Shabby Chic Backporch Details

I have been trying to clear things away and get ready for fall.  I've been soaking it up because usually in the Mid-South we go from freezing to sweltering heat within just a few days in spring and then reverse the process in fall. I adore all things fall and love not having to take 3 showers a day. Now that the weather is tolerable again I'm spending most of the day outdoors. That can have consequences inside.  I wrote about them in The Dirty Truth About Spring at Our House.  Of course all that time out there means that I've been doing projects and decorating and rearranging like mad.

The quickest fix for updating any outdoor area (or indoor for that matter!) is to change pillows and cushions. This was the only money I spent on anything new. Everything else is just reusing or remaking junk and things I already had like this Ball jar. I picked up these tiny battery operated lights on clearance and made this firefly lamp.

I had some tart pans in storage in my kitchen. I have plans to make them into something else at some point but for now I just stuck them in a flower box along with a chipped platter. Remember, it doesn't have to make sense, you just have to love it.

A random house number I found in out workshop was attached to a piece of wire and stuck in a pot of lavender.

Play with putting things together. I love how the vintage binoculars and barometer look with the floral tray.

Display anything that makes you happy. My husband remembers summer afternoons in the 60s when his parents and aunts and uncles would play croquet and sip cocktails.

I'd had this church sitting around for about 15 years but who says you can't hang something up if you want to? It looks peaceful against the white wall with those neutral bunnies.

I hardly ever buy anything new for outdoor decor. If you are rocking your shabby chic or junk look then just shop around inside your house. It's a great way to thin out the amount of things inside too.