One of my favorite things that has come out of home ownership has been all the hobbies I’ve discovered!  Not only do I love decorating the house and brainstorming new projects, but I’ve come to enjoy (some) yard work. [What she means is that she enjoys watching her husband slave away while sipping wine and eating bon-bons on the deck]   I’ve always enjoyed mowing the lawn, [three times in the last year by my count] but this past year I have found how much I like beautifying our curb appeal!

Unfortunately there was not much upkeep from the previous owners of our home and over the years the yard has grown into quite the jungle.   Last fall Hubby worked really hard to tear out ivy in the front lawn and plant grass seed (it looks amazing!). [I am pretty sure that I doubled the size of the front lawn.  This spring I tore out some mangy looking barberry shrubs in the front garden box and planted a few boxwood, azaleas and a presidential lilac tree.  I then added some additional red and white petunias along the front to give some color for when the azaleas and the lilac are not in bloom]   As we’ve seen the transformation of our front yard, I’ve come to learn how important it is to have fresh and maintained curb appeal.  So I’ve compiled three tips for enhancing your curb appeal!

1. Flowers and Foliage Make a HUGE Difference: The first thing someone sees when visiting your home is your front yard and the front of your home.  You want it to be welcoming and appealing.  That’s why I’m such a huge fan of using flowers to brighten up our curb appeal.  Flowers provide a pop of color and texture and transform your curb appeal to boring to interesting.  Even as summer winds down into fall and winter, I’ll be decorating our front stoop with mums and other plants that can handle the elements of the seasons.

   

2. A Cute Planter is a MUST: Planters are such an easy to enhance your home’s appearance, and picking out the perfect planter to display your flowers is just as important as picking out the flowers you want.  Our front stoop is very small so I knew I needed a statement piece.  I found the perfect oversized, bright royal blue planter from Costco.  The red and white petunias I planted in it just makes our stoop pop! 
3. Front Door Accessories are Great Statement Pieces: I’m a huge fan of decorating our front door!  Your front door is the perfect place to display your personality and style.  I like switching out my front door accessory based on the season.  From May through September I display a bright red anchor on our door that really pops against the black.  I have a bright orange pumpkin for October and November and then of course a wreath for December.  From January through April I use a burlap wreath that my sister-in-law made for us! [Shout out to MoMo if shes reading] Whatever you choose to display on your front door, make sure you have fun with it! 

   

There you have it!  These are my three true and tried simple tips for beautifying your curb appeal.  I would love to see how you’ve styled your curb appeal so feel free to share your ideas!

Slàinte,

Shannon {and Rob}