Spring Spruce Up

I don't know how it happened but the whole family broke out into spring fever yesterday and I have to tell you it was wonderful!  My husband was home and the day simply started out with he and I each having our to-do lists and projects we wanted to work on.  The next thing I know he had cut the grass and he and one of our sons were cleaning out the garage.  In the meantime my clean before spring project - the living room - had inspired me to rearrange some furniture and do a little bit of impromptu decorating.  All of our kids jumped in and it was fantastic!  I changed the dining room table around, added something different to the entry area, re-did the mantle, and decorated for Easter.  I'm very pleased with how everything turned out and I just happen to be feeling super productive!  {Smile.}

I have to give a shout-out to my honey...He got the yard in tip-top shape, gave the garage a complete makeover, and hung some sconces in our bedroom that I've been wanting hung for months.  Speaking of those sconces, I want to show you some before and after pictures.  I think they make a nice addition to the room and add a rich look.  Our bedroom is sort of the last room to get attention.  Ever since we moved into our new house (almost 2 years ago) our focus has been in other rooms.  It's time the master bedroom got some attention too.

Our master bedroom is nothing fancy.  In fact, our furniture is almost 20 years old (and a lot of what I use to decorate with is much older than that).  Just because you're on a budget or have older furniture doesn't mean you can't make your room pretty.  Sometimes (a lot of times) older is better!  And, if you keep an eye out you can find fabulous things at tag sales, thrift stores and the like.  For instance, the mirror you see in the picture above I found at a garage sale.  Right now we are raising (and home educating) six children so obviously there is not a lot of money being spent on decorating.  I have to figure out how to make our home warm and inviting on a dime.  I really enjoy that!

As you are doing your spring cleaning you may want to do a bit of sprucing up too.  There are a lot of inexpensive changes that bring big bang for your buck - rearranging your furniture (free), painting (low cost), cleaning out clutter (free), shopping for new decor at thrift stores (low cost), adding some candles or flowers (low cost).  Don't be afraid to change things up a bit.  Spring is the perfect time to experiment!