by Last week, I shared about our efforts to clean up the front exterior of our new home by painting the front door and shutters. Since then, I’ve been working on some other parts including cleaning, gardening and more painting.
Painting
We have this cool front yard lantern that reminds me so much of my grandmother. She had one in her front yard at the same spot as this new house. As you can see, it was pretty faded and a few different colors. I had leftover paint from spray painting the fireplace insert, so I used it on this project too. The hardest part was getting the lids to come off (rusted screws) so I could spray paint those on the ground. It took a few coats and couple climbs up the ladder with some blue tape but it looks SO much better!
Sadly, I don’t have a before photo of the mailbox. Just imagine it being a faded white and the planter box being exposed wood. 
The numbers were there already, although, the 7 was actually stainless in color but had been wrapped in black electrical tape to match the rest. Now, they all match after a coat of the leftover spray paint. I also painted the post and wood planter Chelsea Grey (same color as shutters and front door).
Pressure washing
Wow, this is a lot of work/time but the difference is astounding! So much cleaner and newer looking. Thankfully our kind friends let us borrow their pressure washer so we didn’t have to buy/rent one!
My Tips:
1. Start on the highest point and let gravity help you. Once you do a section, go back to the start of it and make sure all the dirty water is blown off. Otherwise, it will just sit and dry on your freshly washed driveway.
2. Wear sunglasses or safety glasses. Trust me, you don’t want mud/dirt/trash blowing into your eye at a fast speed.
3. Wear closed toe shoes for protection. Know that they will get wet.
4. Wear clothing that you are ok with throwing away later (if necessary).
The day after I did the driveway, a friend texted me to say he had an attachment I could use to make the driveway go faster. I’ll remember that for next time 😉
I also pressure washed this walkway to our back yard. It had a slimy/slippery coat of dirt on it that made walking dangerous. Thankfully, it’s not slippery anymore and the wood is in better shape than we expected.
Planting
The house came with four giant planters in the front. Each had a basket of plants put on it but none were actually planted and most of the baskets were on their sides. I took a few minutes to remove the baskets and plant them appropriately. The are all doing well now!
learn, brooke
brooke's brain 
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