Welcome Fall, and welcome friends!! Come on over and sit a spell.

See how I went from this, to fall.

I added a few very inexpensive fall decorations that I picked up at Family Dollar. They cost me $3 each!! Gracie likes the color.

I bought 2 different color garlands, a pick, a netted grouping of plastic gourds all at Family Dollar.

I just kind of tucked a long garland into my existing flowers. I like the pink in there still.

This is the garland that is more of the yellow and orange colors. I tucked it into my greenery garland that is secured onto my bench back. It really did add some nice fall feel to it. Don't you think? 

Here is a close-up of my metal mannequin at the doorside.

I wrapped the other garland around it.

 It really added the look here!

I am very pleased.

Would love a few large white pumpkins though. Would put them along the base of the stand.

Pretty, do you agree?

I took my birdnest out of this and replaced with a fall pick and the little plastic gourds.

 Around the porch I added more fall colors. A $3 rusty color mum to my rusted blue tin. A $5 live arrangement to an old rusted metal planter. Notice I tucked in the BOO. I'll take it out after halloween.

My little flower bed is going to be so sweet too!! The plants I transplanted are really doing well!! I only added the mums that are in front of the tall wooden birdhouse, and the other little plants I can't recall the name of.

 I added a couple of those winter califlower looking plants. I can never remember what they are called. Do you know what they are? If so, please do tell.

Look how well my Hydrangea are doing!! I clipped them off a neighbors bush last year. They made it through the winter and then they made it to my new place and are really doing great!!! I can't wait to see them in Spring! I sure hope they make it through Winter.

So that's it. Gracie and I have our porch all cleared off from our move. I have it decorated and today we are just chillaxin. Hope you leave us a note and tell us what you think and  tell us what you are doing to you porch for fall.

Tootle loo for now.

Luv from Shabby Jen & Gracie too.

Here are a few links for you to look at. I have enjoyed them over and over.

• http://littlefrenchgardenhouse.blogspot.com/2009/03/dreamy-porches.html
• http://chloexoxo.blogspot.com/2010/07/sandys-victorian-fairytale-cottage.html
• http://imgfave.com/view/2640503
• http://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2011/09/favorite-fall-decor-ideas.html

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Getting Settled

Moving, seems to be the hardest word.

I was settled here. 1370 sq ft, tons of closets, large 15'x15' workshed, LARGE fenced in backyard. But the landlord was raising the rent and I just couldn't make it anymore. I wasn't finding a job and just couldn't keep it up.  I prayed for something to happen. THEN...

I got a job!!!!!

THEN...

A dear friend had a friend with a "storage building" he would let me rent. Yep, a storage building.

It's a 1,000 sq ft little square building he built to store his stuff. Then his MIL was ill and he added kitchen needs, a bathroom and beautiful french doors to the bedroom. She passed on so he started using it for storage again. It was a mess, small and not too cute but had lots of potential and it was AFFORDABLE for me!! WOOHOO!!!!

How though, was I going to make it pretty?
How was I going to get all my STUFF in it?
Where was everything going to go?
How would it all work out?

I tossed those questions around about twice then jumped the gun and went for it. It was the answer to my prayer and I couldn't miss out on the blessing.

Then the hard part was to sort through all my STUFF and keep only what I had room for. That was so overwhelming! I would make piles. Keep, maybe keep, want to keep, don't have to have, sell, giveaway. The piles changed daily. It was so hard for me to decide.  So I started moving over what I LOVED LOVED LOVED, and set in place.

I didn't want my quaint little room to change.

And I had so much room in my big workshed.

So I bought one!!! They moved it in.

I made it look like it was mine.

And the moving was going.... oh gee it was so overwhelming!! I mean look at this mess!

Finally, finally it was all falling together.

Using every single thing for a purpose. My tall bookshelf from my grandmother, and my huge fabric cabinet now became a partition in the living room. The other side is where my desk is. All of my books and fabric are in those cabinets. I was very inspired by Rebecca at A Re-Purposed Life

And my kitchen, I love it more here than I did in the other house. I love the floor.I love the nice new cabinets.

I still have my kitchen island I was inspired by Nicki at Vintage Farmhouse. 

And I want to fill my china hutch with ironstone as I saw in Rebecca

I love how it's laid out, and how my things fit in place.

I'll share more pictures maybe again next week. I have a few finishing touches on a few pieces.

It's comfy to me. I can't wait to have a few friends over. Soon, soon I shall.

And Gracie is happy again too!! Oh, yes it was hard on her too! Her poor little nerves are so fragile. But I have a little fence up and she can watch all the neighbors through it.
She comes in and out now finally. At first she was very afraid.
And she LOVES the front porch.

We made it Gracie!!! We can breathe now. 

I had a lot of help at the end from some good friends.

Thank you friends!

So, in all, we are very happy. Have a very happy day my friends.