Front Porch Makeover 2014

Front porches. I love them and sitting on them is one of the my favourite ways to relax in summer.

You may remember how I decorated our front porch in this post from last summer. 

I also love to decorate our porch for Christmas, Fall, and I have made painted plant pots and chevron stripe pots for it too.

It's a thing I like to do every year. 

And I love walking around the neighbourhood and seeing other front porches too!

I always like to keep our front porch warm and welcoming as it's the first thing that guests to our home see as well. I like for it to feel like it is a room on it's own with an ambiance that fits the season. Whether reading a book, or just eating cherries from a basket...it is just a nice place to be to enjoy some quiet time.

This year's decor stemmed from these terrific chairs that I found at a yard sale for $15 each.

I adore that they are old, worn and the shape is beautiful.

So far, I have resisted the urge to spray paint them. I love their warm patina as is.

And what would a front porch be without some lovely plants and flowers to enjoy?

I picked up the wicker plant stand from a yard sale for $5 and I love the tropical feel it lends to the porch. I might spray paint it. Or not. I haven't decided yet.

I found this vase at Value Village for $4. It's great for outdoor arrangements and I like the tall shape. I definitely see spray paint in it's little future!

And the side table has plenty of succulents...the most popular plants on planet earth right now.

The porch is the perfect place for staying cool.

And I love how thrifted finds this year gave me a whole new look for not a lot of money!

And another thing I love about this porch? I often come home from running errands to find my daughter and her boyfriend sitting out here...hanging out and eating cherries.

They look so cute!

Do you have a front porch?

For more great ideas, visit these boards on Pinterest:

Awesome Curb Appeal

Fabulous Front Doors

Incredible Outdoor Spaces

Thank you so much for visiting! 

 

This post is linked to:
The Weekend Re-Treat Party, I`m Lovin`It, 

18 Beautiful Summer Projects

A few weeks ago, I co-hosted an Outdoor Extravaganza Party with a 5 other bloggers and we invited all of you talented bloggers out there to come link up your summer projects. After looking through so many amazing projects, I have rounded up a collection of all kinds of things that can be made-over, painted or created to make your house and yard look absolutely fabulous! There are still many weeks left of summer and lots of time to create something that will make you smile!

DIY Caddy Tutorial from My Love 2 Create

Potting Bench from One More Time Events

Vintage Metal Cart Makeover from Averie Lane

Easy DIY Chevron Stripe Flower Pots

Sprucing Up an Old Cooler From Pink Little Notebook

DIY Umbrella Planter from Confessions Of A Serial DIYer.

Live Succulent Wreath from All Things Heart & Home

Spray Painted Bucket Planters

How To Build A Potting Bench by Design Dreams by Anne

DIY Vertical Herb Pallet Garden by Pink When

Front Porch Makeover

DIY Restoration Hardware Planter Knockoff from Fisherman's Wife Furniture

$15 Outdoor Planter Box by Shanty 2 Chic

 Deck Makeover

Bold & Gold Pots by The Sweet Escape

French Glazed Flower Pots From So Much Better With Age

Basket Flower Planters from Priscillas

Day Bed from Front Store Life 

Did you find something to inspire you?

You can find more amazing ideas on these boards on Pinterest:

Pretty Gardening & Plant Ideas

Beautiful Curb Appeal

Fabulous Front Doors

This post is linked to:
Take A Look Tuesday, The Weekend Re-Treat Party, I`m Lovin`It, 

5 Tips For Creating A Comfortable & Beautiful Glamping Space

Our family absolutely loves our camping trips every summer. It's our favourite way to unplug and relax. And you know I love talking about how I organize our camping kitchen,  our favorite camping tips and our delicious camping recipes. Now I want to share with you how we set up our glamping space where we enjoy a cozy and comfortable sleep in our tent.

Getting a comfortable night's sleep in a tent can be tricky if you are not prepared. After years of experience, I want to share with you how I set up our cozy nest so we are ready for counting sheep after a full day of fun outside cooking meals, boating, fishing & swimming.

1. Invest in A Portable Bed. If you haven't already, invest in a queen size portable bed that comes with an air mattress on a fold-up frame. It's da bomb. It's roomy, comfortable and it get's you up off the ground so it feels much like a real at-home bed.

2. Ditch the Sleeping Bags. Although sleeping bags are comfortable and fun for kids, they are not so fun for adults. Tossing and turning in a sleeping bag and getting wrapped up like Twizzlers is not my idea of catching some good Zzzs.

I like comforters, blankets and quilts. That way, I can layer things according to the temperature outside and I never feel all twisted up. I bring a fitted sheet to cover the mattress and then I bring a comforter and a quilt and I find it's enough for most summer camping trips.

3. Bring Comfortable Pillows. Always bring comfortable pillows. It's no fun to go camping and wake up with a cramped, kinked neck from sleeping on flat pillows that you don't normally sleep on. And I like to bring a few extra toss pillows so I have something to curl up with when I read.

4. Use Portable Tables as Night Stands. If you have room, bring small portable tables to use beside the bed. We have small tables that fold flat for travel and storage, and they really bring an extra level of comfort to the camping bedroom. They are great for holding lanterns, radios, flashlights, water, glasses and any other thing you like to have at arm's reach at night.

5. Toss Out A Rug. Adding a rug beside the bed is so much more comfortable on the tootsies than a bare tent floor. And my little dogs like to sleep on it at night too. It just adds that extra level of comfort to a tent that makes it feel warm & cozy.

Years ago, when we started out camping as a young family, we used to sleep in sleeping bags on air mattresses on the tent floor. But as time has passed {and we have gotten older!} we have gradually upgraded to a few things that make our trips much more comfortable. If buying new equipment is not in the budget, searching yard sales and online buy/sell sites can often yield barely used camping equipment for a really great price.

Our family is going camping soon, and I really look forward to spending some unplugged time with my kids and husband in the great outdoors. And I have to say that I enjoy it all the more knowing that we can get a really good night's sleep in our cozy and comfortable tent!

If you are looking for more camping ideas, don't forget to check out this board on Pinterest:

Best Camping Tips & Recipes

 

This post is linked to:
Inspiration Gallery, I'm Lovin' It, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, The Weekend Re-Treat, The Party Bunch,  Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza,  Block Party,

My Flower Garden with Miracle Gro™ flower magic: Come See The Progress 6 Weeks In! #flowermagicCA

I have flowers! I have flowers! I have flowers!
Remember in April I shared with you a plan for a new gardening project  that my husband and I created together?And then I shared this post on May 12 about how I planted my new garden with the help of Miracle Gro™'s new flower magic. And two weeks after planting, I shared this progress report. and then at four weeks, I shared with you this report on how things were doing. I am so happy to announce that I have FLOWERS! Here is what my garden looks like 6 weeks after planting!
Beautiful little flowers! And ALL I did was SHAKE & WATER!

And as a reminder, six weeks ago it looked like this:

And now:

My  new flower garden has filled in very nicely with lots of healthy growth, and flowers are now appearing! With warmer weather here with lots of sunshine, I would normally be watching a flower garden very carefully for dryness,  but Miracle Gro™'s new flower magic has made things so easy  because the soil turns a light brown when it needs to be watered. This makes things super easy for me as it is easy to see when the garden needs moisture. 

And here is a collage of the updates so you can see the progress from planting day to this week:

And here's how I did it...I simply used this canister of Miracle Gro's flower magic and followed the directions. It's a flower seed mix  that includes flower seeds, fertilizer and coir {a super absorbent growing material}that shakes on a garden in minutes and blooms all summer long. I am testing it out and I will be reporting here every 2 weeks over a period of 2 months so you can see the progress for yourself.

Miracle-Gro flower magic™ comes in two mixes...a Multicolour Mix which includes up to 29 varieties of flower seeds,  and a Pink & White Mix which includes up to 16 varieties of flower seeds. It's available wherever you find Miracle-Gro gardening products and retails for  $15.99. 

I am using the Mulitcolour Mix for my new bed, and I have been excitedly watching the results!

Here's a recap of everything so far so you can see things in more detail!

How's how it looked on planting day on May 12:

And here's how it looked on May 26!

Here's how it looked on June 9:

And June 23:

I have loved watching the progress of my flower garden from planting day until now!

It has been the easiest garden to grow ever!

In two weeks,  I will be back to share the last progress report on the flower garden. 

Please come back in two weeks as I share the last update on the transformation of this bed!

You can follow the progress by keeping up-to-date with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by following #flowermagicCA

To learn more, visit www.miracle-gro.ca

Thank you so much for visiting! 

Disclosure: This post was generously sponsored by Miracle-Gro™. As always, I only partner with brands/products that I use and love in my own home. All opinions are my own.

 

This post is linked to:
Monday Funday, Under The Table & Dreaming,