Spring!

It's finally here!  My favorite time of the year when flowers start blooming, the evening skies appear painted and the weather is tolerable for more than five minutes at a time.  Here are nine things that I'm looking forward to this Spring.

i.  Trees // Nature (minus the bugs) is one of my favorite things in the world.  I love this time of year when all of the trees start blooming, especially the cherry blossoms.

ii.  Windows up // With spring comes delicious, fresh air.  The air is clean and has a certain smell that reminds me of my childhood.  I tend to sleep best when I leave the window up next to my bed and let the nice crisp breeze flow in.

iii.  Grilling //  Of course this would be on here!  Fun factoid...hot dogs are one of my favorite foods...definitely in the top three.

iv.  Evening walks // I'm definitely not the most athletic person in the world, but I do like to take an evening walk every now and then.  Bonus points if I catch the sun set.

v.  Patio time at night w/music // One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to sit on my patio at night listening to music.  Well, I like sitting out there during the day too, but there's something about the night time and looking at the stars and moon that I love.

vi.  Curly hair // For those that do not know, my hair is naturally curly.  I straighten it for the autumn and winter and wear it curly in the spring and summer.  Curly hair is great for the warmer months because I don't have to worry about it drying out and the humidity and rain work in my favor.

vii.  Taking more photos // Natural light!  A (wanna be) photographer's best friend!  I feel more creative in the warmer months because of the abundant sunlight.

viii.  Sandals // This is the time to let our little piggies breathe!  No socks, no boots (two things that make my feet feel hot and constricted), just your foot and your shoe against the world.

ix.  Pedicures // If you're wearing the cute sandals, the piggies have to look cute, too :)

How do you feel about Spring?  Anything you're looking forward to in particular?

Spring Forward Project List 2013 Edition

Hey there and Happy Daylight Savings Time!  If you remember, last year I shared my love for Daylight Savings Time and listed the projects that I wanted to complete.  Looking back I see that there is a lot that I did not do.  I only completed 2.5 projects/rooms out of eight.  Woops!

This spring/summer I have a few things that I would like to do around the house.  Some things are projects that I never started from last year.  I plan to focus more on DIY, repurposing and inexpensive purchases (aka no big ticket items).  I also think that I was unrealistic with all of the things that I listed last year, so this will be a more comfortable list.

Spring
1. Finish decorating the living room

• Create a new painting to hang above the TV
• Style the mantel and hang a large image above it

2.  Dining Room

• DIY roman shades (or purchase on sale)
• Add round light bulbs to the light fixture (and maybe spray paint it) so that it can look similar to this

 credit

 3. Kitchen

• Create artwork to hang on the larger wall
• Add a small island

Summer
1 . Master Bedroom

• Paint
• DIY a headboard similar to one of these

 

credit

credit 

• Spray nightstands white
• Lamp project for nightstands
• Make a small table for the sitting area
• Re-purpose a coffee table into a bench
• Make two pairs of curtains and three roman shades
• Add artwork (photography, paintings and prints all DIY)
• Purchase another one of these as a credenza and style it

   

 credit

2. Master Closet (this may be for autumn instead, but this is the list)

• Remove door and make a curtain
• Remove all racks and replace with white shelves
• Spray bookcase white and move into closet for shoe and accessory storage
• DIY a small table for all of my nail polish and nail care products
• Change light fixture

Hopefully this list will not be too much of a challenge to actually complete.  Any fun projects coming up for you guys? 

 

Spring Forward Project List

I like to celebrate Spring a little earlier than the official day because I LOVE when daylight savings time begins!  Okay, I don't like that I'm sleepier because of the lost hour, but that is overshadowed by the following:

• Arriving home from work when it's still daylight (i.e. not feeling so sleepy on the ride home)
• Weekday grilling
• Sitting outside watching the sunset from home
• Wearing sunglasses on the way home
• Being able to take a walk in the evening

This is all to say that I will be able to do more with my evenings.  I will even be able to start a few projects that I've been sitting on due to lack of daylight and the cooler temperatures!  So here is my Spring project list accompanied by current pictures (i.e. before pictures) of how each place looks-

1. Master bedroom/bathroom decorating (paint, furnish, styling, extra credit: ceiling design)

2. Master closet renovation (new light fixture, add shelving and create a very girly area)

3. Paint furniture (dresser, desk and nightstand)

4. Decorate the entryway (paint walls, add a better window covering, runner and artwork)

5. Finish decorating the living room (make artwork, get some bookcases and another TV stand, get better window shades, mantel and mantel wall decorating)
 

6. Change out the kitchen light fixture and hang more artwork (extra credit: purchase new bar stools)

(this is the best picture I could find...I know it doesn't show the current light fixture.  It's nothing fancy.  Just a big, rectangular fluorescent hunk of blah)

7. Re-style the bar area

8. Spruce up the patio area (add pillows to the furniture and some potted plants. extra credit: a new light by the door)

This list should keep me busy well into the Summer, so when I say "Spring Forward Project List" I mean starting in the Spring, ha!  I will probably be working on all items simultaneously, so it should be interesting around here very soon.

What projects do you all have lined up?