Sprucing up the outdoors, the "before" post

We definitely have a long term "outdoor to do list," but currently, we have a short term list, too.

We've been wanting to spruce up the outside of our home, but it has rained almost daily for a week and a half. This weekend, we hope to take some time to clean up the outside of our house. I've been wanting some pretty fall flowers but haven't been able to get them yet. If it doesn't rain this weekend, I'd like to get some things done. Here is my "to-do list."

1. Pull those weeds! 
This summer, before I got too far along, I spent several hours weeding all of the flower beds. Then, I got further along and school started back, and now weeds are taking over the flower beds again. Unfortunately, I can't really get down to pull weeds anymore, but I can do some things. I would love to replace some flowers that didn't survive the heat of summer in our "flag flower bed."

Since we're transitioning to fall, flower pots are currently on sale and there are some pretty ones available. Even if you find some flower planters you like, but don't like the color, you can likely paint them. I found this guy for $5 at Wal-Mart. It's since been marked down to $3.47. I ended up buying two of them.

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My plans are to paint it gray to make it look like stone, and maybe affix a smaller flower pot to the bottom to give it some height. 

2. Replace those dead plants with pretty, living plants that are fall appropriate

In the backyard, I had intended to replace our summer flowers with some more hardy fall flowers, but our red geraniums and purple vincas were still looking good, so I didn't want to waste them. Our coleus and polka dot plant were looking a little worse for wear, so I decided to pitch and replace them. I've purchased some pretty orange mums to replace them. I think they'll look good with the red geraniums.

3. Clean up that back porch
Our back porch is also looking pretty bad- we've been letting some junk pile up back there, and I decided it needed a boost. This weekend, I want to throw away the trash and dead plants, put away the clutter, and add some fall color. I am still shopping Craigslist for a baker's rack to use back here as a plant shelf. 

On Monday, I hope to show you the "after," but this depends on what the weather does. Stay tuned!

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

DIY Friday follow-up: The ironstone planter that isn't.

Remember last week's post where I showed you this flower vase and talked about how I'd found it in a thrift store?

Well, two coats of primer, two coats of white spray paint, and one orange mum later, here is what I ended up with:

You'll have to excuse the crappy picture quality, as I was taking it with my cell phone. Also, I know the mum is a little big for the pot, but I do really like this planter painted white. I think I'll be using it a lot in the coming seasons. It's currently brightening up my entry way, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. 

What do you think? I think I want to go buy more mums and plant some of them outside now.

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

DIY Fridays: Making over thrift store goodies

I guess by now you must have figured out that I like thrift stores and antique stores. There are two local stores that I like to drop into at least once a month.

One month, when I went to the thrift store, I hit pay dirt. I came away with several vintage mason jars and a Christmas planter that I really didn't like the pattern, but I really liked the shape. It was only $4 and I felt like it could probably be spray painted.

Another thing I noticed is that the planter originated from Teleflora, so someone probably received some Christmas flowers in it at some point. There was also no hole on the bottom for drainage. A ceramic drill bit solved that problem. 

Tomorrow I will show you what I did with this "planter." I'm really loving the look of it now and I bet you will too. 

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

The great outdoors: sprucing up with some spring flowers

My husband and I have been working on our yard since we moved in. The previous owners were avid gardeners, but my husband and I work full time, and we have a very busy and active child. Not to mention, being an expectant mother limits what I can help him do.

This weekend, we removed the pasture fence in our side yard. It was not well constructed and was kind of an eyesore. Not to mention, we currently have no livestock and don't plan to get any until our kids are old enough to help care for them. At that point, we will replace the fence with a more decorative white wooden one.

*special thanks to my daddy and my uncle for helping Michael remove the fence! *

Outdoor spaces

My husband and I have recently been doing a ton of yardwork, as well as making some updates to the outside of our home. We are working inside the house, too, but I will talk about that in a separate post.

A little background info is necessary- we purchased our house about a year ago from a retired couple that were avid gardeners. I would feel dishonest if I didn't tell you that- most of the beautiful landscaping you see here was done by the previous owners. There is a lot here we can't take credit for!

The husband and I are not gardeners- in fact, we had to have someone come to the house and identify plants for us, as well as tell us how to maintain them. We have five large flower beds and we do a lot of weeding. I'll photograph our flower beds soon for another post.