Project: Simple Spring Decor

March got off to a wintry start in my area, with over six inches of snow settling this Monday. It's a little disheartening to me, since I love the springtime and have had a tendency to get the winter blues these past few years. So, until there are flowers blooming, trees budding, and birds singing outdoors, I've tried to add some bright, springy touches to my decor indoors.

Around Christmas I shared two simple holiday decorating projects I used in my room: a paper pennant garland and crocheted snowflakes. To make the switch from winter to spring, I simply replaced the crocheted snowflakes that adorned my paper lantern string light with crocheted flowers and made a spring-themed paper pennant garland to replace the holiday-themed one.

To make the crocheted flowers, I used scrap yarn in shades of pink, cream, and white and followed a pattern in the old Klutz book I used when first learning to crochet. These flowers were one of the first things I learned how to make, and I still use the pattern for various embellishments to this day! I added freehand crocheted leaves to my flowers to give them a more finished look.

I've already posted the instructions for the paper pennant garland, so you can head over there for details on how to make this project. For this variation, I used an assortment papers from Martha Stewart Crafts' "Vintage Girl" scrapbook paper pad--the floral patterns add a springtime touch while the plaids, checks, and stripes reminiscent of fabric add a vintage feel. The papers are fairly thick and have coordinating solid-colors backing the patterned sides, so there was no need to glue them to cardstock. I simply cut out my triangles, punched the holes, and tied everything together using Martha Stewart Crafts "Vintage Girl" ribbon.

My final springtime decor project required no crafting. I wanted to put out some artificial flowers to remind me of the real flowers to come, but a big bouquet seemed like it would be too much this early in the year. Instead, I put some faux cherry blossom flowers in a Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" teacup and saucer, inspired by a vintage clip art image I've always liked. I got my cherry blossoms from a spray by IKEA--the little flowers pull off easily from the branch, so you can pile them up as I did here or glue them onto whatever projects you'd like.

I'm hoping that warmer weather and sunshine will be coming soon, but in the meantime these little projects have perked up both my decor and my mood!