Our Romantic Getaway – Outdoor Extravaganza

Our idea of a romantic getaway may be a bit different than what your idea of a romantic getaway is. But this is kind of how we roll around here… we work hard to create our getaway, right here at home! Lame, maybe… but we often talk about taking trips and travel and we always come back to how much we love it where we actually live. We also love the adventures we have while exploring our beautiful surroundings here in the Kingston, Ontario region. Maybe we’re just old? HAHAHA (probably) But, when the sun is setting on our day, it’s just so amazing to go sit on the front porch, cover our knees with a cozy throw and take it all in… the sound of humming birds, the mating songs of the frogs in the pond, the happy sound of crickets, it just makes all the day’s busyness leave your bodies and it plants you in the moment of “here and now” and it’s kind of magical frankly! This is where we giggle, plan and reminisce, this is where we connect with each other and with our little slice of heaven. It’s not complicated or extra fancy (or even fancy at all), just cozy and completely us and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Outdoor Extravaganza

We are back again this week with, the Outdoor Extravaganza – YAY! This is week 2 (decorating & entertaining) of the 3 week series and the brainchild of my friend, Shauna at  Satori Design for Living.  Week 1 was full of lovely plant and flower inspiration, you can see how we are using our succulents for the front porch, here and see all of the amazing tips from my blogging friends too.  Stick around (at the end of my post), because my friends are sharing such creative ideas AGAIN this week!!! 

You can also follow along on Instagram, stalk this hashtag #OutdoorExtravaganza and it will keep you up to date on all the yummy OE inspiration! 

Create Your Own Romantic Getaway

I remember when we moved into this home… this front porch overwhelmed me (and that overgrown garden – ugh)!!! So much so, I could NOT imagine what I would ever do to make it look cozy, welcoming and not so barren. It’s funny to think of that now, because I’m oftentimes having to remind myself that yet another piece of furniture will not fit onto the front porch! 😉 Shhh, DO NOT tell Bud that! As much as I LOVE the front porch for sitting and enjoying our surroundings, I don’t love how very rustic it is (don’t hate me) – we are planning on doing a mini reno out there, eventually! It’s in the project hopper! haha AAAAAnd we all know that the “project hopper” is packed full, right? So, “eventually” is said very loosely! I should do it for the next ORC (One Room Challenge) – now I’m just dreaming! 

Anyways, back to the subject at hand – creating your own romantic outdoor area is easy… this is how we usually approach it.

Yard sales or estate sales

Yard sales and or estate sales can be a great place to gather bits and pieces while working on an outdoor space… buying all the things for your outdoor area can be so daunting. I mean it’s not always possible to just go out and buy all the new patio furniture that might be needed, this can cost a small (or large) fortune! So, Bud and I like to hit some of the sales together – we usually pick up what we like or what we are drawn to and more often than not we do lug home some things because of  the “potential” we see in them (aka more projects in the hopper). I’m always so surprised by what he picks up though – and honestly this is where my ego comes in… haha I hold myself up there as a haggler – an inflated ego if you will. But he usually just swoops in and puts his hands on the best deals of the day… the ones I walk right on by. Like this adorable little red lantern – $5 – it’s filled with citronella oil and is very much needed where we live! I mean, come-on that’s so cute and 100% functional!!! The army green filing cabinets (turned sideways) that the red lamp sits on – ya, free! He lugged those home and I was, ya he’s a keeper (I can’t tell you how many times a day I think this)! <3 All of these things we find while out exploring are what make this space “romantic”. 

Letting go of the perfect

A very haphazard “upholstery” job – HA… and a scratched up orange finish, but we could see the potential in this rocker when we lugged it home from an estate sale, can you? Life is not perfect, we as humans are not perfect so why should our spaces be perfection? I mean how welcoming and cozy are all the plastic wrapped furniture pieces… I’m showing my age here, haha (growing up in the 70s/80s). My Mom always used to tell me a story about my Nanny and how her home was perfect. I love my Nanny and get my love of creating directly from her – but she did insist on having plastic on her lamp shades and the sofa. Long story short, when I was little, crawling little, I was in her cupboards (emptying them) and she was worried about the disorganization and disruption I was causing (I totally get that too). Mom said that my Poppy looked at her and said, “leave her be, she’s having so much fun – we have all the time in the world to put things back the way you like them, let’s just enjoy her discoveries for now”. Gah, writing that gives me a huge lump in my throat! He was a wise man and my Bud is very much the same school of thought… I’m like Nanny some days (I think we all are sometimes – and there is nothing wrong with that either), I just love those reminders though,  just let go of perfect and enjoy the discoveries! Thank you Poppy! xo 

Remember this space is for both of you 

Decorate with what makes you both happy (succulents for me)! That may seem like an obvious statement, DUH! But I see so many beautiful designs that do not take into account the people that actually use the space. My design aesthetic tends to naturally lean toward more masculine, but this year I wanted to try out touches of feminine in our space and Bud, he just loves function so much – having a mixture of both of those things in this space is a (imperfectly) perfect mix of both of us. 😉

Layers

Being cozy is my number one… and having a chill or being cold kills any desire I may have for sitting outside, I know, I’m a big baby! This front porch is the perfect place to sit and unwind – but, this porch has a perfect breeze that is usually passing through –  we have many throws placed for a quick grab, staying cozy and comfortable is so important – layering in throws gives you the option to wrap it around you, cover your knees etc. I’ve had so many guests use these throws exactly how they were intended and this makes me happy! I love to layer in textures, colour and vintage… it’s really how we roll around here and how we create the imperfect yet perfect romantic getaway for ourselves – plus all the fun stories that come along with hunting for just the right piece – that exciting discovery when you’re together. 

Thank you so much for joining me here today, I hope I didn’t talk your ear right off and you’ve enjoyed a tiny corner of our front porch… I do love sharing what inspires me.  Speaking of inspiration, please continue on and have a peek at my talented friends below, I can not wait to discover more creative ways to be outdoors! xo

Satori Design for Living | Craftberry Bush | Finding Silver Pennies | So Much Better with Age

Zevy Joy | Amber Tysl | Postcards from the Ridge | The Happy Housie

Casa Watkins Living | City Farmhouse | Clean and Scentsible | Vinyet Etc.

Maison de Pax | A Pretty Life | Life on Virginia Street | On Sutton Place | The DIY Mommy

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