Porches |

Red, White, and Blue Front Porch for Memorial Day

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Christy

Yes, I’ve changed out my front porch once again. I love to decorate with red, white, and blue for Memorial Day (sometimes I leave it up until the Fourth of July) and here’s what I came up with:

Our daylillies are blooming now, so the yellow kind of clashes, but what can I do?

I bought the long flag banners a few years ago–I think from Lillian Vernon. Sometimes I use traditional bunting, but this house seems to work better with the banners. I use the 3M command hooks to hang them from the front porch.

My white violas are still blooming, although the heat will probably kill them soon. The red, white, and blue balls are from Hobby Lobby, a few years ago…

I put the red candles back into the candle-lier, and a “God Bless America” cupcake pick in the small grapevine wreath.

All I need is a galvanized bucket of iced-down Coca-Cola, or Jones Soda (in glass bottles, or course!) for things to be complete for a cookout.

A few sparklers and a set of cornhole boards might be fun, too, right?

What are you doing to celebrate Memorial Day?

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in 4th of July, Holidays, Porches | Tagged blue, July 4th, Memorial Day, patriotic, Red, white | 4 Comments

The best part of waking up…

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Amy

Can you hear that jingle in your head? “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!” Does anything say ‘coffee’ more then that? Its classic! We are so happy to partner with Folgers today to talk about how much we love our coffee and announce their campaign for a new jingle {hang on for information about that}.

Anyway, as I {we} write about quite a bit here, I {we} love to entertain and especially have houseguests. While having weekend guests gives us the excuse to fix a nice meal and have a glass or two of wine and catch up with our friends over dinner, with overnight guests the next morning is also such a nice relaxing time.

In our former home we’d wake up and sit on the front porch with our friends or family, drinking coffee and catching up before starting our adventures. Even in winter we just brought out the blankets and of course, tons of hot coffee. In our new house we have a pretty, private backyard and we’ve been really enjoying how peaceful it is in the mornings.

I put together this little breakfast for some guests the other day, it was the perfect time to relax and reconnect over a simple breakfast and coffee. We sat outside, enjoyed a nice spring day and listened to some uplifting music and it day started off perfectly. It really was the best part of waking up!

These yummy, easy mini-frittatas were from Terry. She served them recently at her son’s baptism and they were so good, I immediately made them again. We’ll be back with the recipe soon. They are perfect for breakfast with fresh fruit and some blueberry muffins, and coffee of course!

So now that we’re all thinking about coffee and I have the Folgers jingle running through your head, I can tell you that Folgers is sponsoring a contest to find a new spin on the famous jingle. Do you think Folgers will find one that is as catchy and has such a long lifespan? What do you think about when you hear it? I know for me, I immediately go to the Christmas commercial when the brother returns Christmas morning from “Deepest Africa” to surprise his family. It seriously gets me every time–but it’s such a classic! Kudos to Folgers for fostering musical creativity in today’s upcoming musicians to find a new talent to create just the right jingle. And, you all can have a say in who the winner is of the Folgers Jingle Contest.

Vote for the best Top 10 Finalist in Folgers’ Jingle Contest! Meet the Top 10! Take a look at Folgers® Jingle Contest Finalists, and listen to the tracks that earned them a spot in The Top 10. Cast your vote once every day through June 19th. You could win exciting prizes, like free Folgers Coffee, iTunes® gift cards, signed CDs from Gavin DeGraw, and even a $10,000 Grand Prize just for voting! Before you vote, follow the Road to the Jingle on Facebook to see how they traveled the U.S. to track down the Top 10 contestants! Remember, you can vote once a day through June 19th! Click here for official rules.

contestants! http://www.facebook.com/folgers

VOTE HERE: http://www.folgerscoffee.com/folgers-jingle/vote

Take a look at them and listen to the tracks that earned them a spot in the top 10, then cast your vote. {You can vote once every day through June 19th.}.

Seriously.

Thanks for stopping by

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Posted in Entertaining, Porches, Spring | Tagged best part of waking up, breakfast, coffee, entertaining, entertaining houseguests, folger's, guests, houseguests, recipes | 2 Comments

Vinyl House Number Giveaway (because you asked for it!)

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Christy

Good morning! A few weeks ago, I took an unscientific poll on Facebook: would you like me to do a giveaway of vinyl house numbers, similar to what I have on my front door? The answer was pretty overwhelming, and of course it was YES!

Mine have been on my door for almost two years and look great still. If you change your mind, warming the vinyl with a hair dryer before slowly peeling it off works really well. I’ll probably have to take mine off to paint the front door (when it warms up!), but then I’ll put another set on–I get so many compliments on them!

They look good at Thanksgiving:

And at Christmas:

In the autumn:

Really any time of the year!

The porch decor may change with the seasons, but the numbers stay the same!

Here are the details of the giveaway: it will run until Monday, March 11th, at noon central time. If you win, I’ll make you a set of custom house numbers in white or black, similar to the style on my door (don’t stress me out by asking for fancy scrolly cursive or stuff like that–mkay? I’m strictly an amateur here!). I’ll have you measure to make sure they’re just the right size for your door. I might ask you to email us a picture when you put them up, so we can see how cute they are!

You can enter up to four times, by leaving up to four comments below. Leave a comment if you:

are an email subscriber (or sign up to be one–see the box at the right)
follow us on Facebook (box on right or below)
follow us on Pinterest or Twitter (box on right or below)
share the giveaway by pinning it, tweeting it, or sharing it on Facebook or your blog

That’s it–easy! Good luck to all of you, and thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in giveaways, Porches | Tagged black, custom, door, giveaway, house, numbers, vinyl, white | 81 Comments

Spring Front Porch in Greens and Burlap

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Christy

At some point, I should publish a list of all my front porch posts, because there are quite a few. I LOVE to change things up on the porch for different holidays and seasons. After taking down my Valentine’s wreath after that holiday, it was time to decorate a porch in a way that would take me through until spring. Since we’re putting the house on the rental market in just a couple of weeks, I wanted things to look clean, crisp, and welcoming. Here’s what I came up with:

Last spring, I also used a combination of bright green and burlap; and you can read about that HERE. The green cushions I used last year were Goodwill purchases and did not survive the summer (too much sun fade), so that’s why you don’t see them again. This year, the green comes from florist’s moss, in the “B” on my door, and in the moss sphere in the urn. The “B” was SO easy to make–the tutorial is HERE–I just posted it last week. Amy posted the tutorial on the moss ball HERE and it was a little trickier because of the shape, but not by much.

The white urn was a Goodwill find, although the tag on the bottom says it was originally from Kirkland’s. I’ve been toying with spray painting it black. Any thoughts?

The house number porch pillows are an easy project–I just slipcovered existing pillows using the tutorial I posted HERE. The polka dot cushion is from one of my favorite Ebay stores–I buy all my outdoor pillows there, and the old window is from the Nashville flea market. The chandelier is from a yard sale.

I also planted some white violas in my two black urns–it’s still cold out, but it’s warm enough for them! I added sphagnum moss and tiny grapevine balls for visual interest.

The black wicker chairs are from a yard sale. I scored both of them for $5. They just got a new coat of black spray paint (I respray them pretty much every year) and they’re good to go for another season.

The plant stand is from Hobby Lobby, a few years ago. My little old wicker table finally died this winter, so I spray painted this guy black and put him out there to take its place. I need a little table to hold my coffee or wine (depending on the time of day while I watch the kids playing out front.

In the end, probably what made the biggest difference was that we trimmed all the bushes in the front and spread new black mulch. Well, my husband trimmed the bushes and spread new black mulch. I was busy doing something else (maybe hiding in my closet?).

Anyone need to rent a house in Nashville with a sweet front porch and a whole lot of chandeliers inside? Just give me a yell!

Happy-almost-spring, and thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in DIY, Home Tours, Porches, Real Spaces, Spring, Yards and Landscaping | Tagged Burlap, Monogram, moss, Porch, topiary | 8 Comments

DIY Moss Letters–Bring a Burst of Spring to your Front Door!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Christy

I don’t know about you, but I have an almost pathological obsession with taking down my holiday decor. Today is February 15th, and the few red and pink Valentine’s Day items in my house go away TODAY! Yes, I have a hard time leaving my Christmas decorations up until New Year’s, but I force myself.

Since I’m taking down my decoupaged hugs and kisses XO wreath today (read about that HERE for next year), I needed something to replace it on my front door. And since it’s mid-February, for those of us here in Tennessee, it’s almost Spring. So, what better color than green for the front door?

Pottery Barn sells their moss letters for $79 a pop. Of course, theirs are LIVE moss, but even so, that’s a little steep for me. I completed this project for about $17, and that’s including the cost of a glue gun and hot glue sticks, which I already had on hand.

Here’s what I bought at Hobby Lobby:

The big wood letters are $12.99 at Hobby Lobby; I bought mine on a 50% off week. It’s 18″ high. The sheets of moss are $7.99, and I used my 40% off coupon. I also bought a roll of burlap ribbon there for $2.50, since I had just cut up the last of my old grain sack from the flea market.

Amy talks about covering a sphere with moss HERE, and I just followed her directions, which are basically cut the moss to fit, glue it to the form, and cut slits to make it lay flat. I copy all of her ideas eventually, anyway. Did y’all know we were college roommates? Sometimes I think we’re twins separated at birth because our taste is pretty much identical, but I digress…back to the moss! I think the moss is very easy to work with–it’s so forgiving since it doesn’t show the seams when you glue in a small scrap to fill in a spot. However, mark my words, it makes an absolutely gigantic mess! Be prepared to vacuum your counter, your floor, and yourself when you’re done! I only had half a package of moss when I started this project, and I ran out part way through. I hate when that happens!

Um, yes, I covered a sphere with moss and stuck it in an urn. Amy told me to! And doesn’t it look great?!

After an emergency stop at Hobby Lobby, where the manager knows me by name (it’s like when Norm used to walk into Cheers, if you’re old enough to remember that), I plugged in the glue gun again and finished up the project. Here’s what I wound up with:

Here are a couple of tips:

Run the moss around the edges of the letter. Mine covered all the unfinished wood. I guess to save a little on moss/glue/work, you could also spray paint your edges dark green, but I think this looks better.
Save all the tiny pieces you have left over from trimming the moss; you can glue that on your letter in any gaps you see and no one will be able to tell. Or, use it on the next project.
I used the burlap ribbon to dress things up a bit; however, the letter is actually hanging on a metal wreath hanger. The burlap hides it, though. I formed a bow through trial and error (there is NO method to my madness when it comes to bow-making) and secured it with florist wire). As an aside, I really, really like the burlap ribbon I bought at HobLob!

That’s it–easy! I’m probably going to put this letter on the front door and take the moss sphere and the urn out there, too. I already have a big wooden “B” on the old window hanging on my porch, and that would be redundant, so that’s going to go on the screened porch for awhile, and I’m going to hang a grapevine wreath in its place. I’ll let you see a few pictures when I’m done, either in a post or on our Facebook page.

What do you guys have on your front porches these days?

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Before and After, Crafts, DIY, Porches, Spring | Tagged diy, initial, letter, Monogram, moss, tutorial | 21 Comments

House Number Canvas Pillow Slipcover Tutorial Using the Citrasolv Fabric Transfer Technique

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Christy

I’ve been going a little crazy with canvas painter’s dropcloths lately, because they’re an inexpensive way to purchase a lot of yardage, and because they’re my favorite color–neutral!

I’ve used them for window treatments in my kitchen:

I’ve used them to recover some chairs that are currently in my office:

And I’ve used them to make LOTS of pillow slipcovers. One with a monogram:

One with our name and anniversary year on it:

And a super-cute 11 Magnolia Lane pillow for Amy and Terry’s Christmas presents:

Yes, I’ve been sewing up a storm! But my favorite ones to date are the ones I finished yesterday: slipcovers for my front porch pillows that sport our house number!

The UPS guy really has no excuse now, does he?

I’ve used several different techniques to transfer ink, or paint, onto the canvas, but for these I used the Citrasolv to transfer the ink. There are tons of tutorials out there on how to do this, but I thought I’d make it easy for some of you who have asked and just type it up for you here.

1. Wash and iron your fabric–if you’re using dropcloths, they do shrink so don’t skip this step! I have children and pets, so the whole point of slipcovers is that I can take them off and wash them.

2. Measure your pillow and cut the front of your slipcover an extra 1″ all the way around for the seam allowance. I usually sew slipcovers for pillows that I already have in my house, but of course you can buy pillow inserts very inexpensively if you’re making a gift.

3. Cut two flaps for an envelope-style back. I saved myself time by using the edges of the dropcloths for this–they are nicely hemmed. The two flaps should overlap by about 2-4″, depending on the size of the pillow. Be sure you cut them the extra 1″ on either side, too. Set the flaps aside for later.

4. Print your design as a mirror image. Depending on what kind of computer and printer you have and what program you use, this might involve commands like rotate, flip, mirror image, T-shirt image, etc. You’ll need to look that one up on your own. I actually had to print my numbers out normally, scan them, THEN flip them, then print them out again!

5. Find a copier that uses toner. Sorry, ink-jet and traditional laser printers don’t work with Citrasolv. This was the trickiest part of the project for me. I tried Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot, and none of their copiers worked. Older copiers are best, apparently. I tried the one at our public library and it works perfectly (you won’t know until you put the Citrasolv on it whether or not the ink will transfer).

6. Put a towel under your slipcover top, center the image, and tape it onto the top so it doesn’t wiggle around while you’re working on it.

7. Using a paintbrush, apply a generous amount of Citrasolv to the image. I used about a tablespoon for all four numbers. A note about Citrasolv: in my area, I bought my bottle at a local art supply store. I tried Wal-mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Hobby Lobby, Whole Foods, and Michael’s, all to no avail. If you don’t have an independent craft or art supply store, click HERE to order through our Amazon affiliate program.
You’ll probably only need the 8 oz. size (unless you fall in love with the smell, like I did, and start using it to clean your house!).

8. I gave the Citrasolv a few seconds to soak in, and then I took the bottom of a spoon and started rubbing the image (you’ll have to rub pretty hard; your goal is to transfer as much of the ink as possible so your image is clear and sharp). You’ll see the ink transfer to the fabric almost immediately if you peek, which of course I did after so many failed attempts with different copiers.

9. After a few careful peeks to make sure that you’ve rubbed enough to transfer all of the image, go ahead and remove the paper when you’re done. At this point, I allowed my pillow tops to dry. You could certainly launder and iron them again once they’ve dried–this technique is supposed to be colorfast.

10. Pin your pillow top with your two back envelope flaps that you cut earlier. You probably already know this, but pin the right sides together to make a fabric sandwich. On the bottom, put your pillow top (facing up), then your top envelope flap (right side DOWN), then your bottom envelope flap (also right side facing DOWN). Pin your edges together and it should look like this:

11. Sew all around the four sides, about 1/2″ in from the edge. This ensures that your slipcover will fit snugly, but not too snugly. Trim the corners so you’ll get a nice tip, and then press the seams open:

12. Turn the slipcover right-side-out, and press again. I usually use a pencil to push the corners into nice sharp tips. Slide (or force:) ) the pillow into the slipcover and adjust.

13. Stand back and admire your work!

Let me know if you have any questions, and please leave a comment if you have any creative pillow ideas.

**NOTE–be sure to read the first comment below from our reader, Jess, who has some great tips for setting the transfer and laundering your pillows. Thanks, Jess!**

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Crafts, DIY, Porches | Tagged house number, pillows, slipcovers, tutorial | 4 Comments

Trash to Treasure: Christmas Front Porch Decor

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Christy

**Congratulations to the winner of the giveaway for the red damask steering wheel cover from Embellish Me Patty V, #7 Tina W! Enjoy your treat, girl! And thanks to Patty for the giveaway!**

I sincerely hope you guys aren’t tired of seeing my front porch. As you know, I change it out every season, and I was really looking forward to decorating for Christmas this year.

My daughter and I don’t shop on “Black Friday.” Instead, we put our decorations up. We follow a strict schedule (set by her) that starts with her room and tiny tree, and then we move on to the rest of the house. She loses interest before we get to her big brother’s room!

I pulled out my standard evergreen lighted roping to swag over the front door. Last year I wove in some red mesh to give it a little color. The “Merry” banner was one that I made a few years ago. The cardboard letters were spray painted, then I drilled holes in the top and wove ribbon through. I also made two that say “Joy” and “Noel”. Joy is white, and I sprinkled white glitter on the letters during the last coat of paint and added a pale green ribbon. Noel is gold, and ditto with gold glitter (but a vanilla ribbon). Merry is just plain red, but I love the red and white gingham ribbon. It added a nice pop of red to the top of the door.

If you follow us on Facebook, then chances are you saw a few posts about how I snagged this beautiful greenery. If you don’t follow us on Facebook, then you’re missing out, because we go into WAY too much detail! Let’s just say that all my fabulous greenery was salvaged from a pile of leaves and lawn clippings, and that my sweet golden retriever “discovered” it all for me while we were walking on Thanksgiving morning. Yes, that sounds like a nice, sanitized version of the story {wink wink}.

So, I arranged the holly, evergreen, and boxwood into this door bucket, and then I tossed a little more into my leaky old watering can:

The Dutch wooden shoes were a thrift store find. We had two pairs when I was growing up, but they got lost somehow when my dad remarried and moved out of my childhood home. I was happy to find a replacement pair!

I had enough greenery left to make a swag for the lamppost and tied it with more red mesh.

The sitting area on the porch doesn’t get much sitting done on it at this time of year–Halloween is pretty much the last night we’re out there–but I put out my red pillows and red candles, and added a new pillow that I made using the same method I used for my numbered chair cushions.

If you don’t believe, you get underwear. Really!

I had enough greenery to poke a few pieces into the grapevine wreath that’s been on my front door all year (I love that burlap bow!). It’s gracing my garage entry for the Christmas season.

There is more boxwood sitting in 5 gallon buckets in my backyard, so I think I’m going to try my hand at preserving it, as soon as I can find glycerin. The dog really did me right when he found my Christmas decor, didn’t he? Click below to follow us on Facebook–that way you’ll always know the rest of the story!

How are your decorations coming along?

Sharing at~

Sand & Sisal, Serenity Now

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Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Home Inspiration, Porches, Winter | Tagged banner, boxwood, Christmas, evergreen, green, holly, Porch, Red | 12 Comments

Decorating the Front Porch for Fall and Thanksgiving

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Christy

Good morning! Let me start by giving a shout-out (and a HUGE thank you) to Kelly at Eclectically Vintage for featuring my old North Carolina house in her Exceptionally Eclectic series today. Looking at her gorgeous home, and the others she’s featured in the past, I am officially in tall cotton!! Check the post out {here}. Thank you, Kelly!

**And be sure to enter our current giveaway for a hand-stamped silver necklace {here}**

OK, moving on to the front porch!

I was a little tired of orange after Halloween this year; not sure exactly why. I decided to change my front porch around for Thanksgiving, and so I headed down the big hill in my backyard and into the woods to see what natural elements I could find. I found tons of great stuff (and the dog found a deer!) and am happy to report that my porch makeover was 100% free–that’s the best kind!

The grapevine wreath with the burlap feed sack bow has been on my front door most of the year (because I love it!), but I dressed it up with the brown berries that I cut off my crepe myrtle tree.

I “borrow” from my crepe myrtle for natural decor year-round!

I cut some of these branches with tiny purple berries on them for my old, leaky watering can…we have several of these bushes growing in the woods behind their house. I don’t know what they are–if y’all can tell me, I’d appreciate it!

I used these same berries last year on my Thanksgiving table and to decorate my screened porch. The deep purple adds a slightly unexpected color to typical Fall decor. I twined a few branches in the grapevine trellis around my mailbox; the Confederate jasmine isn’t blooming at this time of year, but the petunias still are!

By the way, you can read about how I made the grapevine trellis {here}.

The “Thankful” bunting over the door was a free printable from Over the Big Moon. I actually made it last year and used it in my dining room, but this year it seemed perfect over the front door. The pennant is just paper triangles glued onto jute twine, and while my porch is a covered one, we’ll have to see how it holds up to wind and rain.

I took my orange cushions inside and replaced them with two large, square ones that I sewed out of canvas painter’s drop cloth. I used the CitraSolv fabric transfer technique to put “Give Thanks” on them.

The only orange on my porch now is the candle stubs in my “candle-lier”. We almost burned them completely down on Halloween!

We have an osage orange (or hedgeapple) tree in the woods–they’re pretty common around here–and I gathered a few to put in a pedestal holder on the little wicker table. I love how they smell!

Here’s the wide shot of the porch. I know you’ll be classy and not mention that my holly bushes need a trim–thanks!

Have any of the rest of you scrounged around in the woods for your holiday decor?

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Autumn/ Fall, Holidays, Home Inspiration, Porches | Tagged autumn, Burlap, Fall, grapevine, Natural, Porch, Thanksgiving | 3 Comments

Fall Inspiration Board

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Terry

I LOVE fall!!

I cannot wait until fall arrives, it is simply my most favorite time of year. Being patient is hard, but I am buffing my boots, organizing my scarves, and taking inventory of my fall decor. Here is a bit of inspiration to get you into the fall frame of mind!

Big thank you to those who inspire me!!

1. Sarah Shirley Style Diary

2. Pink Polish Blog

3. Pottery Barn

4. Shelterness

5. Madame Noire

6. Hugo Boss

7. Overstock

8. Diggin Food

9. Crafty Scrappy Happy

10. Centsational Girl

11. Pottery Barn

12. Haleh Design Inc

Thanks for stopping by!

Posted in Fashion Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Inspiration Boards, Porches, Uncategorized | Tagged Fall, Fashion, inspiration, Leaves, Red | 1 Comment

Easy Screened Porch Update: Sheer Outdoor Curtains Add Privacy (and Pizazz!)

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Christy

It’s the end of August, and while I try to use our screened porch from March to November (seriously!), it’s just starting to cool off enough that I can enjoy being out there during the daytime. In the heat of the summer, I tend to utilize it in the morning, with a cup of coffee and my Bible, and in the evening, with a glass of wine and whatever book I’m currently loving, because it’s just too HOT to sit out there during the day.

A screened porch is always at the top of my wish-list when we’re moving to a new house, and while we don’t always get one, I love it when we do. My husband is one of those sweet-blooded people who will get a thousand mosquito bites every time he ventures outdoors in the evening, and a screened porch gives me a chance to actually see him outside every once in awhile. The porch here is great–we back up to woods and so there are lots of trees and birds–but while we really like our next-door neighbors, our porch is situated pretty close to their deck. I’ll confess that I sit on the porch in the morning in my bathrobe, so I’ve been mulling over ideas that would give us a bit more privacy, and look pretty to boot.

Our neighbor in North Carolina had a gorgeous side porch on her big old historic house, and she hung huge white sheer curtains that just looked amazing. I always thought I needed an open porch to achieve a similar look, but a few weeks ago when Amy and I were in Ikea, I found these sheer panels that were $5 (for TWO!):

They’re the same panels I used in our master bedroom and sitting room, but for some reason I thought they were on clearance or being discontinued. How great to know I can pick up a set or two anytime I need them!

I bought two sets for a rocking grand total of $10, and then let them sit in the corner for a week or two while I thought about whether I wanted to hang them on tension rods or with a staple gun. They are machine washable, and I’ll likely need to pull them down once or twice a year to wash them and maybe even bleach them. Obviously a tension rod would make that easier, but a staple gun would ensure that they hung exactly the way I wanted them–plus it would be cheaper. The staple gun won.

I stapled each side up and then folded the panel to find the center. I stapled the center in place and then continued to fold the panel, find the center, staple, and so on. In the end I had about nine staples per panel and the panels hung in loose pleats, like this:

Then I tied them with a scrap of burlap feed sack…I didn’t spend too much time on making sure they were hung “just so” as I knew I’d take the ties off and just let the drapes hang from time to time.

Here’s what I started out with (be sure to note our neighbor’s deck–as if you could miss it!):

And here’s how it looks with the sheer panels:

Of course the curtains are sheer–I wanted them to let light and air through, and because they’ll probably get a little wet when it rains, they’ll dry faster than heavier panels. They add a bit of privacy without blocking our view, and the price was right!

I hung a couple of ferns in the corners; they were on sale for $4 each since it’s so late in the season. Our wrought iron table and chairs are great for al fresco meals.

It might say “Martini Time,” but it’s really a beer (and juice box) fridge! I snagged it at the thrift store a few years ago.

The fridge holds long matches for the firepit on the patio, a candle, and a wine bottle stuffed with twinkle lights that my clever neighbor gave me for Christmas a few years ago. It looks so pretty at night!

Here’s my “boring corner.” I’ve thought about adding a bookshelf, a big basket with blankets and magazines, or even an outdoor bar area, but right now it’s the catchall corner for rain boots and garden gloves (and I see the muzzle of a BB gun in the corner of the picture, too!). The big white “B” is from the Cameron Antique Fair in North Carolina; I also bought a big “A” for my daughter’s room from the same lady. Lots of monograms in my house!

I’d like my next project out here to be painting black harlequin diamonds on the floor (which is just pressure-treated deck wood), but that might have to wait until after I clean out and paint my closet. You know I’ll keep you posted!

OK, I hope ya’ll enjoyed the update, but it’s 5:00pm and my wine and book are calling me!

Thanks for stopping by!