Show of hands….who loves a good old fashioned hayride?
Fall is one of the best times of the year: pumpkins, hayrides, cider, colorful leaves.
Our family has been enjoying the crisp autumn days at the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. We usually do the traditional pleasure ride of an open wagon with hay bales and a pair of horses pulling us through the corn fields.
This year the girls came up with their own version of a hayride……
With smiles on their faces and giggles echoing through the field, the girls buckled their seat belts and bravely took the ride through the corn field all on their own. I must say it was bittersweet…to see them be independent and willing to do the ride alone. But, I missed the snuggles and hugs that went along with our traditional hayride.
At that moment, the light bulb went on. Why not create the hayride experience at home on our front porch-a place to enjoy the crisp air and snuggles any time we wanted to…..
…..I needed hay bales! It was quite the adventure rounding up the bales for this project. We found a farm selling bales on Craigslist and it ended up being someone my husband knew. So, off we went to the farm to gather these bales. The farm had cattle and it proved to be a fun time for the entire family. The girls chased the kittens, fed the cattle, and got to experience the sights and smells of the barn.
I really enjoyed it as well. Each cow and steer had its own personality. Some cattle were quite shy and reserved. Others were very curious and had no problem munching on my pants or sweatshirt sleeve! If you are interested in seeing a picture of feeding the cattle, please hop over to my Instagram account and follow there for behind-the-scenes photos of what we are up to.
So, I guess you are ready for the tips on how to create the rustic hay bale lounger, hey? (pun intended)
Start with purchasing your hay bales. Our bales cost about $2.50 each and we needed 5 bales.
Center two hay bales vertically in the area where you would like the lounger to be.
Then place a bale horizontally flanking each of the two vertical bales, as pictured above. Notice the gap in front of the two vertical bales? This is where you will place your last bale for the lounger seat.
Add a warm and cozy throw to the seat area. I used a plaid blanket that adds that rustic and seasonal feel.
Add some accessories to create an inviting seating area. I placed yellow mums wrapped in burlap on the arm rests along with some honey crisp apples we had picked at the orchard.
I stuffed a few pillow forms inside these cloth feed sacks. It was a great no sew option! I love that the sacks are from Wisconsin businesses.
I hope you enjoyed how I created this rustic hay bale lounger. I can’t wait to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and get those snuggles from my girls that I missed this weekend. Be sure to get outdoors and have some great family fun this Fall!
SHARING WITH:
Hi, hopped over from Your time to shine. This hay bale lounger is just too darn cute. I love it!
hugs,
Jann
Thanks so much Jann! Happy Fall!
You created such a cozy place to sit and enjoy the crisp fall air. Love your creativity, Michelle!
Thank you Jamie! I always look forward to hearing from you! Stay warm..it’s chilly out there!
Love this idea. Think ill use some old colorful pillow case’s for my pillow coverings. The have lots of fall color in them.
Thank you Vivian!Good luck with your pillow coverings!Happy Fall!
Michelle how did you get the bales to stand upright?Did you tie them down some how.
Love Love this idea
Betty, the bales were tied with thick twine around the back of the bales. The twine was tied to the side bales which held the back ones in place so you can sit comfortably without tipping over. Thanks for your question.
how do you keep from falling backwards when you lean against the back of the bales?
Tina, the easiest way is to run twine around the back and tie to the side bales. This is how we did it and it works well. Thanks for your question!
I was about to ask because you didn’t have that in the directions. I just love this. It makes me miss up north in Ohio so bad. Thank you.
Just tie in the back to keep the bales from falling backwards. Jute works great.
Hi Michelle, I could so cuddle up on that and be so happy. I did a themed ‘booth’ for work last year and needed bales of hay. A girlfriend who lives just outside of Tampa on a farm lent me the hay. All I had to do was return it. My car smelled soooo good! About killed my allergy ridden hubby but happily the smell lingered in the car. If they made a ‘bale of hay’ scented car refresher I’d buy it!!
Clever idea! and so Cute!
With a smile from Tampa, FL Carlyn 🙂
Thank you so much Carlyn! My girls loved sitting on it and watching the leaves fall. It was a great spot to drink some hot cocoa as well.
I love this! I did something similar for my wedding 5 years ago, but I’m loving the fabrics you used. Rustic but refined, lovin it! Found you on link party palooza. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Amber! My kiddos love to drink hot cocoa and walk the leaves fall while sitting on it. It is on our covered front porch, so it lasts for the entire fall season.
What a great idea, it looks rustic and adorable all at the same time.
Bet it is comfy too, course, you might be sneezing after awhile…….lol
Love that lil cow ride, so cute………….
Blessings, Nellie
So warm and cozy! I can picture myself sitting there with a cup of warm apple cider on a crisp fall evening. Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!!
Thank you Amanda!
This is such a beautiful and creative way to bring a memory right to the front porch. Can’t wait to try it out.
Awesome Heather! Be sure to use rope to tie around the back to secure the bales. Otherwise, you will sit back and fall right over. 🙂
Will do thanks. 🙂
Love the hay couch, makes a great place for a family photo. I might have to haul some bales in to spice things up for fall.
Carole, it would be the perfect place for a family photo!
With fall coming this is a great idea!!
Thank you Sherry!
So cute and cozy! Thanks for sharing it at Totally Terrific Tuesday this week. I’m pinning! 🙂
Michelle, I’ve added your fabulous hay bale lounger to my Wedding Board on Pinterest. My daughter is having an outdoor wedding next summer and these would be perfect for guests during the ceremony!
Such a clever idea! This makes me so anxious for fall to arrive! Thanks for sharing at VIParty.
How sweet! Previous week I was doing cowgirl party 😀
Monika
Thank you Monika!
Michelle,
You always have the cutest projects and posts! Last week I was dreading fall and this week I am so ready for all the beautiful farm colors! It makes me miss living in a 4 season climate so much! Thank you for sharing at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link! We’ll be doing a fall party soon, so I hope you come back and share it again then!
Cat
Thank you Cat! I will be on the look out for the fall party….thanks for the heads up.
What a great way to add extra seating in the fall Michelle! Pinning for the future:). I hope you had a great weekend, take care, Tara
Thank you so much Tara!
Oh my gosh – saw this over at An Extraordinary Day and had to come by – this is the coolest Fall decor I’ve ever seen – what a fabulous idea !
What a great weekend project. I can imaging myself sitting on this lounger with pumpkins all around and passing out Halloween candy! Thanks for sharing with Saucy Saturdays just in time to get ready for fall!
Michelle! This is such a great idea. Thanks for sharing at Inspiration2. Have a fabulous end to your week. xo
Thank you very much Kelly! You have a great week as well.
How darling is this! A group of us use to go to another couples barn to do square dancing once a year. This would have been so cute to have. We don’t have a barn, nor do I have a place where I could use this. But great, great idea Michelle!