5 easy autumn DIY ideas at Nutchel

Autumn is the perfect season to slow down, get creative, and enjoy simple pleasures. As the forests of the Ardennes and Alsace turn golden, nature offers endless inspiration for crafts that bring warmth and seasonal charm into your home or cabin. From pumpkin carving to painted pebbles, these easy DIY projects are fun for all ages — and many of them use natural materials you can gather during a walk in the woods. Ready to make your autumn even more magical?

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🎃 DIY 1: Pumpkin carving and painting inspired by autumn in the Ardennes or in Alsace

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Pumpkins are the stars of autumn! Whether you’re travelling with kids or friends, carving and painting pumpkins is a fun way to bring seasonal charm into your cabin. In the Ardennes, local farms often sell pumpkins in October, making this DIY both authentic and easy to try.

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Materials for this autumn DIY

• A local fresh pumpkin of any colour and any size
• A sharp knife
• A spoon
• A marker or pen
• A candle

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Steps to carve and decorate a pumpkin

• Buy or pick up a fresh pumpkin
• Use a sharp knife and cut off the crown of the pumpkin
• Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh. Make sure to save the flesh, as it makes a tasty ingredient for various meals, such as pumpkin pasta or grilled pumpkin on the barbecue of the terrace of your cosy cabin!
• Take a marker or pen and draw an outline of a face on the pumpkin
• Start the pumpkin carving by starting with the smaller holes
• When  done, put a candle inside your pumpkin and place it on your cosy terrace for other guests to enjoy the Halloween spirit as well!

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👻 DIY 2: Halloween shadow puppets for cosy evenings

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Bring a little magic to your Nutchel cabin evenings with handmade shadow puppets. Using just paper, sticks, and candlelight, you can create spooky shapes that dance on the walls. This DIY is perfect for Halloween nights in Alsace or the Ardennes, surrounded by the quiet forest.

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Materials for this Halloween DIY

• Sturdy paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Glue
• Thin twigs
• A flash light

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Steps to create your spooky story with shadow puppets

• Draw an outline on a piece of sturdy paper and carefully cut it out. You can make ghosts, witches or anything else Halloween-themed!
• Glue a twig to the paper cutout to create a handle and make the puppets easier to hold,
• Hold a flash light behind the spooky puppet and you should see a shadow form on the wall
• Experiment with distance and the angle of lights to see how that changes the shadows
• Take turns telling spooky stories next to the woodstove of your cabin in the woods as you play with the puppets!

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🦔 DIY 3: A hedgehog home hade from natural materials

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Hedgehogs are common in the forests of Alsace and the Ardennes, and autumn is the time when they prepare for hibernation. Building a small hedgehog shelter in your garden or near your cabin is a simple and rewarding DIY that also helps local wildlife.

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Materials for this Halloween DIY

Here you will just need all kind of natural materials: twigs, leaves, moss, pebbles... go on a hike in the forest and collect enough of them to create as many hedgehog houses as possible!

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Steps to build a home for the hedgehogs

• Find a quiet space in the forest surrounding our cosy cabins to build your hedgehog home
• Build a stable structure using the sticks you collected
• Cover the structure with mud, leaves and moss so that it blends in perfectly with its surroundings and is well insulated from the cold. The shelter is ready!

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🍁 DIY 4: Nature scavenger game on your autumn walk

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Turn a forest walk into an adventure! Collect pinecones, acorns, colourful leaves, or chestnuts while exploring the trails around Martelange or the Alsace foothills. This DIY activity is perfect for families, combining outdoor fun with creative play once you’re back in your cabin.

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Materials for this Halloween DIY

• An empty egg carton
• White paper
• Scissors
• Pen
• Glue

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Steps to organize a nature scavenger game

• Define what you would like to find on your autumn nature scavenger and draw each element separately on the white paper. Here are some ideas of treasures to collect: grass, brown leaf, yellow leaf, pine needles, acorn, pebble, pinecone, twig...
• Cut out the pictures of the items to find and glue them inside the egg carton, each in a separate compartment
• Go into nature and collect nature treasures
• To bring your treasure box, tie a knot around the box using rope to secure it

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🎨 DIY 5: Pebbles for a tiny piece of art

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Pick up smooth pebbles during your nature walk and transform them into little works of art. From colourful autumn leaves to funny forest animals, this DIY sparks creativity for both kids and adults. It’s an easy way to bring home a small, hand-painted memory of your autumn stay in the Ardennes or Alsace.

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Materials for this artsy DIY

• Small pebbles (the smaller, the better)
• Other natural meaterials: twigs, moss...
• Paper
• Glue
• Paint with brushes or pencils

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Steps to turn pebbles into art

• Get inspired by nature on a hike and collect pebbles and natural materials
• Take your pebbles and plan out your design on your piece of paper. Do not glue them on yet!
• Once you are happy with your final design, take each pebble one at a time, put some glue on the back side and press onto the paper
• Get creative by using other materials, painting a background on the paper or even painting the pebbles!

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Do we take enough time in our daily lives to express our creativity, to let our minds wander without a specific goal? At Nutchel, we want to provide you with a canvas to find a spark of magic, even after your stay. And fall, with its fresh air and beautiful colors, might just be the best season to find inspiration. Whoever you are, find out how it’s done at Nutchel:

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Creativity during a stay in a cabin in the woods at Nutchel

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Do we take enough time in our daily lives to express our creativity, to let our minds wander without a specific goal? At Nutchel, we want to provide you with a canvas to find a spark of magic, even after your stay. And autumn, with its fresh air and beautiful colors, might just be the best season to find inspiration. In our forest villages, you are invited to swap screens with fun activities, which often call on your creativity! Here is a list of moments when you get to express your creativity during a stay in a cabin in the woods in Alsace in autumn or in the Ardennes:

• Building a hut for the fairies of the forest at the Fairy Shack
• Painting and drawing with materials available in the Cosy Chalet
• Leaving a trace on the creative wall of your cosy cabin
• Creating DIYs with natural materials
• Reading books and get inspired by writing