Seven years ago we looked for a house in Maine while living in Memphis. We saw a blur of 14 houses in a day and a half. When we got to
this house I just KNEW- this was it. The place fit me like a favorite pair of blue jeans. It was more money than we wanted to spend, but it had so much that I had dreamed of. It sat on a sunny lot, had a new kitchen, wooden floors, bead board paneling, an upstairs laundry... and this PORCH! The entire front of the house is a wonderful sun porch. There are over 250 panes of glass there, and they were painted black. A long, LONG time ago. The paint had peeled and flaked and the glazing on the glass was in sad shape. It was a daunting project. So I did what I do best and procrastinated.
This spring we stopped procrastinating and scraped and
re-glazed and primed and painted a LOT of windows. It was an ugly project. There were ladders involved, and I don't love climbing ladders. There were also spiders involved, and I don't love spiders.
The end results, however, are so sweet. I love how light and bright the house looks now. My neighbors have commented, too... they like the pretty new look. One said, "It looks so welcoming now."
Ahhhh. I like that. Spurred on by the improvement, I am redoing the front gardens, a bit at a time. Making them wider, adding landscaping stone boarders, new plants and deep mulch.
One thing about projects, such as painting... they spur on OTHER projects. I wonder what will be next?
My version of stained glass windows... antique bottles in the sun.
Hydrangea's in mama's antique hand blown vase.
Dazzle adorns the old quilt I got at a yard sale for a song... just the thing to hide the shabby sofa, and it smells like sunshine and fresh air.
Seven years ago we looked for a house in Maine while living in Memphis. We saw a blur of 14 houses in a day and a half. When we got to this house I just KNEW- this was it. The place fit me like a favorite pair of blue jeans. It was more money than we wanted to spend, but it had so much that I had dreamed of. It sat on a sunny lot, had a new kitchen, wooden floors, bead board paneling, an upstairs laundry... and this PORCH! The entire front of the house is a wonderful sun porch. There are over 250 panes of glass there, and they were painted black. A long, LONG time ago. The paint had peeled and flaked and the glazing on the glass was in sad shape. It was a daunting project. So I did what I do best and procrastinated. 
June in Maine was cold, wet, foggy and a bit dismal. I am not the sort of person who whines about the weather, but I was starting to fret. Yesterday we had partial sun, and today I woke to brilliant blue skies. It is chilly and breezy, but sparkling bright and I am happy as can be. I plan to spend a bit of time enjoying my porch today... a yummy book, a gentle breeze, life is good!
My porch, a breezy haven in the summer, is not a place to linger in January. My winter visits are hurried things. Today, as I passed quickly though, I noticed that the antique prisms from a long ago chandelier hanging inside the windows were mirrored by natures prisms on the outside. The setting sun glinted rosily off all that ice and glass... a promise of warmer days to come... when the porch holds us in its peaceful grasp for long, happy hours.