Spring has officially arrived. And with spring comes the inspiration for change and newness. Now’s the time to freshen up your interior design. It’s not too hard to have a completely new look and feel with just a few framed art pieces. Artwork has the ability to liven up a space to make your home or office feel like a completely new place!

Below are 5 of the top decorating trends for this spring. Find framed artwork that features natural subjects, colorful and patterned prints, along with images that inspire you to refresh and renew, but most importantly, make you feel comfortable.

Nature

Welcome Spring by Kristen Stein

Nature and the outdoors are still very popular decorating trends for spring 2009. With the continued emphasis on being green and going organic, you’re sure to see an emphasis on trends surrounding nature. With artwork, this means bringing the outdoors in. Find artwork that focuses on nature: trees, flowers, rural and natural landscapes. All of these make nature and the outdoors the shining star.

Color

Blue Circles by Joan Theodore

Spring brings more daylight and brighter colors. This means color is back and one of the top trends for interior decorating. Designs are sure to feature high levels of color. Bold uses of the primary and other bright colors are sure to make your interior design really stand out. Shop artwork by color; reds, greens, yellows, blues. Look for colors to brighten up your home or office decor.

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Patterns

Teal Floral by Debbie Lord

Patterns and symmetry can bring balance to distressful situations. That’s why patterns are making a huge impact on the 2009 interior design trends. With bad news seemingly all around, more and more people are looking for familiarity. And, though it will not cure everything, familiarity can help quell the feelings of anxiety. Find artwork on Imagekind that features pleasant patterns and comforting symmetry.

RE-

Flower: Dahlia "Intimate #1" by Soulful Photos

2009 is shaping up to truly be the year of RE; refresh, redesign, renew. A hot trend that caught fire throughout 2008, the ideas of RE are staying strong in 2009. Refresh your interior design by starting with the walls. Find framed artwork that opens a new world of possibilities and brings both the freshness and newness of Spring indoors. Rearrange the furniture and accent the room with art that’s sure to refresh your space.

Comfort

A day at the beach 6 by Gerla Brakkee

With more and more people staying home in an effort to weather the econmic climate, they need an interior decor that’s comftorable. Look for ways to showcase your personality with your art. Framed pictures of family, friends, pets and past vacations are all fantastic ways to make your interior both comftorable and personal. Being surrounded by the things you care about most, really helps to remind us of what is most important in life. Frame your own favorite photos at Imagekind.com/create. Or, print them on canvas!

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Did you know there is an unbelievably easy way to keep people up to date on your artwork at Imagekind? It’s called RSS, which stands for Real Simple Syndication. Read on and I’ll show you just how “Real Simple” it really is.

With RSS, all you need is a link and an RSS reader, and you can keep up with hundreds of thousands (maybe millions to billions) of different content sources on the web. From blogs and news sources, to YouTube and yes, Imagekind Galleries and Groups. Just click and your RSS reader will automatically update every time there is new content to view.

At Imagekind, we’ve incorporated this same technology to make it simple for people to stay up to date on their favorite galleries and groups on Imagekind. Whenever someone adds a new image to a gallery you are following via RSS, or posts a new image to a group, the reader will automatically update and show you what image was included and other useful information about the artwork for sale.

So, whenever you encounter an artist’s work on Imagekind you particularly like, scroll down to the bottom of the gallery, and click the “RSS for this Gallery.” Next time the artist adds more images to that gallery, your RSS reader will update, allowing you to easily simply view the new content.

The Potential for Artists

Incorporating RSS into Imagekind provides huge marketing potential for Imagekind Artists. With RSS, artists can share their feed links with their friends, family and fans outside of Imagekind. That way, they can click and stay up to date when an artist posts new images to their galleries.

To share your RSS feed link, simply right click on the and select “copy link location.” You can then paste that link as you would any other URL. Once you have the link, share it on your favorite social network, twitter, flickr, blog or even send an email. Once someone clicks the link, it will ask if and how they would like to subscribe to your gallery via RSS.

See, a real simple way to share your content and keep people up to date on your artwork for sale on Imagekind.

Want to learn something else you can use your Imagekind Gallery RSS Feed for? Read the post An Easy way to Display your Art Online and discover how to market your Imagekind galleries with banners via RSS.

Note: please allow some time between posting new images and them showing in the RSS reader. There is an expected delay for the reader to update.

Looking for something more personal to give this holiday season? With Imagekind, you can easily upload your favorite pictures and shop for gifts that cost less, but mean more. You can choose to frame your photos in one of our custom frames, wall frames, desktop frames or the Imagekind exclusive Story Frame. Or choose to print your photos on canvas!

Now is the time to create the perfect gift.

This weekend only, Imagekind is offering Free Shipping on all create products! Frame your favorite pictures and digital images to give to your friends and family this holiday season. Imagekind create products truly are the ideal gift – both thoughtful and personal.

But hurry, free shipping* offer expires on Monday, November 24 at 10pm PST.

Get creative! Upload your favorite pictures today.

Free shipping promo applies to US ground shipping only.

Imagekind Corporate Art Sales

We are extremely excited to introduce the new Corporate and Hospitality Art Sales program at Imagekind.

Now you can easily make your corporation or hospitality organization stand out from the rest. With the Imagekind Business and Hospitality Art Sales program you can decorate your office with stunning, framed artwork. Browse art from over 50,000 unique and independent artists on Imagekind and decorate your office suite with truly inspiring art.

Contact sales@imagekind.com to setup an art consultation and for more information.

We continue to see the demand interior decorators and designers have in finding high quality framed artwork, at an affordable price. That is why Imagekind launched this service. By creating a one stop shop for framed and canvas artwork, decorators and designers can easily find artwork for businesses, hotels, offices, hospitals, hospitality organizations and other corporate settings.

Shop artwork for your business, office and organization and discover these outstanding advantages:

All Inclusive

• One stop shop for all your fine art and framing needs
• Print your art on high end stretched canvas
• Choose art from our online catalog, or upload your own images and custom create your masterpiece

Vast Selection

• Experience the Classics or discover new and exclusive Member Art from our over 750,000 high-quality fine art images for sale
• We offer over 5.5 million custom frame and mat combinations
• Choose to print on one of 8 different paper types or 2 canvas options

Unparalleled Quality

• All of our custom framing is done onsite by our expert framers with over 30 years of experience in the framing business
• Our art prints are meticulously monitored for quality control ensuring you receive only the best
• We pride ourselves on our extraordinary customer satisfaction record that features thousands of happy clients

Exclusive Benefits

• Enjoy attractive discounts on corporate and bulk orders over $1,000
• We work with your deadlines and offer quick production and speedy shipping options
• Our art consultants are happy to assist you find artwork based on your decorating needs

Visit Imagekind.com for more information on the Corporate and Hospitality Art Sales program.

Today is the official first day of fall. Though summer 2008 has come and gone, it’s now time to stop thinking about the past, and start thinking about change. And fall is the season of change.

To help us kick off the fall season, we thought we’d invite Imagekind artist Scott Neste, professional interior designer and owner of Minor Details Design, to share some ideas on how to prepare your home for the inevitable changes that fall brings.

Read on to see 5 Tips for Preparing your Home for Autumn. And remember to visit Imagekind’s Top Decorating Trends for Fall 2008.

Nate

Life is all about change – acknowledging it, embracing it and moving through it with as much grace and openness as possible.  Autumn is certainly one of the most dramatic seasonal changes we experience.  Days start getting shorter, the light is different and there is a sense of slowing down.  There is a sense of nesting, of retreating indoors while still relishing every moment we have to enjoy the “dog days” of summer.  I can’t say I’ve always been completely cognizant of, or intentional about, making the shift but, as I think about some of my routines, I’ve gleaned a few tips that may help you embrace the change this season.

1. Bring the Outdoors In

This is a great practice any time of the year.  Organic things help us feel human, grounded and part of our natural surroundings.  Start by watching farmer’s markets for fall flowers, pods, branches and botanicals that may dry well.  I like to arrange them in organic looking vases.  Try vases made of ceramic, wood or other natural fibers.  Rusted or verdigris metals can also add a great patina to a fall arrangement.

2. Move Some Furniture

Now is a great time to rethink your room arrangements.  Think about the focal points in the room.  If you have a fireplace, consider creating cozy and conversational seating arrangements nearby.  Keep entertaining in mind.  Will you need to make space for extra holiday guests?  Work with your rooms and remember that sometimes the best solution can be editing rather than adding to a room.

3. Create an Artful Focus

For some reason, I’m always drawn to handmade things in the fall and winter months.  I look for the perfect throw for the sofa, comfy pillows for the bedroom and lush textiles for the sitting room.  Take a look at your current possessions.  Do you have a wonderful vase that a child made in elementary school?  A handmade quilt that could be inspiration for the guest room?  A quirky original painting that you purchased at an estate sale?  Now is the time to let these treasures have their season of fame and inspire your surroundings.

4. Make ART!

This time of year is ripe with photo opportunities.  There are turning leaves, branches heavy with pods and berries and awesome sunsets.  Get in the flow and make some art of your own.   Imagekind is a fantastic resource for artists of all ages and experience levels.  Take yourself on a photo journey in your own back yard, upload your favorites and order some framed prints to transform your home.

5. Celebrate Change

Sometimes change is just what we need.  A new perspective, a fresh look or a second opinion can help us remember that good things could be just around the bend.  Fall is a great time to celebrate change so have a ball!  Create some time to have a few close friends over to enjoy a sunset, a leisurely brunch or a great classic movie.  The hectic months of summer are drawing to a close and it’s time to pause and reflect.

Remember, change is inevitable.  Some simple seasonal changes can help you set the stage to embrace it, move through it and allow your home to reflect it.

Read more decorating tips and ideas from Scott Neste by visiting Imagekind.