** “This New House” Series on MomFavorites.com is sponsored by Unpakt. Search our story on Twitter/Facebook with the #thisnewhouse hashtag!**
(We moved in over two months ago and we still can’t get our cars in the garage yet ’cause of the boxes. Don’t judge!)
Welcome to the new house of Mom Favorites! Yeah, ok, the whole fam lives here (for better or worse!), but this is now officially where this blog is being cranked out. And, I couldn’t be happier. When we found out that our son didn’t make it into the magnet program via lottery back in March, we were devastated. We really liked our neighborhood, loved our house, and weren’t in the mindset of picking up and moving.
Now, I’m not a big believer in “Things Happen for a Reason,” but in this case… it kinda did. We found great schools for our boys, and a home that I can see myself living in until the day I move into the old ladies home. Let’s hope that’s later rather than sooner!
Anywho, as promised, our This New House series is kicking off and we’ll be walking you through our home and showing how style, kid-approved and budget friendly can all live happily together. We’re going to start with first impressions: The entry!
This is your first chance to set the tone for your house. You want it to be welcoming and low maintenance. For me, this means easy to maintain plants and a fab wreath.
In the two planters next to the door, we use ferns in the spring, summer and fall, and I plant pansies in the winter. Both of these are the easiest plants in the world to take care of. Water occasionally and forget about them. They love partial shade, too, which is key to a covered front porch!
In the larger planter, I rotate a mix of flowers and greenery depending on what floats my boat at the home center, but no matter what I plant, I try to incorporate a cascading plant, something that flowers, something with a vibrant green, and a plant with height for the center. It’s also nice if you choose either all perennial or all annual plants so you can refresh the pots all at once, if needed.
Here are some great photos of containers that I used for inspiration:
And, here’s what I came up with after a brief stop at Home Depot. I could have purchased a pre-assembled container for three times the price, but I think once this one establishes itself, it’ll be reminiscent of the picture in the bottom left of the collage. Don’tcha think?
Beyond plants, I’m a wreath-gal. I always have a wreath on our door. I mix it up for the seasons, but I love a wreath that works for ALL seasons. I hit up places from Pottery Barn to Target looking for my perfect wreath, but when I stumbled up on the shop, The September Tree, on Etsy, I new I found THE ONE. Beyond being absolutely adorable and perfect year-round, it also was the best value. Go figure.
Isn’t it adorable? The September Tree offers adorable wreaths and other home goods. I’m thinking I’ll be needing some holiday decor soon from this shop. Oh, and did I mention? We’ll be giving away this very same wreath! Don’t miss the Rafflecopter app at the bottom of this post. The September Tree is also offering 15% off towards your first purchase through the end of the year! Simply mention MOMFAVORITES!
So won’t you come on in? Next stops…. the kitchen and dining room. We’ve got some great tips, tricks, discounts and giveaways that you WON’T. WANT. TO. MISS! And don’t forget… you get points for our #ThisNewHouse grand prize every time you enter one of our giveaways. Claim your points to win a $500 Visa gift card here: https://forksandfolly.com/2013/08/this-new-house-home-base/
You can follow our journey with by using the #thisnewhouse hashtag on Twitter and Facebook!
*I did not receive compensation for any of the elements of the This New House Series. I was provided with product and/or services to review and will only be sharing those with the audience that I fully support. All opinions are always my own! *
Cool ideas.
An inviting entryway really does make a difference.
Lovely entryway!