Time, "To Do!" and "To Shop!"

 

In the last two post you had a little bit of homework.
You needed to make some list, but in today’s post the only list you will be making is a To Do List, and A Shopping list.

 Hopefully you have read the last two post in this series :

Living With Your Dreams And Staying Happy - click HERE!

Something We Can All Do In Our Homes Now - click Here!

If not, go do that, and come right back here.

For those of you that did read the last two post it is
time to get to work.

This is actually the fun part.

Often we will add more, and more elements to a room we don’t like because we think we don't have the right combination.

We keep searching for just the right thing. The results, or pitfall of this way of thinking is we wind up with a room full of clutter.

Just think you are about to see your home in a whole new light.

First things first:

I want you to go into the room  that you want to make some changes, and remove all of the knick-knacks, lamps, artwork. 

Everything except the furniture. 

I want you to place your items in categories:

1. Textures: shiny, rough and all wood items
2. Color
3. Sizes: Big, medium and small.

This will help you later when it comes time to put things back into your room.

By doing this you have just created a clean slate to work with.

Now is a good time to do some painting if that is on your, “Can Do list.”

With a clean slate you can now look at your room more objectively.

Look at the furniture arrangement and ask yourself the following questions…

1. Can it  be moved around for a better function and aesthetics?
2. Do you need to take any pieces of furniture out of the room?
3. Are their furniture pieces in the rest of your home that would work better in this space?


(If you have more time than energy, or brawn use this site to help you see your room in different arrangements before actually getting physical…….
Better Homes and Gardens Room Arranger click HERE!)

Once you have your room arranged in the manner you are happy with I would like you to bring in all of your lighting.



I am going to stop here for just a moment, and tell you that most rooms do NOT have enough lighting.

Did you know that there is actually a formula for how much lighting a room needs?

FORMULA FOR LIGHTING

Once you figure out how many watts you need in your room place your lamps in the room. Don’t forget to look in other rooms for lamps that might look better in this room.

If you find you are on the shy side for lighting add a new lamp, or two to you shopping list.

Next I want you to bring in the items that you absolutely love into the room. 

Remember when I had you put things into categories? 

Before bringing anything back into the room you will evaluate what your room needs according to size, texture , or color of each item you are about to place into the room.

I find it easier to place the larger objects, and the objects that are for functional (like lighting) first.

 

Larger pieces would be lamps and artwork.

Most people hang their artwork to high, and  very often  it is under sized for the area.

If you need some ideas go HERE! and you will see all kinds of possibilities, and configurations. Also if you go HERE you will find many post on how to hang artwork.

Don’t forget to shop your own home first before writing anything down on your shopping list.

Now that you see your room from a different perspective it just might open up a new possibility that you had never imagined.

One by one start adding ONLY the items that you truly love, and find beautiful and want to surround you.

All of the above takes time, research, hard work and patience, but the end result will be a room you are much happier with and love being in.

If you have made it this far in the series I am very proud of you and happy for you.

In my next post I am going to give you some clever inexpensive ways to change things in your home that won’t break the bank.

 

 

LOVE Then and Now!

Love is such a wonderful feeling, whether it be love of your partner, the love of a child, the love of a friend or the love of a family pet, it is all wonderful.

So on this day I hope you feel loved.

I fell in love with the love of my life in 1968. The picture on the left was taken at the church Sweetheart banquet in 1968. 

The picture on the right was taken in Paris in 2012.

Little did I know in 1968 that that boy I am looking at would be the love of my life.

These pictures were taken on, "Love Lock," bridge in Paris. 

You are suppose to place a love lock on the bridge and throw the key into the River Seine. 

My sweet hubby used the lock that he had on his locker at work for years and wrote the sweet message to me on the lock.

 A trip of a lifetime with the one I love more than I can express.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO YOU ALL

 

 

Something We Can All DO In Our Homes

 

I promised in my last post that I would tell you what the 3rd list is, that will help you love the home you live in now.

Before I show you what it is I want you all to remember back when you lived with your parents, and you could not wait to have your own apartment.

Then you got an apartment and you couldn’t wait to rent a house. After that came the wishing, and hoping for home ownership.

For most of us those dreams have become a reality . 

I am not saying to not continue dreaming, I think I made that quite clear in my last post, but I am saying, “Enjoy the Home you live in now.”

When I hear people say if I only had my dream home I would do……….. 

I say Why wait?

Today we are going to look at our reality square in the face, and I want you to make a new list……..

I know this will be hard for some you because you have convinced yourself that where you are living now is not your dream house so why try.

This way of thinking will only cultivate more unhappiness so let’s switch it up a bit with a new way of thinking.

First you will have to be realistic with your limitations as far as financial, and if you are renting what can be done with minimal repairs before moving.

I can remember when there was very little monies left for anything other than the needs in life. 

I remember looking at the Family circle magazine while in line at the grocery store and putting the 19 cent magazine back because that 19 cents could go towards a loaf of bread. 

Yes, we have all had hard times, but even with hard times you can make your environment more pleasing.

After you evaluate how much money and freedom you have to do something to your home the next step  will cost you nothing but time and energy.

It is impossible to see the possibilities when looking through eyes clouded by existing clutter. I know this is not the fun part, but it is one of the most important parts in this whole process.

Now take a look around at your room start making a list of things you CAN DO!!

I think you might be surprised at what you will come up with for your list.

This list should contain things you would like to change in the room. 

Don’t worry I am not going to leave you hanging there holding a list. 

In my next post I am going to share some ideas with you. These will be some ideas that you will be able to do, so get ready with your list!!! 

I am going to be giving you a little homework assignment in my next post, but it will be fun. I promise