Monday, January 21, 2013

Seasonal Shake-Ups


As I write this, it's a glorious Sunday afternoon; sunny, clear blue sky and about 65 degrees.  The dogs and I have just returned from a long walk - our first ramble around the neighborhood after a long week of cold temperatures and steady rain.  While it may feel like Spring today, one look at the bare trees and brown grass lets you know that the Earth is still slumbering, with it's re-birth weeks away.  However, that doesn't stop me from thinking about it - about longer days, warmer weather, colorful fields of flowers; the changes of the seasons.






When the seasons change, I get the itch to change other things as well.  Things like bed linens and paint colors.  I haunt my local Tuesday Morning store and Pinterest boards looking for ideas. Sometimes, a simple change - like new towels, candles or a vase - is all it takes to bring a freshness to my humble abode.  Last year, I re-painted the front doors and it totally changed the outside feel of the house.  Every now and then, I get the urge to move furniture around and create an entirely new look inside my house.  The dogs make themselves scarce during those sessions.  Smart dogs.









A local furniture store had a fantastic Veterans Day sale in November and I bought a beautiful wood entertainment center for my living room. I love it and can change it up each season - or whenever I get the urge - by rotating the items I put in its nooks.  It's an easy, low cost way to satisfy my desire for change.

A friend uses throw pillows to brighten up the rooms in her house.  Whenever a room starts to feel "stale," she drops by her local fabric store for different material and makes covers for the pillows.  Voilà!  A fresh, new look without having to break the bank!





Right now, I'm feeling the need for the green of Spring.  A trip to my local home furnishings superstore may be in order.  I love to browse their silk plants and trees.  I do grow live plants in the yard during the warm months of the year but, as any live plant that has had the misfortune of being delivered to my home will tell you, I do much better with silk. ;-)







Do seasonal changes give you the urge to shake things up within your home?  Are your changes large scale or small?  

Do you have different sets of bed linens and towels for winter and summer?  I have a friend who has a different set for each season of the year!  

How do you bring the "green of Spring" into your mid-Winter life?  Any tips for economical ways to brighten up the house and make it seem fresh and new?

While I'm in the mood to change things up, what about our on-line home?  Any suggestions for sprucing things up here at the Romance Dish?  New features you'd like to see?  Changes to existing features?  Share your ideas while I'm in a "furniture moving" mood!

~PJ

22 comments:

  1. I usually decorate for holidays, so that changes things up year round. Flowering plants always help brighten things up. I also may put out books that go with what is going on, either holidays, current events, upcoming trips, etc.
    In all honesty, anymore, I am happy if the house gets a good cleaning.

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    1. Librarypat said, In all honesty, anymore, I am happy if the house gets a good cleaning.

      LOL! Sometimes, I'm right there with you!

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  2. I decorate for the different holidays too so the rooms keep changing. I also like to burn candles and have different scents for the seasons. If I want to bring spring in a little early, I can always choose a nice fresh scent. That's about it for the changing - with the kids I am just too busy.

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    1. Isn't it interesting how new scents can signal new seasons? I adore cinnamon, maple and country apple candles in the Fall but they just don't smell "right" to me in Spring or Summer. ;-)

      I used to decorate for every holiday but with all the hours I worked the past couple years, I let the decorating slide. Thanks for the reminder. I'm going to do my best to change that this year! :)

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  3. I love this, PJ. Lately, I've been in the de-cluttering mood. I've been cleaning things out and throwing stuff away. It has really made me "feel better". Plus, it really makes the house look neater!

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  4. I love this, PJ. Lately, I've been in the de-cluttering mood. I've been cleaning things out and throwing stuff away. It has really made me "feel better". Plus, it really makes the house look neater!

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  5. Apparently I loved it so much I posted twice! lol

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  6. Since I thankfully live in southwest Florida, I don't have to put up with big seasonal changes. I know there are those who really like the seasons. To that, I say: Terrific! Just send me a postcard. ;-)

    As for changes at the Romance Dish, I have no suggestions for I love it just like it is!

    So, for those of you up north, think Spring!!

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    1. I didn't miss the change of seasons at all when I lived down there, Connie but now that I'm back in an area with changes (though not severe ones) I really enjoy them.

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    2. The important thing is to be happy wherever you are! :-)

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  7. The changes I make are definitely small scale. I'm so glad that the grocery stores added a florist section because cut flowers satisfy my longing to see seasonal changes reflected inside the house--or sometimes to rush the season. I'm on my third bunch of tulips since Christmas, a different color each time, and every time I look at them I can hear them whisper "Spring."

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    1. I love fresh flowers too, Janga. I don't buy them a lot but I sure enjoy the heck out of them when I do! :)

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  8. Bwahahahaha! Except for Christmastime and maybe autumn when I decorate, my house looks the same all year. I don't do plants (like them, I just tend to kill them), I like my jersey and flannel sheets in winter AND summer (what can I say? I wear socks to bed, winter or summer), candles and Scentsy pot burning all year; painting is a word not liked in our house since the DH and I are both terrible painters and hate the job,.....YEP, that's it....I AM boring. Wait, I might slap some vinyl hearts on the window for Valentine's Day.... :)

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    1. P.S. I do change bulletin boards at school on a monthly basis for Reading and the season/holiday/month. That counts, right?

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    2. I'm a sock wearing sleeper too! :)

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  9. Other than the holiday decorations I tend to keep things the same lol. I'm not one for too much change and I think your site is great just the way it is :)

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  10. PJ, what a great idea! I don't usually make seasonal changes, but I'd feel as though spring were closer if I changed out even the sofa cushions. Or the bedspread, which I used to do. I'll have to give some thought to ways we could do this easily. We're very short on storage space.

    I like the Romance Dish as it is. I always enjoy popping in here.

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  11. I always try to do a cleanup or organization of the house in between seasons. I definitely feel an urge to change things up even if it's simply re-arranging the books on a shelves. It keeps things fresh :)

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    1. I'm in the process of that cleanup/organization right now, Na. I still have a lot to do but I feel better with each project I finish.

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