Curb Appeal updates!

...even though you can't really see the front of the house from the curb ;)

So!  It's been really quiet over here lately, but it's not because we've stopped work on the house - it's because 1) I owe you a biiiiig post on the kitchen, but that's overwhelming.  And there's one more thing I want to fix before it's ready..... and 2) there have been a couple of smaller, fun projects, but the majority of our focus right now is going to some larger [and therefore expensive and not as fun to talk about] projects like new carpet [!] and paving our driveway.
BUT!  It's Spring, and as usual, I spruced up a few things with some plants!
I've been dreaming up some rectangular metal planters for the front, to make more of a defined edge to the top bit of the porch [a few people have fallen off of the step because they don't see it, so I think maybe some definition may call more attention to it.....maybe?  Side note: the house has been here since 1968.  If I know 4 people that have fallen off of it, how many over the life of the house have fallen?!  Or is it just the circle of people I know?]  I even sketched up something for Brandon [my metalsmith] to make for me so I wouldn't have to spend $400.  On metal boxes that will get filled with dirt. 
However, on a recent trip to Chicago [and therefore IKEA] we ran across these great black planters!  Not as square as I had wanted, but dang if they weren't cheap - $35 each.  So they came home with us!  And I filled them up with dirt. 

From the left we have: calibrachoa, something called lantana, rosemary, verbena [in a gorgeous purple!], and something called bacoba.  Should fill out nicely and be all drapey and flowery :)

With mom's help [and her kick in the pants] I also added some mulch around the naked boxwood I planted last fall, and edged it out with some stones we got for $1.25 each for another project [you'll see that next week!]

And we got a door mat!  It took me a while to find one that's wide enough for the double doors, wasn't ugly, and cost less that $1,000.  I love the look of coir mats, but just couldn't find a wide one that didn't have a frilly pattern on it.  And getting two at IKEA and putting them side by side would be cheap, but also look messy.  So I got this one, and it fits the bill nicely!  No more random dirt and mud should sully my foyer floor.

Last spring when I spruced up the flower bed, it looked like this [hello, weird pink & yellow house!]

And last fall I cut back the roses all the way, because they were pretty disobedient last summer.  Just a mess of branches all sticking into each other. But I think I should have maybe not done that....  Because now they just want to spider out.  They look really healthy - loaded with buds - but just.....low.  Does anyone know what kind of rose this is and what I should do with it?

Anyhoo.  Back to what the entry looked like in January of 2014, when we bought the house:

[yikes] [...see what I mean about needing an extra long mat for the double doors?!  that puny thing looks sad. and off-center.]

And now, this!  Painting the house and the doors reeeeally make the big difference.  But also, flowers!

Looks good, but now all I can see is the other things i was to upgrade [or "buy"]:

Brass knobs to really pop against the doors [but I want REAL brass. Not brass-plated or brass-colored steel. Apparently I have expensive taste in door knobs.  Who knew that was a thing?]  And a new, super cool, modern light fixture.  But the nice, big, two-bulb [one up, one down] kinds are a couple hundred dollars.  And I need three.  Some day.... [or maybe I'll get my metalsmith on that.]