Christmas at What's On My Porch

Hey all! The cold. The snow. And it's only November! Still, who can resist decorating for Christmas when it's so Christmasy outside?! I think this is the earliest our family has ever had our tree up!

We splurged on a real tree this year. I thought it was a GREAT idea until I remembered it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet. And somehow we'll have to keep this thing alive for another month and half. No idea how we'll keep it watered while we're out of town for Thanksgiving. Oh, the joys of wishful thinking.

When I decorate for Christmas, I like to do it ALL in a day. I make politely implore Hubby to drag up four or five boxes of "Christmas Stuff" from the deep, dark, spidery recesses of the Underhouse. Then I sift through it all, picking out items that will go with my theme (and a few favorites that always go up, theme or not). Once everything is up (5-6 hours later). I pack up the rest and send it back to the basement. At least, that's how it's supposed to work. The boxes are still upstairs for some reason.



This year's theme was "Woodland" but my daughter said it reminded her of the North Pole. So, now it's "North Pole Woods". Browse through these pics of my house for some Christmas inspiration! Enjoy!

A basket full of lights, balls, pinecones and bows is EASY and pretty!

Hang ornaments from a chandelier with some ribbon. The matching color unifies these so they're not too gaudy.

I cup up some old faux pine garland and made it into individual wreaths for all my windows!



Mini tree=thrift store. And "JOY" letters were purchased at Walmart and painted by ME! :)

Fill a wire basket with lights, faux pine garland, and mini-books and presents wrapped in vintage sheet music! So cute!

I made these graphic stockings myself. *Except the far left stocking, my youngest daughter made hers herself! You can see more about these here.

This little bird has made his way into our Christmas tree since my teenagers were babies!

My old "junk" ladder is all done up for Christmas!

An old silver tea set, mercury glass ornaments, pine boughs from our tree, cones, and a splash of red berries make a pretty centerpiece... all fit nicely into a shabby wood tray.

 

Everything in this picture was a secondhand purchase: tree, lantern, suitcase, bunny... even the cabinet and old window in the background. I LOVE thrift stores!

This bunny piggy bank is PERFECT for our North Pole Woodland theme!

Decorate A Vintage Ladder!

Hey Porch fans! The cooler weather makes it harder and harder to get any big projects done, but it doesn't mean I can't still have a little fun!

Today's easy-peasy project is to decorate an old ladder! Hubby picked up this dumpster-find for me, and I LOVE it! It's just a weathered vintage wood step ladder, but it has so much decorating potential!

For autumn, I chose an assortment of baskets and filled each with autumny goodness: a colorful leaf garland, pumpkins, even shredded brown paper. It all works so great together!

It would look great with REAL leaves, pumpkins, apples, etc., too!

Can't wait to change out my ladder for the seasons. Up next: CHRISTMAS! ;)

Depression-Era Hutch Makeover

I scored this sweet depression-era hutch recently and gave it a fabulous makeover! Check out this photo-heavy post:

BEFORE: She was so dark and brown, not bad, but scratched up. I just knew a coat of white paint and a little distressing would really bring out her curvy details!

AFTER! This hutch is lighter, brighter and full of chippy charm!

Before & After!

 

Autumn At My House 2014

Here's a look at how I decorate for autumn in my own house! I hope you are inspired! Enjoy!

The space above my computer printer cabinet is all prettied up for fall! I found an old drawer and painted it white, then used it like a shelf to hold pumpkins, apples and my homemade chalkboard.

This cabinet was a $5 find at our church fundraiser sale. It was brown and dirty, but a few appliques, a coat of paint and a couple of pendant pulls transformed it! I simply added a small bunch of autumn leaves to my sewing drawers to "autumn-up" this space.

Old thrift store bottles and jars make great "potions". A few dollar store cobwebs (and raven) and some mini apples make my candlesticks and vintage tea set look a whole lot spookier!

This vintage suitcase was another thrift store find. Only $3!!! It looks great all dressed up for fall atop my cabinet.

Here's a close up of this paper pumpkin made from the pages of an old song book.

This hutch was a $30 Craigslist find! I removed the doors (and by "I" I mean Hubby removed the doors). Then I painted it white and distressed it. It makes a beautiful TV hutch! A sprinkle of fall leaves and a pinecone and pumpkin add the
autumn look.

This was another thrift store find. This bookshelf was painted in green camouflage. A coat of simple white transformed it into the perfect backdrop for my lanterns and other knick knacks. A few pumpkins, gourds, pinecones and apples jazz it up for fall.

The "Love Grows" sign was hand-painted by me. The wood was from the barn on my dad's farm. On the back, I've written the names of our family members and will pass it on to my children. Some red and a white pumpkin add a touch of autumn here.

Our staircase paneling is beautiful, but so dark! I lightened it up with my handmade Fruit of the Spirit sign and a rag garland, dressed up for fall with some apples and twigs.

Our cat, Pudge, stalks birds from the window above this handmade "Nevermore" sign.

This shelf makes a great display area on my porch! Two-tone baskets, fall leaves and an apple garland add texture and color for fall!



Summer still lingers here with my pink impatiens.

Vanity Makeover (and a fall rag garland)

I found this amazing antique vanity at a thrift store. The price was great. And then I found out they were having a furniture sale... everything HALF OFF! I picked it up and tried to walk it right up to the cash register myself. About three feet into this endeavor, my purse slipping off my shoulder and customers staring at me like I was insane... I decided to accept a man's offer to take it to the back door for me. But I watched him. CLOSELY.

It was already a visually interesting piece, but I knew I could coax out all the details with a few layers of white paint, so I got to work. Originally, I wanted to pain the inside drawers with a pop of blue or maybe red, but I decided not to last-minute. I left them natural wood.

It turned out GORGEOUS. It even came with an awesomely huge mirror. I wanted to keep it for myself, but alas--we junk-junkies already have antiques coming out of our ears and can't keep every huge piece of vintage furniture we find. So, I sold it. Sadly.

And, of course, I only thought to take photos of it at a sale out in the sun covered in junk, so you're not really getting the full effect, but trust me. It was beautiful. Sigh.

 





















Side note: I have been very into rag garlands lately and decided to make one that is fall-themed. Be inspired!