Porch Makeover!

 I haven't been following the weather around the country, but here in upstate New York, we've had quite a heat wave for the last two weeks or so and it's been impossible to be outside for more than three minutes without sweating through your clothes!  All grossness aside, the weather finally broke this weekend and being outside yesterday was like heaven!  What started with me wanting to finish painting the porch pillars (which had annoyingly been a little more than half done for three weeks with two pillars done, one with one coat of paint, and the other with just the bottom outside painted), turn into a full blown porch makeover!

 I'm not a huge fan of the color of our house, so short of spending a million dollars to have it repainted, I thought adding some accents to the two toned, boring paint job on the front porch might bring me to like it more.  I painted the pillars a light yellowy cream, almost white...basically a lighter version of the yellow that is already there.  I painted the pillars and the rafters.  Easy enough and it really does make a difference, albeit subtle.  The floor still needs a sanding and painting or staining, but I'll save that for next year maybe.

 After the painting was done, I thought, 'boy there's a lot of algae on this floor and spider webs on the ceiling!)  So I hosed down and scrubbed the floor and "swept" the ceiling the best I could, trying to spare as many spider lives as I could (they live to build another web, yes).  Then I rearranged the wicker furniture. 

 Our porch is a bit tight on space and the arrangement we had before was far from great and a bit cramped.  While leg room is still at a premium, this new arrangement makes us want to invite the neighbors for some lemonade!  I spent two hours out there last night spinning cotton and watching law and order on the laptop.  Bringing up the cushions from the basement finally was also a big improvement, lol. 

 I also added a little bit more pizazz against the wall.  Like the apple tree prunings I put in an old oil can and the large round screen thingy.

 Ben helped me put up this shelf, which had been patiently sitting in the basement for quite some time.  You may remember it from this post.  I had intended to hang it on the porch since we moved in, but until yesterday I didn't have the pep in my step to do it.  Funny how once the ball starts rolling on a project, it's hard to stop it.

 The new old light and deer doorbell have been here for a little while, but now with the rest of the porch in place they really shine.  I hung a cuckoo clock pine cone to the deerbell to give it some extra heft when ringing.

 This shelf is a garden tool junk collector and was starting to look a bit messy.  I reorganized and added even more junk, but made it look intentional.  :)

 Like a seashell covered bowl filled with rusty stakes and old doodads and a super rusty old roller skate.  I found a little box filled with super rusty things in my basement a few weeks ago.  Not sure where it came from.  Either the antique junk fairy has been stopping by during the night or my memory is going at way too early an age!  lol

 I finally hung up these lanterns too.  They'll look lovely at night.

 Winnie doesn't much care how things are arranged...as long as we're happy!

 And we are!

Now I just need to get to covering those concrete pillars with stone....