3 Cheap and Easy Ways to Bring the Outdoors Inside

Are you tired of winter? Me too. It’s hard to believe how excited I was when the winter season first started. After a couple months of freezing cold weather I’m starting to feel trapped.

The excitement of Christmas and New Years has passed and now it seems we are stuck in a pattern of cold grey snow.

Here are three cheap and easy ways to beat the winter blues and bring the outdoors inside.

Flowers and Candles

Buying fresh flowers or potted bulbs from the grocery store is one easy way to bring the outdoors inside.

Imagine a corner in your house with a few potted plants and a bouquet of flowers. Maybe some potted daffodils and a few shells that you picked up on vacation?  A favorite candle or bundle of dried lavender can provide a whiff of warm weather fragrance. (I’m actually in love with apple scented wax cubes!)

Making a Nature Table

Nature tables have often been used in classrooms and homes with small children but designers use them also.  Simply put, a nature table is a table that displays things from nature.  Branches, trees, rocks, plants, flowers, leaves and drift wood are all appropriate.  You can gather things that you find outside (if the weather permits) or you can scavenge a local store for items.

There are really no rules to creating a nature table. You can use an old garden table, search for a deal online, or thrift shop. Heck, you can use a cardboard box if you’d like.

If something speaks to you of nature then it can go on the table.  To keep your collection from looking like a pile of random clutter display varying heights of objects.  High, medium, and low.

Be creative. Maybe shells should be in a wine glass?  Mossy branches can be placed together in a Mason jar.  A mirror behind or underneath flowers is always a pretty accent too.

And if you have kids this can be an extremely fun project for them. My kids absolutely love to walk around the yard and pick up pine cones which we then put in a mason jar! A nature table is fun to make and can end up looking absolutely beautiful.

Keep Your Curtains and Blinds Open

Last but not least make sure you have some natural light coming in your house. When I start feeling down and missing the outdoors I open up my blinds. It’s an instant pick-me-up.

These three projects might seem super simple (because they are!) but they can have a huge impact, especially if you have a case of the winter blues.