Don't forget the outside!

Now that the weather is nice, it's common for people to want to spend more time outdoors. People often forget their front porch and that just shouldn't be! It's the first impression your home will have on people so make it a good one! Flank your front door with something. It doesn't have to be plants but it can be! You can make or buy a post with a lantern on it and put your house numbers on it. Potted plants are most popular and look amazing. I make my own every year because I like pots with different plants in them. For potted plants you should always have three things, a Thriller, a spiller, and a filler - which means one main feature plant, some plants that spill over the side of the pot and some that fill in the gaps. Also, The landscaping around the front of your home should be inviting and cleaned up. Weeds are not attractive, fresh mulch is. You should also consider decorating your front porch as well. It's a room just like any other room and it can handle a rug, furniture and accent pieces. If you look at HGTV.com it shows so many great ideas on how to decorate your front porch. Don't fall into the trap that you only need to decorate the inside of your home to make a good impression. Look at it as any other type of space and refresh it!

Painting Furniture

Over half of the furniture in my house are hand me downs, trash picked, or garage sale items. This is a way of life for myself and most people. Furniture is expense so why not make over the stuff you already have, or that you can get for free or cheap? Painting furniture is such an easy way to give new life to an old staple. First step is to decide what you are going to paint it. Don't think that furniture is only to be brown or white or black. Not the case! A bright colored side table is the ticket in certain rooms! Whatever your accent color is is a good place to start when considering color choices. Also, you don't have to paint it all one color either! You can paint the top a different color, to a 'dip' on the legs (Where it looks like the legs where dipped in another color. This is super fun with gold.) or you can do an ombre which is very popular right now. Now when it comes to painting the furniture, give it a quick sanding. You don't have to be aggressive with it, just a little roughing up on the surface can help the paint adhere much better. Also, make sure you use a good quality roller; a cheap roller will leave little lint pieces everywhere and that is very noticeable on furniture. Once you start painting, you will realize furniture doesn't cover near as well as walls so you will probably have to do 3-4 coats at least. Now get to painting!

To the window, to the wall

Spring is here and that means getting to open our windows again. Nothing beats letting in some fresh air and looking out at your view. Nothing is worse than framing that view with nothing, or worse, sheets. Do not put sheets on your windows. I'd rather you cover the window with construction paper than put sheets on your window. Please, just...no.
When it comes to real window treatments, the biggest mistake is not given them enough space. Just because your window is small doesn't mean your hang your curtains small. Depending on the wall and room, don't be afraid to hang them by the ceiling and double the width of the window. This will make the room seem more grand and frame the window like the piece of art that it is. Decorative rods are all the rage as well. Don't fall for the plain white curtain rod that take over your grandma's house; find something that is decorative and you! It is and easy pick me up to a room.
When considering tie backs, the options are limitless. These are like throw pillows, small and easy to change so have fun with them! My newest craze is using necklaces. I really like the bling of jewelry so I decided to use some fun short necklaces as my tiebacks rather than actual tie backs. You can use scarves, bracelets, paracord, fishing line, rope, or anything that will match your décor and look you are going for. OR, you can even forget the tie backs all together and tie a knot in your curtain and leave it at that. Have fun with it! Let your window treatment complement your space, not bring it down.

Color

I'm not afraid of color. I have red accent walls in most of the main living areas, my bathroom is green, bedroom is a slate blue, playroom is multicolored, and I just did an office in deep purple and teal. Anyone who says that rooms need to coordinate is crazy. Often times, they do coordinate because you stick with colors you love, which is fine. Adding pops of color in smaller ways like pillows or curtains is great for people who are still leery of a very bold statement like red or purple walls, and that's okay too. You have to know you love the color before you put the time into painting. My best advice would be to choose some knick-nack type things in the color you love and see if you still love them after a while. Before you paint your walls, test out the color in the space because sunlight makes a huge difference. On sunny days, the air in your space will be orange, and on cloudy days, it will be blue. Yes, the air color. I know it seems silly, but think about pictures you have taken. They are either blue or orange if taken during the day. Trust me on this. This will affect the colors you choose. Another huge word of advice is to stick to a color scheme. Even I don't like a multitude of colors in one room (except for the playroom) because it can be too busy and you lose appreciation of your true loved colors. The best way is to have three main colors. Use one 60% in the room the next 30% and the accent color should be 10%. This will make the room look like it happened on purpose and not all mashed together.

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Being handy

I did my first DIY project when I was 16 with my dad.  He and I built and very intricate shelf that had a bunch of different size cubbies that went all different directions.  It was super cool and I loved that I made it myself.  Nothing surpasses that feeling to me, even still today.  I love standing back and knowing that yep, I made that.  Plus, it's always fun to show off your projects.  However, not everyone has a carpenter dad who taught them everything.  As long as you feel comfortable using power tools, which anyone can get used to, you can build anything!  Start with a small project, like shelves in a closet or an outdoor table and go to your local home improvement store. I always recommend Lowe's, they have the staffing to actually be able to help customers.  Once you decide on something to built or redo, go the store and ask for help from someone who knows how to do it.  If you are building shelves, the hardware department associates can give you tips on how to do it. The paint department can help you how much to refinish something.  Like I said, not everyone has someone in their family that is naturally handy, so if not, go ask someone!  If you want to be a DIYer, you can be, you just have to start.  You will soon find that after a half a dozen small project how much knowledge you will have.  You will learn so much from talking with professionals and doing things yourself and the end result is the ultimate reward.  Just do it yourself.