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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal Newsletter
The Splendor of Autumn is Upon Us
Issue #111 September 2020
The past few months have proven to be quite an ordeal for many and have touched each of us in some way.
First and foremost, our hearts to go out to many of you who have been affected by the virus, the devastating storms or fires.
We are thinking of you and sending a million blessings to bring peace to your heart.
One of our favorite autumn porches!
Autumn is a captivating time to relax, reflect, count blessings, and embrace nature's colorful season.
Mary and I hope you find time in your busy schedules this fall to enjoy its immense beauty and take time to relax on your porch, deck or patio - any fresh-air space.
The two of us love autumn and want to share some new ideas (including a few traditional ones) that you can use during the coming months.
Although we don't keep up with trends ourselves, we've included a 2020 trends we think you will enjoy and find enlightening.
The beauty of fall harvest
We are also grateful to share some fresh ideas we've discovered.
Inside This Edition...
- What's Cool About Retractable Porch Screens?
- Sheds with Porches - Perfect for a Home Office
- Porch Tiles - A Popular Trend
- 2020 Fall Decorating Trends
- Check Out These Fall Project Ideas
- New Edition of Molly Jo Daisy Published!
- Homeschool Lesson Plans for the Porch
- Thank You as Always
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What's Cool About Retractable Porch Screens?
Retractable screens offer the best of both worlds. They can be in the down position, creating privacy, shade and shelter from bugs and pests.
Or they can be up, giving you maximum fresh air, breezes and open spaces for entertaining.
Who knew you could have it both ways?
And if that's not enough, you can have them midway down like in the photo below, giving you shade and some privacy but still enjoy the openness.
We also appreciate that you can choose between motorized or manual.
After having manual shades on our front porch for the past five years, we embrace motorized screens' convenience.
Retractable screens are perfect for porches
Raise the screens out-of-sight for an open-air experience when conditions are right; perfect for entertaining large groups of friends and family.
Or lower them to whatever height you'd like to enjoy dining or relaxing in comfort.
Retractable screens offer many benefits
It's our pleasure to share these photos, courtesy of Phantom Screens in Abbotsford, BC.
Take a moment and check out more retractable screen ideas from Phantom Screens.
Sheds with Porches - Perfect for a Home Office
Sheds are more popular than ever!
Now that many of us work from home, a shed (with a porch, of course) can be modified to be the perfect home office and is becoming quite the trend.
We are seeing sheds used not only as home offices but also as she-sheds, man-caves, pubs, party pads, and even as classrooms for homeschooling.
You have many designs from which to choose, one of which Mary and I know will be just right for your needs.
Many are customizable, making them quite functional along with being aesthetically pleasing addition to your outdoor space.
How sweet is this! Add a nicely designed patio area and landscaping to create a magical outdoor retreat
Extra windows and double door storage access
Our sincere thanks to Liberty Sheds in Mocksville, North Carolina, for sharing their pictures with us.
See more of their creative design ideas here.
Porch Tiles - A Popular Trend
We discovered that online searches for outdoor tiling have increased 174% recently, according to Google.
That tells us many folks are investing in the versatility and functionality of tile.
From travertine to porcelain, you can choose from a wide variety of materials, styles and colors.
You should keep in mind that tiles can "sweat" when the ground is cooler than the air, making them potentially slippery.
And if elevated or on a wood frame, your frame must be very stiff to avoid movement.
Beautiful floor on this amazing porch
Photo courtesy of The Porch Company
Tiled front porch
Living Spaces interior decorator Shelby Greene has stated that tiling is a way to enhance your porch, deck, or patio by bringing the indoors out.
Tiling makes you feel like you're on vacation even though you may not be able to travel during this period of time.
(Source:Realtor.com)
Beautiful floor on screened porch - Courtesy of The Porch Company
You can even tile a deck using and underlayment like Silca System® to give you tiling options you may
not have previously considered. Learn more about deck underlayments here.
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2020 Fall Decorating Trends
Charming autumn porch decorating idea
Mary and I love to decorate our porch for fall as do so many others.
We aren't into chasing trends unless we really like them, however, we enjoy learning about designers' "latest trends" and know you may too.
Here's what we found for 2020...
Appealing traditional fall porch decor
Color Schemes
If 2020 isn't strange enough, we've read that 66% of designers have selected black to be the neutral tone along with white, grey, and beige for fall.
In addition, other designers want to add sage green and navy blue to that list.
And, the Pantone Color Institute chose classic blue as the 2020 Color Of The Year.
Google Trends indicates that green outranks other hues this season, along with mint and emerald.
Realtor.com believes vibrant colors and shades of green connect with nature and enhance the outdoor experience.
Emerald green gives you a tropical appeal, whereas sage is soothing and serene.
Choose mint for a fresh, youthful appeal.
(Realtor.com)
If you want to add a warmer touch, choose cinnamon, caramel, or terracotta to your decor.
Quaint fall front door decor
Incorporate Fall Leaves
One of the easiest, traditional ways to add a warm natural touch at home is to decorate with autumn leaves.
Incorporate nature's beauty into your porch's decor by strategically placing fall leaves in bunches, garlands or centerpieces.
Traditional fall leaf display during sunset
Mary took this photo on a porch trip to Nashville, Indiana and thought you'd enjoy this wonderful sculpture as much as we do.
Elder Heart Soaring Sculpture in Nashville, Indiana
The leaf sculpture above, named Soaring, is located in the heart of downtown Nashville, Indiana.
Not only is it a wonderful piece of art but was also sculpted to build awareness about veterans concerns.
Add Textile Art
Textile art seems to be a trend this year.
From rugs to pillow covers and even outdoor wall art, you will find interesting patterns and tartans popular this year.
Also consider whites, blacks, and grey-scale as well as wool, checks and traditional cozy patterns.
Fun fall front porch decorations
Home School Porch Lesson Plans
How school has changed.
Our sons and daughter-in-loves teach our grandkids at home, online, or a combination of actual school and online like many of you.
It definitely isn't easy to juggle working, teaching, and parenting simultaneously.
We are super appreciative of them.
Mary and I thought it would be fun to include some science lesson plan ideas you can use on your porch (or any other location).
From weather-predicting pine cones to making lightning, there's something for everyone.
Learn about these weather-predicting pine cones via these 21 science lesson plans.
New Edition of Molly Jo Daisy Published!
Molly Jo Daisy Being the New Kid
Molly Jo Daisy, a happy go lucky ten-year-old girl, is the main character in Mary's Molly Jo Daisy book series.
Mary writes fun stories of Molly Jo Daisy and her family to help children see their minds' power.
Mary's new edition and her first chapter book is out.
The title is Molly Jo Daisy: Being the New Kid
In this book, Molly Jo Daisy has moved with her family and her Grandma from Nashville TN to Maple River, a sweet, fictitious town on Maine's seacoast.
Moving over a thousand miles away from the place she calls home, Molly Jo expects her life will never ever be the same.
And she's right. She experiences new adventures she never could have imagined!
And yes, Molly Jo lives in a house with a big front porch!
You can purchase Mary's book here.
If you read it and like it, would you be so kind to write a review on Amazon?
Mary would be honored indeed.
Thank You As Always
A simple bench with autumn's harvest is welcoming
Thank you for stopping by to share some of your precious time with us.
We appreciate you and hope you are staying well.
We send our thoughts and love to so many of you suffering from the virus or have been affected by the storms or fires.
You are a treasure to us, so thank you!
Between the flowers that bloom, the butterflies that dance and the showers that gently fall - a porch can be your happy place.
And even if you don't have a porch on your home, may you have a porch spirit in your heart and take time for the little things in life.
We will talk to you next time.
Dave and Mary
In Parting...
Courtesy of our friend, Paul Rice
Paul says that it was 90 just the other day and now this (snow!) on his beautiful Colorado log cabin.
How quickly things can change.
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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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You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.
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You can even tile a deck using and underlayment like Silca System® to give you tiling options you may
not have previously considered. 
If you're reading this and 
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