Spring is here! Â Bring it on. Â It’s such a happy time of year. Â I don’t know about all of you, but every year when the beautiful blossoms start popping out on the trees I get the itch to get my house ready for Spring! Â I’m a nester at heart year round, but Spring seems to kick things into overdrive and really motivates me to get my house put together. Â These are the main things I do every year to spruce up my house and welcome this beloved season.
1} CLEAN YOUR HOUSE
Yes. Â We all have to go there. Â Not always the most fun, but this is a great time of year to really deep clean your house. Â Whether you do it yourself, or pay someone to help, Spring is a great time of year to deep clean. Â Before I start adding new Spring decor I always get my house clean first. Â Start by rounding up your cleaning supplies, toss anything that’s old or that you don’t use anymore, organize what you do have, and then start cleaning! Â It’s also a great time of year to do those things you might not usually do.. dust blinds, scrub baseboards, wash windows, etc. Â Not always a fun process, but it feels SO good when it’s done!
Last year I organized this messy closet under our stairs and transformed it into a cleaning closet. Â Having my cleaning supplies organized and all in once place makes things so much easier when it’s time to tackle a mess.
2} ORGANIZE SPOTS THAT FRUSTRATE YOU OFTEN
Ok.. so January has come and gone, life is busy and maybe your organization goals are slipping. Â Happens to me every year too! Â Spring motivates me to get organizing again! Â If your list of things to organize feels overwhelming and you don’t know where to start, pick a spot that frustrates you daily. Â Are you swimming in papers that are all over the house? Â Time to consolidate. Â I use these wood and metal trays in my office to keep papers I need under control. Â 
I also have this hanging file folder for each of my kids’ to put their homework/important papers. Â Getting paper under control brings major peace of mind! Â {office/craftroom source post}
Maybe there is a cupboard in your house that drives you crazy every time you open it? Â That’s how my medicine cupboard used to be for me. Â I took some time one afternoon to clean it out and now I smile every time I open it! Â Unless I’m opening it because one of my kids are sick. Â But still. Â Nice to have their medicine so organized. ;) Â 
Maybe it’s a certain drawer that makes you cringe when you open it? Â Like your kitchen utensil drawer?
Or the junk drawer? Â Take some time to clean it out and say good-bye to that frustrated/stressful feeling it gives you. Â 
Spring is also a great time of year to go through your kids’ toys. Â Christmas has come and gone and if my kids aren’t really playing with certain toys, this is the time of year I quietly slip them into a Goodwill bag. Â (Shhh!) ;) Â Less is always more in this area and I find when there are too many toys in our playroom and things are unorganized, my kids don’t play with much of anything. Â They just make messes! Â When the toys are in order and I’ve only kept their favorites it’s easy for them to make a choice, play with something and put it back after. Â {Organized Playroom post/Striped baskets}
Another space I like to organize each Spring is all of the closets. Â Warmer temps mean time for Spring/Summer clothes! Â Take some time to get rid of things you and your kids aren’t wearing and organize what you do have. Â This helps me assess what I need to add to our wardrobe each year. Â Tackling my closet is at the top of my list this month!
3} Â BRING ON THE FLOWERS (REAL AND FAKE!)
Nothing will make your house scream Spring like a beautiful vase full of real flowers. Â I always buy mine at the grocery store and I rarely pay more than 10-15 bucks. Â Worth the splurge once in a while! Â Here are some different spots in my home I rotate fresh flowers…Â 
Our powder bathroom. 
My girls’ bathroom.
Our family room.
My office. Â I don’t have fresh flowers in all of these spaces all the time. Â I rotate them around. Â When I do splurge on fresh flowers, I’m always happy I did. Â They bring so much life to each room. Â 
If you follow me on Instagram you saw that I recently put coral tulips in this flour canister I shared in my last Favorite Things post. Â LOVE it. Â Aren’t they beautiful!?
Such a fun pop of color on my console table! Â I really love that canister and because I’m not all that into cooking I’d rather have it full of tulips instead of flour any day. ;) Â I also have faux flowers on my console table. Â You all know I’m a big fan of faux flowers as well and I use them to decorate all the time.
I recently used faux cherry blossoms on my Easter console table. Â 
I often use faux yellow flowers in my formal dining room. Â 
And I love these faux velvet plum blossoms in my dining nook. Â Here’s the trick with faux flowers. Â You have to be really picky about them! Â I’ve found you get what you pay for with faux flowers and it’s worth paying a little more for a few stems that look real. Â I use my faux flowers over and over so they are worth the splurge to me and add so much beauty to my house (without any maintenance!). Â I’ve rounded up some of my favorite faux flowers below. Â These all look real – I’ve seen them in person and have a lot of them myself. Â I’m a bit of a faux flower snob so you can trust me on this one. ;) (Click on the flower to see its source.)
4} ADD COLORFUL PILLOWS
Pillows are the best way to change the look of a room without spending too much and Spring is my favorite time of year to add and mix up my colorful pillows! Â A fun floral print..
or something colorful in a geometric print will add instant cheer to your house. Â (p.s. my black and white striped throw is on sale!)
There are SO many cute pillows new this year for Spring that I’ve been eyeing. Â If I didn’t think my husband would disown me (I might have a slight pillow hoarding problem!), I would have bought them all by now. ;) Â Here are a few I’m considering…
5} CLEAN UP YOUR PORCH AND OUTDOOR AREAS/ADD NEW PLANTS
I just bought two new plants for the planters on my front porch. Â Last year I had the same plants and loved them, but they were looking a little sad and had to go. Â I swept off my front porch, washed my rug and took off the lanterns I’ve had. Â I might bring them back, but for Spring I always crave clean and simple!
Didn’t take long to clean my porch but what a difference it made! Â 
Last year I added flowers to these window boxes also and I still need to do that this year! Â On my to-do list. Â :)
I also cleaned and swept around the chairs in our pergola/firepit area…
and our outdoor entertaining area. Â Outdoor areas can get dusty and dirty quickly. Â Spring is a great time to clean these areas up so you can start enjoying them again!
Well! Â That was a novel! Â I’m feeling the need to consolidate my list…
To sum up, I do these 5 things to get my house ready for Spring:
1} Clean like someone really important is coming over tomorrow!
2} Organize spots that frustrate you often.
3} Â Bring on the flowers (real and fake!)
4} Add colorful pillows. Â Everywhere. Â The more pillows the better. ;) Â Â
5}Â Clean outdoor spaces and add a few new plants.
And that my friends. Â Will have you and your house feeling ready for Spring.
:)
Check out the fun posts below! Â Some of my blog friends are sharing ways they decorate for Spring and they are all so inspiring!
*affiliate links used
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Love this Erin! I need to get my act together, fast! I love your home and amazing skills!! Tam xo
Thank you so much Tamara! But I think your house is in pretty good shape.. it’s absolutely gorgeous! Happy Spring sweet friend! xo
Hi Erin! Great idea with the fresh flowers, Im going to so do that!!! I have started some of my spring cleaning, by purging every room in the house, and my girls clothes as well as ours. My husband always thinks he could shop at the local thrift store because half of our stuff is there! ha ha! I cant wait to start doing my spring cleaning in the house and open up the windows and let the fresh air in! I especially like to start planting pretty flowers outside!!! However we are still in the 30 to 40 degree range, brrrr. But in about a month things will be changing…..eek!!! Until then I’ll just shop! :-)
Ha! Love it Stacie! Good idea to shop until the temps warm up. ;) I’m the same way sending so much to our local Goodwill, but it feels amazing to get rid of things we don’t need and keep the house clutter free! I’m so anxious to tackle my closet. Half of my clothes need to go! Happy Spring cleaning and yea for open windows! xo
Everything looks so pretty and “Springy” Erin! Love it! You did a fabulous job! I love the window boxes with the flowers and hope to do something like that. Would you do a post on your favorite cleaning products? With that being said, what do you think works the best for dusting? I can dust the furniture and it seems like the next day, if even, everything is dusty again!
Thank you!
Thank you so much Kimberly! That’s a fun post idea! I just use a damp cloth for dusting. I know.. it never ends! Just like the laundry and dishes.. ;) xo
Where is the rug from?
Hi Nickole! The front porch rug? If that’s the one you mean it’s from Home Goods. :)
Everything is new and fresh when spring comes. I love spring cleaning. I’m starting to buy plants our front courtyard. Your house looks beautiful Erin. Happy spring. xo
Ohh new plants are so much fun Cathy! And a courtyard! I need to see a picture of that when it’s finished. :) Happy Spring to you sweet friend! xo
Well done Erin! I love all of your tips and ideas! Enjoy your trip sweet friend!
Thank you so much Randi! I’ve been thinking of you the past few days! :) xo
I love having flowers but I can’t keep them alive – so I have a million faux stems to switch out with each season. I think I have half of the ones you linked!! :) I agree you have to be picky because some of them are horrible. Lately I found that Pier1 is my go to for a great selection and the price too (just picked up some faux hydrangeas which were the best I have ever seen!)
Your home is gorgeous and I love seeing all your decorating ideas!
Thank you so much Liz! I agree! I was just at Pier One last week and they had a lot of really pretty faux flowers. I’m going back for the yellow ones I linked in my post. :) Crate and Barrel is killing it with them this year too. SO many beautiful faux flowers there! xo
These are some great ways to welcome spring into your home! Very inspired to get some problem areas in my home nice and organized. Thanks so much!
Thank you Jordan! It always feels good to get organized when a new season rolls around. :) xo
Does Zingo get played at your house as much as ours? We LOVE it!
Oh my word.. ALL the time Jess! It’s one of Kole’s favorites. :)
Tackling the junk drawer now! Spring is great for ‘spring cleaning’. Love all the tips!
Ha! Thanks Tana! Nothing like a clean junk drawer. ;) xo
Hi Erin, I don’t know how I came across your blog,but I do follow it regularly now! I enjoy all your posts they’re always fun. Your new home is just gorgeous ! When I realized where you lived, that was the icing on the cake! My family & I have gone to vacation a few times at The Dell Beach Village. Needless to say it’s our favorite place to go.Where about do you live in relation to Coronado Island? I’m interested in where you built with such a beautiful home & property.Thank you for your time & I look forward to hearing from you.
Hi Kelly! You are so kind! Thank you for your sweet words about my blog and house. :) Love that your family vacations in San Diego! I also love Coronado Island. We were just there two weekends ago! We live further north and were lucky to snag some of the last lots near the coast in our area. So nice to “meet” you! xo
You’ve totally got me itching to go sweep my patio Erin after seeing yours! I say next girls trip is poolside at your place! Seriously my fave!! Loving the sneak peak of your new bedroom too!
xoxo
Erin, you really knocked it out of the park with this post! It makes me want to clean and organize every inch of my house like someone important is coming over! :) xoxo
Erin, I love this post! And I totally needed those cleaning and organizing tips. You’re a total inspiration!! Hooray for Spring and a fresh start :)
Hi Erin! Love Love Love this post! Everything I’m into right now: organizing, decorating, Spring cleaning… and I’m crazy about flowers too these days. So your post was a real treat !
I wish you a wonderful day!
Xo
Claire
Erin! LOOOOOVING your home! The organization is fantastic and I’m swooning over all of the pops of blue! So glad you could do this with us. I LOVED everything about this post. Thanks for sharing, friend! Safe travels…xoxo!
Hi Erin! This has nothing to do with your post. ;-) I just wanted to tell you that my husband & I got to come to San Diego this past week. We drove over to La Jolla. It truly was such a beautiful spot! We laughed because my husband spotted a seal & we waited & waited to see it again. Then we walked just a bit down the beach & saw about 50 seals playing, laying around, swimming, etc. So much fun! Every where we went I looked for you! ;-) I have to say the 70 & sunny hasn’t been there for us the two times we’ve come. Both times it’s been low 60’s with clouds. Oh well!! Still loved being there!! As always, love you blog & wished I’d ran into you! :-) Amy
Oh too much fun Amy! Love visiting the seals in La Jolla. We go there often! :) So sorry you’ve hit it on cloudy days both times! Kind of funny since that isn’t the norm for afternoon weather around here! It is usually cloudy in the mornings on the coast though. If you ever come again please e-mail me! I’d love to meet you and your family somewhere! :) xo
You made me smile! If I ever get the joy of being in San Diego again, you can bet I’ll shoot you an email! :-)
Thanks, Erin! Loved the pic of you & your hubby in Paris. What a dream!!
You better Amy! :) xo
Love that so many of your organizers have a little pop of turquoise – it makes everything look so unified.
Thanks Heather! :)
Love this post! You’ve motivated me to get my porch swept and plant a few flowers. Can you share where you found those window box planters? I love the height and narrowness of them. I’m a new follower and I have already spent an hour going over your blog and Instagram. Absolutely gorgeous!!
Thank you so much Hillary! Happy you found me. :) I bought those at Restoration Hardware. They are zinc! Love them. :) xo
Amazing, as always! I have an organizing question for you. Or maybe more like questions. 1) Do you have any pets? We have 2 cats and 2 dogs (St. Bernard and English Mastiff), so the hair and drool is out of control. I’m sweeping and vacuuming every single day, and it barely even makes a dent before I have to do it again. 2) Do your kids and husband help you keep the house tidy? In my family, I’m the only one who ever cleans. Granted, my kids are 2 and 4, so cleaning up isn’t exactly their forte. They’re much better at making messes. But even right after I clean up a space, within 5 minutes, it’s back to being a disaster! So frustrating! For example, yesterday I changed my son’s sheets on his bed and made it nice, and literally less than a minute later, he was on the bed jumping on it. I cannot keep up with the messes and clutter! It doesn’t help that we moved from a 3800 sq ft. house down to a 2200 sq ft house while we build, so many of our things don’t have a designated spot. Don’t even get me started on what the garage looks like! Anyway, I guess what I’m asking, is did you ever have a period in your life, maybe when your kids were very litte, that you weren’t this organized? Is there hope for the future? Lol!
Joanna! You are making me laugh! Oh my word.. my house is often a mess too! And yes! Some seasons of life it is just harder to keep it all under control. When we were building our new house, the house we were living in looked like someone tipped it upside down and shook it every day! It was all I could do to just keep up with the laundry! Hang in there. It will be better once you move into your new place, but life with kids is always a battle when it comes to keeping things clean. I’ll write a post about this soon because I have a few things in place that really help! My kids do help a lot. I’ve trained them! Our only pets are 2 turtles because my 10 year old has an allergy to animal hair. :) xo
Sigh, I love our animals, I really do…but sometimes I wish I had the excuse of an allergy so I didn’t have to deal with all the hair! Lol!
P.S. I just did a home tour of our last house on my blog, if you wanna check it out. ;-)
I hear you Joanna! That allergy has saved me many times. ;) Excited to check out your post! xo
I love your blog! I must ask about your floors. Are they hardwood? We are about to replace carpet and are having a difficult time deciding on brand and color. Any info would be appreciated! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much Teresa! If you type “hardwood” in the search bar on my blog a post all about them will pop up! xo
Hi Erin! I have looked for the sources if your coral and grey pillow and can’t find them so you mind sharing!?
Hi Tara! Those pillows were custom made! Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll send you my designer/friends contact info.!