Autumn Doorstep

au·tumn

/ˈôdəm/

noun

:the third season of the year, when crops and fruits are gathered and leaves fall, in the northern hemisphere from September to November and in the southern hemisphere from March to May

: the period from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice

Its the season of changing and letting go. Two things that I am truly opposed to! But as sure as the sun rises in the morning and sets again at night, likewise is summer changing to fall. Every season brings change and fall is no acceptation, but really why does fall have to be so short?? Autumn is arguably the best season in Minnesota. So many people skip this season for container gardens and planting. When I drive around and see summer annuals blown or frosted it looks so sad! There are so many fall lovelies to spruce up your front step and they are easy to set up and make! Come on- you don’t have to water a pumpkin or corn stalk?? And even if you do plant a few mums or kale, watering slows down during this time when it gets cold out in the fall. 😊 SO I would like to share some of my favorite fall finds. HERE are 5 autumn trends I incorporated into my Autumn Doorstep.

Trend #1: Fall wreaths inspired by fall foliage and nature finds 🍂🌾

Fall marks the beginning of Wreath season! (Another thing you don’t have to water😉) I am addicted to wreath making this year! Below are a few wreaths I made this season, they have a combination of faux and silks mixed with some natural materials found in nature.

Some wreath making materials include: Thistle, Bittersweet, Sunflowers, Yarrow, Dried Mushrooms, Leaves, Seeded Eucalyptus, Preserved Reindeer Moss, and Dried Straw Flower. 

For hanging you can use burlap ribbon (as pictured above) instead of a wreath hook to spruce it up and give it more of a fall feel. My go to inspiration is and always will be Terrain. They never cease to amaze me and inspire me. Below is a picture of a wreath designed by Terrain which I have included a link to check out their up and coming wreaths for the winter season. 

Obsessed with these beautiful wreaths! Click picture to check out Terrain's wreath shop- great ideas for inspiration too! 

Trend #2: Succulent Pumpkins 🌵🎃

Can we say "Pumpkin Everything?" Found these trending on day 1 of fall. Because succulents aren't addicting enough, lets plant them on top of a pumpkin and double the addiction! My only complaint is that they can't stay out on my porch when it gets cold, but they are seriously pretty enough to be a center piece on my table for fall! So to make succulent pumpkins you need lots of hot glue (tacky glue works too) moss and succulent cuttings. If you're willing to sacrifice some of your own succulents that grew crazy this summer, its a good way to reuse them and make them last just a little longer. To create: glue the moss on the top of the pumpkin first, then glue on all the cuttings. At the end you can glue in some more moss to fill in any holes. I sometimes incorporated faux and silks to fill gaps as well! The mini pumpkins below I actually carved out and planted a succulent inside. This works well if you don't want to use just cuttings. But one thing I found with carving is that the pumpkin rots quicker. I washed my pumpkins before planting and gluing to get the pumpkin to last a little longer. 

Not the prettiest picture but took a quick shot of a few succulent pumpkins I made at work to sell 🎃 These are cuttings glued to the moss.

Trend #3: Nesting Pumpkins aka "Pumpkin Stacking" 

Another trend we see coming back this season is pumpkin nesting. Remember in the spring when we talked about egg nesting?? I think it’s funny that it came back for fall because nesting seems like such a spring thing with cute bird eggs and new beginnings... Well its back for fall and I think it works! Nesting pumpkins looks just as cute as nesting eggs👍🏻and has a very natural harvest feel. Plus its such a simple touch! It is easiest to stack Cinderella pumpkins, that are technically gourds but come in many beautiful colors and are often labeled "Autumn Couleur" at garden centers. Stack them high or low, its as easy as it looks. Just use honey suckle, straw, moss or sticks inbetween each stacked pumpkin to create the look!

Trend #4: Harvest eatery and cold tolerant plants 🌶🌿

Autumn is harvest season, and we often use the idea of harvesting for our fall inspiration. When you think about it almost all of our fall decor is theoretically edible: Pumpkins, Kale, Peppers, Swiss Chard and Corn!... Plus all these edible decor plants are cold tolerant and perfect for those frosty nights in October. (Note- I would probably not eat any of these plants unless marked as organically grown- they are mainly for ornamental purposes). 

Yes my cat creeps in all my photos- black cats don't freak me out at all... he showed up on our doorstep about 3 months ago, he came to the right door considering his chilly winter fate. 

Trend #5: Pumpkin Everything!! 🎃🎃🎃

Well what can I say? We can't deny the #pumpkineverything trend. Whether its your pumpkin spice latte, the pumpkin patch you created in your own home or your pumpkin flavored "spray on spice" (yes its a real thing) this year marks the biggest pumpkin crave yet. 

From front door to back, pumpkins are stacked, autumn is blooming and fall feels are turned up to a perfect 60 degrees. Its officially fall in Minnesota and what better way to celebrate than pouring a hot mug of apple cider and kicking back in front of a bonfire with you favorite people and decor out for everyone to enjoy! 

***Let me know in the comments below if you'd like to see more pictures, ideas or videos of anything fall!***

Happy Fall Y'all !!

Amy Hinrichs - Preserving the Bloom