Ron and I have been busy painting in this heat. The outside was looking a little worn so we started with our curb appeal first thing. Well, this used to be what the builder intended to be our front porch since it faces the other villas on the sidewalk. But we’ve done a switch because we put in a new sidewalk to the street on the backside and that’s the way everyone seems to come into our home.

This is now our patio area with some high antique wrought iron planters to help screen us from prying eyes. Sorry, you can’t see them in this photo.  I bought the happy outdoor fabric for the cushions in McAllen, TX.It makes me smile. The vine is a hyacinth purple bean that isn’t doing well in the heat but I’m hoping it will bloom when it cools down some.  You can find some photos HERE You can tell this one has a long way to go so keep your fingers crossed for me.

The porch floor is a dark olive green and the walls are a pale sand color. The trim is a dark sand, sort of the color of wet lake sand, not the white quartz sand you see on Gulf beaches. But one of the parts I like the best is the porch ceiling.

While sitting at the docs I saw a photo of a lakeside Inn that had the porch ceiling painted this color. I was in love. I mixed lots of odds and ends from the storage room to come up with this sea blue-green. The photo is a little darker than the real color but I think you get the idea. You only see it when you get close to the house and its a nice surprise.

Ron mentioned after we painted this that he remembers that the porches of his youth were all painted colors. He said they were never as pretty as this.

I plan on spending a lot of time out here when it cools down some. Lots of room to sit and spin or do some hand stitching.