June 22, 2009
Hello to all our porch loving friends,
Porches were meant for summer fun! We encourage you to take time this summer to relax, entertain, and enjoy your porch! Enjoy a delicious glass of homemade lemonade, watch the kids play chase, catch a summer breeze, or watch the sun set while listening to old time radio with your family. Create memories this summer on your porch.
Our goal is to give you great ideas for porch designs, enclosures, decorating, and entertaining. Let us know if you have suggestions for our site; we want it to be the most informative and enjoyable porch site on the web!
Happy porch sitting from your friends at
www.Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com!
Dave and Mary
4th of July decorations and fun on your porch
What better place to celebrate the 4th of July than on your porch? Whether gathering to watch a parade, play games, or watch fireworks, your porch can be the hit of the neighborhood decked out in all its glory! There’s nothing quite like the look of a decorated 4th of July porch - flag and all!
Visit our site for some fantastic decorating, party, and craft ideas. From using flowering plants and special lighting to the best home-made lemonade recipe ever, we have some fun ideas that will make your 4th of July fun.
Enter our 1st annual 4th of July contest
Enter your porch into our first annual 4th of July Porch Decorating and Craft Contest. Send us a photo of your front porch decorated for the 4th (past or present) or a craft you have made for your porch for the 4th.
Tell us a bit about how you decorated it and what inspired you. See our contest rules (there aren’t many). The winning entry be featured on our home page where thousands of site visitors will see it.
Wish we would have invented this!
Here’s a great idea we discovered to help keep you cool. Consider using an outdoor mister (or outdoor misting system) on your porch, patio, or deck. This simple device can reduce your porch’s outdoor temp by 25% to allow you more porch sitting time! And what makes them even more desirable is that anyone can install it - and it's really affordable, too.Run the tubing, connect it to your garden hose, and enjoy the immediate cooling effect. Misting systems are even made for pets, birds, and your golf cart! Don’t have a porch, patio, or deck? No problem. You can easily make a frame out of PVC and attach the misting system to it- great for backyard get-togethers.
Visit our page about outdoor misting systems and learn more about this nifty device. We explain how they work, the optimum operating conditions, and more. Want to get one before the heat of summer sets in? Try Smarthome.com
Porch enclosures
Who doesn’t love a screen porch? Porch enclosures turn your porch into a sun room, screen porch, or 3-season room. Mary and I love enclosed porches - best of both worlds. These enclosures range from outdoor curtains and screened porch kits to more complex units that are installed by technicians.
This has become a very popular section of our site because lots of people are opting to add more outdoor living space to their homes. A porch enclosure allows you bug-free outdoor enjoyment and gives you shelter from the elements. They provide instant shade to keep you cool and are practically maintenance free.
Last but not least a porch enclosure adds beauty and functionality to your home. Visit our site to learn more.
Porch cats
We had to do justice to our many cat loving porch friends. Check out our porch cat pictures and see for yourself these wonderful felines.
Don't forget to send us a picture of your feline friend on the porch as well. You can see lots of kitty pictures here.
Our thanks to ndgcatlady for her photo contribution.
We made a video
On a recent trip to see our son and family in Virginia, they shared with us how they changed to look of their pots and adds a whole new dimension to container gardening. We thought it was a neat idea and created a short video about it.
It’s so easy you can use this to decorate for any holiday without having to purchase new pots. It’s also a great summer craft for kids. Find out more on our container gardening section.
Students can start their own e-business this summer
Summer jobs for teens are hard to find. Most parents don’t want their teens watching Oprah, soap operas, or playing video games all day. So why not help them launch their own e-business and create something they can take with them wherever they go?They will learn discipline and gain a better perspective as to what it takes to succeed. They can use their creativity and interests to create a profitable business for themselves. Hey, if they are going to be on the computer why not do something actually worthwhile instead of just occupying time?
We know of a 14-year old girl who created an e-business web site that helped pay her college tuition. What video game does that? You can learn more about students building their own business here.
Want to be published?
Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com is all about our passion for front porches and the fond memories that Dave and I have of time spent on porches. But now, we want to give YOU the opportunity to share your own stories and pictures with us. You are the reason why we have our site so we especially love hearing from you about your own porch.Do you have a childhood memory about your front porch? We love hearing from you and we appreciate receiving heart-warming and fun stories and pictures. Submit your favorite porch memory to us.
Do you have a porch decorating idea to share with our site visitors? Some neat decorating idea (large or small) you have done with your own porch that we could share for all to see? Submit your decorating ideas to us.
Till next time
May you take a few moments and put your feet up on your porch swing. See our recipe for delicious homemade lemonade.
We hope you are enjoying summer where you live. Take a little time each day to enjoy your porch! We love hearing from you.