During the dark, cold winter months, I enjoy creating little changes in my home that make me feel more comfortable and relaxed. While sometimes I need to plan and budget for the changes, often these little changes don’t cost me a thing, and make a big impact. If you’re like so many people who dread the dark winter months, trust me here! Some thoughtful improvements can help ease the winter blues and keep your home in tip-top shape. 1. Make a list of Things that Need to Be Replaced or Taken Care of Around HomeI start every January making a list of things that need to be done inside my home. These are small jobs I keep listed in my mind that I tell myself I will do, but never do. Once I create my list, I go about organizing them by urgency and complexity/cost. The categories that work for me are: 1. Easy to do - These are easy improvements that you can do yourself but never truly find the time to do. Make a list and aim to do a few every day until it is done. Once you get started, you’ll find yourself highly motivated to keep going. 2. Small, cheap jobs for hire - It’s easy to ignore an outlet that doesn’t work, a loose hinge, or a leaky faucet. However, the more you do this, the more broken down your house will become. Take time to make a list of small home improvement projects that you will need to hire someone to come do and then call someone and get it taken care of! These little improvements make a huge difference. 3. Expensive improvements for hire - You may find that a few of the improvements around your home are going to cost big. Instead of ignoring the projects, ask for estimates. If you’re on a tight budget, take the time to save up for the improvements. Most of the workers I know are up to their knees in work. They won’t mind stopping in to give you an estimate and come back when you’re in a better place financially and when they have time. Tip: Calculate how long it will take you to save up money for the job and then hire your worker in advance so that you don’t have to wait extra long to get the job done. 2. Organize Let’s be honest, once a space is organized, we love it! I understand that not everyone is a fan of taking the time to organize. But the simple act of going through your belongings, getting rid of what you don’t need, and better utilizing the space in your home will help you save time and make you feel better. Consider where you can donate your gently used items. If you have family members who do not enjoy the process of organizing and getting rid of their belongings, help them by giving them guidelines. Ex: ask your child to choose three toys they no longer play with that they can donate to other kids. 3. Deep Clean Take the time to go through your home with a super critical eye. The familiarity of our homes can sometimes cause us to not see the dirt marks on the walls, switches, baseboards or on handrails. By taking extra time to clean what we have, we can give our space a fresh new look. You may find it helpful to create a list of rooms in your home. Within each room, list what cleaning actions you’d like to do. The simple act of deep cleaning your home will give it a fresh look (and smell) and help you to feel at ease. If you share your house with family, find a way to make this a winter challenge. Pick one room, have everyone in the family help according to their strengths and get it done. Make it extra fun by playing fun music, offering stickers to young children that they can trade in for fun items, and/or have a fun family movie night. 4. RefreshSometimes the need to redecorate a space in our homes hits us with a strong sense of purpose. Before you go out and buy something new, I suggest you take time to redecorate with what you already own in your house. By simply moving beloved items around your home, you will find that you are now better able to appreciate an item that you no longer saw in its previous location. A big plus? It was friendly on your budget. If you decide you’d like to make a new purchase - go for it! 5. Work with Your Home Frustrations What’s one thing about your house you hate? We all have something that we’d like to be different. Identify what that one thing is, and then see if you can’t find a way to work with your home frustrations. Do you not have space at your front door for an entry table? Maybe you add a deep shelf to the wall to hold your keys. Do your kids keep all their toys scattered all over the living room? Add a basket to the living room that children are allowed to store their toys in when they’re done playing for the day. When it gets full, ask them to return their toys to their rooms and start over with an empty basket. Too often, we accept the things in our home that aren’t working for us, without really thinking through all the solutions. Take time to think it through and figure out how to better utilize your space. If the familiarity of your home makes it hard for you to rethink how things work, talk with family and friends for their ideas. Most people I know love the opportunity to help troubleshoot areas in a home. If you’re still unsure - give me a call! Making large improvements to our homes can be exciting and help us live our life much more smoothly, however, by taking care of what you currently have, you will better be able to appreciate what you already own.
0 Comments
Too often, people associate “interior design” only with aesthetics. Truth be told, that is only half of the equation. The other half, and arguably the most important half, is function. You often hear designers use the phrase “Form & Function.” As humans, we want beautiful homes that reflect who we are, AND a home that also meets our needs. It’s not either/or! How you feel, and how you live your life in your home, is important to me as a designer. With that said, there’s nothing more important, in my opinion, than enjoying the ordinary nothing-special every-day at home, all year-round. When it comes to the special occasions, there are a few tips I can share to make most of this time of year: The Holidays at Home: Tips for Getting Your House Ready Pick Up & Clean Your HouseWhen Monday came rolling around, so did all the stress of the week. I have multiple wonderful new job opportunities, evening holiday get-togethers with people I love, a spontaneous new life idea to consider (more on that later-maybe!), and also my regular day-to-day work. It’s exciting. And stressful. As I stood in my entryway Monday evening, I couldn’t help but notice how much my home had suffered from my “busyness.” Despite feeling tired, I decided to pick up and clean my home and pay my bills and balance my checkbook. (But honestly, I didn’t want to bring that up out of fear that you’d close your browser!). It was just what I needed. With a podcast to give me a break from my own thoughts, I went about putting my home back in order. An added bonus was a wonderful night’s sleep that had been evading me for a while. If you have a family, I understand the struggle of keeping a clean home. I encourage you to involve your children and spouse in the cleaning and daily picking up process. Make it a family event. Give everyone a job and plan a fun meal to enjoy afterwards. A clean house can make a huge difference, and let’s be honest, no one ever regrets taking the time to clean once a home is clean. It’ll clear your space, and it’ll clear your mind, helping you to relax during this stressful time of year. Enjoy Your Home This Holiday Season with All 5 SensesA beautifully designed home shouldn’t just be for your eyes, and neither should the holidays. To truly get into the spirit, we should look to involve all 5 senses. Sight: Whether your home is fully decked for the holidays or if you only have a tiny, Charlie Brown tree sitting in a corner, adding a little decoration goes a long way. Taste: You may be thinking that you should be filling your kitchen with delicious holiday food - and if that’s what you want to do, then by all means, go for it. I want to also encourage you to fill your kitchen with healthy snacks and drinks that will nourish you when the Christmas cookies start calling your name. Pull out those special glasses and dishes to add a sense of occasion. Sound: It is entirely too easy to create a playlist or stream your personal preference music through the internet. Turn on some tunes to get in the spirit. Smell: Whether you’re making Christmas treats, a special meal, or just have a candle burning. The sense of smell will add to the experience and should not be ignored. Touch: Curl up in a warm blanket, put on a pair of new pajamas or fuzzy socks. As simple as that. Gift of RelaxationFind the time to destress at home. This is a time of year well known for driving up stress and busyness, and blood pressure! Make sure you are utilizing your home to the best of your abilities by relaxing. Order a book or magazine (or whatever you enjoy) and carve out some time for yourself.
If you have children, this will require prior planning on your part. Have items on hand to entertain little ones whether it be playdough, a new toy, a prepared activity or a movie for your young children. A new “thing,” even a $2 investment, can buy mom and dad time, and that’s the greatest gift to yourself. This time of year is a challenge for everyone. Consider loosening the screen time rules a little and allow your children to watch a movie in the middle of the day so you can have some time to yourself. A less stressed you = a less stressed home. Depending on your personality type, there are many other things you can do to bring the holiday spirit into your home: bake, craft, watch Christmas movies, wrap presents, write and send out Christmas cards, read a Christmas book, and the list goes on. Take into consideration, and take advantage, of how your home can help you during this stressful time of year. Destress, relax, and make sure you’re home is meeting your holiday needs. 3 Organic DIY Christmas Décor to Add Character to Your Store Bought Christmas DécorLately I have become obsessed with finding ways to add imperfect, natural elements to my Christmas decorations. I love decorating with seasonal - and holiday - specific items, but have begun to find that “perfect” store-bought décor can be quite boring when paired with more store-bought décor. My secret? Adding organic elements brings the outdoors in and adds a level of character that just can’t be bought. So slow down for a moment, turn on your favorite Christmas tunes, pull on some comfortable clothes, and decorate your heart out! 1. Paper Bag StarsLet me preface this point by saying that I may be stretching this particular DIY as "organic" but let's just keep in mind that paper comes from trees, and trees grow from the ground and are therefore - organic. There ya go! Happy reading friends! When I was asked to help decorate the window at Smiley’s Joy for Christmas, I knew I wanted to try the brown paper bag stars I have been seeing all over Pinterest. I was skeptical at first at how hard and time consuming they would be to make – as they look awesome! I knew they would add a charming and an old-timey Christmas feel to the display. I also thought they’d look great with the Christmas mannequin. These stars are large, simple and fun to make and I highly encourage you to try making them if you want to add some crafty element to your home decorating. The next time I use these to decorate, I’m going to make large, medium and small stars to add more dimensional interest. These would be fun placed in your windows or just hanging from your ceiling. We hung them with fishing line and used small command hooks to secure them to the ceiling. How to: https://www.aliceandlois.com/diy-paper-bag-stars/ 2. Oranges: A Historical Fruit of ChristmasI am certain you have seen dried orange slices EVERYWHERE. They started popping up last year and seem to be everywhere this holiday season. They’re everywhere, and for good reason. Upon typing the previous sentence, I’ve come to think thoroughly about oranges and their appearance around Christmas time. As a child, my grandma would always have Harry and David oranges delivered to our house for Christmas. It was completely normal, but stopped when she passed. For the first time this year, I’ve also preordered a box of oranges from the Peach Truck to pick up in a few weeks. I have every intention of doing this every year from now on. I planned on it being a “new tradition” only to just now realize there’s nothing new about it at all! Maybe I am just “adulting” and learning to appreciate the little things in life–like a perfectly ripe orange in the cold winter months. So I’ve done some research and it goes back further still! For my fellow history loving buffs: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-we-should-bring-back-tradition-christmas-orange-180971101/ Who knew? Oranges will add a historical element to your holiday displays, one that all will enjoy, whether they know the history or not! What caught my eye about dried oranges was literally their color: orange. They will compliment wood floors, warm interiors and their interior cut will add pattern wherever they hang. They’re unexpected but a fun addition to your Christmas decorating. Great as gift-toppers, too. DIY: dearlilliestudio.com/diy-dried-orange-slice-garland/ 3. Evergreens & Cranberries & PineconesYou can grab a handful of these items and throw them out onto a table and you will have thrown Christmas cheer into your home. I don’t literally suggest you do that, but these items are foolproof ways to add organic Christmas decor to your home, indoors and out. Whether you hang live evergreen with pinecones over doorways or a mantle, string cranberries (and popcorn) to make a garland to wrap around your Christmas tree or outside, or create a centerpiece with these items, the addition of red and green (and brown) will give you that age-old feeling of Christmas. Just so you know I am as guilty as any of you, this is my Pinterest Evergreen and Cranberry pin that I say I will make every year and never do. Maybe this year.
https://todayscreativelife.com/5-minute-diy-christmas-luminaries/ I highly encourage you to carve out some time during this busy season to slow down and get creative on your own or with your loved ones. |
Archives
August 2024
Categories |