Thursday Thirteen - 13 Ways to Bring Spring Indoors

Thursday Thirteen.com
I am so very, very tired of Winter!
Let's find a way (thirteen of them) to turn this thing around.

1. One of my favorite ways to invite spring indoors is by pruning small branches from the trees and bushes, putting them in vases inside and "forcing" them into an early bloom. Yellow witch hazel, forsythia, honeysuckle, white spiria and pussywillows all work very well for this project.

Prune your branches (about 15"). Trim off any leaves or shoots that will fall beneath the water line in the vase. Crush the bottom couple of inches of each branch with a hammer and place them in the vase with warm water. It may take a couple of weeks for the leaves and flowers to appear, but it's worth it.

2. The department and grocery stores have a nice array of potted dutch bulbs and flowering plants this time of year. (everyone is hungry for spring color!) If you are blessed with a room with lots of light try these for your floral display.

3. Limited light where you are? Don't give up on the idea of indoor greenery - try shade growing plants. Snake plant, peace lilies, one of the varieties of diffenbachia, flowering impatiens all do well in low light.

4. Grow a container of grass to create a spring garden diorama. Lots of fun for an Easter display, adding mini eggs, bunnies and chicks and it couldn't be easier. Simply fill a shallow basket or container with potting soil and sprinkle on the grass seed. Press the seed down lightly into the soil. You'll have grass in a few days - in a couple of weeks you'll be trimming it with a pair of scissors!

5. Just don't like the idea of fussing with live plants? A trip to the dollar store will yield "silk" ivy garlands, bunches of daisies, tulips and other spring flowers. Lots of color for a buck or two.

6. While you're at the dollar store, look around for other ways to add spring color - how about replacing your coffee mugs with ones in a lighter, brighter hue?

7. Take down your heavy curtains and drape the windows with gauzy fabric instead. Find it in the sale bin at the fabric store or go treasure hunting at a rummage sale or thrift shop.

8. Back at the dollar store, buy spring hand towels and pot holders for the kitchen.

9. Don't forget placemats or a sparkling runner for your table.

10. Change your bedding to sheets and pillow cases in soft pastels or floral prints.

11. Use large napkins or tea towels in those same pastels or floral prints to sew new slipcovers for your sofa pillows.

12. Save some pretty bottles and jars to fill with colored water. Set them on a sunny windowsill and watch the rainbow.

13. Don't forget to do some spring cleaning and decluttering to make room for the new spring energy to come flooding in! Visit my website for some great cleaning and decluttering strategies...