Hi there, everyone, and happy Spring! The sun outside my home has been shining for over a week, the weather is getting warmer - bringing with it the thawing of a hard, icy ground, and when I open my windows to breathe in the fresh air, I can hear birds chirping and singing away.
With all of the extra time at home right now, along with being able to tangibly see a turning of the seasons, I couldn’t help but have my thoughts and heart stirring towards change. Part of that for me, always, is freshening up my home. Though I do so quite simply, and largely with what I already have, I find moving items around the home can make an impact, and feel as though you have redecorated with just a few adjustments here and there.
I always desire for The Porch Light Cottage to be a place of peace, inspiration, and encouragement. Though I want to stay positive, I would feel remiss if I were not to acknowledge that there is a lot of uncertainty and concern in our society right now amidst the current outbreak.
With this, a lot of different emotions can rush to compete for first place in our minds. I tend to be someone who struggles with the unknown, and because there is so much of that right now, it can be difficult to know what to feel, and if I concede to that, it can waver on a moment-to-moment basis, as emotions are often so reactionary and fleeting. As such, I generally strive to keep myself guarded in what emotions I allow to rule my thoughts and decisions, and though this can be a challenge in times of stress, it is also what I find keeps me level.
As someone who is naturally a homebody, as well as an introvert, when it comes to this “distancing”, I personally relish the time I have to be within the peace and comfort of my own home. However, I know that there are many different types of people, and that some may be struggling with being home and indoors so much. I see you, and I know that for many this distance and seclusion can bring with it feelings of isolation, being trapped, frustration, fear, or even just plain old boredom.
The encouragement I have found helpful to turn my attention back towards during this time, is to remember that there are only certain things we are personally in control of, therefore those are the things it is beneficial to us to remain more focused on, rather than the things we cannot control.
I cannot control the actions of others, I cannot control what supplies are in stores, I cannot predict what the outcome of all this will be, and I cannot control how long it will last. I can control what myself and my family are doing or not doing, I can control how I react to information, and above all I can control my own attitude. I can choose to turn my heart posture towards faith and gratefulness for what I do have, and my own life circumstances in this time. I am not saying this is always easy, but I do believe it is highly valuable in order to keep us moving ahead healthfully and graciously.
Along these lines, another thing I can most certainly control, is my home environment. As I often say, I love having my home emit peacefulness, and to be a bright and comfortable space, even when the only ones enjoying it in person right now are myself, my husband, and our cats. I thought that I could share with you some photos of my home refreshed for springtime, and have it hopefully be a brighter spot in your day as well!
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955498″]
I happened across these flowers and eucalyptus at my local grocery store a couple of weeks ago. It’s so lovely at this time of year to bring something fresh into our home, to make it feel like Spring is truly here.
Eucalyptus is a staple foliage for me, as it makes the seasonal transitions easy. You’ll see in the rest of my home I simplified my (mostly faux) greenery stems back to just eucalyptus for now, as opposed to the cedar that was mixed in over the winter months.
I’ve really been enjoying this new faux olive tree I bought myself as a gift with some Christmas and birthday money I had saved up. My friend Katie from Halfway Wholeistic shared it one day in her instagram stories, and I had been looking for a faux olive tree that was both realistic looking, but cost effective. This one definitely fits the bill, and I feel adds a nice touch of texture and greenery to my space, without it being too bright green. I think it will look great for the autumn season down the road as well. But fair warning to cat owners, within a couple days of this being here, my more mischievous kitty had knocked it over a few times so she could get at some of the little olives on it and chew them!
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955099″]
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955210″]
Over the past year I have enjoyed bringing more ceramic and stoneware pieces into my decor. To me it is an effective way to create a collected feel throughout rooms in your home.
Another way I change things up is switching out some of my textiles for lighter fabrics and colours, rather than the cozier, thicker ones during the winter.
I had to sneak in a pic from a few weeks ago with the same styling set up, but that has the lovely Valentine’s flowers that my husband gifted to me. They were so beautiful!
As I posted on Instagram last week, I am so happy to have this new cabinet at the top of our stairs! It has really added something to the space. I styled it very quickly so that I could show it off, however I have more plans in store. Some beautiful artwork I’m planning to hang above it actually just arrived as I am writing this blog post, so I will have to hang it up soon and complete the look.
You can also see I repurposed some of the foliage that was hanging on from my Valentine’s arrangement up here for now, and that has added a nice Spring feel.
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955114″]
I kept things nice and bright on my front entry table with all white and light pieces.
My good friend bought me this candle for my birthday back in November, and I have tried to link you something very similar. Here you can also see a funny quirk of mine evidenced - a fear of lighting pretty candles! Because I often use candles as part of my decorating, sometimes when I find one that I really like, I then struggle to actually light it, because it ruins the wick and will be gone, haha. Anyone else have this struggle? I sometimes even purposely buy candles I never plan to light, haha. Hopefully my friend isn’t offended - I swear it’s because it’s so nice that I just can’t bring myself to torch it!
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955218″]
My reading/sitting room shelves are kept mostly the same, but I changed out a couple pieces, like this stoneware bowl, and switched the artwork to something a little more fit for Spring.
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955507″]
I had some flower and eucalyptus leftovers to use in this room, and it’s nice to have that bit of brightness across from me while I sit and read.
I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to come and visit my home. I love having people over to share in my peaceful and cozy space, and since you can’t all come and visit me in person, I share these photos so you can see a peak into my home and life, and to hopefully have it feel as though you know me a little bit more.
In the coming days and months, lets hold tight to the things we have in our lives that we are most grateful for, and find peace in that. I hope that regardless of the situation we find our world in right now, you are able to make your spring feel refreshing and beautiful in your home, and for your family.
Thanks for stopping by,
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955498″]
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955210″]
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955099″]
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955114″]
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955218″]
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3955507″]
theporchlightcottage.com 