Vintage Cottage Fall Porch

I’m so dang excited I’m gonna pop! I finally have a little porch to decorate. And y’all are going to see it whether you want to or not. Our house has a sorry excuse for a porch and there isn’t any space to decorate. At all. Now, this porch down at The Little Cottage isn’t grand, but at least it’s a bit covered and it feels positively expansive compared to ours! So it was a prime candidate for this months Better Homes & Gardens challenge. We were asked to create welcoming Fall entryways, either indoor or out… and well, you know what I picked! If you’ve got a little porch like I do, come on and let’s see what we can do with them!

Welcome to our little porch! I had so much fun seeing what I could use that I already had for this space. You know me. I’m frugal. I started with the white dresser because I love it in this spot. It previously had a birdhouse and a Geranium on it. That was the extent of my porch decor. I was so involved with other projects, I hadn’t had a chance to do much more. 

That’s why I was so happy to tackle this challenge. The dresser will have to be put up for Winter, so I’m just enjoying the heck out of it right now, while I can. 

I bought the “Pumpkin” sign at a local vintage market (thanks Melissa), and added some Better Homes & Gardens Mums, and my Farmhouse Lantern to the top. I didn’t want a pillar candle, just to be safe from the possibility of melting. This porch gets full morning sun, and it can get hot. 

So I bought the jar candles. There are soooo many yummy flavors, and some Limited Edition scents you might want to stock up on. I’ve got the Candied Caramel Pecan and this Moonlit Magic Pumpkin [here] is sniff-a-rific.

After peeling off the labels (they come right off – that is and added plus!), I layered them up in these pretty scroll-work sleeves. I love the lacy look and I think they’ll make a great addition to my candle collection, they are extra perfect for for Fall and I plan to use them for Halloween too.

• They are called Malaysian Motif Candle Sleeves. [find them here]

Jim and I often sit out here after we are done with our chores. And if I’m over at The Little Cottage working, when he gets home from work, we’ll sit out here and daydream together about projects we want to work on, and talk about our day.

We are always dreaming about the next home improvement project, or ways to improve the property. In fact, we just came up with a new plan that we hope to get done next Spring, now that the shop is built. And if we can do it, it’s going to be a real dream space. The work shop was such a big project to undertake and it really demanded our time & attention. And though it isn’t glam or pretty… we really needed it. 

I was able to squeeze in an extra comfy spot to sit. 

The perfect place to take five… and flip through a favorite magazine. 

It gets chilly in the evenings, so I’m keeping a throw tucked in the drawer where it’s super handy. I needed this buffalo check throw too… because, um… I just needed it okay!

Psst… they have red & black buffalo check too, perfect for the C word. (Christmas) [find it here].

• It’s sherpa fur on the other side. Double yum! [find it here] 

To pot my new plants, Jim and I gathered up planters I had on hand and got them ready to use. 

With all the projects we worked on indoors this Summer… I didn’t get to garden like I normally do, so even this little bit of planting was kind of a last hurrah. It felt wonderful.

I worked without gloves and got my hands in some soil! Jimmy sat outside, unwinding after a long week, and we chatted while I planted. It was very nice. 

Did you know that you can find Better Homes & Gardens plants at Walmart? Yep, you can! I got all my Fall flowers, including all the pretty Mums at the same place I got my throw, lanterns and candles. One stop shopping. Works for me. 

The porch deck needs a little more attention, it previously had a non slip mat on it when Jimmy’s mom still lived here. When I pulled up the old mat, it’s a bit darker than and the rest of the wood that has been bleached by the sun… so, I’ll have to figure something out to get it more cohesive.

For now, I hope the flowers are a pretty distraction. 

I mixed some tall grass, Mums, Lavender, Halloween Mix Winter Pansies… 

and this beautiful Chidori red Flowering Kale

I mimicked the same lantern, candle and sleeve here. I’m kind of a sucker for sets. 

In addition to the Mums and traditional Fall flowers… I snuck in a Lantana.

They are such happy flowers. 

The HELLO door mat was just a whimsical, fun addition. 

The delicate edges of the Kale are so beautiful. Isn’t it pretty? I’m happy to have pictures, because the Deer may come by and have a little buffet tonight. I know they like pansies for certain. 

And this little guy…loves to climb the cornstalks. 

Meet the newest additions at the cottage. These 2 little black cuties found us, and well… we couldn’t help but feed them. We’ve now graduated from plastic and they have their own new dishes.

But no names yet. We’ve been trying to get them used to us so we can at least get the older one fixed for now. Hopeful a few more weeks will help. Our cats are being very accommodating and we have not had too many issues yet. Probably because our Maine Coons are so much bigger! 

They love to follow us all around and are very curious. I forgot how frisky & playful young cats are. Ours are seniors now, and they follow us too… but just to solicit lots of endless petting. 

Thanks for stopping by, and letting me share the porch and inadvertently, what I suppose are our new pets with you!

The lanterns look so pretty lit up night, I’m thinking about finding a way to hang them, so they can stay out when the weather turns. Always a new project in the works. 

Happy Fall friends! xo Shannon

SOURCES:

• On Hand: Dresser, Chair, Whisky Barrel ($5 garage sale score), All Pots. 
• Fresh Pumpkins: White $5.99 each – Lil Orange $1.50 each
• Walmart: Mums and majority of flowers, Better Homes & Gardens
• Farmhouse Lantern: Better Homes & Gardens [here]
• Moonlit Magic Pumpkin Candles: Better Homes & Gardens [here]
• Candles Sleeves: Better Homes & Gardens [here]
• Buffalo Check 2-Sided Plush/Sherpa Throw: Better Homes & Gardens [here]

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