Summer Front Porch Decorating

(you can find all of the details for the colors of our house exterior by clicking HERE)

Don’t you think the whole concept of blogging is a little strange? I know, that is an odd question coming from a blogger. But here I am, sharing with you about my summer front porch decorating and you have never even been to my home. Wouldn’t that be nice? But that is just not possible. So, I am so thankful that we get to meet here, in a virtual sense. The true beauty of blogs, of any type, is you find like minded people to interact with. I remember when I first found decorating blogs I realized I had found “my people”. The people who understood why it was so important to me to make my home a comfortable place to gather with my family and friends. The people who understood that sometimes, I really want to make it myself so that it is just the way I see it in my head. I never planned to be a “blogger”. I think very few people do. I think it kind of finds us. Then, before we know what happened, we realize it is something we love to do. We embrace the realization that we are “Makers”. And “Makers” come in all forms. A Maker can be someone who prepares beautiful meals, bakes incredible desserts, builds their own home or creates a classroom environment where learning thrives. Makers are parents who raise their children day to day. Makers are police officers, soldiers and firemen who make our world safe. Makers are the office workers, sanitation workers and retail workers who make everything around us possible. Guess what? In some way, shape or form, we are all Makers. There is no one who is “not creative”. It just takes on all different forms. So, thank you for letting me share here, each week, what I make, create, think – all of it. Thank you for allowing me to a Maker. And since you can’t actually visit me in person, I thought I would share with you how I decorated our front porch for summer with a few wreaths that I, you guessed it, made. Materials Needed: - Grapevine wreath and grapevine “nests”. -Dried or faux lavender -Ribbon of your choice - Wide burlap ribbon - Small pots - Outdoor green craft paint - Moss - Hot glue -Twine -Florist wire First you need to make the lavender rolls. Start with a grouping, wrapped with twine, and lay it on a length of burlap ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the lavender, tie with twine and then fold the front corner down and touch it with glue. That step, is for some reason, not pictured here. Make three for the main wreath and one for each window wreath. Paint the pots with a watered down mix of the outdoor craft paint. Run a piece of wire down the inside of the pot and through the hole. This is not necessary for the smallest pots. Put a bead of glue on the inside of top of the pot and fill it with moss. Begin assembling your wreath by wiring on the wreath. Attach a section of moss with glue. Create a bow (you can watch my bow making video by clicking this link) from your ribbon and wire it onto the wreath. Begin attaching each of the pots on with wire and attaching the smallest ones with glue. Once you are happy with the placement, insert small section of lavender into the pots. Repeat the same steps for the smaller “nest” wreaths. First glue in the moss, then attach the burlap wrapped lavender. Then, attach your pots and fill them with lavender. I used Command Brand hooks to attach all of my wreaths. Did you know that they have outdoor hooks now? I put one on my side door last year, in absolutely freezing cold weather, and it is still holding strong. Attaching the door hooks is easy, but there is a clever little trick to it. First thing you need to do is clean the area with isopropyl alcohol. Remove the blue cover from the strip and attach it to the hook. Then removed the black cover from the strip. Attach the hook to your door and hold it in place for 30 seconds. Then simply slide the hook up leaving only the base behind. Wait one hour, then reattach the hook and hang your wreath. The same similar process will hang your smaller wreaths on your windows, just use clear outdoor hooks. Clean the area with isopropyl alcohol. Start by removing the blue cover from the strip, attach it to the hook. Then remove the black cover and attach the hook to your window. Hold it in place for 30 seconds. Then, as always, wait one hour before hanging your wreath. As much as the front door wreath is nice, I am really in love with the extra detail on the windows. And I love that the hooks are clear so they don’t interfere at all with the wreath. It bring the whole area together and makes it feel like more an extension of my home. And now I no longer have one of the ridiculous over the door hooks that always rattled and got in the way when I opened and closed the door. We used to have four rocking chairs out here, but I finally admitted it was just too crowded. I moved the other two to our screened porch and painted them white. Now, it is much more welcoming out here and it is a perfect spot for two. With the railings gone after our front porch makeover, there is so much more room. Next up will be to freshen up these chairs with some black spray paint. What about you? What kind of maker are you? You are one. It is just a matter of what kind. And I know your list is long. Thanks so much for reading and letting me share my need to be a Maker!