Hello! It's that time of year again: when the winter "blahs" start to take over. It's cold and dark outside, not much is going on and spring seems light years away. So what's one to do? We think that a great way to fight the winter blues is with color. It's been proven that color can influence your mood and we think it's important to harness the power of color when decorating. Dark, neutral shades of black, brown, navy and gray can all contribute to that super dreary, sad winter mood. So it's time to ditch those colors. Fight the winter blahs with vibrant, bright colors. Select cheery, colorful pieces to update your home with. Now, this doesn't mean entirely re-doing every room in your home. Instead, you can make small changes with affordable, decorative accents that will leave a big impact.  And today, we want to focus on the ways that you can brighten up the kitchen in particular. We often start our days in our kitchens: whether we're pouring a cup of coffee to bring with us to the office, packing our kids' lunches before they go off to school or making breakfast. Since we often start our days in the kitchen, it's important to create a happy, positive atmosphere in your kitchen so that you can start off the day on a good note. No dreary shades of gray! Keep reading to browse through our eleven tips for brightening your kitchen:

1. Use a colorful, fun scrubby holder by your kitchen sink. Our "Pretty in Pink Flamingo Scrubbie Holder Soap Dish" will instantly cheer up the atmosphere of any kitchen.

2. Throw down a colorful accent rug by your kitchen sink. We have a wide variety of colorful accent rugs but our "Cool Starfish Stream Shades of Green Washable Accent Rug" is one of our favorites.

3. Swap out neutral dish towels for bright, cheery ones. This is definitely one of the easiest ways to create a happier atmosphere in your kitchen. Our "Tidal Pool Seahorse Crabs and Coral Print Kitchen Dish Towel" looks great in any kitchen.

4. Update your other kitchen linens (pot holders, oven mitts, etc.) with new, vibrant ones as well. Small pops of color can have a big impact on your mood. Don't believe it? Try it out for yourself! We recommend our "Pink Plumeria and Hibiscus Paradise Flowers Print Kitchen Oven Mitt" and "Life is Beautiful Enjoy the Ride Bicycle Retro Look Kitchen Pot Holder."

5. Go for yellow placemats, or placemats with yellow in them. Yellow placemats work perfectly for bringing a little bit of sunshine into any kitchen. Sure, it may be dreary outside but it certainly won't be dreary in your kitchen when you decorate with bright yellow placemats! We suggest our "Southern Welcome Pineapple Table Setting Placemats Set of 4."

6. Decorate your kitchen window with an eye-catching window valance. A window valance in a coastal print such as our "Captiva Island Shells Teal Yellow Green Window Valance" will not only brighten your kitchen but also fondly remind you of the seashore every time that you see it. And can you really say "no" to that?

7. Add a fun salt and pepper shaker set to your kitchen counter. This is one of the easiest ways to perk up the atmosphere of your kitchen. Wouldn't our "Sunny Orchid Flower Salt and Pepper Shaker Set" look cute in your kitchen?

8. Buy yourself a cheery new mug. Swap out your black coffee mug for one in a more colorful hue and see how it impacts your mood in the mornings. We carry countless different mugs but we really love the joyous colors of our "Beach Sign Waves Sunshine Peace Sunny Yellow Mug."

9. Utilize a colorful drying mat. We love our "Teal Sea Life Seahorse Turtles Embossed Kitchen Countertop Drying Mat" and we're sure that you will too! Vibrant shades of sea blue will not only cheer up your kitchen but will also introduce an element of coastal relaxation to the space.

10. Hang a colorful apron on the wall. Our "Life's a Hoot Whimsical Owls Girlie Frilly Kitchen Cooking Chef Apron" works perfectly for this tip.

11. Update your kitchen with a fun pink flamingo spoon rest. You'll smile every time that you use our "Pink Flamingo and Hibiscus Bloom Spoon Rest."