February is my least favorite month.
I always get a little depressed with all the browns and empty trees and early sunsets and this month we’ve had rain forever which does not help.
It’s the perfect time for me to add a touch of spring to our home to help offset the doldrums.
Adding spring to your home doesn’t have to mean a trip to the craft store for ceramic bunnies and birds, and doesn’t have to wait until the temperatures in your town warm up.
It’s more about a fresh state of mind and remembering that winter is slowly losing her grip, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
In nature, God moves from winter into spring slowly, one bloom at a time.
His movement is daily, tiny, almost invisible, it only seems sudden if we aren’t paying attention.
Spring comes in three baby steps forward, two frigid steps back.
One day the daffodils pop up, the next day it snows.
One day you see your breath on your walk, the next day, you have to tie your jacket around your waist.
One day you realize the sun is still streaming through your front doors at 5:30 when it used to already be set beyond the horizon and you realize daylight savings time is less than 20 days away!
You can celebrate the small changes in the air by making small changes in your home.
Here’s what I do:
1. Edit Out
The first thing I do is walk around my house and if anything is blatantly, heavily winter that I’m done using or looking at, I’ll remove it and pack it away.
For me, this past week it was my brown plaid wool throw, a few fur pelts, a musky, wintery candle, a brown decorative box, a wooden container and a really heavy throw.
I store the throws upstairs on a shelf in the closet with other seasonal throws and pillow covers. Together they take up about one shelf, not much at all.
2. Shop the House First (not the stores)
This is my favorite part. I just walk around looking in drawers, in my seasonal closet shelf, through my decorative dishes and pull out anything that currently feels a little spring-like.
This year blue is calling my name, so I pulled out two blue throws (both found second hand a few years ago) a few denim pillow covers, some blue and white dishes and boxes, blue and white dishtowels (more here and here), a blue tassel, striped candles and a gardenia scented candle that smells like spring to me.
I also picked up a few little new plants at Trader Joes, along with some fresh cut forsythia. Amen.
Another way I like to add low commitment seasonal color is simply by shopping my own bookshelves. I pulled out my favorite blue Hymnal and one of my all time favorite home books: The Perfectly Imperfect Home.
Emily Lex’s new book Freely and Lightly adds a springy lighthearted feel with its striped spine. I’m reading it now and it looks darling opened up to just about any page because of the watercolor art she created.
Same with Christy Nockles new book The Life You Long For — it’s the perfect spring read and looks lovely sitting on the coffee table. Decorating with books is so fun and easy and free!
3. Sprinkle Found Items Around The House
Lastly I simply add some found blues, books, textiles and plants to little areas around the house. No pressure, all joy.
I’ve had those big off white 24 inch corner/anchor pillows on the sofa through three seasons so far, and they continue to work so I played around with one of my throws and added a blue pillow for a little freshness.
I think it’s fun to mix it up and try different combinations.
To add an overall spring feeling to the family room on a way too gloomy Saturday, I searched “sky clouds” on youtube and let those clouds roll by on the TV all afternoon.
It’s almost impossible to photograph unless I mess with the settings, but I promise I had fluffy clouds floating across our television for a few hours while listening to my spring playlist and it was some kind of healing.
Of course I still purchase items from time to time for my seasonal home. One of the main things I like to have around are plants/branches/flowers and their containers.
EVERY plant deserves a container companion, like a planter or vase–ideally something you can use year round.
I’m currently obsessed with Zulily (apologies) so here are a few links for containers from them if you’re in need (affiliate links used).
Containers:
Hanging Glass vases
Polka dot vase
Striped seagrass vase
Head planter
Seagrass basket set
I like to find spring plants from Trader Joes, local nurseries, cut from the yard, or order online: Zulily even has plants for sale online.
If you would like more simple spring resources, I wrote an entire book about seasonal decorating and hosting called Welcome Home (currently 40% off).
Or, maybe you’d rather take a quick, beautiful, visual class (less than an hour) where I talk you through more spring ideas and having a mindset like a Cozy Minimalist?
For the next week the Cozy Minimalist Celebrates Spring Class is 50% off with code : WINTERINTOSPRING (will also work for 50% off the season pass!).
Click here to read all about the class, click here for a direct link to purchase with the code applied. It’s a fun class to watch with your mom or kids and will motivate you to add simple spring supplies to your home.