Nothing says welcome like color

I love colorful front doors. My friend and I are on a movement to start a colorful front door trend in our neighborhood. I think that nothing says welcome like the color of your front door.  I had recently visited Paris and was inspired by the doors that looked like this.

I loved how all their buildings were mostly cream, and they used the color of their door to express their personality. Beautiful.
I came home and decided to paint my front door a bright turquoise. It is important when choosing a paint color for your door, to make sure it compliments the brick or siding color of you house. The brick on my home is a red color, and my siding is cream.  I got some paint swatches and decided that this color would go great. This is a picture of how the door started white.

Here is the turquoise door. I think a color just brings a house to life.  Just a few weeks ago I decided to go with a different paint color for my door.  I wanted a change for my porch, and I thought an apple green would do the trick.

I decided to keep the side lights white this time and let the door just speak for itself.  I still have kept my turquoise by spraying my clock and pot, and I added some red accents to match the brick. I love the colorful accents, it looks summery and fun.
  Some painting tips I use: Most of the time I use left over paint I have around my house. The turquoise was from my son's room, the green is from a bathroom.  I don't always use an exterior paint because my door is protected and I paint so often.  If your door is not protected, use an exterior paint. I use a satin finish. You don't see the brush marks as easily, and I like how smooth it turns out. Basically it is personal preference. I like to paint early in the morning before the sun is shining directly on the door. A foam roller works great to roll and get that sprayed look. Make sure to prep. Sand any areas that are rough, wash the door, and tape around any areas ( I love frog tape).  Always remove the hardware.  Nothing is worse that paint on hardware.  Don't be afraid to paint the front door. Go bold and have fun. After all, it is just paint.

Pin It

Taking it outside

It has been a while since I have posted. It is not because I haven't been busily working away in my home, but because I have been busily working away outside my home.  I have been working as an aid at a school this past school year.  I can't believe how much time I don't have to do things like blog when I am working.  I have missed blogging. I use this blog as a journal of sorts, and I enjoy recording my decorating experiences, and looking back on them.
That being said, I am excited for the Summer! Time! We have been working hard in our yard these past couple of months.  Last year I cut out and put curbing in my whole yard. We didn't finish planting everything last year. That has been what we have been doing all spring. Here is what the yard looked like before. Keep in mind, when we moved in, the whole backyard was just dandelions. My husband and I purchased this house when there was still snow on the ground, and moved in when there was a bunch of weed. Needless to say we freaked out just a little.

We pulled out all the bushes in the front, worked hard on reviving the lawn in the back, and added new flower beds.

I love planting perennials. I love that they are low maintenance and come back every year. I have had great luck planting the perennials in my flower gardens, and keeping my annuals in my pots. I also like using mulch around the plants. It keeps the weeds down, and I hardly ever have to go out there and weed.  I enjoy watching the flowers grow, and the yard grow and evolve. I love adding and moving and taking away each year.  Yard work defiantly makes me happy! Pin It

Trimmed out and finished exercise room

I am back ready to post pictures of our finished exercise room. We added some molding which I chose to use and replace in the whole house. I can't believe how much molding finishes off a room every time we install it. This room turned out great. I love the soft gray color, the carpet tiles which are perfect to put heavy exercise equipment on, and it is way fun to have a space to work out in.

It may inspire me to go down and use it sometimes!

Pin It

A delicious soup recipe for a cold day

It has been freezing here lately. Below zero temps.  When it is that cold outside, it just makes me want to put a pot of soup on.  I love any kind of soup, but this one is one of my favs. This is the soup that got my hubby to marry me.  I made this for him on our second date, and after that he was hooked.  You know what they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. So true.  It is warm, creamy, comforting, and delicious, and the best part, my kids love it!

Not the best pic, but here is the recipe.

Potato Soup
6 medium potatoes peeled and sliced
4 carrots peeled and diced
6 celery stalks diced
2 quarts water
Put all vegetables in a pot with water and cook until tender, then drain
Meanwhile, after vegetables are cooked take
1 chopped onion and sautee it in
6Tablespoons butter
When the onion is soft add
6 Tablespoons flour
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper...more if you like it spicy
Cook together for a minute and add
1 1/2 cups milk
Stir the milk in until thick then add the cooked vegetables
Add store bought chicken broth until soup is desired consistency
Add more salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle grated cheese on top, and enjoy!

Pin It

working on the exercise room

Don't you just love this lovely peach color! This room is in my basement and was probably used as a craft room. It had a lovely flower wallpaper border which we removed, and the flooring was foam tiles. Got to love it all! 

 We chose a light gray color for the walls, then found some carpet tiles for the floor. These are the coolest things.  They stick down with adhesive tape, and are so quick to install.  I love the pattern of the different tiles in the room to give it some interest and dimension.  We are using the room for our exercise equipment, so we didn't want regular plush carpet.  This is perfect!

 There was this funky florescent light  on the side of the room. It must have been over a desk. We removed the light and installed this cool ceiling fan to keep the room cool when we exercise.

Just a little molding, and this room is ready to use.  A fun, and inexpensive room reno. Pin It

Yard Work

Finally another post. These last couple of months have kept me so busy, that I haven't had any time to concentrate on doing important things like blog. We have been busy at our house. Mostly with the outside. We decided to cut out some flower gardens in our yard. This was so needed. Nothing bugs me more that just grass that goes to a fence.
First we planned out our design, and had the utilities come and mark for lines.  Nothing says pretty like a spray painted lawn.

Then we had a curbing guy come and cut out all the sod and do some curbing for us. I went to work, and came home to flower beds cut out for me. Seriously, that has never happened before to me. I could get use to this. Normally it is me and Jeff digging out the sod with a shovel. Nope, not this time...I have tasted what it is like to have it done for you. ha ha

Then it was planting away for us. We have a lot of flower beds to fill. I love perennials. Lillies, coral bells, lavendar, daisies. They all seem to grow well here. Jeff built up the center of the circle with stone, and we planted a tree and some strawberries around it.

It is a work in progress, but that is what I love about the yard. Nothing is ever "done," and you can constantly be thinking about new ideas.

Pin It

New Life for some Old Furniture

Taking the old, making it new...so fun, cheap, and cheerful. I love re purposing all my old furniture when doing a new room. My older daughter had a desk we used in her old room. We took that desk, re-painted it, and it totally changed it's personality and looks brand new.

Here's how it looked before. It went in her room in our old house that looked like this.

I re-painted it to match the new room, and now it looks like this...

In her room that looks like this!

We also re purposed an old mirror that was a top of a dresser and made it into a one of a kind head board.

We took out the center mirror, painted it the hot pink color of course, picked out some fun fabric, and then upholstered and tufted it with diamond buttons. We took some wood, put batting on top and stapled the fabric to it. We then marked the back of the wood where we wanted the buttons, drilled some holes in the wood and took strong thread and sewed the buttons on. I think the whole thing cost about $50 bucks.

Do you see the bench on the end of this bed? We took the bench, re painted it, and re upholstered the top with black fabric and ended up with a fun seat in my daughter's room.

 

She has a great bench, for very little money. I love taking something old and making it new and fresh again!

Pin It