Here Come the Pumpkins

Man, what a weekend! I can’t believe it’s Monday already … and I definitely have a case of them this morning. What is it with the Mondays anyway? It’s got to be totally mental, so I’d like to think I could overcome it, but I just can’t seem to. Anyone with me?

I had good intentions of getting this post up yesterday, but I had some really good shopping luck so I kept on keeping on in that area (way longer than I intended to), plus my son was behaving quite well so I took that as a sign to continue shopping since he was enjoying it so much. Then Netflix decided to release the last season of The Walking Dead yesterday (which I originally missed), so there was that. I attempted to blog during my TV watching, but quickly realized there is no working of any sort during The Walking Dead – way too intense.

Anyways, I finally got my hands on some pumpkins this past weekend which means I was able to complete my exterior Fall decorating. Yay! I feel like I kept things pretty simple on the outside, especially compared to some of those IG posts I’ve seen. Geez, maybe I’m shopping at the wrong places but those pumpkins and mums add up fast. I think I’d need a second job to mimic some of those displays.

I kind of hate to admit that we did not venture to an actual pumpkin patch this year – we did venture to Home Depot, Lowe’s and Pike Nurseries though (and then back to Home Depot again). Who knew buying pumpkins was such an ordeal? I thank God everyday for my husband’s patience.

The Front Porch

I had the most fun decorating this area and I’m quite happy with the way everything turned out. I usually don’t put pillows or any other decor on my chippy yellow bench, except at Christmas time, but I felt like it needed a little something that screamed Fall. I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with this crate display all on my own, using pumpkins, (fake) wheat and a dish towel! We had the crate in our basement storing all of our painting supplies, so I decided to use this rather than searching for one and spending more money – see how frugal I can be? Of course now all of our painting supplies are just laying on our basement floor, but that’s beside the point. My husband had to do a little spider/spider web removal because this chick here is beyond terrified of those things. Once all that was done, I just laid the crate on its side and went at it with the decorating. I kept it simple on the porch steps and just added a few pumpkins. Most of my plants are still looking good and some are even still flowering, so I couldn’t bring them inside just yet. This made it lighter on my wallet as well since I had less pumpkins to buy – always a plus 🙂

rosewood & pine cone wreath (Homegoods) / give thanks pillow (Target Dollar Spot) / black & burlap pumpkin (Target)

large psychedelic-looking heirloom pumpkin (Home Depot) / miniature pumpkins (Pike Nurseries) / fake wheat bundle (Target) / wish bone dish towel (Target)

A wreath hung by the exterior light rounded out the porch decor. I bought this wreath last year at Burlington Coat Factory after Thanksgiving and paid $10 for it. Those of you who buy wreaths know that’s a major steal!

I keep a large flower pot to the right of the porch steps year-round and change out the flowers with the seasons – it’s one of my favorite things to do because I just adore anything flower/garden related. For the Fall plantings, I did a mix of mums, kale, pansies & snapdragons. To the left of the porch steps, I added a purple mum to fall-ify the area.

The Mailbox

There’s not much to say here. I placed 2 pumpkins on the left side & a mum on the right side. I was a little more elaborate last year with a Chinese Lantern plant, several pumpkins, an enormous mum, and burlap & leaf garland around the mailbox post. Now that I planted a jasmine at the mailbox, it’s doing a pretty good job disguising as year-round garland. The Chinese Lantern plants are seriously so cool (look them up if you’re not familiar), but I decided simpler is better this year, plus I didn’t want to spend the extra $30.

The Back Patio

I kept the back patio pretty simple this year as well. I ended up with several rotting pumpkins and some dead flowers last year, so I didn’t want to get more than I could handle this time around. I’m starting to know my limits, slowly but surely.

Just like by the front porch, I keep a large flower pot on the back patio year-round and change out the flowers with each season. This pot is actually identical to the front flower pot with mums, kale, pansies & snapdragons. I added a mum and a fake pumpkin to finish off this little Fall scene.

I have another flower pot (which happens to be one of those whiskey barrel pots – so cool) out by our back patio that stays out year-round. I decided to do something different this year and surround a pumpkin with different cabbages/kales. I ended up buying 6 although I’m thinking I could have squeezed in 9, but I’m still digging the way it looks.

And that does it for our exterior Fall decor! Hope you enjoyed the mini tour of our yard and maybe even got some fun ideas for your decorating. ‘Til next time!