Bada bing, it’s spring, y’all! Actually, that’s old news in blogland by now I guess. I’m already daydreaming about summer looming on the horizon. Here in the Carolinas, you can walk out your front door one day and that wall of hot humidity hits you like a wall. But before I dive into a thrifty little seasonal craft, I’m dying to tell you guys… WE’RE MOVING!
April Fools! Just kidding. Did I get ya?! Huh huh huh?!
I’m terrible at pranks. Robert, on the other hand, gets me with one nearly every day. He’s a stinker like that.
We’re pretty sure this first house of ours isn’t really our forever home and we’ll sell it one day, but right now, we’re having so much fun with it and we’re in no hurry. Although, while we finish up a couple of rooms and start in on the kitchen makeover, we thought now would be a good time to focus a little energy on some curb appeal, starting with our front door.
This week while I was out thrifting, I found this little basket tossed onto a shelf that I instantly knew what to do with.
It wasn’t really the color I wanted, but the shape was perfect and the price was right. I’ve seen these cost way more at boutiques and online shops.
Supplies used: (Affiliate links are provided below. For more information, see my full disclosure here.)
- Thrifted basket
- Fusion Mineral Paint in Algonquin
- Fusion Mineral Paint in Bedford
- Paint brush
- Painter’s tape
- Florist foam block
- Knife
- Faux flowers of your choice
Honestly, you probably don’t need a tutorial or supply list, but eh… it’s what I do.
I gave the entire basket two coats of the Algonquin paint first, really working it into the crevices of the basket’s weave.
Then I taped off the bottom of the basket and painted on a coat of Bedford to give it a dipped look.
When the paint was dry, I cut the florist foam with a knife to fit inside of the basket and placed a few faux flowers. I spaced all of mine out and alternated them as I inserted the stems into the foam.
Done! So easy. I picked up lots of different wildflower looking stems and bushes from Michaels for a bit of a wild look. (And I used a coupon on top of a sale to get 50% off as I usually do.)
I’m thinking the yellow will transition well on into summer too. It’s tricky sometimes to make a builder grade door look rustic and charming, so we still have our DIY shutters hanging out on either side to help it look not so wimpy.
For now, I have a couple of faux IKEA topiaries hanging out in our metal bucket planters until it warms up outside for another week or two.
I’ll be showing you guys more exterior progress as we work more on our yard in the pretty sunshine. But right now our flower beds are looking really shabby… and it’s not at all the chic kind.
Have you been digging in the dirt lately in the sunny weather? Or stumbled upon any spectacular thrift store finds? Now that we’re in the thick of yard sale and spring cleaning season, thrift stores are full of goodies right now… which might make me undo all of the spring cleaning and organizing I’ve already done but hey, it’s worth it, right? Gimme all your junk!
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I so admire creative ways to make fresh and fun pieces for the door. This one is awesome!! A true “must copy.” Thanks for the inspiration.
Aw thank you, Susie! Hugs!
So Cute! Definitely a great spring look. Love that you picked up this cute basket at the thrift store. I have been meaning to head out and thrift but just haven’t had the time. (Maybe I should hit some up today while running errands…hmmm?) Thanks for sharing!
Oh girl! Now is the time to thrift! Once the weather starts warming up and people start decluttering for spring cleaning, it’s game ON! Haha
Lauren, I’m fairly new to your site and just love your tutorials! I love that you include a list! I like seeing the different paints and brands that you use. I sure look at Goodwill and Salvation Army finds through a different lens now! What they can become, not necessarily what they are! Happy April Fools day!
Thank you, Kelly! So glad it could help! It drives me crazy when I don’t have a neat little list to work from.
Do you have any articles on curb appeal for your front porch? I’m trying really hard to get mine up to snuff, but it needs some love. I really like what you did with your doorway. I too live in a builder-grade house. Yours is much prettier though. Ours is very, very light gray vinyl siding with white trim. I’ve been going head-first into making it more welcoming. First, we black iron ornamental hinges and pulls on the plain white garage door. Then we put vinyl cedar shake siding that I gel stained to look like cedar on the front eve of the roof. Both look great. We also pressure washed the driveway and porch. I’ve added hanging ferns to the front columns, a cute little salvaged vintage scalloped metal side table I painted crimson by the door with one of my grandfather’s hand made birdhouses on it. We also put two citronella plants in dark terra cotta pots by the front door. I live in Northwest Florida, so mosquitos flying into the house while the door is open is a common occurrence. Plain wooden craft crates topped with wooden barrel-looking planters containing mums complete the plant selection…Oh yeah, we have a little cactus in a crimson glazed pot on the little round table with two chairs outdoor furniture set. The only other thing we have is a welcome sign on the wall by the door that I refurbished and plain, white, metal door robin’s egg blue for a pop of color against the all of the gray. I’d love to hear some suggestion on what you might recommend to pull it all together and maybe dress it up a little more. I love your taste in design. I based my guest bathroom face lift on your industrial bathroom makeover. That’s actually how I found and started following your blog. I wish you could see how it turned out!
Wow! Sounds like you have an already well decorated outdoor space, Christina! I’m making it my goal to focus more on some outdoor projects this summer, so you might be seeing some soon. But I did a little porch post in the fall here that maybe will help: https://www.blesserhouse.com/2015/09/cozy-fall-porch-and-a-giveaway.html We did the garage door hardware too and love it!
Cute!!
Thanks, Colleen!
Very cute!
Thanks!
There’s a basket of “forsythia” hanging on my front door right now. Now, I think the basket needs freshening up, too! Love your idea!
Aw I love forsythia. It always reminds me of my mom. She always has it on her front door too.
Charming, loving! Good work Lauren! kisses ML
Thank you, Marcia! XO
Too bad it was just an April Fool’s Day joke, I saw me buying your house and moving in already (all the way from Europe) 😉 The basket is very cute, love the grey & white or Algonquin & Bedford!
Haha! You’re cute, Katrin. 🙂 Thanks girl!
You totally got me, Lauren! I’m like what??? But you’ve done so much to that house! Love this basket of pretty flowers! Hope you’re doing great, friend! xo
Haha! Yay! I got someone! I never do. Thanks, friend!
I love the color of your door! Do you happen to know what it is called? We are starting to build a mostly builders grade home right now.. I found your faux fireplace and LOVE it too! I am on a mission to find what you did with your TV. If you have guidance on where I would find that..that would be great.
Thanks so much for sharing!! You guys rock and are inspiring!