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.

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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

FUN | Spooking Season

It's Phantom Pumpkin Season! Ella and I are on top of our game this year and we've actually already started our annual family tradition of "spooking" unsuspecting neighbors by leaving treats and surprises at their doorsteps.

This year I did something a little different for the homes with kids. I created a printable Halloween Bingo game and left a bag of black, orange and white Hershey kisses for the game pieces. So fun! And PS - you can use these adorable assorted kisses instead which are incredibly adorable too - check out images 4 + 5...look familiar? *wink*

These would be so fun for a Halloween party or how about a fall CLASS party too!!

I actually designed the bingo game using a combination of images I had previously designed for various projects so it was fun mixing them all together to create something new.

Of course there are some neighbors who are empty-nesters so we kept things sweet and simple by leaving cute treat bags behind. I mean look at how frightfully adorable they turned out! (below)

Again, using an idea I came up with while doing some work for Hershey's I decided to turn the creations into these printable jack-o-lantern, ghost, and spooky cat faces available as free printables for YOU. (see what I did for Hershey here - images 2, 3, 4, 5 + 6)

All you need is a cellophane bag, the color foiled kisses of your choice (black, white or orange) and a twisty tie. (or a cute ribbon as shown on the spooky cat). Print your faces, cut them out and stick them on with double-stick tape. Done!

I think the spooky cat is my favorite. *wink*

And not just because it's got the cute orange ribbon.

I hope this inspires you to get out there and spook some of your own neighbors and friends or if anything, create some adorable halloween treats! 

I know if you and I were neighbors...I'd certainly be spooking you my friends.

love you guys!

xoxo,

Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

It was just Ella and I this year.

And we broke tradition and did it during daylight hours instead of after the sun went down.

I was the getaway driver and she was the runner.

We made 5 deliveries on our first round of spooking.

Unfortunately, when we tried to finish the 2nd round of spooking a couple of days later,

Ella rolled her ankle as she was running back to the car. *tears*

Needless to say we called it a night.

With Ella back to 100% we have 4 more spooks left to do.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLES

Phantom Pumpkin Spooking Sheet Set

Phantom Pumpkin Treat Tags

Jack-O-Lantern Cut-Out Faces

Ghost Cut-Out Faces

Spooky Cat Cut-Out Faces

Halloween Bingo Game Cards - Set 1

Halloween Bingo Game Cards - Set 2

Halloween Bingo Game Cards - Set 3

Halloween Bingo Game Cards - Set 4

Halloween Bingo Calling Card Tags

Halloween Bingo Playing Pieces Treat Tags

ALL of the Halloween Bingo + Phantom Pumpkin Printables

ALL of the Halloween Cut-Out Faces

STYLING | Fall Front Porch

 Before we kiss our pumpkins goodbye and bid farewell to Thanksgiving + the lovely Fall season, I wanted to share our Fall Front Porch with you.

This new house of ours has all of the charm I've ever dreamed of; The front porch, the craftsman style home, the HardieTrim® boards, the shake shingles...even the subtle minty blue I would've never chosen on my own but really love. 

So, with all of that "charm" it's been fun decorating the front porch AND somewhat of a struggle. Choosing the right plant containers to use out front has been challenging because I didn't want to use anything too substantial or regal for our "cottage" home OR something so simple it would seem boring. I knew using ornate urns was never an option so I never tried those. I did however try some cute baskets and even some smaller clay pots. Although I loved the look and the idea of using baskets, they proved to be completely impractical. The baskets started to mold inside from watering - gotta love Florida humidity. The standard clay pots were just too orange and too short next to the brick columns. I was looking for height...and...well...charm.

I'm happy to say I found just what I was looking for after several visits to the garden center at Ace Hardware - and a special order...for these Les Fleur clay pots that have evidently been discontinued. So much for simple. 

They are the perfect faded clay I was looking for and with the addition of these pretty white florals, (White Knight Alyssums), that will apparently last through the Florida winter...I think they're pretty perfect. I'm happy with how it came together. Now...enough talking...I'll just let you scroll.

I have to also mention I lucked out when I found all of the pretty pumpkins you see in this post at a little general store called Andrew's Homestead. It's such a sweet little find and Andrew is such a great guy. I will be sharing more about this little local gem and the treasures Andrew carries...like Kombucha Juice on tap! More on that later.

It's Pie Day tomorrow everyone!! *wink*
And my heart is grateful.
I'll pop in quickly tomorrow to share all of my Thanksgiving desserts with you.

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Did I tell you how much I LOVE the pretty white flowers?
They actually stink but they're so pretty and cottagey and just my style...I can deal with the smell.
And they do shed some but the positioning on the porch allows the wind to blow the pretty little petals away. Kind of like having an invisible, personal porch Roomba®. 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*

FREE | Monthly Blog Hop Printables :: Halloween

Remember the FREE "Something Wicked This Way Comes" sign I shared with you?
Well it was for the awesome lineup of FREE Halloween Printables for September's monthly Blog Hop!! I have to say this collection of printables turned out SO adorable!!

Download and print ANY of the cute things you see above right here!!

Halloween Printable Bottle Labels - Skip to My Lou

Creepy Spells and Potions Printable Labels - Hostess with the Mostess 

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" Sign - Pen N' Paper Flowers 

Free Printable Halloween Candy Bar Wrappers - Living Locurto 

Candy Corn Cheese Wedge Printables - No Biggie 

Favorite Fall Things Printable - Nest of Posies 

"Take One" Halloween Sign - Kori Clark 

"You've Been Booed" Printable Kit - Catch My Party

I hope you love them and will hop your happy little self from blog to blog to download them and then use them for your upcoming Halloween festivities!! Tell your friends too! *wink*

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I've got more Halloween stuff coming to my Etsy shoppe too!

Think cute signage…if I can ever find the time to upload it!