autumn mornings and cozy fall evenings. That chill in the air that beckons you to add another layer and drink a cup of warm apple cider at the pumpkin patch.

You can see more of the collection and read more about it here.

And find the patterns in action over on Spoonflower here.