The ties that bind.

I'm not going to lie, last week was hard all around. Nothing horrible happened,  it was just emotionally trying in nearly every facet of my life. Not wanting to be a downer, just being real because I heard from many of my friends that they too were struggling last week. Maybe it's the change in weather; sunny summery days are most likely put away to be enjoyed next year, getting into the groove of school. Whatever the reason is, it's pretty much stopped me in my tracks. Then it got me thinking, this emotional hold that has taken over, the emotional side of anything really, is the very reason many people can't let go of "things." (I know that may seem like a large leap, but i'm always thinking organizing.)

Think about it...

No matter if we bought something or it was given to us, there is meaning behind it both positive and negative. To spend money on something only to give it away, sell it, or throw it away is difficult because someone had to work to earn the money to purchase it. If it was given to you, most likely it was given to you by someone who means or meant something to you. To dispose of that item may make you feel like you would offend them or you're trying to get rid of them. However, holding on to the physical object may cause you a life time of burden.

1) Purchase items with intent and purpose, don't settle.
I have been guilty of this on many occasions. Many. Occasions.

The rug on the left I settled for until I finally found the original rug I wanted.  (Porch isn't done just yet.)

I have had a vision in my mind and out of pure impatience bought something else that was close enough.  When in all actuality it wasn't "close enough.  Later I found myself disappointed and ended up spending more money getting what I originally wanted. (The yellow rug above is still in my trunk waiting for me to take it back. Oopsies.)  Make a plan, figure out a what you'll need, and either save the money for each item or gradually buy them to complete your project.

2) Give it to someone who will get a lot of use out of it.
We kept our girls Baby Einstein DVD's until this year, they are 8 and 7. I kept them mostly because I didn't want to let go of the idea of there not being another baby, but also because I didn't want to forget the sounds that played when they were a babies too. Instead, I gave them to a neighbor who had mentioned on the local mom swap that she was looking for those DVD's.  Not only did it give me satisfaction knowing that someone will probably cherish them as much as we did, but also they have a more relevant use for them than we do right now. Win-win.

3) Make it into a keepsake.
Our family has a running joke about a shirt that I gave to my dad.  He wore it ALL the time and it got to a point that in some holiday pictures, it was getting really difficult to tell which year and holiday was which one.

My daughter Kennedy's first year of life: Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and getting ready to have her little sister. 

Three years ago my dad passed and that shirt was the first thing that I grabbed going through his stuff. It was him, even though I know it's not really him, but I won't be able to ever get rid of it. Ever. There are companies out there that will turn your favorite item into a keepsake pillow or even a keepsake bear.

Source: etsy

An article I found on Yahoo that even talked about upcycling other objects into wearable keepsakes.  For right now I have his shirt in a safe place until I decide the special what exactly I am going to do.

4) Get your money back.
Recently I spoke with a young lady who still had her rehearsal dinner dress from her first marriage. The only reason she kept it was that it cost so much money to purchase, but really she hated the dress; then and especially now. I told her to get rid of it... immediately! Not only was it a constant reminder of a relationship that ended, it was also taking up space. This goes for anything you have! If you're on Facebook, check to see if there is a local swap site to sell it or take the item to a consignment store that will buy the item from you.  My biggest profit has come from my girls clothes and toys. (Show momma the money.)

Then with the money you profit, either treat yourself to something new or save your money for something big down the road.

Aside from the typical "one day" I'll use something, often times there is a deeper reason that we hold on to the "things" in our lives. However, don't let the "things" consume you; if everything is important then nothing is really important.  Evaluate why you have held onto something and if truly has a deeper meaning or moves you strongly, it's ok to hold onto it for another day. I have a trunk of keepsakes that I periodically go through to not only remember special times in my life, but also to see if there's any way I can incorporate it into my life right now. Keep in mind though that if you decide it's time to move on, doesn't mean that you have to erase that memory, those you can keep for a lifetime.

Multifunctional furnishings

After we had our second baby I had dreams of giving the girls a room where all of their toys would stay. A room that if we didn't feel like straightening up, we could simply close the door; out of sight out of mind. But reality set in and I knew it would be a while before we could let them play on their own without fear of choking hazards and other shenanigans. That and the fact that they didn't want to be too far away from us seeing as they were so young and all. What that meant was we needed to figure out a way to have toys in our main living space without the house looking like a daycare. Not that there's anything wrong with having toys out and about.  I mean it's not that we were trying to hide the fact that we had children, but our house at the time was not the biggest so a couple toys scattered around and it went from living space to obstacle course.

We put our thinking caps on and decided that our furniture needed to be able to serve multiple purposes. Not only to be aesthetically pleasing, but also be able to handle our toy storage needs. Even though we had a sectional sofa, we could always use additional seating so we used a storage bench similar to this:

www.brookstone.com

To this day the storage bench holds toys and provides additional seating.

As for our coffee table, side table, and sofa table we chose the Metropolitan collection from Pottery Barn  and used decorative baskets to hide books, blankets and other toys.  At the time I felt it important we buy the set, but now I would say to mix it up and buy different pieces that will give interest and provide function. The quality of these pieces have stood the test of time, test of children, and are just now starting to show signs of wear 9 years later.

Pottery Barn

Jo-Ann

Even as the kids have gotten older and their toys found their way into that dream playroom I spoke of earlier, we still utilize the storage now for things like blankets, magazines and movies.  

While we left our little first house a long time ago, we still keep the same ideals of multifunctional. Furniture is expensive and if you can use it for more than one purpose, you'll really get longevity out of the piece and keep things organized.  Don't be afraid to use furniture for other purposes. My mom gave me her dresser she had growing up when I went away to college. That piece has been well loved and has survived more moves than I can count. It has served as a dresser, but now it's the sideboard in my dining room. The only thing I did was switch out the drawer pulls. Inside I store table cloths, candles, games, crafts for the kids, gift bags and tissue paper.  I have found a few local thrift stores that I love to peruse for gems just like this to give a second, or even a third, life to. 

Moving to South Carolina also meant that we would have visitors, but we also didn't want to have a designated guest room. The fourth bedroom doesn't have a closet and has been designated the playroom/guest room/ office. Keeping with multifunctional, we selected a queen sleeper sofa to serve as seating and a bed. La-Z-Boy also has twin sleeper chair and a half, with many fabric choices, if you're looking for something a little smaller or need additional sleeping space. This could also be great for a nursery for those long nights, or children's room for little guests. 

La-Z-Boy

Purchasing furniture is not only a necessity, but aside from the standard reason you need the furniture, think beyond the surface level functions and determine what your space really needs. What will you be doing in that space? Who will be using that space? Can the piece evolve even after you've used it for its intended purpose? And just when you think a piece of furniture has outlived it's space, is there some place else you can use it before you decide to sell or donate? What if you painted it? There's a lot to consider when you're buying furniture, but since this is an investment, it's important to consider all the possibilities.

Eye of the designer

Deep down I guess I never really knew that I had a budding passion for decorating. I loved organization, that part came naturally, but the decorating part I was a bit of a late bloomer. Even now I'm not on the cutting edge of interior design, but through practice and studying, I've picked up a few things here and there.  I couldn't afford a lot of things, one of which being a personal interior designer, but then the next best thing happened..

Raise of hands on how many people have looked through and drooled over the pages of Pottery Barn? Now, have you ever read the back of the magazine? I mean REALLY read the back? Or really read to the bottom of the sale emails? Perused the website? Because if you did you already know what I'm going to say, but for those of you that may have missed it, THEY OFFER FREE DESIGN SERVICES AND CLASSES! You read that right, FREE!!  I will never forget the first class that the hubby and I signed up for, I thought it was too good to be true.  They showed us in that class how to create a seascape in a tall vase and some other tips on decorating with vases.  Then we were able to shop the store, using a discount and this all happened on a Sunday BEFORE the store opened. It was amazing!

10 years later and we still have it!

The free design services are legit too and I was super skeptical before I made my appointment. My problem at the time was the top of our kitchen cabinets and the built in bookcases surrounding our fireplace. They were both completely empty and there was a lot of space to cover, but I didn't want to jam pack those areas and make it feel totally cluttered. I took pictures of the spaces and brought in my iPad to show the designer. For a solid hour she showed me different ideas, we played with the products in the store, I asked loads of questions, and I took LOTS of notes. At the end, she said I could use a discount if there was something that I wanted to purchase that night. Shut the front door! Well yeah! The best part, she told me they do in home services if I still needed help! The most impressive part was that it was, once again, free!

Before

After

Don't have a Pottery Barn near you, have no fear! On their website there are a slue of decorating ideas tips and tricks. Including a room design planner so you can figure out how to arrange your furniture without having to lift or move anything! How-to guides, holiday decorating tips, room inspirations...I mean come on!! I feel like Oprah right now."You get free information, and you get free information!!"  Still have design questions, they have a hotline you can call.  Their services also apply to their Pottery Barn Kids/Teen side as well.

But wait... there's more! Pottery Barn isn't the only company offering free services. West Elm, Ethan Allen, and La-Z-Boy, to name a few, also offer free services.  (Contact them for more information.)   No matter if you're trying to figure out a design issue, pick up a new skill, or refine your design talents, I don't think you can go wrong learning for free from the experts. In the land of Pinterest and Google, it makes sense to have so much information right at your finger tips. I know it keeps me coming back to Pottery Barn time and again.  Well played Pottery Barn, well played.