Front Porch Sittin'

I wish I've been doing a lot of front porch sittin' lately, and that it's why I haven't posted on the blog in nearly a week! But alas I've been swamped with work and preparations for the in-laws who just visited this weekend. Every time I want to work on my Etsy shop or put together some posts, I think about the long to-do list I have sitting in my office and decide to be responsible.

I did get a couple minutes to make a few improvements on our front porch, though. It needed some help and I'd been wanting to get a bench ever since we moved into our house. That mixed with some new flowers, a DIY chalkboard paint-pot and housewarming gifts from friends equals a much prettier porch, perfect for sittin'.

BEFORE

AFTER

Just having a nice bench makes such a difference, and I love the pattern of the bench cushion as well. Both items are from Garden Ridge, the oak bench was on sale for $40 (normally $80) and the cushion was $25.

This super cute wreath was a housewarming gift from friends, who spotted it a boutique out in Boerne, Texas while away for the weekend. Isn't is perfect for us? I love the "howdy" at the top. :)

I replaced the plastic hanging pot with a much more eye-pleasing version that I scored at Big Lots for $5. The pink geranium is from Houston Garden Centers and was on sale for $2. 

I have been trying to think of ways to use my chalkboard spray paint again, and when I spotted this terra cotta pot for $6 at Garden Ridge, I instantly envisioned a chalkboard welcome sign on the front. I used painter's tape to tape off a large rectangle and covered the rest of the exposed pot with newspaper. Then I sprayed two coats of the chalkboard paint, letting it dry in between. Some of the paint seeped down on the bottom, but a little sand paper (my husband's genius idea!) got it right off and you can't even tell. Then I took a piece of chalk and rubbed it all over the painted square, wiped it off and scripted my message.

I also added a planter hook in the backyard, and suspended two pots of white begonias. I planted the red flowers before our housewarming party, and added a row of red geraniums to the very back. (They were $1 each at Houston Garden Center.) The dogs look pretty happy with the additions, don't ya think? :)

This weekend, we did quite a bit of grilling, including some delicious shrimp fajitas for mother's day today. I'll have a weekend recap coming up soon, along with an event for Manolo Blahnik and some new additions to my Etsy shop, Texas Take.

Hope you had a great weekend!