Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
We do a lot of traveling and were looking for a light-weight and portable fan to take along with us. One that would work in our RV, the camper, in a hotel room and better yet…one that we could use at home while sitting outside …
Stepping Stone Garden Paths can be used in place of a little sidewalk, to add beauty to your garden area or to designate walking areas (paths) through your property. They’re typically affordable and you can find them in a wide variety of designs and sizes. …
The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species of flies from China that have invaded the eastcoast of the USA and spreading rapidly. These flies are considered pests and do a lot of damage to grapevines, plants, and trees. Pennsylvania has been trying to combat the problem for the past 2 years with very little success.
Last year from Spring through mid-Fall we had a terrible time with the Spotted Lanterfly on our property. They were damaging our backyard garden, trees, flower gardens, etc. We couldn’t sit out on on our front porch or back deck with those dang flies landing all over us. On top of that, we were constantly cleaning them out of our swimming pool. We had thousands of them on our property!
We decided to make our own homemade insect killing spray to kill them and to help slow down the spread. We used a few different type’s of homemade insect killer and all of them worked. Here’s how we went about killing the Spotted Lanternfly.
1. Liquid Dish Soap Spray – Pick up a bottle of Dawn Liquid Dish Soap (while other brands work, we found that Dawn works better). Pour it into an empty spray bottle…2/3 of the way full with 1/3 tap water.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar Spray – Pick up a bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar. Pour the spray bottle 80% full with the vinegar and then top it off with tap water.
3. White Vinegar, Water & Dish Soap Spray – In a spray bottle combine together 50% White Vinegar with 30% tap water and 20% liquid dish soap.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar Lanternfly Traps – Get a pint-size glass mason jar. Add 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar and 4 tablespoons of Dawn Liquid Dish Soap and 2-3 tablespoons of tap water. The jar should be under 1/2 cup full. Place a wide mouth canning jar funnel inside the opening of the jar. Sit these traps out on your front porch, back deck, around the swimming pool where you sit, etc. The flies will be attracted to the fragrance and fly down into the solution. The funnel prevents them from getting out and traps them inside. They will drown and die within a few minutes.
April through May is typically when you see all of the babies hatching from their winter hibernation. You want to get onto the problem early by killing as many babies that you can. Summer through Fall you want to go after all of the adults and kill every single one that you see.
We take regular patrols around our front and backyards seeking them out and killing the ones that we find. By going after them (instead of them coming after us) we’ve dramatically decreased their infestation population on our property. I think the pests will be a problem for years, if not decades to come. Instead of using harsh pesticides and chemicals…we’ve opted for a more natural approach to killing them.
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Garden Flags are an easy way to decorate for various holidays throughout the year. They add a nice pop of color to your outdoor spaces and don’t take up a lot of storage space either. I have 3 garden flag holders on our property and …
Flamingos are a fun and colorful way to add beauty to your outdoor spaces. They’re perfect in the summertime, but also work year-round if you live near the coast. Here are 5 of our favorite finds from Amazon…many we personally own! * This post contains …
My front porch is a work in progress. I like simple and classic coastal cottage decor. I don’t like things modern nor too fancy. I want my porch to look simple and comfortable, nothing high maintenance and certainly nothing that costs a fortune to do.
I thought I would give you a glimpse of what I’m working on. Like I said, it’s a work in progress.
The wood rocking chair was given to us and was originally a dark red brown color. I sanded it down to the bare wood and painted it white. I then picked up a chair cushion and added a sand dollar print outdoor pillow. It’s my favorite chair to sit in!
It’s hard to see in my photos but I have 3 metal plant stands that I picked up at yard sales and flea markets. Each one less than $2.00 a piece. All were black in color. I spray painted them with an outdoor paint white to fit within my coastal cottage decor. Buying them new and in a white color would of cost me at least $20 a piece! Wow, I saved a lot of money!
The storage trunk that serves as a table was made by my brother. He painted an old wooden storage trunk a bright turquoise color. He removed the original hindged lid and added a wooden surf board to serve as the new hinged lid. I like to store some of my small seasonal items in it like additional throw pillows, garden flags, etc. Next year I’m going to strip it down and change it to a lighter sea glass type of color. In front of that you’ll see my navy blue whale outdoor door mat.
I love houseplants so I move about 40% of my houseplants outside during the late spring, summer, and early fall seasons. They thrive in the fresh air, in-direct sunshine, and warmer temperatures. It always gives them a nice boost in growth before bringing them back inside for the winter season.
Sprinkled all around our front porch are my hand painted seashells. You’ll find all of the designs and how-to’s on the Two Classy Chics blog. They add a nice pop of color and are the perfect little decorating accents.
At the far end of the porch is a small bookcase shelf that I completely refinished. Again, it was a brown color and I repainted it a coastal gray color called STORMY. I have a lot of my houseplants sitting on it along with painted and unpainted seashells. I just blogged about that project a couple of weeks ago and you can check out that post to learn more about it. There’s a lot more plants and shells sitting on it now than what I’m showing in the original photo above.
Along the porch railing I have a small white wood bench which is currently holding houseplants too. When company comes over I take the plants off and add a cushion onto the top of the bench for more seating. I store the cushion in the storage trunk that I previously mentioned. Storage trunks are great tables and great for storing those items that you don’t need on a daily basis, but want access to quickly.
One thing that I did invest in was beautiful flower hanging baskets…except I went with the faux. I get tired of climbing up to water, prune, dead-head, etc. the real floral arrangements so I opted to go with 4 faux hanging baskets this year. Since we have 2 porches I have 2 hanging up on each one. I admit, they were expensive at $50 each but well worth it! They look extremely REAL until you’re ontop of them. No watering or maintenace needed and they’ll last for years with proper care. I’ll be storing them in our garden shed once fall arrives.
Like I said…it’s a work in progress. I ordered an outdoor coastal print rug but it hasn’t gotten here yet. Suplly chain issues! Ugh. I’m hoping it will arrive within the next couple of weeks. I’m currently on the lookout for another wooden rocking chair that I can strip and paint white…so that we’ll have two on that porch. Hopefully I’ll find one within the next week or so scouring the local flea market.
There are a few additional things I want to do to the front porch and will continue working on it. I’m determined to get everything I want and to do so on a budget!
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
Outdoor storage sheds come in all different sizes and shapes. You can purchase ones made from treated wood, metal, hard plastic, coated rubber, and all type’s of materials. They can come completely empty inside or loaded with extra features. When looking to buy a new outdoor …
I enjoy gardening, both indoors and outdoors gardening. Every room inside our home has at least one houseplant with many rooms having 3 or more. I love how they look in our home giving it that cozy feel and houseplants help to naturally filter the …