Welcome to our porch

Thank you so much for coming! I know that there’s a lot to see if you’re participating in sweet Rhondi’s Porch Party, so I’m thrilled you’re here :)

Right off of our breakfast room is our screened-in porch. See that door? Follow me…..

I think this door was originally the front door, after looking at other homes in our neighborhood, but now it’s leads to the porch. Anyway, come on outside….

Watch your step and the screen door!

Before I show you around, let me show you what it looked like right after I cleaned it up…..

and here it is now!

I shopped around the house for everything and didn’t pay a cent to fix it up except for some spray paint. The only thing left to do is the floor and I haven’t decided on that yet, but I’m thinking of painting a fake rug on it or maybe getting an outdoor rug….hmm… can’t decide. What do you think?

I showed you how I painted the bench and refinished the table and chair set in *this post*. Under the bench is an old Army tool box that Rich used on his many trips over “there” and I’m going to use it for my small gardening tools now.

No we won’t be going on a picnic, but….

it’s ready anytime :)

It’s a little nippy out anyway, so let’s stay up here on the porch so we’re sheltered from the wind.

Above the door is a sweet sign that my blogging friend Jo made for a giveaway that I won….

and hanging on the side is a cross my mom gave me…

Let me show you the other side of the porch…

Anyone remember this chair? You can read *this post* to see how I painted it. The poor thing had been sitting around with nowhere to go, until I finally recovered it for the porch with part of a picnic blanket. It’s 3 other friends are waiting in the basement until I can use them on our future front porch ;)

Here’s the old icebox that used to be in our breakfast room at our last house ….

and on top of it are the daisies Annie gave me for Mother’s Day, some pots I bought last year, from Classics and Country and the watering can was just left here by the previous owner. Finders Keepers ;)

Here’s the inside of the icebox that I’m going to be using as a little potting station….

I love the doors on it :)

An old birdcage….

that still has one feeder left.

Oops! I forgot to set the table! Go ahead and have a look around while I get it ready, okay?

The old window? Well, this house is 105 years old and when you own an old house it’ll have it’s quirks. The window faces the inside now, so they boarded it up. I painted the inside with chalkboard paint….

and hung those cafe curtains to hide the speakers….

All the little doodads are things Annie has picked up on vacations, like rocks and shells and the flags are from some of the parades that we’ve been in because of Rich being in the army.

That’s my train clock that makes train noises every hour (I can’t imagine what the neighbors must think every time it goes off. It’s loud! LOL) and Rich’s eagle we found in an antique store….

I love the reflection of the chandelier in the mirror….

See… that didn’t take too long ;)

I set the table for brunch…

For the centerpiece I just used some jars I had sitting around and put my roses in them.

The silver was my great-grandmother’s every day silverware…

I hardly ever use it, but I thought it would like to come out and show off a little. I love the simple design on it…

I found out that it was made in 1944….

My mom loves china and I’ve been lucky enough to be the recipient of certain sets after she grows tired of them or they no longer fit her style anymore, which was the case with this set….

I don’t know too much about them except what is on the bottom of it and that my mom bought it sometime in the 70s or 80s from a store called Howard Kaplan’s French Country Store and they’re made by Philippe Deshoulieres. I had a full set for 12, but it’s very delicate and there’s been a few mishaps… oops!, so I stopped using it for everyday dishes. I’ve looked online to no avail, so if anyone knows where I can get more, I’d appreciate it :)

One last look….

and then what it looks like when simplified for dinner with our family. We eat out here every night now. I love how you can see the bead board ceiling in the mirrored top of the table :)

Before you go, I want to show you what it looks like out here at night…

You can see the glow of the votive I put in the chandelier….

Especially if you look inside the globe….

Goodnight sweet porch, see you in the morning for coffee …

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our little porch. She may be small, but we love her very very much:)

Be sure to stop by Rhondi’s Porch Party to see how everyone else has decorated this year and don’t forget to say Happy Birthday since it’s her birthday this week ;)

Hugs and love,

rue

PS Thank you so much for helping me yesterday. It’s nice to know I’m not alone! I haven’t done anything different, but it seems to be better right now…. we shall see….

**Edited to add a big thank you to Beverly and Di for letting me know where to find the dishes (Replacements.com) and I also found this info:

Philippe Deshoulieres
Philippe Deshoulieres Limoges china is a French based family company dating back to 1826. Deshoulieres is known for luxury porcelain and dinnerware; beautiful porcelain that moves with the times with taste and nobility. The Deshoulieres philosophy encompasses design with high standards and audacity to accompany you in your most precious moments: formal occasions, weddings or simply to enhance your home everyday in the most beautiful way.