DIY Halloween Wreath...

Sorry for the silence again, things have been busy, busy, busy around here. So I will have lots to share with you in the coming weeks. But first, it's that spooky-ooky time of the year... HALLOWEEN! Here is an easy DIY Halloween Wreath tutorial.

The supplies are simple: 

Foam wreath • Felt • Halloween coasters • Glue gun

I started by wrapping the felt around the foam wreath, leaving a seam along the back. It doesn't have to be perfect because the coasters will cover up any imperfections along the front. 

Like I said, easy. 

Now we're ready for the trick or treaters! 

A little paint goes a long way: a facade facelift...

Let's take a walk down memory lane. This is what the house looked like when we first bought it. Overgrown landscaping and faded paint. Notice the brick red door and the faded burgundy shutters. What a palette. 

We took care of the landscaping last year, so this summer, painting the house was on the agenda. Our house is vinyl siding and some of the trim is plastic, so only the wood trim, front door and shutters needed to be painted. Thankfully we had an old can of the trim paint in the basement so we didn't have to play the "does it match?" paint guessing game. The porch itself was one color but the door trim and window cornices were a lighter color. Basically they just blended right into the siding.  

In an effort to make them pop a little more, I decided to paint the trim and cornices the darker color  -- like how mascara makes your eyes look bigger and brighter. And we all know the windows are the eyes of the house. Or something like that...

And pop they did. It really brought the house to life and to my delight, perfectly matched the window trim. It also made the door the focal point of the porch. 

Now there is a differentiation between the siding and the trim. 

Speaking of the door (and the shutters), we didn't try to match the original color exactly, we went a little more burgundy with it. Antique Burgundy from Valspar was the color we decided on. It had a lot more purple and a lot less red/orange. It even coordinates with the coleus plant. I LOVE it!  Color coordination makes me giddy!  

We are so happy how the colors work together to brighten up the facade. 

Before. Sad and faded...

After. Bright and cheery...

It all feels so much more balanced and coordinates so well with the tree in the front yard.

Home Sweet Home!

landscaping update: the front yard...

when we moved into our house we were fortunate enough to get a landscaping credit from the sellers. They (or the builder) had planted a bunch of great things but they were all clumped together in the front, a little was on one side and the back was bare.

And we had no privacy in our backyard. 

So last July, a landscaper came out, transplanted some things and planted some new items. The edging and mulching alone looked great, but since it was so hot when they were planting, some of the landscaping didn't look so hot. A lot of them went into shock and I was nervous all this work was for nothing.

Everyone kept telling us to wait until Spring and then we'd really be able to see what took. Well, Spring came around and BOOM! It was a landscaping explosion. So lush and pretty and some of the plants are  HUGE! Over the next few days, I'll be sharing a tour of the landscaping. Up first....

THE FRONT

The front is a mix of angelina sedum, boxwood bushes and a lilac tree. The sedum has spread so much, it's great ground cover. I loved waking up in the morning in the spring, throwing up my window and smelling the lilac tree. One of my other favorite things are the three walking stones. 

On the corner of the front landscaping they added a blue spruce. It's a slow grower but once it gets a little bigger it will be a good balance for the front. 

Our front porch rarely gets sun so finding a shade plant that looks nice has been a challenge. Then on a trip to Lowe's I found Coleus. It perfectly matches the maroon in our door, has been growing like crazy and finally hides the ugly electrical outlet on the porch.

It was the perfect finishing touch. 

Up Next: The Side Yard.....

fall porch makeover...

Fall is definitely in the air here in Cincinnati. It's put me in the mood for apple cider, boots and cozy sweaters. It's also put me in the mood to decorate the house, starting with our front porch.

One of the things I looked forward to most about owning a home was being able to decorate for the holidays. So as soon as the temperatures dropped, I was on it! In a budget-friendly move, I repurposed a wreath I used for one of my wedding DIY projects and added some fall-themed items.

Once it was all said and done, I loved the outcome. Simple and beautiful. 

And totally coordinated with our maroon front door.

To complete the porch we picked up a HUGE red/orange mum and pumpkins of all sizes. But all of the orange was frankly a little boring. So pulling from all my "Pinspiration" I headed to Home Depot for a can of spray paint and brass upholstery tacks and VOILA!

O for O'Brien!

And of course he needed a little buddy. 

The wrought iron tables are a summertime garage sale find that I spray painted for the deck. 

They are perfect for the front porch vignette. 

I am so in love with it. Happy Fall to y'all!