Regrets, I have a few...

Hubby and I are approaching our 1 year anniversary from the day we bought our house. I can remember how envious we were when friends would talk about working on their yard during the summer. We longed for the day we could work on our own yard. Ah, to be young and dumb.

Back in May, we decided that our "major summer redo" would be our front yard. It has an odd layout, pathetic dead grass, and these tiny "lava rocks" that we would kick up whenever we stepped in them. After receiving numerous quotes on what it would cost to get the yard we wanted, we decided to roll up our sleeves, and do the work ourselves. Easy right? Did I mention we live in the desert where temps reach 100 plus in June, July, and August? Did I mention our particular city reached a record drought period? Here is the yard: I can't believe I'm friggin showing this to you

Oh! Did I mention the lone rosemary plant? See those stepping stones? They lead to a corner. A rosemary corner. ???

"Where's the rosemary," you ask? It died when we had a record breaking freeze. Yes, this is the city I live in... record breaking freezes AND droughts in the same year.

Working in the yard has SUCKED! There. I said it. Here is where we are at, and it ain't much:

First, where there is grass, we don't want grass. We wanted to create a divide, where one side would have broken concrete pieces (made to mimic flagstone steps) and the other side would be our desert landscaping.

Using our garden hose (technical work here, people), I laid out the design I wanted for our "wall." Once we were happy with the design, we started digging. We dug about 4 inches deep, and flattened the ground as best we could. Then we started laying in our rocks (reused from the rosemary section of the yard) and making sure it was all level. Lastly, we filled in the gaps with dirt.

Is this how to properly build a wall? Probably not. It works for us and cost nothing. THAT makes me happy. I don't have a photo of what it looks like now. We added a second layer of rocks and planted a Japanese Boxwood at the end of the wall. The plant is nearly dead and I am annoyed.

Any suggestions from readers? Photoshop would be awesome if anyone cares to play around with our yard. Anyone know of some desert plants/trees to save me from a project fail?

Porch Redo Pt 2

Five more days, bloggies! Is everyone getting their projects/crafts/recipes together for my SUMMER PARTY? Remember, you can post anything summer inspired, as long as you qualify as a newbie. Read here to see all the rules to enter.

Well, I took a break from decorating my own summer escape and finished up with my front porch redo. I didn't find any patio furniture on Craigslist that fit our budget (story of my life), so I have to make due with what we had. First, I needed a paint color on those walls. I tried to be brave and pick something different. Here were my choices: 

Immediately, hubby and I disliked the "Briquette." It was too bright for us and looked nothing like the chip card. Next, I was really into the "Grounded" when I first painted the sample onto the wall... but after an hour of dry time, it reminded me of something my kid upchucked once. TMI? Thought so. Lastly, I really loved the "Roasted Pepper" but was scared it would be too dark for a porch. So, I chickened out and went with my safe color of "Dusty Trail" by Olympic. Same color I used here for my entryway. So, here is a picture of my doorway before:

Strong, solid door in need of a paint job, welcome mat that has seen its days, and unattractive red Spanish tile. Here is the after:

My little summer nook! The window frames and door received coats of white paint. The walls are my safe tan "Dusty Trail," the doormat is new ($9 at Target), and you can read how I did my sign here and my stick arrangement here. The ceramic planter was a GW find ($3.99) and the plant was $5 at Walmart. The rocking chair and throw we've had for years and will be replaced when I find a small porch bench.

Things I still need to do here:

replace the doorknob and locks

update the dated light fixture (not shown on purpose)

replace the tile or cover it with an outdoor rug?

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Linking up with: House of Hepworths, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating , At the Picket Fence, Just a Girl

Porch Redo Pt 1

Our little home in the desert is alive with 100 plus temps, and I feel a strong desire to be OUTSIDE and working on our little porch. Is that not the nuttiest thing you've heard all day? This area hasn't been touched since the day we moved in and I want it to reflect us. Before I could begin throwing paint on the walls, I needed some inspiration to guide me. I already had this pail hanging up there, but it was a bit lonely. So, I painted a piece of scrap wood white and freehand wrote the word "love" on top.

I have been seeing these "love" signs all over blogs and I don't know who the original creator is. I don't know who to give the credit to! Well, anyhow, thank you, "insert name." So, once my sign was painted, I sanded it quite a bit to give it an old, worn look.

Next, I drilled some holes at the top, and double strung it using jute. Really, I think any kind of rope will do, but I just used what I had. 

The finished look:

So cute! It took me about 20 minutes to whip this together (not including drying times) and I had all the supplies, which made this sign 100% free! Now, my little pail has a pal (cheesy joke) and I have my inspiration set for my porch transformation.

Up next will be a new color on those walls!

Linking up with: House of Hepworths, Sisters of the Wild West, Keeping It Simple, Made By You Monday, Good Life Wednesday, Christina's Adventures, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, DebbieDoo's Newbie Party