Speaking of Spring…

I don’t know about you, but I always get in the mood to do some spring cleaning! Check out the latest episode of Decor It Yourself:

Thanks Threadbanger.com!

Getting Organized (and the cost)

I am a bit of a clutter-phobic person. This isn’t to say that I am a neat freak, I just can’t stand useless clutter in the house. Life is much better when your home is filled only with the things you love and use. Of course, every now and then these things need to be organized (which also makes life better).

I have been searching online for some storage solutions. I wanted to get a sock drawer organizer. Secondly, some storage boxes for seasonal items and other things that aren’t used everyday. I figure that keeping them in boxes will help protect the items as well as make the closet look better. Thrid, I want to design a built in closet system.

Obviously, my list goes in order from small to big… and the prices are small to big also. The least expensive sock drawer organizer I found was $8.00 (but that didn’t include shipping, so buying it locally may be cheaper in the end). Storage boxes have a range from $10 all the way up to $60! And of course, closet systems can get into the thousands depending on the materials used and how big the closet is.

I think the key is to start small, getting organized one bit at a time, and to look for non-traditional storage options.

I have been able to find some great, non-traditional, organization options at places like dollar stores and yard sales. So, if you are looking to get organized too, be sure to check around (even thrift stores sometimes have great items that can be used for organization). Things like neat vintage jars, old travel trunks, and sometimes even vintage suitcases, can all be repurposed to take the place of things that are marketed as “organizational items”. Plus, using these kinds of things adds extra style to your nest.

The Unique Home

Home should be the outward expression of those who live in it. I love to have unique things in my home, things that are just “us”. Handmade items, beautiful pieces from other countries, you know, the stuff that isn’t going to be found in everyone else’s home. Below is a painting I bought from Etsy.com (a great place to find unique items).

I enjoy decorating with items from travels, rocks found on hikes, gifts from friends in other countries and states, and of course, things that I make myself. Uniqueness can be found in the smallest of details, or the larger details. Our house plan and style isn’t unique to our area, but a lot of what we have done inside is.

For example, we put Venetian plaster on our walls in our kitchen and dinning room. It’s completely unique since no one else would be able to reproduce it exactly as we did it. We also grow some unusual plants for our area, like bamboo, hibiscus, and soon to be grown, kiwi. We are a mountain climate, so it’s a happy surprise to be able to grow these things, and it’s unique since most people don’t do so.

It’s the expression of self that makes a home unique though, since no one can ever be like you. What is something unique about your home?

Tricky spaces

Some rooms are just laid out strangely. Our family room is one such room, it is long, narrow, and the fireplace is in the spot that would be ideal for the television. In this photo, you can’t see the TV because it is on the other wall, but as you can tell, it’s a narrow space.

So, it’s been a bit of a design challenge for us. We like to have people over for “movie nights”, but there just isn’t a lot of space in this room. So, our best option is finishing our lowest level and making  a theater room.

Has anyone made a theater room? We want to make platforms for seating, some built in storage space for movies and components, but otherwise we are still very open to ideas. What worked for you? What would you do differently?