Hosting a garage sale can be a fun way to declutter your home, make a little extra cash on the side, and meet members of your community. As a garage sale attendee, there’s nothing quite like the thrill or excitement of discovering something novel and new. As a host, it’s comforting to know that the pieces you once loved will finally get a new lease on life. Thinking about hosting a garage sale? Take some time to plan ahead to ensure things go smoothly.

A holiday that is truly fun for the whole family, Easter is a time to come together and celebrate the spring season with fun games and good food. If you’re feeling stuck on what to plan for the long weekend, we’ve got you covered. Enjoy a few Easter-themed activities and some delicious recipes we think you should try out.  

If you’re the one hosting this year’s Easter get-together, explore our guide for a few tips that’ll make hosting so much easier. 

Images courtesy of: Betty Crocker (Scalloped Potatoes); Archana’s Kitchen (Honey Glazed Carrots).

This month, we collaborated with four designers in North Carolina to create two front porch displays that you can replicate during the spring season. With a few staple pieces, some greenery, and a pop of color or two, your front porch will become instantly refreshed and transform into an outdoor sanctuary that everyone can use. So without further ado, discover some of our favorite decorating ideas to help you showcase your design skills this season. Maestro, cue instant curb appeal.

Meet the Designers

Designers Sarah Howerton and Tiffany Page (pictured, above right) decorated the front porch of our Hadley model home at Empire Oldenburg, while April Gilmore and Amber Quarles (pictured, above left) were the forces behind the front porch design of the community’s Amherst model. We challenged these four designers to create two spring porch designs that homeowners can recreate themselves, and with a little imagination, they showed us how achievable these looks can be. Read on to hear what they had to say about their designs and what sparked their inspiration.

Pictured: The Amherst model home at Empire Oldenburg.

How can people use your ideas as inspiration and create something that reflects their personal style?

“Your design should reflect what you like. Find a palette that complements your overall design style and be confident in your decision making. Don’t be afraid to use bold colors, stripes, or patterns, and play with height too — each of these things can create a totally unique look.”

What are some simple, budget-friendly ways that homeowners can take their design from good to great?

“Identify what you want your front porch to look like and the colors that you want to use. You can always look to websites like Pinterest or take to Google to look up inspiration too. After you know what look you’re trying to achieve, you can source cost-effective furniture pieces from local or online stores. To add some extra pizazz, you can play with flowers, burlap, and ribbon which are budget-friendly additions.”

What’s your favorite spring accessory to use on the front porch of a home?

“We love using black and white stripes, just like we did when designing the front porch of the Amherst model home. We also gravitate to bold colours like pinks, purples, greens, and blues. By using black and white, you can incorporate new colors into your design every season. I have a small black and white rug on the front porch of my own home, and when it came time for the holidays, I mixed in some hints of red.”

Pictured: The Hadley model home at Empire Oldenburg.

How can people use your ideas as inspiration and create something that reflects their personal style?

“First, nail down a general color scheme and then mix in different materials or things that speak to your unique design style. For example, decor pieces like vessels and vases can add texture and volume to a space, while giving off some personal flavor.”

Share some DIY decorating tips that make it easy for someone to stay within their budget?

“Take a simple, decor piece and make it your own. When designing the Hadley model home, we wanted to achieve more of a custom look for one of the terracotta pots we used. Since we had a lot of different textures and materials incorporated into our design, we wanted to create something with more of a geometric look so we bought painters tape and some craft paint — which was less than $2 — and created a handmade design.”

How did you achieve the look that you wanted while staying within budget? Talk through your decorating process.

“We came up with our inspiration, and then we gathered even more ideas while we started pricing decor pieces out. We tried to purchase items that were at lower price points, but with today’s supply chain issues, it created more of a challenge. By purchasing from stores like Target, At Home, and Lowe’s Home Improvement, we were able to stick to the initial design themes we had in mind and stay within our budget.”

Next, learn how Empire’s designers decorated some of our front porches for fall or discover designer-worthy entryway inspiration for your home.

As the old saying goes, out with the old and in with the new, and that couldn’t be any more relevant with the beginning of the spring season now fully realized. Flowers in full bloom and sunnier days usually trigger thoughts of spring cleaning — an arguably difficult time for many if you don’t have a solid plan of action in place. 

The problem usually lies in trying to tackle your household chores with a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Since cleaning is rarely anyone’s favourite activity, why not try and “hack” the process?  Make cleaning and decluttering something you enjoy by tailoring your cleaning methods to fit your unique personality with our handy guide below.  

Flowers are blooming, trees are sprouting new leaves, and the weather is warming — spring is in full swing! This season is all about renewal and rejuvenation, and one of the easiest ways we can breathe new life into our homes begins by refreshing our front porch. Read on for easy porch decorating ideas that make for a beautiful spring entryway (and will make people want to come and say hello!).

Decorate your front porch with some of our favourite picks. For a more modern look, draw inspiration from items in our first row; for a look with a bit more whimsy, look to pieces from the second row.

Proud of your front porch? Share your porch pride and have the chance to be featured in our story by tagging your local Empire account on Instagram. | Atlanta: @Empire_Atlanta | Charlotte: @Empire_NC | Texas: @Empire_Texas | Ontario: @Empire_Living

Ready to keep the creativity flowing? Learn how to Decorate Your Front Porch for Fall Like a Designer and discover Designer-Worthy Entryway Inspiration for Your Home for year-round ideas that will make your entryway the talk of the neighbourhood.

Images courtesy of Studio McGee (planters); Modern Glam (door wreath, welcome mat); Country Living via Schlage (hero, pillows).

Austin in the spring is a beautiful thing — with bluebonnets bursting and with parks budding with green. With warm weather here to stay, there are plenty of fun things to do in the area with family, friends, and loved ones. Take a look at some of our favorite activities that you can take advantage of.

What are you getting up to in Austin this spring? For more inspiration on what to do, check out other attractions Texas has to offer. When the time comes, be sure to share your adventures with us on Instagram, @Empire_Texas.

Images courtesy of: Amber M. Kani (Aquarium), Texas Hill Country (Bluebonnets), Rove.Me (Barton Springs), Lake Homes (Lady Bird Lake), Do 512 (Peter Pan Mini Golf), Visit Austin (Thinkery), Business Wire (Zilker Park). 

When mixologist Demario Wallace thinks of springtime, a bright, floral, and refreshing gin cocktail with a dash of bubbly comes to mind. To celebrate warmer weather on its way, this cheerful cocktail recipe is full of late winter and early spring citrus. “The bright Italian aperitif, followed by the mid-spring flowers of the gin, tied together by the dry Spanish sherry, makes for a dazzling springtime sipper,” says Wallace, who has led the bar program at Atlanta hot spots including Rina and Aziza, and is the founder of the city’s cocktail delivery club, Social Civics. Among his vast repertoire of boozy recipes, Wallace created this light and fresh cocktail that captures the change of season beautifully.

Not in a Bubbly Mood?

Just combine Spirits in a rocks glass, stir, and garnish with mint and a lime peel for a bright negroni rift.

Explore our blog for more great food and drink inspiration, including a Fall Margarita cocktail recipe.