Spring Cleaning

Believe it or not, a thorough cleaning is one to bring some outdoor elements inside. Buy the freshest smelling cleaners and get out your broom and duster. Clear any musty smells that may have built up over the winter by opening your windows and let the fresh breeze clean the air. Take your curtains down and take them to the cleaners or toss them in the washing machine. Take all of your area rugs outside and shake them out. Fill some bowls full of dried flowers and add your favorite essential oil or light scented candles.

Flowers and Plants

Imported tulips and daffodils appear early in the flower markets and supermarkets and are not that expensive. When buying these flowers please remember that they should never be placed in the same vase, as the daffodils will damage the tulips as they produce a chemical, which is toxic to them. Buy some herbs and place them on your kitchen windowsill. Fill an earthenware vase with curly willow branches. Gather twigs and mosses and arrange them in a basket with faux eggs and flowering plants for a table decoration. If you are a gardener, pick flowers from your own garden, dry them and turn into an everlasting arrangement.

Not everyone is a seamstress, but if you are you know that there is always a shop having a sale as well as some great online bargains. Why not take advantage of this and buy some pretty floral fabric remnants and make some new cushion covers for your sofa or some throw pillows for your bed. Buy some green and some white place mats and appliqué white leaves on the green ones and green leaves on the white ones. You can make tiebacks for your curtains and then sew miniature flowers on them.

Other Tips

Use a geranium leaf stencil to add decoration to a wood floor or a wall. Buy tiles imprinted with fruits, flowers or vegetables. Remember the color of your summer garden and let it be an inspiration for color schemes throughout your home. To create lovely accents for the corners of your rooms, decoupage wooden boxes with nature orientated scenes. You could also paint tiny leaves and flowers on wooden drawer handles. To give your potted plants extra style, paint terracotta pots with colorful flowers.

Finishing touches

Flowers are one of the most beautiful elements of the outdoors. Take some photographs of some pretty blooms, and then enlarge and frame them. Then hang them in groupings on a bare wall. Another way to bring outdoor colors in is to fill clear glass bottles and jars with seasonal emphasis, such as pomegranates in fall, limes or lemons in summer, green apples in spring and pinecones in winter. Arrange seasonal collages, like driftwood, sea glass and shells and put them in a shadow box frame.

You can quickly and easily find special ways to bring the outdoors in, and make your home a more beautiful place for you and your family.