Front porch makeover

Why is it that some spaces just seem to get neglected? The front porch is one of those places. There's a deck off the porch that is one of my favorite places to sit. You can watch the sunrise in the morning and the moon rise in the evening. And you can lounge in a chair with a glass of something cool and refreshing, your latest book being your biggest concern. :)

But sitting there you have to look over at the porch. What happened here anyway? It had sortof become a potting shed and dumping ground for weird things (and was actually worse than this I forgot to take a true "before" photo). This door only gets used by people that don't know any better so I guess it was never a priority. Until now!

I cleaned away the things that didn't need to stay, which included this frame which once had glass and a print inside but after a windstorm it got knocked down from the top of that black shelf and shattered the glass and ruined the print.

I spray painted the frame gloss black and while I was waiting for it to dry I went and cut the seed heads off my oregano. They're a lovely green and I needed some greenery.


I tied it into bundles and dangled them from the cup hooks on this garage sale find from last summer.


These pots had the perfect sort of patina I was looking for. I dug them out of the garden shed but they were originally a find after the neighbors moved and said they'd left a bunch of garden stuff and to help myself. Woohoo! :) The rocks were some my brother found hiking. I'm a bit of a rock hound and he knew I'd like them.


I straightened the chairs, added cushions and a table runner to the garage sale dresser that holds decorative seasonal items.

Oh and made myself a little sign. ;)

While the second coat of paint on the frame was drying I scouted out a thin rectangle of wood from the shop. A couple coats of chalkboard paint gave me carte blanche. Since it was too small to fit in the frame I needed a mat and made one from the cardboard I took out of the frame when I painted it, covered it in kraft paper and stamped it. Cheap, easy, free. Not weatherproof though so this will have to come in when the weather changes.

"Joy of life" (a phrase I learned reading some classic literature) - is how I see it, sitting here admiring the flowers and watching the rising of the sun and moon.

I tried to mirror the swirls on the shelf


With the swirls I stamped on the mat


Now it looks rather like an inviting little stop in the shade, sipping a refreshment and watching the bees flit about the flowers.



And to think I had all the supplies just sitting around the house. I love projects like that!


From blech
To inviting






Linking to:

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Creations by Kara

My Romantic Home

The Shabby Nest



Funky Junk Interiors