April Flowers, Showers And A Whole Lot Of Rugs

This weekend, April showed up in all its glory in my neck of the woods.

Yes, I know we were technically several days in, but Saturday and Sunday were quintessentially April.

There were showers and flowers. 

And Easter!


When I was little, Easter was probably my second favorite holiday of the year.

It ranked right up there with Christmas.

Oh sure, picking Halloween costumes and addressing those tiny valentines were always exciting.

But for some reason Easter seemed to hold some of that same Christmas magic.

Just like Santa Claus, that tricky Easter Bunny would sneak into the house once everyone was asleep to deliver big baskets full of treats.

Then later in the day the house would be filled with family.

A huge gathering with aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents.

Laughter, stories and lots and lots of food.

My Beautiful New Red Dishes set for Easter

Every course made by mom, from scratch, and served on the most beautifully set table.

Her wedding china, gold flatware and crystal serving dishes.

Special pieces that were hidden away, in the base of our dining room table.

It was a hollow area, that was only exposed when the table was opened to add more leaves.

As a kid, I thought it was the coolest thing...and to be honest, as an adult I've never seen anything like it - and trust me, I've looked.

My April Fools Thrift Store Vase Makeover

For the past several years though, our Easters have been smaller, as our family has and scattered, but yesterday was lovely. Just our kids and their boyfriends for brunch.

Lots of food, lots of laughter, lots and lots of love.

I hope to close out the month with more of the same, when we celebrate a family birthday.

In the meantime...they'll be LOTS of DIY, renovation and decorating projects going on around here.

If you missed the March DIYs you can peek at them all here:

• I made the most darling Faux Sugar Egg
• I made an Easter Bunny Pillow from a table runner
• I turned a thrifted frame into Easter Outlet Cover Art
• I rounded up 21 Easter DIYs from the archives and...
• I whipped up a Scrap Ribbon Bow for a plain wreath that camouflaged my crumbling stoop and chipped front door

It's a job that's still in process. I'm working on a design, while he frames out the base.

I'm not a huge fan of AI, but I have to admit, it's super helpful when you want to test out and share your vision.

My AI Rendering Of My Proposed Front Stoop in Blue Stone

To show the guys at the stone yard, and your husband, what you're looking for...

And in Coal Stone

I also used it to mock up my family room with about 100 different washable rugs from Amazon before I ordered them...and then returned them. One at a time. No kidding.

And in the end you know which one I kept? 

Yeah, the one I started with...the old throw away from my living room.

The others were too busy. The braided one anchors the space while fading into the background and keeps that couch as the star of the show.

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it just feels like me...and I love it.


Well, for now anyway. 😉

In really big news, I'm making a big change in my kitchen. I even hired a contractor to do it.

Shocking, I know.

My husband wasn't thrilled about that part. He is my one and only DIY guy, making all my crazy design ideas come true for decades.

But since he's a weekend warrior, he's booked until October - or so he says -with lots of spring and summer projects.

What's inside? Any guesses??

I vetoed that plan and called the guy who built my kitchen 20 something years ago. That was the last time, I hired someone to anything in the house.

Of course, I'm waiting on him too, but hopefully he'll show up this month.

Another reason to love April!

Well, that...and all those flowers.

🌷

What do you have planned this month?