My Cosy Autumnal Essentials!

Hello my lovely readers,

Autumn is my favourite season – I absolutely love the chilly air whilst the sun is still shining on my face. I love the golden, rusty hues of every crunchy leaf that falls from the trees. I love getting into a hot bubble bath after Jax and I have been on an after dinner walk and to me, autumn is the definition of  comfort.

So, as we’re coming into autumn & the colder months, I thought I’d do a blog post all about my favourite autumnal essentials for a cosy home/night in, and what helps me to unwind after a day at work, or a day exploring with Jax.

No. 1: Big Chunky Scarves

I absolutely love big scarves – I’ve worn one every day for the last 2 weeks I think, and the selection of chunky scarves I’ve seen whilst browsing the shops recently is a-mazing. Having a chunky knitted scarf can turn a boring outfit into an interesting, autumnal one – whilst keeping you cosy and warm; except if you’re on a train or a tube at rush hour, you may be asking yourself why the heck you bought such a huge scarf… But for the most part, they’re the ideal accessory to have this Fall. Primark have a brilliant selection and they’re all under £8 which I think is a right old bargain! (I’ve already bought 2 from there…) Here’s some more of my favourites:

1. Urban Outfitters £18 // 2. Topshop £16 // 3. Primark £7 // 4. River Island £16

No. 2: Cosy Blankets & Bedding

On a crisp autumnal evening (or morning), I love nothing more than curling up on the sofa and snuggling with a blanket to watch Pretty Little Liars or a good movie. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been so comfy, I’ve fallen asleep 10 minutes into watching the above… Again, I feel like the designers and retailers have had some sort of light-bulb moment because everywhere I go, there seems to be blankets, bedding, cushions and soft furnishings to die for! I try and convince myself that it’s okay to be putting multiple blankets into my basket because ‘If one gets dirty then I’ll use that one’, ‘Oh and if so and so comes over they can use that one…’, ‘Oh and I’ll get this one just because it looks like it’s autumnal and I love anything autumn-y don’t I…’ – I’m terrible!

I read a statistic that we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed – to be honest with you – during the colder months I probably spend more like 2/3’s of my life in bed. Anyway, after reading this, it clarified it even more to me that I should always have good quality bedding and duvet sets etc. I have also recently been introduced to the company ‘Parachute‘ – and they do some amazing bedding, blankets, throws etc that I so wish I could buy to keep me comfy this Fall!

Parachute is a direct-to-consumer brand located in Venice Beach, USA (They do ship worldwide though!) where quality is at the top of their priority. They are also partnered with ‘Nothing But Nets –  an organization that shares their interest in providing safe sleep to those in need. For every ‘Venice Bedding Set’ Sold, Parachute send one life-saving bed net to Africa. Here are my favourite blankets & bedding (Inc. some from Parachute!)

1. Parachute $249 // 2. Niche Living £109.95 // 3. Next Home £25 // 4. Parachute $249 // 5. Parachute $299 // 6. The White Company £159

No. 3: A Hot Bath w/ Candles

Ever since I can remember I have loved having a bath. I can easily spend an hour+ in the bath just relaxing, reading a book or watching vlogs on YouTube! Every now and then, when I’m feeling extra tired, chilly or stressed, I’ll light my favourite candles and chuck in my favourite bath salts/oils – As soon as I get in, it’s like I can actually feel the stresses float away. I’ve also loved candles for as long as I can remember and I have them everywhere; I love the house smelling amazing and candles help me to relax too. Here are my favourite candles and bath relaxants:

1. Neals Yard Remedies £14.50 // Yankee Candle £16.99 // 3. Parachute $12 // Neals Yard Remedies £15

No. 4: Comfort Food

Autumn is the perfect time to cook up your favourite comforting foods and indulge in everything that you haven’t for the past 3 months whilst it’s been Summer haha! My favourite go-to autumnal dishes are homemade casseroles, curries and pasta dishes. I also love making homemade soups and croutons as a quick pick-me-up when lunchtime strikes! They’re so simple and if you make a batch of it, you can freeze it for when you next fancy it! As well as comforting dinners, I love baking yummy cakes and muffins as a sweet treat – I am planning on trying some vegan pumpkin sugar cookies – which I’ll film in the next couple weeks for you all to watch! (It’ll be uploaded to my playlist on Channelmum on YouTube).

No. 5: A Hot Chocolate by The Fire

Remember remember the 5th of November… Ok ok, so the 5th of November is Guy Fawkes Night and there’s always a huge bonfire and fireworks. But I don’t want to wait that long to relish in the crackly, orangey warmth of a fire – so my final autumnal essential, is cosying up to the fire, with a hot chocolate. As well as being a gorgeous, cheaper, environmentally friendly option (I love these options!) to heat your home, having a wood burning fire is the cherry on the cake after a wintry day working – or staying indoors! I feel like as soon as I light a fire, I relax and unwind. I even love the smell, and along with my candles, my home never smelt and felt so snug!

So there you have it – my top 5 autumn essentials! What are your A/W essentials? Is there any you think I may have missed? I’d love to hear what yours are so please leave comments! 

Love, J xxx

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