Aug 22, 2011

A prettier shed {before and after}


Argg...sorry everyone! I've been a little MIA lately. What can I say...the last, lazy days of summer call to me, luring me to the beach, the deck of my favorite restaurant, etc. I hope you don't judge me :)

I finally finished something I'd slowly been working on for a little while, something we talked about doing at the beginning of the summer but never got around to, until one day we spotted these at Home Depot and bought them on a whim:


We wanted them to pretty up our little shed:


While at Home Depot, we also picked up some Behr exterior primer and white paint. I gave the window boxes a good sanding, then one coat of primer and two of the white semi-gloss paint.

After a little primer...

We used a few heavy-duty screws to attach it to the window frame.


And I drilled a couple holes in each liner, since they didn't have any drainage.


Here's our "before" shed again...cute, but needing a little something.


And here's the after, with our new white window boxes!




There weren't many flowers left for the season at Home Depot, but I did find some fall-hued marigolds and mums. They'll look so pretty once they fill out.




Looking at these photos, I think I need to take some wood filler to those nail holes and repaint them. I like how they have a kind of rustic look, but the holes are a little too distracting...


It's not a big change, but it adds a little color and interest. I'm imagining them overflowing with petunias next summer...wouldn't that be lovely? I'd love to paint that ramp white too, but I can't imagine it would look very pretty after the lawnmower and snowblower get dragged over it. Maybe paint it black to match the door hardware? I'd also like to disguise those cinder blocks on the right that keep the shed level on the uneven ground. We inherited a couple bushes on either side of the ramp, but we don't know what they are, and they've hardly grown at all, so I think we should take them out and plant something else. (Check out the before shed picture, which I took last fall when we bought the house, and you can see that the bushes haven't grown an inch all season. But the weeds have sure grown a lot...oops!).

Ignore the crazy-long grass. I took these photos before the hubs dragged out the lawnmower.
Wondering what those crazy vines are climbing that stick coming off the shed? Those are the hubs' hops plants that he's growing to use in his beer-making. They vine like crazy, and he was sweet enough to ask if it was okay if he attached that stick to the top of the shed for the hops to vine up. Aren't I a nice wife for saying yes?? :) They kind of make the shed look like a sailboat or something.

Linking up!


The DIY Show Off


Join  us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap 
 up           party!


UndertheTableandDreaming






homework









7 comments:

Kelley said...

I love your new flower boxes! It really does make the shed look so pretty! Good job.....wish I had a window in my shed! :)

My Dream Canvas said...

Wow, your flower boxes are so pretty. Lovely blog. Looking fwd to seeing you at My Dream Canvas.

Honey at 2805 said...

Your new window boxes are really terrific. Nice job!

Hope you will bring one of your projects to my first Potpourri Friday Party this week - Friday, September 2. Link-up starts on Thursday afternoon. Without a doubt, your participation will help make the party better!

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Cute window boxes. Love the new color of the shed, too. Thanks for linking to wow.

Honey at 2805 said...

Just stopping by to say thank you for linking to Potpourri Friday and helping to make it a success! I appreciate you and hope you will link up again next week!

Ellen said...

Hi Mindy...lucky girl to live in Maine....I just LOVE the beach/ocean/water. My dh and I are hoping to get a mini getaway to Maine soon. I love to go off season when it is quiet. I hope your not to far from the beach. I have a friend who just bought a summer place in Maine. When my kids were lilttle before we started camping we would rent a condo on Old Orchard. I would love to have those days back. Your window boxes are wonderful. And they will be ready for next year. I think they would be pretty in winter with snow on them with some nice greenery, Love the hops.
Hugs,
Ellen

Unknown said...

This is a very cute update...I actually wouldn't mind having a shed if I can make it pretty:)