Despite my garden area being butchered this weekend, I went ahead and finished my porch remodel.

In fact, I am typing this post at the little desk-made-table, sipping on some sweet-tea vodka and lemonade, on the porch. Eric is reading a book at the table across from me, and we have the windows open to let that fine breeze wash through here. It feels nice.

The good news about the garden fiasco is that it made my decoration choices a little more broad in that I had a few flower beds that I could incorporate into the motif, and that’s just what I did.

My first little project was to make some wind spinner type dealies (technical term). I cut out some square scraps of fabric and sewed them at the tops, stringing them together to make little flags, essentially. I hung those in the windows facing the street to add a little bit of color.

I also moved the desk to the other side of the porch, pulled it away from the wall, and I placed our four plastic chairs around it, to make a welcoming table area.

The flower beds I removed from the front yard and placed in the front and side windows. I also put up Zoe’s little cat bed in one of the windows, so she has a comfy place to watch the world outside.

The two pots of flowers I placed on my two Ikea benches from when I had the kitchen bar on Taylor Ave in Seattle. We’re not really using them here, so they are make-shift plant holders for now.

Final touches were made with three of our wedding gifts: we had two wrought iron decorative pieces (birds and a sign that says “LOVE”), which are hung above one of the windows looking into the house. The last bit was a basket decorated with flower shower curtain rings; we had so many of these rings that I was able to ring the basket in them and have “vines” dropping down, so it looks like a basket with cascading flowers.

All in all, I am very pleased with the outcome. I didn’t put a whole lot of work in, and it’s not very crowded (we have almost an entire two thirds with pretty much nothing in it), but it is already more welcoming. The empty spaces will be for holiday decor! Halloween and Christmas, look out!

As for our decimated front garden beds, well, we threw down mulch today. No weeds will grow, and we won’t bother. We don’t own the house, after all. Personally, I think the weeds looked better, but this was the fastest and easiest solution for us. *sigh* Oh well!