Decorating for Spring and Using What You Already Have

Hi there!  I hope you are all well and managing to get through this time of crisis in our country. About a week and a half ago, when most of Massachusetts schools were closing down and we were asked to be careful and stay at home as much as possible, I decided to create a countdown calendar to mark the days until April 7th.  This was when the schools were supposed to re-open and life might go back to normal. Well, the school opening date has since changed and we now have a Stay-at-Home order in place.  The schools will be closed until May 4th but, the stay-at-home date has, so far, remained the same. I am pretty sure that I am wishful thinking when I believe that date will not change but, I am going to stay optimistic anyway! I thought the visual tool of a calendar would help me see progress as the days passed by and, in some ways, it has. Thirteen days have passed since I created the calendar~

I have tried to make notations on each day just to keep some kind of record.  The first day, as you can see, was the day Tom Brady announced he would be leaving New England.  A very sad day in our part of the country.  It seems kind of trivial now but, it was sad, nonetheless.

But, my little calendar has served me well and it is helping me see the light at the end of the tunnel.

One of my goals during this time was to do some spring decorating.  I have to be honest and tell you that I have been somewhat stymied in this effort because my husband, Tom, has taken over the family room for his "office" and I have taken over the dining room table with a puzzle.  Those two areas are ones that I would normally have fully decorated so, I have had to seek out other places in my home to dress up.

 One area I was able to decorate was the living room hearth. Tom brought home this lovely houseplant from his office for well-keeping.  I truly could not believe how healthy this plant was!  It has grown four times its size since I purchased it for his office a while ago.  My only fear is that I will kill it before he is able to go back to work. I, unfortunately, have the habit of killing houseplants :/.

In the meantime, the plant was a welcome addition to the décor of the living room. It filled up an empty spot on the hearth very nicely.

It was the starting point for changing up the décor of the hearth.

I took down the painting that hung above the fireplace and replaced it with a wreath I had used last spring.  It appears that using what we already have may become the rule of thumb with all that is going on.

I found two different bows that I had previously made, stuck them together and then tucked some silk flowers around the bows to enhance the look a little bit.

The look is pretty simple but, I have been decorating in white lately with winter and all.  Adding touches of green and blue has been a pleasant gradual change.

I took out an old silk flower arrangement I made years ago and put it on my somewhat newly painted buffet.  I thought the colors of the arrangement and the buffet complimented each other well.

I added a few new decorating changes here and there around the living room, too. (Still using items I already owned)

The other area of the house that I could decorate unencumbered was my nifty set of shelves in the kitchen.  They never photograph well and I am sure some of you are wondering why I am always sharing them.  You'll have to believe me when I tell you that they look better in person :).  I enjoy looking at them while eating my breakfast.

 This spring, since I am using my old stuff, I decided to heck with worrying about what is in style and wondering if my stuff is too old to be relevant.  I used items that I thought looked good and brought me joy.  Some of the pieces I haven't used in years but including them has brought back some happy memories for me.

 For instance, my mother gave me this painted wood shingle many, many years ago when I owned a Victorian house.  Since I now own a contemporary home I have found it hard to find a good spot for it.  Well, this year it has landed on these shelves.  My mother commissioned a local Cape Cod artist to paint homes/buildings that had special meaning to me.  I wish I knew the name of the artist.  She was a sweet lady who worked at one of the gift shops where Mom and I used to shop together. 

  From left to right ↓ the houses/buildings are:  The Cape Cod style home where I lived for all of my childhood, my beloved maternal grandparents home on historic 6A in Yarmouthport, the cottage my husband and I own in Bass River, the cobbler shop down the street from that home and the historic windmill that is only a short walk from our cottage, as well.  As I said, lots of memories.

My dad gave me this collectable angel one Christmas and he was very proud of his find.  When I added it to the shelves, it brought a smile to my face.

One other spot I added some pizzazz to was a corner of the front entry.  I grabbed a bunch of silk flowers I found in my stash and starting filling up a large flower pot.  I had some curling willow branches, also from my stash, that I put in the center of the whole mess and called it a day.

It added some color in a drab corner and that was my goal.

Well, that is as far as my decorating has gone thus far.  If I can get some photos I took yesterday on a dark and dreary day to look presentable enough, I will share an Easter tablescape with you.

Until then, stay well and try pulling out things from your stash of goodies to see if they will bring you joy, too!

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