Get Lilacs! And 6 More Ways to Make the Most of This Weekend
Snip a fragrant Mother’s Day bouquet of spring blooms, find an antique treasure and get your photos in order
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13, in the U.S. — and with lilacs in bloom, show houses to see and antiques fairs on the schedule (Brimfield is May 8 to 13), there’s lots to choose from that will make Mom (or anyone) happy. Seven ideas for a splendid spring weekend are ahead.
2. Clean the kitchen. If it’s been a while since you made an effort to scrub all of those kitchen nooks and crannies, make this the weekend for a fresh start. Wipe small appliances clean, scrub grout, dust blinds, tidy open shelves and mop floors.
Get a Spotless, Beautifully Organized Kitchen | Find household cleaning supplies
Get a Spotless, Beautifully Organized Kitchen | Find household cleaning supplies
3. Update your family photo display. With most photos being snapped on smartphones these days, it’s easy to neglect printing them. Consider picking out a handful of recent favorites and having them printed. Add them to a photo wall or album, or simply stick them on your fridge with magnets.
When hanging photos, interior designer Emily Mughannam of Fletcher Rhodes in Sonoma, California, uses this trick for getting her arrangement right: “I arrange the photos on a big sheet of kraft paper. When I have them as I want them, I trace them. I tape the paper to the wall with painter’s tape and use a nail to mark the spot where I want to place my hangers. I take the paper down and nail the hangers into the wall. It works great!”
How to Get Your Photos Out of Your Phone and Into Your Home
When hanging photos, interior designer Emily Mughannam of Fletcher Rhodes in Sonoma, California, uses this trick for getting her arrangement right: “I arrange the photos on a big sheet of kraft paper. When I have them as I want them, I trace them. I tape the paper to the wall with painter’s tape and use a nail to mark the spot where I want to place my hangers. I take the paper down and nail the hangers into the wall. It works great!”
How to Get Your Photos Out of Your Phone and Into Your Home
4. Go antiquing. If you live anywhere near Brimfield, Massachusetts, and enjoy antiques, the major flea market that happens there several times a year is definitely worth a drive. Brimfield’s spring event is May 8 to 13 this year. If you want to attend, get all the details on the show organizer’s website.
Even if you’re not in the Brimfield area, you can still make a weekend day trip of antiques hunting. Search locally for antiques shops and malls, flea markets, and fairs and go exploring.
Happening Now: The Brimfield Antique Show
Even if you’re not in the Brimfield area, you can still make a weekend day trip of antiques hunting. Search locally for antiques shops and malls, flea markets, and fairs and go exploring.
Happening Now: The Brimfield Antique Show
The “Art Salon” dining room by Bjørn Studio at the 2018 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, happening now
5. Visit a show house. Soak up interior design inspiration at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase if you’re in the Bay Area, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House if you’re in New York, or the Southeastern Designer Showhouse & Gardens if you’re in Atlanta. All are fundraising events that showcase cutting-edge ideas from a range of designers.
If there isn’t a show house in your area, check local listings for events at historic homes open to the public; Mother’s Day weekend is a popular time for special tours and parties.
See highlights from spring 2018 design happenings
5. Visit a show house. Soak up interior design inspiration at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase if you’re in the Bay Area, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House if you’re in New York, or the Southeastern Designer Showhouse & Gardens if you’re in Atlanta. All are fundraising events that showcase cutting-edge ideas from a range of designers.
If there isn’t a show house in your area, check local listings for events at historic homes open to the public; Mother’s Day weekend is a popular time for special tours and parties.
See highlights from spring 2018 design happenings
6. Make Mom’s day. Whether you’re planning a special meal at home, brunch at a favorite restaurant, a fun outing or simply a nice, long phone call on May 13, take some time to consider what would make Mother’s Day special. Small, thoughtful touches — a bouquet of flowers picked from your garden, a cup of coffee served in bed, a video chat with a grandkid — can go a long way toward making Mom’s day great. And if you’re remembering a mom or grandmother who passed away, honor her memory by bringing out old photos and sharing your favorite stories.
What Mom Wants for Mother’s Day
What Mom Wants for Mother’s Day
7. Spend some time outdoors. The weather is changing, the flowers are blooming — it’s time to get out there and savor spring! Even if it’s chilly, taking a brisk walk through the neighborhood or hanging out on the porch with a mug of something hot is a pleasant way to spend free time.
Find a swing for your porch
Your turn: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
More
Enjoy the Peak of Spring Gardening — Here’s What to Do in May
Antiques Shopping for the Fun of It
Choose Your Own Spring-Cleaning Plan
What to do for a special mom in your life
Find a swing for your porch
Your turn: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
More
Enjoy the Peak of Spring Gardening — Here’s What to Do in May
Antiques Shopping for the Fun of It
Choose Your Own Spring-Cleaning Plan
What to do for a special mom in your life
Spring and fall are prime times for planting, so if it’s still cool where you are, you might consider planting your own lilac bush. Lilac is hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 3 to 8; find your zone). It likes moderate water (at least an inch a week in summer) and full sun for at least six hours a day.
Spectacular Blooms Distinguish the Common Lilac Bush | See gardening guides