Simple Solutions To Update Your Seasonal Decor (Part 1)

     I love to change up my decorations around the house. If you know me, or have followed my blog for any length of time, you have seen some of the parties I have planned. To me, decorating for the changing seasons is a smaller scale version, but one I get to enjoy for longer than the few hours a party lasts.

    However, if I fell into the trap that I needed to buy new things for every holiday and season, that can get expensive. Even just storing stuff for the six or so times a year that I change things can be overwhelming. Can you imagine if I had a separate storage tote for all that stuff in addition to the several I have just for Christmas? I wouldn't have room for anything else! So, I had to come up with a better way. The system I have now works so well, I thought I would share it with you, in case you are looking for ideas for your own home!

      First, I thought I would show you this year's Easter decorations. I went with a yellow and purple theme (I'll tell you why in just a few minutes). I always decorate the top of my microwave (weird, I know, but that's just how it works out) so that space doesn't have any "permanent" decorations. That makes it easy to switch things around without having to store anything. So, I guess that is really my first tip!

1. Keep a (or several) small area(s) clutter-free so you have an easy space to decorate for any holiday.

      The other area that I always keep pretty clear for seasonal decorations is a small bookcase in my living room. Same concept-it has nothing that lives there so it is easy to move things around. When I know which spaces I routinely decorate it makes it easy to form my plan based on my needs. I never need anything too large, I have a nail above each space for hanging items, since I have kids I never choose anything too precious!

    These are the decorations from last year. Do you spy any of the same things? Yet, it is still different because I used some different pieces and this color scheme also had turquoise in it.

   Sometimes I decide to go a step further and I decorate my Expedit bookshelf. With the exception of Christmas, I almost always limit my seasonal decorating areas to the living room. They get the greatest amount of exposure there, but yet it helps me have some boundaries so I don't go overboard.

     And finally, these are decorations for the same season from 2015. Obviously, this color scheme was purple and turquoise. Now that you have viewed three years' worth of my Easter decorations, are you starting to see some patterns? Yet, every year there are some things that are different, too.

 2.Use colors that are already present in your year-round decor.
 Let me share with you what I have figured out. One of the biggest keys to making my seasonal decorations more frugal, and less craziness inducing, is to choose a color that is already part of my permanent decor scheme! My primary living room colors are turquoise, yellow and lime green. So in 2015, I chose turquoise. In 2016, I went with two of the three, yellow and turquoise again. In 2017, I went with yellow.

     This may seem complicated, but it really isn't. Here is another example:

  This is my Christmas decor from 2016, I think. (I can't exactly remember, those colors stay the same each year). Even for Christmas I made my colors work for me, choosing red to go with the turquoise blue that was already there.

    For St. Patrick's Day I pull out the lime green things I own. For Valentine's Day, it is the red I have in my kitchen. For 4th of July, I can do turquoise or again, red. But by making sure I use at least one color I already have in my home, I can re-purpose, instead of purchasing things to store 10 months out of 12.

3. Pick items from your year-round decor and use them in your seasonal groupings.
    See on the shelf in the Christmas photo above, on the right hand, the blue gnome? Not surprisingly, he also makes an appearance in 2015's Easter vignette. Except now, instead of appearing "elf"-like, as in the Christmas picture, he looks more garden gnome, right? Same object, but different placement.

      For St. Patrick's Day I decided to host a last-minute gathering and I only had about an hour to put together something cute. I gathered all my books that had green bindings and stacked them together with a green frame on top in one spot in the house. I didn't use a single store-bought "holiday" item, but having like items grouped together in a festive color conveyed the same idea. I also grabbed that "Trust in the Lord" sign to add to the grouping. I am not an artist, so please excuse my pitiful humble artwork.

     This little succulent got dressed up with a little washi tape. I keep the plant year-round, but for St. Patrick's Day it got a place of honor as the "centerpiece" for the table. Nobody would say a succulent is specific to that holiday, but with a little seasonally-coordinated tape it definitely adds to the vibe, right?

   This Valentine set-up is a favorite example of pulling from your own decor. The Fu Dog is a piece I keep out year-round, as is the silver school bell. A few "gold" (brown) books prop up a kissing photo-so "Valentine" but another thing I keep out all year! And see the "Trust in the Lord" sign? All these things look fresh and festive when I put them with a heart-shaped banner that declares, "Look at me! I've decorated for Valentine's Day!".  I didn't use any "traditional" Valentine colors, but I still think it looks appropriate.


    Wow! This post kind of took on a life of its own! I wasn't planning on turning this into a series, but it seems to be appropriate. I'm so excited to share more of my thoughts and ideas. So, has anything made you consider how you can use what you already have to make your house dressed up for the season?

Looking for the rest of the series? Find them here:
Part 2
Part 3