Our Fall Porch at the Cottage

Hello, friends!  

I hope your Monday went well.  Mine was busy, busy, busy at the office.  However, I felt blessed with an extra measure of energy today.  It's almost as if this time of year carries its own special magic for me, spurring me to get things done and kicking off a fresh round of nesting! 

And now, I am eager to share our Fall front porch with you!  

My greatest desire is to keep things SIMPLE this year.  

It has been my recent goal to simplify in many areas of my life.  This has spilled over into seasonal decorating, as well.  With our new paint color, everything looks so different - more vibrant and intense.  The details stand out starkly now, so a little goes a long way.  The purple mums, though still tightly budded at the store, looked full and healthy; so, they made the trip home with me.  The pumpkins are arriving in different colors and sizes, one or two each time we visit the supermarket.  My asparagus ferns are stunning this year, having done so well in the super-sized pots I found at Big Lots this Spring.  We will enjoy them through the first freeze and they provide beautiful greenery and texture as a backdrop for the more autumnal colors!  

~ My Camera ~ 

When I was home for the lunch hour, I popped the battery for my Canon camera onto the charger so I could play with it a bit this evening.  It's not a terribly fancy camera and I am still learning to use it.  (My husband surprised me with it a couple of years ago - and I mean it was a wonderful surprise, totally unexpected!  He took all the pocket change he had saved for the last few years over to the bank and had it counted - coming up with enough to purchase this camera out at Sam's - so generous!)  The model is a PowerShot SX510 HS, and I can transfer images directly from the camera to my tablet via our wifi network!  Imagine that, no pulling the SD card or searching for the USB cable!!!  I am still learning the settings, but I took all these images using the auto setting. 

Something NEW - If you hover over any of the post photos in the blog now, you will notice that I have added the ability to "pin" directly from this page to Pinterest.  
So, by all means, please PIN AWAY!!!

Now, that I have gotten my camera back out, I can't wait for some great lighting so I can get photos of some of our interior Fall decor!  

Now, there are a couple of things you can do for me.  First, I would love to know that you've stopped by - so, leave a comment for me and say "Hello"!  Then follow along with me on social media, by clicking on the following links ~ 

Instagram

Pinterest

Facebook

It's much simpler for me to find moments throughout the day to post on those platforms and you will see me there much more often.  So, I hope you will pop over and take a peek. 

Back soon for another visit on the porch! 

Jane 

Freshening Up Out Front....and Welcome to Fall!!!

Once in a while, Life seems to pick up the pace and race by so swiftly!  That seems to be the case with September.  Wasn't it the beginning of the month just yesterday.......and here we are, finishing out this page on the calendar in a dead rush.

I had grand intentions for September.  And many of the ideas I had for projects around the house got trampled in the race to the get through the month.  Traditionally, I have my porch - and the inside of the house, for that matter - dressed for Fall before the middle of the month.  There have been many years when I took care of changing out decor for the season during the Labor Day weekend.  But, it just seemed I couldn't get to it this year....

Finally, though, this past Sunday, Eddie got a day off and the weather was wonderful.  Yes, it got a bit warm, but there was lots of sunshine and a delightful cooling breeze.  We worked together to get the front yard mowed, edged and cleaned up.  Then he dug up that monkey grass that filled part of the contoured bed along the front of the house.  Yea!!!  I had been dreaming of that monkey grass going away for a long time!  Adios!!!

Grubby from working in the yard, we headed out to Lowes and prowled through the garden section.  Admittedly, it was pretty picked over.  But, what they did have was mostly marked down to half price!  So, I grabbed more mums, a couple of new Indian Hawthorne shrubs to replace some dead bushes we had just dug up, and even some ornamental grasses.  To top it all off, several bags of mulch.  And, as we were headed to the check-out, I spied a nearly empty bin of fantastical pumpkins! 

And we were off!  We planted, swept, laid the soaker hose out.....and, voila!  We have a freshly landscaped bed along the front of our little cottage!  I'm loving it!!!

The yellow mums are blooming out nicely....

These purple ones on the clearance table seem a bit bashful, but they're getting there....

Don't you just love the texture of this ornamental grass?

I was inspired to get the front porch set up for Fall!  Still some tweaking to do, but at least it's a start!

So, now I can enjoy Fall on Janie's Porch for another year.  Stop by for a visit.  We'll head out and pick up some more pumpkins while you're here!!!

Enjoy the Blessings of Autumn, my Friends!!!

Jane

Progress on The Porch!!!

The front porch is looking a little better at the end of this busy day.  At least I am not ashamed to share a few photos showing the progress that was made this afternoon.

I was able to score some pansies at WalMart's nursery.  I know, I know....it is almost "late" to be putting in pansies.  However, it is still too early to set out anything like petunias or geraniums - at least in my book!  For sure, we would have a freak snowstorm in March or April if I invested a lot of moolah in those fair weather plants.  One flat (6 six-packs, total cost $12.96) enabled me to fill the planter box and a couple of clay pots with plants.  Hopefully, these will last until the beginning of May or thereabouts and fill out with some brilliant purple and lavender. 

I couldn't locate the grapevine wreath I was going to repurpose.  So, I dragged out a decorative iron wall hanging and placed that where the wreath was supposed to go.  I like the way it turned out, so when I find that wreath, I am going to put it on the side door instead! 

I also rummaged around in a box of garage sale items in the garage and came up with an old metal bird cage and a little Easter rabbit figure.  These now sit on the little green table that doesn't have a home anywhere else in my house at the moment. 

Although it is simple and a little bare compared to how I usually "decorate" the porch, it seems appropriate for the start of Spring.  I figure I can fill in a bit as the season progresses and the weather warms.  At least it is a bit more welcoming than it was when we started the day.

Have you started sprucing up your outdoor area for Spring yet?  Do you have special decorations for Easter....or do you just go with a general Spring look?  Dying to hear.....

Until later.....

Jane

FALL PORCH PARTY (Make Mine Spooky, Please!)

It's Party Time!!! 

Debra, over at "COMMON GROUND", is hosting a Fall Porch Party....

And since we are well into October now, I decided to go all out with the Halloween decorating before joining the party.

I started with a simple concept....six metal hooks, six plastic pumpkins, one string of orange lights, one string of purple lights, and seven yards of black netting.  And this is what I came up with around the header of the porch....

A good start.....but somehow just not quite "enough".   

So, I crafted a "SPOOKY" garland to add another layer....

Okay.....now we were getting somewhere.  

I dug around in my bins and crates of Halloween decorations and culled out my favorites.....like this Ghostly Greeter to welcome visitors onto the porch....

And this "Which Way Witch" and vintage-style garden flag to carry a bit of fun over to the side stoop....

Might as well throw in another witch for good measure, right???

A quick re-arrangement of potted mums and pumpkins 

(which were already part of the Porch Decor)....

And so far, so good!  

But, the real test was to wait until the sun sank lower and lower......

Almost dark.....

Finally......there is the look I was going for!!!

Not too creepy....not too spooky....just a whole lot of FUN!!!

And one final look.....BOO!!!

 Now, me and my porch are headed over to "Common Ground" to hang out.  C'mon and join us....there will be lots of Fall porches to explore and Inspiration galore!!!  It's simple to follow, just click on this link....

See y 'all later!!!

~Jane~

Celebrating Fall - Porch-style!!!

Although the temps here have jumped back up to scorching summer levels, I am still eagerly anticipating the arrival of Fall.  In fact, the Porch is now decked out for the upcoming season....

A quick trip to WalMart over the weekend yielded mums for the planter box and clay pots.  The buds are still a little tight, but with each passing day the colorful blooms peek out a tiny bit more.

 The Porch is small, so I am really trying hard not to overdo it.  But, I have to get some favorites out there - after all, they've been with me for several years now....

And there are a couple of new things that just begged to come home with me from the store this year....like the chimes and the scarecrow....

And this fun tin pumpkin on a stake....God bless Hobby Lobby and those 40%-50% off sales!

Hey, look at this old battered wreath that had somehow landed behind piles of "stuff" in the garage.  Gave it a good "blowing off" with the air compressor, fluffed the bow a bit, and now it says "WELCOME" at the side kitchen door....

I don't know why I get so excited about decorating for Fall.......I just do!  And here in a couple of weeks, when we hit October, I will layer in all the fun Halloween stuff that we have accumulated over the years.  So, it's a two-part event!

I am linking up with This Blessed Nest's "FALL FESTIVAL" today.  Just click HERE here to get tons of Autumn Inspiration!

Now, I'm off to rock on the Porch for a bit....

Jane

I'm Lovin' Sumthin' New on the Porch!!!

I am so lovin' this little rocker I found for our front porch!!! 

Mom and I decided to get out and about the town one day this week....hit a few antique shops and consignment stores.  It was absolutely delightful to spend a day with my mother, doing "our thing"!!!  With all the work Eddie and I have been doing on the house, I just haven't been able to find the time to "junk around" with Mom.  Being close to Family and spending time with them was one of the main reasons we relocated here!  How frustrating not to have MADE the time to do just that....but, Mom and I are back on track with our day out together.

Anyhoo, we found this absolutely charming little rocker in the first shop we hit....perfect for our little front porch in both size and condition.  And a steal at only $30!!!  I was in LOVE at first sight....grabbed it and headed for the checkout!

Trayden and Ansleigh were over for a couple of hours on Tuesday evening while their momma went to get her hair done and they had "helped" me re-pot the asparagus fern we bought last week.  Doesn't it look fabulous cozied up with the rocker....both nestled beneath an old wreath I dug out of a box in the garage.(Makin' do with what I got, Dear Friends!)

When the weather warms a bit more (and gets a little more reliable), I will be able to fill the planter on the side of the porch.  I'm thinking some vibrant red geraniums and perky purple petunias, with a little ivy trailing over the sides....what do you think?

Well, that's what I'm lovin' this Friday!  Linking up with Cheryl over at Tidymom today....pop over and take a look at what some other folks are lovin' today.   You're sure to find some inspiration!



Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Jane