So...as summer's drawing to a close and football season is here (yes, that is a season. For me it's tax season, summer and football season...no spring, fall or winter.) I wanted to post what we've been working on all summer long.
Here's a picture of the house the second time we looked at it! No landscaping, faded blue shutters, a terrible brass kickplate, etc. etc. etc. We knew this house was a definite project house, but as I told my sweet Erin on the way to Destin..."it has great bones!" It's in a wonderful neighborhood here in T-Town, so we knew it would be a good investment!
Here's the house this afternoon! We've painted all the shutters black, painted the door black, taken the brass kickplate off the door, painted the light fixtures black (we wanted to replace them totally, but those bad boys refused to come off!), and started the gargantuan job of landscaping. The previous owners had no beds planted in the front yard...only overgrown holly and cleyera. We also had a huge pine tree taken down in the front yard. You can see it in the picture above. I'm not a big fan of pine trees, as a rule, but this one was killing the grass, the roots were messing up the driveway and the pine needles were clogging the gutters. So needless to say, it had to go! Our old house had beautiful landscaping. We planted all kinds of gorgeous things, had window boxes, Mark made a mailbox planter. So to leave that house and come to a house with no landscaping was pretty hard to do. We got an estimate for planting the front beds, but it was almost $4,000... a LITTLE out of our budget. And we enjoy working in the yard together, so we thought we'd do it step by step. We planted gardenias and indian hawthorns in the beds and then some yellow and red coneflowers that look really good. We didn't plant anything until the end of July, so our water bill has been re-donk-u-lous, but it's worth it. To come home and see progress is a very happy feeling. We've also planted some temperamental begonias in the front planters. Mums to come soon! And mom has made me a fun football wreath to go on the front door...made from that cool netting that everyone (including me!) uses for Christmas decorating now. The wreath is made of crimson netting. I just need to find a houndstooth "R" to put in the middle. Surely Etsy will pull me through in finding that. Love me some Etsy.com!
As I type this Mark is in the master bathroom painting the walls a GORGEOUS shade of blue. Benjamin Moore is not the cheapest paint, but they have the most fabulous shades! I think Pottery Barn stalks my color choices, too, because everytime I pick out a color it ends up in their next catalogue. I picked out this Buxton Blue back in May when we moved and it's in their catalogues right now.
Anyway, pictures to come of the bathroom soon. The before and afters will blow you away...or at least they blow me away. I hope it turns out as beautiful in real life as is does in my crazy head.
Time to help Markie with painting. He only lets me roll the walls...not help cut in around the trim. He says I'm too impatient and rush too much. I can't disagree. :)
Happy September folks!
