Spring is here and I am ready to bust out the bright colors! I figured with everything going on in the world, yellow seemed like the most fitting color. Not only does that sunshine yellow represent happiness and positivity, it’s the color of lemons, and what else says “Bring on Summer” more than fresh squeezed lemonade!!!!
I’m going to break all of these projects down for ya, so if you choose to add a little lemon love to your front porch, you can create the exact look!
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Bench
You can see I don’t have a very big front porch, but I do love the look of a cozy sitting area, so I decided to utilize the space I do have. The little nook has typically served as our Amazon package drop off area, and I’m strongly considering adding a bin of some sorts underneath the bench to still serve that purpose. I’m thinking the bin should say “Please hide packages from Husband.” What do ya think?? Stay tuned, as it may make an appearance soon!
Supplies:
- Concrete Pavers – I purchased mine from Lowe’s and they matched our brick color really well!
- Lumbar – So clearly I don’t have a saw, and if you don’t either, the key here is to find a nice Lowe’s associate and convince them to cut the board down for you while in the store! I made my bench 3ft wide, so I bought this 8ft Southern Yellow Pine board.
- Landscape Adhesive – You’ll want to ensure everything is held in place by using this glue specifically designed for projects like this.
- Wood Stain – You can use any color of stain you want here (Early American is the color I used here), but you’ll want to ensure it’s waterproof and made for outdoors. *Confession: I just used some leftover stain we had in the basement, so not really sure how it’s going to hold up. Fingers crossed!
- Lemon Pillow – The most important part here! I purchased the lemon pillow at Wal-Mart. When I rounded the corner in the lawn & garden section, it was sitting at the front of the bin speaking to me!
- Buffalo Plaid Pillows – I actually did a little DIY project for my pillows utilizing 4 placemats that I found at Wal-Mart as well. However, it appears those are in-store purchases only, so if you can get to a local store and snatch some up (for only $1.98 each), you’re in business. Otherwise, I’ve linked an option here for similar covers and pillow inserts. If you go the DIY route, I utilized stuffing I already had in the house, but you could use poly-fil, and then grab a bottle of Unique Stitch or Liquid Stitch.
Instructions:
- Measure your space to ensure the pavers are sitting at the end of the bench. I allowed for about an inch of the board to hang over the pavers on each side.
- Line your pavers up and start stacking and gluing.
- The adhesive takes a little while to fully set, so the blocks will still have play in them during the process. After 24 hours, they should be fully set.
- In the meantime, lightly sand your boards. You can use a hand held sander or medium grit sand paper.
- Be sure to wipe your boards off completely after sanding and before applying stain.
- Follow the directions found on the stain container, including how long to allow for drying time and whether to sand between coats.
- Once your boards are completely dry and your pavers have set, you can use the same landscape adhesive to glue the boards in position. Follow these instructions for the pillows:
- If you are opting for the DIY route, first lay one placemat on a covered surface. Run a good sized amount of your fabric adhesive along the bottom and both sides.
- Place your second placemat directly on top and press to adhere.
- Allow to dry for 30-45 minutes. Check along those 3 seams and ensure you have a tight seal. Reapply as needed.
- Place stuffing inside the two pieces and close the pillow up with a layer of fabric adhesive along the top border.
- You’ll need to apply some pretty decent pressure for this step, as the stuffing will try to prevent the two pieces from bonding, so I recommend using heavy books or clothespins to keep the seam together.
- Allow to dry for 30-45 minutes and double check your seams again. Reapply fabric adhesive as needed.
- Note: I would only recommend using DIY pillows in covered areas, as rain + non-outdoor fabric won’t work well together.
Picket Fence
I was gifted this picket fence many years ago, and it’s always housed Christmas decor. It was until recently that I realized it can be utilized all year round.
Supplies:
- Fence – I realize many of you might not have a piece of picket fence lying around your house, so you can pick up a large section of it at Lowe’s. You’ll end up with an 8 foot section, so find the same nice associate that cut your board and have them cut this down too! Just as a reference, my fence piece is 21″ wide, so you would get several pieces out of the 8 foot section.
- Banner – You can pick up a blank triangle banner on Amazon or at your local craft store.
- Iron-On Vinyl – Always try to buy in bulk when purchasing vinyl, as it saves you money in the long run!
- Wreath – I snagged this cute mini eucalyptus wreath at Joanne Fabrics for a great price! Don’t forget to check the coupon tab for more discounts!
- Ribbon – While at Joanne Fabrics, you can also grab the buffalo plaid print ribbon.
- Lemon Fabric– I found my lemon fabric at the Dollar Tree, but you could use yellow ribbon if you can’t find it at your local store. For my local friends, I have plenty of leftover fabric, so let me know if you want some!!
- Plantar – This plantar called my name when I saw it at Wal-Mart. With the chalkboard front and black color, it was the perfect addition to the fence project!
- Floral Pick – Another Joanne Fabric find, so be sure to pick up two of these greenery compliments for the lemons! (One for this and one for the door sign.)
- Lemons – You can pick this box of faux lemons up at Big Lots, which by the way, has the cutest home decor section!
- Lantern – I’ve had mine for many years now and just give it a fresh coat of black paint, but here’s a similar option on Amazon.
Instructions:
- Cut “Hello” for the banner using iron on vinyl and a Cricut cutting machine. Click here for the link to the Cricut cut file.
- Once you have your letters cut, you’ll need an iron or a Circut Heat Press to apply the letters to the burlap banner.
- Cut 6 strips of ribbon and lemon fabric to the same size, approximately 8 inches each.
- Tie one piece of ribbon and fabric strip to each side of the banner pendants.
- Use one piece of black and white ribbon to hang your wreath to the top of the fence.
- Get your chalk or chalk markers out and create that fun little saying, “Squeeze the Day” on the front of the plantar.
- Place your plantar in position and use some type of nail or screw to hold it in place. I cheated and used push pins! LOL
- Finally, hang your banner along the fence!
Door Sign
Your front door has to have some matching decor and I love pieces that showcase your family. Combine the cute lemons in the corner with your family name and year of establishment, and this is a super easy and fun door sign!
Supplies:
- Hanging Sign – I love a sign that is ready to be hung and double score when the border is already painted!
- Vinyl – Now you’ll need the permanent black vinyl for this project.
- Transfer Tape – Transfer tape is a must when creating vinyl projects!
- Hot Glue Gun – This is my baby, as I use my dual-temp hot glue gun for everything! LOL
- You have your floral pick and lemons from the above projects.
Instructions:
- Cut your name and establishment year using the permanent vinyl and your Cricut cutting machine again. Click here for the link to the cut file.
- Weed your image and use the transfer tape to apply vinyl cuts to the hanging sign.
- Grab your hot glue gun and position/glue the floral pick into the corner of the sign. Only glue the base layer, allowing the top layering of leaves to be arranged to your liking. Next, apply some glue to the bottom of the lemons and position/glue them down over top the leaves.
Welcome Planter
The hard projects are out of the way, and this part requires only a little plant TLC!
Supplies:
- Planter – This was another one of my “freshen it up with a coat of black spray paint”, but you can find a similar option on Amazon.
- Spike Plant – You’ll need to head to your local garden center and pick up 1 of these fun little annuals.
- Yellow Marigold Plants – I used 3 of the yellow marigolds in my plantar.
- Potting Soil – Don’t forget to pick up a bag of potting soil if you don’t have any. Those little flowers need some dirt to live in 🙂
Garden Flag
Every time I see this flag, I crave an ice cold glass of fresh lemonade and I can almost feel the summer heat beating down upon me.
Supplies:
- Garden Flag – You’ll never believe where this adorable little flag came from…Dollar Tree. $1 whole dollar! They don’t have it listed on their website, but you can check your local store or you could check out this Etsy store for a personalized lemonade sign!
- Flag Holder – If you don’t have one, you can grab one on Amazon.
How simple is that?! Spend a few days crafting and building, and you’ll have your front porch ready for summer days spent sippin on some fresh squeezed lemonade! If you give your front porch a little “Squeeze The Day” makeover, be sure to tag me so I can see the lemon love!!! Enjoy!!