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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal Newsletter
Issue #127 July 2022
Happy Birthday America!
Welcome to our July Edition of Front Porch Appeal.
Whether you have a porch or simply dream of one, you're in the right place.
Inside This Edition...
- Let Freedom Ring
- 4th of July Decorating Ideas
- Look at These Summer House Portraits
- Delightful Summer Porches from Here and There
- Imagine the Possibilities: Porch Privacy Ideas
- Porch Ideas Network - A Lasting Screen Door
- Porch Podcast Entertainment: The Color Blue...
- Inspiration and Tidbits - The Problem with Being Comfortable
- We Appreciate Our Porch Sponsors
- Thank You As Always
If you're reading this and haven't joined our newsletter family, won't you please subscribe here and get our free Curb Appeal ebook.
Elegant, patriotic buntings
As another Independence Day approaches, remember that July 4th is a porch's favorite holiday!
Not only because of this patriotic holiday, but also a fun time to decorate your porch in red, white, and blue to celebrate the freedoms we hold dear.
"So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snow capped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring." - Martin Luther King Jr.
A hint of what's to come on Laura's porch
Those breathtaking steps graced with bunting
Laura's welcoming front door - notice her gorgeous wreath and vibrant fern
Laura created this splendid Americana wreath
Who wouldn't love to call this home
We thank Laura Mann McCarthy for sharing her gorgeous pictures with us of her coastal North Carolina home.
Video: Red, White and Blue Bandana Pillows
Watch our video for ideas to decorate with inexpensive bandanas
4th of July Project Ideas
We love our homemade firecrackers - see how we did it
The kids will love helping to make these neat firecrackers for your porch!
Versatile, you can also use the American flag indoors as patriotic home decor.
See our section on 4th of July decorations for more fun ideas!
"God Bless America, my home, sweet home." - Irving Berlin
Our friend and wonderful watercolor artist, Leisa Collins, shares these house portraits with us.
Imagine your home being painted by Leisa. What a memorable gift.
If you like the pics below, then you will love seeing more of Leisa's watercolor work here.
Simply beautiful! With our thanks to artist Leisa Collins
Leisa Collins captured this magical scene beautifully
Summer in abundance
Vacation time on the Eastern Shore MD
Ahhh! Doesn't this just make you want to sit back and enjoy? Very peaceful.
Summer is the perfect season for porch sitting and entertaining.
I grew up with a large porch to play on and have fond memories of time spent on the porch swing, using the porch steps as base for tag, and hiding behind the porch kneewall when playing hide and seek.
Consider these decorating ideas this summer to create an inviting spot for those lazy, hazy days of summer.
Use a color scheme on your porch to create a cohesive decor.
The rosy chair cushions make this porch pop with summer love
Add summer colors to your porch railings and columns for special appeal.
Always one of our favorites!
Debbie's summertime porch is dressed in graciousness
Connie has a wonderful dining area on her screened porch
Imagine relaxing on Holly's porch swing - how good!
What a lovely place for conversation
Holly's dog seems to agree that porches are the best!
Dogs love porches.
Aren't these flower arrangements so eye-catching?
See many more summer decorating ideas for your porch.
We thank Debbie Perry McMurry, Connie McCracken and Holly B LaFleche for sharing their photos with us.
We can all use a little privacy in our lives and sometimes on our porch too!
Mary and I have collected a variety of ways in which you can add privacy to your porch
whether to obstruct an unpleasant view, create a private retreat, tuck away
for an afternoon nap, or even add protection from the weather.
Porch privacy can be achieved from a variety of materials, from vinyl lattice to landscaping.
We added these privacy panels made from vinyl lattice panels to our back porch for a little privacy.
See how we created these privacy panels to create our own privacy porch
Believe it or not, this page has been one of our most popular lately.
For privacy, shutters are another option.
The ones shown below from The Porch Company are on tracks that can then be easily moved into position.
Porch privacy shutters by The Porch Company
Below, a lattice panel combined with landscaping provides a bit of privacy on this porch.
Climbing foliage on lattice panel and landscaping provide lots of privacy
For more ideas to create privacy on your porch be sure to see our
porch privacy section.
Nothing like the "slam" of an old screen door in summer!
I remember as a kid how often our old wooden screen door had a tear or when the screen had been pushed out of place. How about those sliding screen doors that neither rolled smoothly nor maintained a secure frame.
Screen doors have come a long way since then.
A very long way indeed.
Now, your can purchase a screen door that can withstand kids pushing or dogs scratching on the screening material without causing damage.
No more warping as the screen doors we discovered fit just right all the time.
And their rolling screen doors stay true and roll as smoothly as a wheel on a train track.
Mary and I have toured their factory and can attest the quality of these aluminum screen doors.
They are engineered to alleviate what would make a typical screen door sag, bend,screen tear-out, or twist.
Not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing, PCA screen doors will enhance the beauty of your home.
Look how classy this front entryway is!
You may also be surprised to learn that they also make screen doors with a dog door that is also designed and fabricated to the highest standards.
PCA screen door with pet access door
Mary and I discovered PCA screen doors and they may in fact be the last screen door you'll need to purchase!
See more of your screen door options here.
PCA Products is one of our very fine sponsors.
Blue is not an easy color to come by in nature but it does have a history that we believe will surprise you.
We encourage you to grab a glass of lemonade and listen to "The Blue Jeans that Got Away with Murder" podcast with Dan R. Morris of Tracing The Path - on your porch, of course!
Spoiler alert: there are some sad facts uncovered that might make your heart blue...
You can listen here.
We all get this way. Very comfortable.
Or at least comfortable enough.
And then do you know what that comfort allows us to do?
Nothing, yes nothing.
I am not speaking about relaxing on the porch with our feet up or taking a day off to just relax.
That's good for our soul.
No, I am speaking about making progress in our lives.
Often times we become comfortable enough that our dreams, our goals and our vision are left behind because we are, well, comfortable enough right where we are.
I find this in my own life.
I have another children's book I want to write and so many other things I hope to do.
But that "C" word keeps me contented where I am.
So, how do we overcome becoming too comfortable?
You may have some good ideas.
I think if we have a bigger "why" it helps.
When I think of the children who have liked my books and asked when the next one is coming out, that fuels me.
When I think of the young girl who would like to do some of the illustrations in my books, that fuels me.
When I think of the kids who will read and enjoy my books, that fuels me.
And when I think of my days that are numbered, that fuels me more than anything.
So, you might agree too, that even though we feel comfortable right where we are, there are reasons to keep pushing ahead, making progress, finishing what we have started.
If this resonates with you, I hope this helps you in some way.
To Bring a Smile
Porch Humor: America is a family. We all yell at each other, and it all works out." - Louis C.K.
We value and appreciate our relationships with our sponsors. May sound corny, but it's true!
Our sponsors are like family to us - very fine, good people and we are proud referring their services and products to you.
They each have amazing business ethics and at the top of their game in what they can provide to you.
The Porch Store creates these wonderful cathedral railing panels
In addition to many other gorgeous products for your porch
Vintage Woodworks handcrafted products are beautifully planned
We love the details in their wonderfully crafted porch trim
Peaceful, isn't this?
The two of us appreciate you being in our porch family.
You're always welcome to send us pictures of your porch at info@front-porch-ideas-and-more.com
While we cannot promise it, we often feature your pictures in our newsletter and website and social media.
We thank you for stopping by and hope this finds you well this month.
Wishing you warm, sunny skies, gentle breezes and flowers blooming on your porch steps.
We are grateful for you!
Will you get to enjoy time on your porch today?
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.
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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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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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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Porch Humor: America is a family. We all yell at each other, and it all works out." - Louis C.K.
We value and appreciate our relationships with our sponsors. May sound corny, but it's true!
Our sponsors are like family to us - very fine, good people and we are proud referring their services and products to you.
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