A lick of paint ~

In Fawlty Towers, one of the funniest series ever created, the inept building contractor Mr O'Reilly, claims a lick of paint will take care of anything.

Well a lick of paint won't take care of every problem but paint really can make a big difference in how something looks.

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You know how there are certain things that you kind of walk by and don't notice for a while then then realize one day how horrible it looks. Well it was like that with this planter and wall by my front entry. The wall had a big crack and the paint had chipped off. Over our very hot summer the plants in the planter had died and I had taken them out and never replaced them. The succulents in the swan were still alive, but overgrown and scraggly.

The whole thing was a mess! And looked terrible.

I patched up the wall as best I could, pressure washed it, and added a fresh coat of exterior house paint.

Then shoveled all of the old soil out of the planter.

 New soil was added and Liriope was transplanted from another spot in the garden. It looks a little ragged now but I think it will perk up and fill out the spot nicely. Just for fun I added some little ceramic mushrooms. They were a bit lost in the garden beds and I like them gathered together.

The swan was filled with fresh potting soil and planted with a variety of  succulent cuttings.

This isn't a show stopper by any means but it does look fresh and clean. When the new plants start to grow it will make an even bigger difference.

In this case Mr O'Reilly was right, all it took was a lick of paint... and maybe a few other things.

Thank you for visiting

Cleaning up the porch ~

My front porch had really gotten to look very shabby. The rug was stained and worn, the chair cushions were old and battered, and and the chairs themselves were begging for a new coat of varnish.

The black and white floor in the pavilion turned out so well that I decided to use the same black and white color theme on the front porch as well.

I was able to find a classic black and white stripped outdoor fabric at JoAnne's which...

...I used to make cushions and pillows for the newly re-varnished chairs.

I found a new outdoor rug at Home Depot. It isn't black and white but the natural jute blends in nicely with the  wicker color of the chairs.

It really didn't take much effort and the porch, although simple, looks so much better. 

Now I can relax a bit and enjoy the view!

I hope your days are filled with joy

Thank you for visiting.