Welcome Spring! Do Come Inside. . .

Despite the constant downpour, the strewn branches and uprooted trees around here, it is actually starting to look like spring.  My daffodils and hyacinths are sprouting up, and the flowering plums are turning pinker by the day.  But the rain tends to drown out my sunny, spring spirit. . . so I had to bring a little sunshine indoors.

I thought I would start with my mantel and family room.


I picked up some herbs at the store yesterday along with some glass candlesticks and baskets, and a large bunch of lilies--all light and airy, like spring should be.

To add a touch of green, hints that things are starting to grow out there, I brought out my green throw pillow and green wool throw blanket.

And despite my husband's complaints that I have too many magazines, I like having them close at hand for the rare moment when I have time to sit and flip through their pages for inspiration--so I filled a basket with back issues of Country Living, and Better Homes and Gardens magazines (among others), a smaller basket with some vintage books, and (in case one is not in the mood to read) an even smaller basket with the remotes.

The lilies work double magic--they look springy, AND they smell like spring also.

On the mantel I layered my paper wreath over the mirrors (again--LOVE that wreath), potted the herbs and stacked them with the candlesticks, and threw in some ironstone for added white (and my chippy little dove too).  Then, because the middle felt kind of bare, I added a couple empty frames. . .

Come to think of it, it feels a lot like last year's spring mantel:

This Year                                                                  Last Year

The biggest difference is the lack of furniture last year (that and the load of sunshine streaming in the window of last year's picture--wish I could have brought some sunshine home in my shopping cart!).  We had a springer puppy at the time and our rug and anything small and "chewable" was taken out of the room.

Similarities aside, it made my whole room feel more airy and light, and THAT is just what I needed.

White, glass, wicker, fresh flowers and herbs. . . these things say spring to me--what says spring to you?