I hemmed and hawed about my front porch.   The cement is so badly stained and I just haven’t decided what to do.  Should I paint or should I clean it with some type of harsh chemical to get it looking new.   In any event, my hopes were to get it to look as pleasing as the ones I posted in my  “Porch Dreaming” post.  But that’s later to decide, because summer is here and I need to spend some time on it, ..so in the meantime I decided to perk it up.  FIrst, I needed to wash the siding.. so 2 hours later with a bucket of bleach & water I washed it.. and suprisingly it came pretty good.  I started with the Off My Rocker chairs.

I had this vintage trunk that I decided to paint and use it on the porch.   I painted it white and used a leftover purple-ish color for some stripes ..  and used it as a plant stand

I found this chalkboard frame and decided to use it as a “Welcome Sign”

Next came time to dress it up with plants.    I had this vintage crate and decided to use it as a planter, so I outlined it with plastic bags to protect the wood.   Placed it on top of a folding seat and it becomes a pretty little showpiece for the plants.

        Found a piece of caribbean art to hang

Used a thrift store find table ($3.00) for some additional plants

The sedum planted in the chair added some additional color.  Since I had so many in the garden, I just dug some up and placed them in the pot last year,

I picked up this vintage wrought iron candle holder for $5.00 at a flea market and it became a planter instead

So, in the meantime, until I decide to paint, I think my little “perks” made a big diffence to the look of the porch.  So, if you’re ever in my area just know that guests are always