5 Simple DIY Ideas for a Cottage Style Fall Porch Featuring Blue and White

September 21, 2020October 1, 2020 deb@bluewillowlaneLeave a comment

My little front porch decked for the fall season

The air swirls briskly and the sunlight shines brightly as I sweep the summer cobwebs off of our little brick front porch today. What a gorgeous day to get ready for a new season! No matter what else is going on, the change in weather puts me in the mood to do something new and creative with our decor.

After a little arranging and re-arranging, our front door is now ready for fall and putting it all together was a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Most of the featured objects on the porch are DIY projects from earlier this month. Please see the end of the post for links to how-tos. 🙂

We have a huge patio in the back of our house, but our front door entrance has a really tiny brick porch. The small entryway offers a unique challenge for adding seasonal decorations. Working on this project, I found that adding varying heights was key to forming a balanced display in this small of a space.

Here are some decorating tips for a small front porch design:

Go vertical with your design elements.

Since there is no space for a wide display, stack your items by placing them at varying heights. Here I have used a large urn as the background tallest element with willow twigs added to the pot for even more height, a thrifted shabby iron plant stand to hold my painted pumpkin, and pots of different sizes.

2. Limit your colors to a few harmonious shades.

In a small space, your design will have more impact and cohesiveness if you choose a harmonious color display. I decided to include shades of purple, plum, and green in my fall display with accents of blue and white.

3. Add unique and personalized touches.

I brought in my love for blue and white ceramics and decor pieces for my porch design. I hand-painted this pumpkin based on chinoiserie patterns and brought other blue and white touches including damask ribbon, other small chinoiserie pumpkins I created, and blue and white containers for plants. I also added cottage elements such as the mission style lanterns and the DIY cement leaves.

4. Add decorative elements to the wall surface or doorframe.

The doorframe itself may give you a spot to add to your seasonal display. This acorn and oak leaf plaque is a subtle and elegant addition to the porch decor. It provides some texture and adds to the autumn theme without overpowering the door wreath.

5. Make the door a focal point.

With a small porch design, the front door is definitely one of the main surfaces you have to work with. Make the most of it by choosing a wreath that fits your color scheme and the overall feel you are going for. I was going for a cozy bungalow shabby vibe, so I used the autumn hue hydrangea wreath I created recently and added a blue and white damask bow to carry through my color scheme.

Bonus tip: have someone keep you company and provide feedback on your work. 🙂

Mr. Bingley the Cavalier King Charles enjoys some fresh air between naps on the sofa.

DIY Projects used for the Porch:

Coppery hypertufa pumpkins post here.

Chinoiserie mini pumpkins post here.

https://bluewillowlane.com/2020/09/17/diy-chinoiserie-chic-mini-pumpkins/

DIY hydrangea wreath post here

https://bluewillowlane.com/2020/09/14/make-a-beautiful-autumn-hued-wreath-from-dried-hydrangea/

I also made some leaf castings using instructions from this great blog. I painted a couple of them to go with my fall display.

What a super fun project this was, and a wonderful way to welcome in the new season! Now when I go out the front door in the morning and it’s chilly and not summer anymore, I will have some cheerful cottage decor to put a smile on my face. 🙂

Have a beautiful day, and do something creative! 🙂

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Cozy at Home · DIY Crafts · Home Decor

A Rainbow of Twelve Amazing Fall Wreath Ideas

September 18, 2020September 19, 2020 deb@bluewillowlaneLeave a comment

Nothing says warm and welcoming like a beautiful fall wreath. A front door wreath can set the tone and the color scheme for the rest of your fall front porch design elements, so it’s a really important decision. I hopped online today for some color inspiration, and I was amazed by the variety of beautiful wreath ideas out there.

If you enjoy creating your own wreaths, these are great inspiration. If you want a beautiful wreath delivered to your door, all of these are available on Amazon!

I love how all of the wreaths contain fall elements unmistakable to the season, but they also each have an awesome color harmony with the materials that are used.

Here are a few ideas for your own color theme wreath creations.

Red: berries, fall leaves, peppers, mums, fruit

Orange: berries, fall leaves, mini pumpkins, gourds

Yellow: wheat, sunflowers, strawflower, pears, mums

Green: lamb’s ear, eucalyptus, bay leaves, green apples, cotton

Blue/Indigo: asters, lamb’s ear, statice, hydrangea

Violet: berries, cabbage, kale, mums, succulents

I’m still working on my little front porch ideas, but these gorgeous wreaths get me motivated!

Click on each photo for information about each wreath. (contains affiliate links)

Have a beautiful evening and enjoy some Fall colors! 🙂

DIY Crafts · Home Decor

Make A Beautiful Autumn Hued Wreath From Dried Hydrangea

September 14, 2020September 13, 2020 deb@bluewillowlane1 Comment

DIY Hydrangea Wreath

Hydrangea is such a beautiful flower! I keep adding more and more of them to my home landscape! Several years ago we traveled to Maine for a family vacation, and I came back inspired to add even more after viewing so many charming New England homes surrounded by the striking shrubs. Now, I have my own supply of hydrangea blossoms that are terrific for preserving and using in crafts. If you have some too, give it a try! The dried flowers can last for a year, so the effort to DIY a pretty wreath or arrangement is definitely worth it!

How TO DRY Hydrangea

I have used two methods for drying hydrangea stems. The first is air drying in bunches and the second is drying in a vase with some water. Either way, you should cut the hydrangea stem with about 8-12 inches of stem and remove the leaves.

For air drying, tie the branches singly or in small bunches and hang them upside down in a dry place, like an attic. For my wreath, I just got a bunch of my dried flowers out of the attic, and they were ready to go.

Another option is to put the flowers in a vase with water halfway up the stems. Simply let the water evaporate and the flowers will be dry. This will take about two weeks or so.

Making the Wreath: Step By Step

Supplies Used For Project:

Grapevine Wreath Base

Dried Flowers

Wire

Pink, Purple, Copper, and Green Spray Paint

Many of my flowers were dried from last year and mainly looked golden brown, so I decided to spray paint some of them to get the color tones I wanted. This was very easy. I just spread the flowers out on some cardboard and gave them a fine mist of paint (outdoors for ventilation) to give them some subtle color. I used pink, purple, copper, and green.

You will need a grapevine wreath base for this project. Once your flowers are dry, start at one position on the circle and begin filling in with flowers. The stems of hydrangeas are pretty tough, and if you have long enough stems, you can just weave them through the vine. That’s how I attached a lot of the flowers. They can be secured with florist wire where needed. Just gently wrap some wire around the stem being careful not to break the flower, and use the wire to help hold the flower in place. I had a few flowers that broke off the stems, so I just affixed them with a glue gun. That’s another method that works, too.

Hold your wreath up to see if the fullness is pretty equal all around, and add more flowers where needed. With the materials being natural, it’s never going to be perfect, but that’s what makes your own creation unique.

Twist a loop of wire on the back of the wreath to form a hanger.

That’s all there is to it! What a beautiful and rewarding project! I can’t wait to get everything together for my Fall front door display this year, and see how everything comes together!