Project Procrastinators...

I have been working so hard around the house lately, trying to make a little headway on some of my ongoing projects. I hoped to have these things completed by today for the Project Procrastinator's deadline of May 14th, but alas I am realizing I bit off more than I could chew at one time. So, here are the 2 major projects that I have completed and the progress on the third.

I will start with my front porch. Here is the before:

And here is the after:

I got my rockers for free, but had to refinish them. I decided to paint them with the dark green paint I had left from the shutters and door because it was FREE!
They were a lot more work than I bargained for because of all the sanding and prep work I had to do, but I love them now.

I made the wreath last year, but still like it so am using it again. I put "welcome" on the door in vinyl letters.

I got the finial between the chairs on sale at Wal-Mart. I have been watching it like a hawk and they finally cut the price to $25. It was worth it to me. My plant by the door is one of my favorite purchases, EVER! I have loved this plant from afar for years, but could not bring myself to pay over $300 for it. When it went 75% off I snatched it up. I still have to paint my wreath hanger silver and replace the kickplate at the bottom of the glass door. I would also like to find something to hang over the rockers, suggestions?

Moving on, if you remember last month I fixed up this little patio area on the back of the house.

To the right of it is this lovely area...

This is not the true "before" picture because I did not think to take a picture of how bad it really was when we bought the house. Just imagine a warped blue counter falling off of the wall. My father in law took that hot mess down and put up some plywood, and most recently some cement board so I could tile on it. This is the mid-way picture.

As you can see I still have to add trim and do some touchup painting. I have to figure out what I am gonna do above it as well. I haven't decided yet, but the wheels are turning. I'll keep you posted.

This was my first real tiling project, and I ended up getting help, but I did the entire center by myself. I also did the flowers under it. I just planted sweet potato vines because they do so well here. Now if I can just get some grass to grow there I will be in business!

Another big project I'm working on is my laundry room. (Mom, close your eyes. This picture will probably embarress you.) Here it is last week:

As I have mentioned before I am NOT a fan of laundry. The washing isn't so bad. It's the putting away that gets me. It piles up so quickly. Anywho, this is the ONLY way to arrange my washer and dryer. The washer is a frontloader and the water heater prevents the door from opening if it is not angled. With the cabinets and shelves as they are, stacking the washer and dryer is not an option. So, the solution I came up with is to have a shelf/table over the washer and dryer so things didn't get lost behind it anymore. Lon's grandpa did this for me and he also made me a hanging rod.
I am on a shoestring budget, so we used cheap plywood for the top. I had to caulk and fill all the cracks.

And here it is all finished. Now I just have to beautify it. I am gonna make a curtain to hide my detergent and I am not sure what else I am gonna do, but I love how much more functional it is.
Last but not least, I have been in clean out boot camp for the past week, and my suffering is not even half over. My mother in law has been coming over daily and helping me sort and throw out. I asked Sandy to help me because she is one of those people that amazes me by her lack of attachment to stuff. She gets rid of stuff ALL. THE. TIME. She is also not the type to tell you what you want to hear. She tells you like it is. Period. We have not even been in our house a year and I feel like we are busting at the seams. I always have grand plans for how I am gonna re-do or makeover something(one of the downsides of being creative), so I hold on to way too much junk. Not with Sandy around. By this weekend my entire house will have had a clean sweep. I will be posting on our progress the rest of the week.

Now go over to The Inspired Room and see all of the other fabulous projects people have completed over the past 2 weeks!