-Jade Hall

Time to Decorate

Throw Pillows: It may be called a mom cave, but we all know she prefers a softer space. Use lots of pillows to soften up her cave so that she feels secure and comfortable. Stock up on decorative throw pillows from World Market ($12.99-$34.99 on worldmarket.com) to provide a bright burst of color and texture!

Vase Garland: Everybody gives mom flowers on Mother’s Day, so show the pretty blooms off in the mom cave with this Urban Outfitters Bottle Vase Garland ($24 at urbanoutfitters.com). Mom will be pleasantly surprised to see that flowers can do so much more than sit in a vase on the table.

Floral Decals: Unfortunately, real flowers just don’t last forever, but Wallflower Wall Decor does ($40 at urbanoutfitters.com)! Scatter these flowers around the walls or place them together in a decorative cluster according to your wall space. Mom will feel like she stepped outside into her garden without even leaving the house!

Comfy Seating: Furnishing the mom cave may be a bit of a splurge, but all the pillows in the world won’t beat a comfortable couch for mom to relax on after a long day. These colorful futons ($189.99 at Target.com) are perfect if mom wants to turn it into a bed for a much-needed nap or as a couch for when she and her girlfriends just want to have a good old-fashioned slumber party!

Image credit: fancyhouseroad.com, urbanoutfitters.com, urbanoutfitters.com, target.com

-Kenia Mazariegos

Get your garden party started with the stylish gardening supplies from Alice Supply Co. They’re all fun, colorful and full of personality! Water your thirsty plant-palls with their lime green Hose ($46 on alicesupplyco.com), with a colorful medley of stripes around the pouring spout. If you’re lovin’ this spring-y pattern, grab up matching Garden Tools ($28), which features a trowel, hand rake and drawstring cotton bag, and store ‘em in this cute Toolbox ($82). With gardening tools this adorable, your green buds will be even greener—with envy!

Image Credit: store.alicesupplyco.com

- Danielle St. Pierre

To display those beautiful blossoms that are in bloom come May, snatch up some of these sparkling Jewel Vases ($45 on uncommongoods.com). These rainbow-hued vases are made from 98% recycled glass and are designed to reflect sunlight and brighten up any room!

Image credit: uncommongoods.com

-Nicole Debari

Bright, playful colors scream spring. This Flickering Lumiere Vase from Anthropologie ($16 on anthropologie.com) is a big enough statement for it to stand on its own, but the simplest way to spring up your pad is with fresh flowers, so fill this pretty find with some of your favorite blooms. With the natural floral perfumes and the perfect ambiance of the vase, you’ve already taken your spring spruce-up to the next level!

Image credit: www.anthropologie.com

Start with a walk-through.

To get started, walk through your home and start tossing items you no longer need. Say goodbye to your old magazines, expired makeup, clothing that doesn’t fit and whatever else can’t be used. It’s as simple as that. This will give you much more space to comfortably work with everything else you already own (and need), as well as room to buy new things you may need for the season, like cute new clothes for spring! Plus, dumping your trash in these pink polka dot garbage bags ($9.95 on amazon.com) may make it just a little more fun.

Put those household cleaners to work.
After you’ve taken the time to get rid of the clutter, get started on the actual cleaning process. Wipe down your windows from top to bottom, mop or vacuum your floors, clean your kitchen counter tops, give your bathroom sink and tub a good scrubbing and clean just about every other nook and cranny in your space. Tip: jamming out to your favorite songs while cleaning definitely makes the process funner! To add a dose of pretty to the routine, consider using a lightly scented cleaner like Mrs. Meyer’s Lavender All Purpose Cleaner ($7.99 on mrsmeyers.com).

Get organized.

Are you getting frustrated with shuffling through a big bin filled with makeup every morning or digging through your closet for what seems like eons, only to feel like you have nothing to wear? Think about the different spaces in your home like these that drive you absolutely crazy and what you can do to make using them more efficient. It could be as simple as getting a small shelving unit for your makeup or color-coding your clothing. For instance, Muji makes acrylic cases is perfect for storing all of your makeup and beauty products ($25.25 on muji.com). Happy spring cleaning!

Image credit: getorganizedtips.blogspot.com

-Monique Valeris of Decor Musings

Monique Valeris has a background in corporate communications, but during her downtime, she’s typing away about all things home decorating-related on Decor Musings. And what else fuels this Brooklyn, NY resident? Tasty food (guacamole on the menu, and she’s there) magazines, magazines, magazines, flea market adventures, her love for a good joke and a belief in living life to the fullest. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Magazine Journalism and English and Textual Studies from Syracuse University, and a master’s in Publishing from New York University. Send her a note at info@decormusings.com.

Girl Talk Time: How do you like these spring cleaning how-to’s? What are you own tips and tricks for tackling spring cleaning?

-Tai Nycole Harriss

When I think of cacti, I imagine a desert filled with prickly, dangerous, self-sufficient plants. The Hirts Salmon Christmas Cactus Plant ($9.99 on Amazon.com) trashes those theories easily. It usually blossoms around November so you can spend your holidays enjoying the beautiful blooms. This pretty plant doesn’t need as much sunlight or a well-heated environment like its prickly counterparts.

-Cait Rohan

Invoke the earthy smell of Ireland with a trendy take on Irish moss via Diptyque’s Mousse Candle – Moss ($60 on Barneys.com). The smell is more a combination of foresty fragrances than literal Irish moss.

There’s a quote I love from the late British textile designer William Morris, that says, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I do my best to live by this because it really says it all.

There was a time in my life when I was caught up in the illusion that the more stuff I had, the happier I would be. More clothes, shoes, magazines, home décor, jewelry and trinkets. When I was feeling bummed out, I would shop, looking for the next thing that would boost my spirits. What I didn’t realize at the time was that although the stuff sometimes brought temporary good feelings, it wasn’t doing anything to sustain my happiness. In fact, my world was becoming more and more cluttered; both physically and spiritually. After the initial high of the new possessions dissolved, I’d be left feeling empty again, and the cycle would continue.

I’ve long since come to know that true, lasting happiness and peace comes from within, and from the way we choose to perceive what is, right now. It comes from perceiving our Self and our world with love, and from living our truth.

So, when it comes to material stuff, it’s about balance. Great clothes, shoes, magazines and other goodies can certainly contribute to joyful feelings (a vintage Rolling Stones tee or a kick-ass pair of heels can always put a smile on my face), but too much is simply too much. It becomes clutter that can overwhelm and drain your energy, not to mention strain your finances. This is when your stuff begins to own you.

The inspiration that comes from spring’s refreshing vibe of renewal is a great catalyst for getting on with some serious clutter busting, inside and out. It’s time to take back your space and show that stuff who’s in charge. I generally use a three-step process that works well, so I’ll share it with you.

STEP 1: Start with going through your place and clearing out the obvious and the ridiculous. Piles of magazines you’ll never read, papers that have no purpose, spoiled stuff in the fridge, anything stained, broken or expired (you might be grossed out when you find stuff in your medicine cabinet that went bad in 2007).

STEP 2: Go deeper. A lot deeper. Let go of what doesn’t speak to you, serve you, or uplift you in some way. Just. Let. Go. When it comes to your closet, be ruthless. If it’s not your color, doesn’t fit like it was made for you or causes you physical pain (like those shoes you got on sale that are a half-size too small), take it to the tailor right away, sell it or donate it to charity. When you think you’re done, wait a day or two and repeat once more.

By the time the first two steps are done, you’ll begin to feel so much lighter that you could literally start dancing. You’ve now created breathing space and eliminated much of what was blocking your flow of creativity and positive energy.

STEP 3: Finally, it’s time to bust out the eco-friendly cleaning supplies (no toxic fumes allowed) and get cracking. Blast some killer music and get into the groove. Now’s the time to catch up on laundry because you’ve finally got room to put it away.

Once I’m done with my three clutter-clearing steps, I usually top it off with a long entry in my journal about anything that begins to flow. It’s amazing what comes to the surface when your home environment is clutter-free and in a place to support your happiness, inner-peace and success. New ideas, motivation and strength will emerge. Sometimes you’ll even find that the junk on the outside was a direct reflection of junk that was going on inside. Zapping the outer clutter is a great jump-start for clearing the inner clutter.

Spring isn’t the only time for intense cleansing, reducing and simplifying. I personally make a ritual out of it every season, and any other time my inner-voice is whispering to me that clutter may be cramping my style. Make this clearing process an ongoing part of your life and it will be part of creating super-positive change. It’s all about less is more and making room for the good stuff (inside and out). Get ready to shake it out.

-Kristi Blicharski from creatingyourbliss.com

Kristi Blicharski is a happiness and success catalyst working to help others create joy and realize a dream life.  She’s a speaker, writer, and empowerment coach offering online courses, live workshops, and more.

You can download her free eBook, Empower Your Day, learn more about her work, and check out her blog at: creatingyourbliss.com.

GIRL TALK TIME: What do you think? How do you spring clean? How do you go about de-cluttering?

The trick here is to choose unisex colors that can appeal to both you and your dude. For the bedroom, for instance, try pairing black-and-white sheets with a red comforter like this Solid Red Comforter ($19.99-$34.99) from Target .

-Monique Valeris of Decor Musings

Monique Valeris has a background in corporate communications, but during her downtime, she’s typing away about all things home decorating-related on Decor Musings. And what else fuels this Brooklyn, NY resident? Tasty food (guacamole on the menu, and she’s there) magazines, magazines, magazines, flea market adventures, her love for a good joke and a belief in living life to the fullest. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Magazine Journalism and English and Textual Studies from Syracuse University, and a master’s in Publishing from New York University. Send her a note at info@decormusings.com.

-Jinee Son

Okay, first things first! You have to have the ingredients for the ultimate margarita on hand, always. Cointreau’s Margarita recipe simply calls for Cointreau, lime juice and tequila, but the taste of this original margarita is unbeatable.