Curb appeal doesn't include poison ivy

Really - this is the only before picture I have of the front of the house. It's from the realtor's online ad.
You cannot see the POISON IVY, the overgrown blue rug junipers, some dead barberries, a half dead spruce and a 3/4 dead japanese maple. Oh! And the weeds! LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of weeds! And lastly, don't forget the peeling paint and rotting wood! yummy!

After pulling all that stuff out, we drank beer. Then we replaced the red mulch with plush brown on the upper side, and on the lower side hauled rock from the back to the front. (We also painted, repaired, replaced, and got a new roof - but that's a tale for another day. Today - focusing on the landscaping.)

Here she is in early Spring, awaiting further transformation. See the Royal Star Magnolia getting ready to bloom! That tree makes me so happy!

We put in this berm over a weekend. Hot and dirty work, it's pretty simple. First, we outlined our space with a garden hose. Then we spray painted where to dig. Next, we tore out the turf with a garden spade. Next, using metal edging, we outlined the space. Then, hauled in a load of dirt, dumped it and shaped it. Then we put the mulch on top and got to planting.
On the lower side, where we had already ripped out overthing except for the River Birch and added the rock, we expanded the space. It was awkward and difficult to mow. Similar to the berm, we outlined with the garden hose, graffiti-ed then spaded the grass, and metal edged it all. Going from this

to this (SPOILER for Dirt Digger at ONG: Look away from the Knock Out Roses!)

And I believe the end result has some curb appeal!

Can you believe I have no good before picture of the front of the house? Sheesh! I mean, really?!?!?!