As I mentioned in my Fall Porch Idea No. 1 Post, 

I was craving charm and simplicity with a warm welcome.

So, I decided to change things up and eliminated the bright orange pumpkins, the sprigs of wheat, pinecones, and some of the other decor and replaced the iron basket with a simplistic $2 thrift store basket to hold my pumpkins.

I added a pretty piece of pottery filled with natural reed grass, a simple blanket next to the basket of pumpkins and a rocking bench cushion topped with a pillow and blanket. 

I'm in love with the overall vibe. 

This was more the "feel" I was going for.

I want to know what YOU think?

Is Idea No. 1 or Idea No. 2 more your speed for Fall decor this year?

Hopefully this post will help you pause when you are decorating your own home - seasonally or every day decor - and ask yourself if the direction you are going is speaking to you. Trends come and go. Decide what makes your home "feel" like home...and go in that direction. You won't be disappointed.

PS - Let's stay cozy + connected in-between posts...find me on Instagram for daily inspiration.

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KEEPING IT REAL

The changes to the front porch made SUCH a big difference to the overall feeling I get every time I walk out there to water plants or when I'm sitting on the rocker snuggling my Ella Pie. I love it.

STYLING | Fall Porch - Idea No. 1

I did two different fall porches this year...

My goal was to use things I had on hand and not purchase anything additional. 

This meant no real pumpkins. So, I gathered together my collection of faux pumpkins, and a dried gourd I picked up in an antique store one year, and placed them in an antique planter - taking center stage on my front porch bench.

I added pinecones and lanterns, a splash of more fall color with the use of a piece of fabric used under the planter and I tucked in sprigs of wheat and reed grass to the centerpiece as well as other items on the bench for additional touches of fall.

I loved it.

It screamed "fall" with all of the pinecones, pumpkins and wheat.

Neighbors loved it too and it really did look pretty.

Done.

Right?

Well...something just wasn't sitting well with me. 

It didn't "feel" the way I wanted my Thanksgiving to feel.

Craving charm and simplicity with a warm welcome...

I decided to change things up.

Go see how my second attempt turned out.

Let me know which one you like best - click on the link below!

FALL PORCH - Idea No. 2

PS - Let's stay cozy + connected in-between posts...find me on Instagram for daily inspiration.

Subscribe here to have new blog posts delivered right to your inbox.

KEEPING IT REAL

When Jay came home one night and saw this fall porch decor for the first time his response was, "Wow! We've got a lot going on up here."

And with that...he solidified my own personal feelings for wanting to change it up. Lol

FOUND | Antique Copper Treasures

Raise your hand if you're into the copper accent trend? Me.
I could kick myself for letting my mom get rid of her copper pan collection about 5 years ago.

But...that just means I get to go out and hunt for copper treasures and this weekend I did just that. I found some antique varieties while "pickin'" with Rachel from Rachel Elizabeth Creates. We met for lunch and then she took me to her favorite spot for the day.

The verdict is out on whether or not I will polish these up. I don't intend on using these for anything but decor purposes but I prefer the copper shine through just a little bit more than their current state. What would you do? I've read conflicting views about whether or not polishing effects the value of antique copper pieces. Anyone have any feedback or insight you'd like to share?

Here are a couple of other copper treasures I'm currently crushing on:
Copper Tea Kettle
Old Dutch Solid Copper Tea Kettle
Copper Whisk
Restored Vintage Copper Cookware - super out of my price range but stunning!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are enjoying this Hallow's Eve!!

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
So I showed up 30 minutes early when meeting up with Rachel...completely by accident.
I was apparently super excited to have some girl time but it was pretty laughable considering this is only the 2nd time I've met Rachel. Ha! Her mom came along too this time and was such a treat to spend time with.

Oh...and I may or may not have a mirror Rachel found that I will be delivering some time soon since there was no way she could fit it in the car on their two hour drive home with kids in tow AND we may or may not have come up with this intentional plan to avoid any unnecessary conversations about "spending" with her hubby. Ha!!  (she lives close to where we just moved from...and I moved to where she grew up and where her family is from). So crazy, right?

MAKE iT | Easy Fall Wreath DIY

I have absolutely LOVED using autumn leaves to decorate my home this year. I've cut dead branches from maple trees to fill an oversized olive jar and I've gathered fallen leaves from around my neighborhood to add some Fall charm to my home. (see Fall Home Tour)

Today, I thought I'd share the simple Fall wreath I made. I love how it turned out and figured if you are looking for an easy DIY project this weekend...well then look no further.  tutorial below

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

1 - grapevine wreath - found this one on Amazon but I'm sure you could find one for a lot less at

                                 JoAnn's, Michael's or Hobby Lobby - use your 40% or 50% off coupon! *wink*

1 -  armful of fall leaves in various sizes and colors - I collected mine from around the neighborhood

1 - faux bundle of wispy wheat - here's what I used

1 - hot glue gun

1 - pair of scissors (to trim the wispy wheat)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat up your glue gun. Lay your grapevine wreath on a flat surface and start laying your fall leaves in random patterns around the wreath to figure out your spacing before you start gluing. Once you have a pretty good idea of how you want the leaves arranged, add a small dab of hot glue to the back of each leaf and secure to wreath. Once all of the leaves are in place, trim your wispy wheat with a pair of scissors and tuck the stems into the wreath, in between the leaves. No need for hot gluing these if you push them down deep enough. The grapevines will hold them in place. 

Design tips: 

(1) Be sure to allow some of the leaves to lay on the inner and outer sides of the wreath so it gives your finished wreath more dimension.  

(2) Stand your wreath up after you've got most of the leaves glued on. This will provide you with a better view of what it will look like when it's actually hanging and will help with placement of the remaining leaves. 

(3) When gathering leaves, don't shy away from the "imperfect" ones. The rips, holes, curls and discoloration adds to the authenticity of your fall wreath. 

Loving how this looks on our front door.

I crave simplicity and this was so perfect for me this year.

Hope you love it too and will try it out!!

xoxo,

Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

This wreath is so easy to make Ella made one for her bedroom door. In fact, we made hers first. *wink*

Looking forward to spending the day with a sweet friend and her mom on Saturday.

She's taking me around to all of her favorite "hunt + gather" spots. I'll be sharing bits and pieces of the day on Instagram stories. Follow along!!

HOME DECOR | Fall Home Tour 2017

Hello friends!! I'll be skipping town to head to my mom's and get Ella to her BFF's bday party this weekend but before I do I wanted to share some Fall inspiration with you.

This is the current state of my home and definitely one of my favorites as far as Fall decorating is concerned. I've kept things super simple this year by snipping some dead/broken branches from a few maple trees around the neighborhood as well as filling a bowl with some beautiful dried leaves I collected for a few days on my walks with Hamilton. I even scattered them randomly on some furniture, placed a couple of pumpkins here and there and I'm done. And I couldn't be happier.

Oh wait! This delicious Pumpkin Spice candle was a must with it's gorgeous coppery container and amazing aroma. (Thanks TJ Maxx)

I'm finalizing my Hot Cocoa Bar for this year...(look closely and you can see a peek of it in the background). And I love this new copper side table I picked up from Target. It adds the perfect touch of whimsy.

Since I had yet to share much of our new home, I sure hope you enjoyed these pictures and feel a little bit inspired. I'm still slowly...like at a snail's pace...pulling things together. Happy weekend everyone! And HAPPY FALL!!

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
The yankee candle burning in the photo above is one of my very favorite candles of all time. I burn it year-round even though it's a "holiday" scent called Gingerbread Maple.  In fact, I firmly believe it helped sell our previous home because I would light the candle and turn on 3 different wax warmers with the Gingerbread Maple tarts wax melts before each showing and I got so many compliments on how wonderful the home smelled every time. (even from the inspector and appraiser too! In fact, I even ended up giving the appraiser one of my wax tarts because she loved it so much). Ha!!

HOME DECOR | Summer Collapsed Into Fall

Ella is back in school.
Summer is slipping away.
The sun will be "collapsing" into the moon later today during the total solar eclipse.
And so yes...a new sign felt very appropriate.

This quote by Oscar Wilde sums up my feelings exactly on letting go of Summer. (you guys already know how I feel about it by now...it's the same song and dance every year for me, isn't it?). *wink*

Love the sign too?
It's now an instant download in my Etsy shoppe, so you could literally print this and have it hanging in your own home by the end of the day...if you really wanted to. AND...there's a chalkboard version too! Want to see it?

So there you go.
A new season.
A new sign.
And a new sky today...at least for a little bit.
I think that about wraps it up for me. *wink*

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Ella is home sick today...
I probably would've just kept her home anyway because apparently strange things happen during an eclipse. Have you heard that? Do you believe it?
Regardless, I'm taking advantage of the extra snuggle time I get with her.

Truthfully, I don't really care much about the eclipse and I'm feeling super guilty about it.
Would you believe me if I told you I didn't even know it was even happening until a couple of weeks ago?

I'm standing in a CVS getting ready to check out and some lady walks in and asks the cashier if they carry solar eclipse glasses. I literally thought to myself, "What a weirdo. Who walks in and asks for that?"  I forgot about the incident and two days later a neighbor mentioned her plans of traveling to Tennessee for optimal viewing of the eclipse. I pretended to know what she was talking about. Then the very next day, a friend told me her husband and her two girls had plans to travel to see it as well. Are you kidding me??? Hello? Where in the world had I been? Under a rock apparently. *giggling*

MAKE IT | DIY Corn on the Cob :: Cricut Explore Air 2 Review

Are these the cutest corncobs ever or what?

I whipped these up with my NEW Cricut Explore Air 2  and I must say...I'm impressed!!

That's right! There is a a NEW Cricut on the block my friends and I absolutely LOVE it!
The NEW Cricut Explore Air 2  comes in a variety of beautiful colors and the one my friends at Cricut sent me to review is a BEAUTIFUL mint color! (If you follow me on Instagram you saw me post it when it first arrived on my doorstep and it's a beaut - see video at the bottom of this post)

Anyway, you can use these cute paper corncobs as place card settings for your Thanksgiving table OR you can use them around your home to add some extra charm to your collection of pumpkins and Fall leaves.

Best part is, you only need a few supplies to create these!
These DIY corn-on-the-cobs are easy to put together...and the NEW Cricut Explore Air 2 helps make the process even faster than before. Let's get started...

SUPPLIES (for one corncob):
Cricut Explore® Air 2 machine
Circuit® Design Space  - (here's my custom corncob file created using the 3D Intricate Corn file) 
Cricut® 12x12” StandardGrip mat
Cardstock in yellow (or white if you'd like to chalk your corn - details below)
Raffia
Scissors - for cutting raffia
Hot glue gun

Optional:
Kraft card stock for cutting place cards.
Cricut 0.4 pen - black
Chalk - if you choose to use white cardstock

TIP
If you can't get the link to work for my custom corncob file, all I did was customize the 3D Intricate Corn file by eliminating all layers except for the solid corncob layer. I deleted all but one corncob and merged the two separate corncob pieces into one. I also enlarged the corncob to be 6 inches in length and then copy + pasted until I had the number of corncobs I needed.

To create the place card file for cutting, I searched "place card" in Cricut® Design Space and chose one that most resembled what I was looking for. Then I resized it to be 3.25" x 1.9"

DIRECTIONS for one corncob
1. Cut five corncob pieces from yellow (or white) card stock. (watch my video)
2. Use hot glue (or adhesive of your choice) and this .pdf file to assemble.  
    (don't freak out...the instructions are for an acorn but the same concept applies).
3. Cut a long bundle of raffia and knot one end.
4. Apply hot glue to open end of corncob and insert short end of knotted raffia to create cornhusks.
5. Squeeze together to seal and secure.
6. Display place card if desired or simply display with pumpkins and Fall leaves.

If you are using these for place cards you can cut some out using kraft card stock and then hand-write them using your Cricut® pen. 

TIP: You can also create a file in Cricut® Design Space to have the machine write names or even just Fall sentiments like "grateful", "thankful" or "blessings".

Now, if you'd like to take things to the next level, creatively speaking...

how about using white card stock instead of yellow and then use chalk to create the perfect mix of yellows and browns for Fall. Yes?

Just rub a mix of fall chalk colors onto the white paper corncobs and blend with your fingertips until you reach the desired result. I love that it mimics a watercolor effect. So pretty!

No matter if you keep it simple and use yellow card stock or if you decide to go all out and add your magic using chalks...the results are too adorable!!

The hardest part about this project was just trying to decide what I wanted to make in the first place when I perused the thousands of pre-designed images in the Cricut® Design Space. Ha!!

So yeah...if you are already creating your Christmas wish list...I think you're going to want to make sure this is on it. I know you'll love it and will find so many ways to create fun, personalized things for your family and friends.

With Ella's birthday party this coming Sunday, I've already determined I need to make her a personalized birthday girl t-shirt for her to wear AND a matching one for her American Girl Doll.

And probably some cute personalized party favors too! *wink*

So do you want to know what I love about the new Cricut Explore Air 2 compared to my Cricut Explore One?

1. The pretty color selections (rose, serenity blue, mint and classic ivory + gold)
2. The ability to cut or write 2 times faster

AND....

my very favorite thing about it...WIRELESS CAPABILITY!
No more ugly cords across my studio hooking my Cricut® to my computer when it's craft time. Yay!!

Want to know more about this amazing, beautiful machine?
Check out this YouTube video to see more specifics. 

Love you guys and hope you are inspired to get started on your Fall decorating...if you haven't already begun.

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THIS IS A SPONSORED POST BY CRICUT®

PEN + PAPER FLOWERS HAS RECEIVED COMPENSATION AND/OR PRODUCTS 

IN EXCHANGE FOR CREATING CONTENT AND SHARING PRODUCTS.
  AS ALWAYS, FRIENDS + READERS, I ONLY WORK WITH BRANDS 
AND SHARE CONTENT I'M PERSONALLY INSPIRED BY 

AND ESSENTIALLY FEEL WILL INSPIRE YOU TOO!

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KEEPiNG iT REAL
You guys! It's soooo pretty! Not even kidding.
I created this video using Snapchat and then posted it in my Instagram stories a couple of weeks ago.
Find me on Insta and Snapchat by searching: pnpflowers

Cricut-Explore-Air-2-Mint-5117 from Jessica Kirkland on Vimeo.