a day in the life | my front porch refresh
hello thursday! it’s time to grab a cup of coffee, iced tea, or glass of wine depending on what time of day you’re reading this post. ‘cuz we’re taking a tour of the front porch. yep, i hauled the leaf blower out of storage and dusted my hose off to spruce up the porch. this year all of the spring cleaning duties fell to me, myself, and i. mr. style was sorely missed, as we both tackled spring cleaning chores together. but keep buggering on, right? so, i slipped into my gardening clogs and planted the window boxes with flowers. join me and take a tour of my front porch refresh.
mean green machine
to kick things off today, an editorial note. the first few photos of the post were taken several weeks ago on the streets of Athens. as you’ve probably noticed if you follow this blog regularly, our editorial calendar shifted gears mid-march. with shelter-in-place edicts handed out, we shifted content. but we have a a few spring outfits like this one that i wanted to share. it’s a cute outfit to wear on a shopping expedition (kind of miss those), but it easily transitions to a day-at-home. all you have to do is exchange the leopard flats for sneakers and ditch the camo tote.
denim | gingham shirt | pink sweatshirt | shoes (old, similar here and here) utility jacket (old, similar here, here, and here) | belt | similar tote
my front porch refresh
spring cleaning begins! the house is scheduled for a paint job that’s been held up since January due to rain and more rain. and i cannot wait since the front porch is in desperate need of a facelift. but fresh paint or not it was time to plant our window boxes, hang a spring wreath on the front door, and fluff the pillows scattered on the rockers and glider.
funny story! an ambitious bird kept choosing the wreath as her first choice to build her nest. every time i opened the door, the mama bird would fly inside. then we’d have to chase her back out and knock down the nest. fingers crossed she finally found a new spot.
garden gear
gardening clogs | garden tool set
the urn, boxwood topiary, and the topiary dog are all from Grandin Road. they add a touch of whimsy to the porch.
a proper dog collar from Target is in order. what’s better than stripes come spring?
rock around the clock
similar animal print pillow | orange and white pillow
pax is helping? or hindering the photo shoot? he’s adorable, so get’s a pass.
a day in the life
the bunnies from Grandin Road were added last year to the front porch.
denim | gingham shirt | pink sweatshirt | utility jacket (old, similar here, here and here) | sneakers
every year i purchase a boston fern for the front porch. this baby will be transplanted from the plastic planter in a day or two. but by July, this plant will have doubled in size.
it’s 5 o’clock somewhere
similar animal print pillow | orange and white pillow
a little artwork on the walls adds personality.
pull up a seat and sit a spell as we while away the hours on the porch and watch the world go by. don’t forget a glass of iced tea.
thanks so much, ladies, for stopping by. and i hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! but don’t forget to put a smile on someone’s face today, including yours.
So nice that you can plant! It is too early for us! What plants did you put in your window boxes? Looking for something new for my planters. Love your porch!
Maybe you could switch the front door wreath with the smaller wreath you have by the antelope on the side wall? That way bird & everybody survives happily. Its only for a short period of time.
if we stay vigilant and don’t let the nest get too far along in the process all is well. I’ve always had a wreath this size on the door but this is the first year a bird has zoomed in on it.
Beth, I had to chuckle about the bird and your wreath because the same thing happened at my house except I didn’t have the heart to knock the nest down. I was horrified to discover there were eggs in it! We couldn’t use our front door until the baby birds finally left the nest and then we immediately bought a storm door! LOL
I have a similar problem with birds building nests in awkward places. A friend told me to put an artificial bird in the wreath and they won’t build there, i bought several artificial birds at Michael’s and it has done wonders. Good luck.
I haven’t done nearly as much as you have, but you’ve given me some great ideas! The best one is the olive leaf wreath. I have a 3-year-old olive tree out here that doesn’t bear but has lovely leaves, and I think I will give her a haircut and make my own wreath, as I used to do in California with bay leaves!
Thanks for inspiring me, and I’ll have to come back out here with some iced tea later.
I love your porch!! Makes me want to decorate mine!! Your new pup is adorable!! I think I have missed hearing when you got him… how old is he? I’m sure he’s tons of fun!!🙂
Hi Beth,
Love love the bunnies. Heading out to plant some today, too. Beautiful weather here in Florida. Congrats on new family puppy!
Truly enjoy your efforts to inspire on my breaks from online instruction. Thanks for what you do 😘🙏.
Oh Beth, Boston ferns are the epitome of summer as are bunnies…I’m drooling. Also love your thermometer, they usually look so sterile, but this truly does say Style! Doing the flowers and outside chores, will bring sweet memories alone with some healing tears, but also provide a healthy distraction from the world outside the gate…Mother Earth 🌷
Thanks for sharing your front porch. I don’t have a front porch, but I am looking forward to being outside a little more now that April is here, from a safe distance, of course. Your outfit is perfect for so many things. I miss shopping expiditions, too. I never got to do any spring shopping. A shopping trip is on my bucket list for when this is all over. Stay safe.
Who is “pax”? Beautiful puppy?
I kept going back and looking at your rabbits. I love them. Very nice outfit. I’m seeing a lot of gingham and pink this spring. I really like it. I forget I have a camo bag because I never know when to carry it. Now I do? : ) Have a blessed day.
I have a pair of Sloggers and wear them every day for gardening. They are THE BEST! They even have a little support in the arch and keep my feet dry without being sweaty. Besides, they are cute and fun to wear. Here in Michigan the garden clean up is just beginning and it is so nice to be out working in the sunshine. Your porch looks wonderful and is inspiring me to get mine done…after I get the gardens done.
My sister has luck putting toy rubber snakes in her wreath to deter nest building! Happy spring, Beth!
You have a beautiful porch, thank you for sharing it with us !
Looks great! Still to much pollen here in South Carolina for a porch cleaning. Did buy some plants hoping to get them in their pots soon.
Thank you for a lovely post. I live in Ireland and very few houses have this type of open porch. I think that it must be really nice to sit out and watch the world go by. Stay safe in these worrying times.
Looks really nice. It is still pretty chilly up here! I did refresh my porch to bring in a little spring. Tell us about Pax, the puppy. Take care. Stay well.
Everything looks great Beth! I love decorating my front porch as we just moved to South NC.
Have a great spring🌸🌷
Blessings
Hello Beth from dunownder in Australia, long way from the USA.
Just want to say love your posts, fashion, makeup, recipes and your positive outlook.
Thank you.
Regards
Suzanne
Love the porch and the outfit, but especially love the guest appearance by Pax!
Take care and be well
Your pink and green combo outfit is one of my favorites.
Thankyou for sharing your porch makeover. What an awesome area to gather and relax. Oh yes, don’t forget your iced tea!
Our temps were in the 70’s yesterday and today the high was 28! We have a new dusting of snow on my tulips and hyacinths. April is such a tease!!
Thinking of you all, stay safe.
The plants and decor on your porch look so appealing. Pretty!
Your porch looks lovely… thank you for sharing .
Ooooh Beth,
Would you please show me a face shot of the little dog you had on your porch with you. What a little scene stealer! I just love dogs.
I also love being let into your world through your blog/instagram etc. It’s just like going on a real visit.
Hmm what will I do today, I know, I’ll drop in on Beth. What fun!
Keep safe and healthy.
Big virtual hug all the way from Australia
Ali
Always enjoy your blogs. Would prefer you use the term ‘stay at home order’. Our state does not refer to this quarantine as a ‘shelter in place’ as that refers to a shooter situation. Thanks for your part in keeping us all same with your tips for our stay at home order.
I have 2 pairs of Sloggers….best garden and rain shoes! They wash so well that they look new for many years
Beth, I have only a small entryway at my front door, but I’m inspired by this post to start my Spring spruce up — thank you! I enjoy your posts so much, particularly now as the daily news is so bleak — so thank you again!
(p.s. I’m not certain that “buggering on” is the exact term you want to use here?)
It’s a nod to Churchill who was often heard saying “KBO” (or “keep buggering on) during WWII.
Love your porch – mine is very much like it just smaller. I also have birds but they typically build their nest in my hanging baskets. I haven’t started my porch as the pollen is still quite bad. I know you are missing your husband this year – May will be two years since I lost mine after 52 years. I know how hard it is but we are strong independent women and can make it with our families help. I hope you are enjoying this time of staying at home. Unexpected but not totally unpleasant.
Your porch is looking good. Spring has really sprung here in our area, too. I’m amazed how many flowers I can snip and bring inside already, from lilacs to azaleas to cherry blossoms from our tree, to coral honeysuckle around our arbor, to clematis, and even the roses have started to do their thing! I even snipped some dogwood branches to bring inside. I’m so ready for it all. Enjoy it–your spring colors are pretty!
Beautiful.