Every spring I like to run a few local porch features to share some inspiration and a ton of the coolness from our neighbors' favorite sittin' spots.

Although it's spring here, we have some pretty wild swings from day to day and week to week.  That's the nature of spring in the high country of Arizona.  

I've got a couple more downtown porches on deck and if you're interested in having yours featured, keep scrolling to find out how.
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​Technically, I missed National Gardening Day which was yesterday, April 14th.  But that's okay, I think we should turn it into a weekend celebration! 

​Honestly, for me it's a daily celebration year-round.  Even in the winter, while I might not be out in my garden actively growing things or enjoying the garden, I'm most definitely planning ahead for the coming season and dreaming up new ideas and projects.

To encourage you to jump into gardening if you aren't already obsessed, and to remind those of us that are in deep already why we do it, I wanted to share 10 Reasons Why Gardening is Good for You.
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​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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Every spring I like to run a few local porch features to share some inspiration and a ton of the coolness from our neighbors' favorite sittin' spots.

I'm kicking porch season off just barely in the nick of time, here at the end of March.  Stay tuned for more this spring.

One of the key themes I come back to at The Whiskey Porch is "seasonal living".  It's an aspect of a Simple Lifestyle that adds texture, and color, and variety, and a natural flow to things.

When we talk about living with the seasons, what does that really mean?

To me, it's simply shifting your lifestyle with the seasons.  Doing different things in different spaces, as the seasons progress through the year.

Focusing on the connection to the landscape and the outdoors is just as important as the creature comforts and floorplan that you incorporate into your home design.  So, the interior isn't entirely separate from the outdoors and the landscape that your home sits on. 

By creating this connection intentionally, we craft a direct link between our daily activities and the cycle of the earth. 

And.  We can greatly expand the amount of living space available to us.

Let me explain.

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At this time of year, porch season is on my mind!  It's been a few months for us here in Northern Arizona and since early spring is often windy here, it's not quite porch sittin' time, but it's getting so close.

Meanwhile, what better to do than ponder some inspirational ideas on how to dress up that porch and put some projects on the honey-do list.  

I thought I might do a quick look at a few inspiring porches over the next few weeks to get the juices flowing and highlight a few design or layout concepts that I think are worthy.

First up:  Simple does NOT mean boring.

With this photo it's hard to know how big the entire porch is.  Could be just this bit and then the front door to the right or twice this large perhaps.  

But given that's it's a fairly shallow space and likely not all that large, there's a few things I truly love about this styling.

​Scroll down for 4 reasons this porch works.

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I realized that I haven't posted a summary here in the blog for several months.  I guess this all just takes quite a bit of time and effort and by the time I hit "SEND" on that newsletter, I'm usually ready to move on.

​But I wanted to do another round-up here for today's Newsletter...

You can check out this newsletter here, and I hope you'll consider joining us to stay connected.  

You can join our list now, and subscribe at any time.  

​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...

​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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The Problem
The home you bought seemed perfect for your situation a few years ago.  Or, it was bigger than you honestly needed so you just moved in and quickly went on with life.

Then things changed, ever so slightly over time or in some bigger ways.  Maybe Covid made everything seem harder - you were home more, or even working from home, and spending much more time together.  Or you found yourself offering space to your adult daughter who is going back to school, and you never planned on that but here it is.  And it's just not working anymore.

What to Do?
Clearly, you have do something!  And I get that the most logical next step might seem obvious:  you need more space!!  It's too cramped.  It's creating stress and chaos.  You can't find things.  You don't have enough private space.  

So, you make the decision to add on 500 square feet to create an office and another bedroom.

But I've got a reality check for you...  there's a lot more to solving this challenge than just adding more space.