I LOVE Fall!!

I usually wait until the end of September to start decorating my front porch for fall.......but I was so excited that the weather has gotten cooler that I decided to decorate early!!  I already had a fall wreath made so I started with that on my front door.

 

 

I love adding mums to my front porch and usually don't buy them until the beginning of October but at Wal-mart they had them on clearance for $1.49.  That is a bargain I could not pass on!  I left the mums in the black container they came in but I covered the bottom with burlap.  Inside the burlap I added some clear plastic wrap so the extra water that falls out the bottom would not reach the burlap.  I bought the burlap at Joann's fabric store, cut out a square piece, wrapped it around the bottom and tied it off with some thin rope I already had.   I also made a Fall Blessings sign using a 12X24 piece of plywood and covered it with scrapbook paper and cardstock.  The decorative elements of the sign were cut with my Cricut machine.   With these 3 elements (wreath, mums, sign) I think my front door is simple but festive!

 

 

 

 

Of course I couldn't just stop there!  My porch is narrow but deep.  I have a whole other wall I can decorate!!  I have wanted a bench for my porch for sometime but being the bargain shopper that I am I would not pay over $20 for one.  I just happened to be in Garden Ridge about 3 weeks ago and they were selling their floor model.  It was on sale for $15!!  It only had one scratch on the paint....I can live with that!  And a bench is not complete without pillows.  I can't use a sewing machine (looking for someone to teach me if anyone is available!!) so I am always looking for ways to get around that.  I decided to use a dark brown burlap to make 2 pillows for my bench.  I used 3/4 yard of burlap(per pillow), pillow (18X18), fall material, buttons, Steam-A-Seam (found at Hobby Lobby) and hemp string (found in jewelry section of Hobby Lobby).  

I will be using the fall patterned material to make the center part of my pillow.  I cut an 8X10 piece of material and used the Steam-A-Seam to attach it to my burlap. 

 

 After ironing on the material to the burlap, I sewed on buttons in the corners and sides just to add more decoration and character to the pillow.

 I was now ready to use my hemp string to keep the pillow together.  Burlap is easy to make holes in so I used a pencil to make a hole and I pulled the string through.  It was like sewing without the needle...and of course the machine!  I did this all the way around in big sections.  You can make the holes closer together, I just  liked the look of having them farther apart.  When I got all the way around I just tied of the two ends with a knot.  I already had some burlap ribbon that I just tied around the hemp in one corner and made a bow.

 

 This pillow would definitely not last if used regularly but for decorative purposes only it will work!

Above my bench I wanted to put a chalk board.  I did not want to spend $50 for one so I decided to make my own!  I only spent $17 making mine!  I started with a large chalk board I found at Hobby Lobby on sale at 30 percent off.

 

 I wanted hooks at the bottom of my chalk board so I found small black hooks at Lowes for $1 each.

 I painted the frame of my chalk board with a dark Burgundy acrylic paint.  The large burlap ribbon will be used to hang the chalk board.

When I was done painting the frame and it was dry, my lovely husband used his sander to make the frame look distressed.  I then drilled 2 holes in the top and pulled my wide burlap ribbon through to make the hanger.  My husband also screwed in the hooks at the bottom for me. 

 

I think the frame turned out really cute!!!

 

 

My completed front porch.