Organizing Tips for 2012: Declutter!

Now that all of my Christmas decorations are tucked back into storage bins, I'm ready for some January organizing!! Of course, this is the perfect time of year to "cleanse" your home and start anew. A well designed home is functional, and a home can't be functional unless it is decluttered and organized. Over the next few weeks, I'll be featuring many of my own organizing tips. Each one will be short, straightforward and simple. After all, it's easy enough to get overwhelmed by the very thought of "getting organized".

Today's tip is simply this: DECLUTTER!!!

Don't worry about doing anything else when it comes to organizing until you get rid of the clutter. You might be surprised at how cathartic it is to get rid of "stuff" and how it really can lead to a simpler, more focused life.

What's the best way to declutter?

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." -William Morris

When trying to decide whether or not to keep that sweater, vase, toy, or tablecloth, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is it useful?

2. Is it beautiful?

If the answer to both of these questions is no, toss it. If the answer to one or both of these questions is yes, then ask yourself this:

3. Have I used it in the past year?

If the answer is no, toss it.

Tackle one room or closet per day and give yourself a break for a few days in between.

If you are a person who has a hard time letting go of things, try this: take all the items that you think you should get rid of but just can't bear to let them go and put them in black garbage bags. Store them in your garage. Wait 3 months. Chances are you will not even remember what is in the bag. If that is the case, or if you haven't used any of the items while stored, toss it all.

I promise...you will be glad you did.

Sock Monkey Ornaments: Inspired by Michael Kors and Loro Piana

To follow up my last post on our family Christmas ornament tradition, I couldn't resist sharing this year's ornaments with you!

This just makes me smile...Her outfit was handmade and inspired by Michael Kors.

This diva's duds were inspired by Loro Piana.

Now our gentlemen monkeys (Susan gave these to us last year) are happy!!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Ornament Tradition

When I married Jon, he came with a complete set of unique, whimsical Christmas ornaments. Every year since he was very young, his aunt Susan gave each of her nieces and nephews a Christmas ornament. So by the time he was in his mid -20s, he had quite a collection! We have been married for 11 years now, and each year Susan has come through with ornaments that are even more eclectic and intriguing...I love them!

Today, I'll share just a few of my favorites. I hope they bring a smile to your face, too!

These were made by Little Rock artist, Jane Hankins.

These were made by Arkansas fiber artist, Judy Tipton Rush.

Art glass by Arkansas artist James Hayes.

Palmer Holiday Decorating

This year, while decorating our home for Christmas, I was very tempted to throw all of the deco mesh out. The glitz and glamour of deco mesh trees, garland, and wreaths have been all the rage over the past several years, and I do like it. However, I have a feeling that in the years to come, things are going to trend toward a simpler look.

I decided to compromise, and this is the result...

Palmer Family Christmas Tree

Front Porch

Staircase

Fireplace Mantel

Christmas Card Display

You Light Up My Life: Table Lamps

Nothing helps set a mood in a room more than lighting!

Every room should have ambient (overhead) lighting as well as task lighting (table and/or floor lamps). I was shopping for a table lamp for my living room a few weeks ago and wanted to share a few examples that will hopefully inspire you.

Slate Gray Ceramic Table Lamp

Mariposa Table Lamp - Aquamarine

Sarah Bird Lamp

Aidan Gray Lighting Avila Lamp

Aidan Gray Lighting Table Lamp Canterbury

Iris Table Lamp

Angelica Table Lamp

Aptos Lime Pebble Table Lamp

Lacquer Table Lamp

Here are a few helpful tips you can use when shopping for lamps and lamp shades:

1. Make sure the lamp shade is proportional to the lamp base: The height of the shade should be approximately 2/3 the height of the lamp base. The width of the shade should be approximately double the width of the lamp base.

2. All of the lamp hardware should be hidden.

3. In general, round shades look better if you have a round base and square shades look better if you have a square base. (Note - there are exceptions to this!)

That's my two cents worth for today...I know I've been MIA for a while. I promise it's full on holiday craziness around here! I have all of these lofty plans about posts to share and by the time dinner is done and the boys are finally in bed...well, you know how it is.

I'm going to get my act together so look for these posts in upcoming weeks: Eclectic Christmas Ornaments, O Christmas Tree!, and Holiday Decorating. Also, I'm working on a major overhaul to our downstairs area and I'm going to share it with you...! Stay tuned, and in the meantime, Merry Christmas!!