We lucked out with some really nice warm weather recently and took full advantage to knock out a to-do list of outdoor chores. The landscaping was cleaned up, trimmed back, and prepped for winter. The entire house was washed. All the outdoor furniture was cleaned and covered until next spring, and I even crossed a few indoor chores off the list before the busyness of the holidays arrive. 

Here are the top tasks you’ll want to complete for your home before the cold weather sets in:

FALL CLEANING CHECKLIST:

– download printable checklist here –

YOU MIGHT NEED:

1. I have this lawnmower cover, this grill cover, this deep sofa cover (currently 20% off), and this outdoor dining table cover (currently 22% off with an additional coupon available).
2. This leaf blower with a rechargeable battery clears all the leaves off my deck and grass clippings off my sidewalks. 
3. This hedge trimmer runs off the same rechargeable battery as the leaf blower, which is super convenient. I have multiple batteries so I can always keep one or two charging while I work.

WINDOW CLEANING TIPS:

This is the method I use, and it works like a charm. 

1. Check to make sure all windows are tightly closed and locked. Mix 1-2 tablespoons dish soap in a bucket of warm water. 
2. Spray the exterior of the window with a hose to wet the surface. Use a mop (I have this one) to scrub the window with the dish soap mixture. This will get all the dirt and grime off the glass. Spray the window again to rinse off the soap.
3. Mix white vinegar with water (around a 1:4 ratio) in a spray bottle. Spray the window with the vinegar solution, and use a squeegee to remove the liquid, wiping the tool on a lint free cloth as needed.

When you tackle the checklist, tag me on Instagram @lizlovegrowswild so we can all keep each other motivated to finish!

As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

STAY CONNECTED:

Our Store: Grow + Gather
Shop my Posts | Shop my Amazon Store
Join our Community | Follow on Instagram 
Follow on Pinterest | Follow on Facebook

The post Fall Cleaning Checklist appeared first on Love Grows Wild.

I’ve been making little changes in my home office recently and owe you an update on what I’ve been up to. It all started with finding my dream desk (more on that later), rearranging the entire room, getting rid of a ton of old furniture and things that no longer have a purpose, and adding plenty of really pretty storage. 

With all the rearranging, I ended up with space by a window to create a little seating area and have been working on making my new little reading nook feel extra cozy. Here are 5 elements for creating the perfect Cozy Reading Nook:

THE PERFECT COZY CHAIR

– click any photo to shop –

SIDE TABLE FOR STORAGE

– click any photo to shop –

SOFT LIGHTING

– click any photo to shop –

BLANKET TO CURL UP WITH

– click any photo to shop –

BOOKS TO INSPIRE

– click any photo to shop –

SHOP MY OFFICE

– click any photo to shop –

As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

STAY CONNECTED:

Our Store: Grow + Gather
Shop my Posts | Shop my Amazon Store
Join our Community | Follow on Instagram 
Follow on Pinterest | Follow on Facebook

The post How to Create a Cozy Reading Nook appeared first on Love Grows Wild.

I’m always looking for ways to inspire those familiar feelings of fall – the smell of fresh baked pumpkin bread, the warmth inside our homes, the cozy oversized sweatshirts, the perfect cup of coffee, the crunch of leaves underneath our feet… 

I love everything about this season, and I hope you enjoy the items I curated for you below. 

SHOP THE EDIT:

1. Cozy Knit Throw Blanket – the softest, most stretchy blanket I’ve bought in a long time

2. Pumpkin Bread 16oz Candle – clean-burning, American-made soy candles in the perfect fall scent

3. Plum Purple Cimicifuga Ramosa Leaves – the perfect dark, moody, dramatic fall branch

4. Hammered Metal Waste Can – just got this for my office!

5. Modern Taper Candles – I love the unexpected soft taupe color (Dove) of these taper candles

6. Antiqued Bronze Metal Vase – the perfect rustic touch for your fall decor

7. Cottonwood Plaid Wool/Cotton Rug – wood & plaid just scream fall to me, but it’s neutral/simple enough to keep out year round

8. Marc Fisher Garina Bootie – coveted & high quality – currently 33% off!

9. Oversized Half-Zip Pullover – comes in dozens of other colors too & is currently almost 25% off!

10. Washed Cotton Velvet Throw Pillow – comes in 7 yummy fall shades of tan/orange/brown

11. 8-Piece Teak Wood Cooking Utensil Set – perfect for nonstick cookware, and the wood color is so rich and warm

12. Harvest Reed Grass Arrangement – such pretty natural texture, and the vase is included!

I have the washed cotton velvet throw pillow styled on my sofa in the color “dark brown”. 

As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

STAY CONNECTED:

Our Store: Grow + Gather
Shop my Posts | Shop my Amazon Store
Join our Community | Follow on Instagram 
Follow on Pinterest | Follow on Facebook

The post The October Edit | 2023 appeared first on Love Grows Wild.

As the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to change, it’s the perfect time to embrace the beauty of autumn, turn up your curb appeal, and transform your porch into a warm invitation for guests. 

Confession: Many years in the past, I’ve spent way too much money filling my front porch with fresh mums and boatloads of beautiful pumpkins – especially the light pastel varieties with soft green, blue, and peach coloring. 

Fast forward a month or two and everything is dead or dying, and I’m bummed about spending all that money that goes to waste. 

SHOP FALL WREATHS & DOORMATS:

This year I only want to invest in fall porch decor I can use year after year, and the two easiest ways to do that are wreaths & doormats. I’ve paired 10 different wreath & doormat combinations to help get some ideas flowing, but really any of these could be used together. I hope this helps inspire you to create the coziest entrance to your home that can be enjoyed for months and years to come, and I’d love to see photos of your front porches all dressed up for the season!

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

wreath | doormat

Look how little Lady was this year…

As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

STAY CONNECTED:

Our Store: Grow + Gather
Shop my Posts | Shop my Amazon Store
Join our Community | Follow on Instagram 
Follow on Pinterest | Follow on Facebook

The post 10 Simple Ways to Decorate Your Porch for Fall appeared first on Love Grows Wild.

This wall is somewhat of a focal point since the dining table is centered here, and it needed some kind of definition and interest to draw your eye in. I just hung a large piece of landscape canvas art on the opposite side of the room, so I wanted something different here that was a bit more abstract, but simple and subtle too. 

I did a little online shopping to see if I could find something that would fit my vision, and I came across a stunningly beautiful piece of woven art that was absolutely perfect – but it most definitely did not fit my budget. 

source

I loved the neutral abstract tone on tone design and the beautiful texture of the woven wool. But I was not about to pay $400 for a piece of art that I felt was simple enough I could probably recreate it for a fraction of the cost. 

I went to the craft store and came up with a plan and materials to execute the project. I decided I would find a piece of fabric that I could stretch over a cheap canvas and somehow attach a chunky textured yarn in a sort of zig-zag pattern like my inspiration piece. 

SUPPLIES:

white burlap
canvas panel
yarn – look for one that’s chunky/textured and similar in color to the burlap
thread – also similar in color
needle
scissors
ruler
masking tape
staple gun & staples
picture hanging hardware

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut a piece of burlap several inches longer on all sides than your canvas panel. You’ll need to be able to wrap the burlap around the back of the canvas and attach it to the wood frame. 
2. Decide where you want your design centered on the burlap, and use strips of tape as a guideline so you don’t have to measure spacing for every row of yarn.
3. Before you actually attach the yarn to the burlap, lay out at least a few rows of your design to determine the spacing you want.
   I used a 30 x 40″ canvas and created a zig-zag pattern alternating long and short rows that were 12″ and 8″.

   

4. At the end of each row, secure the yarn in place with needle and thread, tying a knot on the backside of the burlap to secure. Continue the pattern until your woven design is the size you want.
5. Once finished, go back through the rows and add extra stitches sporadically where the yarn may seem loose. This will help keep the yarn secured to the burlap and add some additional texture and interest. 

   

6. Flip the burlap over with the woven design down, and place the canvas panel on top, also face down. Stretch the burlap over the sides of the canvas and secure to the wooden frame with a staple gun. Start with the center of the top, bottom, and sides, then move around the edge of the canvas, evenly stretching the burlap as you go. Neatly fold the corners and trim excess burlap as needed so the canvas will lay flat against the wall. 
7. Add a sawtooth hanger or some kind of picture hanging hardware to the back of the frame, and hang on the wall where desired. 

Project Notes: 

I had plenty of burlap, so I folded it in half and used two layers instead of one. This helped give the finished canvas a softer, smoother surface, and it helped hide the white canvas underneath the burlap. Not a big deal since everything I used is a light color, but if you were using a different color burlap or some other kind of fabric, you may want to have enough for a double layer as well.

Also, when I first started tying the yarn to the burlap, I kept the rows as scrunched together as possible. As I got rolling, I decided I wanted to slowly start spacing the rows out more so the bottom of the design would be more compact than the top. The holes in the burlap make it easy to count out a certain number of spaces between each row, and I started with 10 spaces between the long rows and 10 spaces between the short rows. Once I got about ⅓ of the way through, I started adding 1 extra space with each new row I created. 

I was a little skeptical if this project would be a success or a fail, but it honestly turned out better than I expected. I love the yarn I chose with little flecks of black and brown throughout, and also that the piece adds character and interest to the space, but doesn’t compete with any of the other elements. And I saved so much money making it vs. buying the high-end artwork I originally found!

Here’s the cost breakdown:

$8.98 – 1.5 yards burlap
$17.99 – 30″ x 40″ canvas panel
$8.99 – yarn

Everything else I had. That’s a grand total of $35.96 for a piece of art that originally would have cost $400 to purchase – it’s also backordered till February!

SHOP THIS SPACE:

I don’t do nearly as many big diy projects here as I used to – with age comes a better appreciation for time vs money. But I would love to hear your thoughts on if you would like to see more decorating projects like this!

As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

STAY CONNECTED:

Our Store: Grow + Gather
Shop my Posts | Shop my Amazon Store
Join our Community | Follow on Instagram 
Follow on Pinterest | Follow on Facebook

The post Tone on Tone Woven Wall Art DIY appeared first on Love Grows Wild.