FRONT PORCH CHARM

Adding charm to your front porch.

  

Create a bench seating with a faux window. I bought the wrought iron at a store and my husband framed it with wood. We hung it up to create a "window" above the bench. I used red accents in flowers, pillows and paint to match our red front door.

So, get creative! And YES, you can add farmhouse charm to your front porch; even if you live in a suburban neighborhood.

~Yvonne ;)

RUSTIC FLOWER BED

Adding rustic charm outside your home is easy and fun. Don't try to achieve perfection. Remember that it is in the imperfections that add character. This means that you can get the kids involved and overcome your OCD issues!

                                 AFTER                                                          BEFORE

Recycle those old fence boards and create your own mini panel for planters. I LOVE how this came out!!

{IDEA: This is a super cute way to plant your herbs!}

Using the recycled old fence boards, again, we made a simple fence. This helped create separation between the front porch seating area and the flower bed, without blocking the view.

I did the same distressed paint treatment on both fencing projects to keep it unified.

And what else would you mount on the fence when you live in Texas?...a longhorn skull, of course!

Creating a rustic flower bed doesn't need to be boring. Rocks, different style pots and flowers that make you smile :) all add charm to your flower bed. Keeping it simple and uncluttered gives it a fresh look.  It's water wise, also!

So have a seat outside, drink your ice tea and enjoy your ... flower bed ... I mean, SUMMER! ~Yvonne

Trendy Tripod Lamp

Tripod Lamp

    Instead of buying that pricey trendy TRIPOD lamp, create your own. Save yourself hundreds of dollars! Make it exactly the way you want it. Pick the color you like and coordinate it with a great lamp shade. Since you are saving so much money on your personal lamp, go ahead and splurge on the lamp shade. It will add that designer touch!
    Use conduit for the tripod legs. Drill a hole near bottom & top of one conduit for the electrical cord to run through. Use a fine grit sandpaper to rub the smooth oily feel off of the conduit. Spray paint it the color of your choice. Run electrical cord through conduit. Drill three holes through a round wood disc approximately 1 1/2" thick. Drill screws through side of wood disc and through the conduit to hold it in place. Use lamp shade kit to add to top. Add rubber footings to bottom of conduit legs, add your bulb and lamp shade. It really is that easy and looks like it stepped right out of a magazine!
    I LOVE my tripod lamp! I sit in my cozy chair, grab a book to read and turn on my tripod lamp. ~Yvonne

Stumped by Mesquite

     So you cleared your land from all those Texas Mesquite trees and now you're wondering what to do with the logs and stumps. Of course, you set aside many, MANY bundles of logs for grilling to add that smoky mesquite flavor but there are more ideas.
     Add several coats of amber tinted Shellac to transform your mesquite into a rustic centerpiece, end table, bar stool, candle tray or cutting board. (Shellac is a natural product that creates a safe surface for food.)
     So get shellacking and love your mesquite wood!
~Yvonne

Mosaic Tile: Not Just For Backsplash

Rustic coffee table with mosaic tile inlay

Shabby chic foyer table with mosaic tile inlay

We've all seen the tables with ceramic, cream-colored tile inlays. They have that country look but simple & basic. This is where you can pump up the charm!

Manuel & I had some left over mosaic tile from our DIY kitchen back-splash project. We decided to inlay it into a coffee table he made that we hadn't sold yet. It took some tedious labor but the result was so worth it.

We loved the look so much that we decided to build a customized tile-inlay foyer table. We bought some gorgeous mosaic tile at the home improvement store. Since we only need a few squares, we knew we could splurge on the fancy one. I did a shabby chic paint treatment in turquoise & white on the frame. AMAZING!

A creative twist on the tile top table that has charm to the max!
~Yvonne

Invite Them In

After                                                                  Before

Does your front door lack curb appeal? Does it remind you of that neglected scary house in a horror movie? Or is it just boring and depressing?

It is quick and easy to add charm to your front door! Very little time and money invested will not only give a warm first impression, but adds curb appeal, which will add value to your home.

Make It Bold: Choose a bold color that is completely different from your house colors but that still compliments your home. To really make that bold color POP, paint the door frame white.

Add accessories: The house numbers on the door I saw in a magazine. I purchased the numbers at the home improvement store & re-created the look. Turned out magazine worthy!!

How to get the paint color you want: First-timers sometimes make the rookie mistake of buying colors readily available in the paint cans. These colors are basic & limited. (Guilty here.)

Look at the hundreds of card swatches available at your home improvement store & choose the color you love. Give it to the paint tech & say, "1 quart, exterior paint, semi-gloss." [One room interior would be, "1 gallon, interior paint, matte finish."]
I love the Valspar brand because it always comes out exactly like the paint card.

Exterior designing: To blend the door color into your surroundings, I suggest adding that color into flowers, door mat, throw pillows for porch seating, flower pots & garden statues.

Come on in! The doors open :)

~Yvonne

Feed Your Artistic Side

        

I had painted my living room walls and was not sure what to hang up afterwards. Manuel wanted something rustic & I wanted something artistic. So, until we could find something we both agreed on, the walls were left bare.

Then when we stopped at our favorite, local vintage shop, we saw two burlap feed sacks. They were so rustic that it looked cool. Together we brain-stormed the idea of framing them as wall art. He loved the idea & so did I. It was a definite WIN-WIN!!

How to create the look: We purchased some plywood to stretch & staple the burlap sacks onto and then we framed it with wood. I decided to paint the frame white & opted out on distressing it so that it would stand out against our 'cafe ole' brown walls.

The result: RUSTIC WALL ART that "feeds" our need for rustic charm and artistry.