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!!

WE ARE MOVING

It's pouring down rain on this Tuesday afternoon as I begin writing this blog post.

I think the gloomy weather is apropos for the state of mind I seem to be in most days since our decision, back in January, to have Jason accept a position with another company. The new position brings with it a lot of opportunity and promise for him. Unfortunately, it also brings with it the need to move from the area our family has come to know and love for nearly 16 years now.

I've been in denial mostly. I keep thinking something is going to happen to intervene and the process isn't really going to play out. Turns out it's playing out all right. When the "For Sale" sign went up in the yard I think that pretty much squashed any disillusionment I had about the fact that we are packing up and heading a bit north on a new adventure.

Yeah. I keep calling it an "adventure".  That's what you have to do, isn't it? When you are faced with something you don't really want to do but you know you have to do it anyway...you call it an adventure. You pretend it's going to be amazing. You find all of the positives about the situation you can possibly gather and you create a bouquet of "it'll all work out". And honestly, I do have faith things will all work out.

So let's end on something super positive...
I've been filling my home with lots of fresh cut flowers lately.
Like the ones in the photo that are sitting on my perfectly made bed right now looking as though we live in a model home. Ha!!

But hey! There you go...a clean home filled with fresh flowers.
That's a really good thing.
That definitely brings me joy.
And I'm just going to hold onto that for today.

Between posts, you can find me on Instagram sharing more details about the move!
I hope to see you over there too!!

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPING IT REAL
Phew!! I ended this just in the knick of time...my phone alarm to remind me to go get Ella from school just rang!

iNSPiRE | Garden Inspiration

(photo source)

I've been "growing" an herb collection this Summer, friends!
I'm so proud of myself...except for the fact that everything is in a complete wilt right now with some of the plants yellowing. *covering my eyes*

I have been obsessing over the idea of creating a Potting Station for the back porch. (Isn't the one above just dreamy)?

I have really been trying to step up my game with caring for plants and flowers around my home. So far my results are shameful but nonetheless...I've started an "All Things Garden" Pinterest board to keep me inspired. I thought there might be a few of you out there who might enjoy some garden inspiration too...

This looks fun! And would also make a charming gift idea!

I'm totally trying it!!

I shared this photo on Instagram because I was inspired by the fact that @michelle_janeen makes a habit of bringing in her floral clippings and branches inside her home.

Which then inspired me to wrestle with my bougainvillea bush, (I've got scratches from the unforgiving thorns to prove it), to bring some pretty branches and blooms inside to display on my kitchen windowsill. (I shared this photo on my Instagram too).

This collection of old watering cans is a brilliant idea for dressing up your garden space.

(This was actually part of a chicken coop...hence the chicken shown in the photo). So cool, right?

Although my "All Things Garden" Pinterest board is a bit sparse right now...I intend on adding more and more to it so I hope you'll follow along and be inspired as I'm inspired!

Happy Monday, friends!
xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Ella is home sick today...making this her first official "sick" day of Second grade. Boo!
She tossed her cookies last night after eating at Grandma + Grandpa's house.
I'm pretty sure it was a combination of an afternoon filled with cotton candy, water slides, sno cones, food truck food and the torturous Florida Summer heat + sun that probably dehydrated her. *frown*

BOOK CLUB | May Selection :: The Secret Language of Flowers by Samantha Gray

image provided by Ryland, Peters and Small

The book selection for May, "The Secret Language of Flowers" by Samantha Gray published by CICO Books and illustrated by Sarah Perkins is so perfect in so many ways...

First and foremost...

DISCOVER | The Secrets of Tulips

Aren't they pretty!!??
On a whim, I stopped by Terri's Eustis Flower Shop last week and picked up this gorgeous fresh bunch of tulips. While there, I learned a couple of things about tulips (+ flowers) I never knew.
I was amazed at this first gem of information...

HOME | Dried Flowers + Pitcher + Pumpkin Spice

Hello pretty star flowers….

I picked up a bundle of these from Hobby Lobby over the weekend and I'm head-over-heels in love with them. They are tee-tiny dried flowers in my favorite color scheme…creamy white…and in my opinion have "french farmhouse" written all over them.  LOVE them!

I'm feeling more and more inspired with regards to finally decorating my house…after 4 years of pretty much nothing.

I've got more of a vision and direction in my mind AND…the energy to actually take on some projects.


So...my first SIMPLE project this weekend was to fill this pretty pitcher I picked up from HomeGoods.

I also found these Halloween napkins and cute wooden box that unexpectedly fit my napkins perfectly!!

It looks like it's an enamel pitcher but it's really ceramic. And again…it looks completely French Farmhouse to me….which if you didn't know is my decorating style.

I have fretted over exactly what to put on the island in my kitchen for nearly 4 years now. It sounds ridiculous, right? I've tried everything from glass apothecary jars to oversized pieces of pretty pottery. All of the things I've tried have either been too tall…too short…to bleh…or just plain impractical. I'm in the kitchen A LOT and most of the time our dinners are served straight from the island so I needed something I could easily move to accommodate dinners.

That's how I came up with the tray idea. I picked this one up from JoAnn's a couple of years ago.
I have loved it. But I haven't necessarily loved the items I've put on it. That is…until this weekend.

When I spotted the bundle of star flowers at Hobby Lobby I was concerned they wouldn't quite be right for the pitcher. But I decided to try them out anyway. I'm so glad I did. The stems are super thin but stiff so because they were originally too tall for the pitcher, I took my garden shears…stood over the trash can and easily cut them down to where I wanted them. I cut the whole bundle of stems at one time. Easy peasy.

I think what I love most about the star flowers is that as much as they are perfect for fall right now…they really adapt to every season - and that makes me happy knowing I'm not going to tire of them or be forced to change them out with every holiday. I'll only need to swap out the candle scent. And honestly…I'd burn pumpkin spice year-round…and anything with cranberry! I just LOVE those two scents. Actually, my two older daughters have me hooked on the scents that have a "fireside" smell to them. We LOVE bonfires and roasting marshmallows…so it only seems natural to gravitate towards those smells.

Anyway…this new flower-filled pitcher and candle makes this island my absolute favorite spot in the house right now. I'm not even kidding. I must've said to Clara at least three different times, "You have no idea how happy this makes me." while dreamily staring at the island and breathing in the pumpkin spice scent. I also told her if I was bride I would totally just carry a bundle of star flowers just like this. That's all I would need…tied with a pretty ribbon.

Once again…sticking with simple makes me the happiest. A pitcher of pretty flowers and a $5 Heritage Target Candle. Done. Not too tall. Not too much. Easy to move for meal prep. I can't stop staring!

The only problem now is I think the pitcher would look really pretty on my farm table…and in my living room…or on my mantle…or on the side of my tub…or in my bedroom.  Ha! And to me…that's a good thing because that confirms even more that this was totally the right choice. *wink*

I'm wondering if this new-found inspiration and energy are a direct reflection from the Whole90 I've been doing? Maybe? Regardless…I'm on Day 72 and I'm feeling good. So I'll take that.

If you love the French Farmhouse look too…you'll find MORE inspiration on my Farmhouse Love pinterest board. 

KEEPiNG iT REAL
All of these photos were taken with my iPhone because I'm too lazy to get out my real camera.
The top one is pretty awesome because there was actually sunshine this morning when I snapped that one! However, the other two are from this weekend when it was raining. They are okay - but blurry.

I went back to Hobby Lobby and purchased a 2nd bundle of these dried star flowers because I love them so! (I've got the Hobby Lobby App on my phone and used my 40% coupon for both purchases!!)  Not sure if I should add more flowers to the existing pitcher or place them in spots all around the house. Still deciding.

CRAFT | DIY Paper Floral Woodland Crown

It's that time again…another fun submission for the Cricut Design Space Star Challenge.
My team chose to go with a Floral Woodland theme for our projects this month. The monthly topic chosen by Cricut® was "Celebration/Wedding" so we decided as a group it would be awesome for each of us to choose a specific element of a wedding or celebration so that all of our projects would blend together to create one giant cyber celebration…so-to-speak.  Here are the specifics we decided on as a team:

Team Project Colors:  Mint + Blush
Team Project Elements should include:  Natural wood elements when possible and eucalyptus. All projects should include elements of a "Celebration" that would lend itself to either a birthday, anniversary, baby shower or wedding. Work as a team to combine our efforts/projects to showcase a variety of aspects of the same celebration. 

We also thought it would be fun to create a Team Pinterest Board to reference as we were brainstorming project ideas.  There were SO many pretty and inspiring pins on our Floral Woodland Inspiration board…be sure to peek at it.

I immediately signed up to do a floral crown since my daughter Clara had suggested it for last month's "Fashion" project.  Our team ended up deciding on a Geo theme for our fashion projects in August and I just wasn't feeling the crown idea for that. BUT…the Celebration/Wedding theme for this month couldn't have been more perfect.

I went with a rustic crown by filling a grapevine wreath with paper flowers and paper eucalyptus.
The concept was simple…and there were plenty of pre-designed florals to choose from in the Cricut Design Space. However, there was no eucalyptus so I created a file myself and I am SO impressed with how the Cricut performed in cutting out the intricacies of the fine stems I drew that made up the silver dollar eucalyptus leaves I designed.

MATERIALS LIST

Cricut® Explore Cutting Machine

Cricut® Explore 12x12 Standard Grip Mat

Cricut® Explore Weeding Tool

Glue Gun

Cricut® Design Space 3D Flower File - search 3D flower

Pen + Paper Flowers Eucalyptus Image/File 

*Small Grapevine Wreath (6", 8" or 10" - determined by person's head size)

Colored Card Stock

much of what I used I already had or found at a local craft store but here are similar items:

Moss Green card stock (for 4 Eucalyptus branches)

Blush Pink card stock (for 2 small flowers)

Mint Green card stock (for 3 small flowers)

Ivory card stock (for 4 medium flowers)

* Look for a small grapevine wreath that has the thinnest vines for a "softer" crown vibe - thin enough to be able to use bobby pins to secure the crown in the hair of the person who'll be wearing it. There were some I purchased from Hobby Lobby when I first started gathering supplies and they just seemed too prickly and thick. (and honestly looked more like the thorny crown depicted in images of Jesus' crucifixion - not to get all holy on you - but it wasn't the look I was going for, if you know what I mean). I later found thinner versions at JoAnn's and Michaels.

INSTRUCTIONS
STEP ONE :: Cut/Create Paper Eucalpytus
Using the Cricut® Design Space, upload the Eucalyptus image file. Cut four separate eucalyptus images from 12x12 Moss green card stock. Mine were sized around 6 inches wide.

Use the weeding tool to remove each of the paper Eucalyptus branches. Mine peeled off super easy...no rips or tears!! Yay!!  I've used my Standard Grip Mat several times now so it's not so tacky. Things peel off like butter now.

Can you believe how amazing these Eucalyptus branches turned out!? I think they are so realistic. With this only being the 2nd time I've used the Cricut® Explore, I was super impressed with the ability it has to cut fine, intricate details. I thought for sure it would just shred the fine stems but nope…perfection!!  The Cricut Explore also has a "scoring" feature…it would be cool to see if it would score lines into the leaves…but I'm still a newbie and haven't tried that feature yet.

STEP TWO :: Cut/Create Paper Flowers
Select a pre-designed 3D Flower from the Cricut Design Space.  Cut 2 small blush pink flowers, 3 small mint flowers and 4 large ivory flowers from the three different 12x12 sheets of card stock. My flowers were approximately 3 inches for the small and a little over 4 inches for the large.

Roll your card stock cut outs starting from the outside inwards to create the flower shape. You can do this with your fingers or use a cute party straw to help…see below. These are the EXACT same concept as the Easy DIY Paper Flowers I shared with you some time back…except I didn't have to hand cut a single flower…I let the Cricut® Explore do all of the work and I just have to roll! *wink* Pluse these have darling scalloped edges too.

There are several different 3D floral files to choose from in Cricut Design Space. (see below)
I went with the one I starred below…just because I felt the softer, more shallow scallops resulted in a more rose-like flower. But I think they are all really pretty! *wink* Pick your favorite and go with it.

I didn't end up using the more pointy 3D flowers as shown above…

but this was my only photo of the rolling technique with the straw. 

It's NOT necessary at all…but it's kind of helpful.

STEP THREE :: Assemble Crown

Layout the paper pieces of your crown starting with the Eucalyptus pieces. Add the flowers and make sure you like how they look before securing with a hot glue gun.

TIP:

Consider the placement of the finished crown on the person's head when deciding on placement of the flowers. If the grapevine wreath is more oval vs. round you'll want the narrow ends of the crown sitting at the front and back of the person's head so it sits securely. Keep that in mind when placing your flowers.

Not only is this a simple crown aesthetically…the Cricut® Explore made it simple to make too.
It's pretty enough for a wedding yet simple enough for using as a birthday crown.

I hope you love the project.
And I really hope Cricut® does too…they'll be picking the Top 10 projects submitted by all of the bloggers participating in this Design Star Challenge. The winners of the Top 10 for this month will be announced on September 25th. Once they announce the Top 10…voting will open up to the public and an overall winner for September will be chosen. Then we get to do it all again in October AND November. *wink*

My whole team came up with some fabulous projects too!!
I'll be sharing all of them in a separate post…coming soon!!

A special thank you to my daughter Clara for modeling the crown for me!
She's got gorgeous hair…doesn't she?!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
As simple as this project was…it took me ALL week long to find the time to actually get this post finished and up on the blog.

INSPiRE | 100 Days of Happy

And just like that…I've started the 100 Days of Happy Challenge.

I've seen the hashtag #100happydays floating around social media over the last couple of months and today…for whatever reason…

LOVE iT | Pretty Flower Cookies

Mother's Day is coming up quick…
and I bet you are thinking that's a cupcake packaged up all pretty in the box above…aren't you?
I was fooled a little bit too…but it's actually a gorgeous flower COOKIE!

Today I want to share some super pretty cookies from Kelly Barkhurst…
owner of Oh Kelly's, Specialty Cakes and Cookies.

Kelly reached out to me asking for permission to use the FREE Mother's Day tags I recently shared here on the blog. She wanted to use them as part of her packaging for her pretty cookies! I said "sure!" and then asked for her to send some pictures so I could see how it turned out.  I LOVE them!! (oh! and the tags too!) Ha!!

It looks like Oh Kelly's is prepping for the launch of an Etsy store!
I'm excited for Kelly and her new, upcoming adventure and wish her all the luck in the world with her
darling pastries. Thank you so much for reaching out to me Kelly! Your photos turned out wonderful and I am so happy to share them here on the blog! I love what you did with the Mother's Day tags - they look beautiful next to your pretty pastries! 

Aside from Mother's Day, I think these cookies would be perfect for Teacher Appreciation as well as baby and bridal showers!


KEEPiNG iT REAL
How the heck is it already May, people?
I'm freaking out just a little bit because May is a month of milestones…
My oldest turns eighteen and she also graduates from high school!
Noooo!!

Last week was exceptionally busy.
I finally received the new shipment of The Pastry Pedestal and Platforms
that have been backordered for what seems like FOREVER and guess what? We were sold out by Saturday! Eeeks!! New order has already been placed - fingers crossed it doesn't take nearly as long to receive.

On top of that, I sent J and Ella off on Friday to Illinois for 5 days to visit with J's parents and family.
I also spent most of my weekend helping Clara prep for her Senior Prom on Saturday night!
Looking forward to sharing pictures from that…when I actually have time to edit photos! Ha!!

ELLA | Tuesdays are when the magic happens

Tuesdays at my house have become my favorite day of the week.
It's my day to take Ella to our local library before she heads to pre school for the afternoon.
She's got her own library card now and looks forward to swapping out her current five books for five new ones. (We picked the number 5 since that's her age and it completely eliminates the need for me, or her, to remember how many books we need to return every week).

This week, however, Ella did not want to return one of the books we found last week…Carrot Soup.
She was really upset about the thought of having to take it back so we re-checked it out and have it for another 5 days. She's been enamored with this adorable story about a rabbit whose carrots go missing in the field after he's worked so hard to plant and harvest them. He'd been so excited to finally have carrots to make his very favorite soup.

There's even a simple recipe included on the very last page of the book…and I've already made it!
It's DELISH. (I'll be sharing it on the blog soon).

I love the crumbs stuck to the back of the book - 

she was hiding her face because she was done with me taking pictures. Ha!

Books are magic. Strangely enough I didn't feel that way when I had to read them as a kid. It felt more like a chore or a good way to lull myself fast asleep. Guess I just wasn't reading the right ones? I remember my friends being peculiarly into them and not understanding AT. ALL.

This all changed though when I became a mom. I vowed to read to my kids before bed every night and that's when I really developed a love for reading. It's truly one of my favorite routines and trust me when I say I get into character. I do "voice-overs" and sometimes get creative by singing the books instead of reading the words...just to spice things up a bit. *wink*

This week, when we re-checked out Carrot Soup…we also brought home one of the books I remember reading (and actually loving) as a child: The Little House.  For whatever reason, I remembered it one day in the library and asked if they happened to have it. They didn't have it and had to order it from another library so I was thrilled it was there when we came this week. It's such a charming little book and I find it interesting that the elements of a story I adored as a child actually define the very essence of my personality today as an adult…touching on things I adore and things I hold near and dear to my heart today… cute little cottage-style houses, country living, open fields, star-filled skies, nostalgia, family history, and  giving new life to old architecture, etc. 

Anyone else remember this story too?

Anyway…on this particular day, Ella was on the kitchen counter reading Carrot Soup to me and as if that wasn't magic enough…what happened next was even more magical.

I had the window cracked open a bit (and the french doors to the back patio open). Ella laid her book on the counter as the sound of the wind coming through the screen caught her attention. Next thing I know, she begins plucking off the petals and leafs of some wilted flowers we'd put in small bud vases the week before.

Ella discovered the wind coming through the window created just the right amount of "pull" to hold the petals and leaves up against the screen. I know it sounds silly but it truly was magic in Ella's eyes and the magic for me was in her sweet intrigue…and the fact that she was taking the time to do this.

I was mesmerized by her sweet little five-year old fingers and hands gently pulling and placing each leaf and petal…just as much as she was fascinated by the wind holding everything in place.

And then I took a moment to snap a picture from behind because I know one day, Ella will be too big to sit up on this counter; Too big and too busy to pick petals anymore. The quality of the photo isn't all that great but you know what…it doesn't even matter. I simply wanted to record how small Ella is right now, at five years old. She's tiny compared to the size of the window but we all know how quickly this will change. Her curiosity will change too…because we all know as we get older we don't take the time to engage in the magic of the world all around us. I'm so grateful today for moments like these. Tuesdays, for me, really are when the magic happens. I wish it could be Tuesday every day! *wink*

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Reading books to Ella is a ritual I look forward to every most nights. (sometimes when I find myself having to work on the computer after dinner I get irritated having to stop and interrupt my train of thought on the particular project I'm in the middle of). On those particular days, it never fails. As I march my grumpy self to the couch to meet Ella with the book she's picked, my heart kicks me in the gut as I look at Ella's sweet little face and realize yet again…these days are numbered.  Having 2 older girls 10+ years older than Ella makes the reality for me that bedtime routines change dramatically as they continue to age and I will ache for the days when she was small enough for me to cuddle in my arms and young enough to actually still WANT me to read her a book. I experience that ache right now with Clara and Ema.