A great deal has been written about mental comfort zones. The internet is full of Venn diagrams with a puny circle titled “your comfort zone” and a large circle with no overlap titled “this is where the magic happens” — implying that you must leave your comfort zone altogether to experience any magic. The notion […]
organization
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Inspire Your Rooms, Inspire Your Life
Editor’s note: This excerpt was adapted from “Simple Decorating: 50 Ways to Inspire Your Home” by Melissa Michaels. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon. Used by permission. A home should be more than just something pretty to look at. Our homes should inspire us every day to live the life we dream of and […]
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Got Stuff?
One does not need be a hoarder to have too much stuff. Or some say having stuff is never enough stuff. Or, “Don’t give me stuff, even if it’s free.” Got stuff? Stuff. A seemingly simple story has transformed into a complicated creature — as collecting, downsizing, inheriting, remodeling or just living. Great grandmother’s fine […]
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How to Downsize with Valuable Household Artifacts
An estimated 4.2 million retirees downsized and moved to a smaller home in 2016. But for most of us, when it comes time to clean out the closets, downsize, move away or move on, the reality of making decisions about what to do with a lifetime of accumulated artifacts can seem overwhelming. Here are some […]
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How to Reclaim the Prime Real Estate in Your Own House
Most of us have some idea in our minds about what “prime real estate” means. We sometimes use this phrase to discuss a particularly good location, a convenient parking spot or even (according to the Urban Dictionary) a desirable person. We probably also think of the first rule of real estate: location, location, location. We […]
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Christmas at the Deckers
Lana Decker’s love of Christmas began when she was in high school. Over the years, she’s amassed quite a large collection of ornaments, santas, trees… so much so, that the collections have taken over the Deckers’ three-car garage. At last count, she had over 200 banker boxes full of Christmas decór. A few years ago, […]
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Making the Most of Your Storage and Organization Space with Built-in Cabinetry
Many people want to move because they don’t have enough storage. Let’s be honest, Americans have a LOT of STUFF. I often meet with people who think moving will solve the issue, but often it is just a rearranging of space that is in order. Whether you are remodeling or moving, or just trying to […]
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Tools That Almost Never Work
Organizing Culprit No. 1: The Filing Cabinet The No. 1 organizing fail is the one you’d least expect: the filing cabinet. That’s right. For anyone except the most organized people, filing cabinets are where papers go to die. This unorthodox view comes from years of working with client paperwork — the most important and useful […]
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Five Steps to a Simple Home
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from “Make Room for What You Love,” the latest book just released from Seattle author Melissa Michaels, the creator of the popular blog The Inspired Room. 1. Avoid temptation. When you can, don’t go to places that will cause you to buy more stuff to deal with or tempt […]