tips | Outside The Lines

Rainer Maria Rilke exclaimed, “It is Spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” Truer and more beautiful words are rarely spoken. Yes, Spring is indeed here again, and it seems like the earth is more than willing to share with us her good gifts of flowers, rain, fresh air, and the vibrant colors we so missed in Winter.

Easy Ways to Prepare Your Home for Spring

Nature is readying itself as the fullness of Spring approaches; should our homes be any different? With just a few minor changes, your home can rival the beauty of any Spring flower. Consider the following ways to ready your home for Spring:

Replace heavy for light, dark for bright – After months of Winter’s heavy wools and flannels, no doubt you are more than ready for the lightness of muslin, linen and other Spring-friendly materials. Such fabrics are best chosen in delicious shades that mimic the soft beauty of nature. Toss a brightly colored throw across your couch, lay cheery pillows on your bed, and place fluffy pastel towels in your bathroom for a cheap and easy home makeover.

Display fresh flowers – Fresh flowers; what other two words evoke remembrances of the fragrance of freshly cut lilacs, the lemony yellow hue of new daffodils, and the silky feel of tulip petals? A simple vase of fresh flowers on your kitchen table is a powerful reminder that Spring has arrived with Summer on its heels. A milk bottle full of daisies would also make a charming addition to any bedside table. When it comes to decorating with flowers, the sky is truly the limit, so be creative and fearless.

Serve fresh produce – This Spring, fill your meals with fresh produce, the ultimate feast for the senses. To optimize your health, choose mostly local produce. And, don’t forget that smoothies are perhaps the best Springtime treat of all.

Open doors and windows – Trade Winter’s doldrums for Spring’s delights simply by opening up your doors and windows. This simple act airs out your home and invites Spring’s presence inside. Don’t forget to “clean your windows – inside and out — it’s likely they’ve picked up some dirt and grime during winter, and the cleaner your windows are, the more natural light will get in.”

Display some Spring-themed art – A well-placed Spring-themed picture can totally change the atmosphere of a home, so be sure to change out your wall art. (If you enjoy creating seasonal art, check out our digital paint-by-number daffodil pattern set; it is perfect for Spring!)

Is your home ready for Spring? How do you prepare your haven for this dearly beloved season? Share your comments with us today.

Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:

Welcome Spring with a Freshly Painted Front Door

Colorful Flowers to Plant this Spring

Coloring Each Season with Healthy Food

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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2013 is finally upon us, and accompanying it is the harsh reality of winter. Freezing temperatures, frosty car windows, and chilly houses are all aspects of wintertime. Despite its troubles, winter is a favored time of year. After all, there is much good that can be done with snow, the plentiful resource that winter provides us with. Just one of the many wintertime activities that can be enjoyed when snow is abundant is traditional snowman making.

Making the perfect snowman ranks high on the list of pleasurable winter activities and is perhaps equal to none. How can one make the “perfect” snowman? It’s easier than you might think. Here are just a few tips and tricks for building a memorable, snowy friend:

1. Find your snow — First, you will want to find the right type of snow. The snow you want will be fluffy, not too watery, and at least a couple inches deep. Make sure that the snow packs together fairly easily.

2. Locate a building area — Find a relatively flat area on which to build your snowman.

3. Begin building – Build your snowman by shaping the base mound of snow into a large ball. You can accomplish this by shaping a smaller snow ball with your hands and then rolling it along the snow-covered ground, which will cause it to enlarge. Top that with another ball of snow that’s a bit smaller. Finally, add an even smaller ball of snow to the very top (this will serve as the head).

4. Decorate – After your snowman is built, complete it by adding a carrot nose, a couple of lumps of coal for eyes, and a row of buttons or pebbles for a mouth. Don’t forget to throw a scarf around your snowman’s neck!

Find more snowman building tips at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Snowman.

After your snowman is built, why not host a snowman competition for your neighborhood? Talk to some other parents in town and appoint a couple of judges. Have neighborhood children build snowmen; later, serve hot chocolate and refreshments for them to enjoy as the judges choose the best snowman on the street. That would surely be a cherished memory for many families!

If you love building snowmen, imagine how much you would love creating them in artwork. Segmation offers a snowman pattern set that features all different kinds of wintry scenes. Check out Segmation’s snowman pattern by visiting http://www.segmation.com/products_pc_patternset_contents.asp?set=SNM.

Coming soon: You won’t want to miss Segmation’s upcoming blog post about presidents and their artistic abilities. It may really surprise you to learn which of America’s leaders were also leaders in the arts, so stay tuned!

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