Decorate Your Porch With Rustic Fall Style 2013 Ideas

Natural materials and found items make inviting fall decorations for your favorite outdoor room

Fall is here, and with it a new season of activity as a prelude to the holidays. If you can find a free afternoon, spend just a few hours sprucing up your porch or patio with seasonal spirit before your trick-or-treaters arrive.

General Fall Porch Style 

Natural textures layered next to found items can create a cozy outdoor seat for watching the leaves change. Using a hay bale as a temporary coffee table is an inexpensive and functional way to cozy up your outdoor space. Try using a small tray or basket as a sturdy, flat surface to hold a beverage or book.

Here, a rustic chair doubles as a side table for a vintage cola crate holding pink mums.

Make over tin cans with paint and fill them with your favorite seasonal flowers. A generous neighbor let me pick these from her garden.

Use your arrangement to freshen up any space, from an entry to a tabletop.

A wood crate provides extra display space and storage. A stack of old paperbacks bolsters some mini pumpkins. Lavender sprigs in a vintage milk jug add both a pleasant aroma and height to a wooden-crate-turned-side-table.

Simple Burlap Pillow Cover 

Burlap or linen sacks make for an easy pillow cover during the holidays. This small burlap sack was one of those "I'll find something to with this one day" items that found a new (and temporary) purpose as our porch swing cushion. If you don't have one, you can just cut some burlap to length and sew one up.

Stuff your pillow into the sack and tuck leftover fabric into the open end, hiding the pillow inside.

Wrap a ribbon around the sack and tie it. Of course, if you are using an indoor pillow as the filler, bring your pillow inside if the weather gets too damp.

Goals, Resolutions

I've been reading blogs with New Year's resolutions and wondered about that. I don't think I've ever made resolutions for the New Year. I tend to just go about normally like I always do. What comes will come and be happy or not so happy about it. I don't think I've ever set goals or if I did, I didn't realize they were goals. I just do what comes naturally for me.

I'm a pretty simple woman; although, there are some that would disagree with that. Just seeing eye candy on blogs makes me happy as I'm very visual. Things like laundry drying on the line, pretty decorated bottles, flower gardens, beautiful rooms, an oldie song on the car radio, my great granddaughters playing around sillily and those type of things really do bring solace to my mind.

I have friends who say reading scriptures brings solace to them. Since I'm a late-bloomer when it comes to religion, I don't understand them as much as if someone tells me what something actually means. Think Isaiah! I'm amazed sometimes when it's opened up to me. I've been know to say, "How did you get that out of that paragraph?!" Okay, so some of you are better at understanding than I am; that's just fine. I try.

But to soothe this soul, pretty images do it all the time. I could lose myself in pretty magazines or online photos much of the time as you can tell from all the photos I post on my blog and on Pinterest. I've committed—is that a goal or a resolution?—to read the scriptures every day. Maybe I'll start to understand them better. I need all the help I can get, trust me.

I've never "dreamed" big. I'm pretty happy with my life. I'm happy with what I've got. This realization has come to me many times over the past years, but more so lately. We're still trying to give things away to friends, granddaughter, thrift stores, etc. Does this come because we're in the winter of our lives? I think that's part of it.

Most of the gals I run around with are just a few years older than my granddaughter. (Most of my granddaughter's friends are surprised when I am introduced as her grandmother. I don't think it's that I look young but that I sound, think and act young.) We have the best time eating lunch together. I rarely socialize with people our own age. There is only one couple we go out to dinner with and she's about 6 years older than me, but they think young like we do. And we have a really fun time with them talking about our lives and what's the latest gossip. They're the only couple our age with whom we go out to eat.

I just cannot think old. It's not in my makeup. I wonder if all older people are like that. Hmmmm.

I was sitting next to a teenager in church today, a beautiful 16 or 17 year old girl. I had taken a dinner in to her family Friday night as her mother had been in a car wreck and was pretty banged up and her father was just diagnosed with cancer only men can get. But they all looked so happy today. But anyway, I turned to the teenager and said to her teasingly that I'm a girl just like she is and think girly thoughts. She smiled. I told her she'll always be young in her mind, even when she's a grandmother. She smiled at me again. Give her 20 more years and she'll know exactly what I mean. I just love life, even when it throws me a few curves sometimes. But I have been happy with my life, truly. And if you're someone who isn't then you need to rethink your priorities in life. I did.
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Don't you just love the sereneness of this living room?

As I've testified before, hubs and I love trains. I can just picture us going through this beautiful snow setting and cuddling in a small suite on a train. I just might treat him to one this year. He'd love it.

A gorgeous metal gazebo with glass sides.

Delightful vintage, rustic window with a lilac wreath.

A "purple" party!

Another water feature I love with old stone tubs and rusted water spigots.

Folded roses are so very easy to make, even and especially out of scraps.

Beautiful earrings.

En pointe!!

A beautiful old window updated for a homeowner's preferences.

An antique door still in use.

Pretty pots holding roses and posies.

My kind of eye candy—you can really eat these cookies on a stick. ;-)

Beautiful crochet on pillowcases or potholders.

A very romantic bedroom.

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20th Century Fox has a trademark on "the spoken word 'D'oh' ", but not the written word.

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Grocery Shopping and Mommy Teasers

I went grocery shopping by myself today. I'm tired of th' Love Bunny grabbing my cart and trying to prevent me from killing/running over/maiming a shopper! I made him stay home. The problem with sending him alone with a grocery list with 5 items and he arrives back home with 8 is I told him to stick to the grocery list and NOT get a thing else not on the list. Never, ever happens. You've heard this story before but I've now decided it's time to go it alone. Sheeeesh!
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When we were at my granddaughters a couple of weeks ago for the birth of her second child, I taught Caroline, her 2 1/2 year old a new thing—cover your ears and wag your tongue while saying lalalalalalala. She took to that like a menopause woman takes to chocolates! Her dad looked at me and I gave him the look that said, "Forget it; I'm doing my own thing with her whether you like it or not." He acquiesced and I think it's because he thought it was cute. What Dada wouldn't?! LOL BUT I also told her to tell her mummy afterwards: Mummy teaser (this to lighten the occasion). And every time we'd practice it, she'd say "mummy teaser." I instructed her well.

Well, a few nights ago, I called granddaughter to see how the girls were and asked if she had done it to her. She said, "Yessss!" Just the night before Caroline said she didn't want to eat the dinner and after a few "back and forths" she covered her ears and said, "Lalalalalala." She said she didn't like the dinner and wanted pear sauce (we get that here at our local Church cannery and it's delicious and Caroline's favorite dessert.) I asked if Caroline said, "Mummy teaser." Nuuuuuu she didn't. I said, "Oooooops." I'll have to correct her error next time we go over. She is one of the smartest kids I know (All grandmothers/great grandmothers say this!). She never forgets something we tell her. I think she was just full of herself at the dinner table that night. But that will NOT stop me from teaching her funny things. ;-) We're humorous and her mom and dad did laugh at her.
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I guess you know by now I was looking at a plethora of sofas and accessories a LOT while trying to decide on a sofa for our home. These are two that I love. Actually, I love that whole room.

Romantic roses in a rustic setting. Adorable.

A cute tea cart.

A place I know most of you would love to go visit. Me? I'll stay here and watch th' house for ya! ;-)

Another little jar I'd love to have.

Are these adorable or what?!

Looks like a place in a Scandinavian country.

Pretty basket of tiny pillows.

I do love this living room also. What a cute coffee table.

Paradise!

More decorated bottles.

I might even cook more if I had this kitchen. Cute!

There's enough froufrou here for me. I love froufrou!

While this is adorable, it sure doesn't make for pleasant conversation at the table if none of the guests can see each other. Love it for its "darling-ness" though.

Imagine. ;-)

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Ramblings 10/31/2012

Our hearts went out to those on the east coast enduring the hurricane Sandy. We have relatives in Pennsylvania, Cape Cod, West Virginia, Virginia and New York. They all told us they were hunkering down awaiting the fury. We have faith in God that they'll be protected. It isn't easy having to wait out Nature's fury but it has been this way since the beginning of time. If ye are prepared, you need not fear. And hubs and I are temporally prepared. I need all the help I can get spiritually though. And I'm working on that! But we pray several times a day in this house and truly anguish over the loss of lives. Our hearts and our prayers are definitely with you. I have no doubt that members of our Church will be the first to be on hand with provisions. As we understand it, trucks from Salt Lake City are awaiting entry into the devastation. God bless you all.
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I haven't cooked breakfast for years, and I mean years! Hubs does it on Saturdays and Sundays. He does it mostly for himself as he's afraid I'll break the yolk in his fried eggs. Heaven forbid! He's come unglued over this happening and refuses to let me touch his eggs anymore. Now, consider the fact that we can take out another egg and replace the broken one, but that's not good enough. Hence, he does the breakfast on weekends. During the week, it's breakfast cereal or just toast for us.
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Recently, there was a headline on a news site on the internet (the only way we get news) and it told about a man who won a roach-eating contest. The prize was a python. (Yeah, I know: WHY???!!!) Anyway, I finally read it later in the day and told hubs about it. He asked me why I'd read something like that. My answer was: I wanted to see what STUPIDITY looked like. My expectations were not disappointed when I saw his photo. Gag! Ooooh, and the python? Went to his estate. Truly!
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Hubs is a really good hubby. If I get some candy for a present, he'll not ask for any. Oh, I offer it and sometimes he'll take some but he always says it's my gift and I should enjoy it. I have to tell you these thoughts are not reciprocated. He always will share with me. So I have to give him some and make him take it. After all, I can't eat a whole box of candy...well, okay, not easily then. :-) But recently I had a great hunger for Turtles, the chocolate pecan ones. He got a couple of double Snickers bars. He ate one and put it back. Then, all of a sudden it was GONE. I warned him! He's a forgiving kind of guy though. (I have no control over chocolate, none whatsoever!)
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For those of you who are young, and I'm using that term loosely as we're in our 70s, there is romance after 30. Yes, there sure is!
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This looks a bit bigger than a traditional garden shed but I think it's cute.

A city high-rise patio with plants growing and a place to sit and relax.

I have a "branch tree" that I hang little glitzy balls and things people have given me on it. Much bigger than this one but it sure makes a statement on my plant shelf.

Another romantic bath.

Lovin' the colors here.

Even a Chinese- or Oriental-style dining room can be made up-to-date with pink and white.

Besides the roses, I also like the chair.

I just had to show you this dress with these magnificent rose-type sleeves. I think it's one of the most gorgeous styles I've ever seen.

Lilacs and vintage rustic bottles make a beautiful vignette.

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To me this almost looks like a room in a house in Australia. It looks like their style.

Just a lovely colorful spot and yard.

This says it all.

Exquisite staircase with a dining alcove.

More pink flowers in beautiful containers.

Sweet kitchen I could live with also. ;-)

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Linking up with Open House Party.