Cue the Chorus of Angels

Alleluia, Alleluia!   The porch is finished!

Thanks to my talented husband, we've gone from this (a slab of concrete):

to this:

After many many days/weeks/months/years of hard work, last week Frank left me with this beautiful blank slate.





And I have filled it with furniture and items I've been collecting for years now.  I have many tutorials and details to share.  For now let me just take you on a little photo tour...

From our foyer you get a glimpse through the dining room of the brightly colored pillows on the day bed.







Years ago I found these four cane chairs at the Habitat Re-Store, then painted and reupholstered them, thanks to an upholstery class I took.



My dream of a day bed on the porch has come true.  I sewed a zippered cover for the twin mattress, and created deep foam bolsters for the back cushions.  I'll have a tutorial about that coming up.  It really makes the bed feel more like a couch.  Until you want to toss those bolsters off and take a nice afternoon nap!



I picked up this old wood crate from a thrift shop.  Frank made a top for it, and I painted then distressed it.  More on that to come.








Here's our lovely 13 foot pew in all it's glory!  I haven't done a thing to it, other than wipe it down.  I had plans to paint it or strip it, but for now I'm liking it just fine.







 I picked up this old high chair from Craigslist.  We modified it to fit up to the table and I sewed a "strap" to hold our little girl in.  More on that to come.



These pine Windsor chairs were hand-me-downs.  I had plans to paint them too, but I think I'll sit on it (ha!) for a while.  That yellow-y wood usually bothers me, but I don't mind it so much here.  It's similar to a color in those Suzani pillows.







Extra seating waits for guests here.  We hung the folding chairs on bicycle racks.

This table sits right under our kitchen window and is a handy place to set out snacks or a buffet dinner. And my duck finally has a home, holding a dish towel.   Under the table I've stashed a few crates full of toys for EB.

I created a unique light strand out of collected jars.  I've had this vision forever and am so glad to see it come to life!  These lights create the perfect ambiance for a late evening gathering.  I've got a step-by-step for you coming soon.



Frank helped me make this huge chalkboard.  It's long enough so that kids can color below, and adults have space to write above. 





A screw secures a simple tin can to the wall to wrangle chalk and an eraser.



You guys, this space is more than I ever could have dreamed.  From the pale pale blue ceiling to the cool breeze from the ceiling fans, to the bright happy colors, I am totally in love!  I've spent most of my time out here since we finished (I'm stretched on the day bed as I type!).

There are a few more little projects to finish up, but I'm SO glad we have this space to use all summer.  It's still cool enough here in Brevard that we're living with the windows open, so this space truly feels like a new room in our home.  I have a feeling we'll be living out here for a good chunk of the year.  

Here's a look at some memories we've created here so far...









Last night we had a party, and the space worked so well.










Thank you, Frank, for building the porch of my dreams!  You are the best husband I could ever ask for.  Love you!

Thanks for sticking with me through this super long post, y'all!  Don't forget to come back to for future posts on:

• creating cushions for a day bed
• distressing new wood to match old wood
• creating a "strap" to hold a baby in an antique high chair (or any chair, really)
• how to make a twinkle lights out of collected jars (canning jars work well, too)
• making a giant chalkboard

This will probably be my last post before Haven.  Can't wait to meet many of you there!  Rhoda is one of the founders of Haven, and I'm linking up today to her fabulous porch party.   Click over to get lots of porch inspiration.  And if you don't already, you should be following along as she fixes up her sweet new-to-her home.  I'm so impressed with what she and her parents have done so far.  The transformation will be incredible, I can already tell!


(For more on our porch progress, click here, here, and here.)

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