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Let the sunshine in! Not every home makeover has to be a week-long project. Whip your home into summer shape with these 8 ideas  Image courtesy istockphoto There's no question about it now, summer is here for good ... well, at least for a few months. Spark your imagination and liven up your home with these eight easy and inexpensive ideas. But don't procrastinate: you'll regret it in September. 1. Let the grass grow Let the grass grow - not under your feet, but on your dining room table. Fill small, silvered clay pots with potting soil and sow with grass seed, says Joan Steffend, host of HGTV's Decorating Cents. The "mowing" is especially fun, she says. 2. Roll up the rugs Strip the floor of winter wools and put down sisal. The neutral color goes with everything and you can clean it with a shake or the spray with a hose. "Sisal is nice to have under foot when it's hot outside," says Lauri Ward, Use What You Have Interiors(r) president and founder, Lauri Ward(tm), which has offices in New York City and Boca Raton, Fla. You can find sisal in most lifestyle stores. 3. Rotate your art Rotate the art on your walls. Have one set of artwork you hang during the summer and a second set for winter, Ward suggests. Cover your summer walls with watercolors and save oil paintings and black and white photos for winter. 4. Re-create pillows Use sheer or embellished fabric to create a slipcover for your pillows. Sew a pocket of material slightly larger than your winter pillow and slip it inside. Sew the slipcover shut, says Steffend. 5. Store your Dutch oven Hide any reminders of winter cooking, including the Dutch oven you use for stews. Take out the steamer so you're more likely to served steamed fresh vegetables. 6. Brighten kitchen textures Toss out or store old oven mitts. Look for cheerful yellow, light green or blue mitts and dish towels. 7. Dine au natural Set the table with place mats in light-colored fabrics or natural materials, such as woven grasses. 8. Use flower power Fill the house with flowers. If you don't have a green thumb, buy a bouquet once a week. Weed out the dead flowers periodically and transfer the remainder to a smaller vase or vases. Place a little vase in the bathroom, bedroom, home office or wherever it's going to catch your eye.
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Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
