The Farmhouse Porch

Friday, March 14, 2014

Let's talk about spring baby!

Let's dwell on springy things!

Spring is ...

Green! Fresh! Floral!

The sun is out here in Houston and in the warm dirt bulbs are pushing through. I've been checking the flower bed and after a bit of cold rain last weekend, POP! Green tender shoots peeking up through the mulch.

Soon the smell of honeysuckle and cut grass will fill the yard.

Ahhh, I love it.

My little girls (who aren't this little any more! Sniff,sniff) and my yard last spring.

And I can't talk about spring without mentioning Texas storms. Scary, exciting and dramatic. Oh how I love a nice afternoon thunderstorm. You can smell it moving in. The roiling clouds make such beautiful and mesmerizing shows in the southern skies. And then when the storm passes it feels like everything has been washed and refreshed. The sky is so clear, the birds all come out to play and the greenery perks up. I just love lazy spring days ending in showy thunderstorms.

Here is a pic of a Texas stormy sky from last spring...

I just had to rearrange the hutch in my office and get out the jadeite. I feel the need today to be surrounded by bright sunny colors and sunlight.

Is it warm yet where you are? What is it you look forward to in the spring?

~Linsey

Monday, March 3, 2014

A Pretty Way to Scent A Room

Why do I feel like a need to take out a loan to buy a decent reed diffuser? Have you noticed the price on these things?

I'm sorry, but I just can't bare to shell out $50 on an air freshener that may last 4-6 weeks.

Secondly, why would I want it when the glass jar it comes with isn't my style?

I had a light bulb moment today. I stopped into a high end home store and noticed that they sold the "refill" reed diffuser oils in large bottles. What if I were to use an antique shaker or bottle from my collection? That would save me lots of sweet moola, and the vintage bottle would be right up my ally.

So that's what I did.

I first used my large glass (sugar?) shaker. The reeds fit so perfectly into the holes...it's fun when the stars align! :D

I also put some in this other frenchy style bottle I had. I picked out a citrus-herby flavor. Nice for spring...

I have a big crew of house guests coming this week from out of town. It's nice to tuck these into the corners of the bathrooms to keep everything fresh and welcoming.

Thanks for stopping by! I haven't been posting much lately because our family has been a bunch of busy little bees. Hopefully soon I can finish this painting that I started...

...and do some other home projects to share!

Until then...

~Linsey

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Modern Marries Vintage with Some Industrial Accessories

Mixing Vintage and New

First of all...please forgive me for hurting your eyes with these horrible photos! I have a decent camera and I don't know how to use it. It's such a sin. My dad and my brother are professional photographers and I have no excuse besides the fact that I HATE learning new technology. I may be the only blogger to say it. I hate learning new things on the computer. That part of my brain is very stubborn. And these fancy digital cameras are in the same category as far as I'm concerned. It's on my "to do" list.

Our new-ish house has 3 full bathrooms and no half baths, weird huh? This bathroom is part of a mother in law suite at the bottom of the stairs. This bathroom gets lots of traffic. And even though it is a full bath, it is super tiny.

I've really neglected this bathroom. Decor wise, I really wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go with it. It's very contemporary. It's dark. It's sleek and masculine. And I really don't want to invest the money and time into major remodeling of a new (cookie cutter suburb) home when we know we may not be in it for a long time.

After trying lots of "outfits" on this room, a soft industrial look in a palette of grays and neutrals and creams seemed to fit best.

Oh, and I have a neat rack with hooks that will take the place of that towel rack.

I bought the shower curtain at Target! Hooray for Tar-jay!

Are you enjoying this weeks' " The Scoop's Valentine Tour"? Hope so! If not, just scroll down and check out the cool projects shared by 25 wonderful bloggers this week!

~Linsey

*Update*

Just found this neat old lamp base. Should I put this in the bathroom on the counter? Maybe full of antique shaving supplies or something? Hmmm...