Porch Makeover

Hiya! I'll warn ya, this is a long one. You might want to just scan the pictures :).

One of the features of our pretty basic SPEC house I love is our front porch. It is covered, west facing, wood (the norm in these new areas is precast concrete), and a decent size to sit out and enjoy the evening sun on. The only thing is we've rarely sat out there in the seven years we've been here as our furniture was really uncomfortable. The little bistro set below was originally purchased for a balcony in a condo we had before the house. Pretty? Yes. Functional? Not so much.

Before:

A couple of weeks ago I decided to spruce up the porch and had almost talked myself into two new resin wicker Adirondack-type chairs from Home Outfitters. I had a 25% off coupon for one item but the pair would still end up costing $175, plus a side table and accessories. I just couldn't justify it. But then I remembered we have 6 chairs in our set on the back deck, and rarely have 6 people around the table.

After:
(Do you see my dog in the window wondering what I am doing outside without her??)

I can't tell you how pleased I was to re-purpose something we already owned. AND I pretty much ended up with the "look" I was after. Now, I did spend some $$$, TOO MUCH $$$, actually. I suppose my instant-gratification-need beat out my thrifty-sensibilities!

I purchased the side table and outdoor cushions. (I originally put out regular cushions but they stained slightly after the first rain). The good news is I was able to use that 25% off coupon on one of the cushions. I also purchased the candle and hurricane on clearance at Winners.

Two of the four planters on the steps we already had, the other two I picked up for 50 cents each at a garage sale last weekend. I filled one of the 50 cent pots with some fresh herbs, do you see the markers? So easy to do and I like them better than the plastic tags that come with the plants. I made some for my herbs on the back deck too..quick and easy with my little alpha stamps.

The wire planter is a new addition, I picked that up at a garage sale a couple of weekends ago for $3. I found the coconut liner at our local garden centre.

Finally, I added WELCOME to our front door. I cut the vinyl out with my Cricut. I'm still getting used to it and think the letters might be a bit too big, so this could change.

So, there you have our front porch re-do! Not including the plants/flowers, I spent approx $100. I think I could have done it less expensively if I had found the table and cushions at a garage sale or thrift shop. But I am pleased that I did pick up most of the accessories on the cheap and used some things we had on hand, namely the chairs. It's not a dramatic difference, but it is more casual and reflective of our style. And when we do have 6 people around the table on the back deck, we can easily "borrow" these chairs from out front.

Thanks so much for visiting! I'll be linking this up to Monday's Thrifty Treasures on Southern Hospitality.