This simple fall front porch makes use of layers, textures, and colors to achieve a welcoming fall feel for any guests coming to visit. Or Amazon Prime packages – let’s be honest. Affiliate links included.
Can I be honest with you? I wasn’t going to post this. I wasn’t even going to really take pictures of my fall front porch. I really like how it turned out, but it’s very simple and VERY imperfect. Like – I didn’t even make time to brush dirt off of my planters before I snapped a few cell phone pictures:
I’m craving simplicity this fall
Anyone else? I’m drawn to more simple spaces. I’m finding myself wanting to throw things away (and my husband is seriously thrilled!). I’m craving simplicity and trying to figure out how to convey that on this site.
In this stage of life, with three kids age 5 and under (one of them being 3 months old) I just don’t really care to fuss over elaborate decor. I’m OK with the imperfect. I love sharing the imperfect on Instagram, and I feel like I’ve found “my people” over there who accept my imperfect and even embrace it.
shop my white planters here – and the artificial trees here
They’re in my Amazon shop – did you know I have one? It’s all things I own & love…I share my notes on them in the captions! Check it out here.
But you know what? I feel intimidated to post the imperfect on my blog. I’m not sure why exactly. Maybe it’s because I’m afraid I’ll lose you guys, and that would make me SO SAD. I hope you know how important you are to me!
Blogging is weird. It’s wonderful, it’s such a blessing to me, and it’s my job, so there’s extra pressure. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the BEST decorator in the group. I don’t have the NEWEST things every season. I don’t have the BIGGEST house. We have a LOT of work to do. We live life and we live it hard in this home. And if you’re OK with me sharing the imperfect over here on my site – I’ll be able to share more often. If not, that’s OK! But just know that posting will be fewer and farther between.
I’d love to hear from you – whether on Instagram, Facebook, in the comments…anything works! But are you OK with me sharing the imperfect? The “not quite styled but hopefully I can still give you some ideas on how to decorate your home”?
My hope is that you’ll be able to visit me here, get some ideas on how to make your house a home on any budget, and feel like maybe you aren’t the only one with an imperfect home. (hey while you’re at it, you can read my husband’s article about the beauty of messes – he’s got some great encouragement in there!)
Sometimes I’ll share some well-styled and carefully edited pictures, or posts with new holiday decor, or things I think you guys would be interested in from brands I’m working with (please know how very picky I am about who I work with and share with you guys – I turn down SO many because I just don’t love their brand/products). BUT, if you’re OK with it, I’ll be sharing a little more of the everyday decor…the simple tips…and I’ll probably forget to edit out the occasional dustball in the corner. Let’s still be friends, OK? 🙂
PS – this comes up in my Instagram stories a LOT – this is our favorite healthy fall drink (full of antioxidants, immunity boosting, and the kids LOVE IT)
So – some of the things on our porch are old or thrifted, but you can buy some of them below!
I truly believe that every home has potential to be great! I wrote an ebook for you and it’s FREE – come download “A Character Filled Home” here.
I love your blog and Instagram account. I like that you are “real.” I feel overwhelmed by the accounts with picture perfect huge homes. I don’t have the budget to live like that. I like that you share your life with us…the imperfect parts, too! I also have three children, although they are grown, so I understand some of the things you are going through. I enjoy your posts about meals, because I am trying to eat healthier. Keep doing what you are doing. You do it well.
Thank you so so much, Carla! I agree – I feel overwhelmed as a creator/blogger myself…to a state of paralysis in posting sometimes. And yay! I’ll keep with the healthy dinners too!
No one actually lives in a perfect house-at least no one I know! Post the imperfect, it will make us all feel better about our imperfections! Which, btw, your porch looks absolutely perfect! Love it!
It’s true! It’s a fine line to walk as someone who does this for a living – but I’m just trying to figure out the best way to do it while still providing valuable content and being realistic at the same time 🙂
I admire your transparency about decor, family, parenthood and really just life in general! I lovveeee that you reuse, upcycle and diy a lot of your decor. It helps make me feel like I can do it, too! 😉
Love your porch!! Happy fall, Christina and fam!
I love your porch! Honestly, I don’t see any imperfections; it looks great! I have always preferred simple and now more than ever. In life and in decor I appreciate real and simple. Keep sharing; I’m loving it ❤️
I love it. Please keep sharing. You make me feel like even I, just a simple stay at home and homeschooling mom, can maybe kind of decorate ? you give tips that are actually usable and budget friendly. Please keep sharing your imperfect. Truly though your perfect does still look pretty darn perfect. You need to give yourself credit. You put character and real life into yours. That doesn’t make it imperfect, it makes it perfectly loving and homey.
I don’t know what would be wrong with your porch decorations. I think it looks amazing. I don’t think there are that many of us who have the budget or home to do what many bloggers have in their blogs and squares. I recently saw a post that was for a dining room that I estimate cost hundreds of dollars to decorate. I just did a “purge” of all the more irrelevant (just to my own life…not as human beings!) people I was following. You remained because you are so relevant to the real life I think most of us are living. Keep doing what you’re doing. We want your inspiration!!
I love it! I am done with al those picture perfect filtered photos on Instagram. It’s not real! But you are! It’s not imperfect, it’s perfect!
Love from the Netherlands.
Aw friend, thank you for being an example of life that is doable and attainable. I appreciate that the imperfections you share and the way you share them aren’t some excuse for not caring about cleaning your home, but rather that sometimes the priority needs to be on tending to your children and family rather than making your house look Pinterest perfect. I love that you also don’t discourage beautiful staging, but simply share that its not practical in all seasons of life. We love you here on your blog and on Instagram because you are genuine. You love well through all of your facets of creativity and that is what draws others to you. You are one of a very few design/DIY bloggers that I am confident if we lived in the same town, we would be very good friends. ?
Like I mentioned when I first bought my house… you are my biggest inspiration. Not just for decor but also because of those imperfections. I’ve got 2 kids and a dog, so I can relate! Keep on being perfectly you and authentic.
Your porch looks great! I so appreciate your real life posts. While the staged, sponsored accounts are ok, I don’t connect to them in the same way. I think accounts like yours are hard to find anymore as more and more people are earning a living on Instagram. No shade on them….just appreciate your page so much!
Love everything you do, Christina! Truly ❤️
I follow you on Instagram & enjoy your feed. My son is a teen now but I remember what it was like in our home when he was smaller. I pretty much took a break from decorating. To me, it’s not realistic to completely change your house yearly. I love buying new things but some stuff hangs around for a while?I couldn’t imagine trying to do what you all do.
I love your front porch and the fact that you are willing to show it even when it may not be absolutely perfect! It looks great to me, probably because it is a little imperfect, so it doesn’t intimidate me into thinking there’s no way I could do that. Keep on doing you!
I did want to throw in my 2 cents about the color of your door. It may be copper colored and look better in person, but it looks brown in the photo. I just think red would look so great with your black brick. I’m actually planning to paint my door red, because it’s stained a rather nondescript brown right now. I recently saw two red front doors that were really pretty. My favorite was painted Stolen Kiss SW 7586, but Rave Red SW 6608 was also pretty. I found them here: rughdesign.com/2018 the 7 best front door colors.
Love your blog and your instagram account! Love the honesty and it helps the rest of us who are in such a busy season of life feel like we aren’t alone! You are doing great!!!
I honestly don’t think I would have noticed the “imperfection” bc overall, your fall porch decor is lovely. And IRL, we all have projects “in process” and messes that don’t get cleaned up right away. It’s refreshing. I also appreciate seeing your dinners bc again, it’s real life.
And not to throw one more thing on your plate but as you decluttered and simplify I would LOVE seeing that process on your blog bc I’m in the process of doing the same. If you find a good system for tackling it…pretty please share!!!
xoxo
I love it. I like they’re real and the simplistic approach. That’s more beautiful to me anyway. I find myself unfollowing the homes that are so overly decorated they look like a retail store. I think it’s much more tasteful and beautiful when it’s an accent and not look like a pumpkin exploded and barfed all over your house. I like to buy things occasionally to add to my Decor but I certainly don’t want to buy so much seasonal stuff that I need a storage unit the stored in. I love the diversity of your feed and the Decor, food, and family and kids stuff. It’s all great.
It’s like you’ve read my mind. I’m in the process of starting a new blog… long story. It now I don’t know where to start and what to post. I am craving simple as well and went very minimal on decor for fall/Halloween. I like to decorate but don’t like to go overboard. And i definitely like to keep it real. My feeling is this… This is your blog. Your work. And you should feel comfortable sharing whatever you want to share. Aren’t we all perfectly imperfect?
I love your Instagram (and your blog) because of how real and DIY friendly you are! I’m sure its not easy juggling 3 kids but you’re doing such a great job! Please keep doing what you’re doing, we love it!!
I love what you do. It’s refreshing and honest and truly helpful and inspiring!
You being you is exactly why I visit your blog – you share your real life and not a manufactured, staged one. I look forward to your posts here and on Instagram like little drop-in visits with you and always come away encouraged.Thank you for being a breath of fresh air, Christina – keep sharing and being you!!
I stumbled on to your blog yesterday and felt an instant connection to the way you do things. I read a lot of blogs and yours is the first one that I have ever subscribed to. There is sooo much pressure to be perfect. It is set up for failure.
Keep it real sister! In the meantime, I will be obsessively reading your older posts!
My house is imperfect too. Know why? Because hubby and I live here with two adult boys, a fourteen year old girl with autism and three pugs along with other dogs I foster. I’m busy, and we live here. My Halloween decorations are out and driving me crazy because it looks crowded. I love January when everything is put away and it’s looks empty. Share away on your posts! I appreciate real life posts!
Just writing to let you know I love your blog just as is !!!! It’s down to earth and true to life. Would much rather enjoy reading a blog that’s more like my life than some thing to perfect to be real. Keep up the fantastic work. I truly enjoy following you.