Spring is in the air! & spring decor ideas

I’ve been saying this since february, and I’m going to keep saying it – it’s almost April!

Yes, there is still snow on the ground in April and it may even snow over easter, but it also starts to melt in April! Our clocks go forward  soon, and the days are starting to fell less eternally dark.

This has been the point I’ve been running towards since we had our first serious magical snowfall this winter. Winter is long and hard in many places in this country, and I wouldn’t live anywhere without it! That doesn’t mean I need it to last 6 months of the year though, 5 months is enough. That last month is what kills your spirit.

With spring on my mind and in the air, I’ve begun thinking about plans for our pmq backyard. I’ve put together some spring decor ideas for myself and you guys.

Last summer we had a nice colourful enclave. It was a quiet space with some nice lounge chairs, a fire pit, and a kiddie pool that I sat in while watching Fresh Prince re-runs off my computer. It was a weird scene to anyone walking by, but when the heat clocks close to 40 and it’s humid, sitting in a kiddie pool in the shade is mighty fine.

To see what our backyard looked like last summer you can peak through our old house tour here. I also spent a fair bit of time putting together image boards for PMQ backyards and apartment patio decks.You can check them our here, here, and here.

This summer I’m thinking of taking our yard in a completely different direction: mid-summer’s night dream. You may have seen this image on my Facebook page earlier this week. Yes, it is a shot from last year’s Target look-book, but you know what, it still looks good to me!

To get us here, we’ve got a couple of things to do:

1. Our current PMQ backyard is all grass, extends quite a ways, and has lots of tree coverage. I’m going to be stringing our many strings of balloon lights  through the low-hanging trees and off the laundry lines. I want to create a canopy of soft light in the evening air.

2. We’ve been slowly accumulating a small fortune in the form of  mason jars and hurricane lanterns which I plan on using this summer. With this comes an expensive trip to Ikea to stock-up on candles of all shapes and sizes, but only if they beat Target doesn’t beat their prices in the liquidation.

3. Our colourful blue deck chairs will hopefully grow in numbers, assuming our current set made it through the winter. Because real patio furniture can be expensive, our additions may also be plastic, but I’ve got my eye open for real adirondacks.

4. I’ll be spray-painting the fire pit with rust-proof spray paint in an attempt to unify the colour and get rid of the two winters/summers worth of rust and wear & tear.

5. Looking for a picnic table. We have a great glass table and set that DH’s parents gave him years ago, and which has served as our kitchen table during a couple of moves. It’s great, but it’s too small and won’t let us seat more than 4 people at it. We made ourselves a beautiful harvest table this year, click here to see how we did it.

6. Setting-up the front porch of our pmq. The space is perfect for a small bench or some planters. It’s a great way to welcome people to the house in the spring/summer, and will receive enough shade to make it a cool place to relax in the afternoon heat. See how I created front porch style this year.

7. Looking into some screen doors. I work from home now, and nothing will please me more than sitting in the kitchen reading through my emails with a cup of coffee and the first breeze of the day blowing through our screen door. It’s happening people! get ready! I got a screen door and installed it myself. For the how-to, click here.

8. Figuring-out the floral situation. I may not populate our  large planters as usual this summer, only because they cost so much to fill, and never last through the harsh winter (despite precautions.) With grass abundant in our backyard, I may have to content myself with a select few potted flowers to fill the space.

I’m a sucker for hydrangeas and ranunculus, but they break my budget so I usually stick with greenery only. What will I do this year?!

9. Washing and up-dating our out-door pillows. Outdoor pillows are a great way to add colour and comfort, however we end up sweating all over them. After two seasons in storage, who knows how stinky they are.

10. Figuring-out the dog situation. We created a small gated areas off the house for our dog. Its big enough for him to do his business and keep him from digging-up the backyard. This summer we’re looking to give him some more freedom though, so we may be investing in an invisible fence. It all depends how transportable the options are. I would hate to spend a load on it, only to not be able to move it with us. If you’ve had any experience with this, let me know!

How are you getting into the spring/summer mode?