Hej!
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This cute little guy is at my entry way to welcome our guests!
I've had this for a few years and found him at Pier 1 marked
down to about $6! |
Happy, happy Spring! It's really here now and to celebrate we had our first BBQ of the year with lovely friends at the weekend. It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, as it got darker we wrapped up in blankets and sat round the fire. Inside, it's refreshing to have the windows open again and let the house air and enjoy the spring time breeze running through our home.
As promised I have a quick tour of my spring decor. I haven't put out as much as I would have liked to this year, mainly because our kitchen and dining room are in the middle of a huge transformation (more on that to come!), none the less I have enjoyed the little touches dotted around the house.
In terms of stocking up on decorative items I buy the majority of things either mid season or at the end of the season when I can grab things at a fraction of the price and I'll just store them away for the next year. I have saved a ton doing it this way! So far I haven't bought anything new this year but I'm sure I'll manage to hunt down some bargains soon!
Pictured above is my mantel in the living room. The stars on the wall are there all year round but I switch what sits on the mantel according to each season. In the centre I have a cute little twiggy tree adorned with darling speckled eggs. The branches fold down and it stores away nicely for the rest of the year. I picked it up at JoAnn Fabrics mid season for only a few dollars. As an alternative I have seen similar sized white trees (sometimes with little led lights on the ends) that you could use for all seasons and just change up what you hang on them.
At the base of the tree I have these nest egg tea lights holders (Pier 1 several years ago) which I have filled with green candles from IKEA. These would also look great as a dining table decoration and are easy enough to make yourself. In all sorts of craft shops you can find bare wicker nests that you can add eggs and flowers or whatever you fancy!
I love these cake stands! Obviously they are great for their designed purpose and look beautiful displayed in my kitchen when not in use. But I love when I am able to use simple every day items for seasonal decor. It means that they truly are multi-purpose and great value for money when I can use them for so many things. In my kitchen I love the simplicity of the white and leave them unfinished with no ribbon. For seasonal decor I change the ribbon, so for spring I like to use this minty green polka dot. The stands are from TK Maxx and I constantly see them there in a variety of sizes.
So this year they sit, one either side, on my mantel with a pot and plant on top. Sadly the plant is fake (it's for the best!) but I think it looks great! It is from a range at IKEA which are all very realistic and of course the best bit is that as soon as you open up your spring boxes you immediately have some greenery. I popped it inside a plant pot which is also from IKEA and tied some matching ribbon round it to finish it off. Real plants have unfortunately never lasted well in my house but these days you get so many great artificial ones that it solves that problem. The ones from IKEA are very budget friendly but I would also invest in more expensive ones as over time you will get your moneys worth.
I usually use the shabby chic lantern to hold a giant pillar candle and sit it in my window, but I decided to use it as part of my spring decorations this year. Seeing as I didn't springify my kitchen and diner I had some festive napkin rings not being used. Along with some mini wooden mushrooms I stuffed bunny ear and carrot napkin rings into the lantern to create a cute spring scene! Take a look around your own home and see what ideas you can come up with to decorate using items you already have. Lanterns prove to be so versatile and you can easily adapt them for each season simply by changing the colour of the candle that sits inside.
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The bunny ear napkin ring is from Pier 1 and the carrot napkin ring Sur la table
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To my cabinet I just added some wooden tulips
in a vase and a wicker butterfly to the door knobs |
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| Shabby Chic lantern from TK Maxx |
Here's a quick look at some other little touches around my home!
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A little wooden tray filled with glass bottles and flowers. Finished off with some matching ribbon.
I think everything here is from Depot |
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| A sweet little hen sits beside a frame |
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| This jolly little fellow is usually stuffed with treats! I found him at John Lewis |
At the top of my stairs you are greeted with this friendly sight! I love this small table (which is actually a bed side unit from IKEA!) It doesn't take up much space and I especially like the two surface areas - great for deocrating! The lamp is always there, isn't it sweet! I usually always have the frame there but change what's in it for the season, the picture I have for spring is actually a greeting card that came free with a magazine. There are so many wonderful printables you can get for free online so check out those too! Or even just a postcard! So simple! The big old hen was actually bought for my kitchen but I much prefer it here. I try not to get too set in a pattern as to where things are placed, that way every year things look different. Allow this isn't always easy to stick to!
A few years ago after a spell of bad weather I found a bunch of branches that had fallen off of trees. I gathered them up and set to work. First of all I cleaned them up and brushed off all the dirt. Then I spray painted them white, not worrying if they were perfectly covered as I wanted them to look weathered! After they had dried I bunched them up and set them in a vase. At Easter I like to cover them with beautiful candy coloured eggs and add some simple white feathers. The feathers are from Sweden and you can buy them in all sorts of colours. It always looks so beautiful when people decorate with them!
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| I also collected some wooden birds and a house to stuff round the bottom |
Most of these decorations will stay up until I change things for summer. A few of them I keep up only around Easter. I have great storage space in my loft and keep items, stored by season, in clear plastic boxes. I then make a list of what is in each box and put that inside the box, making sure it's visible from the outside. I'm lucky that all of my seasonal decor boxes are easily accessible so it means that if I find something out with the season it's simple for me to store it away somewhere that I won't forget about it! Some of my favourite places to buy things are: In USA - Michael's, Jo Ann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, Pier 1, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Kirklands and Target. In UK - John Lewis, TK Maxx, Dunelm Mill, the Range and Poundland. In Germany - Depot, Butlers, Strauss and Galleria Kaufhof. In Sweden - Åhléns , ICA Maxi, IKEA, Granit, Mio and several small independent shops.
I hope this post brought some springtime joy your way! You may have already put up your decorations this year but why don't you pin (pinterest link below) this post for some inspiration next year! My hopes for Spring are to hopefully enjoy some more BBQs, to spend more time outside, get my garden in order and savour the longer days!
Until next time!
Hej då! Libby
Well summer really hasn't been playing too fare so far! I imagined writing blog posts about BBQs or the garden or something summery. Oh well, hopefully the best is yet to come! Dull days have had to be spent elsewhere and today I am going to share with you an old recipe for banana bread that I have enjoyed making for years. It is really simple and always produces a moist yummy loaf, just the way it should be! This time though I swirled some Nutella through to change it up a bit and to satisfy a craving. Obviously the Nutella is optional and it works just as well without. Read on for the recipe and some pictures....although I must warn the pictures aren't as good as I would have liked. It was a horrible, horrible day outside and the light was really not great.
Ingredients:
