Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

I decided this summer that our front entry was in sad shape and needed some new curb appeal.  The first step was to trim back some unruly bushes that stand on each side of the front walk.  They had gotten so big over the years that I only cut them back part of the way for fear of sending them into shock if I trimmed them as far down as I wanted.  Since this summer has turned into a HOT one I decided to spare them the extra stress a second major haircut until the cooler days of fall.  At least, I am counting on fall being cooler around here but time will tell.

The second step in the makeover was to give the front door a new color to give the front of the house a new focal point.  I chose Sherwin Williams Naval after being inspired by the update Ann made to her front entry On Sutton Place.

After convincing my skeptical hubby that a blue door would look great on our house (Thanks for trusting me on this one, Hun!) I primed and painted just the outer side of our door leaving the inside the original wood tone.  I love the way it turned out.

You can see just a bit of the bushes that I am cutting down to size reflected in the side windows.

You can also catch a glimpse there of our new "Welcome" mat.

To add a touch of summer I hung a red, white and blue wreath.

I'm still on the look out for two great planters to set on each side of the entry.  And that could take a while because they have to be just the right ones and they have to be on sale or, better yet, clearance!!!  I can only hope that my plants will flourish as well as Ann's in my inspiration photo. (See the lovely ferns in photo above.)