Falling for my Front Porch

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year.  It feels like starting over for me.  I think because for so many years I equated it to school starting; first as a student and then in my adult years as the teacher.  It was a time of new school supplies, cool mornings, crisp aromas, sweaters and boots, and just an overall feeling of "something new in the air."

Now that I'm retired, my love of Fall is still there.  Today, Honey and I worked on "sprucing up" the front door area with some seasonal touches that make it come alive and welcome Autumn with a smile.

I present, our front door!

So, a little back story...

Honey's parents built our home in 1963 (3 years before I was even born by the way).  We purchased the home from them almost 20 years ago.  When we first bought it, our plan was to do some minor improvements and then build the home of our dreams.  I was not "over the moon" for this split-level home that felt dated and not really like my style.  Well, the best laid plans quickly gave way to 20 years of interior and exterior improvements, and to the say the least, we quickly made this the home of our dreams.  It has housed our children, family gatherings, friends, parties, lots of high-school kids, pets, and our entire marriage.  It's been our dream home because we've done a lot of dreaming, living, and loving here.  Eventually, we plan to down-size because it's just us now and that home will be our next dream.  We love our split-level because it's been a great home.

So now on to the decor.

Our front porch has planter boxes built onto the concrete slab.  One of the first things I did was have them covered with custom cut fabricated stone tops that are still going strong 18 years later.  I have those turquoise pottery planters which have turned over pots inside so that I can place plants right on top.  I've never wanted to plant anything permanently inside because I like to change my options.  Over the summer they held the ferns you now see on the bottom.  I placed the mums in there, and when the time comes, they will get planted in the back yard in a more permanent place.

To the right, I added a bale of straw that we purchased from Tractor Supply.  I found the great metal "Give Thanks" yard art from Big Lots.  It's wedged into the bale using the metal spikes on the bottom of the art.   I also found the sweet "Thankful" pillows from there as well. They have a copper colored piped edge which coordinates with the scripted font.  The chairs were purchased years ago from Marshals and have been sprayed many times with Rustoleum's Oiled Rubbed Bronze spray paint.  They've stood the test of time and really add something to the front entryway.  The pumpkins and gourds are a combination of faux and real, purchased at Michaels and Lowes respectively (some recently, some over the years).  We added the black feathered crow this year from Lowes.  He was an affordable $6.99 and I just couldn't resist his iridescent features and beady red eyes.  He stands on a plastic base, so I just drilled a screw through the base into the bale of hay.  The bale is very densely packed so it's in there pretty strong.

Because we use the door on the left as our main entry door, I don't put as much decor on the left.  People who come to the front door are naturally led to the left door because of this.

The jack-o-lantern is so old that he's a bit faded, but it adds to his personality and he has a light-bulb inside for the evening hours.  He too has some real and faux friends hanging with him and his plant buddies.

One the doors, I have these gems.

One of the down-sides to having 2 doors is that you have to have 2 wreaths or 2 forms of decor.  It can get very expensive so I have a few options to get me through the seasons.  I quickly realized that purchasing wreaths was going to be an expensive endeavor, so I also have a few "blank" wreaths that get made and remade over and over again.  Because our entry is pretty sheltered from the elements, I don't have to worry about damage to my door decor.   I made the current decor about 3 years ago with florals from Hobby Lobby.  Their long baskets make them unique, but I do have to attach the left one at the bottom with a Command Strip so that it stays well put when the door is opened and closed.  The florals are simply stuffed inside the basket so that one day, when I need to make some changes, they will easily come out and I can recycle and reuse all the elements that I can.

Here's a great close-up shot of some of the beautiful and organic elements of these arrangements.

Not to be outdone, I did create a small vignette for the inside entry.

I was cleaning up some of my backyard bushes today and took a gathering of aging hydrangea blooms, coleus, sedum, and Golden Euonymus branches to create this large bouquet.  I added 2 faux pumpkins and it was done.

I love how the deep pinks and rusts play off the lime greens and deep greens of the leaves.  I should be able to keep it going for about 2 weeks before I need to refresh or start again.

I hope you are enjoying the new season.  While it's still hot and humid here, I can feel the change in the air and that's okay with me.