Entry Makeover

Welcome.

This is our front entry.

Very nice...but plain...and not very inviting.

This is what it looked like when we

purchased the house last summer.

The black color worked with the brick, but

I felt like it recessed the door visually.

We love the front door.

It had wonderful potential.

It's hard to see in the pic

but the windows are leaded clear glass.

They catch the light as it comes in

and play with it on the entry floor.

LOVE it!

I had been considering several colors.

Delft blue...

salmon pink...

rust...

chinese red...

What to do? What to do?

Then I saw Cindy's door... 

over at

Cindys Fractured Fairytale .

My choice was made.

I knew exactly what I wanted.

Blue Eyes was not nearly as certain...

the idea had to grow on him.

The color I chose was

Olympic brand Mexican Moonlight.

A gorgeous Salmon Pink Satin.

Then we added a new brass Baldwin handset.  

...and a Hens and Feathers

bronze Majestic Grape Urn Plaque

... Added ferns in urns

(in my best hip hop sing song, lol)

at each side of the door

...and gorgeous pink toned Caladiums

...some pink impatiens

... a new L.L. Bean waterhog 

doormat in a charcoal leaf pattern.

Love, love, LOVE this doormat!

As long as they make them,

I'll never buy anything else.

We put a fresh coat of black paint on the

iron bench and added a welcoming flag.

Violi!

We still need flowers in the wall planter.

May have to do silk...

everything keeps frying from the heat on that wall.

We'll be adding a Japanese Maple

on the right center bed soon

and a climbing pink rose...

Eden maybe...by the welcome flag.

You can't see them in the pics...

they are hidden behide the Liriope...

but we have planted fragrant Star Jasmine

to the left of the walk by the wall.

Once mature they should fill in that wall like this...

I have two more items I want to add

but they'll have to wait for now.

I'd like this ironwork from

Ballard Designs over the door...

...and something very similar to this on it.

Now our entry says

"Welcome.

We are glad you came to see us."

I'm liking this...

...Much better than this.

What do you think?

Linking in with:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvyy Southern Style

White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

French Inspiraton Thursday @ The French Cupboard

Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ Blue Creek Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints On The Fridge

Dreaming of Summer with Pottery Barn

I could hardly wait for it to cool off last fall.

It was so darn hot.

I live in Texas so when I say it was hot, I am SO serious.

Blue eyes and I were moving to our new home last August in this Texas heat.

It was brutal.

Lipton Tea and I are good friends, but during that move we were inseparable. 

Needless to say, I got what I asked for and the cold set in.

The view out my front door.

Yep, that's snow...

...and our loungers were NOT calling out my name.

Now the snow has melted,

the moving boxes are mostly unpacked,

and our new yard is starting to whisper... 

Come out...play in my soil...design me...make me your own.

My mind is starting to plan.

When shopping retail,  I love to shop Home Goods, Tuesday Morning,

Ballard Designs, Williams Sonoma, Pierre Deux and Pottery Barn.

Pottery Barn always has some great ideas.

If the prices are prohibitive, as they frequently are,

you can always build your own furniture with Ana White plans and

find most of the other goodies, or something similar, at area flea markets.

                                                                                            

These pots are a great look...but...

substitute with a low cost Mexican pottery...

apply a white wash... same look at a fraction of the cost.

I just love these individual pieces that can be moved around as your needs change.

Ana White has the plans and you can sew the cushions yourself.

Ana-white.com

Another shot but the same idea

An old sofa table from a garage sale or craigslist would work just as well in this application

Paint it the color you like...and chip it up to age it...and gel stain

It's not iced tea but it sure looks refreshing.

Plastic ware and trays like this can found at Big Lots for a song...

and a few dollars.

Love this idea.

Blue Eyes and I have an old galvanized wash tub on legs that we use for this.

Might have to get a few smaller buckets for plants this year.

Trip to Calloways coming...

Hmmmm...wonder what the Antique Rose Emporium has....