In the excitement of being outdoors to finish the playscape and the front yard landscaping, I couldn’t bring myself to spend the hours on my computer that I normally do each day.  It’s really hard to be stuck inside all day when nature calls.  Okay, not nature calling like THAT, but you know what I mean.

I postponed (in my mind, but didn’t tell you guys) the last post in my series on Adding Color to a Room Without Painting the Walls.  I wanted to post them all back to back, but then the gorgeous Texas weather came along, and it just didn’t happen.  So here we are again.

If you think of your furniture and textiles as the clothing that dresses your room, you need to think of your accessories as the perfect necklace or a great pair of earrings.  Just like in your own wardrobe, the “jewelry” in your room should add unique character and charm while not detracting from the overall appearance.

“Okay, Lindsay.  That sounds all well and good, but how do I make it happen?”

This is the fun part!  One easy way to add color is to create a great gallery wall, like the wall Rhoda at Southern Hospitality created.  I love her mix of neutrals with the aqua bird cage and the painting above it.  Those pieces really do the talking and let the neutral pieces take the backseat.  It allows you to fill the wall and not be overwhelmed with color.

Another way to add color to a room is through your lighting choices.  Traditionally, lamps and fixtures will be silver, gold, black or white?  Why not red?  Or green?  Or blue?

Crate and Barrel Zing Lamp

Don’t want to buy a new lamp?  Try spray paint!  A lacquer or high gloss spray paint might change your life.

If you are particularly married to your silver lamp, why not give it a new shade?  Try Cost Plus/World Market for some really interesting patterns, textures, and colors.   Occasionally, Target will even have an interesting shade or two, like this scrolly yellow version.

If you need some personality to your end table (and no, your husband’s empty PBR can doesn’t count), why not pick up some junky statuettes at garage sales or the dollar store and hit them with a can of lacquer?  There’s a great old post at Apartment Therapy about this.

Of course, there’s always the tride and true brightly colored picture frame.  Even if you don’t hang a dozen of them all on top of each other, you could always add a few to your fireplace mantle or console table behind the couch.  Remember, not every picture frame needs to be neutral!

What ways to you like to add color to your room through your table top accessories?  Talk to me, Goose.

When I had my very first apartment, I amassed quite the selection of odd tchotchkes.  I had the entire collection of N*Sync bobble heads.  There was a Britney Spears poseable doll.  I also had a really odd light from Ikea that had these colored slides that displayed different characters, like the international symbol for a woman’s bathroom or two hands shaking.  I know it sounds weird (or maybe oddly charming?), but the quirkiness of it all made me happy.

After Tom and I got married and moved into our first house, I decided that I needed to “grow up.”  Justin and Britney were donated to Goodwill, and I spent my time collecting items like picture frames and fake flowers.  I lived in that uninspired and “grown up” way for the next few years.  My brown leather beast of a sofa still survives from that era.

But one day, I woke up and realized that I don’t have to live in a home of uninspired niceties.  I needed to be surrounded by things that make me smile, even if they seem a bit odd to other people.  Luckily, my selections have gotten a little more refined.

Throughout the years, I’ve collected things that aren’t really what you see in the pages of your favorite shelter magazines.  It’s much more important that the rooms in my room scream “happy, quirky fun” than they do “you should want to live exactly like me.”

A few weeks ago, there was a vintage Basset Hound planter offered on One King’s Lane for around $130.  I wanted someone to buy it so I wouldn’t spend that much money on something so weird, but I fell in immediate love with him…and I fell hard.  Then, I realized I had some credits in my OKL account, so the price seemed a little easier to swallow.  I put the planter in my cart, but then I quickly did an Internet search to make sure I wasn’t crazy for convincing myself to pay so much.

Turns out I was.  I found an identical vintage planter listed on Etsy for $38.  I released the $130 model from my OKL cart and purchased the one from Etsy.   He now resides in my living room, holding some of my favorite types of succulents.

Have you ever fallen in love with something like a Basset Hound planter but been afraid to take it home with you?  Don’t be afraid to inject a little quirky character into your home.  Stop questioning  yourself and worrying about what other people will think, and add elements to your home that inspire you.

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Want to add some fun to your home through brightly colored pillows?  Two winners have been selected for the $25 shop credits to Modest Pillows.

• #1 – Rachael
• #51 – Amy P

For those of you who didn’t win, Modest Pillows wants to extend a discount code to you.  Enter the code LIVING at checkout and receive 15% off your purchase through April 15h.

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It’s also time to announce the winners of the Home Depot “Spring it Forward” giveaway.  Three winners have been selected to receive $20 gift cards to Home Depot.

• #59 – Kyra
• #82 – Tonya
• #96 – Amber

You still have time to Spring it Forward with Home Depot.  Please visit Home Depot on Facebook to join in the fun!