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Bring a touch of spring home with tulips

STAR-BULLETIN Add sunshine to someone's heart and hearth with spring flowers.

Us locals are wimps weatherwise, so that the touch of chill in the air during the past week has us longing for the change of season, the rejuvenation of spring.

There is no easier way to capture the essence of the season -- hope and renewal -- than to bring a spring floral bouquet into the home to add life and color.

This need not be a time-consuming task. The innocence of spring is captured in a simple display of tulips.

Only five tulips are used in the minimalist arrangement at right. Make several as gifts, tie a silk ribbon around the glass vase and pass them on to friends to perk up their dreary office space and brighten their day. And don't forget to treat yourself to one.

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Tips from HGTV

Cord sense: Vacuum like a pro by using one long extension cord for the entire house. Unplugging and re-plugging the cord wears it out and takes far more energy than keeping up with a long cord.

Lights on: A classic lighting mistake is to make one or two lights do all the work in a room. Instead, add three-way lamps (with 150-watt bulbs) to tables, dimmer switches to overhead lights, and accent lighting directed toward a plant or painting. The light should emanate from several places and directions to produce visual interest.

Give gravity a try: Work from top to bottom. Dust a plant, then the table, then finish with the floor. Gravity is on your side when cleaning, so dust in straight lines to the edge so that dust falls directly on the floor.

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