I know that curb appeal is important, but I don't generally act on that knowledge. And it's not because we don't spend time in our front yard. We actually spend tons of time there because my son enjoys having immediate access to greet all the neighbors. What seems to hold me back is the permanence and cost of the changes I want to make.

Landscaping gets surprisingly expensive fast.

Fencing is ridiculously expensive.

And painting a house takes a lot of paint.



Those are really the main three things I want to do with our front yard. I want lots of plants lining a cute fence. And a house in my dream color: teal (or anything, really, just not that brick!). But after a bathroom remodel, a new roof, and moving the hot water heater (and the electrical work that goes into that) we're pretty kaput on funds.

I couldn't just do nothing though.

Psychologically, it matters to enjoy what you see when you pull up to your house. So I made little changes with what I had on hand (and a few other things) to make the exterior a bit more cottage charming.

First thing I did was paint the landing, door and front steps.

Then I used a spare shelf bracket, dollar store hanging planter and free plant from a recent festival the little and I went to to make all the flimsy white aluminum work look a bit more cheerful.





Pots from previous years and dirt I received free in a buy this get dirt free sale a few months ago filled the pots and free herbs from my mom grow in 3 of them. Morning glories and moon flowers from seeds I had in a cabinet fill the fourth.

I mentioned free dirt in exchange for a purchase. And that purchase was raised garden bed kits. They were 4 feet square and 6 inches tall. We made some cuts to fit the rectangular space in front of the living room window and arranged other pieces to fit under a bedroom window. Leftover wood stain makes them feel more finished. I filled one bed with sunflowers, a gardenia, bulbs and a spray painted pot filled with morning glories and moon flowers again. A leftover tomato cage was flipped upside down for the flowers to climb.





In front of the beds you'll see inexpensive grey pavers that I used the Americana Fleur De Lis stencil and black patio paint to gave a pseudo encaustic tile look.

And finally, a whimsical flag greets anyone coming up to our porch. It's a perfect reminder for me, as I can tend to stay in a negative mood a lot of the time. But I know I can choose happiness. I just have to remember to do so. The flag is part of the lifestyle flag collection at Declaration Home. The teal color is pretty amazing, right?



The next step I take will either be painting the brick or putting up wood shutters. The budget will play a lot into which one of those gets done first, of course. In what ways have you made your curb appeal more appealing?