Tag: fall

From My Fall Porch

From My Fall Porch

Well Halloween is finally here, so I thought it was about time I shared a glimpse of this year’s fall porch decor. It has been such an odd fall with its share of up and down temps (and an early snow fall), which has kept me jumping to save my plants from freezing. We carved up our jack o’ lantern last night and added it to the mix, so I hope we have at least a few trick or treaters visit our cozy home.

 

fall porch

fall porch

fall porch

fall porch

fall porch

Campfire and S’mores — Family Favorites

Campfire and S’mores — Family Favorites

s'mores

Making s’mores in the backyard is one of our favorite family activities each fall, because there’s just something about a bonfire and melted marshmallows that makes autumn feel all official.

We finally picked a new campfire spot out on our three acres, not too far from the house but not to close either. I wanted it to be somewhat secluded but still convenient for hauling out all the fixin’s. I also have this very healthy respect for fire (thanks to Smokey the Bear), and I need to make sure (my husband makes sure) every ember is doused before I can sleep at night.

s'mores

Sometimes it’s not super convenient to start a fire and collect all the ingredients for s’mores and there is always something else less fun that needs to be done, but every time we push to make a campfire happen we are totally rewarded with a bit of relaxing family time around a roaring fire and bellies full of sweet goodness. It really must be one of my favorite things on this earth.

s'mores

Of course, one doesn’t need three acres to create a great family outing. We used to build a fire and roast marshmallows in the backyard of our half-acre lot. Some parks also have fire pit areas for day use that make for a great adventure. Heck, you can even whip up some s’mores over the charcoal grill on your back deck. If you live in town, it’s also wise to check city ordinances before lighting up.

Okay, so now that I’ve just encouraged you to go play with fire, here’s my safety disclaimer. Please use all proper safety precautions before, during and after lighting a fire, Adult supervision (some husband’s probably don’t qualify 🙂 ) is required.

Happy (quickly fading) fall, y’all!

 

My Autumn Mailbox Adds Curbside Color

My Autumn Mailbox Adds Curbside Color

autumn mailbox

Although today’s cloudy skies looks nothing like the day I took these photos of my autumn mailbox, I decided to share them in hopes of bringing a bit of sunshine and inspiration into your day.

Since all the flowers around my mailbox have finished blooming, I’m left with a bunch of dead heads and green leaves, so I wanted to bring some color to the curbside. I will soon clip the dead flower tops once the yellow finches have polished off all the seeds before winter.

This little box top arrangement was super easy to create with just a few necessities. I started with a floral saddle created for just such a thing (and headstones too, but our project is much more fun). Bend the sides of the saddle to firmly grip your mailbox and wrap the foam with dried Spanish moss. You can purchase bags of the moss for cheap at most craft stores. You don’t need to adhere the moss with anything, because your floral stems will hold it on.

autumn mailbox

Now it’s time to start poking in your pretty stuff. I used one bush of sunflowers and one bush of oak leaves (on sale at Michael’s), but I also added some smaller flowers I had around the house to fill in some bare spots. You will need some type of wire nippers to trim the flower stems to length, and this is probably the most difficult step in this project. Those thick stems can be tough to cut, but with the correct tool you shouldn’t have a problem.

For the finishing touch, I added a large bow made of wired burlap ribbon to each side of the arrangement. I made the bows and adhered them using wired floral picks (also available at craft stores). The bows add a nice touch and also help cover the sides of the saddle.

That’s all it took to create this fun mailbox topper that should last until Christmas décor time, but I hope it withstands the elements well. I’m sure the quality of my contents will play a part in this, but so far the rain and wind haven’t affected it a bit.

 

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