Adventures in Art, Product Design, Home Decor, Cooking, and Gardening
I was searching through a box of artwork my daughter created when she was young looking for inspiration for my next painting when I came across this cute note she passed me when she was 8 years old. It was so typically girly that I just had to save it. I call this painting “The Love Note.”
My digital sketch:
My daughter’s sweet note:
My painting:
My daughter’s painting:
Here are a few pictures of my porch today, which is still decked out for fall and winter in deep purple, wine, plum, and gold. You’ll notice that the red rattan chairs in my last post are now a deep eggplant. You should have seen my neighbors’ expressions when they saw me painting my porch furniture purple last fall. I thought it was a bit risky but I love the results. My inspiration for this project was the awesome plaid pillows and fabulous wine colored pillows; I couldn’t resist those ruffles. I carried those pillows around the store and selected everything else with those items in mind–the wreath, the chair cushions, the rugs, the silk flowers, and paint (Rustoleum in Grape). I purchased all of the items on this porch, except the furniture, at Target.
Here are a few pictures of my porch decked out in red and white. You’ll notice that the natural colored rattan chairs and pink rocker featured on my previous pink porch are bright red in these photos. I painted the chairs because the wind and rain really took a toll on them and they were looking tired. No need to toss them at this point when a few cans of red spray paint freshened them up in minutes. I purchased the red and white pillows at Pottery Barn. I found the adorable enamel tea pots at local antiques shops (more on those later) and the simple white ceramic pitcher at Target.
This pink and blue beach-themed porch was one of my all-time favorite porch projects. My inspiration was the colorful rug from Pottery Barn. It was an indoor rug and it didn’t fare well outside even on my covered porch, but I enjoyed it while I could. I ordered the adorable polka dot pillows from the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. If you’re a color lover like I am, Pottery Barn Teen or Pottery Barn Kids offer colorful accessories often at a lower price than their regular catalog. So the next time you’re shopping for colorful home accessories, don’t overlook the kids department. OK, so now my secret is out.
Spring is just around the corner so I’ve already started planning my next porch makeover. I love creating a comfy and colorful place to sit back and relax and enjoy a good book or magazine. And what better place to inject with lots of color than the front porch? This year I’m thinking of tulips–bright red and yellow tulips on a carpet of green like this fabulous outdoor run from Grandinroad:
It’s so fun and colorful that I just had to have it. So I ordered two of them–one for each side of my wraparound porch. My new rugs arrived this week and I can’t wait to roll them out on my porch. Next weekend my mother and I are planning a shopping trip to find some fabulous pillows and accessories to complement these fun rugs. And I’ll also have to make a run to the paint store so I can paint the porch furniture in fun colors to match.
Decorating the porch has become an obsession of mine. My porch furniture has been painted every color of the rainbow over the past few years. Come to think of it, so has the interior of my house (more on that later). Hand me a paint brush or a can of spray paint and I’m a happy girl.
So, while I’m off searching for fun items to create a tulip-themed porch, I thought I’d give you a peek at some of the colorful porches I’ve created in seasons past. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
This sweetie is Abbot. He’s a 15.2hh 2004 Quarter Horse gelding in training for the A circuit hunter shows. Believe it or not he jumps well over 4ft.
This is Erin. She’s a 15.3hh 1998 Thoroughbred mare. Her great grandfather was Seattle Slew. She was trained for steeplechase racing but never ran because she was too small. She’s the love of my daughter’s life.
This beautiful, shy girl is Luna, a Labrador mix. I couldn’t resist colorizing her in Photoshop. I love the blue and purple eyes.
Here are some photos of the newest addition to my family, Dexter, the Pomeranian/Dachshund mix. He was only 1.5 pounds when I first adopted him. Today, he’s six months old and about 6 lbs. What a cutie pie. Photos courtesy of Kari Corbin photography.
This lovely lady is Mary, my German Shepherd mix. She’s camera shy, so getting good pictures of her is especially challenging. Photos courtesy of Kari Corbin photography.
