Spring is a time of new beginnings. Flowers and plants are blooming, the sun is shining and the weather is finally getting warmer after winter’s chill. So why not bring some of spring’s beauty into your home so you can enjoy it day after day?

“Some people think they have to purchase new accessories to refresh their home for spring. Nothing could be further from the truth,” says Christine Silverman, director of small project paints for Rust-Oleum. “There are some easy, affordable ways to bring spring into your home by ‘upcycling’ the things you already have. These simple projects are fun ways to give a new beginning to the things you have sitting in the garage or basement, while keeping them out of the land fill. It’s a win-win for both you and Mother Nature.”

Bring your flower garden indoors
A great way to perk up a home for spring is by decorating rooms where you spend the most time – like the living or family room or kitchen – with flowers. By spray painting flower pots you already own bright yellow, purple or green and grouping them into indoor “gardens,” you will give them new life, while bringing the great outdoors inside. Consider using Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2X, a fast-drying spray paint that works well on wood, wicker, metal, plaster or unglazed ceramic and resists chipping and fading. Or, place your “new” pottery on wrought iron plant stands or pedestal tables painted in coordinating colors to add a burst of color to any room.

Winds of change
Adding color to a ceiling or oscillating fan is a great way to add a pop of color in an unexpected way. Rediscover a fan you have stored in the attic. Or find a good deal on a fan that compliments your personality at a flea market or discount store and bring it home for a facelift. Covering the fan in just one coat of inexpensive spray paint in a fresh spring color will create a conversation piece that will last throughout the year. For this project, try using Rust-Oleum Universal spray paint. Its unique trigger spray makes it easy to use at any angle and it can be used on any surface – plastic, metal, wood and more.

Bring the outdoor patio furniture inside
Remember the old wicker chair and loveseat you picked up at Aunt Ida’s garage sale? They’re not just for outside. Spray paint them with one coat of Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2X with Advanced Double Cover Technology in a bright spring color like Aqua or Green Apple and suddenly you have new seating that is perfect for your sunroom, front porch or foyer.

Restore and renew flea market finds
Flea markets are full of treasures that sometimes just need a little TLC to give them new life. Save that dingy chandelier, tarnished lamp or outdated bookcase from the trash by restoring it with a fresh coat of spray paint, which is sometimes all that is needed to turn garage sale or flea market finds into treasures.

For hundreds of easy project ideas to help you decorate and transform your home, visit www.paintideas.com. Before you know it you’ll have splashes of sunshine, spring color and great conversation pieces throughout your home without spending much time or money. Say goodbye to the winter blues and hello to some springtime cheer.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Clean the exterior. It may seem basic, but it's amazing how much better, and how much newer a home can look after a good cleaning.

Spring cleaning has become a ritual in homes across America. But as families focus on decluttering closets and revitalizing their indoor spaces, many overlook simple, inexpensive outdoor projects that can give a home a real “facelift” and make it look and feel like new.

“Some homeowners shy away from outdoor projects because they think they’re difficult, time-consuming or expensive. Nothing could be further from the truth,” says Rust-Oleum home improvement expert and PaintIdeas.com blogger, Angie. “There are some easy, inexpensive projects that can enhance a family’s enjoyment of their outdoor space and significantly improve their home’s curb appeal so it makes a welcoming first impression for neighbors and friends.”

* Clean the exterior. It may seem basic, but it’s amazing how much better, and how much newer a home can look after a good cleaning. And with the availability of cleaners that can be applied with pump sprayers and hose mount applicators, it’s never been easier to give a house a “facelift” without power washing or costly repainting.

If your house is wearing a coat of mold, mildew, dirt and grime, try a cleaner like Jomax House Cleaner and Mildew Killer. It removes the most stubborn stains without scrubbing and is safe to use near plants, grass and shrubs.

* Refresh the driveway. Sealing an asphalt driveway was once considered a messy, smelly and time consuming project, but that’s changed. Thanks to the evolution of new water-based technologies, restoring a driveway to its “like new” appearance is easy for even inexperienced do-it-yourselfers. Epoxyshield Blacktop Coating, with its advanced acrylic formula, brings asphalt back to its original jet black color and makes it look brand new again.

* Spruce up your deck. During the warm spring and summer months, many families spend more time on their deck than in the living room. But both wood and composite decks need to be cleaned regularly to prevent deterioration and look their best. Biodegradable deck cleaners like Wolman DeckBrite excel at removing ground-in dirt and mildew stains without whitening or damaging the surface like chlorine bleach can – and they’re easy to use.

* “Upcycle” your outdoor furniture. Has your outdoor furniture seen better days? Don’t replace it, “upcycle.” You’d be surprised how easy and inexpensive it is to refurbish patio furniture with just a few cans of spray paint. Today’s spray paints come in a full palette of colors – and exciting new textures and finishes – so you can personalize your outdoor space while saving your old furniture from the landfill. Try Rust-Oleum Universal spray paint in Hammered Copper to give your patio furniture urban style while hiding dents and scratches. Or, “dress” it in a classic color like Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2X Espresso. One can of 2X delivers twice the coverage so the paint goes further and projects get done faster.

For more project ideas and product information, visit www.rustoleum.com. Or, get inspired by Angie’s newest spring projects at www.paintideas.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

More articles on spring decorating and entertaining:

• A kitchen renovation is delightful in spring
• Coffee gives a kick to spring party refreshments
• Spring Cleaning Tips for Wooden Yard Structures

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Spring Cleaning Tips:

(NC)—Tackling forgotten nooks and crannies is what spring cleaning is all about. Mike Chalut, lifestyle expert on W Network’s Kim’s Rude Awakenings, suggests paying attention to often overlooked areas in the home. “Small amounts of effort and minimal changes will make the house feel cleaner and fresher.”

Mike’s tips:

• Give the cat’s litter box a complete overhaul by throwing out all of the existing litter and giving the box a good scrub. Pour in half an inch of vinegar. Let stand, then pour out, and dry. Sprinkle baking soda over the bottom before adding fresh cat litter.

• If silverware has lost its luster, create a paste using three parts baking soda to one part water. Rub onto the utensils with a clean cloth or sponge, rinse thoroughly and dry. Silverware will shine.

• Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Carpet & Room Odour Eliminator Powder onto area rugs and carpets before vacuuming. You can also add baking soda to a vacuum bag to fight smells that can accumulate there.

• Where’s that mysterious smell in the kitchen coming from? Remember to change the box of baking soda in your fridge every 30 days to ensure that odours remain neutralized. The recommendation in the past was to change it every three months; however, people have more volume and diversity of food in the fridge today which leads to more odours. Also, consider making use of ‘old’ baking soda by pouring it in drains and flushing with hot water to freshen them.

• Don’t forget about the shower curtains. Freshen them up by sprinkling baking soda on a damp sponge or brush and scrub and rinse clean.

More helpful cleaning and deodorizing tips can be found online at www.armhammer.ca.

- News Canada

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

When buying asparagus, look for firm unwrinkled bright green stems and tightly closed heads with a purplish tinge. Toward the bottom ends of the spear, the color will begin to fade to white. To store asparagus break off the bottom ends and put them upright in a dish of water like cut flowers.

Spring Asparagus Soup

Recipe ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus spears
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 large shallots
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper
• Crème fraiche or sour cream
• Chopped chives  

Instructions:

1. Wash and dry the asparagus.
2. Cut off and discard the white bottoms and trim off the tips.
3. Set the tips aside and chop the green spears into big pieces.  
4. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil.
5. Chop the onion and shallot and sauté them in the oil for about 10 minutes until nicely caramelized.
6. Now add the chopped asparagus and sauté for 3 more minutes.
7. Next you will add the wine and 1 cup of the vegetable stock.
8. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
9. Turn down heat, cover and simmer gently for about half an hour.
10. The asparagus should be very tender at this point.   Allow the soup to cool for 10 minutes and then puree in a blender. Do this in batches to make the process easier.
11. Return the pureed soup to the stock pot and add the remaining 2 cups of vegetable stock.
12. Bring back to simmering and season with salt and pepper.
13. Add the asparagus tips and cook for 5 more minutes.  
14. Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche floating in the center of the soup and sprinkled with chopped chives.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Amaryllis

The beauty of spring is incomplete until the first flower opens. After a long winter, flowers symbolize rebirth and a new world, more sunlight, happiness and a world that is once again fragrant and sweet.

Many types of spring flowers are best planted in the fall to then emerge in spring. Many of these spring flowers are perennials and will bloom every year if you let them.

-Agapanthus is a lovely spring flower that is known by other names as well. African Blue Lily and Lily of the Nile are two of them. This delicate flower has about ten species and bloom in large clusters. They grow on long (2-4 foot) stems and measure approximately 7 inches across.

-The Amaryllis is a colorful flower that contains only one species within its group. It is also known as the Belladonna Lily, however, the term lily is a misnomer because they are not truly lilies, they just have a similar appearance. This flower is a perennial and is found across the world but most especially in the tropics and subtropics.

-Cherry Blossoms are one of the types of spring flowers that are the most fragrant. These flowers are so popular that many communities hold festivals in its honor. It is actually Japans unofficial national flower. The blossoms are pink or white, and have an undeniably sweet fragrance that fills the spring air.

-Hyacinths are charming spring flowers that are long and are gathered together like little spikes. They come in many different shades of peach, white, orange, red, pink, blue, lavender, purple and yellow.

-Daffodils are hearty yellow flowers that symbolize friendship. They are trumpet shaped inside against a star shaped structure. There are at least 50 species of daffodils, and they blossom in clusters. There general color range is white to yellow to orange and sometimes a lime green.

-Crocus is quite a popular little flower because it signifies the end of a long winter. It is a part of the Iris family, and is a perennial. The actual flower is a cup shape that comes in shades of white blue and lavender.

Throughout the United States, there many festivals celebrating the arrival of spring flowers. Winter, for half of the US, is long, hard and cold. By the time the first flower rears its head, the community is ready to celebrate longer days (and shorter nights) ahead. Here are some of those celebrations and the types of spring flowers they represent:

-Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. This spring celebration is held at an all-seasons resort and features an array of mountain laurels, daisies, daffodils, azaleas and dogwoods. There is much to do here for both a couples getaway and for the whole family. This event takes place over the course of 5 weeks.

-New England Flower Show in Boston, Massachusetts. This one involves 40 displays (all indoors, in case the temperamental spring weather does not cooperate) and is held annually in mid-March, which, historically may or may not be pleasant outside.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The spring of the year is a favorite season for many people, and it is certainly easy to understand why this is so. The spring is when the earth comes back to life after a long cold winter, and it is in the spring when the first flowers begin to bloom and the green world begins to return after its winter slumber.

The power of spring and its regenerative effects are evidenced by the fact that every major religion includes a major holiday in the spring season. From Passover to Easter, it seems that every culture marks spring with a celebration of renewal and new life. It is easy to understand how in times past ancient cultures were overjoyed by the power of spring and the beauty of new life.

The spring is an important season for many hobbies, including of course gardening. For the gardener, the spring is one of the most pleasant times in the garden. The spring is the time when the bulbs that were carefully planted in the fall begin to grow and blossom, and the spring is when the first seedlings are carefully nestled in the garden. There is no doubt that the spring is one of the most beautiful, and most colorful, of all seasons for the gardener.

The spring is also a favorite time for home improvement projects that could not go forward while the weather was too cold. Whether it is a small project like installing new downspouts or a large project like building a new garage or storage shed, the spring is one of the best times to work at improving the value and livability of the home. In the spring, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the homeowner has plenty of daylight in which to work. It is no wonder that the spring season is one of the busiest for home improvement stores and warehouses.

For the outdoor sports enthusiast, there is nothing like the coming of the spring season. For the fisherman, the coming of spring means the first day of trout season. For the avid hiker, spring means that those favorite trails are no longer impassable due to snow, and for the horseback rider spring means being able to take a ride without first bundling up. And of course spring means the opening of baseball season, a joy for spectators and players alike.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.