{Video} Routines. UGH. (But maybe not??)

Maybe you can't stand routines either. UGH. But just hear me out...

Because I received so much positive feedback from the little SaturdayMorning Inspiration messages I sent out during December of last year, I wanted to send you some more inspiration and support to help you as we start this new year together...

Hope this morning's short video gets you thinking in a new way about YOUR house and how you LIVE in it. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and let me know if this week's message hits home for you. I would love to hear about the things you are hoping to create in your life and home in 2018!!

A Cozy Bedroom BEFORE & AFTER!

Of all the rooms that I help people with in their homes, I have to say that there are two spaces that seem to be the most meaningful and impactful in they way they make the WHOLE HOUSE FEEL BETTER when they finally come together, feel peaceful, and look gorgeous. 

Can you guess which two rooms they would be?

Well, first it would be the kitchen (I am sure you aren't surprised...), and the CLOSE SECOND is

drumroll, please....

THE MASTER BEDROOM!

When this room irks you, doesn't nourish you, and just doesn't work for you, you can literally lose sleep at night. 

My client's master bedroom, when we started this project, was spare and lacked personality. Take a look: 

I knew I wanted to bring in some depth, character, and comfort--some elements that reflected my client's eclectic style-- loving both Mid Century furnishings as well as French-inspired decor, as she does. :) 

Take a look at how the space looks now: 

We started with a deep wall color that resonated with the new bedding my client had selected, and then added new rugs to cozy up the space. Reorienting the bed so that it anchored the room and was flanked by the two windows that faced you as you entered the room, gave the room a sense of balance and the bed the presence it should have in such a lovely room. 

Vintage matching nightstands and a pair of mercury glass lamps were added to complete the symmetry.

Harry The Cat was a constant help as we worked on the room, and gave his approval to every corner...

He especially loved the new settee, with all its comfy pillows and soft throw, that we placed on the other side of the room in the sitting area we created.

Throughout the room we layered textures and patterns creating an artsy, bohemian feel...

The final result is one that definitely creates an oasis for my client and her family. 

My FAVORITE image of this room is the one she texted to me shortly after I left the final day we were putting the room together. 

She wrote, "Look what I found in my room after you all left!"

I guess Harry couldn't keep the new room a secret for long!

Are you looking for that TOTAL TRANSFORMATION?

Maybe we are looking at this whole 'New Year,  New You'  TOTAL TRANSFORMATION thing the wrong way...

Because I received so much positive feedback from the little Saturday Morning Inspiration messages I sent out last month, I wanted to send you some more inspiration and support to help you as we start this new year together...

Hope this morning's short video gets you thinking in a new way about YOUR house and how you LIVE in it. 

REMEMBER, SOMETIMES PICKING JUST ONE THING TO DO DIFFERENTLY CAN BE MORE MEANINGFUL THAN TRYING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE. (You'll see what I mean in the video. :) )

Have a wonderful weekend, and let me know if this week's message hits home for you. I would love to hear about the things you are hoping to create in your life and home in 2018!!

Happy Saturday!
Love,
Erin

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!!!