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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal Newsletter
Issue #113 February 2021
Valentine Edition
Happy Valentine from our hearts to yours
Valentine Day is often thought as just a day for couples in love.
But in our minds, Valentine Day is much more than that.
It's a day to celebrate love and friendship not only with our spouses or partners but also with our friends, neighbors and others we enjoy in our lives.
Who doesn't enjoy receiving a valentine and a chocolate bar?
My mom worked as a clerk for many years.
I fondly remember her giving valentines (you know, the kind that school kids exchange) to her customers.
And sometimes she included a small wrapped chocolate, too.
Her thoughtful gesture would surely brighten their day.
It's just kindness, pure and simple.
May Valentine Day lift your heart!
And perhaps my mom's story will give you a fresh perspective on this holiday that's truly meant for everyone!
Put your feet up, if you can, for a few quiet minutes, sip on your favorite beverage and enjoy our Valentine issue!
We're so glad you're here.
Inside This Edition...
- Welcome to Our Valentine Porch
- Red is Beautiful on Your Porch
- Please Don't Miss the Story of the Star Spangled Banner
- Valentine Month is for Everyone
- Thank You As Always
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Welcome to Our Valentine Porch
Hope our Valentine porch sparks some ideas for you
A bit closer-up of our Valentine porch
Just a touch of festive color and love amidst the winter backdrop.
We think Valentine Day comes at the right time.
Right when we all need a little dose of extra joy and love!
Mary painted the conversation heart wall art
Remember those conversation hearts we enjoyed as a kid? The two of us still love them.
A couple of years ago they were very hard to find but seem plentiful this year.
However, if you enjoy them as we do, here's a word of caution. Ha ha!
Brachs has two different kinds this year: The original ones, with messages on just one side, and a "new fangled" variety with messages on both sides.
If you're like us and enjoy the chewy, original ones, be on the lookout when you pickup a package at the store.
The newer variety is "different!"
The pillow toppers are conversation hearts, too
Hint: If you look very closely at the pillow toppers, you'll see that we kind of "cheated."
We simply pinned them with straight pins.
They will only be on the porch for a couple of weeks and not much porch sitting is going on this month, so....no need for anything more permanent.
Sometimes a heart from the dollar store is all that we need
Truly this little heart brightens up our front door just fine!
To keep the heart from blowing around in the wind, it's attached to a suction cup at the bottom of it.
Do you like our heart garland?
It's new this year. The one Mary made from past years has disappeared.
A close-up of the heart garland Mary made
Sometimes we have everything we need and we don't even know it.
Mary couldn't find our heart garland from previous years, but she came across some burlap triangles that could be turned into garland.
The burlap triangles have a sticky side making them ideal for adding red felt.
That's what she did! Then she cut out some hearts and added some string for hanging.
The fact we had everything we needed on hand for the garland is what Dave and I refer to as "acres of diamonds."
This concept comes from an old story about a farmer who left his farm and his family to search all over the world for diamonds.
What he didn't realize is that he left behind "acres of diamonds" right on his farm. Literally and figuratively.
You can read the entire story by searching for "acres of diamonds".
It's a story that will bless you.
Our heart garland look pretty festive indoors too!
Don't tell anyone, but our heart garland ended up coming indoors on our fireplace.
We needed a pop of color indoors and that's where the hearts landed.
Red is Beautiful on Your Porch
A touch of red at your front door is beautiful in February
February is perfect for the color red. Red for hearts. Red for a pop of color. Red for warmth and joyfulness.
We had this metal basket, but it was white. We spray painted it red and tucked in some red and white tea towels and a few flowers.
Instant transformation.
Enjoy These Ideas for a Punch of Red
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A gorgeous red porch swing!
Imagine having this beautiful swing on your porch.
I remember leisurely swinging on my grandma's front porch swing and the stories she would tell me as the breeze blew gently across our faces.
She lived across the street from an ice cream store called Falquettes and they served milk shakes and chocolate malts.
I'm sure that us kids would beg to go there in the summertime.
I bet my mom and dad had dates there.
One of our wonderful readers purchased two of these in rustic red.
It's not too early to think of how you will enjoy your porch and yard this spring.
How about a gorgeous red rug for your porch or patio?
I picture potted plants on it with the fresh green looking vibrant next to the red rug.
Valentine Month is for Everyone
Why not add some "heartfelt" decor to your porch?
Photo courtesy of our friend Karen Pivonski Lewis
As my mom taught me years ago when she gave her customers sweet little valentines, Valentine Day is for everyone.
Give a valentine to your neighbor or your mail carrier or your friends.
You'll brighten their day and help them feel special and loved.
We have some sweet and friendly Valentine decorating ideas for your porch right here for you.
Brighten your porch or front door with some pretty hearts in the month of February.
You'll be sure to lift the spirits of all who pass by, especially in the midst of winter days.
The stuffed animals and Karen's cute cat add a whimsical appeal to her porch
Photo courtesy of our friend Karen Pivonski Lewis
You Won't Want to Miss: The Story of the Star Spangled Banner
On the Tracing the Path Podcast, you can listen to the wonderful story of the Star
Spangled Banner. It's not just about Francis Scott Key or the flag of the Battle of Fort McHenry.
If you love a good story of interconnected events and people, we bet you will love this one.
You can listen to the podcast series at Tracing the Path Podcast
If you haven't ever listened to a podcast, its much like listening to a radio show but it's on the internet. And it's free, of course.
Dan tells wonderful stories on his podcast, so we invite you to listen. Each podcast is around 20-30 minutes.
Listen to Tracing the Path Podcast
Thank You As Always
Imagine a bouquet of roses dropped off at your door step
Simply said, we wish you a wonderful Valentine day, week, month.
Think of it as a lovely bouquet of roses dropped off at your door step.
We truly appreciate you are part of our newsletter family. Porch people are friendly, don't you think?
While most of us won't be sitting on our porch until warmer weather comes again, it's still so comforting to think of those days ahead.
But in the meanwhile, we hope your can enjoy the beauty of winter and stay cozy indoors or outside.
We appreciate you and are super grateful that in this time of the pandemic, when more people are at home, porch ideas are needed and loved.
May you be staying safe and healthy. Dave and I are doing our best to stay that way too.
See you next time!
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.
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