Restyled Homes

photo: creme de la creme interiors

My desire to putter about my home, dreaming up new projects and improvements, can lead to the occasional teasing from my friends and they sometimes revert to the old stand-by: dubbing me "Martha" (which, depending on the delivery, may or may not be considered a compliment). I can take a joke, however, and calling me "Martha" is a joke indeed. For the record, I refuse to iron, truly do not enjoy baking, and am most inept at sewing. I do own a sewing machine, but it sits in my lonely craft area, collecting dust. I can sew a straight line with it, but always seem to get the thread tangled up in the machine and end up muttering unpleasantries under my breath. My lack of sewing skills does not deter me, however, when faced with a project, and I instead quietly whip out my glue gun for sewing projects that require only the weakest of bonds...

I have, however, sunk to a new low...

I have been eyeing my porch swing for a while now, with plans to pretty it up. I have had a new seat cushion for it for some time now, but hesitated to use it until I could figure out a way to add a skirt to the seat without resorting to sewing. I also had a pretty watery green and brown toile window valance that I had picked up a while ago at a bed and bath shop, and had not found the ideal spot to hang it. Voila: I decided to use it as the new skirt for my swing! In a stroke of dumb luck, I had also stumbled upon a tension curtain rod in my garage while tidying it recently. It, too, had no intended purpose; so I decided to test my theory that it could be pressed into service as a way to skirt my swing!!

Guess what? It worked!! With the skirt in place, I simply set my new seat cushion on top - thus preventing the potential discomfort of the rod - and added a spare pillow to the mix. Now, I happily have a comfortable and pretty porch swing - again, using things I had lying forlornly around the house!

porch swing: before...

and after!!

This porch (above) was styled by Matthew Mead and is on the cover of the current issue of Country Home magazine. Isn't it gorgeous??

Well, the folks over at Country Home magazine have inspired me yet again. You all know I love a front porch, and lately have been putting ours to good use. Whether it's swinging on my porch swing... sipping tea... while watching our kids ride bikes, skateboard... or perhaps trying to hide from them (which never works...they always find us) or simply perching on the front step and watching the world go by, it is a happy spot to be.

Mine is not yet complete. We still have a privacy issue to deal with, we have plans for some great planters in which to grow my favourite flowers, and I still need to paint the floor of the porch. Still, the necessary components exist: a good swing, lanterns on a dimmer, and the perfunctory white wicker chairs to sit and relax in. Because really...isn't that what a front (or back) porch is all about??