Easy foraged wreaths and door decor, planted pots, and pumpkins create a warm fall welcome for your front entranceway.

Hello October

Last weekend we marked the official start to fall.

And now we say good-bye to September and hello, October!

Right on cue, this past week it really started to feel like fall.

Mornings are in the 40’s. I see more trees changing into their colorful autumn attire While conversely, our wildflower field is fading to brown with only the pop of bright purple asters putting on a last show.

As always, I continue to make changes inside and out to reflect those taking place in nature.

This week, let’s head outside for a look at how I created a welcoming fall front entrance with foraged and natural elements.

Dried flowers, fall pots, and pumpkins, oh my!

Foraged Wreaths and Front Door Basket

This is probably my favorite time of year to go poking around our property with my clippers.

I gather a variety of cuttings — fading hydrangea blooms, shriveled flower heads, cattails from the shoreline, Queen Anne’s Lace that has dried on the stem, lichen-covered sticks, and a few bright blossoms to add a pop.

I am not looking for perfection here. In fact, I prefer the faded and dried. I love the soft colors and varied textures.

Once I have gathered a good selection, I get to work!

Wreaths

To start, I purchased two grapevine wreaths from Walmart.

I decided almost immediately to go with an asymmetrical design, beginning with the hydrangeas as the “base”. I added stems to the wreaths by simply poking them through the gaps in the grapevine.

Then I tucked stems in and around the hydrangeas, using my eye as a guide — some height and “drama” on top, something airy in the center, a little interest at the bottom.

And finally a light spray of greenery covering the rest of the wreath for some overall texture.

Of course I made several trips back to the yard to replenish my supplies or to look for “just that one piece”.

This is one of those situations where you just need to relax and enjoy the creative process!

Door Basket

For the basket on the door I again started with the hydrangeas, then added sticks, cattails, and other stems.

Since I wanted it to have a very full look, I ended up using many more stems than I thought I needed originally. Fortunately I can just “shop” my yard, where everything is free!

At the last minute (after I had taken some of the photos) I decided to add a bow to the basket. The frayed velvet ribbon adds a touch of casual elegance and the blue matches the door exactly! How could I resist?!

Who knows, I just might continue to add other things to these displays as the season progresses!

Planted Pots

I redid the pots on the front steps for fall in early September, when I also changed out the pots on the back porch.

You can read all the details of the plants I used in my post Fresh Color and Texture For Your Planters Heading Into Fall.

As with the porch, I use a grouping of smaller pots to create a natural “mix and match” display on the steps.

These are the new plants I used:

  • Purple Fountain Grass
  • Indian Summer Rudbeckia
  • Bandana Lemon Zest Lantana

And these are left over from summer:

  • Variegated Swedish Ivy
  • Solar Power Sweet Potato Vine
  • Blueberries and Cream Petunias
A butterfly
and a bee!

I went with a purple and yellow color scheme, which ties in with the plants in the beds on either side of the walkway.

This was not the best year for my gardens. It was so wet and overcast.

That said, at this time of year, I do like the look of plants past their prime and gone to seed. Their faded beauty reflects the changes going on elsewhere in the autumn landscape.

And you can see that there is still a lot of activity in the garden!

The Last Touch

Of course no fall display would be complete without the ubiquitous pumpkin.

Just a few!

And yellow, not orange.

I save the orange variety for my “Great Pumpkin Wall” on the stone wall that separates the yard from the field.

And there I use lots of them. 20 large pumpkins, to be exact!

I only have two pumpkins on the wall so far, but I shared a picture above of last year’s display.

I am hoping to head to the pumpkin patch this weekend!

Which brings me to….

This Week Into Next

I am good, but this week was an emotional one.

It was a week when I had to give myself grace to not meet all the “deadlines” or fulfill every “obligation”, which I mostly set for myself. So I changed the subject of this blog at the last minute (next week you will get to see the content I had planned), said no to a fundraising reception, and today I am skipping my daily workout.

And, oh, I just made myself a cup of tea and turned the heat on in the house. It is definitely time for some self care.

The week started with what would have been my mom’s 90th birthday. That, of course, had me thinking of and missing her more than usual. Which is already a lot. Thank you to all of you for your kind words of support in response to Monday’s Instagram post.

And for those of you here who haven’t already, you can read all about my mom and her legacy in my post I Am My Mother’s Daughter.

Wednesday I lost — and then found — my phone. But it was a tense hour-plus of uncertainty and an extra 1-hour round-trip drive to the food pantry where I volunteer. And where I did find my phone lying in the dirt of a raised garden bed. (Don’t ask…) Not only is my phone my lifeline to family and friends, but it is also what I use to create content for my blog and Instagram. And I had photographs to shoot for a big collaboration with a major brand. (Which you will now see next week…) The incident left me feeling drained. Maybe I need to invest in a camera….

Then Wednesday night things really took a turn, when a fire broke out in our little village, destroying our general store, ferry terminal, and only restaurant. Thankfully no one was harmed and in time these businesses will hopefully be rebuilt.

But the losses were still great. The General Store was a historic building. Upstairs there was a gallery which contained original works by Jamie and NC Wyeth. The ferry terminal had only just been rebuilt. The waterside restaurant collapsed into the ocean.

And the emotional toll right now on our community is huge.

Most of you know me only as “Molly in Maine”. But I have lived in Maine and been a part of this community for just 7 years. That is nothing for real “Mainers”. To them I am, and always will be, someone “from away”.

But I already feel very much a part of this community. It is my home and I hold it deeply in my heart.

We are a small community at the end of a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides. The nearest real town is a 30-minute drive. So our little village, with its general store, restaurant, coffee and ice cream shops, watering hole, and two galleries is the local gathering spot. A ferry from the village supports an island community.

These places we lost were special. And some parts of them can never be restored. So, at least for the time being, there is a hole in the heart of our community.

But times of adversity also highlight our strengths. Our brave local first responders toiled through the night and the next day. They were assisted by teams from neighboring towns and supported by community members.

Soon it will be time, and we will hopefully be ready, to move forward.

But for now, I can’t look much past next week, when I head to Michigan to visit my son and daughter-in-law.

And that, I would say, is more than enough for this week.

Take good care, give yourself grace, and be well, friends.

Molly

Highlighting coastal decor and lifestyle, Maddie and Cisco, and the way life should be...

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