Strawberry lemonade never tasted so sweet!
Ten years ago we remodeled our cute little home, because the duct tape we were using to hold it together was starting to peel. I never really gave too much thought about a front porch—but thank goodness my fabulous architect did! When we got the first round of plans, I loved the front porch. I could hardly wait to be sipping my first cup of coffee while perusing the morning paper on MY front porch. Now, funny thing is it never was MY front porch. It belonged to the skateboards, freebords, roller blades, razor scooters, bikes, the very stinky hockey gear and the random welder (don’t ask). Yes, I have 4 active boys and the front porch was the proof. I needed a space that I could call my own without tripping over all the hazards.
I decided to clear out all the “gear” and reclaim my space. My first thought was French Country. Maybe a Toile in a cheery yellow for the seat cushions. White and blue for accent pillows. I thought they would go so nicely with 2 wicker chairs that I recently painted black. I headed to Home Goods and wandered the rows of chair cushions and pillows—nothing in yellow, but these coral patterned cushions caught my eye and I never looked back. Next, I found a solid Ralph Lauren ($14.99) pillow and a cream based embroidered with a coral pattern pillow ($16.99).
The only thing I needed now was some sort of fabric to re-cover the ratty sea grass ottoman. I hit the jackpot when I found this Tommy Hilfiger duvet cover for a whopping $29.99. And, I only needed half of it.
Once the color scheme was in place, I headed to Summerwinds Nursery to pick out my perfect posies. I have to admit I love walking through the nursery. It’s never a quick trip for me—ahhhh, wandering the aisles. Getting back on track, I loaded up the convertible with a few jumbo packs, a couple of daisies and impatients and a gerber daisy.
I loved putting it all together. I got the tray from Soltice, the orange vase came from Summerwinds, the bird house was a true find at the Alameda Antique Fair and the watering can was left behind when we bought the house. One of my favorite things on the new front is that old watering can–that doesn’t hold water anymore. I’d like to take credit for putting that gerber daisy in it, but I got the idea from another blog Hoosier Homemade. My only big purchase was the aqua pot and the hydrangea—for just under $70. But, I’m a sucker for hydrangeas and that aqua color was to perfect to pass up.
Impatients and the very stinky hockey gear!
Now, it’s been a whole week and all that “gear” has stayed away. OK, one exception has been made—the very stinky hockey gear is staying—but at least it is much neater. And, that I can live with. Sipping my first glass of strawberry lemonade with my feet up on the ottoman was pure heaven. We have spent nearly every evening out there—pure bliss.
My front porch does seem a little on the girlie side, but in my defense I do live with a lot of testosterone and a balance was needed. Now MY universe is balanced!
I’m linking up with Show and Tell Fridays and The Shabby Chic Cottage.
Here’s the complete slideshow:
Jeans are being used for everything these days from insulating homes to just about a million different crafts. A few years back a friend of mine had made this wonderful quilt using old jeans. It was beautiful. At that moment, I started saving every pair of out-grown, worn-out and not fit to be worn in public jeans.
I wanted a quilt or blanket to take to the beach. I had a great one that somehow went missing. My professional mom guess?—a teenager went to the beach with some friends and somehow that blanket was left behind or left at someone else’s home. And, I’m sure that mom, like me has asked “Who does this belong to? It’s not ours.” And, I’m sure the usual response was ” Huh? What? Ya, I don’t know.”
Here’s a little bit of personal history. I have lived in the Rose Garden Neighborhood since 1989. Our home was a very quaint 3 bedroom 1 bath bungalow style home–and with one toddler it fit perfect. But then another baby and then a set of twins–we needed a little bit of elbow room. We looked at moving but I kept coming back to how I loved this little house, how I loved my neighborhood and how I loved that park just down the street. So, we stayed and remodeled (… that’s a whole other story).
I spied a cool exhibit at the Willow Glen Home Tour earlier this month–
The pots look like they have been carved out of stone. Urban Farmgirls uses cement, perlite and reclaimed fibers to create that wonderful faux stone feel. The pots are surprisingly light weight. So as I get ready to re-do my front porch, I will need to pick up a few of these. Pairing them with succulents seems too perfect.
I love Victorian architecture from the outside. The front porches and the intricate detail work creating amazing patterns that keep your eyes mesmerized, but on the inside I’ve felt they can be a bit dowdy and dark. Until now. This Victorian has been remodeled and has a wonderful Metropolitan Home feel throughout.
considered myself the fretwork girl. I so adored the geometric, intersecting lines of the Asian style, whether on the back of a chair or along a balcony railing, that I made a file of fretwork photos just to gaze at longingly. Trendy interior designer Kelly Whearstler was making wallpaper with the motif. Surely, Desiree must have known my inner obsession! And now, with one grand purchase, she would luxuriate in … well … what should have been mine, mine, all mine?
them. But would I be breaking some friendship code by adorning my backyard with the same spectacular chairs? I flashed back to an episode of I Love Lucy, where Lucy and Ethel fell in love with the same dress to wear to their “show,” and each promised the other that neither would buy it. Well, they both did, and while singing “Friendship” in the identical dresses on stage, they began plucking each other’s dresses apart! Well, call me Ethel to Desiree’s Lucy.
The gauntlet has been thrown–a challenge. Well, this girl never backs down from a challenge. Slightly competitive–you betcha! (Please no Sarah Palin references). It’s a family trait I’ve passed down for better or worse. Just ask any kid of mine.
were in their fort-building phase and demolished those old, nylon folding lawn chairs. I wanted something substantial, something that could really take a beating and still look fabulous when not in use as the corners of a castle. What really drew me to these particular chairs was the high wing back shape as well as that fretwork. But I wasn’t wild about the color — a muddy bronze. And they needed cushions. I consider myself a crafty type, so to complement the wrought iron fence in my backyard, I pulled out a can of gloss black spray paint and went for it. I first considered sewing my own cushions, top and bottom, with fabric I purchased years ago from 
fabric, fluffed them up a bit, and now admire the whole set from my kitchen window. At the end of the day, I think we both did pretty darn well. Don’t you? Please leave a comment and let us know your opinion.
I don’t even know where to begin. This home is truly amazing. The wrap around front porch grabs you–I imagined myself coffee in hand with the paper in the morning and a glass of wine with the husband in the evening. The living and dining areas are so spacious–perfect for fun dinner parties. I’m a sucker for a kitchen that opens to the family room–perfect for keeping an eye on little ones or teenagers. Let’s face those ages need the most supervision! Seriously, this is a gem and it’s walking distance to downtown Palo Alto. Don’t even get my started on the master bedroom–oh so dreamy. Check out the virtual tour 
This week I’m inspired by work spaces at home. Somewhere to slip away where I know I would be so productive–errr well, at least get something crossed off my list. A place when kids, pets and husband can be heard, but off in the distance so I wouldn’t be distracted. A place where I can leave a half finished project out without worries of puppy chewing, kids spilling or husband moving to make room for dinner. Yep, that sounds nice. Now, in my mind it would be so organized. If I needed a pair of scissors–I would know that they would be in the top left drawer as opposed to right now–I think I might have to knock on a neighbor’s door to borrow a pair. Anyway, here is what I’m drooling over–
When we first bought our home way back in the ’80’s, it needed some work. Mostly cosmetic changes to bring it to the current era. We were house poor–sinking every last cent into the purchase. We–and I really mean I–became a DIYer. Being young and dare I say naive at the time I wasn’t afraid to try anything. Now, I have no excuse except stupidity. That’s just how I roll. I want something done–I just do it. The husband on the other hand likes to research stuff–make sure it’s the right decision. So, we come from different worlds. The husband traveled a lot in our early years which worked in my favor. I just sorta got to do things my way–by defualt–since he wasn’t here.
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