Our Spring Porch

Our spring porch is ready for tea sipping, book reading, blog writing, puzzle doing, star gazing, and relaxing.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another week of shut down.  We are hanging in there and are finding plenty of things to do within our walls to keep us busy.  Plus, we get several hours of exercise each day with walking and/or bicycling.  Thank goodness for spring weather.  Mike has worked from home for about 20 years, so it’s business as usual for him.  I always have a to-do list waiting for me, and I am happy to say that many items have been checked off in the past few weeks.  This week I plan to wash windows (ugh), paint the exterior of the doll house (read about it here), and sew.  Last week I took advantage of the first few days of warm weather to give our porch a deep cleaning and get it ready for spring.  (Be sure to read all the way to the bottom to read about the new Easter product for children that Jordan has in her Etsy shop.)

Lucky for me, I bought the few items that I wanted to update before the stores closed, so, it was just waiting for me.  The first thing I did was wash or vacuum everything.  Already it looked fresher.  You might recall that I was thinking about painting the brick (read about that here), but you all gave me such good suggestions that I decided to try first.  They were much easier and cheaper to tackle than hiring a crew to paint brick. (That white door goes to our garage.)

New Rug

As you can see, I changed out the rug for something brighter.  (I will use the other rug in the winter months because it has more of a winter vibe.)  This indoor/outdoor rug is smaller than the previous one, but it has the navy background that I love.  Plus, almost every other color on the spectrum is represented which gives me room to be creative.

Painted Mirror

Some of you suggested that I paint the mirror a lighter color.  I had some cream colored Rustoleum paint in my stash and used it.  That color sure did brighten up that wall.

New Pillows

I replaced the winter pillows with three new ones.

The two navy denim pillow covers came from Ikea.  I purchased them when I was there last fall.  The white pillow with the colorful balls was a Hobby Lobby purchase.  My 93 year-old mother embroidered it for me.  I have another one just like it but don’t have a second down insert for it yet.  I also added a cushion to the wicker chair.

Plates

I hung some plates over the doors.  I have had these Royal Doulton plates for a long time and just love them.  They hung in the foyer of our last house.  I didn’t really know where to put them in this house since it has more of a blue and white plate vibe.  So, I decided to hang them above the doors, and they are just right there.  I get to enjoy them, and they cozy up the space a little more.

Plants

Plants make such a difference, and I was so happy to bring some of the plants from the house to the porch.  Since the space has an HVAC system that we put in, they can always have heat if we encounter some more cool days and nights before the last frost.

This is what the porch looked like before.

I happy with our spring porch and its new look.  I spend so much time on the porch in warm weather.  I open up the sliders and enjoy the sunshine and sound of the fountain in our courtyard.  Have you gotten your spaces ready for spring and summer yet?

Jordan has added a new product to her Etsy shop.  If you can’t get out to fill an Easter Basket, she has these adorable Magic Beans.  Your little one can plant these magic beans, and they grow into something special – lollipops that she includes with the beans).

Take care.

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