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    Home » Front Porch Ideas

    How To Decorate Your Porch In 39 Easy Steps

    Published by Pam Kessler | 860 words. · About 5 minutes to read this article. - 33 Comments

    When I showed you my porch the other day, it occurred to me that you might be interested to see how I went about "designing" it.

    Well it starts with a vision in your head. And then you put that vision down on a mood board. And then you go out shopping at all the high end stores looking for just the right accessories.

    Screeeech . . .

    How to decorate a porch

    Maybe that's how Nate Berkus or Martha Stewart's crew does it, but I have my own little version of decorating that goes something like this:

    Stand in your front yard in your pajamas and socks and scope out the scene.

    Decide that you need a good heaping dose of color on the porch right about now. And maybe a piece of non-porch-like furniture.

    Go back inside to change your socks, because walking in the yard with just socks on when you also have dogs is not a good move.

    Dig around in the garage to find the table you have in mind.

    Start to wonder if this table actually exists. Or are you remembering a table from one of your many thrifting dreams? Where is that stupid table?

    The making of a porch vignette

    Do your best impersonation of a circus contortionist to extricate the table from the pile of furniture, chairs and garden junk which is at least 7 foot high.

    Realize it would probably make the evening news if you were to be buried alive in a pile of your own junk. You do not want to be on the evening news.

    Finally dig out the table and drag it to the front porch.

    Drag it back off the front porch when you notice spider egg sacks hanging from the bottom of the table. And now from your left boob.

    Remove said egg sacks. Both from the table and the boob. And try to get the image of baby spiders crawling around on your chest out of your mind.

    Drag the table back up onto the porch.

    The making of a porch vignette

    Go back to the garage to find one of your galvanized pails. Realize the particular pail you are thinking of is in the basement.

    Traipse downstairs to find it in the basement.

    Try to remember where you put your pussy willow branches from last year. Yes, they're in the space above the garage accessible only by a rickety pull-down-from-the-ceiling ladder.

    Take your life into your own hands to climb the ladder of doom. What is the weight limit on this thing?

    Retrieve the pussy willows and place them in the pail. Not sure it was worth the whole trip, but by golly, they are staying there now!

    Grab your vintage metal picnic basket and put it on the table. Realize it needs a little something in it.

    Run to local garden center and spend half an hour picking out the right mini-flat of pansies.

    All yellow? All blue? Dark spot in the middle? Or all one color throughout the petals? What about a multi-colored pack?

    Decide on all yellow mainly because it is the color closest to you when you notice the garden center workers are starting to point in your direction and giggle.

    The making of a porch vignette

    Plop pansies down in the picnic basket.

    Grab the pillow covers that you had sewn previously and put them on your pillows.

    Realize you forgot to measure the pillows before making the coverings. Decide it should be a law that all pillows sold are 18" square.

    Think about re-sewing them. After regaining your sanity, decide that baggy pillows are "in" this year.

    The making of a porch vignette

    Decide you need something above the table.

    Or do you?

    Try a empty picture frame. Too small. What about a larger frame?

    Practically trip over a green cabinet door on your way to return picture frame to picture frame pile. You do have a picture frame pile, don't you?

    Decide green cabinet door can work.

    Run to Home Depot to pick up eye screws in order to hang the cabinet door.

    Spend half hour at Home Depot looking for eye screws. Who knew they were in the nuts and bolts section?

    Wear your fingers down to the nubs screwing in eye screws.

    Hang the door and decide it still needs something.

    What about the black tray? Where is the black tray? Are you just imagining you own a black tray?

    OK, found it in the basement. Now how to hang it? Not using eye screws, that's for sure.

    Decide to use sticky backed Velcro. Thank God you actually have that at the house and do not have to make one more trip.

    Wave to guy across the street when you realize he's been watching you.

    Bad enough if it was a girl watching you, at least she might understand decorating, but you're pretty sure the guy is watching out of amusement/confusion.

    Realize your doormat is shedding and you can longer read the word WELCOME on it. Looks totally out of place with your new fresh porch look.

    The making of a porch vignette

    Run to Target to buy a new doormat. So much for no more trips.

    Done.

    32 miles on the car.

    Boy, this decorating stuff is easy.

    Oh, wait. Photos.

    Off to find camera . . .

    « Colorful Spring Front Porch
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    2.0K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Louise Marie

      April 18, 2014 at 6:10 pm

      Hi there! i agree with your commentators! i love the post, the photos, and the way you think! i decorate just like you, although it usually does not come out as lovely as yours. i have a problem though. Your photos were missing something. i read all of your comments, although quickly. i am a speed reader and have known to miss a few words now and then. Make that paragraphs. It was not there either. I can't find the empty photo frame or the tray. Did you do that on purpose, did you forget, am i making too big a thing about it, or am i missing something? It doesn't matter. i just want to see how the whole story looks! Also, my forgetfulness is so great that if you really forgot, then you truly must be my long lost sister!!!!! Another thing, those little spider sacks..........i hate those things! Part of the reason is because i imagine the whole thing just as you described. Ooooooh, creepy crawlies.........yewwww!

      Reply
    2. Judy

      April 18, 2014 at 9:00 pm

      This is an awesome post!

      Reply
    3. Louise Marie

      April 19, 2014 at 12:52 pm

      OMG! i am so sorry. i went back to re-read your post. There it was, right in the first paragraph, the link to all the good photos of your porch. It was not even the frame. It was the cabinet door. Lovely.......your beautiful creative design for your porch is so lovely. I love it all, especially your blog post! Thank you.

      Reply
    4. ThrifterSisters

      April 19, 2014 at 9:13 pm

      Doing this lesson. Right now. Step by step.

      🙂

      Erica

      Reply
    5. Into Vintage

      April 20, 2014 at 6:37 pm

      You had me at pajamas... 🙂

      Reply
    6. The Speckled Hen Cottage

      April 21, 2014 at 9:55 am

      You are just what I needed this Monday morning!!! I was just heading outside (pajamas and slippers...country girl) when I decided to to read a couple of blogs while my tea brewed. Your porch looks lovely, that table is perfect, the pussy willows are just right, and that rabbit is gorgeous standing guard over everything! By the way...you are so far ahead of the decorating curve with those "baggy" pillows...and to think we saw them here first!!!!;-)

      Reply
    7. HappyGal

      April 22, 2014 at 6:57 pm

      Hi Pam, I did this same thing last year. Here's how I solved it: I took out the pillow form and replaced it with a bunch of plastic grocery bags! It worked great and the pillows could stay out all season, no problem. Hope this helps and thanks for your charming post.

      Reply
    8. Michelle

      January 15, 2017 at 5:55 pm

      How did you know?? My life quick projects are exactly like that??!!! Thanks for Keeping It Real ?

      Reply
    9. Swille

      September 11, 2019 at 9:50 pm

      I was trying to figure out where you purchased the table. It’s from the garage. I wanted to go out and buy it.

      Reply
    10. Lori L Patterson

      September 30, 2021 at 10:43 pm

      Hey, is anyone on here? I see the last post were from 2014 ... and it's almost 2022.... But, your retelling of your decorating your front porch, made me think about me.... lol...
      Please let me know if you get this, and if you are on another site? thanks, Lori
      [email protected]

      Reply
      • Pam Kessler

        October 05, 2021 at 7:28 am

        I'm still right here:) . I normally post about once a week. If you go to my home page and scroll down a bit you can see a section called "What's New".

        Reply
    11. Cherelyn

      February 07, 2022 at 6:01 pm

      I realize this is an old post, but wanted to say nicely done and nicely written. You narrated a completely relatable saga. Also would have liked to see total spent too, but expect it would be low since you recycled a lot from the various areas of your home. Some of which could have killed you! However the target purchase may have been a splurge. Kudos to you.

      Reply
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