Things can get messy...

When I was a kid, I would sometimes tag along with my mother when she went to work.  I would sit off to the side in a big, comfortable chair and listen to the friendly but hushed conversations as patrons came and went, the gentle thud of books being put on the counter, and the light swishing sound as they were slid along the table, checked out, & gathered up to go out the door.

My mom was a librarian at our local library, a wonderful place to spend time, get some inspiration, open your mind to new ideas, and a building that was the epitome of "a place for everything, and everything in its place...." Libraries are so good at that!

I have been thinking a lot about this lately--this where everything goes thing--and it seems that whenever we have persistent messes around our house that annoy us, it is because one of the two following statements is true:

1. We don't have a set place where those things belong.
2. We know where they belong, but it is a pain to put them there.

Now, you may want to roll your eyes at me because this seems overly simplistic, but from time to time we all need to get back to basics. So, here are some things to consider:

• Your belongings need--ahem--a place to BELONG.  Things have a way of sitting around simply because we haven't made a decision about where they go. The place something is stored should not be elaborate or fancy, it just needs to be convenient to where the item is used, and make sense to you so you know where to find it.
• It needs to be easy to put something away, or it will never be put there. YOU may like putting your children's backpacks neatly on the hook way down the hall, around the corner, behind the kitchen door, but you aren't going to get much enthusiasm from them for this. Making it as easy as possible for those other people we live with to comply with our wishes makes for a happy (and neater) household.
• Your enthusiasm will wane....I know those other people I just mentioned can really be a pain, but, trust me, we are a part of the problem, too. After a few weeks, when the shine is off the penny, you will tire of filing papers in your new, meticulous, oh sooooo organized filing system with each folder color-coordinated and carefully labeled. UGH. (Do you know how many of these things I have decluttered from people's houses??) Keep it simple or it ain't gonna happen.
• Remember, having less stuff is easier to manage. Carefully evaluate all of that STUFF laying about your house. If we are honest with ourselves, most of it probably doesn't need any further attention other than loading it in the car and taking it to Goodwill.

Straightening up a space in which everything in it has a home--a place it belongs--is a snap, takes only minutes to do, and everyone in the household can be a part of keeping things neat since it is so easy to implement...even easier than using the Dewey Decimal System!

About your underwear...

Because we are just ELEVEN DAYS into a new year, and I know how much this ONE THING can get all of our panties in a bunch (quite literally at times), I thought it would be fun for us to tackle a little homework assignment together.

YAY!  

(This will be brief....GET IT?? Underwear? brief?? okay...I'll stop...)

Grab a small shopping bag, a timer (the one on your cell phone will do), and your CAN DO attitude! We are off to tackle your sock drawer.

Why, you ask??

Because it is so annoying not have room to put away those clean socks and underwear when they come out of the wash, it wastes your time when you can't find the matching sock you need, there are probably at least six bras in there that you wouldn't wear even if your life depended on it,  five socks with holes in the heel, and two or three things that look like they belong to your Aunt Gladys (who is a nun, by the way) not YOU, you vibrant, alive, alluring person, you.

SO, set your timer for 10 minutes, and start tossing into that shopping bag all of those worn out, mismatched items.

When the timer goes off, set it for another five and quickly put like with like...neatly pile socks with like socks, underwear with underwear, etc.  Now SMILE! You have found space and created order in 15 minutes!

The final step: take the bag of castoffs directly to your outside trash bin. NOW. It doesn't need to linger taking up space or occupying your thoughts for one more minute!

HOORAY!

Please post your comments below! What did you find lurking in back of that drawer?!? I'm sure it wasn't anything that was making you feel great or making your life easier. 

Congrats on making more space in your life for sanity and peace. Happy decluttering, dear friends!!!

Is Yours a YES or a No?

This is the time of year when we start thinking of all the things in our lives that we wish were just a little--or maybe a whole lot--different. 

A new year, a new start? 

I have friends that have a wonderful tradition of picking a "word of the year," a single word that encapsulates all that they hope 2018 will be for them--an ideal to work towards, a touchstone to bring them back to what matters, a mantra to focus on when they feel they are getting off track. 

I know others who are focusing on changing just one behavior. As it is said, change just one thing, and see all of the amazing results that can come from that one simple shift... 

But what about your house? How does this environment that we spend so much of our time in contribute to your vision for the new year and beyond? In reality, it can either hold us back or help push us forward, each day it can either encourage or discourage us in the things we want to do and long to create. 

When you picture your home in your mind's eye, do you have the gut feeling of "YES!"--

Or maybe do you get a weak, milk toast feeling of "no"...?

If you have ever been to one of my workshops, you know that I often start the class with a guided meditation of sorts where we picture one of your life's "best places," a place where you felt the most like yourself when you were a kid or young adult.

You should see the serene smiles on people's faces when they revisit these beautiful locations in their mind. This is what a YES looks like. 

If you know that you want to make a change in 2018, and want your home to be a part of creating that meaningful shift--if you want that YES-- I have just the thing for you! Here is a special tool to get you off on the right foot as we turn the page on the calendar. 

Happy New Year, Friends!! I hope 2018 is full of many, many YESes for you!!

A Quick Before & After [YAY!]

About a year and a half ago, on a HOT summer's day, I met with a potential new client onsite at the house she and her husband had just made settlement on--it was empty, stuffy, and right out of the 1980's.

I loved it right away... :)

The house was a definite fixer-upper, and needed quite a bit of tender loving care. I am sure you can imagine how excited I was when I learned that I was going to be a part of its extensive renovation...

Over the past 17 months or so, the house has undergone a complete overhaul.

I am looking forward to sharing many more 'befores and afters' from this beauty, but for this week I am just going to share the exterior's rebirth...

We replaced badly installed, inexpensive windows with quality new sashes, clad in a dark charcoal, giving the windows contrast from the body of the house and highlighting the details on each opening. 

We removed the pillar, iron fence and carving from the front entrance to give a cleaner look and open up the front walkway area. 

Also, the exterior was painted in a lovely taupe, charcoal, & cream palette that is crisp, clean and complements both the roof color and the brickwork of the chimney.

On our most recent visit, we put a couple planters and a decorative lantern in place at the entry to give some interest through the holidays and colder months--until more colorful landscaping can go in in the spring. 

I just love working on projects like these--and I love having the opportunity to share the transformations with you! I hope you are inspired to try something new and different at your own house as a result. 

Happy Holidays!

Your Christmas Tree--GORGEOUS! or just kinda meh....

Each year many of you tell me how helpful this article was to you in the past, so I wanted to share it again to get us in the spirit and decking the halls with confidence!

 Happy decorating!! :)

Just this week someone asked me the darnedest question:

"Can you tell me how to decorate my Christmas tree?"

This time of year, a lot of us are bundling up in our mittens and hats to go pick our tree, while others of us may be hauling an artificial one out of the basement…but what I didn't realize is that many of us never really feel all that satisfied with the way it looks once we have it all trimmed. 

Well, that's not good!

SO, I thought it would be fun once again to share some tips and tricks that I use when decorating my own tree as well as my clients' trees that can really help this centerpiece of our holiday decorations to look dazzling and magical. :) So here goes: 

1. Be Bright-- the first and most important thing you are going to add to your tree is lights, and lots of them. The formula I most often hear for properly lighting your tree is to use approximately 100 lights per each vertical foot of the tree.  I know this sounds like a lot of lights, but once you see the difference this makes, you will never go back to a mere two or three strands sparsely sprinkled on the branches! The reason the number of lights is so important is because the glow and sparkle they give is really what makes the tree come alive visually, and gives it that magical twinkle that literally lights up a room. This year, add more lights. Really. It is a game changer. 
2. Be Consistent--In order for your tree to have visual impact, you need to have elements on it that make it look cohesive and consistent. Usually the best way to do this is to use garland and/or ribbon as well as matching glass balls or other large ornaments all over the tree that are all of the same color scheme. Trees that don't have this grounding element can look chaotic, with each ornament different from the next, and nothing pulling the whole thing together visually. Once you have these foundational elements in place, you can comfortably go on to the next step where you can then add a little of the sentimental chaos….:)
3. Be Sentimental--The part of our tree that makes it so meaningful are the ornaments that we have collected over the years that are significant to us. To be honest, these are NOT the things that will most likely give your tree the "wow" factor…but they are, after all,  what we love about Christmas! After you have completed step two where you have given your tree an overall balance and color scheme, the sentimental ornaments should be sprinkled throughout the limbs, between the colored balls and garland, completing the look of your tree!

I hope that these few ideas help you to feel more confident as you deck the halls this year-- AND I hope this year you are able to step back and smile with pride as you look at your gorgeous, glowing, glittering tree!