Saturday Sparks – Porches

Posted on July 6, 2013February 13, 2015 by Mama

I love porches! If designed and decorated correctly, a porch can say “welcome,” “sit a spell,” “glad you stopped by” or “come on in.” Perhaps one reason I’m so in love with porches is because I don’t have much of one of my own. . . maybe someday.

All of the pictures here offer some sort of inspiration for creating a porch that will hopefully say just the right thing to your guests and passers by, but today’s sparks are in a different format so just click the forward and backward arrows to be inspired. (If the graphic doesn’t load immediately, wait a minute and refresh your screen.)

Porches

Saturday Sparks – Patriotic Prettification

Posted on June 22, 2013February 18, 2015 by Mama

Okay, so I’ve never used the word “prettification” in my life, but I like the alliteration and you can blame my thesaurus for that one. A little new vocabulary never hurt anyone.

With the Fourth of July just around the corner, I thought I would supply you with a few decorating ideas and appropriately patriotic homes in hopes you might get a few ideas for dressing up your own abode and proudly pronouncing you are an American. While some folks definitely go over the top, I think you can also be very subtle in your use of stars and stripes to set the proper stage.

So here’s to the red, white and blue and a wonderful weekend too.

Source: bhg.com via Chele on Pinterest

Source: turnstylevogue.com via Small Talk on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Danelle Ice on Pinterest

Source: simplythisandthat.blogspot.com via Small Talk on Pinterest

Source: images.meredith.com via Shawnna on Pinterest

Source: 99crafting.net via Easy Home on Pinterest

Source: pinterest.com via Small Talk on Pinterest

Source: blog.homes.com via Small Talk on Pinterest

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Small Talk on Pinterest

This one is for those of you who can hardly contain yourselves and think we should celebrate Independence Day every darn month of the year.

Source: theskimonster.com via Small Talk on Pinterest

Source: bing.com via Small Talk on Pinterest

Saturday Sparks – Climbing Roses

Posted on June 8, 2013February 12, 2015 by Mama

There is just something romantic and cozy about climbing roses. They tend to evoke in me a feeling of a comfy English cottage somewhere up in the almost forgotten hillside. They can look so wild and untamed that they seemed to have claimed the structure to which they grow, yet somehow one knows that their presence is not by accident.

Even if you don’t own a cottage or quaint little house, I think you can plant a few climbing roses that will eventually begin to turn even the most builder’s grade façade into a perfectly aged dwelling that has character and charm. In fact, the back of our house is devoid of any architectural detail, so I just planted a couple of climbing roses to help defeat the drearys.