Elegant Black Porch Door (& Winners!)

A little over a year ago I was introduced to an awesome company called Modern Masters.  The kind folks there asked if I wanted to review their metallic paints, and I jumped at the opportunity!  I loved getting to use their product, so when they approached me about trying out their new front door paint, I couldn't say yes fast enough.

But there was a catch for me...I didn't want to use the paint on our actual front door.  Instead, I was itching to give our back porch door a makeover.  You see, I've been mentally sprucing up our back porch for well over a year now, and getting the porch door painted would be step one of the vision actually coming to life.

So I scanned through the 24, yes 24, amazing color options available and chose Elegant...a rich, classic black.  I wiped my door down so it was free of dirt and lint, and taped off the edges of the door.  Per the directions on the container, since my door was previously painted, I could start painting without priming. Modern Masters boasts that it takes only two coats for full coverage, but I was skeptical...especially since I was going from white to black.

(I skipped taping off the windows, and decided it'd be easier to scrape them with a razor after.  Clearly, I hate taping.)

Here's where I started (booooooooring)...

After coat #1 (I was a bit scared)...

After coat #2 (that looked a little better)...

After coat #3 (almost there)...

And one final coat for good measure (nailed it)...

Although it did take me 4 full coats to cover the white door, the results were worth it.  The paint dried quickly and has a beautiful satin finish that really pops against our home.  The paint was also easy to scrape off the windows.

If you are antsy to revive your entrance, but scared to take the plunge, you can download Modern Masters' free iPhone and Andriod app to instantly see the transformation this paint can make for you.  And once you fall in love with a color, visit select Lowe's and Ace Hardware locations, or go online to Amazon.com and Modern Masters to purchase!

***I was not compensated for this post.  All opinions are 100% mine!!***

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Winners of the Paisley Print giveaway have been announced here.  Check your email ladies! :)

Oh Sandy...

As I type this, I am hoping and praying that everyone has their power restored and is starting to put their lives back together from the aftermath caused by that biotch, Sandy.  So many people lost so much, and my heart really goes out to them.

Thankfully, hubby and I made it through the storm with no major damage.  Only our newly re-screened porch suffered an injury {a branch impaled one section in the screen creating a hole}, but seriously…I feel ridiculous even bringing it up because it’s literally NOTHING compared to what some of our neighbors and obviously many areas like the Jersey Shore, Staten Island, Long Beach etc. are facing.

The winds and downed trees really wreaked havoc on our area.  We couldn’t believe the damage just a few houses down the road from us.  Here is a little bit of what we saw when we went outside the day after the hurricane.  {Sorry for the awful quality iPhone pictures!!}

Part of our neighbor's tree that came down on our property...thankfully missed the porch.

 Our neighbor's tree that was caught by other trees...otherwise it would have come down on our property.

This poor house has trees down on their driveway, telephone pole cracked and trees laying on the back of the house.

This tree brought down the power lines. :(

Tree came down right on the front of this house.

The trees you see on the side of the house are actually laying on the back of the house too.

And you see that picture of a ginormous tree laying across the road with the power lines?  Yea, that meant our power was our for 7 days.  It was not a fun experience AT ALL, but we definitely learned a lot during those days.  And I think we are going to be very prepared if something like this ever comes our way again. {But let's hope not.} Plus, we caved and bought a generator.  Once our bank account recovers from that purchase, we are hoping to get it hardwired to the house.  That will eliminate the need for extension cords running all over the place.  Talk about a trip hazard!

And speaking of generators.  Can we all hope to never see gas rationing again?!?!  We couldn’t believe the lengths people had to go to to fill up their cars or generators.  The time before, during and after the hurricane was incredibly nerve-wracking, and we can't forget that is still is for sooo many people.

There are tons of relief efforts going on to help out everyone in need, so please do a little Google search and see what you can do to pitch in!  Every little bit counts towards getting these people and towns back on their feet! :)

Meanwhile...

While us kiddies were busy getting our planting on, my parents were taking care of a couple painting projects still left around the house.  {I would love to know how many gallons of paint we have purchased for our house thus far...hmmmm.}

First on their list was to get the exterior trim painted.  Then it was time to tackle project numero dos....our back porch.

Here is a little reminder of what our {soon-to-be-one-of-our-favorite-spots-in-the-house-once-it-gets-fixed-up} screened-in porch looked like when we bought the house.

Since these icky pictures were taken, we have given the porch some major TLC.  It's been cleaned a bagillion times, the light fixtures and fan have been replaced, the door into the house has been replaced and I removed the {security???} chicken wire that surrounded the bottom portion of the space.

And as of last week, my dad painted the ceiling a bright white, my mom filled all the holes in the wood supports, painted all the supports to match the house and my dad painted the floor to match our shutters.

While the difference might not translate that well in pictures, I assure you...it looks a million times better.  And we still have several steps to go.  We need to replace the screening, add lattice to the bottom of the structure, replace the outside door, and have new {not rotten} steps built.  Plus, I'm thinking of doing some sort of stenciling the floor!!

Oh, and we'd loveeeeeeeeee to add a big stamped concrete patio to the area next to the porch.  That'd mean replacing that decaying grill outside, running the gas line to a more appropriate area where we want the grill and spending lots of money that we just don't have haaaaaa.  We had someone come give us an estimate for the work, and while his price is totally reasonable for what we'd get done, it's just not going to be in the cards for a few years.  We'll have to learn to embrace our weird, wonky backyard for now!

Anyone else planning and dreaming of outdoor makeovers?!?