Remember My Future White Porch?

 

Awww… the dream… the vision…

The White Porch

or back deck… whichever one you want to call it.

However…I believe my dream of having that special, cozy environment is slowly getting crushed.

BUT FIRST…

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane… shall we?

It all started with the Tractor Wheels.

My beautiful curtain holders for my future white porch!

 And then the trailer gate.

It fit perfectly over the door… like it was made for that space.

AND THEN…

My little white table I built out of a broke clock to use as a side table.

I had such vision for this place.

But first things first… I had to paint it WHITE… such a concept!

So where am I at today with it?

Almost finished painting…BUT~ BUT ~BUT~

Warning:

About to get REAL.

OK… see that back door?  Well… there is heavy traffic going through there all the time to the outside.

Which leads me to this question…

Have you met my fur babies?

 

Yep… that’s them!

And if I counted correctly… that’s

12 PAWS plus 

4 human feet (us) = 16 total feet…

going in and out that door all the time…

which leaves me with this…

When the dew falls and the rain comes…

it’s a muddy mess!

But I’m not finished!!

Then there are these… ICK!!

Spiders and webs everywhere making my white porch

their home!!

No matter how much I spray and kill… they keep coming back.

And then I have bees, wasps, and flies that make it into this space!

Now… I ask you…

how do I keep my floor clean

(without having to clean

it twice a day)

and the icky creatures

out and off any furniture or decor I put in here?

I waited all summer long and into this fall to see what would happen in this space…

now I know!

How do you make it work with three fur babies

and two humans whose back yard is nothing but

woods?

How do people do it?

I have no answer… it’s not a space I wanted to spend any money on other than paint and a few creations here and there.

So that is where I am at today with this space.

SO…

my White Porch dream may be slowly fading…

Any suggestions?

 

I’m Making Christmas Ornaments in October…

Is it Christmas yet?

(Country Sampler Magazine)

Because I’m making ornaments! 

I promised myself that I would get a head start on Christmas this year.

And I think October is a good time to start!

However… before I begin…

let me just get this out there…

I have NEVER sewn before!

Nope… not even a button.

So what you are about to see is major beginner’s stuff…

In fact… I had to seek help from youtube and my facebook

page (thanks Wendy) on how to tie knots in the thread! 

Creative Ambitions

I’m not saying I’m doing it right but…

it is holding together!

YAY!

Ok… so here is the FIRST practice ornament made with muslin…

 

Don’t laugh!

I realize it’s horrible! LOL!

So I changed up the fabric and technique (if that’s what you want to call it) and made this white ornament out of felt…

Ahhh! Much better…

So then I made these white ornaments…

Except for the snowflakes which were from a felt

snowflake garland I found at Hobby Lobby on sale.

Which I will probably cut into individual flakes.

But I’m not through…

I decided to get crazy and throw in some color…

I plan to make bunches of these white and maroon ornaments for my tree… 

I think they kinda have a folk/primitive feel to them.

I’m just so glad I’m getting an early start this year… hope to keep the momentum going…

I have been known to wait until a few days before Christmas to decorate!

Bad Kendra… Bad!

Now… I’d like to know…

How early do you start getting ready and decorating for

Christmas?

 

Linking to…

My Version of a Photo Ladder

Back in the spring… my gracious neighbor gave me these

nice tree branches.

Well… they sat on the back porch for awhile as I contemplated what to use them for.

So back in the summer… when it was like 100 degrees I finally decided to build this.

 

Basically, my hubs cut the pieces I needed and I nailed it together.

IT IS PURELY A DECORATIVE PIECE.

so…

WARNING:

No climbing on this ladder!

After I got it assembled… I didn’t know what to do with it.  I really didn’t have a place or a plan for it yet.

So it sat out on the back porch with me staring at it for months.

And then finally it came to me… a photo ladder and a possible place in the dining room.

So I went out and bought some ingredients I needed…

and then got to cookin’.

All I did next was (after measuring) predrilled a small hole in the branches and photo frames and then screwed in screw eyes.

I had originally planned to use S hooks to link the frame to the steps but because my steps had different heights… it didn’t work out.

So I used hemp string I bought at Walmart a few weeks back.  I actually like it better than the S hooks.

Next,  I painted my photo frames white and then picked out some black and white photos of our wedding and put them in.

I had some berries left over from my White Cradle Centerpiece (Click here)

and just stuck them on.

But wait… I’m not through.

I want your opinion!

My hubby and I cut some pieces of wood from some branches outside.  I had planned to glue them on the photo frame to make it look more rustic.  I used a white wash over them.

Here are some just taped on…

Not sure which way to go??

SO…

what do you think?

With

or

without

the stumps of wood?

Thanks For Stoppin’ By!

Linking to

Apples and Berries + Doll Cradle = Table Centerpiece

For those who read my blog, you know I have been slowly working on my dining room.

Changing things up a bit… as I like to do.

Well, one thing I wanted to create was a colorful centerpiece for the table…

as I hinted in my color challenge post.

I found this old doll cradle at Goodwill for $3.00.

I’m not sure if it is antique or not… but…

I decided to paint it white and give it a distressed look with walnut stain.

I then watered the white paint down and brushed it over the stain… my version of white wash.

Next…

it was time to gather the ingredients.

I already had a candle… I just needed a few extras.

So off to Walmart and Hobby Lobby I went.

Bag of fake apples: $10

Box of small apples: $5

Both at Walmart

(They look so real!)

Berries/floral:  @ $.50 a piece (Hobby Lobby sale)

Fabric (which is actually a pillowcase) found at Goodwill… the closest I could get to ticking fabric.

I decided not to use the cinnamon sticks in the photo.

And the branches… well they were free of course… compliments of my backyard.

When the cradle was dry… with the help of my blow dryer…  I stuffed it with packing paper and put an egg carton in the center.

Basically, I needed a flat base to sit my candle on.

But the carton was too long so I cut the egg carton in half and centered it in the middle…

on top of another full carton.

I put my pillowcase over the the whole thing and tucked it in around the edges.

Next…

I just added all the other ingredients and voila…

my new centerpiece.

Now you may be wondering about the rocking? 

I took care of that… wouldn’t want a fire happening here!

I put a piece of cut brown felt under the legs… works like a charm.

 

It adds a nice splash of color in this room.

This centerpiece is so versatile, too…

you can leave the apples but use different liners and add other “ingredients” to make a new look…

especially for different seasons…

which is what I love!

I think it has a modern yet primitive feel to it.

I love my new white cradle centerpiece!

Now… it’s off to work on the kitchen table centerpiece!

Thanks For Stopping By!

Linking to:

A Short Visit To Covington, Louisiana

We just got back from a quick trip to Louisiana.

Our destination: Covington

Our purpose:  University of Tennessee and Louisiana State University football game in Baton Rouge.

 

My husband grew up in Covington and is a huge LSU fan.

However, I grew up in Tennessee and graduated from UTK.

So I guess you can say we are a house divided…

but I like to say we are a house united! :)

Anyway… let’s just say… what a CRAZY game!

But that aside… I wanted to share a taste of Covington with you.

What a great little town.  I love it.  It has so much character.  The city has done a great job in revitalizing their town.

And look at the oak trees with streaming moss… gorgeous. 

The oaks are bountiful here and create a canopy of beauty.

Covington has the cutest shops and restaurants that are all in walking distance from one another.

We ate at a place called Mattina Bella…

(Didn’t have a pic so I grabbed this one from Google Map.)

They have great food! Love their breakfast… pecan waffle… YUM!

Next up…

I saw a couple of these directional signs on the corner of the streets… so cute!

And here are some shops and restaurants on Lee Lane below…

 

Here are some more pics of the buildings below…

Look at that beautiful railing!

Love the shudders and lanterns on this building!

Look at the detail on that door… love it!

 

Covington: what an adorable town!

There were so many cute, artsy businesses we passed that I did not get a chance to take photos of.

Even the historical homes that are mixed in between the streets of businesses are charming and beautiful.

I know my photos only touch on the charm and character of Covington, LA.

It’s great place to visit!

And…we won’t talk about the crazy game in Baton Rouge where one minute I’m celebrating UT’s win and consoling my husband and then the next minute he’s celebrating LSU’s win and consoling me!

:)

Thanks For Stopping By!