Cassie Bustamante

living an ordinary life extraordinarily

Navigation
  • home
  • about me
  • home tour
  • project gallery
  • shop my home
  • Let’s Collaborate

Summer In Style Outdoor Edition: Porch and Gardens

June 7, 2017 by Cassie 27 Comments

105Pinterest25FacebookTwitter
130
SHARES

Here we are on day three of my three day Summer blog tours.  (You can check out my living room here, and my kitchen and dining room here). I thought we’d end with my personal favorite summer space at my house today as I join several other bloggers in the Summer In Style Outdoor Edition hosted by the lovely Katrina at Chic Little House.  (You can find her amazing patio here.)  Today we are going to take a tour of our porch and gardens.  Our Cape Cod style house features a wraparound porch that happens to be our family’s favorite summer hangout.  We gather there to play card games, eat meals, read, talk, or watch the kids play.  Because it has such happy memories already associated with it, it’s my absolute fave!  I am also going to show you an area of our yard that has become my husband’s baby… our veggie garden!  Although I am the big herbivore in our family, Chris is the one who truly puts a lot of time and love into this space, and it shows.  We all put a little time into it as well, so it’s a bit of a family project, but certainly he’s the leader.  Without further ado, let’s take a look at Summer In Style Outdoor Edition: Porch and Gardens!  (I’ve used affiliate links where applicable- thank you!)

Wraparound Summer Boho PorchPin

As I mentioned, our porch is the family favorite this time of year with a place to eat, a place to hangout, and a hammock we all love to relax in, it truly has everything we need. The boho style hammock was a birthday gift from Chris and the kids a couple of years ago, and I spend many hours reading in it.  As you can see, hanging near it is a bird perch Emmy created as well as a “stained glass” hanging she made with melted plastic beads.  Surrounding myself with plants, the smell of peonies and roses, hanging lights, and my kids creations guarantees happy vibes.

Hanging Macrame Boho HammockPin

lights / hammock / similar bench / similar skull / similar window frame

We also have a hummingbird feeder hanging nearby, and I love to watch the birds feed and flitter about.  Something about their size and movement is purely magical to me.  Each Summer I hang ferns as well; I love the green lushness they bring.  Typically Home Depot runs great sales where you can get each for around $5-$10.  I purchased mine Memorial day weekend for just $10 each.

Dreamy Hammock Hanging SpotPin

Just down the front of the porch from the hammock is the “main entry” though we rarely actually use that door and rely strongly on the side door which enters into the kitchen.  However, it does offer the perfect little nook to add my touch to.

Boho Style Porch Summer EntryPin

We replaced our old light fixtures on the porch earlier this Spring and the new ones make all the difference.  The window frame and bench pretty much stay in this spot as they fit well.  We’ve added a praying mantis the kids and I found for Chris at an arts festival, as well as some of my houseplants that come outside for the season. The pale blue trunk I painted last year, and it just  adds some height and interest.

Turquoise Porch BenchPin

Above the bench on a teal window frame I hung a vintage bull skull which has faded tribal paint on it’s forehead.  The beads were a 50 cent yard sale find that I used as a headband in the Spring, but this Summer, it’s a necklace. 😉 #smallchange  I love the little touch of green they add.

Vintage Window Frame and Bull Skull on PorchPin

Around the corner from the hammock heading in the other direction is  our dining area.  We’ve already eaten many meals out here.  Last weekend, Chris was ill with food poisoning, but the kids and I headed outside to eat dinner together and play several rounds of Fan Tan, a family favorite card game.

Boho Porch Dining TablePin

The string lights that hang above are so bright that we can easily see into the dark hours of the night…. not that I can even stay up that late anymore, but on the rare occasion that I do, the porch is well-lit for me!  We had other lights for the last few years, but they finally bit it this Spring.  I found these LED string lights on Amazon, and I love the look and how they tie into the porch fixtures as well.  We actually had one bulb that refused to work and the company promptly sent me a replacement.

Boho Style Summer Outdoor DiningPin

hammock / similar rustic chairs / similar cafe chairs / table runner / glasses / similar glass vase / dishes here & here

I decided to set the table with a simple eclectic setting for this tour. I purchased this beautiful runner a couple of years ago from my favorite local shop that just closed.  It’s made by an Australian company, Bonnie & Neil, and they make the most gorgeous textiles…. I love their pillows! They actually have a lovely blue and green runner at Uncommon Goods right now.

Bonnie & Neil Table RunnerPin

For each place setting I used two sets of vintage plates I had on hand…. small blue willow dishes as well as Indian Tree dinner plates.  The vintage glassware I shared last week for Thrift Score Thursday, but I am still totally smitten with them.

Vintage Dishes Eclectic Boho TablePin

These glasses just catch the light beautifully.

Vintage Amber GlassesPin

In the center of the table, I placed a large aqua recycled glass vase (similar to this one), and inside of it I placed the top of my fiddle leaf fig tree…. gasp!  I know, but it was getting really tall and lanky and was looking like Shaggy from Scooby Doo with its stature, so it was time.  I love how it looks in this vase with its giant leaves.

Fiddle leaf Fig in VasePin

Behind the table sits a vintage dresser I painted last year.  It works as a server when we eat outside, but also stores all of my extra pots, hummingbird feed, and more.

Bohemian Porch Dining with string lightsPin

I’ve been wanting to propagate my pothos plants since they seem to do well for the most part.  The more the merrier when it comes to plants, right?  I used my vintage amber bottles to start the process and I’ll leave them here until I see roots beginning to form.

Vintage Blue Dresser on PorchPin

For now, I love how this little collection looks while they begin their rooting process.

Propagating Pothos in Amber Glass BottlesPin

What’s funny is that I used to think amber was the ugliest of the vintage glasses… I mean it’s brown.  Who wants brown?  And now I absolutely love its warmth.Amber glass vintage bottles propagating pothosPin

On the back end of the porch is our seating area.  A couple of years ago we purchased a loveseat and a couple of chairs from Target’s Belvedere collection.  We are still so happy with them!  (Also, there is no photo-shopping out the trampoline in the back yard!  I bought that for the kids last year, and Chris was sure it would be a waste of money, but I can tell you my kids play on it almost every single day!  It’s been amazing for their activity, and also provides shelter to our chickens.)

Seating Area on Porch- Boho Style in BluePin

similar blue urns / love seat / chairs / similar crab pillow / similar blue pillows / similar green pillow / Mexican blanket

Last year I found these huge cobalt planters at Costco, and they are perfect next to our door.  We added a couple of our $10 ferns as this space gets no direct sunlight.  On the love seat, I’ve draped a blue Mexican blanket, and added some green pillows as well as a crab pillow… a little nautical, a little Maryland.Summer Textiles in Blue and GreenPin

Boho Porch in Blue and Green for SummerPin

Across from the love seat, two complementing chairs offer extra seating.  We love to sit here with friends and chat and sip wine.Summer Patio Seating- Target Belvedere ChairsPin

Hanging above the bench/coffee table are two vintage aqua planters that were a gift.  I’ve filled them with spider plants I propagated.

Vintage hanging aqua plantersPin

Beyond the seating area lies an herb garden I added last year by digging up some brick.  On the fence panel this year I hung a vintage midcentury clock I’ve had for YEARS in my garage… like it moved here with us.  It’s been in disrepair, so I decided to finally put it to use here.

Midcentury clock as garden decorPin

It looks perfect  hanging over the herb garden.  And look at that lavender going strong!  I can’t wait to dry it this year.

Midcentury Garden Decor- Herb GardePin

Lavender in Herb GardenPin

In the back yard behind the herb garden, you can spy the blue chicken coop we built last year.  We currently have 11 chickens as we just got 4 young ones this past weekend at the Maryland Poultry Swap.  I’ll be sure to introduce them soon.  Unfortunately when I was shooting this tour, it was cloudy with rain coming in, and they were all hiding under the bushes in the yard.  Last year for Father’s Day we bought this climbing rose for Chris, and I’ve been training it to grow along the fence.  We’re really pleased with how well it is doing this year.

Blue Chicken CoopPin

As you can probably see from these photos, our back yard is rather sloped, and that area is all fenced in for the hens.  After it slopes upward it levels out into a flat grassy area, which we understand was once intended for baseball playing by previous owners.  We’ve used that space for our vegetable garden.  Chris created the fence around it as this area is not in our fenced in portion, and I found the vintage gate at a yard sale.Vegetable garden with vintage gatePin

I love the little bit of charm the vintage gate brings to the garden.

Vintage garden gatePin

It’s the beginning of the season, so right now everything is just beginning to grow.  We’ve got tomato plants… fresh summer tomatoes are my absolute favorite!

Tomato plantsPin

We’ve also got peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers. The cucumbers grow up a trellis that Chris created with some wood and wire fencing.  He had the kids paint and decorate it and it’s my favorite part of the garden for that reason.

DIY painted cucumber trellisPin

We also added a little raised bed for strawberries this Spring, but the bunnies keep stealing our fruit.  We need to figure out how to step those rascals.

Strawberry patchPin

new strawberry plantsPin

At the entrance to the garden, we have a couple of small blueberry bushes that we hope to see mature over the years.  It’s currently producing and will offer me a great little one time snack this year. 😉

Blueberry BushPin

Around the outside perimeter of the garden, we’ve planted some cutting flowers and other lovely flowers just to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing.  We had intended to create a cutting garden this year, but it didn’t quite happen. There’s always next year!  Here’s a little sample of what we have…

Pin

I have always loved the Columbine flower for its unique shape.Pin Lupine is another all time favorite, and I love that it’s name derives from the latin for wolf.Pin

In between our garden and our back yard is an unsightly thicket which grows all sorts of unwanted plants.  This year Chris decided to start planting rhododendron next to it to create a border.  Because we are working on a very limited budget, we’re taking baby steps…. one at a time.

RhododendronPin

In addition to the garden, our yard also boasts an apple tree.  Last year we had a cold snap in May and lost most of our would-be fruit.  However, this Spring was long and lovely, and I am pleased that our tree is filled with the beginnings of apples.  I love to use our apples in the Fall to make applesauce.

Apples GrowingPinI hope that now you can see why this space is my Summertime favorite… our yard is full of so much life between the fruits, veggies, chickens, plants, and hummingbirds; and there is space to run around, to plant and watch things grow, and spend time with the people who matter most.  Summer time at our house is when I truly feel like I am living the dream. 🙂

Wraparound Summer Boho Style PorchPin

Thank you so much to Katrina for organizing this Summer in Style Outdoor Edition tour.  You can find the rest of the participants below, and below that, you can shop the style of my outdoor spaces.  Thank you!

MONDAY
Chic Little House
Cuckoo for Design

TUESDAY
Newlywoodwards
Don’t Disturb This Groove

WEDNESDAY
Cassie Bustamante
Seeking Alexi

THURSDAY
SG Style
Chippasunshine
Live Pretty on a Penny

FRIDAY
White House Black Shutters
Effortless Style Blog

 

Pin

Related

Filed Under: making our home, My House, Porch, Summer, tablescape

Subscribe for Email Updates!

« Eclectic Summer Kitchen and Dining Room Tour
DIY Bohemian American Flag Hanging »

Comments

  1. Shelley | Crazy Wonderful says

    June 7, 2017 at 7:47 am

    Your patio has always been one of my all time favs! This makes me wish we had a place to eat outside so badly!!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 7, 2017 at 9:53 am

      thank you, shelley! but you have an awesome covered area to hang out in!

      Reply
  2. Emy says

    June 7, 2017 at 8:48 am

    The clock turned flower art looks so cool! Your porch is the dreamiest. 🙂

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 7, 2017 at 9:52 am

      thank you, emy!

      Reply
  3. Lisa says

    June 7, 2017 at 9:09 am

    Cassie, this is my favorite space at your house! I love the hammock, and the fact that you have space for a table, the seating area and all your pretty plants! Hope you enjoy it all this summer.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 7, 2017 at 9:51 am

      thank you so much, lisa.

      Reply
  4. Julia@Cuckoo4Design says

    June 7, 2017 at 9:53 am

    So so pretty! Your porch is definitely one of my favorites ever. I wish I’d have room for that hammock too. It’s so pretty

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 7, 2017 at 10:10 am

      the hammock is my happy place when the weather allows! thank you!

      Reply
  5. Katrina says

    June 7, 2017 at 11:50 am

    My whole face is lighting up as I’m reading your post and looking at all the pictures! So much greenery on your porch and with your viewing! (Giving me GOALS!) I love your wrap around porch its so pretty and deep! The hammock is so lovely and looks so relaxing

    Seeing your pretty vintage dresser makes me want to start hunting for our for our patio for extra storage & to stylishly store all my outdoor stuff. Thank you so much for joining in! Love it all!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 13, 2017 at 9:00 am

      aaaaw, thank you so much, katrina! thank you for organizing this tour and including me!

      Reply
  6. Brandi says

    June 7, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    Cassie, first I want to say how sorry I am to learn that your beloved Jake has passed away. We lost our Bella in December. Our pets are part of our family. Saying goodbye to them is never easy.

    Your porch is beautiful. You created lots of places to gather. I love your hammock and wish I had one too. So nice to see your garden, with all of your vegetables and herbs growing. Hope you get to spend lots of time out there this summer!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 13, 2017 at 8:59 am

      thank you so much, brandi- i miss that dog sooooo much. i am sorry you know that pain, too. 🙁 and thank you so much for your comments on my tour!

      Reply
  7. Erin (liveprettyonapenny) says

    June 8, 2017 at 10:58 am

    Cassie your porch area is beautiful. How awesome is it to have so many places to gather and that hammock is seriously to die for. I love your garden too!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 13, 2017 at 8:58 am

      thank you so much, erin!

      Reply
  8. Londen says

    June 9, 2017 at 12:03 am

    Love your big porch and hammock! I am trying to think of a place for one in our yard. The vintage gate is really cute too.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 13, 2017 at 8:58 am

      thank you, londen! i hope you find the perfect spot!

      Reply
  9. ashley@biggerthanthethreeofus says

    June 13, 2017 at 7:30 am

    Your front porch is so welcoming! I always love seeing it. I was having problems outside with mine and a reader recommended putting a mirror outside… I would have never thought of that and now, I see you have one outside too! Love it all Girl!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 13, 2017 at 8:55 am

      thanks, ashley! it’s actually an old midcentury clock that was broken and i dismantled- the metal is the flashing that was on the clock, but it looks like a mirror. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Diego Lopes says

    June 13, 2017 at 8:54 am

    This is my favorite from your tour, we’re looking for a new place to move into and that kind of porch is something that’s on our must-have list!

    Reply
  11. Jessica | Petal + Ply says

    June 21, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, I love your porch!! You’ve done a great job setting it up to be a great spot for your family and entertaining. 🙂

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      June 22, 2017 at 7:45 am

      come on over and hang out any time! your kids can meet the chickens. 😉

      Reply
  12. colorninterior says

    August 10, 2017 at 4:30 am

    Really it looks a great place to spend time and feel the summer vibes. Thanks for such great inspiration.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 5, 2017 at 12:48 pm

      thank you!

      Reply
  13. Adriano says

    September 15, 2017 at 7:54 am

    Wonderful house, a dream

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 17, 2017 at 7:25 am

      thank you so much!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Summer In Style Outdoor Edition: Tropical, black and white striped porch - Cuckoo4Design says:
    June 7, 2017 at 9:57 am

    […] Cassie Bustamante Seeking […]

    Reply
  2. Furniture Makeover: Oak Library Table to Farmhouse Dining Table - Cassie Bustamante says:
    May 1, 2018 at 5:00 am

    […] give you a refresher of what it looked like on my porch, here’s a reminder from last summer.  You can see the finish on it was worn, and this was even after I refinished the top […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Hi, I’m Cassie!

I believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a beautiful life and be your best self.  Here you will find budget friendly ideas to live happily, healthily, sustainably, and most importantly authentically.  We all get one chance at this life, and this ordinary girl plans to make hers extraordinary. How about you? Read more...
Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Rss Bloglovin

Categories

Disclaimer

This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission. This blog uses affiliate links.

Connect

Hi! I'm Cassie.

Mother, wife, shop owner, blogger, writer, incurable diy-er, furniture painter, coffee and wine drinker, friend. Seeking happiness and passing it on. Read More…

Recent Posts

Privacy

© 2023 · Foodie Theme Customized by This Bold Girl · Built on the Genesis Framework