Spring, Porches and $5 Benches

SPRING begins next week!!  If you live in the North East like me then you will surely agree that it doesn't feel like it. It was 16 degrees today.  This morning both my daughters couldn't open their frozen car doors so I drove them both in to School/College. Once home I grabbed an extension cord, a blow dryer and got busy heating the car doors until they would open.   But Spring is coming, sooner or later (not soon enough).

Think Spring think "front porch".  Who doesn't love a porch!?   Down South the style is to paint your porch ceiling a pale sky blue.  They call this haint blue.  The reason for this tradition are many and include keeping bugs away,  that it's good luck, makes the hot days of summer feel cooler to believing it will scare away evil spirits.  Whatever the reason doesn't matter because it is just absolutely gorgeous!! 

Selling your home or not, your porch should have a comfortable bench or seating area that includes a small table to set down your book and iced tea.  Fabric will always bring warmth to a porch and make it feel more welcoming so consider investing in weatherproof fabric covered cushions and pillows.   Potted or hanging plants will bring the landscape up onto the porch for additional appeal.

I was driving through a nearby town a few years back looking for a home I was going to list and took a wrong turn.  It was my lucky day because I came upon a home with a lot of items in the yard, the home owner was a collector for sure.  There sitting on the side of this homes driveway was a vintage 1950's gliding bench (throw in angelic music here).   Normally I wouldn't stop but I knew I would always regret not rescuing that retro bench from a slow sure death of rot and rust.  I asked the home owner if he would consider selling it and he replied "Just take it".  I didn't feel right just taking it and wanted to give him something for it and told him such.  He said "Give me $5 if it makes you feel better".  I whipped out that $5 so fast it would have made your head spin.  SOLD!  

After sanding it down I treated the metal with a rust inhibitor, I used SEM brand Rust Mort.  I found this product at my local auto parts supply store and it is available on Amazon as well.  I decided on a Rustoleum  brand Robins egg blue and Cream paint color combination. I taped off the sections with painters tape and newspaper and sprayed away! 

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Above is the Before and then the After photos.  Below right is how it looked a few weeks ago, not very welcoming surrounded by ice and snow now is it?!

Soon the cushions, pillows, plants, iced tea and myself will all be back on the bench.  I saved it's life and I love my $5 vintage bench.