5 WAYS TO SPRINGIFY YOUR HOME

Winter got you down? Winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is thought to be common. There are things that you personally can do to fight the blues – such as keeping active, getting outside during the natural daylight, and staying warm.

But there are things you can do around your house as well to battle the shorter days and cold weather that comes in winter. Bring a little spring into your home long before the season arrives with these few simple tricks:

Set a flower budget

While it’s certainly not a necessary expense, adding an arrangement of fresh flowers to your home weekly might be well worth the mood-boosting value they bring. Opt for your local supermarket instead of the florist and stick with brightly colored mums, carnations and daisy to keep the investment low. Or up the springtime vide with a bouquet of pastel colored tulips.

However, before making any purchases, take a little time to look up flowers that do well in the winter months. Even if you’re keeping them inside, flowers that require lots of light might not do so well during the shortened days of winter, and there’s nothing worse than flowers that wilt right away. If you’re looking to just add a vase or two of flowers, go with a variety that tends to last a long time like mums or carnations.

Trick your senses

There’s no law that says scented seasonal candles must be used in said season! Use the powerful sense of smell to make you feel like spring, even if the weather outside says otherwise. Try a lilac, hyacinth or rose scented candle, or take it a step further and light candles that smell like the beach or warm-weather fruits like peaches or watermelon.

Force bulbs

If you can’t wait to see those first harbingers of spring pop up through the ground outdoors, plant some bulbs in a few pots around the house and watch them sprout and bloom long before the calendar turns to spring.

Start your veggies from scratch

Make a small investment in a few indoor potting supplies and start your tomato and other vegetables from seed this year. Choose a sunny window and watch them sprout. By the time the weather is ready for them outdoors, they’ll be strong enough to plant.

Get some plants

Like flowers, plants will also help boost your mood, but will last much longer than cut flowers. However, since its winter, choose some of the easier to care for varieties that don’t require a lot of light or water, such as succulents and Chinese evergreens. However, since a living plant will last much longer, make sure the one you pick will also fit into your eventual spring and summer décor. If the plant fits, but its container doesn’t, you can always repot the plant come spring.

Lighten your surroundings

There is also no decorating rule that says you must wait until spring to replace your heavy drapery with your airy sheers. Doing so will instantly brighten your mood by letting more natural light and sunshine in. Some people find that using a dawn simulator - a bedside light, connected to an alarm clock, that mimics a sunrise and wakes you up gradually – can also brighten your mood.

By taking these few simple steps, you’ll be feeling like spring in no time!