My First Revealing Redesign Video!!

Sometimes it is just time to try something new!!

Perfectly Imperfect--Your Wacky Designer/Organizer on YouTube!

I have been writing a little article for you here every week for a few years now, but I thought it would be great if you all actually got to see me at work!! My job is tons of fun, and (as you will see in the video) you never know what you will find as you are decluttering! Tee hee hee....

Whatever Gets Your Goat

We have been soaking up these last few days of summer warmth and freedom.... Sharing them with a few very dear friends (those on two feet as well as four) has made them all the more special. What could be better than an afternoon swim at Auntie Jo Jo's farm, followed by a fun whisk about in the GATOR!?! Hope you are having tons of fun too...with Gators, Goats, or whatever your heart desires!

Your Monthly Homework Assignment:You've Got To See It!

As you know, earlier this month I helped a client begin to re-think her closet...and all of that re-thinking got me to thinking.

What do you have in your closet that is most visible? What is it they say? You gotta see it to believe it? Well, you also have to see it to WEAR it....

SO, you guessed it! This is our quick assignment for the month!!

Whatever is most easily seen and most accessible where you store your clothes are the items that will get worn most often.  Who has the time to shuffle through all that STUFF looking for other things to wear? Who even remembers what is at the back of that deep, dark closet?

Now, this is not a overall cleaning or complete reorganization of your closet--we will cover that another time. Today, I just want you to focus on what is immediately in front of you when you open the door---are there items there that are:

• not for the current season? It's August, so heavy sweaters and long wool pants need to move it to the back.
• not for everyday wear? Fancy dresses that you would wear to a wedding or cocktail party have no place here. Move them aside!
• not being worn at all anymore----(ahem, be honest about this--if you don't like it or wear it any more, let it go!). These items need to go immediately into bags, and taken out to the car to be delivered to the Goodwill next time you are out and about.

The space in our closet is prime real estate. Make sure that the things that are hanging out here are earning their keep & truly deserve to be front and center!!

Remember these assignments are supposed to be fun & only take you 15 minutes or less...so set your timer, and clear out the stuff that is just in your way and costing you time each day as you get dressed!

What Is Lurking In Your Closet?

"So, do you want to start today with clearing out the things you aren't using or don't like anymore in your closet?" I asked, hopefully.... I had just arrived at a long-time client's house, and knew that she wanted to work on developing a new closet system to make the most of her storage space.

Knowing that I always start with moving things out of the way that are just clogging the works, she agreed:

"Oh, okay--sure...I just did give a bunch of stuff to Purple Heart, but we can see if there is anything else that might need to go. There might be one or two things."

Two hours later, we had seven large trash bags of donations to take out to my car, one big trash bag that was simply trash, and one very happy designer/declutterer person! SO SATISFYING. Now the design for that new closet will be even more effective and the results more beautiful, dealing only with the things that my client really LOVES and truly wants to keep. I think it is safe to say that as much as 60% of what had been stored in this closet was CLUTTER. It is important to remember how cunning and clever clutter is...it has a way of hiding in plain sight as useful, needed items. But  if we take the time to look at each item carefully, we will see things for what they truly are--truly. AND gain all kinds of space we didn't even know we had!

A Window Into Things At My House

This past winter it became painfully obvious that things were going to have to change around here... Windows that had been installed in our house in the 80's (the newest in our house, mind you) had passed the point of no return, and we knew we were facing a big expense to replace them.

The siding and other details on this portion of the house also needed attention....

After my husband and I took turns having temper tantrums (listing all the other things we would much rather spend the money on...yadah, yadah, yadah...), we both realized: "WAITAMINUTE, this could be a really good thing!"

Here was an opportunity to improve something that we had always felt was holding the house back...

This part of my house, an addition put on in 1989 by the previous owners, admittedly had never been my favorite. It is the most visible part of our house--obscuring the more charming parts that were built in the 1700's and mid-1800's. Instead of simply replacing what was worn out, we could think about what would make a big impact and really improve the situation. It was the time to add some architectural detail that would visually pull the house together and give it so much more curb appeal.

So, it was time to call Victor Burgos and get down to work!

Now that it is all done, I have to say that it was some of the best money we have ever spent.

Now the window style (2 over 2's--two panes of glass over two panes) makes way more sense with the Victorian part of our house than the single panes did before,

we made sure that the trim around each window gave it more presence and historic charm,

and investing in expert craftsmanship and installation makes all the difference in your end result. 

When it is time to replace something around your house, be sure to take some time to consider the changes that will make the replacement an improvement that is so much more than just new materials.  It will cost a little bit more in most cases, but will significantly increase your enjoyment of your investment.