Category: Outside

  • The Porch Rug (Revisited)

    The Porch Rug (Revisited)

    I thought I’d talk about painting the porch rug in a bit more detail today. So many of you loved the project (thanks!), and it really is something that can be easily done in your own home if you’re so inclined.

    front porch before and after

    I started by sketching the pattern on paper first. As I had mentioned before, I was inspired by a rug from Urban Outfitters (no longer available) and the flower petal patterns my Grandma Rose used to draw with me.

    Gathering Ideas for the Front Porch

    Once we were ready to begin, Brandon and I cleaned the porch and marked off the area for the rug with painter’s tape. We didn’t sand the floor first, though I’d recommend it if you have the time. Two coats of the base color (green) came next, and then it was time to figure out how to get the pattern drawn out on a large scale.

    Painted Rug in Progress

    I ended up putting in some rough guidelines with white chalk. I focused on placing the flower centers where I wanted them and then sketching out the general movement of the petals from there. I then painted everything freehand, stepping back every so often to make sure that the petal shapes and sizes were remaining consistent.

    Painted Rug in Progress

    If you’re considering a similar project, I’d say just go for it! It’s just paint — you’ll get a huge impact for very little money. And painting the rug while nine months pregnant was difficult (to say the least), but if I was able to handle it then the more able-bodied among you should have no problem!

    Front Porch

    If you liked my porch redo (all done in 48 hours with just $500), please take a moment to vote for it. There are two and a half weeks left, and I’d really appreciate your support during this time. And remember, you can vote once each day!

  • Up for the Challenge: Part Five

    My last post for the Better Homes & Gardens 48-Hour Challenge went up today, and it’s all about how we’ve been enjoying our front porch since it’s completion. I have to say, we’ve been enjoying it very much. :)

    On the Front Porch with Eleanor

    Murray likes to spend time out front with us too.

    On the Front Porch with Eleanor and Murray

    Several neighbors have dropped by to offer their congratulations while we sit out front, which is very nice. Of course it was hard to be subtle about our new arrival when we had a six foot tall stork on the front lawn.

    The Stork Came to Visit

    There’s still plenty of time to vote for your favorite project at BHG.com. If you like the way our porch turned out, you can vote once each day for it!

  • How To Make a Hanging Divider

    First, I want to thank you all for your support in the 48-Hour Challenge! Our porch is back in the lead again, but it’s close and every vote definitely counts. Thank you all, especially those of you that are voting every day from now until June 12! I really appreciate it.

    Today, I thought I’d explain how to make the hanging divider that we created for our front porch.

    Front Porch

    Materials

    • 2’x4′ piece of hardboard
    • two wooden dowel rods
    • s-hooks
    • chain
    • paint

    Tools

    • table saw (or circular saw, or jig saw)
    • drill
    • cabinet knob template
    • pencil
    • paint brush

    How To…

    You can do something symmetrical or random, so it’s helpful to plan out a pattern (you can use graph paper) before beginning. We started by cutting our hardboard into long strips (3″ wide), and then cutting the strips into shorter pieces (ours were 6″ and 10″ long).

    Table Saw

    Once we had our pieces cut, we made marks for our hooks using a cabinet knob template. After drilling for the holes, we painted the front and back of each piece.

    Hanging Divider Pieces

    We assembled the strips with s-hooks and hung the whole thing from a dowel rod and some chain. We also added another dowel rod along the bottom for more stability. We’re actually planning to reinforce the connections with wire to help the divider weather strong winds. If the hooks were easier to bend, we would have bent the ends to hold it all together a bit better. If you’re using the divider indoors though, the extra step wouldn’t be necessary.

    Hanging Divider

    There you have it! And you can easily customize the project by making it more random, switching up the colors, using different shapes, and so on. You can even add in other materials — there are great metal parts in the plumbing section of any home improvement store. I hope that inspires some of you to try your hand at your own hanging divider!

    Front Porch

  • How My Garden Grows

    It seems that spring has finally arrived in Chicagoland. I did alot of work last year to the garden, and I’ve been eager to see how everything would look now. How big will the plants be? Will everything come back, or will some plants not make it? Well, so far things are looking good.

    Firewitch:
    Firewitch

    Anemone:
    Anemone

    Karen Azalea:
    Karen Azalea

    Ivory Halo Dogwood:
    Ivory Halo Dogwood

    Hostas, boxwood, and tulips:
    Hostas, Boxwood, & Tulips

    I’m not sure how much gardening I’ll be doing this summer, but I did buy two giant green planters from IKEA and a sky pencil holly from Sprout Home.

    Sky Pencil Holly

    I think I’ll put the holly against the back of the house (seen here, last summer):
    Another Little Garden

    I wanted to put the planters on the front porch, flanking the door, but Brandon thinks they’ll be too heavy once they’re filled with dirt. Our porch is pretty old, and he may be right… I’m not sure if it could support the weight. I like them though, so I’m sure I can find a spot for them somewhere.

    Hooray for spring and all its renewed greenery!

  • Currently in Second…

    Our front porch was slightly ahead in the 48-Hour Challenge, but now we’ve slipped down to second place. I’m not normally competitive, but with our new little one we could really use the $5000 bonus. If you’re so inclined, I’d really appreciate your vote! And please remember that you can vote every day until June 12.
    front porch before and after

  • Up for the Challenge: Voting is Live!

    Just a quick note to let you know that you can now vote for your favorite project at BHG.com’s 48-Hour Challenge!

    Front Porch

    You can vote once each day, and the project with the most votes will receive a $5000 bonus. *We’re keeping our fingers crossed!*