At Letters from The Whiskey Porch, over on substack, The Spring Porch Invitation is now open.
April 15th - 24th, 2026.
​Become a member or upgrade now
Receive a handmade studio thank-you gift
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I just opened a small and very special invitation for readers who would like to step a little further onto the porch.

For a short time, readers who join Letters from The Whiskey Porch as annual Porch Companions or Studio Stewards receive a small handmade thank-you gift from my studio at Juniper Hill Cottage in Prescott, Arizona.

The Spring Porch Invitation is open through April 24.
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​You'll find all the details on membership benefits and access at the link below. 👇🏼
Join the conversation and be inspired.

​​I know the day after Thanksgiving is supposed to be all about making lists of things to give or buy.  And spending all day in line to get the best deals.  

But here at The Whiskey Porch we do the exact opposite.  Enjoying each other with gratitude for what we have and adding artful décor to our little home.  And spending time outdoors which is often gorgeous in these parts!

Here's a little peek at how we do things, Nordic style, here at Juniper Hill Cottage...

Our biggest motivation is always to meet and exceed the needs of our wonderful clients. 

We get almost all of our business through referrals from happy customers and colleagues, and choose to keep it that way.  And this allows us to keep our pricing more competitive without having to cover advertising overhead.

But I gotta say, getting recognition is pretty cool, especially when it's not something we pursued.  

​It's pretty tough to make decisions on a big project when you have no clear set of guidelines to work with. 

And one of the key elements to build from is a color plan that is customized to your surroundings, what you already have, and your preferences.  
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​You know you need to tackle a few things in your home (or garden) to get it dressed up a bit, but it's so overwhelming and confusing that you just never really get going and it drags on and gets stale. 

It can get confusing with all the media and buzz about what the latest trend is and what's in and what's out.  If you're not a do-it-yourselfer and want to hire professionals to do the work, the truth is you still need to be able to articulate what exactly you want to do and in what priority.  

It can be really hard to know where to start.  And maybe even more importantly, how to bring it all together so that it makes sense when you are done can be very elusive.

The result can be some false starts or even not getting started at all because you aren't confident with how to get going.

I get it.
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This week, we are thinking about some ways to incorporate artfulness in our lives.

I think it's vital to carve out time in your schedule, whether it be weekly or just monthly, to open yourself up to creativity.  It may seem frivolous if you aren't an artist, but the truth is that doing something creative is beneficial in countless physical and emotional ways.  It's good for you!

And it brings you together with other people in a positive and open way.  Nothing bad about that.

There are two general ways to incorporate more creativity and artfulness into your life:

1. Do it yourself - as in, create something 
2. Explore and support the arts in your community

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