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Indiana Blogs Fall Tour: The Blog Bloom

September 16, 2016 by Erika

It's the last day of our Indiana Blogs Fall Tour.  I hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have.  I couldn't be prouder to be working with this group of amazing women on this.  I feel truly blessed to know each one of them.

We may have saved the best for last too...donuts!

But first, let me introduce you to Claire.  Claire and I lived on the same floor in Windsor Hall our freshman year at Purdue.  We remained Facebook friends and one day I saw that she had a blog.  I started following her and I love her approach to food, gardening and farming.

It was Claire that actually made me think about starting to blog myself. Before reading her blog, I never thought that I could do something like this because "real" peple don't blog...right?  But Claire was instrumental in helping me get started and pointing me in the right direction.  I still pester her with garden and chicken questions, but she is beyond kind and always helpful.

This year, Claire had her first baby and she and her husband started their own farm, Bent Arrow Acres.  If only I lived closer!  I did, however, buy my seed garlic from her this year.  I love supporting the women in my life when I can!

But back to the donuts I mentioned...Claire is sharing a spiced apple cider donut recipe that is baked instead of fried so you don't have to feel guilty about having seconds.  I'm going to stop talking now and let you go get started on those donuts.

the-blog-bloom-2016

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Indiana Blogs Fall Tour Tagged With: apple cider, blog tour, donut, doughnut, fall tour, Indiana, recipe, The Blog Bloom

Indiana Blogs Fall Tour: Her Tailored Life

September 15, 2016 by Erika

fall-decorating-insta

What can I say about Anna Scott other than she is just about the sweetest person I've ever met?  Like, Ali, I met Anna online when we were both on the Wild and Free book launch team.  She then invited me to the Cultivating Lovely Conference, which she helped co-found.

Anna has an amazing heart for the Lord, which has led to her aspiring minimalism.  Since I'm trying to simplify as well (I'm still to scared to define my simplifying as minimalism...I've got issues.), I love to follow her over at her blog, Her Tailored Life.

Today, on day 4 of the Indiana Blogs Fall Tour, Anna is sharing her "recipe" for minimalist fall decor.  PLUS, she created a fall playlist for you all too!  Talk about not needing storage space to get into the fall mindset!  Head over to Her Tailored Life if you want to simplify the season...or your whole life!

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Indiana Blogs Fall Tour Tagged With: blog tour, decor, fall, fall playlist, fall tour, Her Tailored Life, Indiana, minimalism, minimalist, simple living

Indiana Blogs Fall Tour: Woven and Threaded

September 14, 2016 by Erika

Well, we're over halfway through our Indiana Blogs Fall Tour!  I hope you are enjoying it as much as we are.  So far you've seen my home decor, gotten two yummy paleo recipes, and now you will get some ethical fall fashion advice.

It's only been in the last two years that I've really started to care about fair trade products or products that have a mission.  However, as a former high school business teacher, I would tell my students that we all vote with our dollars.  And now I want to vote for livable wages, sustainable practices, and fair treatment where I can.

"W&T is more than a blog. It’s an online editorial–a collection of stories."  Woven and Threaded was created by Krista Dunbar, who is also a co-founder of the Cultivating Lovely Conference.  Krista says, "Along the way, I’ve learned the valuable lesson that just like the Lord let’s us collaborate in His dreams, we’re also called to collaborate with each other on ours."

I'm so glad that she has decided to collaborate with us on the Fall Tour!  Head over to Woven and Threaded and show Krista and her team some love.  You'll be glad you did!

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Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Indiana Blogs Fall Tour Tagged With: blog tour, ethical fashion, ethical style, fall fashion, fall tour, Indiana, style, Woven and Threaded

Indiana Blogs Fall Tour: Ali Wren

September 13, 2016 by Erika

Welcome to day 2 of the Indiana Blogs Fall Tour!  Yesterday, I shared my fall decor and how and why I choose to keep things simpler this year.

Today I'm excited to bring you a fellow Influence Network member that has a passion for whole-hearted living and healthy-minded eating.  Ali Wren and I first "met" when we were both on the Wild and Free book launch team.  She has been super kind and supportive, even though we share a mostly online friendship, so I know you'll love her too.

Indiana Blogs Fall Tour Ali Wren (2)

Ali is sharing two recipes today to help you get in the mood for fall.  One is for bacon-wrapped chicken chorizo stuffed peppers.  These will help you get in the mood for football season snacks!  The second recipe is for Paleo Apple Crisp.  Um...yum!  Since both recipes are Paleo, this means that they're both gluten-free and dairy-free.

So head on over to Ali's blog and get cooking!  See you back here tomorrow for more fall inspiration!

Indiana Blogs Fall Tour Ali Wren

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Indiana Blogs Fall Tour Tagged With: Ali Wren, apple crisp, blog tour, fall tour, Indiana, paleo, recipe

Indiana Blogs Fall Tour: Full & Simple

September 11, 2016 by Erika

Full & Simple Home Tour 2016 (12)

Hey there!  I'm so excited to be one of five Hoosier women bringing you tips this week on how to do fall right.  As part of the Indiana Blogs Fall Tour, we will be sharing recipes, decor and even fall style!  Make sure to come back everyday this week to see the featured blog of the day.

I get the privilege of starting the week off by sharing some of my fall decor tips.  Two things influenced my decor this year.  The first being that I painted our TV cabinet green this past winter, and I thought that a lot of orange would clash with my cabinet and other green touches I've been adding to the home.  For this reason I stuck with a pretty neutral palette.  The second thing that influenced my decor was my desire to simplify.  I didn't want to go out and buy a lot of new fall decor just to have to store it.  I've come a long way this year with trying to declutter, and I didn't want to backslide.  I hope that you enjoy the tour!

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You can find the pedestal tray here.

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As I said, I didn't want to end up with a lot of decor that I needed to store.  To combat this, I relied heavily on natural elements like mini pumpkins from a local farm stand, sunflowers from the farmers market and even pears from the grocery store.  These seasonal items remind me of the changing weather and can easily be added to the compost pile (or eaten in the case of the pears) to help our garden grow next year.  Win-win!

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Another way I added a sense of fall to our home without adding a lot new decor, was through smells.  I bought this delicious Pumpkin Nut Bread candle at Target.  Besides smelling amazing, I loved that this candle was white and went with my decor!  Plus, the jar nods to farmhouse style.

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I've been using the Grove Collaborative to purchase many of my household supplies and cleaners for several months now.  I love their mission of only carrying natural, earth-friendly products.  Normally, I buy my Mrs. Meyer cleaners in the lavender scent, but this past month the fall scents arrived!  I ordered the apple cider scent in the dish soap, hand soap, and surface cleaners.  Every time Lakota washes her hands, she says, "They smell like apple pie!"  You have to clean, so why not make the process help you enjoy the season?

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You can find my chairs here.

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For the items that I did purchase new this year, I tried to buy things that could be used for another purpose or season.  A white linen tablecloth from Target can be used for just about any season or occasion, but I liked the idea of a tablecloth for fall because it adds another layer of cozy.  Layering throws, pillows, and linens in any color scheme will give a nod to the coming fall season and cooler weather.  I bought the harvest basket at Target as well in the Dollar Spot.  The pumpkins were from a local farm stand.  I love white pumpkins!

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The magnolia garland is from Hobby Lobby.  I loved the green, but I felt that the brown allowed for the garland to be used in my fall decor.  Plus, now that Fixer Upper and Jojo are such huge hits, you can't really say that you have farmhouse style without owning something with magnolia leaves or cotton stems.  But because this garland is not season-specific, I can really move it around the house or use it for other seasons as well.

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The pumpkins on my hearth are a combination of collected pumpkins.  The only new one is the burlap pumpkin in the basket.  It is from the Target Dollar Spot.  The other pumpkins in the basket are Dollar Spot finds from years past.  Last year, I bought the white plastic pumpkin and B decal from Hobby Lobby, both of which were still available at my Hobby Lobby this year.

Full & Simple Fall Home Tour 2016 (10)

I made the burlap banner on the mantel a few years ago when we first moved in.  I was so excited to be debt free and finally be able to decorate for the seasons.  It is really quite easy to do.  Buy the pre-cut bunting from Hobby Lobby, black paint and whatever stencil you want to paint on it.  I make my own stencils by printing letters or pictures on card stock and using an utility knife to cut the image out.  Once you are happy, string the bunting on a cute ribbon and hang it using clear Command Hooks.

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Again, outside I used natural elements, dual-purpose items and things I already owned to create a welcoming front porch scene.  My mums are grown by the local nursery, and I simply put them in galvanized containers I bought from Hobby Lobby.  I can use these containers again next summer for different plants and one of the containers is going to become a trash can.  See? Dual-purpose!

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The antique folding chair is something we already owned and use for family gatherings.  My wire baskets stay on the porch as long as the garden produces so I can easily get to them for picking veggies.  The purplish-maroon plaid blanket scarf could not have been a luckier find!  I was worried about how to tie my fall wreath in with my newly painted door color, but this scarf did the trick perfectly!  Plus, I can actually wear it for a scarf at any point!

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The wreath is perhaps on of my favorite pieces of my fall decor.  I made it a few years ago as well, with a pre-made wreath from Hobby Lobby (which is still available at my store), a wooden letter that I painted, brown ribbon and a hot glue gun.

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But more than decorating, one of my favorite things to do in Indiana during the fall season is to attend the various festivals and markets.  Living in a small town means that our hometown festival, the Apple Festival, is even more special.  School closes for the Friday of the festival so carnival rides can be put up on the grounds and most everyone (my family included) goes each day.  When I was in high school, I was crowned The Apple Festival Queen and last year I won the apple pie baking contest for my age group.  I'm already looking forward to a taco in a bag (or a walking taco to some) and homemade apple dumplings!

And that's it!  I hope that you've enjoyed the tour and that I've inspired to you to enjoy the season a little more simply.  But I also hope that I've shown you that just because you are living a simple life, doesn't mean you can't decorate for the seasons.

Day 2: Ali Wren

Day 3: Woven and Threaded

Day 4: Her Tailored Life

Day 5: The Blog Bloom

Full & Simple Fall Home Tour 2016 (1)

Disclaimer: The above post does contain affiliate links.  By choosing to use these links when you make a purchase, you help Full & Simple to be able to continue to bring you great content.  Thanks for supporting the blog!

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Decor, Decor Tagged With: #simple2016, autumn, blog tour, decor, fall, farmhouse decor, Home Tour, Indiana, magnolia, simple, simple 2016, simple living, simplicity, white pumpkin

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