Front Porch Refresh!

Happy Friday, friends!I'm so excited to FINALLY be able to share our newly freshenedfront porch with you all today!   Initially, hubby and I hadn't planned on doing anything withthe front porch until after we painted the exterior of thehouse (which we're hoping to do early fall), butafter a long winter of shoveling snow and salty boots from the sidewalk-theporch floor was looking pretty sad and worn-and truth be told, so was trim work,
ceiling and furniture!
Since we spend so much time on our porch in the summer-I decided
it just couldn't wait until fall to be given some TLC. So the first thing I did was get out the hose and wash everything down.
Then I scrubbed all of the shutters-washed all the windows,
and painted all the trim and the ceiling.
Next was the porch floor. I usedGLIDDEN porch and floor paint (in dark gray).I won't bore you with the entire process of painting the floor-but I will
offer one tip that I learned the hard way.  DO NOT be impatient to walk
on your floor before the recommended time-especially if you live
in a humid area like we do! That little mishap-plus a few days of rain,
caused some big delays in getting the porch done as quickly as I had planned! But, in the end it worked out just fine-because it gave me time to giveour wicker furniture a fresh coat of paint-and ourold farmhouse table a refresh too! The table was just the perfect size to serve cake and sweet tea when friends stopped overfor a Sunday afternoon visit last weekend-and hubby and I plan to spend many a summer
night having dinner for two on the porch, now that we have a place to do so.
I also did no-sew covers for all the cushions and pillows (like I did here last year)but this time, instead of using a shower curtain-I purchased 2 sheetsets on clearance for $7.00 each. The porch is covered, so I don't worry so much about them being
weather resistant, and we usually bring the cushions
in at night anyway-especially if there's a storm brewing!    The best part is-for less than the cost of purchasing ONE cushion-they can be
changed up whenever I get the urge to do so(which you all know is often)! Once I had all the furniture looking comfy and cozy-it was time to add 
a few more 'homey' elements.  Like curtains.....  I found these curtains at a yard sale, earlier this Spring.  The bottoms
needed some hem work-but at $2 for the pair-I couldn't pass them up.
The material is lightweight and dries quickly-and in the evenings, there
is nothing more relaxing than watching them blow around in the summer
breeze! Of course I had to add a few potted plants and flowers too!
Coleus is one of my favorite shade plants!  I love the pop of
lime green and their textured leaves! Right now they don't look so spectacular,
but by mid-summer-the urns will be overflowing with color!


 And whether in a hanging basket, or a pot...
I simply adore the whimsical flowers of the Lobelia. 
Impatiens LOVE that our porch is mostly shaded until late
afternoon- and I love that they are so forgiving! (This one got disrupted when the pot fell
 off during a storm  but it survived!!)
 This is the first time I've put Calibrachoa on the front porch,
but so far, it seems to be doing well.
And let's not forget the perennial beauties planted in the garden in front of our porch!
Right now this lovely white Azalea and  pink bleeding heart are in bloom
Soon lilies, roses and hydrangeas will bloom and wewill enjoy their beauty and amazing fragrance all the way into fall! But I'm not going to even think about fall just yet.
It is absolutely GORGEOUS out this morning, 
so I think I'll grab another cup of coffee and join hubby on the swing.Life is too short-and work can wait-at least for a few minutes!
I'd love to hear what you think of our porch!
I'll be linking up at these amazing parties-so stop on over and be inspired!Blessings and hugs,