Dressing Up the Front Step

Our little house has a little front stoop, and up until now, it was totally bare. The house is looking much better since we painted everything last fall and added/fixed the landscaping beds. We just needed a little something to make it more welcoming.
I saw a project on another blog for a decorative post made from scrap wood and knew immediately it would be the perfect way to reuse our Narnia lamp from the dining room.
Here's what the porch looked like before:

And here's what the Narnia lamp looked like before:

Yeah... we had a post on a half wall with an outdoor light fixture sitting on top. I don't get it. It was definitely a conversation piece but it totally had to go. As we started tackling the updated to-do list, Bass was able to disassemble that whole area of trim to get the lamp out (and safely pull out the unneeded electrical.) The light went to his brother because they needed an outdoor light... for the outdoors... where outdoor lights should be.

After a lot of sanding (lots done by Tenor), piecing wood scraps, and a bit of painting (done by me), our new porch post and decor looks like this:

Cute, right? Bass and Tenor made the post for me for a Mother's Day/Birthday gift. The aqua jar was from Christmas Tree Shops and holds a few seashells from our trip to the shore. At the shore, we also found that black hook for $0.99 (which Bass cut down because it was too tall) and the weathered looking welcome sign. The terra cotta pots and plants were from my sister's wedding. The larger pots came from Kmart and Home Depot (both around $6) and the plant stand came from Lowe's (about $10, I think). Tenor made me a little planter with pink impatiens for Mother's Day so we did a little transplant to fill in the tan pot. I added a few $1 seed geraniums and another $1 pack of pink impatiens. A little work and a little color add up to a big difference on our front step.

Doesn't it just make you want to come right in? It makes me smile whenever I pull in the driveway.
BTW---Tenor took these photos for me. Not bad for a 10 year old, eh?

Linking up to these great blog parties:

Sunday: Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming; Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife;
Tuesday: One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons; Tutorials and Tips at Home Stories A to Z;
Wednesday: Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman; It's Overflowing at Overflowing with Creativity; Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts;
Home Decor and Organizing at Organize and Decorate Everything;
Thursday: Delightfully Inspiring Thursday at Delightful Order; Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage;
Friday: Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest; Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring;