Bust Up the Junk and Declutter Your Life In 2011

Modern family members whether you are a single, same sex, step or bio parent and everyone in between, 2011 is your year to bust up the clutter in your life.  Clutter makes its way into our lives in forms ranging from petty issues with the ex, the stress of being a single parent, too much work and not enough play, ignoring your own self-comfort and mental well-being and just plain drama! 

2011 is your year Readers to bust and declutter.  In order to truly be happy, we need to have peace.  In order to have peace, we have to commit to removing what stresses us out and causes us to clutter our lives not just with “things” but also with the junk drama, the junk friendships, the junk relationships, the junk period. 

Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

We’ve all heard the phrase Lather, Rinse, Repeat!  This is going to be my mantra for the new year.  When I feel myself being stressed out I am going to use that phrase to help get me back on track.  When it comes to people in my life, whether that be at work or in my personal life, if it stresses me out, I am going to Lather, Rinse and Repeat by washing that stress right out of my life.  How you might ask?  Here are a few tips:

  1. Take time for yourself!  This years No. 1 priority.  YOU!  Take a day off work and allocate that day all to yourself.  Go buy some good fruit, healthy snacks, a few not so healthy snacks if you like, and veg out!  One of my favorite things to do is to rent a hotel room for a night all to myself.  I don’t skimp either.  I get a nice room, with hot tub, a pool and I live it up.
  2. Let go of unhealthy relationships!  If you are in a relationship that constantly stresses you out or one that you realize you are the only person putting anything into the relationship then my advice is to get rid of it!
  3. Incorporate something entirely new.  I recently discovered Yoga.  I always have heard rave reviews about yoga from friends and co-workers, so I tried a session.  It is not just a great way to exercise, but also to release your mind of unnecessary junk.
  4. Keep a journal.  I have always loved to express my thoughts on paper.  I was given a beautiful journal for Christmas and I plan on putting it to good use in 2011.  Journals give you a way to express your inner most thoughts, cares, joys and sorrows while at the same time giving you an outlet for healing.
  5. Do unto others.  Doing something nice makes us stronger human beings.  When you do unto others, you do unto yourself as well.  You give yourself the gift of personal power to bless others.  The end result…blessings return to you.
  6. Channel your inner rebel.  When your willpower is wearing you down, do something you wouldn’t normally do.  Shop until you drop for the day, invite your good girl or boyfriends out and hit a good restaurant or maybe even the jazz club for the evening.  Have some good fun!

What we are really doing by de-junking, busting and decluttering our lives is making room for the real blessings we deserve.  There is a great quote from the poet Rumi which says “Let the beauty we love be what we do.“  This is a simple principal and a reminder that we do not have to hold on to extra drama and stress in our lives.  Let the beauty we love be what we do.  It’s just that simple.

Peace & Blessings,
Diane

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Creating a Family Friendly Recreation Room

Redecorating a family recreation room to accomodate a blended family may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Family recreation rooms, also known as bonus rooms and game rooms, can be a great place for the family to hang out. The way the room is decorated will depend on the way the family plans to use the room. The most important thing is to create a space that the entire family will enjoy.

  1. First, sit down as a family and decide what the space will be used for. Let everyone get involved in this process and give ideas. You are a family so it is important for everyone to enjoy this room. Decide what activities will take place in this room. Defining the space will make it easier to decorate the room.
  2. Now that you have sat down as a family and decided what the room will be used for, you will need to create zones for each activity. For example, if you want a place to curl up with a good book, a comfortable chair placed in a corner may be ideal. Just make sure to include adequate lighting, if you do set up a reading zone. If watching television and playing games is the purpose of this room, you will need to set up zones for those activities as well. You may want to consider an entertainment center with lots of storage. The storage areas can house movies, games, CD’s and many other items.
  3. The next thing you want to do is create a budget of how much you want to spend on updating the space. There are plenty of ways to decorate on a budget. Get creative. Don’t be afraid to update the old using something as simple as a can of spray paint. Let the family show their creativity as well.
  4. It is now time to decide what furniture and accessories will be needed for the space. Do you already have the necessary pieces? Do you need to shop for additional pieces? Can you pull the items from other rooms? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself. Look in decorating magazines to get ideas for furniture and accessories. If you need to buy new furniture for the room, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Buy multifunctional items, such as ottomans that double as a coffee table, seating and storage. There are many discount stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, TJ Maxx and Marshalls that sell furniture and accessories at discounted prices. You can also check your local newspaper classifieds, Craigslist and yard sales for used items. Clip coupons and check you weekly sales ads…shop around. Make sure to stock up on decorative baskets and boxes to store items such as books, CD’s and movies.

You don’t have to feel overwhelmed or be a professional to pull this task off. Enjoy yourself and remember to do this as a family. You and your blended family will be creating a space that the whole family will love. Lastly, make sure you keep the room organized! Be sure that everything has its’ own space. See to it that the family makes it a habit of returning items to their designated places. Nothing creates chaos in a home worse than clutter and disorganization!

Happy Decorating!!

Tia Spaulding, ASP

Owner of Creative Interiors and Home Staging

www.creativeinteriorsandhomestaging.com

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