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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal Newsletter
Issue #126 June 2022
Welcome to our June 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 Glorious Summer Begin
- Happy Father's Day to the Dads
- Imagine a Home Office with a Porch
- Small But Beautiful
- Porch Ideas Network - Beautiful House Trim
- We Have This New Table on Our Back Porch
- Porch Time: Listen to Tracing the Path
- Inspiration and Tidbits - If You Think You're Not Talented
- 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.
Stunning hydrangeas bloom in June
"June is the gateway to summer." - Jean Hersey
Summer is almost officially upon us. Where did spring go?
Kids finish up the school year, vacations begin, day and sports camps abound, and of course, it is time to enjoy your porch!
As the summer days fly by we hope you find time to relax with
a glass of lemonade on the porch and watch the world go by.
Honoring our Fathers
"A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way." - Unknown
Our dads are no longer with us but they continue to hold a special place in our hearts.
Both our dads worked hard to provide for us and I fondly remember the summer vacations and trips.
We often went camping each summer and often came home with chigger bites.
Dad was never happy when he had to put up the old canvass tent in the rain or spend time getting the rat's nests out of our fishing reels.
And in the summer he would play catch with my brother and I after a long day of factory work.
Mary remembers how her dad was like a Mister Mom long before that became fashionable.
Her dad would pack her sandwiches for school lunch, brush her hair and cook Sunday dinners.
"A father carries pictures where his money used to be." - Steve Martin
Sunday, June 19, 2022, Father's Day is celebrated here in the USA.
Let's celebrate our wonderful fathers who have nurtured us, encouraged us, guided us and all the daily humbling tasks to help us grow up with wings.
We know many people have committed to working from home and may now realize having a separate office is ideal.
Or perhaps you just want a workshop to pursue your hobby, a quiet out-of-the way spot to relax, a space for entertaining, or even extra storage space.
We've discovered a fairly easy way to add that needed space in a variety of options without breaking the bank.
Sheds, like the one below can be easily converted to office space, a work shop, or configured to meet your specific needs.
The shed plans we found have porches which is an added plus!
Imagine this as your home office or workshop
Photo courtesy of Liberty Sheds
Building your own shed from a plan is a fairly easy project if you have basic carpentry skills and the tools.
An advantage of building from a plan is having the option to make modifications like adding more windows, a skylight, or other features.
Check out this shed with a wrap-around porch and metal roof.
Stylish wraparound porch and gambrel roof
Photo courtesy of Liberty Sheds
Perhaps you need more room than a typical shed can provide.
Consider building a small cabin which can offer lots more space and double as a guest house.
Be sure to see all of our shed and small cabins with porches sections for more ideas!
Does our hearts good to notice the small, yet beautiful things
"Always have something beautiful in sight, even if it's just a daisy in a jelly glass." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr
We made these handcrafted bookmarks in homeschool art class
Speaking of daisies, this week in our home school art class (last one) we turned pressed flowers into pretty bookmarks.
What do you think?
Ornate brackets on Victorian-style front porch
Gorgeous spandrels from Vintage Woodworks
Decorative porch railings by Vintage Woodworks
Our sponsor and good friend, Gregory Tatsch, shares his expertise with us about gingerbread house trim here.
You might be surprised what you learn. Beautiful trim is not exclusive to Victorian homes.
You can learn much more about the wonderful, handcrafted porch parts where we feature Vintage Woodworks here.
To Bring a Smile
"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." - James Dent
We've been wanting to give our back porch a bit extra room, so we came up with the idea of an outdoor table with leaves.
Expandable tables are not easy to find, but we think we've found a gem. We like our new table. Take a look...
Our new table is expandable.
This is the small size, perfect for the two of us
Our table can double in size!
We had our old table for eighteen years. We were both surprised to realize how long we've had it.
It was time for something new and this expandable table is an ideal answer for us.
When small, the extra panel rests below the top panel.
To make the table larger, all we need do is pull out the bottom panel from underneath the top panel.
The table at small size is 36" square and easily seats four.
When the table expands, it's a roomy 36" by 72" which easily seats six people.
If you like the idea of an expandable outdoor table, you can find it here on Amazon (our affiliate link).
Don't miss this informative Tracing the Path podcast with Dan R. Morris.
It's about the color blue. And the origin of blue jeans. And much more...
Teaser: There are some sad parts, too.
Get ready to learn about some amazing connections!
About Being Comfortable...
Dave and I enjoy making things; we are life-long makers!
We hear people tell us, "You're so talented."
Talent is an elusive word indeed.
Neither of us was born with a hammer or a paint brush in our hands, but talent can be earned.
That which we are not born with can be learned, grown and harnessed with a willing heart and practice.
When we have an interest in trying something, the talent blooms inside us when we sow the seeds of learning and practice.
Let's give ourselves grace when learning something new.
And no matter the small frustrations along the way, enjoy the journey.
The journey, at least from our point of view, will always be a work in progress.
Please don't let the talent word stop you from trying something new.
Talent begins and grows with effort.
Share and enjoy your talents.
Each of us has much to offer.
Like a field of sunflower seeds, if watered, fertilized and tended, those little seedlings will turn into golden beauties.
Please take a look at the following thoughts from others about talent.
Some Inspiring Thoughts on Talent
"Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." - Bob Ross
"I've never been talented. I'm just good at never giving up." - Gymaholic
"Use what talent you possess. The woods would be very silent if no bird sang except those that sang best." - Henry Van Dyke
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.
Vintage Woodworks handcrafted products are beautifully planned
We love the details in their wonderfully crafted porch trim
The Porch Store creates these wonderful cathedral railing panels
In addition to many other gorgeous products for your porch
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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We also earn commissions from other companies where are are participants of their referral programs.
Here is our full disclosure about affiliate marketing.
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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"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." - James Dent
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.
Please 
