My Summer Screened Porch

Hi everyone! It’s the first day of summer and the porch is ready for us to enjoy (although it’s so hot already we only go out in the early morning and after 7pm)!  I’m participating in Rhondi's Third Annual Porch Party so be sure to stop by her blog to visit all the other people participating.

My screened porch is divided into a dining area and seating area.

This is the seating area (the fireplace that’s usually here in the winter is in storage until we need it up here).

This is where I have my coffee every morning! That’s an old Shabby Chic curtain on the chaise – I just love the soft blue roses!

We used plumbing pipes for curtain rods. The curtains are old ones that I used to hang in my living room in the summer. They were out here last year too. They have an apple green stripe on one side so I just turned them around and folded the stripe to the back since I wanted them to look all white this year.

Some details. Found the shell shadowbox at Goodwill last year, made the shell coasters, the blue glass votives are from Winn Dixie from about 9 years ago, and the large shell is from Goodwill.

The loveseat and coffee table.
 
The driftwood sculpture is actually a driftwood and shell garland from TJ Maxx that I jumbled up!

Now for the dining area.

Yes, I had to get rid of my cute cottagey painted chairs! One day my husband sat down and…CRACK…one of the seats split in two. Everyone liked this set because the chairs rock and swivel (and the price was right)! The fourth chair is in the seating area.

I made that sign a few years ago from an old fence board.

“Paradise Found” because we love our screened porch!

The buffet.

I made the shelled birdhouse.

I just took a wooden birdhouse that I got at the Dollar Tree  a few years ago and just starting hot gluing the shells to it.

I also made this shell top for my apothecary jar.


I just hot glued some shells to the top. I also made that shell ball last year. They’re selling these for $6.99 at TJ Maxx!!

I didn’t make this shelled heart but it would be easy enough to do!

The fountain. It’s lovely to turn it on in the morning when I’m having my coffee. The sound of the running water and the tweeting of the birds is really a nice way to start the day!
Some random shots.




Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the tour of my screened porch! It’s one of my favorite rooms in my home!


You might also like Summer 2009 Porch
                                A Winter Porch
                                How To Make A Fence Board Sign

Moments of Joy

The joy of a stack of yet to be read books!


A comfy chair.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Make time to do something for yourself – you deserve it! 

I’ll be back on Monday for Rhondi's Third Annual Porch Party!

I love reading your comments but instead of leaving me a comment today – find a new to you blogger and give them some love and encouragement.
My Comments Are Off.

Mixing It Up In The Vegetable Garden

Hi everyone! I did a little decorating in my vegetable garden the other day that I wanted to show you plus I want to show you my flowers in there.

I realized that probably no self respecting urban/suburban homesteader decorates their veggie garden and that I’ll probably be downgraded from my lowly wannabe status to…(well nothing is below wannabe is there) to kicked out nothing for doing so…but what can I say.

I found some cute garden signs in my garage and two more at TJ Maxx and they had to go somewhere…right?

I always see cute signs at Goodwill and I never get them because I just don’t have any space in my house but I’ve got a lot of boring fencing. So why not junk spice it up a bit! I can see that whole back fence covered in cute signs and garden things!

Normally I’d plant something in this rusty planter but it has been in incredibly hot (heat indes in the 100's) here and I think I’d have to come out and water it two or three times a day.

So for now I filled it with some cute cottagey plates.

Do you plant flowers in your vegetable garden?

You should!

Not only will your vegetable garden be more beautiful but quite a few flowers deter pests and invite beneficial insects.

I don’t see any reason why things can’t be functional and pretty at the same time!

I get quite a few questions concerning my use of hay.  I use it as a mulch to supress weeds/grass. I prefer to use woodchips since they don’t break down as fast, but I’m all out. I had a huge woodchip pile from having all my pine trees chopped down. I used those chips for years! I knew nothing else was mixed in with them since they came from my own trees (our town will deliver woodchips for free but it always has garbage mixed in with it). A bale of hay is cheap and goes a long way. Plus it looks farmyish no?


I really want a rasied bed that will be a cutting garden. That’s on my to do list for fall because summer's list is booked solid!


Hope you enjoyed this peek into my veggie garden. Thanks so much for taking the time to drop by today!

I’m Seeing Red....

All around my home! It’s my favorite color. Although I don’t like to wear red (I prefer aqua and shades of blue) so there goes the "look in your closet to help you pick colors for your home" theory!!

Whenever I see a room done with lots of red it just makes my heart beat faster!


Red is such an intense color that I like to mix it with white and yellow. Here are red carnations in a white milkglass vase by my sink (next to my other favorite accent color - apple green).


I like to sprinkle the red around - some red in a bookcase.



The red crystals on the vintage wall sconce. The walls aren't really such a bright yellow! The color is closer to the photo below (Squished Squash by Benjamin Moore because I know someone will ask).


The curtains in the living room.


In the china cabinet.


On the china cabinet my favorite pom pom fringe!


A favorite print at the top of the stairs.

Just a few (you know there’s more!) glimpses of some of the reds in my home.

Hope you all have a great week and thanks so much for spending some time with me! It's always lovely to read your comments!