The first snow of the season blanketed New England over the weekend so it’s really starting to feel like the holidays! With Christmas just a few days away, I figured it was time to finally finish our covered porch decorations (The lights and a few Christmas wreaths went up weeks ago and then I pretty much stalled after that–does that ever happen to you?).
If you’ve followed some of my previous seasonal porch ensembles, then you know that I like to combine a few natural elements with a consistent color scheme, a variety of textures, and very few purchased items. I enjoy pulling things from other areas of my home and seeing how the various elements play together. Sometimes this works out well and other times, it fails miserably! A little patience goes a long way.
Here’s our merry and bright Christmas front porch:
I love all of the pops of red and white and the combination of natural and painted wood, greenery, fabric, and metal. One of my favorite elements this year is a small step ladder we acquired from Brian’s grandfather–I think it’s both unexpected and fun. It adds a little height to the galvanized metal tub and brings a smile to our faces when we return to our home.
Another simple addition is the pot of greens sitting on the bench. I repurposed an ordinary terracotta pot I had painted for a summery patriotic porch a few years ago. I clipped arborvitae and red barberry from my yard, essentially stuffed it in the pot, and finished the look with the same ribbon (from Walmart!) that’s repeated on all the wreaths. Speaking of wreaths, can you really have too many of them this time of year? I think not. That’s why I added the kitchen twine wreath I made a few years ago to the bench:
I hunted down the only purchased items — miniature Alberta Spruce trees and the pine swag — at Kmart so they ended up being quite affordable. And the swag was so long that I cut it in half and used the rest on our front door with a fresh wreath purchased from a local charity.
Here’s a closer view of one of the Alberta Spruce trees that I hope survive the winter so we can plant them in the spring:
