Springtime Transformations

Spring is near and it’s time to give some consideration to decorating for this time of year. Yes, we like to decorate for the holidays like St. Patrick’s Day and Easter but there’s some all over the house transformations that go on which celebrate the newness of this time of year. This week’s blog is about how to give your home a fresh new look with paint and fabric colors and patterns as well as with a beautiful and not necessarily high maintenance garden for the outdoors which translates into fragrant flowers for the indoors. Come along with me as we delve into all the tips and tricks for decorating to suit the season.

Pillows and Linens

A springtime must is changing out kitchen and bath towels, bedding, curtains, and putting out some new pillows. Pastels and brighter colors represent this time of year. Flowers blooming outside and matching colors inside. Go ahead and brighten it up. Paint that rooms that you’ve been putting off all winter and transform it into something that makes you say ahhhhhh. Use beautiful leafy or flowery patterns in your linens to make the house feel fresh and outdoorsy. And do not forget the curtains. You’ll want to use lighter weight fabrics to let the breezes flow through the open windows like linen along with those lighter colors. Darker colors are warm for winter and heavier fabrics keep you warm for winter. Putting out a new tablecloth that is lighter and brighter is a great and inexpensive way to spruce up the kitchen.

Plates and Dishes and Flatware…oh my!

Not into table linens? Try some chargers underneath plates and bowls to bring a new look to the table. Dinnerware can be something that you use all year long if you get it in a neutral color that matches all the seasons like white. Buy a few colorful bowls to throw in there with a vase of flowers and some colorful cloth napkins and your set for springtime. There are plenty of choice for silverware as well. Various metals like stainless and gold look and the choices in styles vary quite a bit as well. If you want to take the springtime theme to a new level, try some forks with handles that look like sticks. I’ve seen them around a lot and they definitely suit.

Speaking of Flowers

Most of us like a beautiful garden in theory but couldn’t grown one if our lives depended on it. Some of us are blessed with a green thumb as my grandmother used to put it. Whichever you are, there’s a way to get something pleasing to the eye. Now I personally happen to be the not so green thumb type. I hire someone to do some of the planting for me but that’s not friendly for all budgets. The way to get something pretty in the springtime is to plan ahead during the previous fall. I’m talking about bulbs. Tulips, irises, and daffodils are just a few of the types of flowers that can grown from bulbs. If you follow the directions and plant them during the right time of year, you’ll get gorgeous flows the next spring. Voila! And let’s talk ornamental grasses. Too many to name, these are the best way to take up space in your yard, add dimension and color as well as have add some softness to hardscaping. All you must do is cut them back in the spring and they do their own thing the rest of the year. And there are outdoor pots. If you don’t have the necessary creativity for these, buy them in plastic pots, and put the plastic pots into nice decorative pots so it looks as if you arranged them yourself. This one is my favorite hack. I’ve even gone so far as to bury the plastic pot in potting soil to disguise it.

Do Not Forget to Clean and Declutter

Last week’s blog was on the topic of cleaning and decluttering but I can’t say enough about it. There’s no point in decorating for spring in pursuit of a fresh new look when you have all the wintertime dirt and clutter still handing around. If you don’t want to do this bit yourself, most housekeeping companies provide a one time deep clean service and will happily do it for you. In fact, my service is Maid Brigade here in Omaha. I’ve used them for years and they do a great job plus they knock it all out in short order. As far as decluttering, there are professionals for that as well. Hire one and take the headache out of getting rid of the things you don’t need or use anymore. They’ll help make the decisions and they know how to get you organized.

Well…that’s my two cents on springtime design, décor and more. If you’d like to read more of my blogs or find out how we can help you find a home go to www.omahaprioritygroup.com

Spring Cleaning and Decluttering

Well…it’s that time again. Spring is just around the corner and we’ve got to do some work so we can enjoy our homes. Winter brought us a lot of snow this year in Nebraska which means a lot of the mud and sand came with it and got into our garages and entryways. And don’t forget about the home maintenance that needs doing. We tend to nest during the colder months which means we built up some clutter. And lastly, it’s time to put out the spring decorations and think about what plants we want to have in the yard this year.

Cleaning it Up

As I mentioned, a lot of the outdoors has been tracked indoors during the snowy weather we’ve recently had. That means that there is sand in your garage that needs sweeping, blowing, or hosing, dependent on how much you have in there. I drive a SUV with big tires, so I brought in a lot of debri that needed to be swept and then hosed. It was way too much to blow because I’d get it all over the other things also stored in that space. Removing all that nonsense from the garage floor will prevent it from further getting onto the floors in my home which, of course, now need cleaning. This is especially important if you have hardwood floors because the sand will scratch those if you keep walking over it. I personally like to vacuum the floors using a vacuum setting appropriate for floors and then mop. For my hardwoods, I just use a cleaner made for hardwood which is easy to find in any home improvement or grocery store.

Home Maintenance

Super important to the long life of your home is the maintenance that happens in springtime. You’ll want to caulk around windows and doors in case any of that material has disintegrated during winter. And it’s especially important to check your gutters to ensure they are functioning alright that way there are no wayward leaks that will damage your home. Check hose spigots to be sure they are functioning properly and there are no leaks. Wait until the weather is consistently over freezing before you do so and when it is, start up your sprinkler system. We’ve had plenty of water from the snow this season, but your grass will need the water with the upcoming warmer weather and so will blooming plants. Speaking of which it’s also, it’s time to start thinking about spring planting. If you have some spring bulbs that need planting, put those right into the ground. Think about what you want to put in your pots and make sure you get to the garden center when everything comes out in a couple of weeks. That way you get exactly what you want before they run out. And lastly, you may want to freshen your home with a new coast of interior or exterior paint depending on the age and condition of your existing paint. You’d be surprised at how much difference a fresh paint job can make in the appearance of your home.

Declutter

Getting rid of the things you don’t use often by throwing them away, selling, donating, or putting them into storage is a great way to make your home feel clean and fresh as well as a great way to make some extra cash or do a good deed. It also helps you get organized before summer shenanigans begin and makes your home look fantastic. Try starting with those closets like the coast closet, the one in your primary bedroom and the kitchen pantry. Those are the places that tend to get the bulk of the stuff in them during the winter. Once it’s warm enough, try putting winter clothes in a different bedroom closet so the clothes you use daily are easier to see. I find this helps me better utilize all the clothes I have, and I can more easily put together a cute outfit with something I may have forgotten I have. Cleaning out the kitchen pantry helps me be more organized when cooking my favorite meals and it helps to keep track of what I have so I don’t buy multiples at the grocery store because I didn’t see an item in the closet. Lastly, if you have children, it’s time to go through the toys and decide what to keep and what to get ride of. Kids outgrown toys so quickly and there are many organizations that welcome lightly used donations for children in need.

Spring Decorating

This part is my favorite. After I’ve cleaned my house and decluttered, I love to put out the spring decorations. That means flowers in vases, light, and airy curtains, throw pillows and new bed and bathroom linens with light springtime colors. I even like to switch out area rugs that have a fresher feel to them. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to get the ones I’m not using currently cleaned for next winter. Make sure to have your windows professionally cleaned during this time of year so that sunlight shines in on all the beautiful treasures you’re putting out. And if you need some decorating tips, keep an eye on my blog for more information at www.omahaprioritygroup.com/blog We put lots of great seasonal info out twice a week.

Happy springtime ya’ll!