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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal Newsletter
Issue #128 August 2022
Sunflowers against a striking purple sky
Oh, the sunflowers in late summer. Beautiful iconic sunflowers!
You know that summer has been with us for a while when we see fields of golden sunflowers.
Here in Middle Tennessee, the children go back to school very soon.
In fact, our local grandchildren start on Monday, August 1st which seems amazingly early in the scheme of things.
Do you agree?
But the silver lining for the kids is the week-long autumn break in October as well the week-long Thanksgiving break.
Time off when it is cooler outside is always welcome.
So, kind of makes sense.
Wasn't it around Labor Day that we started back to school as kids?
That's what the two of us remember from growing up in Ohio.
We can always count on change.
Ever been to a Sunflower Festival?
August is still a summer month of fun and heat too, for most of us.
For many there is still time for vacations, days at the beach or on the trails, sunflower festivals, and of course time to spend on your porch.
I vividly remember well my folks sitting on the porch swing after work, watching my brother and I throw a baseball back and forth before a little league game.
Hopefully you take time to enjoy your porch this summer.
There is still time!
Good Thoughts
"Make it so today is not like yesterday, and tomorrow will be different forever." - Anthony Robbins
Inside This Edition...
- Our Summertime Porch - Painted Dragonflies
- Imagine the Possibilities: Creative Wall Art for the Porch
- Porch Ideas Network - Wonderful Products from The Porch Store
- Time for Backyard Porches
- On the Road with Front Porch Ideas and More
- Porch Podcast Entertainment: The Remarkable ABCs Song
- Inspiration and Tidbits - The Joy of Progress
- 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.
This summer we have dragonflies on our porch
And weren't we lucky to come across this fresh-looking fabric printed with dragonflies and butterflies?
We used flashing material to paint and cut out the dragonflies
A closer-look at these mini dragonflies
Dragonfly wall art
Cattails and dragonflies
Do you like the whimsical dragonflies in our wall art?
And around the corner of our porch is our swing
Our grandchildren enjoy swaying back and forth on our porch swing.
A look from the other side. We have garden phlox blooming.
Outdoor wall art is an easy way to add interest to your porch or outdoor room.
Many pieces become conversation pieces in addition to adding color or a little whimsy on your outdoor space.
You can find a multitude of outdoor wall art in a variety of materials.
Framed piece of outdoor wall art
Whimsical outdoor metal wall art
Wall art can be a focal point on your porch
We often create our own porch wall art.
Makes for an inexpensive and fun project.
Here are a few examples:
Butterfly themed wall art
We made these colorful butterflies (above) using roof flashing cut in the shape of butterflies and painted using inexpensive craft acrylic paint.
See how we did it here!
We used wooden fence slats to create this sunflower wall art.
See our video below for more details of how it went together.
Video: See How Mary Created the Sunflower Wall Art
Speaking of sunflowers in August, in this video we show you incremental pictures on painting the sunflowers.
Please enjoy it!
How to Hang Wall Art
Hanging an art piece on your porch has never been easier. Here's two devices that make it really easy
to hang art on vinyl siding or brick without having to make holes in the surfaces.
Hang Wall Art Using Brick Hangers
No Hole Siding Hangers for Vinyl
Mary and I have found these hangers work well; we use them all the time for our porch wall art, wreaths, chimes, and other projects.
No-Hole Hooks Vinyl Siding Hangers - Our Amazon affiliate link
Another Type of Vinyl Siding Hangers
These hangers slide up and underneath your vinyl siding; no drilling required.
They make it easy - no muss, no fuss.
Vinyl Siding Hook for Outdoor Decorations - Our Amazon affiliate link
Mary and I are excited to bring ideas from The Porch Store, one of our fantastic sponsors.
Here you will find many unique proprietary products for your porch, screened porch, or three-season room.
Like us, the creative staff at The Porch Store are serious porch enthusiasts.
The dedicated staff at The Porch Store create unique handcrafted products for your dream porch.
Please take a look at some of their many products...
Beautiful black cathedral railing on porch steps
We think black is classy. Do you also? These black cathedral railings really dress up these steps.
Double cathedral railing panels from The Porch Store
Don't forget you can add distinctive railing panels to your porch, screen room, or deck.
Doing so can add an extra level of charm and finesse to your outdoor rooms.
These balustrades, from The Porch Store, come in a wide variety of elegant styles.
Notice the Drummer Boy 2.0 custom PVC panels
Look at the flair the above PVC custom railings lend to this porch.
This is the Drummer Boy 2.0 panel style and they are quite popular at The Porch Store.
Try a nap on this pine cottage style porch swing bed by The Porch Store
There are bed swings - and then there are bed swings.
The Porch Store offers several beautiful styles of bed swings and the best feature (in our opinion, besides the wonderful quality) is they have an adjustable back.
We love the versatility of their bed swings; the adjustable back allows you to comfortably enjoy it as a bed OR a swing.
And their bed swings are built to fit a 6" thick twin mattress - meaning super comfort for your porch.
Imagine the personality you can add with a beautiful gate like THIS!
This unforgettable green gate from The Porch Store certainly lends delightful personality to this entrance.
Take a look at the different gate styles from The Porch Store.
Circle sawn fireplace mantel
available at The Porch Store
The above custom-made hollow mantels are aesthetically beautiful but also serve a wonderful purpose!
They hide those pesky cables yet they are nicely vented to permit air flow.
You'll find these and other beautiful and unique porch products at The Porch Store.
Our thanks to Jefferson Ross for sharing his back porch with us
We sometimes forget how serene and peaceful a back porch can be.
We're so glad Jefferson shared this picture with us of his colorful, yet calming back porch.
We're sure his family loves spending time there.
Take a look at more ideas for back porches right here.
The two of us have traveled across the country in pursuit of the perfect porch and wish to share one of our favorite destinations.
Cape May, New Jersey is home to fantastic Victorian homes and amazing front porches.
It is one of our favorite porch towns and if you ever get the chance, we highly recommend a visit.
Here's a look!
Amazing Victorian front porch with beautiful hanging baskets
Aesthetically pleasing Victorian paint scheme
Classic American front porch
Listen to the story of this famous song. You'll be surprised!
Our son's podcast, Tracing the Path, is a most interesting collection of stories.
We think you'll find this one,
about the ABC Song, fun and entertaining.
A new day dawns!
The joy of making progress.
Progress is medicine for the heart and soul. Even when we take tiny steps.
I sometimes drag my feet when it's time to clean up the porch.
But when we take the time to dust off the cobwebs, sweep the floor, and freshen up the decorations, what a great feeling that is.
And the pride is real seeing our freshened-up porch from the street.
Making progress is not only good, but it's necessary to keep us moving forward in our lives.
No matter how ordinary or grand our life seems, personal progress is satisfying. Do you agree?
Sometimes though, making progress is difficult because it can involve doing things we don't enjoy.
But if we can look past the unpleasantness of getting started, the momentum will carry us through.
And if you're like me, sometimes we wonder why it took us so long to get started because it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.
Making progress...whether it be in saving money, organizing a closet, making a needed phone call or brightening up our porch, let's celebrate the satisfaction.
To Bring a Smile
Porch Humor: "When I was in high school, I got in trouble with my girlfriend's Dad."
He said, "I want my daughter back by 8:15."
I said, "The middle of August? Cool!"
- Steven Wright
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.
The Porch Store creates these wonderful cathedral railing panels
In addition to many other gorgeous products for your porch
Vintage Woodworks handcrafted products are beautifully planned
We love the details in their wonderfully crafted porch trim
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.
As an Amazon Associate and Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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.
Our Sponsors
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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.
Not subscribed yet?
Our Newsletter, Front Porch Appeal
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"Make it so today is not like yesterday, and tomorrow will be different forever." - Anthony Robbins
The dedicated staff at 
Porch Humor: "When I was in high school, I got in trouble with my girlfriend's Dad."
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 
