Five Favorite Porches

My inspiration file is fat and bulging.  Full of beautiful porches.  I dream about gorgeous back porches, and me lounging about reading books.

For now, they are just dreams, but I thought I’d let you all see what images invade my mind while I sleep. 


This one is my favorite.  I love the structure, and if we ever actually build a back porch, it will look very similar to this.  The modern couches are perfect for that lounging and reading part.  And the pink candleabra?  Adorable.


There’s no better sound in the summer than the slam of a screen door.  I’m lovin’ the detail on this one.


Outdoor dining is essential.  Served on a perfectly chippy table, of course.  I could hang out in this spot all. day. long.


Oh my goodness, wouldn’t a fireplace be AWESOME?  I’m swooning over the more formal structure of this one, and I’m sure it comes with a more formal price tag. 


On this porch I could eat at that beautiful blue table, then rock and read, then eat again, then read some more.  After dark I could light those cool lanterns and read into the night.

Thanks everyone for visiting me today!   Enjoy your weekend!  I’m hoping to have some garage sale treasures to share on Monday!  
HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY TO ALL OF YOU MOTHERS!

Edited to Add:  All pictures in this post from Better Homes and Gardens.

Signs of Spring…NOT

 

I gotta admit,  I’m a leeeeetle bit crabby today. 

 

No…not 43 year old female kind of crabby, that’s next week. 

I’m angry at Mother Nature.  She forgot to send spring to Ohio.  Seriously, it’s barely 50 degrees and pouring rain.  We had record rainfall for April, and so far May has been more of the same.  Hmmph.

 

I thought maybe the sun would come if I made some outdoor pillows.  Maybe Mother Nature likes pillows??

 

Nope.  She couldn’t care less.  I was trying so hard to impress her that I messed up and sewed a wrong side to a right side.

 

This is what the front looked like AFTER I sewed and BEFORE I turned the fabric “right” side out. 

 

This was the other side.

 

Oops.  I put this one in the drawer and started over.

 

Here’s the finished pillows.  Man, those chairs look BAAAD, I think the only thing holder them together is the 37 coats of spray paint. 

 

Did sunshine follow my “May flowers?”  Nope, I had to bring the pillows inside to keep them from getting saturated with rain.

 

One of these days it will be warm and sunny.  And there will be flowers in my polka dot pots.

 

Then I’ll complain about how hot it is outside.  Just keepin’ it real. 

Giveaway from Thank You Cards Shop!

 

Happy Friday!!  (well, almost… after 7 pm on Thursday, I start to celebrate Friday)

 

I’m excited to share a new on-line stationary shop with you today, Thank You Cards Shop. 

Amy sent me a link to her shop, and I paid her a quick visit. 

 

I TRIED to make it quick, but the cuteness was OVERWHELMING.  Drool happened.  I ooh’d and ahhh’d. 

She has photo cards:

OMG, these are soo cute.

 

If you prefer non-photo cards, check out these beauties:

I have so many favorites, I can’t stop!

 

Amy is giving away a set of 10 cards each to 2 winners!  Each winner will receive her choice of design, photo cards excluded.  To enter, please visit Amy’s adorable shop and then leave me a comment with your favorite design.  That’s it!  Have a great weekend everyone, go ahead and start early. 

Dining Room Update—The Search For The Perfect Beige

Got yer attention, didn’t I?  Can you think of anything more exciting than the search for the PERFECT beige? 

Me neither!  It’s so difficult to find a color that’s not too yellow, not too gray (although I looove gray), and not too green or pink. 

Ahhh, these are the dilemmas a girl lives for! 

Anyway, a couple of years ago, I got a colorful burr in my bonnet and painted my dining room “apple green.” 


Remember this?  The walls were green, the table was COVERED in Christmas mess, there were dog paws underneath and nasty old berber carpet covered the floor.  (don’t ya just love finding the nastiest “before” picture before a reveal?)

Last summer, while I was on bloggy vacay, we ripped up the carpet in our den (makeover coming soon…) and the dining room and installed beautiful hardwood floors. 

You know how this goes…then the walls looked bad, and the accessories looked badder, and the curtains looked baddest.  I gotta tell you, my hubby LOVES it when this happens. 


So I painted the walls, “Cabo” in Behr Ultra paint.  That stuff is awesome, and I’ve decided that Cabo is the perfect beige. 

I went to the Goodwill looking for “new” accessories.  As bad as I had convinced myself the “old” stuff was, I didn’t have much to spend on “new.”



I found these pretty plates in pairs and hung them on either side of the window.  The print is from Winterberry Cottage.


I moved in the drapes from the family room.


This fabulously textured wreath was $6 at a thrift store.  It had some wacky beaded wire wrapped around it.  I cut that off and planned to paint the wreath, when I decided that its natural state is perfect. 
Perfect for an empty wall.

I’m not gonna go crazy and call this room “done” or anything.   I love its quiet nature and calming colors, but I still have daydreams of a large chalkboard on the last empty wall, and I’m still struggling with the perfect centerpiece. 

At least I found the perfect beige.  Cross that one off the bucket list.

I've linked this post to Kate's Paint Project Party, check out all of the fabulous projects.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for a fun giveaway!

Pillows With Panache

Happy Monday, my friends!  Today, I'm excited to share with you a guest post from Arcadian Home Decor.   You all know how much I love a colorful accent pillow.  If I had more time, and money,  I'd have 100 more.  Check out these beautiful options! 

We love accent and throw pillows as home accessories so it was tough to choose just eight favorites that can add flair and panache to almost any room. Whether you are looking for accent pillows for a bedroom, living room, great room or porch, the choices are endless. But wherever you decide to add a throw pillow, you'll be adding a special touch. We say you can never have too many throw pillows.




Have fun with your choices. Because pillows are easy to swap out, be bold with your color, pattern and texture choices. You can even change out pillows to match the season just as you would slipcovers. Here are 8 pretty pillows we think pack a whole lot of panache:

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Pillows are a great place to add flowers and femininity to a room. This floral pillow also has a vintage feeling, which is another trend.

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French country inspired pillows with antique images add style and elegance. Look for pillows with script for a similar feeling.

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Bring nature into the room with this graphic brown and white pillow that features natural elements.

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Pillows can be a great way to add a bold accent to your home décor with strong color and pattern. Think outside the square—pillows can be round, rectangular or bolster shape.

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Graphic patterns such as stripes, Greek key and lattice all add interest. Mix and match with solid upholstery or even other patterns.

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Animal prints are a classic accent for home and fashion. Zebra stripes, leopard print, and snakeskin can all be found on pillows.

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Ikat is a popular design trend right now in both home décor and fashion. Add ikat to your room in pillows to make your space feel stylish.

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Don't forget about texture! Pillows are a great way to add textural interest.

Mix and match patterns, colors, textures to use pillows to add that special something to your space. Don't be afraid to place one of these pillows on an accent chair. Which pillow is your favorite?



Content provided by Arcadian Home Decor, a site that specializes in top quality home décor items at extremely affordable prices. Come visit us today!

Free Art On A Shelf

Remember my fabric covered canvas and the naked shelf under it?

 

Here’s how it looks now.

 

 

The piece on the right was an 80’s frame with equally 80’s “art” in it.  I just painted over the art, stenciled some flowers on, and painted the frame.

 

I had this old frame in my stash, but it was an ugly brown color.  A couple of coats of heirloom white, and my favorite word printed on some cardstock and I’ve got instant naked shelf art!    Please try not to stare at that gaping hole in the wall.  I’ll get that filled in asap.

 

We have a winner in the giveaway from Glass Lion Studio! 

It is Tin, who said “My favorite was the blue hydrangea. It was a hard decision she has so many amazing things. What a fun givaway”

Congrats Tin, look for an e-mail from me!  Have a great day everyone!

An Old Wreath, Reinvented

 

Happy Monday morning!  We had a brief glimpse of summer here yesterday, with temperatures in the low 80’s.  Woohoo!  The spray paint was flying! 

 

Now it’s in the 60’s and raining.  Oh well, such is April in Ohio.

 

I did get a chance to makeover an old wreath for spring yesterday. 

 

I forgot (geez!) to take a before pic, but picture an old dusty grapevine wreath, in sort of a starburst shape, with fake red berries on the ends of the branches.

Got it?  Okay.

 

After two coats of Rustoleum’s Apple Green spray paint, and my first clumsy attempt at fabric flowers, she looks like this.  I used burlap as a “ribbon” hanger, but I’m thinking of looking for something more colorful.

 

 

Wow, think I need to clean the door?

 

I used this fabric that I bought for outdoor pillows to make the flowers.  That, and LOTS of hot glue.

 

The cream colored flower is made from drop cloth canvas.  I had a couple of flower shapes that I used for patterns.  There’s a few stitches and more hot glue on the back to give the flower some shape.

 

That’s it!  Nothing fancy, but it adds some color to our front porch.  Now, I need to get those pillows made!!

 

Have a great day!