5 Fun Ways to Bring Spring into Your Home

There’s something wonderful about the change—when the neutrals of
winter move aside to make room for the colors and freshness of spring.
Utah seems to provide us with a constantly moving pendulum of season—
one day it’s snowing and next a blissful 70 degrees. It certainly keeps us
on our toes, but you don’t have to wait for Mother Nature to commit to a
temperature to bring spring into your home. These are my five favorite
ways to bring spring’s color and freshness into your life TODAY.

1. Washi Tape Vases:

Washi Tape is a high quality masking tape made out of rice paper. It’s SO
versatile, easy to use, repositionable, inexpensive and comes in a wide
assortment of prints and sizes. Washi tape is becoming more readily
available through big box craft stores, but is also available on etsy.

I love washi tape for its color. It’s the perfect way to introduce a bit of
spring into your home with very little time, money OR decorating
commitment. Use it to make fun designs on glass vases! Play with
patterns, sets and cuts.

This is one of my favorite tutorials!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-refresh-your-decor-
with-ma-
146790

2. Spring Picnic Platter:

I LOVE spring picnics. They’re often spontaneous and completely
dependent on the weather, but if I keep a spring picnic “basket” ready for
the next beautiful day, they’re a lot more fun! AND if there isn’t time for an
official picnic outing, consider opening the windows and picnicking
indoors!!!

Here are a few things I always keep on-hand and ready for my next spring
picnic:

-Blanket (one for the ground and one to cuddle in if there’s a cool breeze)

-Sunscreen—because springs rays can be surprisingly powerful.

-Fun things—Frisbees, kites, balls, croquets…..

-Trays to keep things from toppling. IKEA has some really adorable striped
trays this season. They’re full of color, fun prints AND certainly perfect for
spring picnicking.

www.ik
ea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00223449/

www.ik
ea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80149785/

-Spring picnics wouldn’t be complete without some fun food. Not all
picnics have to be a full meal. Sometimes a sweet treat picnic or even just
a cold beverage make for a wonderful excuse to get out and enjoy the
sunshine.

-Invite some friends to your picnic with these ADORABLE free printables.
http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/post.cfm/free-let-s-picnic-
invitations

3. Potted Herbs:

I feel in love with these herbs planted in cubes when I saw them on
marthastewart.com, but I
wanted to make them an everyday addition
to my
home décor. Fresh herbs and garden vegetables are still a few months
away from harvest, but planting a few herbs inside adds wonderful texture,
fresh foliage AND flavor to your dining room table or kitchen window sill.

Here’s how I did mine!

Select a nice assortment of potted herbs from your local greenhouse. I love
using dill, rosemary and oregano in my cooking, so that’s where I started.
Of course, I ended up with a few more by the end of my shopping trip. You
could use any container you like, but I chose a very simple brushed metal
cube. To make my herb a little more showy, I used scrapbooking rub-ons
to identify what herb was housed in the cubes. Next, I simply put plastic
liners in the metal cubes (available at BYU Campus Floral—the liners and
cubes) because I’ve learned from experience that those little babies are
NOT water tight. I included some rocks in the bottom for drainage and
then transplanted my new herbs into the containers. Oh, they’re SO fun—
contemporary, full of new life AND they make a great centerpiece for a
dinner party. Allow guests to add their own selection of herbs to make
butters or they can even put a sprig of orange mint into their beverage
before dinner. Trust me. You’re going to LOVE these.

4. Lace Tiles with Milk Glass:

The last few years, I’ve become a vintage milk glass collector and enjoy
using my pieces to display beautiful florals, but when I saw these delicate
tiles and how simple they were to make, I knew they would be the perfect
pop of color under my white glass collection. Really, the possibilities are
ENDLESS.

Martha Stewart gives a GREAT tutorial HERE!

http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2011/09/lace-
tiles.html

5. Spring Cleaning in Style:

Let’s face it, this is the season when the rubber gloves and Windex come
out and everything in your home gets a once over cleaning. Make it a little
bit more fun this season with a fresh new collection of spring cleaning
supplies—including a cleaning apron that makes you feel like you can
change the world one magic eraser at a time.

One of my favorite spring cleaning products is the Mangiacotti surface
cleaner. It’s available at Campus Floral and comes in a wonderful selection
of fragrances. If you don’t love the pomegranate, you’re possibly crazy!

http://campuscraftfloral.blogspot.com/2011/11/mangiacotti.html