Showing posts with label Front Porch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Front Porch. Show all posts

Monday, May 9, 2016

Pretty Pink Front Door

Good Morning blog friends and fellow dreamers!
I hope you all had a wonderful Mothers day, either celebrating being a Mom or having a Mom.  I was privileged to be able to celebrate both.  It was such a beautiful and wonderfully relaxing day this year. I really hope yours was as well!

Progress has been rolling along very well with new color updates here and there at our house.  While there is still yet more to be done on the front porch, I wanted to share where it is now.  I've decided to link this up with

 I really feel like the front porch has gone from being stuck in a dull cocoon to a beautiful new butterfly now.  Let's take a look back now at how it looked in March when the transformation began.


In these two pictures above you can see the decking stain in it's old lighter beige color, Monterray Tan from Sherwin Williams, and how it was beginning to show some wear  Below is how things looked just after I restained the deck and steps in a darker shade called Tobacco by Sherwin Williams. 





With the decking all finished it was time to accessorize.  I repainted this small table and chairs from the pool area in the backyard in white and decided to bring it to the front porch this year.

  Then I brought out a few houseplants, some pillows for the rocking chairs and rehung the hammock chair.


This small washstand moved from the backporch to the front porch after receiving a fresh new coat of paint.  It went from a pretty light green to this more trendier mint.  But, I didn't stop there.  As you can see below, I decided a few more things needed a fresh burst of color as well this year. 

 Shut the front door right?  Oh no she didn't, Oh YES she did!  You better believe I am loving my new front door color!   Before we talk about the showstopper here though, let's talk about a few other things that got a redo, Okay?


 My metal initial K wreath went from red to bright yellow.  I originally did not intend for it to go on the door but to stay on the siding where the wooden sailboat is now.  I intended for the sailboat to be on the door but because of the way the sailboat is made it doesn't lay flat on the door when on the hook.  Still needing to rework that, so for now, the bright yellow K is popping off this pretty pink door.


The little metal bench beside the front door also went from black to navy and a new colorful welcome mat helped me to start to pull it all together.



Ok, now since you have been so patient, let's talk about my new front door.  Talk about a bold move here.  After I repainted the porch flooring I realized my black door just didn't cut it.  My house siding is an off white cream color and the black and the brown with the cream was super dull to me and not so inviting.  I really wanted something that would pop from underneath the covered porch and would also fit into the change of seasons.  Where I live near the lake there are many of us who have fun and brightly colored doors.  I seriously considered a beautiful turquoise but knew it would not fit into my holiday decorating at Christmas and I wasn't keen on the idea or redoing all my outdoor Christmas decor.  My husband wanted a red door but I new it would really have looked odd with the siding and the porch floor and honestly, I just wasn't into it.


So i searched and searched for a month and finally found the color I wanted. It was called Mom's Lipstick by Olympic paints.  I picked up the swatch from Lowes took it home and mulled over it for a few weeks then went back to get the paint and wouldn't you know it was no longer on display.  Olympic paints had done a total reset on their colors and I didn't have my swatch with me the day I decided to buy the paint.  The poor man who worked the counter wasn't feeling well that day but hung in there looking up the combination and mixing the paint for me.  When he opened the lid I looked in the can and saw a very pepto pink.  I said, umm, that's not quite right, sorry.  But rather then go home and get the swatch and come back I asked him to deepen it up closer to a new swatch I pulled and this is what I ended up with.  


I decided to bring home the paint and see if it was close enough for me with the understanding I could return it if I didn't like it.  I am so glad I did, because while it's not quite an exact match to the swatch it's close enough and honestly I really like it even more.   I am thinking someone else around here really did too because I noticed a neighbors house down the street whose door and her front porch rockers n have also changed into a color very close to this color just recently. 


While I may not have lots of pretty flowers all over the front yard, I can't help but think of Azaleas every time I look at my door. I cannot wait to see how floral wreath are going to look on the door as well.  So pretty! 


Well, I gotta run now, I am repainting my Master bedroom starting today and I'm chomping at the bit.  I wanted to hurry up and get this out there though before too much time goes by again between posts. It's turning out to be a beautiful spring and a very promising summer.

Thanks so much for popping in today, I hope you liked what you saw.
As always I love hearing from you too.  Have great day and great week friends!

Hugs and Waves,

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Freshly repainted Front Porch


Good Morning!  It's been quite beautiful here over the last few days with warmer then usual temps and I have been in spring prep mode.  I am craving color and sunshine, how about you?

I  really would rather be sharing pretty Easter decor today but I haven't quite made it that far.  I am getting there but I'm just a little behind schedule.  It's all good and I don't mind a bit though, because I have been busy taking care of a few much needed home improvements.


One big project is just about complete now and then the fun porch decor can soon begin.  Our poor front porch (shown above and below) has been in a major need of new paint job.  These first two photos show the deck stain and how it was starting to become a bit stripped of it's color.  Originally, it was painted in a solid stain from Sherwin Williams called Monterey Tan.


I have enjoyed that wonderful subtle khaki color for many years.  This year I decided to punch it up a bit though and go a bit darker.


I am so glad I did!  I am still using Sherwin Williams Super Deck solid stain but the darker shade I went with is called Tobacco.  It's still very much in the same color family as the previous color but is a deeper, darker and more richer color.  I know it's hard to see much of a difference in these photos but trust me its there.  I love how much of a contrast it is now then previously.  


This color has renewed my love of my front porch.
I would prefer not to have these wooden floors on this porch at all.  They are quaint but they require quite a bit of maintenance and I'm not getting any younger.   I'd rather tear them all out and poor concrete, but that's the way the house came and that's the way it staying.   I'm dealing with it because spending money on concrete is not in my game plan these days.  

The new color of the porch now compliments the roof. I keep toying with the idea of shutters but am leary due to the fact they will likely collect spider webs and dust and I'm not crazy about that at all though I do think they would look nice.   I also really do love my black door and really don't want to repaint but gosh it looks as if it could use some color too doesn't it?  Hmm???

Oh well, maybe I will wait until I get all the porch furniture back in place to see if I need more color.

You see, I've repainted a few other outdoor items as well.

Do you remember my little green wash stand I had on the front porch shown here from a fall post many years ago?  Well, it has spent some time on the screen porch for a few years and is all set to move back to the front porch again.


  Here she is waiting for the all clear to return to front porch.  I gave her a beautiful new update as well.  She went Mint!  I like the sound of that, kinda catchy....she went mint.  I love the crispy clean look of this color.  It's not too far off from the green which I really enjoyed by the way but it's so much fresher looking.  

Since the weather was so nice I and I was on a roll I could help but find one more paint project I wanted to tackle.

If you look closely in this picture above you will see there is an old bench right next to the potting table.  It's one of two that I had that my husband had made for me for our very first home.  It's nothing special and quite worn,  It has splitting wood and layers of chipped paint as well as overspray from all the paint projects I completed using this old bench.

As rough as they are I have never been able to part with them.  I no longer try to sand them way down.  They are old and so only a light sanding along the top with minimal amounts of work will do.  I like to think I am just adding on to the layers of joy that they represent to me.


Yes, it's a lavender bench!  Can you imagine the fun I am going to have picking out flowers for the back decks this year?  I can hardly wait.  Come on Spring, hurry up!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I am so pleased you did.  If you'd like to leave a message, I'd love to hear from you. 

 I'll will be back again to share more as soon as I can get out of all these paint cans.  It seems I couldn't help myself at the paint store when I discovered their mistint pile.  But that's another day's story.  I hope your having a great week dreamer friends!

Hugs and Waves!

Monday, September 30, 2013

Pumpkins and Jacks on the Porch

I am doing something a little different on the front porch this year.  Instead of spreading out my jack-o-lanterns on the steps like I always do, I decided to group them all together along with a few other things.


I really love the look of tons of real pumpkins all over a front porch.  Only, I've never been one to buy a bunch of pumpkins for fall.  I guess I'm just kinda cheap like that.  

Soooo..... I decided to use what I have!


I also decided to make a few more pumpkins to go with the ceramic jacks.  I found this orange burlap remnant this summer on clearance at Hancock Fabrics.  I simply filled it with paper wrapped around several wine corks to give it some weight, tied it off with twine and painted the ends green for leaves.  How simple was that, right?


The checked pumpkins were on the $1.00 isle at Target one year and this floral arrangement is one I'm sure you've seen before.  The lantern is a new purchase from Ah, at Home this year.


I am so excited about my new sign.  I just made it this morning.  I was trying to make something to put in my booth to sell but I just can't part with it now.  


I still have 5 more blank slate tiles this size that I purchased from a yard sale one day.  Maybe I will make another one to sell....maybe.

What can I say, I am bad like that.  But, I sure do just love how it turned out though!

I guess you could say I'm ready for fall and Halloween now.
LOL!

I am still searching for a lost box of fall decor.  I am so upset because it has another vine pumpkin, a few of my carved out scroll pumpkins, my pumpkin with words, my fall berry wreath and two of my beautiful blown glass pumpkins.  I have searched this house high and low and cannot find them.  They have to be in the attic still which is crammed full of stuff.  Stuff I need to take to my booth.  Hopefully, I will tackle that project soon. Maybe next weekend.

Thanks for stopping by Y'all!
Have a great week!



Sunday, December 9, 2012

The Glow of Christmas


Tonight the lights.... burn sweetly!

Even though a few strands are testing our patience,

Our home for the most part is ready for Christmas!

A strand on the dormer window on the left is giving us a fit.

But....my den is finished, cleaned and decorated.

The kitchen is full of merriment!

The dining room is all a glow in splendor of silver and gold.

And the back porch is floating in a sea of light.

That's what happening at my house in the land of 
The Decorative Dreamer.

Your all invited back for a closer look at a few more rooms decorated and detailed later next week. Thanks for stopping by!