Back Porch Dreaming with Arhaus

Living in the country, for me, means living outdoors. Our front porch was somewhere I always gravitated towards, swinging on the porch swing....

Now that we have a barnyard full of animals and a seriously beautiful barn to stare at, I am finding myself (and the rest of the family) spending more and more time on our back porch. 

Each spring, I try to move things around from how I had it arranged the previous year. All the pieces have stayed the same, but rearranging them, brings them new life. This spring was our first time in years buying something new and BIG to add to our family of outdoor furniture. And it was a game changer....

This dining set is not only gorgeous, but so comfortable....it may be coming inside for the winter! Ha, kidding....maybe! 

Our back porch/ deck area is broken into 2 distinct zones. Now that I have claimed this larger deck to be our outdoor dining space, our smaller upper porch area needs to change. This is what it looks like for now.....

Things I do like are the "shutters" and hanging ferns. This little table set is no longer really needed now that we have the larger one. 

And opposite this little dining set is this lounge.....

This is more of the feeling I want in this upper area. I actually do use this quite a bit to read. However, it is lacking in the comfort level. Adding in this old rug and a blanket and pillow has helped amp up the coziness that I crave, but I've been dreaming up some other options. 

Have you ever looked into buying outdoor furniture?? It's so exhausting! There is a furniture store that I have always admired and love looking at online. However, I didn't even realize until recently that they also carried outdoor furniture! And now I am a mama on a mission! 

Have you heard of Arhaus? They are a furniture company who is designing some amazing products, that are so beautiful. From sectional sofas to the most amazing rugs (and you know I'm a rug person!) to anything else you need to complete a room. The company's commitment to our planet , by developing unique and functional pieces out of recycled natural resources, and never using wood from endangered forests is what seals the deal for me! 

I have picked out 3 items that I can't stop dreaming about.  

Starting out with that amazing rug!! Hello!?! It has fringe! And is black/ white!

 Then, I would want 2 matching sofas...I've thought about a sectional, but having 2 sofas gives me more rearranging options, and I can just picture them facing each other...what a great place to take naps!! (And it's called the Wyatt, so we HAVE to have it!!) 

And lastly, that table! I love me a table that is a signature/ statement piece all on it's own. This one reminds me of our table in the coffee room that is my favorite item we own.

These three elements remind me so much of the inside of our home. And I really like when our outdoor spaces are just like that, a reflection of our style. I would be adding in some other items that are our style also...feathers, an outdoor dreamcatcher, pillows, lanterns...  

Arhaus is currently having their Anniversary Sale, I hope some of my dream items can become a reality. Do yourself a favor, and go to their website...you can click here....and do some dreaming of your own. 

These are the last few weeks of summer, and we plan on getting the most out of them as we can. But having a cozy porch this fall is also very exciting!

Follow along on Instagram and Facebook to see all of our daily life here on the farm! And stay tuned for a late summer tour of our home. 

A Budget -Friendly Camper Re-Do: Our Style

Last summer, on a whim, we purchased a camper...off of Craig's List...the night before we were going to use it! 

When we go to the 4H County Fair, we thought it would be fun and economical to just stay there the whole week instead of driving back and forth multiple times a day, tending to our cattle that we are showing, and in between fun fair activities. 

This little beauty was a great find, and a steal! It's a 1998 Dutchmen, and was taken care of by it's one owner and actually barely even used. So home it came with us!

We stayed in it that first week, but it didn't feel like ours. The cupboards were full of stuff that wasn't ours, and the colors and patterns were circa 1990's. We began to dream up big renovation plans! I even looked to Pinterest with my board titled "Camping in Style". 


But when it came time to actually start renovating it, we began to get a little nostalgic about this cute little camper. The wood wasn't really that bad to live with. The floors were easy to maintain. The brass (and there is a lot of it!) was growing on us. With a few cosmetic changes and our own accessories....it feels more like "us". 

I kind of let the camper tell me what style looked best with it. I brought in one of my favorite wedding gifts: A wedding Ring Quilt, and it just looked right at home in here. So that was the inspiration that I went with for the whole look. 

We will probably only use this a couple times each summer, and nothing screams "Summer" to me more than quilts. 

I love having the restraint of a tight budget, it is more creatively challenging. And I LOVE a challenge!

New window treatments in the bedroom were a MUST, I was going to make some,but found exactly what I wanted with these simple sheers from Target.

To balance all the girli-ness, we brought in some roughness via vintage coffee sacks. I had quite the growing collection of these, and after getting over the initial shock of cutting one up, I love the look it adds to the windows!!

Now, the window above the dining table was the biggest challenge! I know, I know...not a big deal in hind-site. But I had this "vision" of a deer rack hanging. 

After several nights of begging Baileyhusband to hang those suckers, he finally did. 

And they came crashing down as soon as we let go!

The wall paneling would not hold those heavy things! And if you could picture a grown woman hissing a fit, stomping her feet, and crying out to the decor Gods...well, that wasn't what happened. (well, maybe)

So, for posterity sake, I had Sierra hold them up for you all to see what it should have looked like. Cool, huh? 

After thinking about it for a couple days, and thinking "what in the world can I hang there that will cover that hole we made and be light as a feather??"

Well, duh, FEATHERS! We have plenty of them around here. And you know what? I like this better than the antlers....so THERE, decor Gods!! Now this is my favorite window in the camper. 

We also added burlap and rope to all the fabric panels. Amazing what a staple gun and a glue gun can accomplish! Burlap + Rope = A match made in heaven.

{One of the panels, before and after}

Some super cute, handy accessories, and we can use this as our second home! Because I always need to have fun things to look at as well as them being useful! 

Real herbs from our Farm Garden, these will be handy when grilling or making sandwiches at the campground!

Here are some before and after shots to see some of the changes:

There you have it....Our finished little camper remodel. 
It is not very fancy by any stretch of the imagination, and truth be told...it could be a little bigger, with bunk beds, a larger bathroom maybe. But, we actually adore this little gem. 

As I sit, typing this on my quilt in the bedroom, looking out to the trees surrounding our campground....(the family is down tending to our cattle in the barn)...I cannot be happier with our choice to save money and buy this, and make it home-y with our own unique style. 

 To quote one of my favorite bloggers, The Nester, 
It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful! So I hung this sign proudly.

I am a list maker, here is a breakdown of what was done/purchased:

* Burlap and rope added to cupboard panels with staple gun and hot glue

* Coffee sacks stapled over old window treatments

* Sheers purchased for bedroom windows, there are 3 windows. I only bought 3 panels and cut them in half length wise, and trimmed the bottom to fit the short ceiling height. (From Target)

* Baby crib sheets over kitchen benches, which also turns into a bed for the kids. So they work double-duty. (cheaper than a new slipcover. Purchased from Babies R Us)

* Quilt covering sofa-bed (over a fitted sheet), already owned

* Bedroom quilt and bedding, already owned

* Homemade feather garland over window in kitchen and homemade "Be Inspired" banner above bed.

* 2 seagrass rugs (Target)

* Magazine/mail holder baskets on wall (purchased new from Target)

* Feed sack pillows and other pillows from my hoarding stash

* Framed feed sack in barnwood, made by me

* Sheepskin throw/ rug (purchased from Ikea)

* All other accessories were just found around our home

I hope you enjoyed seeing into our little home-on-wheels! We are so excited for the chance to use it this summer/ fall season. 

Until next time.....

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