By Dave and Mary

Front Porch Appeal Newsletter

Mother's Day and May Flowers

Issue #102 May 2019

beautiful wicker hanging baskets
Ever seen a prettier porch?
If you had April showers, then you will have May flowers! That's how the saying goes and it's ever so true where we live in Tennessee.

Soon it will also be Mother's Day here in the USA. We will get to enjoy Mother's Day with our Virginia family this year.

Thank you so much for being here with us; you make it all worth while as we love to share porch ideas with you. May you enjoy a few relaxing moments as you browse through our topics this month...


Inside This Edition...

  • Honoring Mothers
  • Hanging Baskets to Love
  • Flower Pot Trellis Ideas
  • Mother's Day Gift Suggestions
  • Porch Handrails: A Wonderful Investment
  • Thank You as Always
  • Spreading Kindness



Honoring Mothers

beautiful bouquet of tulips

Sunday, May 12th, 2019 is Mother's Day in the United States, a traditional day to honor our moms and motherhood. Both Dave and I were very blessed to have wonderful moms. Each of them different from the other, but full of goodness.

How about your mother? We all have different stories. In this edition we'd like to honor the moms in our lives. Happy Mother's Day!

Dave's mom with the two of us
Dave and I with his sweet mom (approximately 2011)
my favorite picture of my mom
My mom in the kitchen, my favorite picture of her (1978)
Dave's mom was a ball of energy, four foot eleven and she was a good cook. In World War II, she was a welder and because of her tiny size, she could weld in small nooks and crannies.

My mom was a gentle soul who loved to honor people. She worked in the A & P grocery store for many years and had a knack for remembering her customers' birthdays with sweet cards and a candy bar. She loved telling cute jokes.

Both of our moms had hearts of gold and worked very hard for many years.

iced tea and flowers for Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

If you're blessed to still have your mother, spoil her a bit today. Maybe some time on the porch with a glass of iced tea? Or maybe some flowers for her table.

Life is short. Enjoy the day.




Hanging Baskets to Love

It's that time of year to think of making several hanging baskets for your porch. Mother's Day is the perfect occasion to give a thoughtful hanging basket, too.

Purple flowers in lovely cut-out-work metal basket
We really like this lacy container
This lacy container is so eye-catching and is the perfect basket for a romantic hanging basket arrangement.


colorful hanging baskets
Beautiful colors in these hanging baskets!
We recently discovered this neat idea and wanted to share it with you. It's a retractable hanger for hanging baskets, bird houses, and other items and can be used on your porch, gazebo, kitchen, and other areas as well.

It can hold up to 55 pounds making it ideal for watering and caring for your hanging baskets.

These would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift too!

Water Your Hanging Baskets with Ease

Plant Pulley Retractable Hanger Hooks - Hanging Plants Garden Baskets Pots Bird Houses
Amazon affiliate link

Enjoy This Video from Laura

We like how Laura from Garden Answer explains how to make a wonderful hanging basket


hanging basket of flowers and trailing vine - just lovely

Why not take a look at these hanging basket ideas we have for you.


Flower Pot Trellis Ideas

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through affiliate links on our site, we earn a commission at no cost to you. See our disclosure policy.

trellis support at top of porch column

Have you ever had a beautiful climbing flower for your porch but didn't know how to support the vine as it grows? If you don't have a trellis, then the plant has nothing upon which to climb. Oh dear!

We've come up with a few innovative and inexpensive trellis ideas to consider.

For example, you can make a simple trellis - like what we show here - with two poles or sticks plus some twine. Dave prefers cutting cedar fence slats (around $3) into long stakes. Bamboo would work as well.

Using a hand saw, notch the poles to hold the twine. This type of trellis works fine for clematis plants, morning glories, mandevillas, etc.


trellis support at top of porch column
Trellis support at top of porch column


Enjoy our video that explains how we made an "invisible trellis"


trellis made with twine for clematis
Simple ways to make a trellis for a climbing plant



Mother's Day Gift Suggestions

Looking for a thoughtful Mother's Day gift idea? If you haven't given it a thought yet, don't worry. We've got you covered. Most people enjoy a few suggestions. Of course, something homemade is always lovely, like writing a personal letter filled with memories or making a sweet little card.

And beyond that, we've gathered these ideas for you ...


Look at This Gorgeous Spa Basket



For the mom who loves to be pampered, this gift would be so nice. The flowers aren't included.


Devotions from the Front Porch



I received this book from a dear friend for my birthday and can heartily recommend it for anyone who loves inspirational stories, front porches and beautiful pictures.


The Brave Art of Motherhood

Our friend Rachel wrote this heart-telling book
For moms in the midst of motherhood, this book has changed many lives. Rachel Martin's transparent story inspires and encourages moms to look at their lives with fresh eyes to make the most of who they are. Consider this book for a mom's day gift.

Rachel even appeared on The Today Show sharing her book nationally!


Imagine a Watercolor Painting of Your Home (Or Vacation Home)

Capture a family vacation memory like this Eastern Shore MD home - get more details on Front Porch Ideas and More

Dave and I had the privilege of meeting Leisa Collins, a well known watercolor artist who can capture the true essence of a home through her artistry. If you are looking for a unique and most welcome gift for your mom this Mother's Day, we recommend you consider having Leisa paint a portrait of your childhood home.

Even if it's a tad bit late to have a completed painting for Mother's Day, Leisa can prepare you a beautiful gift certificate for a future portrait!

Leisa can paint a portrait of your favorite home from a photograph, even if the photo is from the wintertime or is imperfect (car parked out front, power lines etc.). She knows how to make it perfect for any season of the year. Contact Leisa here and see more of her house portraits.

Just imagine the look on her face to receive such a personal gift.


If You're a Bit Like Us...

We're encouraged that a number of our readers have purchased a DIY handrail like the one shown here. If you are a bit like us, it only takes one step to tumble. Our porch has three steps and yes, we have a porch handrail that helps tremendously.

How would you feel if someone fell on your steps and broke their hip or something else? Most people (including us) wouldn't be happy to have something like that happen to someone we know.

You may only have one, two, or three steps onto your porch, walkway, or garage and don't feel the need for a hand rail - but it only takes one stumble to fall. Anyone of any age can fall.

The good news is that installing a handrail is straightforward and holding onto one can prevent falls and broken bones.

Here's a simple DIY solution Mary and I recommend even if you have only a few unprotected steps. You can purchase them based on the number of steps you have.


InstantRail 3-Step adjustable handrail
Amazon affiliate link
Metal handrail kits make it easy to safe-proof you porch, deck, or stoop stairs. They look attractive too.

Learn more about porch handrails on our site here.

Remember, it's the small things that get us sometimes.


Thank You As Always

wisterior on arboe
Today is a good day for a good day
Thank you for taking the time to open and enjoy our newsletter. You are the reason we love to share porch ideas.

Our neighbor Liz has this wonderful wisteria growing over an arbor in her backyard. Such a beautiful flower to enjoy in the spring; it's one of immense beauty and a sure thrill for those of us who love shades of purple.

May you find joy, peace and solace in your everyday life.

That's what we're wishing for you today.


azaleas in spring in North Carolina
Beautiful azaleas in the South.
What blooms where you live?


Spreading Kindness

spring flowers from our kind neighbor
Our neighbor surprised us with these spring flowers
Twice last month we were surprised in very kind ways by our neighbors. And it's nice to be remembered so kindly by others.

One of our neighbors brought Dave and I two beautiful small cakes, one chocolate and one strawberry. Perfect size to have in the evening with tea.

Another neighbor surprised us with this wonderful bouquet of spring flowers.

It's those small things in life that are true blessings.

And as I write this, Dave is in his workshop helping a friend by making custom-trim to restore his fishing boat. May you also be blessed by the friendship of others.

We value our sponsors and the products and services they provide. They are like family to us!






You're invited to be part of our Facebook community. We share ideas with one another for decorating and using our porches. We are blessed with over 17,000 followers and would love to count you among them.


Mary and Dave Please enjoy browsing past issues of our newsletters right here. Take a few moments of chill time.

Happy porch sitting from your friends,

Mary and Dave


Life is short. Enjoy your porch.



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Mary and Dave, Founders of Front Porch Ideas and More
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches. You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.

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Mary and Dave, Founders of Front Porch Ideas and More
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches. You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.

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At no extra cost to you, we earn a commission by referring you to some products on merchant sites. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases. See our disclosure policy.
We, Front Porch Ideas and More, confirm, as stated on our privacy policy, that we do not sell personal information.

All content here is solely for presenting ideas. We recommend consulting with a licensed, experienced contractor before you begin your project.
We make no guarantees of accuracy or completeness of information on our site or any links to other websites contained here.


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