modest fall porch

 

PUMPKINS!!!! this is my favourite time of the year because it means i get to buy ALL the pumpkins. i am beyond happy that i have an actual front porch to decorate. a cute, old, art craft style porch filled with so much original character. we gave it a little face lift this summer: new light, new mailbox, new paint, new rug & most importantly rocking chairs! since we purchased the house last summer rocking chairs for the porch was on our must have list. anyways, i am going to do a quick breakdown of all the changes & details below.

the light

i find the exterior porch light is such an important feature of any front entry. i wanted something very simple & minmal, yet still bold. the carson l-arm wall mount from rejuvenation was perfect! it has that industrial barn vibe with a modern twist. plus, you get to pick whatever colour you want too! i was going for a pitch black theme (no brass or gold.. for once) so i stuck with the matte black finish. i love how it looks & how it lights up our porch so nicely at night.

the door

oh, the door. do we paint it white, yellow or black?! justin & i just couldn't agree on the colour. this is the original door to the house, so it is solid wood & almost 100 years old. we really wanted to do it justice! yellow was the first one off the list cough, justin & then we finally decided on black. but not just any shade of black, we wanted it as black as black gets. who knew similar to white paint, there were SO many shades of black. we ended up going with pitch black by farrow & ball because i can't get enough of farrow & ball's paint! it is the exact look i had hoped for. no weird undertones, just black.

the rocking chairs

as i mentioned above, the rocking chairs were on our must have list as soon as we put an offer in on the house! with a porch like this, how can you not sit out front on a crisp fall morning, rocking back & fourth while sipping coffee or tea. these rocking chairs are the o&g rocking chair in black from rejuvenation. i can't even begin to describe how gorgeous they are. they are handmade in new york of solid ash wood & then stained (not painted) black so you see all the gorgeous wood grains come through. they are made by a company called o&g specifically for rejuvenation. o&g makes the most gorgeous wood furniture pieces! we are hoping to add a bench down the line too because of how in love we are with the craftsmenship of the rocking chairs. i kept things very simple as i wanted the chairs to be the focal point. just a little side table for a plant or to rest coffee and a book on in the morning.

the decor

last but not least to tie everything together we added a few accessories to the mix! a braided natural coir doormat, a vintage style mailbox (that i got for a STEAL because it is on clearence), a planter, a rustic twig wreath & pumpkins galore! i love the cinderella pumpkins most.. the blue, the pink & the funky shaped orange ones. they just look so whimsical & enchanted. who doesn't love a little fairy tale inspired decor for fall?

p.s. buddy welcomes you to modest house too:)

matcha pumpkin "monster" cupcakes

 

BOO!

okay, well that was probably scarier then these cupcakes.. but how cute are these little monsters? who said halloween monsters have to be scary! we are in the first week of october & i am already thinking about all the fun halloween treats to make this year.

the flavour of these cupcakes probably isn't what you were thinking! i didn't want to go classic and stick to vanilla or chocolate. just because they are decorated into monsters doesn't mean the cupcake itself has to be simple! i stuck to my pumpkin obsession & whipped up a batch of pumpkin matcha cupcakes.

for the frosting instead of using food colouring i went natural and coloured the monsters with matcha powder. i used aiya matcha's cooking grade matcha which made for the perfect colour and taste of the buttercream. for the eyes i opted for fondant so i could make each one unique looking. however, if you are looking for a more simple option i have seen candy eyes available at michaels! lastly, i used the wilton piping tip #233 to create the monster look. this is the tip that is usually used for grass & fur, but i think it worked perfectly here!

ingredients

for the pumpkin matcha cupcakes

  • 1 ½ cups raw sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
  • 2 teaspoons aiya matcha's cooking grade matcha
  • ½ cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 ¾ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

for the matcha buttercream

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons aiya matcha's cooking grade matcha
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 24 fondant eyes

directions

for the pumpkin matcha cupcakes

  • in a mixing bowl add sugar, eggs, pumpkin, matcha powder, oil & vanilla. mix until the ingredients are well combined & the eggs are light/fluffy.
  • in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & cinnamon. slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. stir until a smooth batter is formed.
  • line a twelve cupcake tin & divide batter equally amongst the twelve cupcakes. bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

for the matcha buttercream

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter, sugar, matcha powder & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy.
  • place frosting into piping bag using the wilton #233. pipe like you would a normal cupcake & top with fondant eyes.

apple cider rum punch

 

today is national rum punch day & i am sharing the recipe for a fall inspired rum punch!!! cue: apple cider. i honestly can't get enough apple cider in the fall. i am surrounded by several apple orchards that sells fresh cider. it is just so good. can enjoy it both hot & cold, but these days cold because we are getting july like weather over here. i just want to be wearing my wool sweaters & leather boots again! anyways, back to this rum punch. it is made with fresh local cider, a little rum, a stevia infused simple syrup to allow for no added sugar AND a good old splash of zevia's ginger ale. zevia's ginger ale is also sugar free as it is made with stevia too. plus the ginger taste so good with apple cider & adds the perfect amount of fiz to the punch! you are going to need this punch today to cool down if you are experiencing any of the weather we are.

cheers! xo

ingredients

for the apple cider rum punch

  • 1 cup light rum
  • 3 cups apple cider (100% juice, no sugar added)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 cup zevia's ginger ale
  • 1 cup thyme + lemon simple syrup (see recipe below)
  • apple slices, for garnish
  • lemon slices, for garnish
  • fresh thyme, for garnish

for the thyme + lemon simple syrup

  • 1 cup liquid stevia (approx. 1 teaspoon stevia to 1 cup water)
  • 1 cup water
  • 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 lemon, sliced

directions

for the apple cider rum punch

  • in a large pitcher stir together the rum, apple cider, lemon juice, zevia ginger ale & simple syrup. fill remaining space with ice. when serving, garnish with apple slice, lemon slice & fresh thyme.

for the thyme + lemon simple syrup

  • in a sauce pot over medium heat add the stevia, water, thyme, lemon zest & lemon. bring to a gentle simmer and stir until stevia dissolves. remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. strain liquid and store in a glass weck jar for up to two weeks.