front porch corn shocks

There are a lot of perks to being a farmer's wife. The ability to walk out to my back yard with my hack-saw in hand, having the access to as many corn stalks as I'd like to make front porch corn shocks is one of them. 

Nothing cozies up a fall front porch like some corn shocks around your porch posts. 

Don't have front porch posts? Wrap your shocks around a lamp post, mailbox, whatever you can find! Stick a post in a barrel full of dirt. Get creative. Anything will work. If you want corn shocks badly enough, you'll find a way.

I don't really have a tutorial or how-to pictures on how to do this. You just hack off the stalk and put 5-10 together to create a shock. I have a few shorter stalks and a few taller stalks mixed together to create diversity.

I've used fishing line and wire in the past. This year I used some leftover burlap chair sashes from my wedding. I swear, you can never have enough burlap sashes sitting around. 

Please don't laugh at my bow making skills. I know I have many creative talents, but bow making is not one of them. Does someone want to come over and show me how to tie a pretty bow? This one is an epic fail. But that's okay. It's what they call "rustic" right? Mine's just not rustic chic.

Really, one needs three hands to get this task done. It's a good thing that I freakishly have a third hand. And it's a really good thing no one is around but the old blue silo to watch me execute this process.

They kind of look like people at night when the lights are down low. I'm a tad paranoid and skid-dish, though. My imagination always gets the best of me.

Oh my gosh....... what's that. Someone is outside looking in our windows. Oh my gosh. There's more than one! Oh. Phew. It's just the corn shocks. 

I decided to give the shop-side porch some love, too. 

Gosh, I just love fall decor.

There are no words. 

My husband and father-in-law can thank me for "opening" up the field for them. Things will be much easier for them and the combine, I am sure ;)

I just need to be sure to put any ears of corn in a bucket to toss into the combine later in the season.

Or I will get in big trouble. 

Corn shock making is hard work, let me tell you. I was sweating. And I don't sweat. I sat a spell on these chairs for a good twenty minutes when I was done. Admiring my view. 

It's so nice to see out in the open now that the old house is torn down. There once was the old farm house right next to where that tree sits. 

Love me some front porch sitting, now. 

And corn shocks.