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Refresh Your Porches for Spring

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It’s springtime!! Woo hoo!! It’s time to clean off the porches so they’re ready to greet your family and friends.  After a long winter, they need some good overhaul to be fresh and inviting!  Here’s what I do:

  1. Sweep off the whole area – porch, steps, and driveway.
  2. Dust the corners, and wipe down any furniture on the porch.
  3. Clean the glass door with glass cleaner. Do it when the sun isn’t shining on it – that will help prevent streaks.
  4. Look at your door mat.  If it looks weary, tired and dirty, replace it with a fresh, spring-y rug.
  5. Add a spring wreath.
  6. Add a little touch of something green.
  7. Add a garden flag or stepping stone

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One thing I love to do in spring and summer is walk through the garden area at Lowe’s!  I get so excited about adding flowers, herbs and all things green to my yard when it turns warm!  Though it is the time to get the front porch in shape, NOW is NOT the time to add annuals because we’re still dealing with dipping temperatures.

Remember that even if you don’t come in your front door, that’s what your guests will see first, so let it give them a grand welcome!

What will you do to make your porch inviting?

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home · Home decor · refreshment at home

Refreshing Your Home with Simple, Inexpensive Touches

It’s often helpful at home to look at your house through the Eyes of a visitor. We see the limp, faded dishcloth, the worn-out dish towels and potholders every day and get used to them. We need to step back and look at the things we use everyday to see if they need to be replaced and refreshed.  Let’s face it, they get weary looking after a while!

I wash our dish drying mat often to keep it looking its best, but recently noticed that it had gotten old looking and pilled.  The next time I was at T.J.Maxx, I looked for a replacement. I couldn’t believe the difference a simple little change like that made in the kitchen!

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Another easy change that I made was taking out the dark red shower curtain and replacing it with a bright, springy Paisley printed one. I love the brightness it brought to that room!

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Of course a kitty cat will make any room beautiful!

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She was bird watching!
Take a hard look at the things you use everyday and see if they need to be refreshed! You’ll be amazed at how little money it takes,  and how simple the project can be! Consider:

  • Bath towels (but 1 or 2 at a time)
  • Wash cloths
  • Kitchen linens
    • Towels
    • Dish cloth
    • Pot holders
    • Aprons
  • Entry rug
  • Curtains

Refresh the things you use every day – it will perk things up without breaking the bank!

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Home decor · seasonal decor

Pre-Spring Coffee Table Decor

Just a few pictures for today’s post about Pre-spring decor…

How can you get your house a little ready for spring?  It’s too early for tulips or bunny rabbits, but you have to change the decor from Valentine’s Day, right?

  1. First, go through the house looking for all the traces of hearts (or evergreen still lingering from Christmas!).  I used to leave my snowmen out for the winter months, but if you have any out they could be removed, if you’re wanting to prep your home for spring that will come!
  2. Find any florals you have that are greens.  These will work great!
  3. Look for colorful additions you could put out in the form of vases, candles, or even magazines.

Here’s my attempt at a little pre-spring decoration for the coffee tables…

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I love the colors of the jars, and they add enough touch of a spring colored sky!
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Scrabble tiles are always a way to speak your heart!  The little bird in its cage is a perfect addition to the phrase!

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My family room coffee table – I like to add old magazines that I’ve saved.  I can flip through and get inspiration for when it is time to get out all things spring!

 

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A candle that has a spring fragrance makes the house smell like spring, even if you still have snow outside!
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Silk herbs are a great in-between seasons floral!

There are a few ideas for you.  I’m going to be adding a wreath on the front door soon that will help anticipate birds and daffodils!  Is that a robin outside my window?!  Woohoo!

Anyone else waiting for spring?

Denise

home · Home decor

Make Home Special with Valentine Decor

Happy February!  Seasonal decorations make home fun for our families.  It communicates life, care and spontaneity.  You don’t have to go crazy, but just little touches here and there make it special!

Here are some of my Valentine’s Day touches around the house…

The mantle in our bedroom…

I moved my chalkboard upstairs because I needed a tall picture to offset all the little things. I enjoy doodling on that board sooo much! And it’s good to remember that God does love us so much!

A simple banner is hung in the dining area. I have a fresh arrangement on the table, too. I love buying fresh flowers in the winter – it reminds me of the life of spring, just around the corner!

In the kitchen I just added a couple of my heart-shaped cookie cutters to the centerpiece on the island…

The living room…

I made a banner from scrapbooking paper and twine.

A little soft lighting for the bookcase…

These are all simple additions to add  Valentine touches without overkill.

It’s fun to have seasonal decor – even if you just add a centerpiece on the kitchen table. It’s the little things that your family will appreciate and remember.

  • You could fill a mug with a heart on it with carnations.
  • Fill a mason jar with  candy conversation hearts. Tie A ribbon around the neck of the jar.
  • Line up your red mugs on a shelf.
  • Use heart-shaped doilies as a banner. Use tiny clothespins to hang them on a piece of twine.
  • Spray paint small branches white and attach small pink and red hearts.  Place the branch in a white basket or vase.
  • Set out your February magazines on the coffee table or add red covered books to your bookshelf.
  • My Scrabbble tiles on the coffee table are used as part of my decor, too.  What message could you leave for your family?

Of course Pinterest has hundreds of great ideas for you to get inspiration from!  The point is to just do something because everyone loves Valentine’s Day!

What do you do to decorate for Valentine’s Day?

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accessories · Christmas · Christmas decor · Gifts · Home decor

Dazzling Ideas for the Holidays

Every now and again I get a good idea! I thought I would share three of those with you today that might help your holiday, too!

1. I keep two of those “under-bed-storage” boxes filled with my wrapping paper, ribbon, bows and tape. The other day while wrapping gifts on the floor, I realized that the top of one of those boxes would be the perfect place to lay the package and wrap it. I placed a fabric cutting guide on top to make it a flat surface, and it made it the perfect “table” for gift wrapping. So not only is this the place that is the central location for all of my materials, it is also the wrapping station!

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2.  I love the Wet and Wild nail polish, especially the mega last. I love it because it REALLY does last! I recently bought a glittery nail polish for the holidays, because Christmas and New Year’s need a little glitter!

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I layered the glitter over the color just to add a little sparkle. It was just enough without looking over the top. If you’re looking for a way to dazzle up your look a little, add some sparkle in your nail polish! It’s a fun addition!
The colors shown here are:  (the one in the back) Undercover – I love it because it goes with pinks or reds.  The Glitter doesn’t have a color, the only thing on the bottle is “Shine,” but the bar code is 77802 54803.

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3.  My last idea was concerning decorating my bedroom mantle. I didn’t want greenery and all that kind of Christmas decor, but just some winter touches. I changed it, then changed it again, and then again. I think I finally have it in a way I love. Here’s what made a difference –

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  • Grouping my Willow Tree collection together on one end. If you scatter a collection, they get lost; grouping them together shows off their beauty.
  • Adding a pop of red also gives the mantle that effect. It needed something on that end, and red roses are perfect for Christmas!
  • If something doesn’t look right in your decor, keep “fluffing” until you love it. Group like things together, let the heights vary so your eye moves up and down. Add a pop of color.
  • Oh, and add a cat in the room and it will ALWAYS be the perfect touch!  =^..^=

I hope one of my “dazzling ideas” inspired you! I’d love to hear if they did! Now carry on with your Christmas preparations!

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