Easter's On Its Way

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on it's way! I love this time of year. The flowers are blooming, everything is turning green, and it's finally beginning to warm up after all of this crazy weather we've had. So, I wanted to bring some spring inside and have our home Easter ready!

I posted pictures of our mantle to Instagram a few weeks ago, but I've yet to blog about it. I love the vintage spring look it gives.

(I just can't seem to get a clear decent picture of it!)

We (Pop and I) made that chalk board. We got the actual black board part at Lowe's and the frame is made from damaged wood boards that they had on clearance. These worked perfectly by giving a wide and sturdy frame for the chalkboard and adding character to it because of the chipped and skinned places in the wood. We nailed it all together ,and I used a grayish chalk-paint to paint the frame.

For the mantle, I chose to run it long ways and hang a wreath of greenery on it.

To the right and left of the chalkboard, I used old books, more greenery, and these awesome candle holders, which are actually old spool that mom has had for a while. Overall, this décor gives a great neutral spring look.

In the dining room...

I kept the tablescape simple. A lace table cloth with an off-white table table runner that I picked up at Target and simple off-white plates with clear glasses. 

For the center piece, I used a bird cage with this cute nest we've been using to decorate with for spring for years and place it on a layered burlap charger.

Kept it simple at the top of our china cabinet.

On this piece behind our dining table, I carried through with the neutral color scheme, using topiaries, white flowers, and white dishes. It's perfect spring, and the light colors keep the space from feeling over-crowded.

To finish this space off, I added this super cute bunny banner that I also picked up at Target! (If you haven't checked out their Easter products in the dollar zone yet, you need to! They're the bomb.com!)

I'd say we are ready for the Easter Bunny! Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen!"

Luke 24:5-6

Springify

 Happy (late) Valentines Day everyone! Hope yours was wonderful and spent with loved ones! It breaks my heart to have to change this decor (get it "breaks my heart" :) ), but it's time for a change.

 It may seem that this is going to be a huge process, giving this room a new look, but it's really very simple.

First thing I do when swapping decor is clear-out nearly everything. With this space, I don't have many options as far as furniture layout, but that doesn't mean that I'm limited in decor options! When you completely clear a space, it gives you a blank canvas to start with, and, in my opinion, allows for even more inspiration and creativity.

 
I always start with pillows. They are a very easy way to update a space and can be changed out in a matter of seconds. As you saw in the "before picture", I used pops of red for the holiday season and left them through Valentines Day.
This spring, I'm keeping things in a very neutral pallet to give a "fresh" look.

After pillows, I move on to my side tables. While they are small, they give opportunity for lots of creativity.

  

For the one pictured above, I filled an old metal water pitcher with white peonies, and used some old books, a picture of Jentry and Fenley (my nephew and niece), some greenery from Michael's, and an old horse shoe that is very special to me because it used to hang above the door of my great-grandmother's house.

The sign in the flowers is actually a plant marker that's meant to be used in a garden!

On the other side, I used more books and a cute cabbage I picked up at Michael's along with a D for Dylan Duke :) and my favorite baby picture of Jentry. (It's hard to believe that that little baby will be 6 next month!)

Not many changes on the ottoman. I like to keep it simple and minimal here as this stuff is always having to be moved! 

In the corner is one of my favorite projects. This chair used to be so... Well, ugly! I got it at Goodwill about a year ago. It was the natural wood color but was scraped and bumped and scratched all over and had this old crazy looking fabric and the seat was falling out of it. I wish I had a picture! 

My Grandpa and I took off the seat, sanded the chair a bit, put a few coats of flat black paint, added some new padding and fabric, and here she is. It's crazy how an ugly duckling can become so good looking!

The picture behind it is a framed map and my mom gave me that canvas a few years ago. I love them both!

   All in all, I love the new look of this room, and find it perfectly fitting for Spring! Hope you found some ideas and inspiration that will help you "Springify" your space!

To see more decor pictures and ideas from me, follow me on Instagram (duke.dylan) and Pinterest

 (Dylan Duke)! Happy Decorating!

"See, the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the Earth, the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

Song of Songs 2:11-12 

LOVEly

It's hard to believe that it's already 2016!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year with your friends and family!!! It seems like this holiday season has flown by (especially with this crazy weather). Before we know it will be Valentines Day, so we best get a head start! Here are a few decorating ideas to show your home some love!

I love how this frame turned out. I found it at the Salvation Army for like $1.00. The quote in the middle came from an old book and says

"Ye who have no home;

Ye who have no love;

Ye who have naught;

Unto this house come

And ye shall have."

So fitting for this time of year!

In this area, I wanted to use neutral colors and décor that would last through spring. I LOVE my new topiaries! They're the bomb.com!

And that sign came from Michaels and is in stores now! I got mine for only $9.00! It was in the damaged clearance section, but I've yet to figure out what's wrong with it! Instead of hanging it with the hooks on the back of it, I attached a piece of twine to hang it by.

This banner was made from old book pages! ❤️

I LOVE this tassel banner. I made it with extra yarn I had and some jute string. 

Super Simple!

I replaced my Christmas branches with some faux ferns, and I love how they soften the space!

More Heart Banners!

I'm still loving my ottoman (I've had it for months!) It came from Bargain Hunt and was a steal!!!

"It's Good to Smile"

A quote to live by year-round, but I made this sign as a reminder to focus on the good this year instead of wasting time on the bad.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 NIV

"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live." 

I hope you got a few ideas from this post!

Happy Decorating!!!!