Simple easy tips for transitioning your home from winter-weary to spring-fresh. 

 

The trees are leafless and there’s still snow on the ground. Yet soon, there will be wildflowers along our paths and a canopy of green overhead. While Mother Nature takes her sweet time transitioning her wardrobe, I’m going to jump ahead and pretend that spring has arrived and transition my inside spaces, making them fresh and happy and welcoming AND walk through the process with you.

 

This post is sponsored by Wayfair. All thoughts and creative ideas are my own.

 

What’s the first color that comes to mind when you think of springtime?

Yellow is the color that pops into my mind.

Yellow daffodils, forsythia, and bright yellow goldfinches beautifully and dramatically wake up the world of nature each year. I can hardly wait!

While sitting in my breakfast chair and looking into my living room…

 

 

I thought about the colors that might bring a happy feeling to my small space. Pink, peach, coral, light aqua, and yellow are all pretty colors… but I fell all over yellow. Can you think of a happier color? Just like the sunshine, it’s filled with vibrant energy.

It doesn’t take a lot of yellow to make a huge impact.  And frankly, we don’t want to overdo it either, so I put together a plan.

Yup!  A plan. Because as my “old friend” Ben Franklin says, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

Okay, I know that may seem a bit drastic, but I want you to LOVE your home so you can relax and even invite friends over, which means you’ve got a pretty good reason to put together a plan.

 

 

Let’s keep this easy with a few decorating tips that I considered as I planned my simple living room refresh.

 

One… ask yourself, “What am I hoping to accomplish with my room refresh?” Here are a few questions to consider… Do you want to brighten up your space? Make it more comfortable? Or does it look tired and worn? Keep in mind, you aren’t trying to make your home Pinterest perfect, your goal here is to make it peaceful and welcoming for you and your family and friends.

Two… it doesn’t take a lot of change to make a big impact.  So… keep it simple. 

Three… repetition is key. Repetition of form, pattern, texture, color, and style are good to consider. When you look at your space and see these things, it makes it so much easier to narrow down your search.  When I shop online and especially at Wayfair I have thousands of choices at my fingertips, so I put a plan in place to help me in my search with the goal of giving my room a cohesive feel with my new selections.

Four… when you find items you like, ask yourself, “Does my new purchase fill an actual need? Does it add color, texture, balance, function, or a level of comfort my family and I need to best enjoy our space?”

I hope these tips will also give you a framework for planning decorating decisions. Sure, it’s easy to buy the latest pretty thing.  Instead, you want to be purposeful about your purchases so that you can relax and enjoy your peaceful home. Remember, you’re doing this for YOU, not some invisible HGTV critic you hope to please.

 

 

Here are three things I wanted to accomplish with my little makeover from Wayfair.

 

The first was to find a large vase or container for my vintage French provencal table. That side table is large and since it’s in the corner, I have a lot of real estate to work with, both to complement the table and help visually fill the larges space behind the table. I wanted a piece that could hold a potted plant, a flower arrangement, and be a springboard for my creative bent. This faux Iron Vase fit the bill perfectly for color and style repetition as well as creative opportunity.

 

 

After unpacking this generously proportioned vase and positioning it on my side table, I realized that the faux rust spots on it were too dramatic for my space.  I wanted to enjoy the shape of the vase with its decorative relief and not so much the faux rust.  I’m sure that many women would have put it back in the packing box and returned it, counting their choice a fail. Not me. I’ve been learning to look at all my purchases as canvases for personalization. And believe me… this is the MOST FREEING thing I have ever done for making my spaces totally me. I hope you can get a hold of this too.

 

 

After grabbing my paintbrush and mixing a few acrylic and chalky paints I got to work on softening the rust spots. (Always experiment on the bottom before moving front and center on your piece.) I love the final result. I loved the pot, to begin with, so personalizing it a bit took it to the next level. Yay!

 

 

Next, I needed to find a replacement for my furry chair. Truthfully I love it, but for its looks only.  It was taking us so long to pull out the staples so we could reupholster the chair that I gave up and went to Plan B for the holidays… which included Valentine’s Day.

Unfortunately, my Plan B chair has its temporary faux fur covering held on with quilting pins, thus not making it a good seating choice. But it sure LOOKS great!  That makes switching out the chair for real seating an actual need. Honestly, I couldn’t keep telling guests that they can’t sit in the chair for fear of being poked by a pin. We might as well tie yellow caution tape over it.

 

 

Imagine my delight when I found this lovely Side Chair with a nod to French country style. AND the fabric is the same as Tim’s more manly chair on the other side of the room. Double win for repetition, too! It’s a nice firm chair which is great for an accent chair or even reading. Just an aside here… matching and repetition are not necessarily the same thing. Matchy is perfection and frankly, perfection is unattainable, unnecessary, and feels too stiff and formal. Repetition gives a feeling of togetherness and it’s that feeling that makes a room inviting and comfortable to look at and be in.

I styled this adorable chair with an amazingly Soft Knit Throw, perfect for those cool nights or rainy days when you want to wrap up in some warmth and softness. It so comfy and the ivory color proved to be an ideal complement to my nearby thrifted love seat, another happy repetition.

Last, but not least, the fabulous pop of color… the yellow accent pillows. When I discovered these Cotton Throw Pillows I totally flipped. They seem to sing, “Spring!”

 

 

My gray and blue rug has a very defined style and pattern and I wanted to harmonize with it not play against it.  These pretty yellow and white pillows do just that! Their stitched pattern design is not the same as the pattern in my rug, but it certainly is similar and that, in my book, is another repetition. Did you notice their Fleur-de-lis Design? Just the nod to French country style I needed.

It was also a win in the need department. Everyone loves to sit with a comfy pillow. Plus, the pretty stitched design provides wonderful textural interest and that pop of yellow is so cheerful on a dark rainy day.

Pillows are a great way to inexpensively make a big impact in a room in a very simple way. This pillow is 18″ square. I prefer 18″ and 20″ pillows as they have more presence and provide better comfort. Also, this one has a zippered cover which means I can switch it out come fall with another pillow cover.  It’s something to think about when you live in a small home, apartment, or condo where storage is often at a premium. And if that next pillow you find comes with an insert and a zipper, don’t hesitate to pop out the insert in your current pillow, roll the cover for storage (I often encase it in plastic wrap to keep it clean) and drop the extra insert off at the thrift store.

 

 

How to Fill a Large Decorative Vase with “Handmade” Floral Decor

 

Earlier I mentioned personalizing my lovely new vase with paint, but I didn’t stop there. I decided to exercise my creativity in creating pretty flowering branches.  If you have a little bit of time, want to get creative, and try your hand at an easy project… making your own faux flowering branches is the thing to do.  It’s incredibly fun and quick to do, too.

I chose fresh hydrangea as the base of the floral arrangement because yes you can mix faux and fresh anytime your heart desires. The hydrangea blossoms will look great for a good week or more before I have to figure out something different. Maybe I’ll add moss to the bottom of the branches next since I love that look.  Regardless, these branches with pretty paper flowers will never drop and will last as long as I want to keep them!

I know you want to make your own faux flowering branches, so I put together this little tutorial for you:

Supplies

• Bunch of Branches or Twigs (I used Curly Willow available in the flower section of a larger supermarket or craft store – mine was $6.99)
• Lightweight Paper (not cardstock) in your color choice
• Flower Paper Punch (choose a design with thinner petals if possible)
• Scissors
• Glue Gun & Glue
• Mechanical Pencil (or another similar pointed object that won’t pierce your paper)
• Container to hold your branches/twigs (a couple of bricks of floral foam may also be helpful)

Instructions

Gather your supplies – see list above

 

Fill a vase with water if you’re using fresh flowers. Set two thin pieces of bubble wrap (or something similar) in the bottom of the larger vase so the interior vase won’t wobble and place the water-filled vase on top of bubble wrap in the larger vase/urn.

Arrange fresh (or faux) flowers in your vase.

One by one, add your branches or twigs to the center of your flowers in the vase, arranging them so they have a natural appearance.

 

Your next step is to punch out a bunch of flowers using the floral paper punch. It only took one sheet of paper to make all the flowers needed for these branches.

Then you want to form the flowers so they aren’t flat and look natural. I used a mechanical pencil with the lead retracted and placed it in the center of the flower and pushed it into my finger to shape the flat paper flower. You can use something similar, but you want to give your flat flowers shape so that your branches have a realistic appearance.

 

 

Now it’s time to make your bare branches come alive.

Take your shaped flowers and hot glue them onto the branches. Look for bud bursts along the branches, which is where the flowers or leaves might naturally occur, and glue onto those spots. This is so quick and fun to do.

 

 

Wasn’t that easy?!

You really can make your own flowering twigs to go in your pretty vase or container!

 

 

Let me know what you think about my living room transformation.

And be sure to let me know if any of my ideas and tips were helpful or sparked questions.

I’m always here to help!

 

Did you know March is Wayfair Credit Card Membership Appreciation Month? Cardmembers can receive access to sweepstakes, double rewards points, and discounted products. Enjoy shopping at Wayfair and learn more about all the details here including the “Big Time Deals” going on now to help you have more fun making your seasonal switchover.

 

MORE INSPIRATION FOR THE SEASON’S CHANGE TO SPRING

An Elegant Mossy Spring Vignette & How to Make Perfect Mossy Eggs

 Simple, Dramatic White Mantel for Spring with Color Pops

Decorating a Vintage Window for Spring with Birds, Music, and Pennant Banners

Simple and Happy Spring Vignette on My Sideboard

 

I’m so grateful to be a Wayfair Homemaker.

Catch up on my past posts…

Two “Green” Thumbs Up for Small Space Container Gardening

9 Easy Tips for a Simple Picnic on the Beach

A Sanctuary To Close Out A Perfect Summer Day

How I Brought the Warm Simple Coziness of Hygge to My Home

5 Ways to Have an Easy Thanksgiving Gathering

And watch for more posts from me featuring inspiring ways to make your home and lifestyle more beautiful with Wayfair.

Thanks for stopping by today!

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