It’s our first spring and summer in our new home and I’ve partnered with my friends at Birch Lane to create a beautiful dining experience for our outdoor meals as a family! We have barely started on our landscaping but we’ve planted a bunch of flowers and plants while we commence the landscaping design. However, here in the Pacific Northwest we have the most beautiful spring and summers and we are so looking forward to eating dinners out on our back porch instead of indoors. Our outdoor dining was the first to-do on our backyard list. I’m so excited to share it with you today! Also joining to share their outdoor spaces are some fabulous bloggers. Welcome to all who are here today and come with me as I invite you to my French-inspired back patio dining!

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.
Click here to read my full disclosure policy. All opinions are my own.

As we were moving here to the West Coast from Texas last summer and designing this semi-custom home with our builder, I knew I wanted the overall feel and style of this house to be “French Coastal Glam“. I wanted all 3 styles blended into my own style and the back patio was no exception. My friends at Birch Lane asked to help me create this back patio dining space and I loved looking through all of their gorgeous outdoor furniture to see if they had the pieces that I had envisioned for this patio. Oh, yes they did!

I love that french bistro chairs are so on trend right now and was even more excited when I found these Lucia Bistro Stacking Chairs in gray and white, to coordinate with my home. I also chose the Mahler dining table because I wanted that coastal look, something expandable with a hole in the center for an umbrella, and something white so that it stood out against our gray siding on the home.

Putting the chairs and table together was perfect and exactly what I had in mind! I’m so glad Birch Lane had these items!

Also…

I chose this gorgeous 3-tiered Lauren Bar Cart to add some glam outside and then bring it back inside at the end of summer. That cute Twist Rope Tray is part of a set that I also chose and I absolutely love them, indoors and outdoors, to serve food or even just hold candles or vases.

Here is the other larger tray from that set. It was perfect for serving an array of whole fruit for this luncheon. But before we move on to what I served, please take notice of that lovely planter in the background!

The Lexington Tall Planter had that coastal style that I wanted and matches the {shorter version} planters by my front door that I purchased months ago and compliment our Cape Cod house exterior design perfectly. I’ll share those another day.

I planted some white Icecap Roses and some blue Amsonia around the bottom. It’s only been a week and they are all blossoming and growing so quickly. I love the way this planter looks on the outer corner of our patio. I think it really completes the look and helps to keep the patio looking summery all year round. I also try to keep the patio as clean as I possibly can, and companies like Renew Crew of Northwest Wisconsin and many more are useful when it comes to having a perfectly clean patio.

Ok, let’s get to the place settings and food!

I love the new AERIN Collection at Williams-Sonoma! I bought them when they came out and couldn’t wait to put them on this outdoor dining table!

I chose the Scalloped Rim Dinner Plates in blue, the Sea Blue Floral Salad Plates, and the Fairfield Napkins. I purchased the jute braided chargers HERE, the gold flatware HERE (similar here), and found these stunning gold-rimmed blue goblets HERE.

I wanted our first official meal as a family out here to be French-inspired too. I’ve lived in Europe (Portugal) so I know that, although I haven’t been to France yet, they all have a similar way of life when it comes to food. You often see cheese and wine, fresh bread being sold on many corners, pastries and biscuits, meats and salads and lot of fruits. Oh, and sparkling water.

I purchased the cake stand last year at HomeGoods and also the blue floral melamine salad bowl there too. Salad tongs can be found HERE and you can find the bread board HERE.

Don’t you just LOVE peony season?! I found these pink peonies at Trader Joe’s and they all bloomed in like 2 days. So fun! I put them in one of my favorite vases and brought them out for our lunch.

Our family loves this French Lemonade and it’s perfect for this occasion. Ice bucket can be found HERE.

Ice Tongs can be found HERE and agate bottle opener can be found HERE.

THE BACKYARD PLAN:

So we’ve planted hydrangeas and peonies, roses, pansies, snapdragons, clamentis, snowballs, azaleas, lilies, daffodils and more. Trees are next and adding more grass. We have deep side yards. I promised the kids a fairy garden, a new trampoline and play area for them and all the cousins, a fire pit, sitting benches, and a covered seating/lounge area. We’ll also add a storage shed that we’ll be ordering soon (matches our home) and a garden and a bunch of fruit trees on that side as well.

Oh! And notice how the patio is only partially covered! There is reason for that. I want a gray and white striped retractable awning to extend over the patio. I’ve always wanted one. So that’s coming soon.

Fun, right?! I can see it all in my mind but the joy comes from working together as a family and creating this little backyard dream step by step. And it will take time for all of my plants to grow and crawl over the fence. My own little Secret Garden!

I found the cutest apron to wear (I love aprons and have a fun collection) that coordinated with my tablescape and wore it while setting the table and serving my family. Lemon-herb chicken was in the oven and served over rice.

Apron / Shoes / Jeans / Top / Earrings / Ring / Lipstick

Kitchen sources can be found in THIS POST.

I’ve had this garden chandelier for a few years and I thought it would be perfect here. I just need to find some battery-operated tapered candles for it and I think I’ll add more chain and lower it.

I love being able to see our neighbors’ barn from my backyard. When I’m upstairs, I get to watch their horses during the day. It’s the prettiest view!

CONFESSION:

This “family luncheon” I’d been planning for actually turned into a family dinner. Josh and the kids and I were working in the yard, had a soccer game, did some other chores, and then decided to wait and stick the chicken in the oven closer to dinner.

It was perfect because we got to shower and relax and enjoy the sunset!

We have the prettiest view of the Wetlands behind us, which is why we chose this lot, and the sun sets right behind those trees.

So we lit a couple of citronella candles (found at HomeGoods), turned on some music, and enjoyed the perfect temperatures, food, and sunset.

Make Sure to Visit These Other Great Blog Posts!

Martha | Simple Cozy Charm

Kim and Lacey | Styled with Lace

Amie | Meme Hill

Ashley | Modern Glam

Summer | Summer Adams

Judy | Life is Better at Home

Yuni | Love Your Abode

Joan | 2 Ladies and a Chair

Amy | Crazy Chic Design

Bethany | The Posh Home

Janine | Happy Happy Nester

Jackie | Finding Lovely

Rhonda | Hallstrom Home

*****

Thank you so much for stopping by today and a huge THANK YOU to my friends at Birch Lane for sponsoring this post and helping us create a beautiful French-inspired back patio dining space! Please make sure to stop by their website and browse their outdoor furniture selection to help you create that perfect dining space of your own to enjoy this season!

I would love it if you subscribed at the top of the page in order to receive my weekly emails of all my latest blog posts and hear about digital printables & freebies, as well as sales or new items in My Online Shoppe. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to see what I’m up to in creating a home and lifestyle of inspiration!

xoxo,

The post French Inspired Back Patio Dining appeared first on Summer Adams.

Hello, friends!  I’m so excited to have you here today!  We are gathered again, as a group of interior and lifestyle bloggers, to bring all of you some fabulous spring inspiration.  Thanks to our friend Krista from The Happy Housie for hosting our “Seasonal Simplicity Tours” this spring.  If you are visiting from her blog or from Sincerely Marie Designs, there’s no doubt you have already been pinning inspiration! I have a round-up of all the spring fun I’ve had lately and there’ still more to come.  If you’re new here, you’ll see that for my spring home tour I’ve used accents of blush and blue and it’s been so fun sharing spring decorating tips, spring fashion, spring recipes, and spring printables with you!

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.
Click here to read my full disclosure policy.  All opinions are my own.

I started off this spring by sharing with you my Rain Gear Round-Up.  Spring showers bring those beautiful flowers and we get more than most of you, being in the Pacific Northwest.  I don’t mind the rain and it’s so gorgeous here but I definitely find importance in staying dry while being fashionable as well.

My mantel before spring was bright and simple with mixed metals.  I added a hint of blush and blue to my mantel for spring and even shared another variation for Easter by adding a few things.

I found the cutest blue striped tablecloth with tassels and knew I wanted to use it for my Easter table with blush pink and a vintage milk glass place setting.

This was one of my favorite tables ever, for a few reasons.  Read HERE to find out why and to see the tassels on the tablecloth and the entire finished table.

Also in that same blog post, I share how I added pink and blue to my bright white kitchen for the spring and the new rug runner I found.

No matter what your spring color palette is, I used things I already had to style my kitchen using those colors. See more and read all about it HERE.

One of my favorite things about spring time is that we get outside more…even in the rain!  It warms up just a little bit and the sun comes out and we start playing out in the neighborhood again.  Being in a brand new subdivision and one of the first ones to build in our cul-de-sac, we now have a bunch of homes being finished and all these new neighbors are moving in.  We were soooo excited!  I made these darling printable gift tags for baked goods and shared them with all of you.  Brooklyn (my 12 year-old) made delicious Snickerdoodles and we brought these to all our new neighbors (they all seem to be moving in at once) and introduced ourselves and welcomed them to the neighborhood.  You can print and use these tags from this post.

After winter is over and we put away our hot cocoa bar, I transform the bar cart into a Spring Bar Cart with fun drinks on hand for all ages. I also share this beautiful and comfortable ruffled skirt for spring.

And if company is coming, I put out some baked goods as well.  I also like to change up my candles and freshen my home up with fruity and flowery scents and put away all the pine and cinnamon.

In my most recent Current Crushes post, I share home accents I love for the spring as well as fashion and gift ideas.  It’s a must-read!  I just love when my girlfriends tell me about a fun find or a good sale….don’t you?!

My daughter and I just LOVE to bake and we do it year-round.  In the spring, you will usually find cakes and baked goods with lemon or coconut or other fruity flavors.  Last weekend we made this Pink Lemonade Chiffon Naked Cake and it was HEAVENLY!!  The recipe is easy and sooooo delicious.  Find this recipe HERE.

I recently received new pillow covers for the spring from Willa Skye Home.  These blush linen pillow covers, paired with the spa blue antelope pillow covers just brought such an elegance to this bright living room for the season.

The quality is superb and her variety of fabrics is phenomenal.  I absolutely loved working with WSH to create this stylish spring look!  You can visit my Living Room post to get all of the sources on this space and also shopping links.

Do you see who else got a new bed for spring?

It’s the cutest lucite and brass dog bed I found at HomeGoods a couple of weeks ago and I’m so glad he finally warmed up to it because it looks perfect in the living room!

I told you all that I’ve been freshening up my foyer for spring.  I love to “shop my home” and move things around when I get sick of spaces.  I pull out all of my faux flowers and decided to use blush, obviously.  And 4 months later, I have to say that this gorgeous chandelier from my friends at Bellacor still takes my breath away every time I go downstairs.  Read all about it and the rest of the items in this space HERE and see a closeup of the chandelier.

I also stocked up on more faux pink peonies and cherry blossoms from Michael’s.  I posted this pic on Instagram (but a more zoomed out shot) and everyone thought they were real.  Now, I buy fresh flowers for the house every week but when it’s spring and I really want to bring out a lot of cherry blossoms and peonies and roses and more, it’s wise to invest in some fabulous faux floral stems to save money AND not have to constantly change the water and cut your flowers every day or two.

Back to my entry…
I made some really fun straw totes with Brooklyn a couple of months ago (tutorial coming next week) and put it on our foyer bench with some faux pink peonies.

Instead of a faux fur throw and pillows on our bench, as we did in the winter, I used a light scarf that I could easily take with me and even use as a wrap if it’s a chilly spring day.  I also used linen pillows on our bench after putting the winter pillows away.  And yes….I bought myself a new pair of sandals since it’s warming up and my toes are dying to see the sun.

While “shopping my home” I used brought in both of my large and small temple jars and filled them with faux cherry blossom stems.

I kept the lamp but also put out a home interiors book I love and my newest GORGEOUS jar from my friend Alyssa.  Her shop Amped Decor is so fabulous and I love so many of her pieces.  After breaking my last jar that was identical to this, she heard about it and sent me this one.  You MUST visit her online shop and see all of the fun things she sells as well as her lovely home.  Get ready to swoon!

(If the jar above is sold out, you can find a similar one here.)

I wanted some framed art on this middle mirrored tray.  I couldn’t find anything that I truly loved so I decided to print out and frame one of my favorite pictures of a door in Portugal (where I lived years ago as a missionary) draped in blossoming branches during spring.  It has the prettiest blue door and I just look at it and smile, reflecting on some of the best memories.

In a smaller frame, I added a print of blush and blue butterflies that I designed.  If you’re interested, let me know.  I might just add another blog post and offer it as a free printable next week.  Butterflies come and you just know it’s spring time….right?!

I also added one of my favorite Agape Candles and I think it’s the perfect spring entry table now.

On the other side of our entry, I removed the gray pillows from my faux fur settee bench and added this blush ruffle throw blanket from my online shoppe.

(Yes, that is our thermostat in the most awkward place on that wall.  There was nowhere else they could put it in the house.  We went over and over this and it killed me to put it there…eye sore!  I usually photoshop it out for photos…ha!)

It’s the perfect soft and elegant touch for spring.

I found this darling and affordable blush and blue geometric dress (here or here) and these shoes (similar here) and loved that they went with my spring interior color palette.  You can’t see the earrings very well but they are these ones and are sooooo cute!

I’m so glad you could stop by today and THANK YOU for being here!  Next, my dear friend Heather from Setting For Four is sharing her Spring Tour and you don’t want to miss it!  She’s also sharing her love for blush and blue and everything she does is just gorgeous!

This week I’ve joined up with a talented group of bloggers to share part of our home decorated for spring as part of the Seasonal Simplicity Series. There is so much stunning inspiration for you to enjoy, all week long!

Monday

The Happy Housie // Sunny Side Up // Rooms FOR Rent

So Much Better With Age // Maison de Pax // TIDBITS

Zevy Joy // The House of Wood // The Turquoise Home

Tuesday

Confessions of a Serial DIYer // Designthusiasm // House by Hoff // Nina Hendrick Design Co.

Stacy Risenmay // Southern State of Mind // Sincerely, Sara D. // Town and Country Living

Wednesday

Willow Street Interiors // On Sutton Place // Duke Manor Farm

Place of My Taste // Rambling Renovators // Deeply Southern Home

Thursday

Decor Gold Designs // Amber Tysl // Sincerely Marie Designs

Summer Adams // Setting for Four

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  I would love it if you subscribed at the top of the page in order to receive my weekly emails of all my latest blog posts and hear about digital printables & freebies, as well as sales or new items in My Online Shoppe.  You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to see what I’m up to in creating a home and lifestyle of inspiration!

xoxo,

The post Spring Home Tour With Accents Of Blush & Blue appeared first on Summer Adams.

Hello friends!  Welcome to my regular readers and also new friends that are here for the first time today!  I’m so thrilled to participate in a blog hop with some talented friends as we are sharing some free  Spring Printables!  Thanks so much to Krista from The Happy Housie for hosting and organizing.  Today I’m sharing a printable gift tag that you can use when giving baked goods or something delicious from your kitchen.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.
Click here to read my full disclosure policy.  All opinions are my own.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram OR if you’ve visited my spring mantel, table & kitchen, and spring fashion posts here last week, you are fully aware that I have a crush on the color combo of “blush and blue” lately.  I’ve always loved it but now that we’re in our new home and this is my first spring here, it seemed like a lovely idea to just add blue after all of the blush during Valentine’s Day and enjoy them together.

When spring comes, we tend to get out of our homes more and play outside and visit with our neighbors.  Are you like that too?  We are in a brand new subdivision and were one of the first houses in our cul-de-sac.  This month, we have homes being finished and more families and new neighbors moving in and it’s so exciting.  We love meeting our new neighbors and bringing cookies to welcome them to the neighborhood so Brooklyn made a fresh batch of snickerdoodles (one of my faves).

I decided to make printable gift tags, which I have so many of and in all different designs that I’ve created over the years, but wanted a new design that reflected my love of blush and blue.

I loved the idea of using a pink KitchenAid mixer and designed them having a bouquet of blush and blue floral coming out of it since it’s spring!

I created them in 2 sizes with one being a rectangle shape and one in a square shape.

Instructions for printable gift tags for baked goods:

•For PDF of square tags, click on THIS LINK and then on the picture of tags.  Print from browser.

•For PDF of rectangle tags, click on THIS LINK and then on the picture of tags.  Print from browser.

Please remember, this is FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY! These are made by me and have © copyright protection.  Thank you!

I grabbed some blush double-sided ribbon (this ribbon or that ribbon) to tie around the little boxes and some good scissors.

As for the boxes, you might remember that they are the same ones I use every year for my Galentine’s Day Treat Boxes.  I had plenty of these boxes leftover, since I buy so many at a time and love to use them for different occasions.  They are just the perfect size to hold cookies!

I grabbed some light blue tissue paper to stuff on the bottom, stacked the cookies on top of them, closed the lid, and then tied the blush ribbon and tag on top.  It really shows your friends that you’re putting thought into this and delivering them with love, versus throwing them on a paper plate or in a bag. Don’t get me wrong, they’re just as tasty, but this is just the cutest way to say “Welcome to the neighborhood!” or “I was just thinking of you and wanted to bring you some cookies!”

People love that!

Today some of my friends are sharing their beautiful and inspiring free spring printables as well! Hop over to see what they are sharing…

6 free printable Watercolour Floral Designs at The Happy Housie

Happy Easter Spring Printable at So Much Better with Age

Spring Favourites Free Printables at The Turquoise Home

Modern Free Spring Printable at Love Create Celebrate

Happy Easter Printable Greeting Cards at On Sutton Place

Vintage Butterflies Spring Printables at Paint Me Pink

Put on Your Positive Pants at Unskinny Boppy

Printable Watercolour Easter Place Cards at Nina Hendrick

Simple Spring Printable at Taryn Whiteaker

8 Chalkboard Free Spring Printables at Home Made Lovely

Spring is in the Air Watercolour Printable at Lemon Thistle

DIY Lemon Kitchen Towel Tutorial with printable at Cherished Bliss

Free Laundry Cheat Sheet Printables for Spring Cleaning at Just a Girl & Her Blog

Printable Gift Tags for Baked Goods at Summer Adams

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  I would love it if you subscribed at the top of the page in order to receive my weekly emails of all my latest blog posts and hear about digital printables & freebies, as well as sales or new items in My Online Shoppe.  You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to see what I’m up to in creating a home and lifestyle of inspiration!

xoxo,

The post Printable Gift Tags For Baked Goods appeared first on Summer Adams.

I love fresh flowers!  They can be the focal point of a table, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, a foyer, even a hotel lobby.  A group of fabulous home decor bloggers and I are getting together today to share all the different ways you can create and display a floral arrangement in your home or any space.  I’m not sharing just any floral arrangement today.  I’m sharing how to create a fruit and floral arrangement with limes and white flowers.

Welcome to those of you from my talented friend Oscar Bravo’s blog and may be here for the first time!  And thanks to all my regular readers….I adore you all!  If you’ve been on this blog hop, I’m sure you’ve seen all the gorgeous arrangements so far.  My friends are ridiculously talented, if you couldn’t already tell.  Now, if you’ve been following me regularly, you’ve probably noticed my love for green as I style my home this Spring.

In THIS post, I shared how I used green apples, limes and white floral to grace my kitchen countertops.  I liked it so much that I decided to keep my Easter table this Sunday going with the same theme.  Fresh green produce, white floral, and lots of crisp white.  I immediately had an idea….here’s what I did.

I’d seen on Pinterest how you could take a vase and stack it in a larger vase, filling the space between with citrus slices and water and then adding the flowers.  So I did this on a larger scale by taking my glass and gold hurricane and putting a bowl upside down in order to put my glass vase on top of it.  It needed height.  I sliced the limes thick enough to get about 4 slices out of each lime and disposing of the ends.  Start lining them around the bottom.

I dropped the vase inside to create a space for the limes.

I removed the flowers so that I could see better.  Dropping slices down the in-between vases like a game of Plunko, I used a spatula to move any slices where I needed to.

As you get to the top, you can use a fork or tongs as well to move slices around.  I added 3 huge hydrangeas to the inner vase so that they were just covering the very top of the hurricane, vase and lime slices.

Then I added just 2 bunches of white hyacinths in the middle so that they stood taller above the hydrangeas.

Since my hurricane top is removable, I didn’t add the water to the limes but if you’re using a vessel that won’t leak, make sure to do that before you add the flowers.

Isn’t that such a fun and vibrant arrangement?!

And to make it even more refreshing…..fruit!

And don’t forget your veggies!

With these lovely magnolia napkin rings, this would be the perfect Spring table.  But….

….this cost of levitra at costco is my family’s Easter table.  So I added a few Easter touches.

I used these adorable Bunny place card holders that I shared last week in my Kids Easter Table.

I added some gold foil bunny straws, also from the Target Dollar Spot.  It adds some fun to this elegant table and I think my kids are going to love it.  The rest of us at the table are going to be “boring adults” so I think the bunny straws are a nice touch, ha!

And of course, I had to add a bit of sparkle and glitter!  This glitter Happy Easter garland from Pottery Barn (purchased a few years ago) was another fun addition.  I wish they still carried it but they have a couple of other fun ones.

I’m so glad you could join me today!  Do you have any fun floral ideas pinned yet from our blog hop?  Make sure to save them for later. Here are some shopping links for your convenience below.

I would love it if you subscribed at the top of the page in order to receive my weekly emails of all my latest posts and to receive my monthly calendars and freebies.  You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to see what I’m up to in creating a home and lifestyle of inspiration!

Now, please continue on to see what my friend Amy at Crazy Chic Design has in store for you!  And don’t forget to stop by each of my fabulous friends joining me today to see what they share!

Happy Happy Nester |  Citrine Living | Crazy Chic Design | Styled With Lace | Inspired By Charm
Maison de Cinq | Meme Hill | 2 Ladies and a Chair | Lindsay-Hill Interiors | Dwellings by Devore |
Oscar Bravo Home | 

xoxo,

The post How To Create A Fruit And Floral Arrangement appeared first on Summer Adams.

Do you need ideas to style your home for Spring? My friends and I are sharing 14 different ways today so get ready to start pinning and being inspired!  Spring is less than a week away!

Welcome to all of you coming from Maison de Cinq!  I recently met Sheila at the Design Bloggers Conference (more on that coming soon, I promise) and can I just tell you….she is as lovely and as sweet as she appears on her blog!  Sheila is just a genuine, talented, beautiful and kind soul and I adore her!  I’m sure you know that by now and I’m sure you loved her Spring tips as much as I did!  Welcome, once again, to all my regular readers and I’m so glad you’re here!

Just 2 days ago, I shared how I styled my master bedroom and dining room for Spring and refreshened it a bit.  You can read all about it HERE!  Today, I’m sharing with you my kitchen and nook decor for the Spring.

You may notice that I’m using a certain color throughout the entire downstairs of my home.  I’ll be sharing my family room and living room on another day and you’ll see even more of this color.  Here’s a hint…it was chosen as Pantone’s color of the year.  Yep!  Green!  I just love it so much.  It says “rebirth” and “fresh” and “new” and “alive” to me, when I think of everything blossoming and growing once again.  So I brought that feeling inside.

I’ve been trying to keep more fresh fruit and veggies readily available to my kids (washed and cleaned) so that they’ll just grab it and go, instead of a packaged snack.  These delicious green apples double for decor too in that lovely gold bowl.  If you remember, I shared how I added gold and brass to my kitchen last year.  So another pretty pop of gold, besides the bowl, is this cute little teacup with gold polkadots.

I happened to have some fresh white roses and baby’s breath in another room so I stole just a little from that other arrangement.  With some plant food, it stayed gorgeous like this for over a week!  Crazy right?!  I was thrilled.  It’s so fun to use what you have.  Just look around you!

And if you have been following along with me for a while, you know I love my Dirty Diet Cokes, which call for limes.  So I always have those on hand and thought I’d wash and clean them and have them ready to go in a pretty apothecary jar.

When the roses on that kitchen nook table (previous picture above) finally died, I decided I would do something I did HERE when I wanted to keep peonies around all year long.  My friends from AFLORAL were kind enough to send me some gorgeous faux stems and this gorgeous antique gold floral urn to create a fabulous faux floral arrangement.  Why?  I knew I had a LOT of traveling going on this spring and I didn’t want to keep buying fresh flowers every week, just to turn around and hop on another plane and come home a few days later to dead flowers.  I love my husband and children.  But they do NOT understand that you have to look after your blooms.

Afloral sent me some seeded eucalyptus hanging spray stems so I put them in the floral foam brick, hanging off the sides.

I also used wisteria bushes and had them hanging over the sides.  They’re so pretty!

I added ranunculus stems,

I added some lovely gardenia sprays,

and I also used a few mini white peony bushes to use for a great filler.  I just cut them the sizes they needed to be and stuck them in the foam brick.

Isn’t it gorgeous?!  So, about 45 minutes after I was finished with it, a friend dropped by to borrow an ingredient she was in need of for her dinner.  Her jaw dropped when she saw these and said from across the room, “Did you husband send you that?  Wow that’s gorgeous!”  I told her that he had not and to go take a closer look.  She touched them and said, “I can’t believe it!  They are faux!”  That’s right.  And that’s exactly why I wanted to order from Afloral because they weren’t your grandma’s “fake flowers”.  Their faux real-touch and silk flowers (and dried) are all so gorgeous, as are their trays and vessels.  I highly recommend them!  This arrangement makes such a statement and brings life to my little kitchen nook.

Just to the right of my little round table is that cute vintage tea cart that I decided to keep in the nook.  This little nook needs all the fun it can get!

I usually keep a Hot Cocoa Station on it during the Fall and Winter.  But now that it’s Spring, it’s the perfect place for guests to come and help themselves to some tea, sparkling water, make an italian soda, and enjoy a few sweets.  You know I usually have something fresh coming out of the oven to put on that cake stand, right?!

Well, I’m thinking it’s the perfect time for some Lemon Cream Cupcakes maybe?

Or possibly this delicious Coconut Cake that I shared with you last Easter?  Or Coconut French Macarons?  (Oh gracious, I should NOT blog about desserts when I’m this hungry.)  There are so many favorites.  I suppose I’ll just have to bake them all!  Just not in one week or you’ll see this blog turn into a “how to lose weight” blog haha.

Thanks to Afloral for sending me such fabulous stems and that gorgeous vessel!  I’ll be sharing a couple of other things they sent me next week!  Here are some other pieces from my home (or similar items) that you may have seen in this post and I’m linking them below for your convenience.

(AFFILIATE LINKS USED BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN)

I would love it if you subscribed at the top of the page in order to receive my weekly emails of all my latest posts.  You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to see what I’m up to in creating a home and lifestyle of inspiration!

I’ll be sharing more of my home this Spring next week, but for now…hop on over to my dear friend Tamara at Citrine Living!  You’re in for a treat because Tam is not only beautiful and kind but she has impeccable taste and her home is so lovely.  You probably won’t want to leave BUT make sure you do eventually because these other fabulous blogger friends of mine are waiting for you to visit their homes as well.

MemeHill | CrazyChicDesign | DwellingsByDevore | KnowHowSheDoesIt
HappyHappyNester | 2LadiesAndAChair | LindsayHillInteriors | StyledWithLace
HomeAndFabulous | InspiredByCharm| OscarBravoHome | MaisonDeCinq | Citrine Living

xoxo,

The post 14 Ideas For Styling Your Home At Spring appeared first on Summer Adams.

I returned home to Dallas last week from Los Angeles, where I attended the Design Bloggers Conference (more on that later), to find that my trees in the yard were all blooming. Spring! It’s arriving! I couldn’t be more excited! So today I’m sharing with you a few things I’m doing to “freshen up my home” for the spring in this Spring Home Tour, sponsored by our friends at Annie Selke.

For those of you coming from Shabbyfufu, welcome! Isn’t Janet’s home so dreamy?! It always feels magical when I’m visiting her beautiful home through her blog. I hope you’re pinning away and feeling inspired. Welcome back to all my regular readers and I’m so glad that you come often to share ideas!

Ok, so there are a few things I do in the spring to “freshen up” my home.

Let’s head into my master bedroom.  First, I give everything a good wash, right down to the mattress cover.  I vacuum all our mattresses with the hand-held attachment on my vacuum and then I steam the mattresses (I used to do it once a month but then I had kids and now I do it once a quarter, ha) to kill any dust mites.  I take out any fur rugs or throw blankets and substitute them for something lighter.

I normally have a large, heavier quilt on the end of my bed, that we like to snuggle up with if we’re not getting all the way into the bed and under the sheets. Instead, I replaced it with this gorgeous WRUFFLE IVORY MATELASSÉ THROW from Annie Selke’s Pinecone Hill.

I love the light knit and the lovely crochet trim around the edges. It’s the perfect pretty throw blanket I needed here for the spring and summer and I love its vintage charm.  I also do something else….I pull out my open-toed slippers.  You may find it odd, but I can not walk barefoot on our floors downstairs.  They are just so hard on my feet and I know it’s bad and dries them out too.  But I don’t like my heavy, warm slippers I use in the winter.  So these are just the perfect pair.  Aren’t they just the prettiest house slippers?!

I also replaced the other boudoir pillow I had on the bed for this WRUFFLE IVORY MATELASSÉ DECORATIVE PILLOW from Annie Selke that matches the throw perfectly. I like it so much better.  It is the thickest, softest pillow and I love the waffle weave texture.  I love relaxing against it when I’m reading to the kids.

Both the quilt and the pillow are from Annie Selke’s new Artisanal Collection that Annie is calling her “or•glam•ic” line.  How cute is that?!  Organic with a little glam….right up my alley!

In Texas, it just doesn’t get cold enough to use flannel or heavier sheets in the fall and winter.  But if you use them where you live, now is the time to get out your crisp cotton sheets and put them on the beds and put the others away.


If you visited my master bedroom recently from my Updated Vanity and Master Bedroom Tour, you saw this lovely vanity I switched out from the previous one.  In the spring, I often have fresh flowers here.  Just not today, as we are traveling a bit.  But I do switch out any of my body sprays or lotions for lighter floral scents and toss any perfumes that I am not using or liking or smell a little old.  They don’t last forever, ya know!

In that same post, I was still looking for a pair of matching chairs to put on either side of this little French provincial end table. I’m still looking for that perfect pair, but until then I decided to bring these two vintage chairs upstairs and put them here.  It’s so pretty with the sunlight coming in, I had to have a place to sit.  And let’s try to pretend that Josh doesn’t throw his clothes on them at the end of the day (cringe).  Haha!  I know I’m not alone in this…right, ladies?

One, I found at a garage sale for less than $50 and it was a hot mess. It was mustard yellow worn velvet with a TON of cat hair all over it. Painting the edges white and recovering it with linen was a labor of love but well worth it. A good friend actually saw it in her neighbor’s yard sale and texted me a picture and told me I had to have it. I agreed. This was back in Waco and was the last thing I purchased there before we move to Vegas. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we’ve moved a lot for my husband’s job in the last 5 years. (Ruffle throw blanket sold HERE in my online shoppe.)

This other chair was my Great Aunt Wanda’s and she gave it to me when I got married before she passed. Oh how I just loved her! But I didn’t love the bright red velvet and dark trim so much. So I had a friend’s father reupholster it (back when we lived in Waco) and I painted the wood as well. I’m so happy with the way it turned out.

The chairs may not be matching, but that’s okay. I think it gives this room a little more character and they are pieces that I love and have sentimental value.

Let’s move on to the Dining Room…I love love love fresh flowers.

These gorgeous hyacinths were a bunch that I purchased at Trader Joe’s right before leaving to Beverly Hills for the Design Bloggers Conference. They had a variety of colors so I bought the pink, fuchsia, and darker purple. I had every intention of arranging them in something beautiful, but while waiting to arrange them, they sat in this lovely white marble pitcher overnight and just sort of stayed there. I thought they looked so pretty that I didn’t want to disturb them.  It doesn’t have to be fancy to be pretty, right?!

Once they passed on to flower heaven (which was by the time I returned from my trip because no one in my house knows how to take care of flowers but me haha), I decided to move a few of my {many} mercury glass candlesticks into the dining room and put them on the center of the table. But they seemed to be a bit dull and I wanted to liven them up.

I’m using green a lot in my home this spring.  You’ll see more of that on Wednesday and next week in some fun upcoming posts.  I remembered loving some gorgeous candle wreaths from Magnolia Market that I used in one of my Christmas Dinner Tables, so I decided to make a little spring version set.

All I did was grab a few bunches of pretty faux boxwood stems and used a little floral wire to connect 3 pieces together in a circle, at 4 different spots (1/2 inch long at each spot).  I covered the wire with a little floral tape and voila! Easy peasy!  All 3 took me about 2o minutes and definitely brings a bit of spring to these pretty candlesticks.

Last week, I shared how you could have peonies all year long. Did you get to visit and read that post? If not, you can click HERE.  I love flowers all year long in my home, be it fresh or faux. But I believe everyone should enjoy flowers around your home in the spring time. Peonies are my favorite. What are yours?  I have a special place for these beauties so stay tuned!

Well, there are a few ideas for now to get you started and ease into Spring.  Freshen up your bedroom with some new bedding options for spring and take care of those mattresses!  Change up your furniture to keep things “fresh” and different without buying all new furniture.  And bring some floral, fresh or faux, and place them around the home.  I think you can do it, don’t you?!  Here are some shopping links I’ve included below, for your convenience.

(affiliate links used but all opinions are my own)

I’ll be bringing you several other tips in the next couple of weeks, along with some yummy recipes so make sure and stay tuned. I would love it if you subscribed at the top of the page in order to receive my weekly emails of all my latest posts.  You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to see what I’m up to in creating a home and lifestyle of inspiration!

Now, please head on over to my dear friend Tanya at A Darling Daydream to see what she’s sharing with you this Spring.  I just know you’ll just fall in love with her home and never want to leave!  And please make sure to visit my 3 other ridiculously talented friends as well to see what they are sharing with you today!  We love sharing our new favorite Annie Selke goodies and our spring ideas with you!

ShabbyFufu    StylehouseInteriors    ThePinkDream   A Darling Daydream

See you soon!

xoxo,

The post Spring Home Tour with Annie Selke appeared first on Summer Adams.

Spring is upon us and I can hardly wait!  As I’ve put away all things Valentines and started freshening up my home for Spring, I knew I wanted a new wreath for the front door.  I searched the internet and went to all the well-known home decor stores and came up with nothing!  Everything I saw was either very fake and cheesy-looking OR decent but way overpriced.  I knew what I wanted so I decided to make my own.  Here’s how to make a faux boxwood and magnolia wreath!

Materials:
(5) stems faux boxwood
(1) faux magnolia flower stem
(1) round branch wreath
Hot glue gun
Wire cutters

I love boxwood but preserved boxwood on my front door would only be exposed to the sun and other elements and turn that ugly olive green and be quickly ruined.  I decided to use faux boxwood stems BUT I had to find pretty ones and not the cheap plastic kind.  I went to Michael’s because I like their stems the most and I love all of their new basic stems they just started carrying.  I think faux eucalyptus would be so lovely as well!

These lovely, lighter boxwood were perfect and they were not at all super plastic-looking.  They were on sale for 40% so that was a bonus.  I was trying to make this wreath for a fraction of what I’d seen in other stores.  I wasn’t interested in the $80 wreaths I kept seeing all day when I was out shopping.

I also LOVE magnolia flowers.  I see magnolia trees everywhere here in Dallas and I have always loved them, so I knew I wanted to add one. But again, I had to find a real-touch magnolia stem that was high-quality and really pretty.

I also found this one at Michael’s and got if for 40% off.

I had a round branch wreath already that I found at a garage sale for 50 cents but you can find them for $5 at any craft store (or less with a coupon).

Cut the stems off with your wire cutter and start sticking them down in between the branches, working your way around the wreath (I went counter-clockwise, or to the right).  Make sure to cut a couple of inches below the last stem so that you can really stick it all the way into the wreath.

Once you’ve gotten all the way around, leave a small empty spot for your magnolia stem.  Cut it short and take off the 2 leaves that are further down the stem.  Use hot glue to attach them to that bottom left corner or wherever you’d like to place it.  Continue around the wreath with your hot glue, AFTER you’ve decided that you like where you’ve placed all the stems, and just add little dobs of glue where the stem is tucked into the wreath.

You don’t need the hot glue for all the faux boxwood if this wreath is going inside but because this is going outside, I wanted to protect it from the elements and make sure it was secure.

I placed my wreath on a pretty door hanger and I just love it!

It’s simple but elegant and welcoming.  I really love the stems and don’t feel like it looks fake and cheap.  The total cost for me was about $23 because I already had wire cutters, hot glue gun, and the $5 wreath. Again, if I hadn’t already had the wreath it would’ve only cost me a couple more dollars but the other store wreaths I looked at were $80 so I’m very pleased with the money I saved AND I truly like this wreath better than the others I’d seen.

Here are the supplies and shopping links if you want to order these items from the comfort of your home.

Wreath Door Hangers:

Front Door Mats:

Urn Planters:

If you loved this idea but do NOT want to make your own wreath, here are some lovely options:

I’m so glad you stopped by and stay tuned for lots of fun Spring decor ideas over the next few weeks that I’ll be sharing!

I would love it if you subscribed at the top of the page in order to receive my weekly emails of all my latest posts.  You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to see what I’m up to in creating a home and lifestyle of inspiration!  See you soon!

xoxo,

*affiliate links used

The post How To Make A Faux Boxwood & Magnolia Wreath appeared first on Summer Adams.

Depending on where you are living, you either have another month or two of brutal weather OR it’ll be slowly warming up.  We are still living in Dallas, so we are enjoying weather in the 70’s and all I can think about is Spring weather and blossoms blooming.  That also means that I’ll be putting away scarves and boots and thinking about spring fashion.  I love fabulous skirts so I wanted to share with you some pretty skirts for the spring…and summer too!

Let me start by sharing this most adorable Black & White Striped A-line Skirt that just arrived to My Shoppe online this weekend.  It’s so versatile that you can actually wear it in any season.  But I do love it for this Spring and Summer.  Not only can you wear it with a black or white top, but you can wear it with any bright, bold-colored top.

How fabulous are these A-line midi skirts?!  The prices are fabulous as well.

Don’t these pretty skirts just make you so excited for Spring and Summer?!  Just thinking of putting on any of these skirts with cute heel sandals, strands of pretty pearls, light floral perfumes, and a little pink lipstick….it just makes me all giddy!  Of course, I have the most fabulous selection of jewelry and accessories found in My Online Shoppe for you to choose from and I’m always adding new items.  I just selected some fabulous necklaces for spring and summer. So…go away, cold temperatures!  Bring on the sunshine and lovely weather, pretty please!  Happy shopping!

xoxo,

*affiliate links used

The post Pretty Skirts To Wear This Spring appeared first on Summer Adams.

Hello friends! This week I am joining another group of bloggers for the One Room Spring Tour.  There will be all different styles to bring you an ABUNDANCE of inspiration for your home this Spring.  Our team of 25 bloggers have been broken up (into 5 groups of 5) and one group will be sharing a different area every day of the week.  Today, I am a part of the group sharing our entry ways!  So let me just say “Welcome to my home!  And thank you for coming!”

We are moving from Vegas back home to Texas in 2 weeks and I may or may not have taken care of any of my plants (gasp) and so I went for faux tulips and this lovely spring wreath from  Home Goods.  This darling sign was something I found at Ross yeeeaaars ago and flipped over the side that said “welcome” to personalize it with our family name and est. date.  It’s been such a fun piece at our entrance all these years.
This adorable metal chair was found at TaiPan Trading and I love that I can use it outside.  Grabbing a galvanized pail and adding faux tulips is a very inexpensive and easy way to bring Spring to your front door.  I would love to add more color if I wasn’t relocating soon, but the bright white tulips are welcoming and cheery and do just the trick!  I do miss topiaries and ferns though at my front door.  I can never get enough of greenery.

I found that stone fleur de lis in the gardening section of Hobby Lobby and I have moved it around and used it both in and outside.  It’s been a fun and versatile/durable piece.  We’ve also had this rubber initial mat from Ballard Designs for years (similar one sold now here).  In The South, we loooove anything monogramed or initialed ;-p  I like making a statement at our front door.  I want it to reflect my style and tell you just a snippet about who lives here.
It’s simple.  In the next house I’ll do more but for now it’s just right.  Come with me into my entry…

When we first moved into this home, I noticed immediately to my left that there was an arched alcove cut out in the wall.  To me, this screams “interior design nightmare”.  It was not esthetically beautiful and I really wanted to wave a magic wand and make it disappear.  So I got to thinking…and thinking…and browsing Pinterest for ideas.  Then a friend that I follow on Instagram shared her hall tree that she made and I knew that was my answer!  I took measurements, drew up some plans, and went to my saw.  Read here for my detailed instructions and how my DIY Hall Tree came to be!  The alcove was very tall and so I went a bit taller than I normally would have so that I could cover it all.  But it worked! (grey entry mat from Target)

I love coming home from a crazy, busy day to a soothing and calming environment like my home.  My neutral colors that I’ve chosen help create that easy-going vibe that I crave.  Then, I can add pops of color when desired.  But one element I just LOVE all throughout my home is boxwood and it brings that vibrant green, especially in the spring, that I adore.  It brings life and color to any space and such a great choice even if you don’t have a green thumb.  Just spray your boxwoods with a spray bottle every other week and they’ll stay green for a long, long time.  This set from Home Goods also has that cute chicken wire basket to hold the 3 small boxwood plants, which goes perfectly with my rustic/farmstyle entry.  I tend to mix that style throughout my home.

Even this large faux boxwood topiary (from Home Goods) is a great accent to this space to not only add more greenery but it also plugs in and can be lit for evening guests.

This bench was one of my MANY fun finds while living in Waco, Texas a few year ago….just out junkin’ one day.  A little TLC with some paint and recovering the top with linen (on sale at Hobby Lobby) transformed this little piece into something much more beautiful and the perfect size for this hall tree.  Not to mention, it’s perfect for more storage that I needed downstairs. (Home pillow from Home Goods and pom pom pillow from H&M.)  Hydrangeas are so pretty and full and easy to use, even one at a time in just a little bottle (from Hobby Lobby).  I use them to accent all over my home this time of year.

What else happens a lot during the spring?  You guessed it…”April showers bring May flowers!”  Ok, maybe not as typical here in the Vegas desert….but it certainly has been raining the last few days. I like keeping a pair of Hunter Boots (I have them in several colors and they are one of my most favorite things) right next to the door.  That way, I always have them when I need them and they double as darling decor.  Adding some more faux hydrangeas to the tops of the boots give it that fun spring look.

EVERY ENTRY WAY should have a mirror!  Why?  Oh…ya know….you’re busy at home and the doorbell rings and you are NOT expecting anyone.  But you run to the door. That mirror?  Your saving grace!  Make sure you’re not going to frighten anyone away! haha  And this one from Rod Works was just so cute and had a cute rustic, vintage style that went perfectly next to my hall tree.  And if you remember my front door wreath, it’s just a larger version of this small one on my hall tree hook (both from Home Goods, hooks from Hobby Lobby).  I liked that it flowed together well, being that you open my front door and it almost touches my hall tree.

I found this adorable crowned bird at Rod Works and I made this “nest” sign from my online shoppe.  Nothing says spring like birds and nests and floral and greenery and natural elements.  They are some of my very favorite things to decorate with this time of year.  They make a home welcoming and comfortable and cheery.

Thank you so much for stopping by our little nest today!  I hope you found something inspiring while visiting!

Please go next and visit my friend Kathleen at Lindsay Hill Interiors and see her fabulous entry!

Below is the list and also schedule of all the creative bloggers you can visit during the tour for more home design and styling tips this Spring!  I promise, they won’t disappoint and I just know you’ll leave inspired!

Monday, April 11th – Front Door/Porch
Emily – Eleven Gables
Trinity – c.1934
Courtney – The Hamby Home
Wendy – Life on the Shady Grove
Becky – This is Happiness

Tuesday, April 12th – Entryway/Foyer
Sarah – Life on Virginia Street
Summer – She Leaves A Little Sparkle
Kathleen – Lindsay Hill Interiors
Shannon – Fox Hollow Cottage
Randi – Randi Garrett Design

Wednesday, April 13th – Living Room
Erin – Sunnyside Up
Alma – Almafied
Oscar – Oscar Bravo Home
Ashley – House of Five
Megan – It’s a Grandville Life

Thursday, April 14st – Kitchen
Brittany – Dutchess of York
Annie – Zevy Joy
Marg & Liz – Fancy Farm Girls
Kelley – Kelley Nan
Rachel – Maybe Matilda

Friday, April 15th – Dining Room
Kris – Driven By Décor
Allison – A House and A Dog
Tamara – Citrine Living
Kendra – Momtique
Haneen – Haneens Haven

Enjoy! xoxo, Summer

The post Spring Into My Home appeared first on Summer Adams.

Oh how I just love this time of year! I captured these blossoming almond trees on the way to meet our friends in California at the beach house and had to stop and capture the magical beauty of it all. I wish I could have just brought it with me back home and enjoyed it there as well. But our homes don’t have to be dull or dreary after all of our back-to-back holidays over the last 6 months. What do you do after putting away the easter baskets and bunnies? Brightening up your home at spring and giving it some small attention is easy and can cost you little to nothing, depending on the decor you might have throughout your home (and hiding in closets, like me…ha!). Here are some changes I have made that gave me just that “refreshed” feeling our little nest needed.

First and foremost, I just LOVE entertaining and having friends over! I feel like the table is the heart of our home. It’s where I share my favorite dishes with my family (I enjoy cooking for them so much) and it’s where we have the best conversations after a long day. And I equally LOVE coming up with a new tablescape so I decided to do something a little more creative and really have some fun. This is one that has been in my head for months and I couldn’t wait for a chance to do it. I needed just the right season. And this, it is!

My starting point was the floral. Easy since I’ve worked fresh flowers into my grocery budget on a weekly basis. I highly recommend this as it gives such a sense of life in your home and natural beauty. As long as you change the water and add plant food throughout the week, they will last and last. You may not even need to buy them sooner than every 10 days. {One tip: Keep your house temp low! Being too conservative with your air conditioning and temperatures rising will cause your flowers to wilt and die more quickly. Always test your AC as you come into spring so you know that it’s working properly. If it isn’t you can get air conditioning repair Lynchburg before the hot weather hits and your flowers suffer!}

I love having a simple, beautiful white plate. The “charger” idea was actually inspired by something I saw Joanna Gaines do last fall so I decided to make it my own and more affordable. I went to Michaels Craft Store and grabbed 4 summer garlands that were all green with these tiny white blossoms. Each garland is long enough to make two chargers (wreaths). I cut them in half and connected the ends (each end has a plastic circle that you can insert the opposite end through). It creates a circle, looking like a wreath, and you simply place the plate on top. I found these adorable mini chalkboard paddle boards at Rod Works (also shop them here or here) and created individual chalk art on each one. All 8 of them only took 30 minutes (I’m NO artist) but it was fun!

Each of my messages were about eating but you could also create holiday greetings and art, write down your menu, or write your guests’ names on it as a place card.

I grabbed one of my tree trunk slices (found here) and a bouquet of faux spring flowers I’ve had for a few years now and created a smaller arrangement next to my gorgeous larger (fresh) arrangement. They complimented each other perfectly and gave the table more dimension. Loving the natural elements!

You can grab ” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>paper dinner napkins or ” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>linen dinner napkins for that crisp, clean look. I thought a little ribbon tied around the silverware would give another fun touch to the table. Since I’m a stripe-lover, this kiwi-striped ribbon was just the perfect choice!

Doesn’t all of this greenery and floral shout “IT’S SPRING!” to you?!! My dining table never looked so cheerful! Now, I wouldn’t be a very good hostess if I invited you to my table and didn’t share something delicious with you! This green bean dish is my family’s favorite and tastes too good to be good for you!
Here’s the recipe for my Sweet & Savory Green Beans:

5 pieces of bacon
1/2 small sweet onion, chopped
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 lb. green beans
1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Add chopped onion to bacon fat and cook until clear. Add the vinegar, sugar and salt to onions. Stir and make sure sugar is completely resolved. Add green beans to pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain water and add beans to onion mixture. Crumble bacon on top to serve. If you desire, add slivered almonds as well before serving. Bon appétit! {Don’t forget to pin and save for later!}
Let’s run upstairs to one of my so-called “problem areas” in my home. I have a wide hallway leading to the side of the house where my children’s bedrooms and my office are located. On one side, I have a lovely armoire (in the middle of a transformation and will be shared soon) and on the adjacent side….this little bend. It’s had several things hung on this little wall space. But it doesn’t get barely any natural sunlight (which makes it difficult to photograph well) and such a “blah” area. Especially now that spring is here, I wanted to brighten it up. I’m loving all the framed botanical prints out there so I found some free prints online and printed them out on cardstock and added them to these gorgeous beaded frames with matting (only $14 on clearance at Michaels….score!!). They turned out perfectly.
I knew just what last little touch it needed….a small end or console table or plant stand. Home Goods just happened to have this lovely piece with gold legs and marble top. I grabbed my large glass bottle from Hobby Lobby I already had and some faux spring branches and voila! The perfect little vignette that brought this dark and dreary space to life and a touch of spring to the upstairs level.

Other ways to brighten up your home and incorporate touches of spring can be….
Use decor pieces with green vine, moss, boxwood, etc. to create small vignettes. I bought this adorable moss basket a few years ago and combined it with a small nest (also already had in my stash) as well as one (of many) birds in my decor closet. A subtle but fresh and cheerful addition to my fireplace hearth.

From across the room, a simple spring wreath brightens up any space and can be the perfect floral accent if you don’t care to run out and buy those fresh flowers.

While I’m a neutral-lover, I thought I’d experiment and bring out new pillows with gentle pops of color in all 3 corners of our sectional (outside pillows found at TJ Maxx, pom pom pillow from H&M, sofa from Macy’s). While I love my beiges and greys mixed with some aqua, it will take some getting used to! I do think it livened up this family gathering spot though. I love changing out accent pillows for each season/holiday. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to transform your room. While sticking with neutrals, changing the pillows and a few pieces of decor can allow you to experiment with many different color schemes and styles.

Those that know me well and come for a visit also know that I will probably have something special awaiting them My vintage tea cart (found several years ago in Waco, TX) is the perfect place for serving refreshments for guests (or a hot cocoa bar in the winter here or even used for a summer garden party here). My latest obsession? Macarons! My daughter and I make them frequently and they are just the perfect size to satisfy your sweet tooth. (aqua goblets from HomeGoods)

I grabbed yet another wood slice, placed it on top of my jade cake stand and then added my floral arrangement. I love how an inexpensive bouquet of flowers from the supermarket can be clipped and arranged to make a completely different centerpiece.

I’m so delighted you could stop by and visit! I hope you leave feeling inspired and ready to freshen up your own home. Please visit these 13 other FABULOUS friends of mine whose blogs will make you swoon as they share some other ways to bring touches of spring into your home! Click on their links below!

xoxo, Summer

The post Brightening Up Your Home At Spring appeared first on Summer Adams.