Our garden is gradually - and very slowly - changing from a large former vegetable patch & junkyard to something resembling a green space that is fairly pleasant to sit in, it's definitely a work in progress.
BEFOREI have of course discovered that you can't just change a garden overnight....but a shed, or a ramshackle set of sheds which is really what we have, can be improved upon with paint, elbow grease, time & determination.Plus a little outdoor inspiration aka outspiration.
The Outspiration app from AzkoNobel has just launched & aims to assist you with planning & designing outdoor projects.The app allows you to take a photo of your chosen project & then project a wide variety of paint colours, brands & textures on to it, hence designing & reinventing it, it's very clever!
The app also features weather forecast for your area & plenty of tips & trends for further "outspiration".
We have plenty of work on our house to keep us occupied so what I really wanted was a simple plan/transformation for our very large shed which could be accomplished in a weekend.
I chose Cuprinol Juicy Grape which I then had mixed to make it slightly lighter....I took a few photos on my phone but then we all got stuck in with painting.Coverage was quick & easy & the paint dried very quickly....when you look out from our kitchen what you see is the front part of the shed so this was the part that I wanted to change the most....I mostly just wanted to make it look prettier.We moved all the "stuff" that had been dumped there & removed the wooden panels on the front to open it up & create a sitting area.
AFTERThis took a whole day to finish, a couple of coats were needed but the sides of the shed were much quicker, not so many fiddly & more time-consuming bits.
Below are the before & after photos....quite a transformation!I am thrilled, it's turned out even better than I expected, we all love it.
It's a shaded & quiet spot to sit in on hot day & tonight my children had their tea sitting there :)
This shade of green fits also in so well to the vision of the garden that I have, it's gentle & subtle.
I am never gardened before but am already enjoying having a garden so much....my experience using the Outspiration app has most definitely encouraged me to think about other projects & motivated me to do much more, this weekend was so much easier & so much more rewarding than I could have imagined.
Outspiration is available for iPhone via the App Store. Akzonobel, who produced the app, are running a competition which closes on the 12th of May. All you have to do is download the app and enter your details and you could win a barbecue and a hamper worth £100. Enjoy being Outspired!
