Spring Has Sprung ~ Mantel Decor and More

What a great weekend we had!

My SIL organized a fantastic surprise 50th birthday party for my brother, it was awesome! He was sooo surprised, literally had no clue. Plus my daughter and her new boyfriend came up to attend. It was a wonderful getting to know this young man better. I kinda felt sorry for him, poor guy. He was interrogated by quite a few ‘family’ members. I’m pretty sure he passed with flying colors. :)

Anyway, now that this weekend is behind me, I feel like I can get back to work. The apartments need a bit of my attention. In case you're new here, I manage the apartments we own with my brother and his wife. Then hopefully, I’ll be getting into some spring gardening!

Spring is such a lively season. I love it. Everything that seemed dead is beginning to awaken, it’s like the earth is coming back to life again. The trees have buds on them, the grass is greening up, and flowers are blooming. Isn't it amazing how God created the seasons to rest and to grow. Spring seems to give me energy to clean things up, start new projects, organize, and to get outside to enjoy the fresh air.

With the days getting warmer, that means we can have coffee outside, meals on the patio, and fires in the fireplace. Those things sound so refreshing to me, especially when you’ve been cooped up all winter. I’m even looking forward to mowing again!

Knowing my daughter was coming home this past weekend, I was determined to decorate for spring around our home. I’m really not that good at styling shelves, tables and mantels, but I was going to give it a go no matter what. My daughter has a really good eye for those things, and I knew she would give me her honest opinion on how things looked. She actually said the mantel looked good! Yay! I was pretty proud of it myself.

It all seemed to work together well. Let’s start from left to right…. I painted the candle stick blue awhile back, probably when I painted the frame of the printout.

The pink peonies are my favorite part. They just pop! The vase has a Nail Polish Marbling Technique on it, that was really fun to do.

I forgot I had that mirror… it was in the basement. I picked it up a few years ago at a yard sale for $5. It was a great deal!

The printable was something I found on Pinterest, it was a free download.

Forsythia is just starting to bloom around here, but these are a few branches I picked up at AC Moore and stuck in an old wine bottle.

Lastly, the wood lantern, Hubby and I made these around Christmas time. They are super easy to make, DIY Rustic Wood Lanterns.

I’ve always wanted to decorate my coffee table, but I had no idea what to put on it. Well, having a tray really helps to corral items and make it look like your decorating! These items just seemed to fit together.

I even managed to make a few pillow covers for the couch. I made the envelope type. I seriously sewed one of those in about 10 minutes. They are the easiest to make! Do you like my little colored pencil holders? They are so cute!

The TV box… Hmmm. Well, I still really like it…it just seems too long for the space. I think I’m going to cut it down and make it a bit smaller. Hubby mentioned about staining it a bit darker, I think he’s right. But for now, I filled it with hydrangeas.

A few flowers on the table always cheer me up! The He Is Risen Sign was something I made a couple of years ago. It just goes perfectly here.

I love fresh flowers! Especially ones that fill the house with a beautiful fragrance like these hyacinths. I smile every time I come to the sink.

And if you didn’t see the How I Transformed The Stairs, you should. Plus, I decorated the entry table. The forsythia looks so bright and fresh there!

I was looking through some old photos of the mantel a couple of years ago…. What a difference! Here’s one from 2012. I’m sure you recognize a few of the same elements.