FINAL WEEK: Spring Clean Sweep!

All this spring cleaning must be working– the forsythia in my side yard are thisclose to blooming.  Oh I can’t wait for those yellow flowers to burst forth!  On that note, my focus this week is not so much on cleaning but rather on freshening up the house.  Out with the old, in with the new– let’s get FRESH!

For example, last year I focused on one room– the dining room— and made it more spring-y.  Here’s the BEFORE:

Add some fabric, lemons, and flowers from the yard and we found our AFTER:

You can read the details here, but it only took an hour (okay, sewing the tablecloth took more than an hour but it should have only taken an hour, had I not been a nutcase) and a few dollars.  Plus I made good use of those lemons.  They were tasty.

A few quick ideas:

• change out throw pillows, or just put a new pillow cover over the old ones
• wash and store heavy blankets, put out lighter ones
• switch out your old framed photos with new ones
• wash your duvet covers along with any sheets that have been sitting in the closet awhile
• open the windows.  Duh, winning!
• rearrange the items in your bookcases, or “shop your house” for new items
• wash out trashcans and recycling bins
• sweep the deck or front door, add some new doormats and/or throw rugs
• update your decorations– add spring stuff to your tables, cloches, wreaths, etc.
• put up new shower curtain liners
• on a fashion note, switch to a new handbag or an old one that’s spring-y