The Fall wreath I created two years ago popped up in my photos over the weekend and upon seeing it and remembering how much I loved it, I was inspired to create another one this year. 

I especially loved the simplicity of it and that's the vibe I'm trying to create on my front porch this year - with hopes of setting the stage for calm + cozy during a month that historically tends to be associated with chaos for our family. (three birthdays, Thanksgiving and prepping for Christmas makes for a crazy November). 

We, (Ella, myself, and a friend of hers), collected beautiful leaves together over the weekend and then yesterday I grabbed my glue gun and created this beauty.

The leaves were gorgeous on their own and I could've left the wreath alone. However, I  really wanted to add a softer element to it and remembered I had some leftover dried florals I had picked up at Fresh Market earlier this month.  I added the plumes and love how it turned out.

It's simple.

It's natural.

It's beautiful.

And it does a fantastic job representing fall in all of its splendor.

I sure hope you'll try this fun, easy, pretty fall wreath.

It took me longer to collect the leaves than it did to put it all together.

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

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MATERIAL NEEDED:

1 - grapevine wreath - here's one similar to mine 

     but don't shy away from local craft stores - take advantage of their 40 + 50% off coupons.

1 - glue gun w/glue sticks - similar to mine...simple + tiny

Armful of Fall leaves - quantity really depends on the size of the your leaves + wreath

Dried Fall Florals - I used something like this reed grass

Ribbon, Twine, fishing line, or a wreath hanger - for hanging. I used THIS. 

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat up your glue gun.

Lay your grapevine wreath on a flat surface.

Place larger leaves on wreath to determine placement before gluing. 

Start hot gluing the leaves to the wreath.

Use smaller leaves to fill in any gaps - securing with glue.

Cut the reed grass stems until you've got maybe 1-2 inches of the stem to work with.

Tuck dried florals into the wreath, stem side first, along the outside and inside of wreath.

Use grapevines to continue tucking dried plumes into the wreath to your liking.

No need for gluing if they are tucked well in the grapevines - and will allow you to reuse them.

Use ribbon, twine, fishing line or a wreath hanger to display.

NOTES + TIPS

1. Face your leaves up, down, and sideways to create more character and dimension.

2. Be sure to allow some of the leaves to lay on the inner and outer sides of the wreath to add more

   interest. 

3. Stand your wreath up (or better yet, hang it on something), 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. 

4. 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.

5. I used raw muslin to hang my wreath by using three flat tacks to secure it at the very top of my door. Tacks cannot be seen and door still closes. Yay!

6. Although it may have been easier to start with the dried fall florals since they are the largest element of the wreath, starting with the leaves allowed me to fill in where necessary and avoid getting hot glue on the dried florals I'm hoping to reuse. 

• • • • •

KEEPING IT REAL

I was super busy with a Harry Potter Classroom transformation last week. (you can see it in my Instagram stories "HP Reveal" saved in my Insta highlights). 

So...I didn't get my Ranch Dressing or Taco Mix Recipes posted yet. Those are coming - and then so is the Chicken Ranch Tacos recipe! Although I'm seriously tempted to skip all of them and get straight to the pies! #pieismyfavorite

FREE | Give Thanks Art Print

We are only 3 days away from feasting with our friends + family, gathering around tables filled with an over abundance of delicious pies food and giving thanks for the pies blessings we enjoy in this life.

My aunt is hosting Thanksgiving this year and she reached out to me to create a "Give Thanks" sign for the "Thanksgiving Tree" she is setting up on a tabletop. It sounds like we'll each get a leaf to write down something we are thankful for, pies obviously, and then we'll add it to the tree.

Well I was so happy when I was given the assignment of making pies with the turn out I decided to make it available as a FREE DOWNLOAD!  -----> link at bottom of post

My aunt requested a custom 18x8 sign but I'm also making pies it available as an 8x10 as well as 4x6.
I figured some of you may want to frame it - as shown in the images above - and some of you may want to add them to your place settings.

Pssst...if you aren't hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year...this would make a fantastic hostess gift!! You're welcome!! *wink*

There are also THREE background options to choose from (see below) and every file size is available in .pdf as well as .jpg format.

I hope you love them and will print them out to add a sweet + simple reminder about what Thanksgiving is truly about....and it's not really about the pies...as much as I'd like to think. *wink*

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FAVORITE "GIVE THANKS" ART PRINT 

Happy Thanksgiving to you friends.
I am so grateful for each and every one of you.
May you enjoy the day with your family + loved ones and may we all take a minute to truly count our blessings and "give thanks" for all that we have.

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
1. Don't look to closely....the eucalyptus in the first photo is completely dead and dried out. But it looks great in photos, doesn't it?! *wink*

2. Really concerned about another spot on my face that could potentially be skin cancer again. Trying not to worry and turning it over to God.

3. The Fall decor is coming down and the Christmas is coming out before we head out of town this week. I'll explain my fresh new perspective on Thanksgiving melting into Christmas later this week.

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!!