make-do spring decor

by | Mar 27, 2020 | All Things Home, Decorating, spring | 27 comments

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As the seasons begin to change, you’ll typically find me perusing a few of my favorite stores, looking for new pieces to mix in with my everyday items or ideas to get my creative wheels turning.  Other than Christmas, I’m not big on seasonal decorating.   It can get expensive and, if not checked, you can end up with a lot of stuff that needs to be stored for 10-11 months each year.  I would rather focus my decorating dollars on things that are evergreen and, instead of hauling out bins of cliche decor, I’ll bring in a few fresh seasonal elements, rearrange, and utilize pieces that speak to the season.  A plaid throw can speak to fall.  Some pale green dishes can speak to spring and summer.  Pinecones in a wooden bowl speak to winter.  It’s just a simpler, more economic way to decorate.

When I do buy or make season-specific items, I want them to be easy to store and reuse.

Such is the case with these milk-painted papier-mache eggs I painted a couple of years ago.  You can find the tutorial HERE.

I initially painted them for a tablescape, but I love how they turned out!   When I was organizing the dining room cabinets, I found them in a grocery bag in one of the hutch drawers.  Well, I know where I can put these right now!

I scattered a few on the hutch and boom – Easter decorating is done.

Just because the stores look like a hoard of rabbits, chicks, pastels, and flowers doesn’t mean our homes have to look like that each time the snow melts and the trees start to bud.  And I know most of you know that, but I think there are some people who feel the pressure to buy the stuff and bring up the bins from the basement.  Seasonal decorating shouldn’t be and doesn’t have to be drudgery.   It should be an external expression of your internal calendar telling you it’s time to clean, refresh, and bring the outdoors in.  It can be inexpensive craft projects that become family heirlooms and branches clipped, brought inside, and forced to bloom.

I love that there is so much beauty to be found in simplicity.  That should be an encouragement to everyone who has to make do this spring and Easter.  It really doesn’t take much.

I haven’t tried it before, but I plan to clip some branches off of my cherry trees and force them inside.  That will be a fun experiment while we’re hunkered down at home.

If you’re interested in seeing the process of how I styled this hutch, you can find that post HERE.

Stay safe, everyone, and have a great weekend.  I bought plenty of ingredients, so we can still have our Friday family pizza and movie nights.  We’re just cooking in instead of ordering out and that’s not such a bad thing.

(This is the one we made last Friday…)

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    27 Comments

    1. Pat

      Marian,
      I l o v e your decor style!
      Your artistry shines through each and every element and vignette!
      Years ago, I edited my Seasonal decor.
      Now, I just put out the Spring things that bring my heart joy!
      Love, love, love your eggs scattered throughout your hutch!
      Thank you for always inspiring!
      Pat

    2. Jeanne

      I just realized that you concentrate most of your decorating around 3 colors- that pretty green, maize and blue. I love that combo! It’s timeless and it seems you are able to adapt it to every season. Your blog really stirs my creativity- thank you!

    3. Mildred

      A few years ago in the spring, you had a blog post about some blue and white painted eggs. The process involved some special ink or pens, I don’t really remember. But they were beautiful. Could you provide a link for them, if you can discern what eggs I”m speaking of.
      Thanks!

      • Wendy

        Your question intrigued me so I did some archive searching. I think the eggs you mean were Pysanky eggs. Marian did 3 different egg designs in March 2018. Search holiday in the archives and you will find them.

    4. Noreen

      Thanks so much for speaking on simplistic joy. It is so much better than decorating being a chore !
      Not only that but the reminder to simplify for our environments sake. No need to fill our landfills with unnecessary decorations that don’t last and are not earth friendly :). Thanks again !

    5. Stacy

      I just think you’re great. Now, please post that pizza recipe! 🙂

    6. Sharon W

      Yes yes yes! I have friends who constantly bring out bins of decor. It wears me out just hearing about it Our kids are grown so even Christmas is smaller now. Also taking a page from your book, Christmas goes with my house. I’ve never been a “red” girl so now stick to blue green and silver. Much simpler and easier to manage. Thank you for your beautiful posts and photos.

    7. Diane

      Yes pizza recipe please!

      • Kyle

        I’m with Diane! Pizza recipe please!! Looks fantastically delicious!

    8. beverlee

      I only put things out for two seasons, Christmas and Easter, because I love both of the reasons. And, it is simple. I do put a wreath outside for the neighbor children. Pretty simple. (I find I don’t like all the foo-foo to dust)
      your eggs are beautiful.

    9. Kelly Oliver

      I’m with you on not wanting to store a lot of seasonal decor. I do the spring elements that I find around the house and yard as well. I love it, I just received an onion bag of wooden eggs from my precious mil that I plan to paint this year and I’m very excited about that! It’s the little things! God bless

    10. Cheri

      Good to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t have all the bunnies, eggs, chicks, etc to pull out for spring decor. Christmas is the only holiday decor I have in bins. All other seasons are natural items — like bringing in and forcing forsythia branches, apple tree branches, pussy willows, etc. When the tulips bloom they are added to my decor … then summer flowers, etc. The eggs you painted are a nice touch!

    11. Patty Soriano

      what is the dressing on that yummy looking salad ?

    12. Carole Prisk

      I am on the other end …I have picked up seasonal items for years and love hauling it all out to signal a new season. I have paper mache antique bunnies and eggs, vintage bel snickles for Christmas , and a wonderful assortment of antique pumpkins and Halloween items. I enjoy remembering the quaint antique shop I found them in, or that terrific estate sale that I lined up at 5:00 am in order to snag them. They are sweet reminders of trips to flea markets and auctions. Too much, tacky? Maybe to some, but I love seeing them come out every year.

      • Cathy Zuehlke

        Good for you Carole! Enjoy every second of your treasure hunting and remembering the hunts!

      • Diane

        You are doing what we all need to focus on, Carole… doing the things that bring us the most joy.
        Celebrating you and your joyful heart!! {hugs}

        And Marian… as always, your styling is impeccable!

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        And good for you! If you are someone who loves seasonal decor, then go for it! You are clearly doing it out of joy and ultimately, that’s the place that decorating should spring from…joy, not obligation. 🙂

        I also have some beautiful vintage papier-mache eggs from my Oma, ornaments for an “Easter tree” and even a German wooden Easter tree. They are too special to get rid of and I do use them some years, but I don’t feel like I need to use them every year if I am too busy and don’t have a perfect spot for them.

      • Gail

        Carol,
        I’ve enjoyed reading the variety of comments. But yours really touched me…you see , I have a BelSnickle, purchased on a trip
        to Door County many years ago, with my dear friend Penny.
        Penny is no longer with us..but that BelSnickle comes out every
        Christmas and the memories are so clear.❤️
        And Marian..take out your Oma’s treasures this year..you can share
        them with your readers.

    13. Margarita W.

      I say to each is own, My sister loves pulling out her boxes full of decorations for the holidays that makes her happy. I on the other hand love simplicity. Just a few pieces of my vintage silverware or majolica, English china mixed with flowers or greens. Candles during the cooler months and beach glass and star fish during the summer is what I enjoy and makes me smile.

    14. Patty

      Marian, your home is lovely and you are talented in so many different areas – you are blessed in many ways! But I agree with Carole – there are still those of us who want to decorate for the seasons and use what brings us joy – what makes us smile when we walk into our homes. You have more ironstone/dishes than I will ever have and they look so lovely displayed in your home. The dishes that I have we use for different seasons and I love using them. There shouldn’t be a decorating “rule” of what we should and shouldn’t use – after all, we are all different and in different stages of our lives. My taste has certainly changed and I’ve de-cluttered more than once and will do so again, but I’ll continue using what I love seeing in my own home. No judgment on those who choose to do it a different way. We are living in very trying times – fearful, even, but I do believe we’ll come out of this stronger, more supportive of each other, and hopefully stronger in our faith, too.

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        Oh, of course! I never meant to say that decorating for the seasons is “wrong” or discourage people from doing it if they enjoy it! I just want to encourage those who feel like they are failing in some way, because they are not. Seasonal decorating can be over-the-top or it can be simple and subtle. No right or wrong. Just preferences. 🙂

    15. MaryLisa

      I’ve made your cucumber recipe several times. It’s so good! What is the dressing you are using on your salad?

      • Marian Parsons

        It is Tessamae’s Ranch.

    16. Suzy

      Thank you, Marian, for sharing your talents with us! You’ve given me the confidence to paint furniture, do a little upholstering, and sew! I’ve seen curtains, drapes, shower curtains, pillows and bedding in large part from the tutorials you’ve so graciously shared!
      Unfortunately we had a small grease fire in our kitchen a couple of days ago. But thanks to you, I know what kind of countertops I plan to have when I’m ready for renovations to start!
      God bless you for sharing your many talents.
      Suzy

    17. Penny

      I too try to keep decorating for the holidays simple, by necessity – tiny condo not much storage. I pretty much save it all for decorating at Christmas which is my favorite holiday!

      Can we get that pizza recipe? My daughter & I would love a pizza but I’m not ordering out at this time!

    18. Bonnie

      Gosh, are we all in the mood for pizza with the stay at home orders? I saved off a no knead pizza dough recipe this week from Serious Eats and plan to try it as soon as I get the ingredients. I would be glad to support a local pizza delivery if we had one.

    19. Teresa Cunningham

      I love your decorating aesthetic. With that said, I love seasonal decorating. I think it’s smart to save your reserves for subtle seasonal tweaks but it’s just not me. I do however appreciate how the other side decorates…and you do it beautifully.

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    Marian Parsons - Miss Mustard Seed

    I’m Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, a wife, mother, paint enthusiast, lover of all things home and an entrepreneur, author, artist, designer, freelance writer & photographer.  READ MORE to learn more about me, my blog and my business…

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