Freshed Up Front Porch

We have a gigantic porch.  It is fairly well protected from the weather and it is a whole lot of fun to decorate!  It was dressed to the nines for the holidays.  Once that got all put away, it was time for a simpler look.  I had lots of red pieces before.  Here it is looking quite patriotic. Whites and creams are calling my name these days.  Between the Barn House boys and Rachel Ashwell’s new Shabby Chic look influencing me, I am embracing neutrals more and more.

The shorter white table moved from inside the house to the outside.  I’m happy with how its’ shape pops against the grey wall and cement landing.

The rocker and bench went from red painted finishes to off white.  In the next post, I’ll show my favorite new product for smudging up the finish just right.

And my porch’s new look has come in very handy as a backdrop for shooting pictures of outdoor entertaining pieces I am including in the presentation for the Flower and Garden Show.  I have tried taking pictures on our open deck and found the weather challenging, if not darn right uncooperative.  One morning was clear but the wood deck was doubling as a skating rink.  Today we woke up to find it covered in fir needles and debris from a wind storm.

So yippee, for that nice, covered porch! -- Beth

Rachel is B-A-C-K

Hot diggity dog – I received my copy of Rachel Ashwell’s latest book – Shabby Chic Interiors; My Rooms, Treasures and Trinkets. Tiffany of Shabby Scraps received hers recently, and seems to love it as much as I do. I’ve just turned the pages quickly on my first once through. It is a gorgeous endeavor, and by the time I hit the last two chapters – Behind the Scenes and Details, I was even more enthralled. This is a book you want to own.

And more good news – I found out from reading Rachel’s latest blog posting on Shabby Chic, that she opened Shabby Chic Couture on September 12 at the original location of her very first store in Santa Monica. Her blog entries sharing the business challenges she has endured are truly poignant. I so admire her vision, perseverance and honesty.