Everything is bright and bursting with color in springtime. New life abounds, and although we may be looking at the same view we had during autumn and winter, everything seems different, fresh and new.
Have you ever noticed how the physical panorama we take in with our eyes effects how we feel? Seeing something bright and new energizes and refreshes our spirits! Same goes for the inside of your home. If it makes you feel kind of, “blah,” it might be because you’ve been looking at the same things in the same places in the same way for too long. Budget woes often keep us from being able to update home décor. The financial strain the recent economic crisis has had on the average family is real. When it comes down to deciding whether to get new “window treatments” (otherwise known as, “curtains” back in the day) or buy food, the latter typically wins.
Good news! You can give the rooms of your home fresh new looks at little or no cost. Try one or more of the following ideas to brighten your indoor view and give your at-home mood the jump start it needs:
* Clean — outward appearance is a reflection of an inward spirit. A disorganized, cluttered living atmosphere can make us feel as frumpy on the inside as our surroundings look on the outside. Wipe everything down with a sponge and bucket of warm water to which you have added 20-25 drops of an essential oil such as, lemon, lavender or orange. The lovely scent alone invigorates and refreshes! Take a stroll through every room in your house, picking up stray items as you go. Put them away, give them away or throw them away (as needed). You’ll be surprised at the uplifted feeling you get when a cluttered mess is no more.
*Rearrange—no need to spend beaucoup bucks on new wall art or furniture. Just move the stuff you have now to a new location in your home! Don’t just think “furniture”, but expand your creative thoughts to include pillows, knickknacks, wall art and more. (You can also trade bedrooms, or living with dining areas, etc…for added adventure!) A few cans of spray paint give picture frames face-lifts and adds new color schemes to your walls. (Have you seen the new “stainless steel” spray for mason jars and kitchenware?)
*Speaking of color—adding a splash to a monotone area is a quick and simple way to achieve a new look. Remember that coral colored vase you scored at a yard sale, but stuffed into the storage closet because you didn’t really have a place for it? Bring it out, and add it to a room where you will see it often!
*Let the Light Shine—natural light, that is. Take advantage of the long hours of sunshine in spring and summer! Warm, dark colors add a cozy, inviting feeling to colder months, but pastels, brights and whites are best suited for spring and summer. Perhaps you live in a secluded area where you don’t need any window covering at all! It can be very liberating to sip that morning coffee while standing in the rays of a sunrise bursting through clear panes of glass.
If the same old-same old has you down, try a little change-up to get your motor running again. A fresh new look on the same old budget might be just what you need to liven things up!
Writer Bio
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.
