Can You Find My Clutter?

The picture to your left has a ton of clutter!  Can you find it?

This is an inside look at my guest room.  I have big plans for this small room, however at the moment I am improvising until I can decorate it the way I want.

As you can see, I have a large rice bed that practically takes up the entire space.  Since this bed is so much taller than most beds, a regular nightstand would be way too short.  I needed to find a piece of furniture that would be tall enough but narrow enough for this tight corner.

I had been on the hunt for the perfect table/cabinet to use as a nightstand for at least a year.  So there was my dilemma.   I finally found the right piece but it is in the garage awaiting a make-over.  I needed this room to work until I could refinish the other piece.

Until then, this is what I have done….

Some of you may say this looks fine, but you need to look a little closer!  There is much more to this picture than meets the eye.  I have clutter!  This is how I turned a ton of clutter into decor until I could find something permanent.

That’s right, these are labeled storage containers of my old photographs that I plan to scrapbook.  What I have here is a board on top,  a piece of unfinished fabric thrown over it and a euro sham that I was not using.  The fabric is not a perfect match, but hey it is temporary.  I know someone that stores their luggage this way and she stores clutter in the suitcases.  Smart!

Clutter Happens (Period)

Clutter is a problem for most people when we do not have a home for everything we own.  This happens easily enough because we are always bringing new stuff into our homes.

One of the main culprits of clutter is the daily mail.  You throw it on your table or breakfast bar and walk off.  It is understandable that you do not want to do more paper work when you first get home from work.  But as the days go by, the pile gets bigger and bigger with possible important things mixed in with the junk.  Am I right?

What if I told you that you could correct this problem in less than 30 seconds a day?  You can!  You need to find something decorative to keep near your door to use as a sort zone.  Think outside of the box.  It can be decorative boxes stacked, magazine rack with multi-compartments, or a pretty multi-tiered pie rack, or some pretty baskets, etc.  You need to have 3 designated containers so be creative.  Once you have established your sort zone, each of the containers are for different things.  One is for bills and statements, the other for flyers and coupons you want to go through, the other is for magazines and catalogs.  You make your own categories.  Some people may just need two, some may need 4.  It is up to you.

This is where the 30 seconds comes in.  You walk in with your mail, flip through it sorting it into categories.  Place everything in the corresponding compartment and throw your junk away!  Done in 30 seconds!!!  Now, instead of a messy scattered pile of clutter, you have attractive decor in it’s place working double duty for when you do have time to look through it all.

There are many ways to make your decor work double duty for you and to turn your clutter into decor.  Another one of my tricks is for my husband’s drop zone.  My husband as you all know by now is very organized and systematic.  When he comes in from work, the first thing he does is go to his drop zone where he keeps his keys, cell phone, watch, etc.  His drop zone is a table near the door with a large decorative bowl that is deep enough to hold all of his things without anything flowing over or looking cluttered.  From a distance, it’s just a pretty bowl.

Live on purpose and be creative with your clutter as well as preparing for future clutter!

Buy Your Sort Zone Here!!!

DIY Ideas….

Okay Clutter Busters…

Do you have decor working double duty for your clutter?

What are your ideas of turning clutter into decor?

Baby Steps Series

Baby Steps #1  – New Year New You

Baby Steps #2 – Motivation

Baby Steps #3 – If You Don’t Use It, You Must Excuse It

Baby Steps #4 – Closet Resolution

Baby Steps #5 – Monkey See Monkey Do