Making Progress on Curb Appeal for the Front of the House

Whew!  It's only been nearly a year since I more or less settled on a slowly evolving plan to add some curb appeal to the front yard and front facade and "stoop" area, a plan that's been evolving over the past four-plus years!

Last year I made a big push and I ordered (and received) a bunch of items:  (1) new porch light (2) tall shutters to frame the picture window (3) new address plaque (4) new mail box.  As a reminder, this was what I started out with when I purchased the home in 2014 (listing photo, below):



One of the first things I did after I moved in (July 2014) was paint the old black mailbox fire-engine red, with possible plans to later paint the front door red as well (still to be done).  In 2015 I added planters to flank the front door and filled them with annuals:



And that was the way it stayed, more or less, except that the grasses started dying out and the small viburnums weren't doing well.  The flowering tree on the left (I don't know what kind it is, it gets covered in pink blossoms in the spring) and what I think is a purple leaf sand cherry on the right anchor the ends of the house, and are thriving.

In 2017 I decided to stop spending money annually to buy plants for the front porch planters and I bought two artificial topiaries through ebates online from the Home Shopping Network to flank the front door.   I also added a 57" tall white vinyl trellis from Home Depot to fill in the blank area between the two ranch style windows on the left. I finished things off with a new coir "Welcome" mat for the front door that I saw in HGTV magazine.  I found it at Steinmart for a great price.

I won't bore you with all the details about disappointments in trying to find a reliable handyman in 2018, making appointments only to have them cancelled, etc.  Suffice to say, it was not a fun time.  I have neither the tools nor the skills to do the sort of installs that were needed, and I was stuck!  Feeling so stuck, and wondering if I'd just wasted money buying items that were never going to be added to my house, I  didn't get around to painting my front door red like I wanted to, even though I bought the paint!  I had originally planned for everything to be finished by July 4 - 2018!  It didn't happen.

So here it is, nearly a year later.  And, finally, some progress!  On May 24, 2019 my new handyman arrived and did the installs of the items I bought last year, hooray!  I also added new plants under the picture window to replace the items that had died out over the last few years, leaving a large blank spot across the front of my house.  I added a second set of white planters I already had to the stairs and filled them with white "Pot Mums" that look like daisies.  More to do, but here are a few pics:

Of course bad photographer that I am, I didn't realize I was taking a picture of myself in the storm door, LOL!  Ignore the woman in the glass! 

You'll notice I have two address plaques.  The one underneath the light is actually inset into the brick facade on the house, there isn't anyway to (easily) remove it.  I thought that the new light fixture would mostly cover it and that's why I custom-ordered a new plaque and installed it to the left of the door. 

Still more to be done, but it's coming along - finally.  The next step will be getting that front door painted, and adding a cement stone border to line the garden beds.  I have the paint, I have the cement stone blocks - I just have to do it if it ever stops raining!  Five out of seven days, rain rain rain.  Including today, Memorial Day.  Ugh!

Temptingly Cute Finds at Home Depot

Hola!  Yes, that's right - Home Depot, who subsumed into its corporate structure Home Decorators some years back.  They upped their game considerably by doing this.

It being Memorial Day weekend, everybody is having sales, including Home Depot.  Here are some finds that appealed to me.

Do you envision a lovely 5 foot long classic styled tufted linen bench in your home that would blend with anything (that's what classic style does, win win!) any time soon?  Then shop Home Depot's Memorial Day Sale - this gem is online.  It's the Linon Home Decor Isabelle Dark Espresso Mobile Bench, for $143.02 (15% off regular list price of $168.26), includes free delivery by ground by June 4.  The "mobile" is for the removable.  The Dark Espresso is the finish on the legs.  It also comes in other wood finishes for varying prices.  Comes with burnished bronze nail-head trim in 100% polyester "Natural" linen color.  Dimensions:  17.72 inches seat height; 62 inches wide; 16.69 inches deep.  Pictured below:

For those with smaller homes (like my spaces in my retirement Maison Newton), one of these beauties in my den/office/library, or two in my living room to add some punch to the otherwise rather traditional decor, in the black natural leather finish, Ameri-Home Black Natural Leather Butterfly Chair, $74.99 (24% off regular list price of $99.00), includes free delivery by ground by May 31.  The chair also comes in different finish colored natural leather for varying prices.  Dimensions: 29.5 inches deep; 28 inches wide; 37 inches high.  Pictured below:

What about a classy real marble top side table with gold metal and a secondary glass shelf in a classic sleek modern style - goes with everything!  Take a look at the Walker Edison Furniture Company 20 in. White Marble and Gold Simone Round Side Table, $83.51 (25% off regular list price of $111.34), includes free delivery by priority ground shipping by June 3.  The table also comes in different finishes for varying prices.  Dimensions:  22 inch height; 20 inch diameter.  It has four legs for stability and the bottom clear glass shelf rests on two crossed bars for sturdiness.  Pictured below:

Solar Fountain Up and Running!

Hola!  One of the projects I was determined to tackle this spring was finally assembling the solar powered bird bath/water fountain I purchased from Wayfair online last summer.  At least, I think it was last summer.  Geez - my memory.  Now that I'm retired, I don't even remember what day of the week it is!  What I do remember is that I searched around quite a bit for a good quality product at a modest price.  I found it in this Kenroy Home piece.  I do not remember exactly how much I paid, but I remember it was under $200.

So, a few weeks back one one of the "warm" sunny days we had (alternating with 40 degree gloomy days filled with rain) I pulled the box out of the garage and set to work reviewing the instructions for assembly once again - all five pages of them!  As per usual, it did not take me the suggested 15 minutes to assemble the fountain - more like an hour and 15 minutes.  But in the end my tenacity triumphed over my lack of any skills in doing this sort of thing!  Hooray Jan!  Here are a couple pics:

How I love this fountain!  The sound it makes is amazing.  Trying to get it level - that's another story (a horror story), but I sort of semi-triumphed at that by sliding thin stones under parts of the base.  In the top pic you can actually see one of the stones I used for leveling that popped out from where it is supposed to be and it's laying on the grass, LOL!  But the other one stuck where it was supposed to.  I will work on it some more.  Level is important in order to get the water to flow evenly out of the seven "lips" on the first tier - you can see four in the close up picture where the water is trickling down to the largest lower basin.

Trimming the grass around the fountain, that's a pain in the neck.  The thin line from the solar panel lies on the ground and runs to the base and then up the base to the connection in the pump mechanism. I have been very careful to cut around it and try lifting the cord out of the way and moving the solar array around - that's a major pain in the neck!   I'm going to stew on this problem for awhile and see if I can come up with a solution that is fairly easy for me to do and won't cost much, and the number one thing is to look good in the yard, not like I plopped it on top of some patio blocks (which would be the easiest way to do it I think).  We'll see.

I don't have a monetized blog and I don't have any affiliate agreements or anything like that.  But if you are interested, here is a link to an identical fountain at Wayfair for under $200:

https://www.wayfair.com/decor-pillows/pdp/sol-72-outdoor-malpelo-resin-solar-2-tier-on-demand-outdoor-water-fountain-w000060110.html?piid=914287967 $185.39 with free 2-day shipping

There are other fountains at Wayfair that look just like or very similar to this one for less money - but be aware that every one I looked at are plug-in fountains, so you'd have to run a power cord or have an outdoor outlet nearby to power the water pump.  My solar powered fountain gives me the ability to move this fountain just about everywhere on my property except along the north side of the house, which receives very little sunshine even in high summer. 

Hands down, for the soothing sounds of tinkling, trickling water and the way the light dances off of the water as it streams down the tiers, it adds to my sense of being in my own small slice of Paradise.  As I'm sitting reading or streaming shows on my computer under the shelter of my screened Shezebo, it was a great bit of a splurge I'm so glad I made!

The fountain is not winter hardy in my climate in southeast Wisconsin (Zone 5).  So when the first threat of a freeze appears, usually in November, it will be drained and stashed back in the garage, and the pump mechanism and tubing will come inside the house for storage.  Now that I know how to do it, it won't take an hour and 15 minutes to disassemble it :)

May 2019 HGTV Magazine - "Copy Our Cover" - The Look for Less, Part 4 (Finale)

Hola everyone.  Sorry for the delay between posts.  We've actually had some relatively decent weather here and I've taken advantage to be outside whenever I can to finally tackle spring clean-up and set up my Shezebo.  More about some of that in a subsequent post.

The final "shopping" I did in this "Look for Less" was for a little bowl similar to the one used in the original cover and the HGTV pick, and for black and white vases.  As a reminder, here's the cover:

And here's the "Copy Our Cover" feature from page 22 of the magazine:

Getting right to it:

The Little Bowl

The bowl is small.  Listed in the credits as well as on the "Copy Our Cover" page, it's the BIA Cordon Bleu Ooh La La Peony 4.5 inch diameter porcelain bowls in turquoise, $26.50 for a set of 4 from Wayfair.  That comes out to about $6.63 per bowl.

I couldn't beat the price but I did find a similar, although somewhat larger bowl.  I liked the pop of reddish-orange on the inside, it goes so beautifully with the colors in the art and the color of the console/credenza.  This is the Yuki Aqua Rice Bowl in the 6 inch size at Crate and Barrel with orange diamonds on the inside and aqua dotted lines on the outside with a dark blue painted rim, for $7.61.  Pictured below:

The Vases

The original decor featured the following vases:  (1) a tall white vase with vertical stripes formed by long rows of black angled slashes running from the top to the bottom; (2) a short "round" in what appears to be a hexagon shape (6 sided) with black and white alternating horizontal stripes; (3) a short, squat vase with vertical black and white stripes in rows, gives off a sort of tribal vibe; (4) and (5) two all white vases with interesting shapes (I won't attempt to describe them, check the pic above!)  HGTV's picks were confined to a tall black and white striped vase (Imax Parisa 16" tall ceramic vase, $45 at Amazon) and the two all white vases (Urban Trends Collection, Bellied Flared 7.5 inch tall stoneware vase, $37, and 2 Tier 5 inch tall stoneware vase, $33, both from Overstock.com.)

I found the identical "Parisa" vase at Amazon.com for less money - $35.10 plus free shipping.

Walmart did have the shorter all white vase from the Urban Trends Collection for $23.40 but shipping  cost (if not free) wasn't mentioned, currently out of stock. On the same listing was VirVentures, offering the same vase for $27.04 with free shipping, about a $6 savings over the Overstock option.

I found some other vases online I really liked, but if shipping isn't free the extra cost can be a game-changer.  I think the easiest option would be to head to places like Goodwill, St. Vincent dePaul and Purple Heart, to name a few charitable used goods stores to find some greart bargains, and for new try Pier I Imports, Target, World Market, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. and shop around.  Here are a few of my selections:

All of the following selections are from CB2:

The Celia White Vase, 5.75 inches tall and 4.75 inch diameter, $16.95 not including shipping.  I love the shape and graphic texture of this vase.  Pictured below:

The Zig Tall White Vase, 13.5 inches high and 5" diameter, $19.95 not including shipping.  This is another graphic vase with a 3-D quality, pictured below:

The Stitch Black and White Ceramic Vase, 4.25 inches tall, 4.75 inches diameter, $9.95, not including shipping, pictured below:

From Trouva, I found the Wikholm Small Monochrome Randi Stripe Bowl Planter, 22.1 cm x 10 cm.  The conversion to inches:  8.7 inches diameter) x 3.9 inches high, for $19.49, which is actually sold by the Lilian Daph Store in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, United Kingdom.  I love the name of the town.  The international shipping charge is nearly as much as the planter itself, but what a great vibe it has.  $17.88, pictured below:

And - I kid you not - from Signature Housewares offered by Chewy - yes, that Chewy, the White Arrow Dog and Cat Bowl, 3 inches high, 6 inch diameter, $6.99 (free shipping on orders over $49),  pictured below:

Signature Housewares has an "official site" at Amazon, where you can check out it's extensive offerings of kitchen and housewares.  

My Choices (for what it's worth)

The HGTV picks package cost $1,168.00 for three vases ($115), one lamp ($695), the console/credenza/server ($156), the ceramic dog ($45), the artwork ($150), and the ceramic bowl/dish ($7) (rounded up or down to nearest dollar).

May 2019 HGTV Magazine "Copy Our Cover" - Look for Less, Part 3

Hola!  I'm sorry I haven't been here to continue to the end of the May 2019 HGTV Magazine cover.  In between rainstorms here (which should have come in April, but we were still getting snow and freezes in April), I've been running out when weather permits to continue what seems this year to be a never-ending process of yard clean-up!  Geez Louise, is there the stuff to clean up.  I've lost count of the number of garden waste bags I've backed to about over-flowing so far, and there is still more to go.

As a reminder, here's the article:

The Striped Painting

The art piece on the cover is an original painting by Gina Julian.  She offers some prints for $150 each, and HGTV chose one of those prints for their copy of the original painting (one of a kind, no print available).  I figured I could find something that would cost less than $150.  It's not that I don't appreciate art, or art prints, but the pocketbook can't afford it!  There are lots of striped prints, original artwork and posters available, but I was attempting to limit the choices to a square painting (like the original and the HGTV pick) with most or all of the colors in either the original painting or the HGTV pick.  I also wanted something as inexpensive as possible, not wanting to pay $150 for a framed print.

I found this happy, cheerful striped canvas at Etsy.  The 16" x 16" size (same size as the print chosen by the HGTV team) is $44!  The 24" x 24" size goes for $55. It's a different style of stripes from the original painting and the Gina Julian print, but the colors are similar. Pictured below:

I found this colorful alternative at icanvas.com, Colorful Stripes II, Canvas Print, by Mareike Bohmer.  It comes in several alternatives.  An 18" x 18" unframed canvas print is $50; 26" square is $77.  A framed 18" square canvas print in your choice of 4 different colors of frames (no red or white frames offered) is $77.  There are also framed print options in 16" square and 24" square sizes for more money.  The stripes are not geometrically precise as in the original painting or the HGTV pick, but the color tones are spot on.  Pictured below:

Since these options are square, they can be hung so that the stripes run either vertically or horizontally!

An alternative version in a rectangular shape (18" x 26") unframed also at icanvas.com by the same artist (Mareike Bohmer, Colorful Stripes IV Canvas Art) is $56.  Framed canvas and framed prints in various sizes are also available.  Pictured below:  

A slightly different colorway and style at icanvas.com, Eschelon II by Gibbs Roundsavall in the 18" x 18" size is $50 in unframed canvas.  Pictured below:

The Dog Figurine

The original "Standing Welsh Terrier" by Urban Trends is so cute!  But I thought it was also a bit pricey at $45.  It's also on the larger side, being 7" tall and, frankly, to my eye it looks out of proportion size wise with the white vases it's next to on top of the credenza.  

I had fun hunting for what I call a "Scottie dog." And I found a few.  I found several rather small (a couple of inches tall) for good prices at Etsy and Amazon, and vintage options at e-bay, but I thought they were a bit too small.  Below are my picks:

From Amazon, this cutie, a Black Scottish Terrier by Kotobuki Ceramics, size approximately 5.2" high, 6.75" long, and 2.2" wide, for $34 plus free shipping.  You could spray paint him turquoise or aqua but I like him just fine in black.  Pictured below:

From Etsy, this looks to be the identical dog to the Urban Trends turquoise Terrier, only in white - it is even the identical size (8.5" long x 3.5" wide x 7" high) - for a much lower price of $13 (12.49) (shipping separate), pictured below:

From e-bay, here's an option in a planter version - how cute would he be with a small air plant or artificial succulent "planted" in him!  Described as Vintage Scottie Dog Ceramic Planter, he measures at 7" high x 7.25" long x 3.4" wide, for $7, but shipping is $15, so total cost (rounded up to nearest dollar) would be $22.  Pictured below, he could be spray painted to turquoise or aqua (or black):

What's left?  The vases - including a couple that HGTV didn't include in their "copy the cover" article, and the little bowl.  Stay tuned.