Mums and pumpkins add some autumn cheer

I am behind on my blogging! I have several recipes I still owe you and I need to post pictures from my Halloween party...until then, here are some pictures of our front porch planters with a little autumn flair. Nothing says "fall" more than a pile of pumpkins and some mums!

My sweet potato vine is still going strong! I love that stuff.
It has been growing like crazy and I had to trim it back to make room for anything else.

This planter just makes me smile every time I walk in the front door :).
I kept the dracaena spikes from my spring planting and added a yellow mum and a cabbage plant. And of course I had to nestle in a little pumpkin to add more color...

Has your front yard/porch/planter(s) been given a touch of autumn?
Happy Fall Y'all!

Are you ready for some football? Food that is...

Here is the spread from our Texas Tech vs. A&M football game party.
Tech lost, but the food was definitely a winner!

Table centerpiece:
The Football Subway Art can be found HERE and is available in other colors too.
Dollar Tree hurricanes adding some red candy color to the table

I was so excited to find Texas Tech plates and napkins in the clearance bin at the grocery store for 50 cents a package!

I picked up these cute red and black pom pom toothpicks in the dollar spot at Target.
They make my sausage balls look really festive!

Here's a rundown of the menu:
A big crockpot of chili
chips and queso/salsa
sausage balls
apples picked from the apple orchard with caramel dip
"Elizabeth's 1st prize at the fair" cookie bars (recipe coming soon!)
spinach artichoke dip - courtesy of Joanna
red velvet brownies - courtesy of Roxanne
bread bowl dip - courtesy of my mom
(I will share the recipe for this soon! It is always a winner!)
chocolate chip cookies - courtesy of Shanna
Puppy chow - courtesy of Roxanne
veggie tray - courtesy of the Cluff family
tamales - courtesy of my mother-in-law

As you can tell, we had a TON of food! But it was oh so delicious!
What food do you like to eat for football watchin' / tailgating?

My fall wreath was featured!

The ladies at Lemon Tree Creations featured my Pinterest inspired fall wreath! This is my first time to be featured on another blog so I was pretty excited! You can see my wreath and other Pinterest inspired projects HERE. To see more details about my fall wreath, check it out HERE.

Wire Pumpkins...courtesy of Dollar Tree!

I'm joining the "Under $10 and Under 1 Hour" party over at 320 Sycamore with these easy-peasy wire pumpkins using wire from Dollar Tree.
The inspiration comes from Jessica @ Mad in Crafts.

They are so quick and easy to put together...

Using this floral wire from Dollar Tree (comes in several different colors), wrap it around a cylinder shape of your choice - a toilet paper roll, a prescription bottle, a hairspray bottle, etc. Whatever you have on hand.
The smaller the cylinder, the smaller yet more full your pumpkin will be.
I used a can of air freshener for the larger pumpkin and a prescription bottle for the smaller pumpkin.
Remove the coil from the cylinder and using a twist tie (reuse the twist ties that come with the wire!), tie the middle of the coil together.
Leave some excess wire out to make the twisty stem of the pumpkin.
Then pull the wire around to round out the pumpkin shape.
You can get a picture tutorial of this process over at Mad in Crafts.

Aren't they so cute?
(please excuse the dusty shelf...)

$1 for each pumpkin.
Maybe 5 minutes to put together.
Definitely Under $10 and Under 1 Hour!
Thanks for the inspiration Jessica!

I think I'll go dust that shelf now...

A fall mantel with my new wreath

Ahhh how I love this. Doesn't my new wreath look great over the mantel? I usually go for more of a Halloween mantel this time of year but my wreath needed a home...and I loved all the amazing fall mantel decorating going on in blog land right now. I decorated with items I already had, with the exception of the cute ceramic owl. Owls are quite popular this year for fall decorating and though I originally was not a fan, this little guy has grown on me.

I used popcorn kernels in the hurricane to fill the space around the orange candle.
I love the touch of gold color it adds.
The white pumpkin came from Dollar Tree
and the gold leaf plate I found for $1 on clearance at TJ Max a couple years ago.

More beaded pumpkins, leftover from my wreath decorating, stacked in a Dollar Tree Hurricane.

Isn't he cute? I love that wide-eyed look!
(I found him at World Market.)

I love how the wreath looks layered over the mirror.
Displaying a wreath over a mirror is one of my favorite ways to showcase it.

My love for all things fall continues...

I am linking up to The Lettered Cottage's Fall Mantel Link Party.

Recreating a Fall Wreath...on a budget

Isn't this wreath gorgeous? It's from Williams Sonoma (discovered via Pinterest) and will cost you $99.95. Wow. I love it, but I don't $99.95 love it.

How about this beauty? I fell in love. But for $75 on Etsy (discovered via Pinterest) I decided there had to be a better and cheaper way to get some of this autumn goodness.

Here is my handmade version for MUCH cheaper. * sigh * I love it.

I haven't decided if I like it better with the jute ribbon or the chocolate brown satin ribbon for the bow.
(The brown ribbon needs to be trimmed, I know. The ends need to be the same length...its making me twitch...something about not being symmetrical.)
What do you think?
Let me know in the comments.
I thought I liked the brown ribbon best but as I look at these pictures, I lean towards the jute ribbon.

Here is my cost breakdown:
Styrofoam wreath form from Hobby Lobby - $4 (on sale 1/2 price)
4 bags of reindeer moss from Dollar Tree - $4
Beaded pumpkins from Walmart - $5
Jute ribbon from Walmart - $2
Total - $15

Assembly was easy. Hot glue the reindeer moss all over the wreath form. Hot glue pumpkins. Tie a ribbon bow at the top and you have yourself a thrifty and beautiful wreath. I just love fall!

I linked up to Rhoda's Door Decor Fall Linky Party
and
Lemon Tree Creations Pinterest Link Up!

P.S. The wreath inspiration was originally discovered on Pinterest. Yes, I have become a Pinterest addict. You can follow my boards HERE.

Recent Thrifty Finds...finally!

I have been SO behind in showing you some of the thrifty finds I have scooped up at garage sales this summer! While I have been crazy busy adjusting to life with 2 kids and nightly sleep deprivation, I have managed to hit some garage sales here and there. Here are some of my finds from the last several weeks:

lamp - $1
marble rolling pin - $2
(You can't beat a good marble rolling pin.
I grew up using one in my mom's kitchen, until it broke!)
small milk glass dish - 25 cents
tall glass jar - 25 cents
2 smaller apothecary jars - $1 each
(I may have a small addiction to glass jars...)
stack of hardback books - 25 cents each

Here is a close up of the hardback books I found for 25 cents each at a garage sale. That is an awesome price for hardback books - usually the cheapest I find them is 50 cents a piece, more often $1 a piece.

I have a bunch of projects that are in the works... including a fall wreath, my Halloween party invitations, a lamp makeover, and of course a couple of new recipes. I promise to show you soon!