For those of us living in Southeastern Washington, the first signs of spring are beginning to appear. My daffodils are up a couple of inches and there are fresh weeds in some of the beds. Hope springs (pun intended) eternal that winter is almost a distant memory. I hope you are starting to experience the stirrings of spring weather where you live, as well.

With that thought in mind, I took a look at my forlorn front door, which has sat unadorned since we removed the Christmas wreath almost two months ago. I wish I could tell you I was one of those bloggers who comes up with amazing wreaths for every month of the year, but I am not. However, even for me, it was definitely time to refresh the front and back doors with a little spring flair!

First, for the front door, I purchased a metal basket at JoAnn’s at half price. I like the fact that it’s not a typical wreath, but a unique shape and something I can fill with seasonal artificial flowers and greenery. Second, I like the fact that it is metal, as some of the grapevine type wreaths I use have a tendency to scratch our black metal front door when the wind blows. (Have I mentioned lately how much the wind blows here in tumbleweed territory?) To prevent this, my clever husband attached a very large magnet he had to the back of the metal container and voila, no more sliding around and scratching the door.

After filling the basket with some florist foam, I started inserting flowers and greenery. By using the recipe for perfect patio pots; a thriller (the tall items), the filler (the greenery) and the spiller (the dangly stuff), I started building the arrangement. For the flowers, I wanted something light and not too bright that could carry me through several months. The filler is mostly made up of ferns, and the spiller is made up of some dangly artificial greenery I had on hand. The end result is cheerful, welcoming and says “Hello, Spring. I’m sure glad you’re here!” Or something like that…

Because we also have a side door that most of our friends and family use, I felt duty bound to put something there, as well. Because that door in entirely glass, I use a wreath hanger made for that purpose.  Once I was finished with the back door basket, I noticed how nice it looks from inside of the house every time I walk down the hall…a bonus that we will get to enjoy too!

For the side door, I found a rattan basket with a liner on Amazon, which you can purchase here if you need one http://amzn.to/2ESJDi6.  Again, I filled it with florist’s foam and then started layering the flowers and greenery. I love the way it turned out, and even though the two baskets contain almost the same ingredients, they are the cohesive, yet different.

Once I had purchased and assembled the pieces, each of these spring baskets took only a few minutes to complete and hang. If you really want to embellish them further, you can add a pretty bow to the top, or add other springtime items like nests, etc. I may do that as Easter nears, but for now, I’m going gently into this next season.

If you don’t have a stash of artificial flowers and greenery on hand, they are easy to come by at places like JoAnn’s, Hobby Lobby or even the Dollar Tree. You can also find ready made wreaths, although in most cases, I find them more costly than just making my own. From the street, no one will know the difference as to how much you paid for your pieces, but they will notice that you’ve made an effort to welcome spring with open arms…and doors!

Good tidings,

Diane

• This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon for the wicker door basket.