Spring Fresh

When the daffodils bloom along the roadsides,  I want very much to have spring come indoors, as well.  Even if I have freshened the house recently in shifting furniture about when we got new flooring, I wanted something to be different here in the house. 

It's been especially difficult this season to make that something fresh happen because I'm practically out of ideas and I have very little wiggle room in my personal budget for any decorating.  I poured my Christmas money (as did John) into carpeting the two back bedrooms.   I very much wanted rugs for the kitchen.  I wanted new doormats and new rugs for the bathroom.  I stretched the earnings from ads and bought three rugs: one for the kitchen in front of the sink, one for the back porch entry door and one bathmat.  I cashed in a $15 Pinecone Rewards and found two bath rugs.   After that it was very much  'use what you have'.

And just as fair warning, there's a whole lot of almost nothing ahead, lol.



I started with the photo copies of the seed packets I'd printed out last fall.  I'd hung them all on one side of the living room wall but it just wasn't quite right.  At Katie's suggestion, I painted the frames a custom mix of green (aka 'use what you have) paint and then separated them so they were spread out over the wall.  I like it so much better. But I still wasn't happy with my mantel at this point.  I worked on that a little bit and was better satisfied.  Sometimes, you just have to acknowledge that what you have to work with isn't what you might envision and you do the best you can.  The mantel went through several transformations before I got that worked deep into my brain.

The little birds and the milk glass compote got moved about the living room a little bit before they settled upon the mantel.  I borrowed some of the moss from the rabbit basket on the other side of the room.  Originally I had some gray shredded paper in it.  I liked it but it wasn't 'spring' enough to suit me.

I put twine on the frame at Christmas time to hang cards.  I decided I'd hang pictures on it, too. I'm going to buy some more photo paper so I can print out current shots of the grandchildren and thei parents. I needed something to hang them with though.  Well, I found these tiny little clothespins which are adorable.  Shipping cost me three times what the clothes pins did...

Last year, I'd fixed up a little basket based on inspiration I got from an old Martha Stewart Living image I'd saved in my files.  I decided to do that again this year because I simply liked it that much.  I altered the look a little and displayed it on the buffet with the old butter molds and paddle.
 

I kept the dining table simple.  We use that table!  I mean we eat all our meals at it and John's computer is on one end so he's there a portion of each day.  I wanted it to not appear cluttered or crowded.  

The sea glass colored candles came from Hobby Lobby last year.  I love that color!  I think I have two more in my pantry but I mean to get more of them. 

I haven't yet received the rugs, which are all on order, so no showing those.  I've decided if I spend any more money, it's going to be on green plants that don't mind low sun.  I feel the need to put out some live plants in other rooms besides the kitchen.  That bit of ivy on the mantel convinced me it's the one thing I am definitely missing and it's certainly the most affordable decoration.

So that's my little bit of fresh inspiration for spring!