NOTE: The following giveaway is open to residents of Ontario, Canada only.
Oh the weather outside is frightful…
Okay, not quite yet. But it IS getting cooler – much cooler! – and with winter around the corner, Canadians are doing their best to get their homes ready for the season. The patio furniture is stored; flowers are uprooted from their beds and decorative urns are emptied and stashed away.
Is it just me, or are Canadian homes lacking a certain curb appeal over the winter months?
I know, other than holiday decor, the northern climate doesn’t exactly allow for a host of ornamental options. However, there are a few simple ways to create curb appeal during the cold-weather months, and I’m happy to share them with you today!
1. Start with a Solid Base. Winter lacks a certain greenery, but with earth-savvy planters, you can infuse a little life into an otherwise bare space. Crescendo Urns, made by Multy Home, are a great option – they’re made using Ontario recycled tire rubber that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill.
(You may recall an earlier post, Simple Steps to Mini Garden Success with The Home Depot, where I featured the multi-season slate rubber urn – pictured below.)
Because this planter is designed to withstand the cold weather – with no cracking or fading – it will take you through all seasons seamlessly. You can also find recycled rubber mulch from a variety of Ontario-based manufacturers to fill the base which drains rapidly and efficiently, resists mold, mildew and fungi, and is also non-toxic.
2. Create a Stylishly Safe Path. Still throwing rock salt or sand on your doorsteps to prevent slips and spills? I’ve got a better way – and it’s easier on the eyes, too. Try stair treads; not only are they made from 100% recycled rubber tires, but covering slippery stairs becomes easy-peasy! Simply place these treads on the steps that need an extra grip and voila – picture perfect and safe in winter weather conditions.
Find Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread for just $8.99 each at Home Depot. I especially love them if you have porch steps that are worn, cracked or stained – they provide an instant pick-me-up at an affordable price.
3. Go for Fashion and Function. A house becomes a home in subtle ways, and one of the easiest ways to relay an open, welcoming vibe is to lay out the welcome mat – literally. However, Canadians often swap their decorative spring/ summer mats for less pretty – but infinitely more durable – winter mats. I’m here today to show you how to have the best of both worlds!
Decorative mats, made from 100% recycled rubber tires, are available with a heavy duty flocked surface. The fashionable designs fit with most decors, stay in place, are easy to clean and of course, weather resistant.
You can find a variety of entrance mats (for both inside and outside the home) at your favourite retailer of outdoor goods.
Now, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have noticed a common theme to these decorative accents: the use of recycled tire rubber! And here’s a great reason to think beyond your own doorstep –
You may recall that I have worked with Ontario Tire Stewardship in the past to build awareness about using recycled rubber to create sustainable development beyond your front porch and what OTS is doing to support green building in Ontario communities.
The amazing news is that once again OTS is giving up to $50,000 through their Community Renewal Fund grant program. Communities looking to build or update larger public spaces can apply for this funding to use towards the purchase and installation of Ontario-manufactured recycled rubber products such as rubber mulch, athletic and arena flooring, roof shakes, sidewalk pavers, and even playground surfacing. Using recycled materials helps the environment while supporting the economy. Check out how some of these dollars have already been put to use: Transforming the Harbourfront Centre’s Natrel Rink with tires.
And, click here for more information on the Community Renewal Fund.
Ready to up your curb appeal this winter? Courtesy of Ontario Tire Stewardship, I’ve got 4 x $25 Home Depot Gift Cards to give away – that’s one x $25 gift card to four lucky readers! Simply fill the form below with your qualifying entries.
Love the stair treads.
Safe and classic look to them.
I would love one of the Crescendo Urns. I could leave it out all year, get pansies into it early and leave geraniums blooming until the snow falls.
I love that they reuse tires. LEss for the land fills!
I like the stair treads because my stairs are very slippery in the winter
The doormats are very eye-catching. Love that they are made to withstand our weather conditions.
Made from tires…who would have thought.
I like the planter – it would be nice to leave something durable out on my balcony all winter.
I love those stair treads, such a neat idea!
The stair treads are a great idea. I have not seen that before and with little ones and stairs on my front porch that is perfect.
I really liked the entry mat. That would give my front door some nice curb appeal
I like the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread to prevent slipping on our front steps during winter and it looks nice!
I love the decorative mats, made from 100% recycled rubber tires. Makes me feel good knowing old tires are being recycled into something useful and so pretty
Wow! Those are so cool! I really like the stair treads. I would definitely buy those so I don’t slip down my porch steps come winter time.
I love the stair treads, they look a million times better than my concrete stairs!
I’m loving the idea of the Crescendo Urns – I hadn’t thought about using recycled tires like that before!
I really like the fancy door mat. I would buy those as they’re very attractive, affordable and useful.
Love the entry mat
I like the Urn very interesting the stuff they make with recycled rubber. thanks for the giveaway
I really like the urns.. but they are all a really great way to recycle rubber.
I love the decorative entry door mat. It would go very well with my recently installed entry door.
I like the decorative mat. This door mat is very appealing and something that I would use.
I absolutely love the Multi-Season Slate Rubber Urn you featured in a previous post, although each of these are stylish and functional!
Love the urns, great way to recycle to rubber and I love that they would last longer than the plastic ones that break so easy. Thanks for the giveaway!
I like the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread. Looks soft on the feet, and like that it prevents slips.
The entrance mat is my favourite.
It just so happens hubs and I have been looking for an outdoor mat!! We could not come to an agreement on colour or funkiness!! I love the pop of colour on your entry mat!! :)
LOVE those stair treads ours get icy, plus the awesome colours & patterns on the stylish mat, it’s very cool.
My favourite from the post is “Create a Stylishly Safe Path”. Our stairs and walk way can get awfully slippery in the winter and a little rubber to create traction is a great idea.
I absolutely love the decorative mats because they’re gorgeous and classy. You’d never know they’re recycled.
I like the decorative mat – it is very welcoming!
The Crescendo Urns appeal to me most because I love gardening!
i love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread very stylish at the same time super functional…can’t ask for more than that
The decorative mats appeal to me as they would be durable and hold up for a long time.
The decorative mats made from rubber are my favorite!! My parents used to have one actually. and I am in need of a mat so I will have to remember this next time I make a visit to Home Depot ! these are great quality
I love the entrance map! Such a great idea
i like the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread for the simple look
Love the entrance mats….organic color and design is appealing
I love the stair treads, those I could use, our steps can get pretty slippery and I always salt them, but then the salt gets tracked into the house, this is so much better and nicer looking as well!!
The Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread seem like a fantastic idea. No more salting in winter? sign me up!
I like the doormat and the planter. They make the entrance to the front door much nicer.
That door mat looks like the one we have at our front door. I really like it.
the treads to hide the cracks on the stairs and help prevent slipping
I like the entryway mat.
Decorative mats since they add some style while it’s also functional.
I would love a new entrance mat as the one I currently have is very worn out.
I love the door mat but they’re all great products.
I like the planters, so nice that you can leave them out and not worrying about them cracking.
I like the decorative mat. It’s really nice looking and would be a nice accent to my front door.
I like the stair treads because it make walkway and stairs safer especially in winter.
I love the decorative mat. It looks very welcoming and is very nice looking.
Love these ideas!
I live in Winnipeg so cant enter giveaway but I do have the problem of how to have nice curb appeal in Winter!!
I love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread
I love the mats for the front door. Function and beautiful. And a good use for used tires.
Stair treads appeals the most as it works for safety and we really need these for our stairs.
I like the stair treads and decorative mats. Great curb appeal
The stair treads are my fave. They are such a clever safety measure, especially with worn stairs or with wet or snowy weather conditions.
The Cobblestone Grey Stair Treads appeal to me because safety is important and they look fantastic.
We have on of these doormats and it is standing up to weather very well!
I love the stair treads because I don’t like to use salt and still need my 85 year old parents to be safe getting up my steps when they visit.
that grey stair tread is perfect and exactly what i’ve been looking for!!! the carpet piece i used in the past don’t last. Thanks.
The Flower planter :)
I love the stair treads because I always worry about slipping on icy stairs. They are stylish AND so useful!
I love the entrance mat pictured here!!!
I love the decorative floor mats. They are practical and beautiful. Perfect traction for cold weather
I am really enjoying the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread
I like the stair treads because it can make stairs less slippery and much safer!
I love the planter!! it’s so cool!
They’d look great in addition to the garden we just landscaped.
I like the Crescendo Urns- fantastic for every season. I really like these.
I love that they re-use tires. Tires are such an environmental issue, it is great they can get recycled.
I really like the Urns that are shown.
I love the stair treads.
I love the decorative mats because they are so pretty and classy.
The stair tread appears to me the most as this would be very useful when my mother-in-law comes to visit. This would help her coming up our stairs.
I like the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread most because it would accent the style of may front porch.
I love the planter – looks great and useful.
I like the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread because they look classy and look like they wouldn’t be slippery.
I like the planter
I like the look of the decorative mats
I love the stair treads because my stair get slippery and will have my husband pick some up for my stairs.
That’s a hard one.I love the decorative door mat but I also love the planter because it’s so cheerful looking.
Oooohhh That is truly a hard one. If I have to choose just one,I think I am going to have to say the planter. As it would be the most practical for our living space.
I love the stair treads because that’s super important to prevent falls!
I love those stair treads
Love that mat at the door would look great at y door.
I like the front door mat, as I’m always buying them and are so useful
I like the stair treads as the steps get so slippery!
I love the stair treads, I have two sets of deck stairs that need these!
the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread would be great for those frosty mornings
I really love the entrance mat!!
The door mats are very decorative and I appreciate they are from recycled materials.
I really like the Crescendo Urns and would have a lot of use for them!
Love the whole idea of recycling. And I like the stair treads, great idea.
I am most interested in the entrance mats
I like the stair treads as they are safe for possible falls.
I would definitely make use of the stair treads. I am always fearful of falls in wintertime.
I love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread since winter is coming and it will definitely help to minimize the risk of falling
I like the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread! It’s really nice to put outside on our steps!
I thing the Crescendo Urns because they would look lovely on my front deck.
I love love loooooove the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread! Never knew such a thing even existed until now and these would be amazing for my front wobbly steps.
I think the decorative mats are great. They look pretty and because they’re made out of rubber, I don’t think they would slip or move around when used.
the entrance mats
I love the urns because you can fill them with seasonal flowers to change or update the look
The Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Treads appealed to me the most because I love the overall look they have. They would really make my front entrance safer and reduce the chance of people slipping in winter.
The stair treads are the most enticing to me.
Definitely the stair treads. Our stairs are always unusable after the freezing rain.
I think the stair treads would be the most practical!
I like the stair tread; I’m clumsy! lol
I really like the decorative mats,I like that they are made from 100% recycled rubber tires.
we would use the stair runners so that they wouldn’t be slippery
I love the entry way mat.
I really like the door mat. It looks beautiful!
Love the look of the stair tread! This would be perfect for our step – which gets so icy in the winter!
I really like the stair treads! What a great idea! We could really use a door mat too. Some very nice options available.
I like the grey stair tread.
I love the entrance mats best!
The entrance mat. It looks nice and I would buy one made from rubber anyway, may as well buy one made from recycled materials.
I am interested in the multi-season slate rubber urn because it looks cute.
I really love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread, mainly because it will make my slippery stone steps safer!
I just love those stair treads! They look great and makes things safe for family and visitors. I didn’t even know they existed. Learned something new from Lena again!
I love the earth-savvy planters. They would be perfect to hold some colourful fall plants to add a bit of colour and design to our entrance way.
I love the stair mat..what a great way to be safe and stylish.
it’s a tie between the planter and the front mat. I need both for my bungalow I am renting. its a small entrance into house so just enough room for one plant and a mat.
I like the door mat that is great entrance decor as well very jnviting
Everywhere today – subway, train – if you listened, there was so much sorrow. Did you feel it? I like your door mat because it looks sturdy, trustworthy and dependable – it will welcome everybody to your home regardless, won’t it?
Wow, I love those rubber stair treads! I’ve never seen anything like that before. My porch has old-fashioned carpeted stairs, and they get pretty slick during the winter. I’ll have to start looking for something like before the temperature drops below freezing.
Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread interest me. Our entrance to our home could use a face lift. Ten year wear and tear – many cracks. These would compliment quite nicely. Price is right as well.
welcome mat, we need a good one, and that would be perfect, love it, but I love the stair tread
The decorative mats! I love the one featured here, it’s lovely! They really do look nice, and a front door always needs a mat!
I love the mats for in front of the front door, they would love so decorative and inviting!
The Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread sounds great for rainy conditions.
Those mats at the front door look beautiful!!!
Stair treads for safety are great!
I also like the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread
I love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread.. such a great price! this would be perfecr on my steps.. they get pretty slippery in the winter!
i love the stair treads
I love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread as they help reduce the chance of slipping
I love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread as they are stylish and helpful
The stair treads would be great for my stairs as they reduce the chance of slipping.
The decorative mat is very nice, it would be such a pretty replacement for the one that is currently outside my door! Really great to know they are made from 100% recycled rubber tires!
Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread because it fits right in!
the front door mat appeals most to me. very eye catching
I love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread they would be great for the winter months.
I really love the door mats! They look beautiful!
i like the door mat they are very nice looking
Liked on IG and tweeted but the form won’t accept my links. https://twitter.com/76JAH/status/800376117756657664
I love door mat, and think it sets the mood for the rest of the house. I am in love with the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread. My poor mom slipped once and broke her leg. This is a definite must have.
love the stair treads,,, great for outside at my pool coming down the stairs when your feet are wet,, thanks for the post
I really love the rubber stair mats; they would really come in handy for when it hits below 0; Safety first!
Love the stair treads
Entrance mats! Because they can be used all year ’round :)
the stair treads,it will help a lot in the winter to prevent slips
The Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Treads would be great for my front steps. They currently have some very dated outdoor carpet on the,
LOVE DOOR MATS
The stair treads because my stairs are slippery in the winter
The entrance mat is the one I like most!
Oh…The door mat stands out. I really need a new fresh one and that looks perfect.
The mat in front of the door
the cobblestone stair treads i like because i have a sister whos been clumsy all her life and alot of kids around.. the safety factor is appealing. plus it looks pretty nice too!
I personally like the entry mat the most.
I love the Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread
I love the entrance mats!
I love the stair treads to prevent slipping during winter. I also love the beautiful recycled rubber mat. I want both.
Love the decorative mats! So practical and pretty at the same time!!
I love my front entrance mat made from recycled tires!
TFind Envirotile Cobblestone Grey Stair Tread are my choice of product.
Those crescendo urns arebeautiful and I love the stairs mats.These are nice ideas for decorating the outside. Thank you for the great post.
I love the planters and the mats.They are beautiful products! :)
Love the treads on the stairs! So smart.