Hello friends!

Today I have a fun “small joys” post for you. I know a lot of people struggle with seasonal depression this time of year, and while that’s not the case for me, I am always eager for spring’s arrival and the warmer weather that comes with it.

In that spirit, I’ve collected some delightful ideas to get you in a spring mood even though winter hasn’t ended yet. Read on for refreshing activities, both indoor and outdoor.

Pick tiny weed flowers & float them in a bowl of water as a cheerful centerpiece. || This was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. I loved gently floating blue Speedwell flowers in a cereal bowl to adorn our dining room table. It’s a good way to make a “bouquet” when there aren’t a lot of big, flashy flowers for the picking. The blooms don’t last very long but are charming while they do!

If it’s too cold for a picnic, eat your meal in a patch of sunlight on the floor. || In winter you gotta take what sun you can get. While it’s obviously best to soak it up outside, sometimes it’s just too cold and windy for that. I get a similar feeling of joy just by sitting in a patch of sun on my floor – eating my lunch, reading my book, doing whatever.

Put on your coat and take a walk, noticing the shapes of bare tree branches. || If it’s not too cold, a walk will probably boost your mood and energy levels. There’s not a lot of color in winter, especially on gray days, so I like to pay attention to shapes – like the patterns of tree branches against the sky.

Treat yourself to fun, colorful fruits and veggies. || If you need a pick-me-up, try wandering the produce aisle instead of the candy or drinks section. I would rather spend the same amount of money on a box of red raspberries and a mango than a Starbucks drink – fruit is sweet and flavorful and some are treats I rarely have. Find your favorites or try something new, like a hybrid fruit or an uncommon vegetable.

Take photos of any bits of life you can find outside – weeds, buds, birds, etc. || Something about stopping to take a photo helps me slow down and truly notice whatever I’m observing. It brings so much relaxation and beauty to my world to capture and share what may usually be overlooked. Give it a try!

Craft paper flowers from coffee filters, crepe or tissue paper, etc. || If you don’t have real flowers, make your own! Coffee filter flowers are especially inexpensive and fun. I combined a lot of different tutorials and my own creativity here, but a good place to start is this article if you’re interested.

Try foraging (wisely) for mushrooms, edible weeds, etc. and cooking with them. || Of course you’ll need to do your research, especially for mushrooms. If you’re sure of what you’ve found, though, I think foraging is so rewarding and fun – free (usually very nutritious) food always makes me happy. A few places to start: dandelions, chickweed, morel mushrooms, and edible flowers like pansies and violets.

Hang glass prisms in your windows for a scattering of cheerful rainbows. || I’ve mentioned my prisms in so many posts already, but these little guys are one of my favorite low cost, high impact home decor ideas. The rainbow confetti is super mood-boosting and frankly just beautiful, in my opinion. Mine are from this Etsy shop.

Add bright citrus slices (lemon, lime, or clementine) to your water with a bit of honey. || It can be hard to hydrate regularly in winter when no hot weather is making you thirsty. To make water more interesting, add some citrus or fruit slices for an infusion of flavor and springtime freshness.

Make a “winter garden” terrarium by filling a glass jar with moss and tiny plants. || Moss grows in my backyard even in winter, so I take advantage of the greenery by bringing it in for centerpieces. I haven’t had to water or care for this terrarium for months, since the lid traps the very wet soil’s moisture and recycles it for the tiny backyard plants inside.

Look through a wildflower or nature guide, sketching your favorites if you like. || I love the beautiful pictures in nature guides – sometimes photos and sometimes art. They’re refreshing to page through and fun to use as drawing references too. This book, “Nature Anatomy” by Julia Rothman, is a delightful modern “guidebook” so to speak. Find it on Amazon here (affiliate link).

Paint, draw, or color in something with bright colors. || One of the hardest things about winter for me is how colorless it is compared to the other seasons. Being an artist, I LOVE color. Also being an artist, I can make colorful things whenever I want! But you don’t even have to be an artist to feel the joy of, say, filling in a coloring page or paint-by-number with bright markers.

Read or listen to nature poems. || “The Daily Poem” is one of my favorite podcasts and a great source of varied poems, nature and otherwise. Of course there are always physical poetry books too, like this Emily Dickinson collection. (And this is a good time to mention my own poem books, the newest of which you can find here. 😀 )

Do some stretches or exercises to your favorite music. || I think another big factor in seasonal depression besides lack of the sun and generally less fresh food in our diets is less movement. I know that’s true for me anyway. I’m not very motivated to work outside or go on long rambles when it’s just. So. Cold. Moving your body indoors, gently or athletically, is a good way to go.

Make a collage or mood board with magazine pages, scrapbook paper, stickers, etc. || Use paper in spring colors or patterns, washi tape, stickers, old calendar pages, and especially my sister’s beautiful Cut+Paste magazines here to create happy collages. This is fun for all ages, regardless of artistic skill.

Go to a greenhouse and plan what you’ll grow in spring. || Sometimes you just need some plants to make you feel better. 🙂 I always love visiting the local greenhouse before I plant my garden, giving myself time to wander around and enjoy even what I know I won’t buy.

Decorate a pretty cake or cupcakes with flowers. || We’ll end this list with a bit of baking. You can decorate your confections with icing flowers (might be a fun new skill to learn) or real, edible ones like pansies. Delightfully springy, especially if you pair them with flavors like lemon or strawberry.

Well that was a fun post to put together! I feel inspired myself now. 🙂 I hope you guys enjoyed that bucket list and it helps add some sunshine into these long, gray days of winter.

Which idea was your favorite? What do you love most about spring?

Thanks so much for reading, my friends, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***