For Monica Hiser, fall porch styling started as a long-distance experiment. During frequent visits to family in West Texas, a place where a fully dressed porch each October is practically expected, she started thinking, I'd love to do that. So she did. She styled her own porch first. Then neighbors started asking about it. Then family members. Then, of all people, her hairstylist looked at her and said, "I can totally see you making a business out of this."
At the time, Monica was working in a corporate office. She's an ICU nurse by trade, but after the height of the pandemic and working through some difficult years in healthcare, she didn't want to go back to the bedside, and she didn't want to stay in the corporate world either. She needed something else.
"It was about bringing joy and working with something earthy and natural," she says. Pumpkins, as it turns out, were exactly that. "If a pumpkin dies, it's not a tragedy,” she says.
What began as a hobby website and a few conversations with local farmers became Mum & Gourd, which she started last year. Monica was nervous about it at first — certainly no one would want what she liked; someone would hate her designs. "Turns out, nobody hates it so far," she laughs.
Now, her garage doubles as a fall pumpkin warehouse, sorted by color, ready for decorating from September through November.
But ask Monica what she actually wants Mum & Gourd to become, and it's not about the pumpkins at all — it’s about memories. "I would love to become a part of families' traditions," she says. "Like, ‘Oh, we always get these pumpkins.’ Something they look forward to every year."
Her dream is to be the neighborhood's pumpkin fairy — the person families wait for every fall, the same way they wait for the first cool morning or the first pumpkin spice latte.
Porch Decorating Tips from the Pro
If you want to take fall up a notch and style your porch for the season, Monica has some wisdom to impart.
- Start by taking cues from nature: look at your landscaping, the colors and textures already surrounding your home, and even the color of your house itself. Pumpkins and gourds come in enough varieties that you can almost always find ones that complement what's already there.
- Don't be afraid to stack pumpkins. Monica says that's where the magic happens. And pumpkins don't need to sit any particular way. Turn them on their sides, lay them at an angle, let the stem face wherever it wants.
- If you're working with a budget, a straw bale (not a hay bale) makes a great hidden base. Mound your pumpkins around it, and you'll get height and volume without buying twice as many pumpkins.
- Scale matters, too. A porch full of same-sized pumpkins is a look, but varying sizes and colors adds texture and depth — pulling in the fuller palette of the season. And since a display doesn't have to be static, Monica recommends building one that you can add interest to throughout the season: add school colors for homecoming in September, swap in Halloween touches in October, and adjust again for Thanksgiving. Monica says this helps stretch your dollar and makes things last the whole season, rather than replacing a display every few weeks.
- When it's time to clean pumpkins, a mild bleach solution works for washing and disinfecting, stem included. For a subtle shine, dab a little coconut oil on the pumpkin's highest points — but never near the stem. "The stem is like an umbilical cord," Monica says. "Keep it clean and dry."
Looking to leave the magic to the pumpkin fairy herself? Mum & Gourd offers small, medium, large, and over-the-top packages, plus custom designs for anything from all-white pumpkins to homecoming color schemes, and she services the entire area. Booking is open now — and she also has other seasonal offerings outside of autumn, so be sure to follow her on social media to see what she does for winter, spring and summer, too!
Mum & Gourd
Web: mumandgourd.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mumandgourd
Phone: 816-226-7819
Email: hello@mumandgourd.com