SPRING Archives

SPRING CENTERPIECE FOR THE DINING ROOM

March 22, 2022

Hello! Welcome to this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosted by our friend Cindy who creates weekly inspiration at her blog at County Road 407. If you are stopping by Niky’s blog welcome to Everyday Edits. This spring centerpiece challenge for the dining room was fun. These challenges always motivate me to shop my house. I love our dining room table. I shared this love letter to our dining room table. It is like a member of the family and deserves a spring centerpiece to give it a little love.

For this month’s challenge, Cindy chose Suzy’s spring centerpiece for inspiration.

I loved the centerpiece Suzy created.

I love the height of Suzy’s tiered tray. However, my tiered tray was holding court in our kitchen last week and it felt a little too casual (and small) for my dining room.

I love Suzy’s Spring theme tray that included:

clay pots
, birdhouse
bunnies
spring dishes
and greenery

CENTERPIECE CHALLENGE

The challenge for my centerpiece was to keep our dining room table clean. Most days our dining room table looks like the conveyor belt at the Kroger checkout. On any given day there is a revolving collection of items like the 12 pack of Charmin that nobody thinks to take it upstairs.

For years, my boys used the dining room table for their tennis racquets and court shoes.

So now? My dining room is ready for a spring tablescape sans the Target bag with toiletries.

I switched a few things from my first pass at this centerpiece. I wish I had a smaller bunny, but I am on a self-imposed spending hiatus. So I used what I had and I swear I am more creative when I shop my house.

IDEAS FOR A SPRING CENTERPIECE

I switched out the china plates that just did not work in the original plan.

So I pulled out my Valentine appetizer plates and stuck a bird’s nest on top. Nobody will be the wiser until I serve dessert.

I grabbed this birdhouse from my home office collection of tiny houses (Realtor life). Some of you may remember this birdhouse from last year’s table.

For my dining room table, I added spring eggs. I love the pastels this time of year.

Finally, I added a few cloth napkins, in a spring shade of blue. I hope I will remember to use these at Easter. ;0) I found them on sale at Williams-Sonoma at the end of last summer.

I am falling in love with cloth napkins.

I love the finished look! It’s not overwhelming the table.

Please follow along to Kristin’s blog White Arrows Home for her take on this challenge!

Before you go I would love it if you pinned the image below to your favorite boards!

This month’s challenge is bittersweet as our friend Paula earned a spot in heaven after a five-year forced march with cancer. I was blessed to meet her last summer in Atlanta. Sending hugs to Sherman!

FUN SPRING BIRDHOUSE CENTERPIECE

March 4, 2022

Sharing a centerpiece for spring that even the most craft-challenged can enjoy.

Hi Everyone! It’s time for this fun spring birdhouse centerpiece because I love a reason to use a birdhouse. This is a super easy centerpiece that you can put together in minutes.

SPRING BIRDHOUSE CENTERPIECE

BIRDHOUSES: A DECOR STAPLE

Birdhouses are one of my decor staples because you can use them year-round, inside or outside.

What I love about spring centerpieces is they can be tweaked and modified.

And, for any of my followers renting or living in a highrise without a tree in sight, you now have a reason to buy a birdhouse.

BIRDHOUSE FINDS

I found this one for under $14.
Here is another one ready for paint.
Target has cute birdhouses too in their seasonal section. This one is less than $12.00.
Here is a funCape Cod style.

SPRING BIRDHOUSE CENTERPIECE

CENTERPIECE ITEMS

I try to use what I have around the house, but if you are short on ideas here’s a short list to get you started!

Tray or basket
Birdhouse
greenery
bird’s nest
florals and greenery
printables

FUN SPRING BIRDHOUSE CENTERPIECE

The best part of my birdhouse tablescape was I had everything on hand. We are in-between seasons here in Colorado so I still find comfort in coffee, skim milk, and creamer. Oh and those dang Cheese Puffs at Kroger. .

CENTERPIECE DETAILS

For this centerpiece I focused on the larger pieces for my centerpiece:

birdhouse
lavender plant
wicker basket
nest
eggs

The only thing missing is a bird! #goals

how to decorate with birdhouses, birdhouse centerpiece,

My wicker tray was a little smaller, but my favorite hyacinth tray is busy holding court on the kitchen counter.

This is super simple. Do not overthink simple!

The Easter eggs added a pop of color. Thanks for stopping by Everyday Edits.

If you like under one-hour decor ideas I would love it if you signed up for my Saturday morning newsletter The Weekend Edit.

Would love if you would pin this image!

how to create a spring birdhouse centerpiece

Simple Spring Kitchen Decor

April 27, 2021

Sharing simple spring kitchen decor ideas

It’s happening! It’s time for this month’s Pinterest Challenge! Cindy from CountyRoad 407 found this month’s inspiration from this kitchen on Marly’s blog.

These challenges are great for everyone to borrow a few ideas for our own kitchens.

If you are stopping by Niky’s spring kitchen welcome to Everyday Edits. My name is Laura. Here’s a peek at my spring kitchen. Hard to believe we had snow last week.

Here is Marly’s inspirational kitchen for this month’s Pinterest Challenge.

ELEMENTS

Let’s take a look at what Marly has on her kitchen counters:

serving boards
floral stems
stacked plates
a cake plate for accessories
fresh fruit & flowers
dish towel

I love the simple elements she has on her counters. Like I said I make too many messes to have to clean up the kitchen decor. My husband rarely weighs in on my decor choices (smart man), but he does believe in less is more on the kitchen counters.

I tend to agree with him except my addiction to Homegoods tends to derail my plans for simple.

SIMPLE SPRING KITCHEN DECOR

I start with my favorites. This little lemon tree plant (from Target two summers ago) gets the most comments from friends. It is up from April through August.

But after snapping this photo behind the kitchen sink I moved the lemon tree to the kitchen island. Oh and that charger I found at my favorite decor store in Knoxville.

This is as close as I will get to stacked plates. ;0)

And it was that move that I decided to focus on the space behind our new cast iron sink for this month’s Pinterest Challenge. If you have a corner sink you know how valuable the counter space is behind the sink.

I switched the lemon tree for longer stems in the corner between these two windows. The height of the stems draws your eye to the windows and the backyard (and on some days bear cubs, coyotes and bobcats. Oh my!

I ordered these petite potted plants. At first, I thought they were too small, but it turns out they are perfect for my kitchen. With a north-facing kitchen, I love a faux plant for some much-needed greenery. I shared this little guy on Instagram last week.

I ordered five so there are a few popping up in my kitchen.

That cookbook is my favorite. You may know her husband, it’s under $16 now and I use it more than any other cookbook.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please pin for later!

How to Decorate for Spring When the Yard Looks Like a Mullet

April 16, 2021

Living in Colorado means the yard looks like a mullet this time of year.

Colorado had a snowstorm a few weeks ago. Our yard enjoyed 12 inches of fresh powder. Our back yard faces north and the front yard faces south so this time of year my yard looks like a mullet. So while my backyard looks like it needs a blow-up Frosty the Snowman my front yard screams for mulch and tulips.

As I write this post I am wearing two layers and a down vest. It is mid-April. I may add a scarf before I show homes this afternoon. It’s windy too and more snow on the way.

HOW TO DECORATE FOR SPRING WHEN THE YARD LOOKS LIKE A MULLET

Ironically, I have a holiday poinsettia in my kitchen. I placed it on the window ledge, facing the snow-covered backyard so it can look out the window and dream of a white Christmas for next year. The poinsettia is team mullet.

Here are a few ways to decorate for spring when the one side of your yard looks like a mullet… I mean winter.

Somewhere between last July and February, I fell in love with gingham. I love to wear gingham, but I was a little hesitant to go gingham style on my house. Well, a blizzard will turn anyone.

With a 2nd snow day, I caved and ordered gingham cloth napkins from Amazon. I just Googled gingham and three days later I had a set of gingham cloth napkins.

I first introduced gingham into the house with a roll of ribbon. It was a low-cost purchase. The boxwood loved it!

how-to-decorate-the-house-for spring-everyday-edits

I purchased this little plant (does anyone know what type of plant it is?) for a seller’s kitchen during the holidays. She didn’t want another plant to take care of so I brought it home for the holidays. It’s still here!

It was time to switch out some of my pillows. I found this Cheers pillow from Pottery Barn in Salt Lake City when my boys played in a sectional tennis tournament.

The pillow cover was perfect for the month of January, but by March it was ready for spring. I found this pillow cover at Pottery Barn. It’s a seasonal favorite on the couch or chair.

Indoor plants are a big deal for me about now because late April frosts are a constant threat. I mix in real and faux plants to add a little green.
Tip: If you live in an apartment, condo and/or rental a little bit of greenery does wonders for the room’s mood.

I hold off on a spring wreath because we get some hair whipping winds in the spring. Nobody needs to see me chasing a wreath with velcro curlers in my hair.

I love to decorate the back of my front door for this reason.

Mother Nature appears to have her eyes on Colorado this weekend to give us a little more snow. Of course, we always need the moisture so maybe I’ll add a Christmas wreath to the back door.

Well I guess I don’t have to worry about this phobia just yet.

Have a great weekend! What plans do you have for the weekend?

HOW TO ADD SPRING DECOR IN MINUTES DURING A RENOVATION

April 2, 2021

Hi everyone. We are halfway through our family and living room remodels. We were in Scottsdale last week when this was happening at our house. We were on the flight when I realized, about 30 minutes before landing, that in a hurry to get out of the house as the flooring guys wrapped everything in cling wrap I forgot to pack my undergarments. Yep, you can read that story here. But today can I ask a favor not related to how to add spring decor in minutes?

Can you sign up for my weekly newsletter until I get my feed sorted out? Here is the link to my home page and on the right side, there is a box for your email and a “subscribe” button. #grateful

HOW TO ADD SPRING DECOR IN MINUTES

We got home only to check into a hotel for an extra night. The snowstorm the week before delayed our floor schedule by a few days.

We spent the next night on our couches in the basement. I listened to our sump pump turn on every 90 seconds as the snowmelt was clearly more melt than snow. As a Realtor®I know more than I should know about sump pumps. And sewer scopes. #realtorlife

Anyway, this week things were looking up with the furniture returning to the main level. The general contractor scheduled a cleaning crew to vacuum and wipe down every surface, spindles, walls and floors covered in dust (despite the plastic wrap).

Anyway with all this going on I had less than 72 hours before Easter. So in just a few minutes, I added spring decor.

And, now I feel calmer and dust-free.

HOW TO ADD SPRING DECOR IN 5 MINUTES

My spring/Easter decor is in two bins. In both bins, there are tons of faux eggs and mismatched greenery.

You know the greenery that gets tangled up in knots and you tug at it until you get a random strand.

That is the stuff you want for 5-minute decor. Low-hanging decor ideas.

Because our furniture has to be moved away from the walls, when the baseboards are replaced, I needed lightweight and minimal decor.

Eggs and greenery to the rescue. These are the easiest decor staples for spring.

I added a lantern and chargers I purchased at my fav decor store in Knoxville.

I moved this Marshall’s find (who knew?) to the hallway and added a bunny and random greenery.

On the opposite end, I tossed eggs and greenery into a glass hurricane.

Potted plants (real or fake) always work too! This plant is my favorite this season. And after I included it in this challenge, it was a favorite for some of you too.

This is a smaller version of the plant above. Target has the best faux plants. I snagged both of these. They sell out quickly, so if you see it- snag it. I pulled a few books with pink jacket covers and call it a 5 minute decor day!

That’s it! So easy! Don’t overthink simple.

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THE CUTEST SPRING CARROT WREATH

March 9, 2021

How to make the cutest spring wreath with carrots from Hobby Lobby

I want to learn how to make wreaths with boys and florals and greenery, but not today. Instead, I made the cutest spring carrot wreath with two items! I am so excited about how this wreath looks on our dutch door. You guys will love this carrot wreath because the supply list is short and there are no wire cutters needed.

If I can make this you can make this wreath.

CUTEST SPRING CARROT WREATH

The supply list is super short. I already had this wreath.

I found the cutest carrot bundles at Hobby Lobby. On sale (no more coupons).

Sidenote: I get Hobby Lobby’s emails and I like the layout of their list of sales items.

These were the small carrot bundles on sale for a few dollars. I snagged three pairs (of three).

Then this the technical part: you take your wreath, fluff it up a bit. You can also do this with an extra wreath with this popular hack.

. Following the fluffing add the carrot bundles in no particular order or direction to the wreath.

The bundles are attached with twine so it made it easy to loop the carrots around the leaves.

You guys as soon as I started I loved the wreath. I loved the orange and green color combination. In Colorado, we tend to favor orange paired with blue. #broncos

I added it to our newest addition to the family. No, not that! Our Dutch door. We ordered it last January and it was installed last spring. The Dutch door was a bright light last spring.

If I could just get Elliott to pose behind the Dutch door. Somehow I don’t think he can hoist himself onto the door’s lower half. What do you think?

After taking a few photos and propping up the carrots I decided the wreath needed a bow. So I found a way to add a little navy to the orange and green!

I snagged this bow from another wreath.

I think the bow makes the wreath, don’t you? What do you think? The best part is I can switch out the carrots for seasonal picks through the year. For less than $10 I have a refreshed wreath to welcome spring.

5 SPRING IDEAS FOR THE KITCHEN NOOK

February 26, 2021

Sharing 5 spring ideas for the kitchen nook as the nest empties

Does anyone remember Nora Walker’s kitchen in the show Brother’s & Sisters? I don’t remember the specifics and I am sure it would be very dated by now, but I loved it.

As we transition from five family members gathered around a farmhouse table to a, smaller table the kitchen spring was the perfect time for a few ideas for the nook.

I thought with the absence of homework and empty Gatorade bottles the table would finally be center stage. Instead, she looks kind of lost without clutter. Maybe she (the table) needs a puppy? #wink

The kitchen nook is nestled between the family room and the kitchen with a Dutch door around the corner. It is flanked by windows on the north and west side so it is either shadows or bright lights depending on the time of day.

When we made this decision to remove the shutters on our main level we kept the shutters on the west side of the house because of the 360+ days of sunshine in Colorado.

The windows are a familiar backdrop in our kitchen nook. But they look a little heavy with both shutters and window treatments.

During our extended staycation, I ordered this table and these four chairs and they were paid for by the time they arrived. #backordered

I can say this because neither my husband or children read my blog, but I don’t love the table. It is a bit too small and did not come with an extension. However, I do love the metal base and hope a kitchen refresh will update the space.

I kind of miss my previous kitchen table which is now in the basement moonlighting as a game table.

Until I decide if I should switch the tables, I turned my attention to the windows to brighten up the kitchen nook. I am calling it a nook and no I do not have a bench.

5 SPRING IDEAS FOR THE KITCHEN NOOK

NOOK #1 Add Plants

This is the image that got my mind thinking about a spring refresh.

It has windows and a round kitchen table. I brought in a bench and added a fern this winter, but it felt very cramped. Which is how this photo feels. What do you think?

This would drive my boys and daughter crazy; they are all clutter adverse. I would miss my sisal rug.

Here was my attempt. I placed the bench against the north wall that includes a sliding glass window.

I really want French doors, but with the Dutch door around the corner (and the expense) I may look into a sliding glass door. Thoughts?

NOOK #2 Remove Shutters

The base is familiar and I was this close to choosing similar wicker chairs for the kitchen nook. But decided to keep my wicker outside for now. This nook is simple and uncluttered with no window treatments.

Source: Williams-Sonoma

NOOK #3 Small Bench or Olive Tree

I love the windows and those are my chairs on the left. I love the concept of open windows for the nook.

Do you have windows around your nook?

This nook includes a small storage bench, but I really like the olive tree off to the side. Isn’t it funny what captures our eye when we look to retailers and Pinterest for decor ideas inspiration?

I have my eye on this olive tree, but it’s pricey.

Source: Pottery Barn

NOOK #4 Oversized Centerpiece

For this kitchen space, my eye was drawn to the window treatments and the floral centerpiece.

Now that I am not competing against water bottles and baseball caps, a centerpiece might be the reboot I need.

Source: Pinterest 1-Eye-Design

NOOK # 5 Window Treatments

The window treatments caught my eye in this one!

Source: One Eye Design

What do you think of these five ideas to freshen up a kitchen nook?

I have several ideas swirling in my head.

Stay tuned. Meanwhile, you can visit the kitchen remodel we finished last year.

And, this vinyl window update still looks amazing!

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HOW TO CREATE A SPRING CONSOLE TABLE

February 23, 2021

Sharing a spring console table for this month’s Pinterest Challenge

It’s crazy to think we are heading into spring when most of the Denver-metro area has yet to have a winter. But with the days getting longer it’s hard to ignore spring is just around the corner.

I am joining Cindy at County Road 407 and a bunch of fabulous, supportive bloggers for this month’s Pinterest Challenge. If you are joining me fro >>> welcome to Everyday Edits. If you are stopping by from Niky’s blog, welcome.

This month’s console/sofa table inspiration is from Marie and her blog, Sincerely Marie Designs.

Can we just pause to take in this room and that fireplace? What is not to love about Marie’s sofa table.?

Marie used some everyday elements for her spring console table.

wood console table
greenery
plates
books
mister (who doesn’t love a water feature)?

On a side note, I love her furnishings in the room.

SPRING SOFA TABLE

Honestly, I thought this was going to be an easy challenge. I had a console/sofa table and plenty of accessories. I even had a pastel mister from the dollar-ish section at Target.

And, then …

I got stuck with height and scale. My books were not as large as I wanted them to be (they are on my garage sale search list). I am taking suggestions on where to find oversized decor books for cheap.

I used the books from this repurposed idea using packing material.

My table has a metal surface so to tone down the shiny reflective finish I added a grapevine ball and a chalkboard sign you can find on this daily deal decor shop.

I swapped out plants and moved the lamp from the left to the right.

This was a great challenge to get us in the mood for spring decor.

In full disclosure, the couches and the sofa table are the only pieces in our family room as we prep to refinish our floors.