Dressing up your porch for the holiday seasons! It’s magical!

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After writing my blog, “There are many stories told and memories made on our porches,”  illustrating how meaningful our ‘verandas’ are in our lives, I decided to compose a writing on a variety of wondrous ideas for ‘dressing up” your porch for all the prominent seasons. Decorating is so much fun and it is not only a gift to us and our family but to our friends and neighbors as well.   When we lived in Arizona, we had the cutest cottage home, tucked away in the Historic district, with a wrap around porch. Each autumn season, I created a fall tableau on our porch, with scarecrows, bales of hay, pumpkins, and home made characters amongst an array of motley and bodacious fall foliage.  There were days I would see the cutest little kids outside our home, just staring at the porch, smiling. One day they told me my home was their favorite in the neighborhood… It really touched me that something I loved doing so much, could make someone else so happy! I hope that porches ‘all dressed up for the holidays’ inspires you the whole year through!

It’s winter time. When the nippy autumn squall has become cold and gusty…we know that the coldest months of the year are right around the corner. A-97

Our Porches, the very first ‘impression’ our guests have of our beautiful havens are festooned in a glorious array of wintry and festive Cheer…

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 “Winter came to our home one night, Quietly pirouetting on silvery toed slippers of snow, And we were children once again.” ~ Bill Morgan Jr.

“Winter, when the bold branches bid farewell to rainbow leaves.”

Living on the east coast, (originally from Southern California,) I undoubtedly adore the four seasons, winter being one of my all time favorites. For January, after our beloved Christmas is over, it gives me great joy to create a “wintry – wonderland” within my home and on my porch. (I have a delightful collection of snowmen in all sizes and shapes.) One of my largest snowmen stands uprightly on our front porch, along with  his girlfriend, (my snow lady, Bianca. ) She mirthfully sits in a high back, white wooden rocking chair, charming all the people passing by. I have an authentic,’eye catching’  and very treasured sleigh that my brother surprised me with one Christmas in California that  I ‘load up’ with wintry bears adorned in  motley, warm sweaters.They look like they are ‘having the ride of their life!’ 🙂 I always have a wintery wreath hanging on my front porch door that says “welcome.” (You  guessed it, with snowmen!) And you can’t leave out , the most jolly and impressive snowmen of all…snowmen made out of REAL SNOW! They are not only magical and festive, but they are a ‘wondrous memory’ with you and your family as you created these lifelike, happy and charming characters together. 🙂

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Light posts with fresh greens are so gracious and add a refined wintry look…they  are quite welcoming and festive. I adore the lighted birdhouse inside the porch…not only is it creative, and one of a kind but it is also enchanting and sublime. (It makes me want to run over to Micheal’s craft store, and buy all the materials to make one right away! ) 🙂 You can never go wrong with an abundance of firs and cedar branches draped upon your bannisters and front door, and of course, a touch of  magic with twinkling white  lights intertwined within the fresh greens.    January holds all of our resolutions, (successful or not, they are heart -felt,)  hopes and dreams for the year ahead and many visions of white fluffy days, creating snow angels, making snowmen, having snowball fights and enjoying an array of delicious comfort foods cooking in our ovens, helping to keep our homes toasty and warm. (And our tummies!)  🙂

VALENTINES DAY! A DAY TO CELEBRATE BEING IN LOVE! A-81A-82

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“I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentines day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.” ~ Author unknown

“Who, being loved, is poor?” ~Oscar Wilde

Valentines day is a colorful, fun day to celebrate and yes, another opportunity to decorate! 🙂 These porches are  bedecked with a classy, yet simple valentines theme and create that ‘feel good’ emotion within. I keep my snowmen up in February, since after all,  it is still winter. I do put hearts on them though! 🙂  I also create a Valentines themed tree and add shimmering hearts intertwined in my garlands upon my hutches.  I love the vivacious and passionate  color of red, so it’s one of my favorite holidays to dress  up the house and porch with. Valentines wreaths and flower baskets are great decor touches to enhance your porches as well. I adore the rose wreath and wouldn’t mind that piece of decor, all year round! 🙂

Ah, finally, Springtime and its array of glorious color has arrived!A-55

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“Spring is natures way of saying; “LETS PARTY.” ~ Robin Williams

“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.”   ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring is a season filled to the brim with hope, promises of new life, bright colors and warm, blue skies…(Well, most of spring! ) 🙂 It is a busy time for those of us who love to festoon our havens.  These homes are all so diverse. Nature is the designer of color in the first spring home.. The foliage with it’s many hues of  pinks, reds, and purples is breathtaking , creating an alluring and sightly front porch. The other homes chose a little more inventive and  imaginative decor style,  each host adding their tastes of  spring’s illustrious arrival. I love the garlands, magical rabbits, topiary trees , bright colored eggs and the adorable ceramic bunnies.  Quite unique and a wondrous idea, the porch with the large chalkboard is a ‘keeper’ for future decor ideas. What a portentous  place to wish your neighbors and family a joyous season, no matter the time of the year. (The basket filled with moss, hosting a comfy berth for the  adorable baby chicks is so noble and crafty.) It would be a fun and easy art creation to make with friends.

 “Summer fun has arrived with all it’s many gifts of pleasure, excitement, exploring and the enjoyment of being outdoors in the gorgeous sunshine.

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“Summer. A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.” ~ James Dent

“If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.” ~Bern Williams

 It’s time for trips to the beach, walking the Boardwalk, enjoying homemade saltwater taffy, sunbathing, picnics, pool parties, scary thunderstorms, camp outs, bonfires, grilling burgers and steaks with our friends and enjoying the performance of  the renowned,  magical, enchanting and lovely fireflies in our yards as the gloaming hours appear.

Our decorating is a little lighter, a bit more colorful and easy to keep up with as our days are now filled to overflowing with busyness and activities. It’s vacation time. The time for sleep overs for the kids, maintaining our gardens in the sweltering heat  and visiting the farmers markets for fetching hanging baskets and a myriad of flowers for our pots. We begin to  cook lighter, ( preparing more healthy inspired cuisine with our garden vegetables and herbs.) It’s a time for the Peach and Apple festivals, eating an abundance of delectable Cold Stone ice cream cones and enjoying one of the best things ever created in this world….Air conditioning!  (Its for the times you  want to escape the heat and  are already wishing  it was our beloved autumn  or winter again!)  🙂

All of these summer porches evoke fun, playfulness, color and rejuvenation. (Exactly what you want your porch to be after long days away, when your only desire upon arriving home is  to kick off your shoes, grab a cold drink and have a few moments of repose before cooking dinner.)

In the midst of our hot summer months, we can’t forget the eventful and meaningful holiday, Independence day, other wise know as the 4th of July!

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“Where Liberty dwells, there is my country.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“Liberty is the breath of life to the nations.” ! George Bernard Shaw

It is funny, within our travels and all the people we have met, the 4th of July is either a ‘really big’ celebration and colossal  event in peoples lives, or it is just a  ‘so-so’ affair.   Growing up, it was a time of family gatherings, homemade fried chicken, freshly fried potatoes, Cole slaw, butter beans and layered biscuits. My mom would create a lovely and  festive red, white and blueberry dessert! 🙂 After our tummies were full, we either all piled into our station wagon, (7 kids) and went to a nearby  college auditorium, the cliffs at Coronal Del Mar  beach or watched the extravaganza from our homes, as the firework’s filled the skies with their magical colors and fantastic display of much appreciated technical and artistic skill. All anyone  could hear were a thousand  ‘oohs and awes.’  It was a time of refection, thankfulness for our freedom and counting how many summer vacation days were left  until school started.  🙂  We could hardly wait to get home so my dad would  give us all some sparkler’s to run around the yard with. (They were like magic wands as they fizzled and glowed in the dark.) Now as an adult, I enjoy this holiday but I  have never been a big fan of decorating for it. After seeing some of these porches and observing such great ideas, I think this summer will be different! 🙂  All these porches are very summery yet simple, highlighted with the patriotic colors of red, white and blue! Very beautiful!

FALL IS IN THE AIR! Can you feel it ?

Fall is my  favorite time of the year for decorating…The autumn season is such a welcomed change from the hot summer days and the warm reds, bright  yellows, smoky browns and purples are back in style. The air is brisk, the fire is always burning in the fireplace and for some reason, there is always a great, scary, but not to scary, suspenseful thriller movie on! 🙂 The magnificent and kaleidoscopic fallen leaves blanket the barren ground…its time to get our bread makers out and find that one savored recipe for homemade chili and cornbread. (Hey, with the cooler temperatures, we will burn off those calories off in no time at all! ) 🙂

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“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ` Albert Camus

“Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it and if it were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” ~ George Eliot

I find that out of all the season’s, Autumn and Christmas are the two most popular for house and porch decorating.  When my husband and I lived in Alexandria Virginia, I would take Grantham for walks in our neighborhood every evening around twilight, the famous gloaming hour. 🙂Personal photo of Susan and Graham The air was so crisp, the breeze just perfect upon my cheeks as it’s aroma was that of wood burning in a fire place somewhere close by. The golden streets, (from the sun’s descent,)  were filled with homes that exuded the  very essence of the fall season. It was almost as if each home, tried to outdo the one before it and next to it.) (A little competition going on there  🙂 ) I loved that Graham and I got  daily exercise but mostly, I enjoyed the wonderment I beheld of autumn arriving with all of it’s bounty of gifts.  Some homes were very refined, tailored and classy with large pumpkins amongst bales of hay,  charming scarecrows standing throughout the yard,  soft amber  lights twinkling in the trees as well as around the front porch, (hidden in the grapevine garlands as well as the wreath upon the front door.) fall  There were fall leaves everywhere and ample planters filled with beautiful mums in bright yellow and a rich purple. The combination of the cold air and the feelings of fall displayed liberally amongst the street, truly  made me feel like a child again. (Even Graham had a kick in his step. 🙂 )  I could hardly wait to see the next home…There were some homes that had their hearts set on Halloween decor more so than celebrating fall…(Those houses were on the scary side. ) Bone white, (no pun intended 🙂 )  lanky skeletons hung from the trees as pitch black bats were mounted, (upside down of course,) upon a few of the branches on the tree limbs that were bare. There were cobwebs, spiders, a Frankenstein monster as well as the renowned ‘mummy’ and then of course the coffins which had R.I.P.  painted upon them. Graham kind of ‘trotted by those homes,’….He does not go for all the scary stuff! (Except of course if a real black cat just happened to be lurking around in the midst of the  graveyard, then he would be chasing that cat in a flash and be part of their spooky display. 🙂 Trying to catch him would be  even spookier for me! 🙂

These porches are all  stunningly filled with bounteous ideas for your fall porch amidst all the vibrant hues of golds, reds, copper, russet, purples and orange.  How about a Pumpkin carving party along with a ladies Tea on your newly decorated piazza. Maple and pecan scones with fresh unsalted butter, carrot soup, pumpkin bread and a delicious autumn spiced tea?

We can’t forget that in the midst of our celebrating  the autumn harvest with  grateful hearts, the wondrous holiday of THANKSGIVING!C-110

 There is not a whole lot to add to your fall verandah, if you have decorated for the autumn season. It you have festooned your porch for ‘Trick-or-treaters,’ along with a spooky atmosphere, you may want to replace it now with a little fall decor. Scarecrows are so easy to make as well as displaying plenty of plump pumpkins, fall garlands and Pilgrims giving thanks. It is a wonderful holiday and we have so much to celebrate and be thankful for!

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IT”S Beginning to look a lot like Christmas…The one magical season that SPEAKS IT”S PRAISE all by itself!

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“Christmas weaves a magic wand over the world and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas time.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Every porch is bedecked with yuletide JOY! At Christmas, the wealth that nature alone sends our way, is more than a bounty to decorate with. We are gifted with the riches of firs, cedar branches, wild berries, mistletoe, ivy, bay and a potpourri of evergreens, cranberries and apples, (of all colors.)  For a polished, refined  look, use cranberry red and  shimmering gold ribbon intertwined in  the garlands hanging around your front door or upon your wreaths and balustrades.  This wintry Christmas garden wreath is exquisite…I can easily see that in front of a large mansion, B&B or even a small cottage!

It is the time of year where a little extra light is needed as the days are short and the nights long. Topiary trees, outdoor Christmas trees or garland around our outside bannisters, interlaced and weaved with glittering white lights is festive and fairy tale like, evoking a CELEBRATION!

If you are blessed with a home on the water,  and a dock that  travels out to your boat, decorating your walkway with lights and a small tree is stunning!  Having a beautifully festooned Christmas porch is not only a feast for the eyes but a respite for the soul. By the time you accomplish all of your ‘holiday To Do list,’ ( the boat parade, caroling, sledding with your kids, making snowmen, baking, parties, shopping, wrapping, guests and your  church candle light service,) your body and soul will gladly appreciate that wicker chair, warm Christmas throw,  apple cinnamon candle burning, twinkling white lights, the smell of fresh greens and a big mug of hot cocoa.) (And of course a space heater to warm your toes! 🙂

“MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT! ” (And be inspired to dress up your porches! 🙂  ~ The chubby guy all dressed in red with a long beard. 🙂

 

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There are many stories told and memories made on our PORCHES!

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THE DISTINGUISHED QUOTE CORNER:Adorable Baby Boy in Suit on Cellphone

“I’m an old fashioned guy…I want to be an old man with a beer belly, sitting on a porch looking at a lake or something.” ~ Johnny Depp.(I can just imagine him saying this too!)

“When I was about three, my grandfather used to give me and my sister a nickel to sit on the front porch with him and sing songs.” ~ Tommy Shaw

“I live in New York and it’s the greatest city but sometimes I want to move to the place with the porch and the lemonade and the farm.” ~Leelee Sobieski

“Our Porches! They invite cozy conversations, mirthful celebrations with friends and family and hours of  blithesome repose.”

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Whether you call it your front porch, the verandah, your back porch or the piazza , this special place that we absolutely love to spend as much time as possible, truly is a gift, a lagniappe that is greater than the structure of it’s four walls.  I have often thought to myself,  “If this porch could hear, I can only imagine the secrets it could tell as well as the books it could write on all that it’s ears have taken in.

Our porches, just like our homes, reflect our personalities. Some porches are ‘for looks only,’ while others carry the demeanor of being broken in and lived upon daily. They are as much fun to decorate as the rooms in your home as you fill them with all the things you love, your favorite colors and  your very own signature STYLE.

I absolutely adore this home, or should I say this waterfront , par-excellence mansion,  classy estate or  bite-size castle?  It is alluring to the senses, showstopping with it’s divine structure, period look, and is so stunning as well as  junoesque. It encourages one to dream of many happy years within (and outside of) it’s borders.  A porch this large is the perfect place for an evening of delectable appetizersand fine wine,  a ladies Tea or telling ghost stories in the summer months with the thunderstorms in the background,(the most excellent and ideal milieu.)   (We can always dream, can’t we?) 🙂

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This porch is dressed to the hilt for the Christmas season... It’s not only inviting but beautifully creative. I love the red check pillows amidst the black cushion, cuddly brown pillow and fresh, crisp white embroidered linen. What a classy combination. The grey wicker furniture is a perfect match for the colors chosen as it only enhances this porches cozy  and warm appeal. This sweet and winning verandah beckons you to grab a warm sweater, a soft throw to snuggle up with, a hot cup of coffee and to come, sit and stay awhile!I

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How about a lovely, romantic dinner for two on your porch? With the ideal weather,  ethereal temperatures, captivating table setting  and  shimmering candle light, this porch is an excellent stage for an intimate dinner with the one you love, (or are falling in love with 🙂 ) Very impressive!

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This porch is large enough for a potpourri of tables to be set up for a small gathering or   a glamorous and enchanting night of formal entertaining.  The view from this verandah is so exhilarating and soothing to the soul with all the lush shades of green…it exudes LIFE!  I could see myself out here every morning with my coffee, magazine, beloved novel or my journal. (And a space heater if the winter season has arrived.) 🙂

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I loved the quote above, by Leelee Sobieski about living in the prominent city …There are so many blessings in living “the big city life.” Especially in such fascinating and timeless metropolis’  such as Washington DC, New York, Chicago or the midtown and port of Philadelphia. Penthouses, apartments and condominiums are wonderful abodes, but often times, they do not offer the luxury of a piazza. If you are in a home that does not have a porch, but you are blessed with a back yard, I love the idea of creating a resplendent and graceful sitting area out doors that friends can gather, or a place that you can saunter off to, that brings you gladness and many hours of pure reverie.  This outdoor creation will not only enhance your life, give you an additional room to your home but will bring you an outflow of joy , happiness and beauty.

Two of these back yard works of art, are very fancy and formal, while the third back yard is beautiful with nature doing all the hard work! 🙂  Your backyard creation can be whatever you would like it to be, a picnic table or wicker furniture, adorned with bright pillows, and striking throws. Fresh flowers, dried roses or incandescent painted chairs create color and are eminently inviting. We have a homemade bonfire pit in our back yard and some of my most treasured memories are those we have made sitting on a plastic chair, wrapped in a warm jacket, glass of wine in hand, enjoying hot appetizers with great company!   I guarantee you, it will be the conversations, laughs, smiles and friendships your amongst  that will create your fond and precious memories .A-10Z-1049C-16

As a little girl, I will never forget visiting my father’s family in North Carolina. (Having lived In South Carolina,) I will tell you that besides their adoration for delectable “home-cooking,”  the residents of the Carolina’s are lovers of front porches, back porches, side porches, you name it!    My father’s aunt sat with me on her front porch, (she had a beautiful cottage style home,) teaching me how to prepare fresh, green beans in the sweltering southern heat. ( Southerner’s  know this…the humidity in the summer is so thick that you can cut it with a knife.) 🙂  As the perspiration was dripping down my face,cottages I learned how to pick the best green beans, how to snap them correctly and get them ready for cooking. I felt so grown up! (I also got to hear lots of talk about how beautiful and exquisite  my mom was in her twenties, and how her nephew was the one that caught my moms heart, out of all the beaus she could have had.) I already KNEW the story, I just wanted to hear it again, and again!) 🙂 I can’t leave out all the times my husband, Graham and I sat on the porch of my cousins antebellum  countryside home, watching his kids set off fireworks over their many acres of land, and eating scrumptious boiled peanuts! Those were the days! There is nothing like  the mighty Oak tree in the south, (and I am still looking for the scrumptious boiled peanuts in Delaware.) 🙂

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Our dear friends and neighbors have a beautiful screened in back porch. All of the mornings, afternoons and evenings my husband, Grantham and I have spent on their endearing porch remind me of the quote by John Masefield.  “Happiness flutters in the air while we rest among the breaths of nature.” Talk about an atmosphere filled with Sylvan charm, their garden amidst the lush grass, the undomesticated woods that line the back of their lot is like encountering a spring time pageantry. The hours spent on this piazza were hours of pure joy, felicity and blissfulness as we told stories, shared our lives, laughed, cried, prayed, reminisced together, tasted delicious snacks and appetizers as well as shared many a cup of Starbucks coffee, fine wine or an ice cold beer.  Right outside the screens of this porch is a view that took my breath away… often times, we’d see baby deer eating fresh corn on the lawn and chubby groundhogs waddling in circles, (they love to ruin your gardens you know? ) 🙂 (But they are so darn cute!) We also beheld an abundance of squirrels scurrying , picking up whatever they could find to eat, wild turkeys yelping as they trotted across the lawn, bunny rabbits with their adorable babies and of course the magical twinkling fireflies charming us all as they gathered by the porch but also presented their show afar in the  wild ivy and trees of the woods.

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Then of course there is ‘the porch swing’ stories….that is another blog at another time! 🙂A-15

Whether you have a grandeur verandah,  a cozy, inviting screened in backyard porch, a  piazza in your front yard where you sit and chat with friendly neighbors or an outside area that you’ve created yourself, take time to make it your own, and  spend as many hours as possible within it’s glorious presence, creating many a heartwarming memory to bring you an abundance of smiles now and  in your future.A-16

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