Tip 3: Control the clutter

{This is part of the series "Top Ten Tips for Decorating on a Budget"}

Does clutter bother you? Many of us have convinced ourselves that clutter doesn’t really affect us, that it’s just the way things are but that we’ve learned to live with it. However, if you’re like me, you’d have to admit that you feel more relaxed and creative in a clutter-free environment! The great news is that there are just two keys to clutter control: discipline and creativity. The bad news is that most of us struggle with those two things, at least in relation to clutter.

Discipline means that we actually deal with the clutter before it becomes clutter. Do you have a plan and a place for everything? For instance, what do you do with those appointment cards, library receipts, notes of encouragement, cute pictures of or by the kids (and the list could just go on and on)? Do you hang them on the fridge, so that the door eventually becomes so overloaded that it just swings open on its own?

One simple, yet pretty solution is our Decorative Card and Photo Display. This provides great organizational space for announcements, recipe cards, photos, and more. The two diamonds can be hung together or separately on a door or wall. It even works for your necklaces and earrings, so you might want to use one section in your kitchen or mudroom and the other in your bedroom or dressing area.

In your craft or sewing room, a memo board is always helpful to keep swatches and inspiration at eye level. Odds and ends can be corralled in the oh-so-colorful Zoe Organizing Buckets -- out of the way, yet at your fingertips. Think how much more creative and productive you'll be when your special space is organized so beautifully!

Sometimes I find myself bogged down by the little things: mail, keys, spare change, etc. Remember the Eclipse Serving Platter we used to dress up flat surfaces in our last tip? It makes a great clutter corral, as well – and it pulls double duty by becoming a fantastic decorating or serving piece the next time you entertain. I’m amazed at how much better my countertop looks with the mail stacked in the Eclipse Serving Platter instead of just laying on the counter!

 

What about our other key to clutter control, creativity? Hint: our use of the Eclipse Serving Platter above is a great start… and we’ll cover more in our next tip!

Note: Do you need a clutter & chaos support group? Why not have an organizational-themed Willow House Makeover Design Workshop with your friends --you know they probably need it, too! And you can earn free and discounted products to help carry out your organizational plan. If you’d like to know more, contact me.


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Chic on a Shoestring Decorating  

© Suzanne Jackson 2011.
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