Fall Harvest Porch Decor with Reclaimed Wood Sign

In the middle of the renovation, I'm still decorating for fall.  In fact, all decorating is in full swing here at the farmhouse. The porch is dressed with mums and pumpkins and a sign that I made from reclaimed paneling that I removed when renovated the fireplace in the dining room. If you cup your hands around your eyes and look only at my front entry (ignoring the fact that there's no other landscaping at all because it has been cut down for construction) you might be tempted to think that the outside of my house is nice.....

                                                                                                        ....don't believe it. It's all a mirage.

Gold and Orange Fall Pumpkin Urn Planter

Since tomorrow is the first official day of autumn (and since the sun finally decided to pay a visit after about a week long vacation), I snapped a few quick photos of  my fall harvest themed urn planter.

Blue and White Outdoor Summer Urn Patio Planters

 
 Summer has finally arrived in the Midwest and after a cold and seemingly endless winter it has been so much fun to be able to fill my urns and planters with colorful annuals and not have to worry (too much) that I'll be running out every night to cover them to protect them from frost.  This year, my color scheme consists of cool colors: blue, purple and white.

Brightly Colored Spring Urn Planter Decor

Sometimes, I can't help myself.  There are days when I have the urge to decorate and when I've got nothing to do at home, I fulfill the need by decorating  for other people..even when they don't expect it.  On Saturday night, these urn planters in front of my friends' store, Vintage Fresh, got a spontaneous spring decor makeover courtesy of temperatures in the upper 50's coupled with my sudden urge for a little spring and the fact that the center of my own urn at home is still frozen solid.

There were cute little evergreen trees in the centers of them which had fallen victim to our really harsh winter this year so they'll need to be replaced when local nurseries get their stock but for now, they made a fine base for the addition of  a few spring flowers from Hobby Lobby, a little tulle, and a few plaid bows.

Someone had already added cute little Easter stakes and a few eggs so I used them as well.  All of the flowers that are in these pots are silk because that's what was available at 6:30 on Saturday evening when the urge struck....

All I really wanted was to create something bright and cheery to surprise my friends when they arrived on Sunday morning to open their doors for Downers Grove's first ever Bridal Walk and to fill the urns for the next few weeks until warmer weather arrives and we can plant them for summer!

If you have urn planters that need a little pick me up, consider adding brightly colored netting, and bows along with a few flowers (faux or real) to create a sunny spring welcome at your door.  And if you live near me, be warned...if I have a few hours, this could happen to you!

Christmas Front Porch and Urn Planter and The First Snowfall at the French Farmhouse

This year, for the first time in over ten years, I decorated my front porch entry with live greens.  I hung live balsam wreath on the door, added some mixed green garland around the entry and then filled the urn planter outside of my front door with an assortment of natural materials (both real and artificial).

Fall Porch and Urn Decorations

I did some decorating on the front porch of the French Farmhouse last week.  To be completely transparent, I did it so that the neighbors can tell that someone actually lives here now and that it's safe for children to come to the door to sell things. Take for example, things like Girl Scout Cookies...

Wicker and Wrought Iron Patio Furniture Makeover

I've got a couple of questions for you: First, have you ever read the book by Dr. Seuss titled "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish"?  I'm pretty sure that it was the very first book that I ever read aloud.  It was a favorite at the time.

Yarn Wrapped, "Let's Go Fly A Kite" Wreath

Have you ever flown a kite?  I have. Lots of them. I think that I started when I was six or seven years old. I think that this is largely due to the fact that I was raised during the "go outside and play" years.  Yes, it's true, I was an often unwilling member of the "fresh air generation".

Christmas Decorations. In October. Don't be a Grinch!

Yes, I realize that it's October 10th and that it's still about eleven weeks before Christmas. I've been accused of rushing the season and of not taking time to enjoy Halloween and to pay respect to Thanksgiving but that's not it at all!  Yes, It's October and I'm thinking about Christmas decorations for this year.These were our decorations a couple of years ago.

Fall Pumpkin Planter - A Cinderella Story

Did you read the story of Cinderella as a child?

Or, for that matter, do you still read Cinderella as an adult?  I do.

In fact, I seem to have a fixation with that story. If you don't believe me, see Exhibit A.

I've got to admit that, any time I read a story that involves a handsome guy with money rescuing a kind, hard

working,  girl from a life of cooking and cleaning, I think to myself,

"Really?  Sign me up!" 

Fall Planters and Urns: What I DIDN'T do this Sunday

 I'll bet that you thought that you'd be reading about my fall outside decorations today, didn't you?

You probably thought that you'd be seeing photos of  beautiful urns like these two that I did for my neighbor, right?

A Hint of Autumn: Pumpkin and Wheat Harvest Wreaths

Can you believe it's September? I can't.

Wicker and Shower Curtains - My $3 Patio Makeover

A couple of weeks ago, I found two shower curtains at a garage sale for 50 cents each.  Remember? I showed them to you  hand painted rug  that I made for my patio.   I knew when I bought them that they were going to be the new covers for my patio cushions.  I brought them home and started to lay out patterns for the things that I needed to cover: 

• One 24x60 inch Settee cushion
• One 24x24 inch Chair cushion
• Five 16x16 inch Pillows
• Two 22x14 inch Pillows
• One 18x18 inch pillow
• Two 24x48 inch Chair Cushions

It became apparent to me fairly quickly that I wasn't going to have enough fabric. Determined that I would not purchase new fabric, I procrastinated put the project on hold until last Thursday when I was at the Goodwill and I saw this:

A HUGE piece of white, cotton, quilted, fabric; eight yards long, and it was only $1.99! I knew that if I combined the two, I'd have plenty and it would have the look and feel  that I adore, "vintage eclectic".  A look and feel that comes from putting things together over time.

Recovering the pillows was relatively easy. I don't like putting in zippers and, since I refuse to spray chemical sealant on fabric that comes in contact with bare skin, I need to be able to remove the covers to launder them.  I made simple envelope closures. To do this, I cut two pieces of fabric with one  about six inches longer than the other. I finished one edge on the shorter piece and sewed the other thee sides to the longer piece. Then, simply slipped the pillow into the case and tucked in the flap. I've decided that I'm going to add some decorative ties, but I'll need some crinkle ribbon from my friend Polly before I can do that.

The chair covers were made the same way but I added an "extra piece" at the top to keep them on the chair. I don't really like ties on cushions. This is because I generally forget to bring the cushions inside  until it starts to rain and, at that point,  it takes so long to untie them that both the cushions and me are soaked by the time I finish. 

When I started to lay out the cover for the cushion for the settee, I felt like things were getting a little "match-y" for my taste so, I grabbed a couple of old quilts from my linen closet and simply used one to wrap the cushion.

Of course, I saved the most challenging cushion for last.  I used the same design theory:  two pieces, one longer than the other. This time, however, I had to curve the corners and taper the back where the cushion gets smaller to fit the curve of the chair. To do this, I placed the cushion on top of the fabric, held a pen against the edge of the cushion, and drew a line to mark where I needed to sew.

There you have it, my $3 patio cushion makeover! You can see just a bit of the rug that I painted in some of these photos. I promise that I'll share the entire patio soon. Right now I'm on to cooking and baking for our FOOD REVOLUTION DAY gathering! 

xo,

S

Linking to:

52 Mantels 

Ask Anna 

At the Picket Fence 

Be Different Act Normal 

Between Naps on the Porch 

Beyond the Picket Fence 

Chic On A Shoestring 

Coastal Charm 

Common Ground 

Country Momma Cooks 

Crafting Cousins 

Craftomaniac 

Fingerprints on the Fridge 

Freckled Laundry 

Funky Junk Interiors 

Get Outta My Head Please 

House of Grace 

House of Hepworths 

How To Nest for Less 

Made In A Day 

Miss Mustard Seed 

My Romantic Home 

My Turn 

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 

Nelle Creations 

Not Just a Housewife 

Polly Want a Crafter 

Primp 

Project Queen 

Redoux 

Restore Interiors 

Six Sisters 

Skip to My Lou 

Sumos Sweet Stuff 

 Tatertots and Jello

The 36th Avenue 

The Creative Paige 

The Shabby Nest 

Thistlewood Farms 

Tip Junkie 

Uncommonly Yours 

Under the Table and Dreaming 

Vintage Wanna Bee 

You Are Talking Too Much

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Harlequin - My Hand Painted Patio Rug

If you follow Serendipity on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SerendipityHome), on Sunday, you saw the photo above Sunday afternoon..  If not, you haven't spent the last three days wondering what the heck I was up to. If you did, thanks for your patience.

Birch tree and burlap and roadside "weeds"...an event "theme" is born!

A few photos of the event staging that "Nellie" and I did at her home/barn last weekend in preparation for her semi-annual Barn Sale event October 14th and 15th. I didn't have my camera with me when we stopped at Na.Da. Farm for their fall event but you can check the Na.Da blog for photos...it was amazing, as always!

The front of the barn.