FALL FEVER {ANTIQUES FEST, PORCH DECOR, A BANNER & A WREATH}

Y'all know fall is my favorite.

This past weekend, hubs & I went to an antiques festival.

It was magical. Chilly enough to need a light jacket first thing in the mornin'. :)

There was a little bit of everything. 

I managed to exercise some restraint because we simply don't have room right now for anything.

However, I can always justify vintage holiday items.

I got some cardboard holiday characters, some pumpkin ornaments, and some vintage Christmas cupcake toppers. I won't use them as cupcake toppers, but I have an idea in mind for how I can use them.

Sorry for the blurry pic.

Whenever we go on any kind of road trip, hubs tries to find us somewhere tasty to eat lunch.

We stopped at The Eddy Pub in Saxapahaw.

It was perfect.

We ate outside, in the perfect fall chill.

We had an appetizer that involved gluten free gravy. Umm, yesssss, please!

AND they had a gluten free pale ale that I like!

Win-win.

Everything was scrumptious. I had BBQ, fries and slaw. I thought they were all amazing and I'm pretty picky about BBQ and slaw. Hubs had a pumpkin beer and some sausage goulash, which he thought was tasty as well.

When we got home, I made a banner for our mantel out of the pumpkin ornaments I bought.

They look like jack-o-lanterns, but only on one side, so I decided to hang them with the blank side facing out until Halloween gets here, when I will flip them to jack-o-lantern side. And then, after Halloween, I will turn them back to the plain pumpkin side.

I'm still trying to decide if I'm satisfied with just the fabric I used, or if I'd like to add a little more fabric to it for a little more embellishment ...

I have also been eying the yellow flowers that have been growing alongside the road.

I'm thinkin', free porch decor.

Problem is, ragweed and goldenrod look a lot alike, and there are several variations of each plant.

What I basically learned, is that goldenrod's leaves are different from ragweed, and also, goldenrod typically has bees, moths, and Goldenrod Soldier Beetles on it (thanks Megan!).

So, I chopped some down, and no sneezies around here!

I tied it together in bundles, and hung two upside down on our porch on either side of the window, and sat some around our pumpkin on our steps.

I made a wreath last week (and bought a mum, and my little pumpkin!), and someone asked for a tutorial.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pics while I was making it.

But, it really is pretty simple, and I think I can explain it without pictures.

Basically, you will need:

* foam wreath form (Michael's, AC Moore)

* strips of fabric/burlap, cut as wide as you like. I recommend at least 2" wide, and their widths can vary, just preference, really.

* sewing pins

* floral bunches (Michael's, AC Moore)

* floral wire (Michael's, AC Moore)

* tool to cut wire (scissors will work, but it's a pain)

* needle nose pliers

Optional for hanging:

Velcro strips

Commando hooks

PS - If you have the Michael's app, they have coupons.

First, you wrap the fabric around until the whole wreath is covered. 

(I did burlap all the way around, and then did a second layer of the orange/white ribbon.)

Make sure that each strip "runs out" on the back side of the wreath, where you will pin the fabric into the foam with sewing pins. You don't want to be lookin' at sewing pins on the front or sides.

Cut all flowers into individual stems, (as opposed to keeping them in 'bunch' form), leaving about 7" of stem left to work with and maneuver.

For mine, I turned half the flowers up and half of them downward.

(See how you can see the burlap 'bow' about halfway down/between the flowers in the pic below? That's because underneath the 'bow' is ugly flower stems and wires and shiz.)

So, you will place the flowers in whichever direction you prefer, using the floral wire to wrap around the stems and the wreath form to hold the flowers in place. Don't worry how ugly it gets because you will cover this up. Once the stems feel secure, you can use your wire cutters to cut excess stem off, and then the needle nose pliers to sort of bend any jutting pieces back down toward the wreath form so they aren't sticking out all crazy like.

PS - I attached the beige colored 'sprigs' behind the wreath form, and the flowers themselves on the front and sides of the wreath form - just sort of gives it some depth, I think.

Once all of your flowers are attached, you can use fabric pieces (I used burlap) to tie a bow (or wrap around and simply pin with sewing pins) with the fabric in order to cover up all the ugly floral wire. Just keep messing with it until it's how you like it. Don't worry if it seems big and gaudy, because it won't look that big when it's actually hanging on your door. 

Finally, use your needle nose pliers to bend the flowers up and out so they aren't just laying flat against the wreath form, eww.

I used velcro behind the left side of the wreath to make it hang straight. Otherwise, since the right side weighs more, it'll never stay straight. Another solution is to use Commando Strips at the top and the bottom to sort of form a 'claw' that holds the wreath at the top and the bottom.

(Does anyone else have ideas on how to hang wreaths that are unevenly weighted?)

Alright shugs.

Hope that makes sense.

Have y'all been gettin' your fall on?

What have you been doing to celebrate the best season of the year? ;) 

Have a great week!

And Happy Fall!