Fall Front Porch at the New House

The landscaping is in (except for the new maple we're waiting for) and I had time to run by the pumpkin market for a few mums and pumpkins. It's not a huge display, but just enough to make it feel like "home". It's pretty sparse compared to year's past, but all my concrete urns are still hiding out in storage. I also still have to figure out what will fit on the small front porch. I will probably just paint one of my wooden benches the charcoal gray like the door and new shutters. I need some little something out here, but I don't want to clutter up the small space. We still have to repaint the outside lanterns, they have a pretty tired finish that needs spiffing up.

If you missed the before shots of the sad shutters and front door, you can see how the new Benjamin Moore paint, Iron Mountain, really enhances the brick and railing, and pulls it all together.

before

As our contractor so aptly put it. 

"The shutters and door are beyond "distressed, this is "neglect". 

New paint and newly built shutters...so much better.

I had a few Fallish silk florals that I stashed in my basket, then grabbed some wide bright orange ribbon. It helps dress up the porch a little, give some Fall color, and it also keeps someone from being able to see inside, when you're standing at the door. Sorry, I don't like people peeking inside....eck. (I just used one of the large "Command" hooks for this basket)

Hubbs carted over my concrete bench for the rocked area... What do you call this space between the walkway and the garage? This is a popular landscape feature around here. Anyway, I'm hoping to plant some lillies and a few perennials out there when I get time. The boxwood shrubs are baby size, but will grow fast. Now you can see the rock accent areas under the windows, instead of ugly dead shrubbery. yay!

Just imagine that there are lanterns, my concrete squirrels, and a few watering cans... but since we haven't moved in yet, I didn't want to have too much out here.

I found this big concrete container at Lowe's, I hope to use it for seasonal flowers, maybe adding some perennial ivy, next Spring. I'd like to add more to the porch and stairs, but probably will have to wait for Christmas. 

We're just so happy to have all this cleaned up and replanted.

 It was such a mess with dead plants and shrubs. 

OK, that's the extent of my Outdoor Fall Decor, 

not much, but better than nothing...

joining in on these parties:

Treasure Hunt at From My Front Porch to Yours
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest at French Country Cottage
The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate Addict
Show and Share at Coastal Charm
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Cabinet Painting....Done!

Hurray! the cabinets are "finished"! 

I'm just so excited on how the kitchen is turning out. We started last weekend and then I came over to the house and painted in the afternoons last week. Thank goodness, it's not a big kitchen! It's pretty compact, but after living in the lease house, I think I can get organized and make it work.

Remember, this is how it looked when we first got the keys.

There are still a few changes I'd like to make in here; the first being subway tile on the back splash. But we've been at this 6 weeks now, and the backsplash is just not a priority. We need to get moved in. The problem is that I'm not fond of the granite horizontal stripe, (I think it looks too "modern"), but I'm going to use my black tole trays again over here, (I've added a couple to my collection this week) so hopefully those will break it up a little bit.

I brought a few of them over to see how they work. By the time I get my other goodies on the counters, I'm hoping that stripe no longer jumps out and smacks me upside the head. There's still an option of painting the tile, so that might happen. I have to live with this for a bit before I'll know.

My new kitchen is starting to remind me of the old one,

 I just love a black and white kitchen!

Christmas 2013

Although technically, the cabinets aren't white, they are a light warm gray. (Benjamin Moore, Pale Oak) You might wonder why I didn't just use the same color as the wood work, and that would be because to me, that color just looks "dirty", and I wanted a crisper color for the cabinets.

Here's the kitchen eating area, just a few weeks ago...

Now it's painted and cleared out for my white kitchen china cabinet.We have the chandy raised up until the furniture gets here. How many times have I seen the movers knock around a light fixture?  (And we still have to get covers for the cable line).

We found the brushed satin nickel pulls at Lowe's. I thought about using bin pulls on the lower cabinet drawers, until I realized they weren't practical for bottom drawers. You'd have to get down underneath to pull them out, so I just went with the same pulls for everything.

The cabinets were a lot of work to paint, but I'm glad we had the time to do it. I'm so much happier with the kitchen now, it feels more like "my" kitchen. Hubbs had to agree; so much better than before. It just looks and feels "cleaner".

This week we're working on the deep clean, and I have to get the hardwood floors cleaned up. Paint splatters, workmen, and lot's of previous spills are making for some "on your hands and knees" time. The new carpet will be installed this week upstairs, then we're getting close to move-in. Hopefully, we'll start moving some of the furniture from storage in a week or two, then move our current furniture when that gets in.  

Hubbs was working in the garage with the doors up, when someone drove by and asked if we were going to put the house back on the market...  ahhhh, that would be a big, "NO". 

I have landscape and front porch photos, 

so I'll share those in a day or two.

Hope you're off to a wonderful Fall week!

Joining in on these parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Show and Share at Coastal Charm

Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

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