East Texas Front Porch For Summer

Hello, Friends,

How are you doing today? I hope you are well.

We're doing our best to stay cool here in Texas. 

I don't know that I've mentioned this but the temperature in East Texas is a few degrees cooler. The difference is negligible because the humidity is a tad higher. 

That didn't stop me from playing with the decor on the front porch even though it is a little too hot to sit outside. 

Just like the queen, the flags are up when we are in residence. 

 

The bunting came from Hobby Lobby in 2021. 

When Bill bought the new set for the screened in porch, we brought the two black chairs around to the front. These were an estate sale find for $15.00 each. The little table belonged to my childhood ice cream set. 

The shrub and flower border that lines the porch is holding its own. I chose dwarf nandinas which thrive at my house in town. They aren't thriving but they are doing okay. 

The bench was a trash find. Bill re-did all of the wood. He did three benches in a short amount of time. 

He has since banned me from picking up anymore benches. I love benches. Haha. 

The floral pillow was found at Walmart. I made the little gold pillow with some left over damask. 

The antique rocker is a family piece. 

The slatted rocker was left on the property. 

We have the paint to do the ceiling but it is way too hot for that . 

The walls are Alabaster by Sherwin Williams. 

The wreath on the front door came from Nearly Natural. I just love it. 

A cute truck sign from Hobby Lobby graces the front bed in the summer. 

We need rain. It hasn't rained out there for about a month. I'm watering but it's been struggle to keep the grass alive. Some of it is just fried, which is terrible since we spent a lot of money on fertilizer. 

Hopefully, it will bounce right back as soon as we get some rain. I'm praying for that to happen soon. 

In the meantime, the porch looks cute! 

That is about it for now. 

I hope you are staying cool. 

Katie

Linking with All About Home. 

New Furniture For The Screened In Porch

Hi, Friends,

How are you? Are you enjoying your summer?

I hope so. 

When we bought the house out in East Texas, we needed so many things to fill it up. We were shopping at the height of the virus so there were supply chain issues. I shopped the resale shops to acquire the things we absolutely needed. I found a pair of serviceable metal outdoor chairs at an estate sale. 

They were only $15 each. They even came with the cushions which I recovered. The pair has served us well. Bill was going to build a few pieces for lounging with plans we found but he just does not have time. 

It was time to invest in an outdoor set. 

My plan was to pick up another loveseat like the one we have at home. 

Bill expressed that the loveseat at home is not comfortable. It is comfortable to me but Bill has a pickier backside. 

Instead, he found a set at Lowes when he was at that store picking up something else. 

He texted me the link to the set. I told him to buy it and load it up. 

The grouping consists of the loveseat, coffee table, and two club chairs that bounce.

I love chairs with a bounce.

It was easy to put this furniture together. 

I love, love the coffee table. 

We recently power washed the porch and picked out a trim paint. 

We painted the tan walls shortly after we moved in but only power washed the trim. 

It's time for the trim to get a fresh coat of paint but it's currently too hot. The paint is Ceiling White by Sherwin Williams. It offers a whiter contrast to the Alabaster walls.

We also got a new rug. 

My flowers are blooming! 

You should know that three of the eight cushions came with some sort of black marks. 

Returning the set would have required loading it up, driving it back home and then bringing out a new set, which may or may not have stains. I wasn't willing to do that. It's outdoors in one of the dustiest places I have ever lived so it will get dirty.   

The pillow was found at Walmart.com. 

The colors echo the colors of the flowers outside. 

I thought about moving my granny's daybed to the front porch. A critter is nibbling on a wood item on that porch so that it not an option. We need to point the game camera on it so that we can figure out what is going on.  Because of that,  the daybed will remain on the protected porch. I will actually sit on it when it isn't scorpion or pollen season.  

The estate sale chairs have been moved to front porch. They're much cuter than the chairs we had on the porch before. 

The rocker has also been moved to front porch but it will be put in the house when we aren't here. 

Nothing is going to get to nibble on it. 

That is all for now. 

 We've finally gotten a break in the heat so we'll get to enjoy the new furniture this weekend. 

Have a wonderful holiday. 

Katie 

Linking with All About Home.

Cherries And Patriotic Decorations For The Fourth Of July

Hi, Friends,

How are you? I hope you are well. I hope that you are staying cool. It has been ridiculously hot here in Texas. Summer officially starts today and we are already over the heat. 

 It's going to be a long summer. 

Rather than try to be outdoors at our East Texas house, I did a little tweaking inside. The neutral scheme just lends itself to a touch of red, white and blue. It is fun to sprinkle it about. 

I painted the flag painting quite a few years ago. I still love it. It's nestled in some faux daisies that are among the white dishes.  

When we bought the house and I looked forward to the different holidays and seasons, I knew the front porch would be darling with bunting. It's a low overhang so it was easy to hang it by myself. Bill was resting from his time spent in the heat. 

I got two packages of bunting with three swags at Hobby Lobby last year. 

I cut the swags apart and hung them with screws in between each of the porch posts. 

The remaining swag is cute on the mantel. 

The barn painting over the mantel shelf came from an art fair in Bedford Village, N,Y, during the 70s. The original frame was very groovy and it didn't go with the painting so I reframed it. I decided it might look good out in East Texas rather than hang in a little used guest room at our main house.

 This is the third painting that I've tried in this spot. I haven't had the urge to make further changes which is a sure sign that I'm content with it. The olive green of the barn goes well with our furniture. 

 More faux daisies flounce in a white ironstone pitcher. 

A darling cherry pie recipe sampler is one of my favorite summer accessories. It became the inspiration for a cherry theme in the kitchen. The red and black looks good with the brick backsplash. 

The little cherry pitcher was actually a Christmas ornament that I found deeply clearance at Cloth World which eventually became Joanns. 

Faux red geraniums echo the pop of red from the cherries. 

A thrifted plate was made by Blue Ridge Pottery. 

A campfire marshmallow tin is a fun summer collectable. '

Bill found the Liberty Maraschino Cherry jar on eBay. It's so cute. 

Leftover sparklers are ready for the Fourth. 

A geranium pillow rests on the sofa in the living room. Cottage themed paintings are a common decorating element in this house. We've collected these from all over. 

The air conditioner out in East Texas works really well but a fan stands ready to offer additional relief from the heat. 

The dry sink is a fun piece to arrange for each season and holiday.

 

A photograph of my grandmother's childhood farmhouse stands as inspiration. 

That's about it for now. 

 I hope you enjoyed having a look at some of our summer holiday decorations. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Katie