I was super tickled to receive an early copy of Make Room For What You Love. I was not paid to participate in this blogger tour. It’s easy to share awesome stuff and I’m happy to do it! All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Get Inspired To Make Room For What You Love
Hello there ~ If you are visiting for the first time, I’m Shannon. Welcome! Today I want to talk to you about how excited I am to implement some of the ideas I’ve been reading about in the new book, Make Room For What You Love, by New York Times best selling author, Melissa Michaels of the Inspired Room. I’ve had the pleasure of reading Melissa’s two previous books, and enjoyed them immensely. I think this one speaks to me at the deepest level, because I’m pretty good at organizing… but I am colossally awful at “simplifying. I struggle so hard with what to let go of. Always fearful I’ll “need” something, as soon as I get rid of it.
I am so ready to let go of that fear.
I yearn to have a completely peaceful feeling in my home. My surroundings absolutely influence how I feel. It’s one of the reasons I clean when I’m having a difficult time with depression or anxious feelings. It calms me, and it’s something I can do to introduce order & control to my world. The bonus is the clean house. haha
Seriously though, I love to clean, and I love to organize. But I also love to hoard a bit. And that sometimes throws all my other hard work for a loop, because there are a few places in my home I just don’t seem to be able to get total control over!
But no more. With the encouragement of Melissa’s words and wisdom, I’m feeling confident to tackle the worst room in my entire home. My home decor storage room [click here to view]. I’ve cleaned it out several times but I’ve never really cut to the bone, and left myself any breathing room, or room to grow. I want to organize this area, like I have others, so that it continues to be easy to manage well into the future. Instead of lasting about 6 months, or until Christmas. Whichever happens to come first.
Which is both ridiculous & embarrassing.
I feel like after reading Melissa’s book, I have her as a cheerleader in a corner of my mind, urging me on. And I love her real-life, practical advice & ideas. Because while I have many ideas of my own… I certainly don’t think I know everything… and I’m always open to hearing others tried and true methods! No one person can think of everything and not everyone has the same gifts. I’m so glad that Melissa shares hers with all of us!!
I’m going to repeat this next quote to myself over & over when I tackle that room. I hope it keeps me out of the corner eating from a tube of raw cookie dough. Because I don’t even like that stuff!
In the dreary winter months, I really torn into the house and when Spring came, I was able to move forward with a much lighter feel. Creating some new spaces with clean lines and good function. I’d like to share those with you now.
Our home is a 1920’s bungalow style cottage. After many years here in this house, I’ve successfully parted ways with much of the furniture I brought here with us from or last, much larger home. It took a little mental preparation, but I was finally able to let it go. The furnishings were beautiful but I’ve felt no regrets. They simply did not fit or function well in the space.
Because I was able to let-go, we now have a lighter, less cluttered, welcoming entry to our home!
We have paired down to furnishings that have purpose & function, with a little pretty thrown in.
Now, this might have a few of you thinking the person writing this is an impostor… but I’ve lightened up on the amount of toss pillows I’ve got on the sofa. I know! It might be short lived. But I’m trying to keep it down to 3… instead of 73.
Something I do to try to cut down on clutter, is that I buy objects that are very multi-functional. I don’t buy much that only has one use. I love to bring things into my home I can use in a variety of ways! It’s great for space constraints, as well as your wallet!
- BAR CART: My bar cart has been used as shown above, in the bathroom, as a side table, as a make-shift nightstand, and as an actual bar cart when entertaining.
- BASKETS: I use baskets in a multitude of ways as well. They are great for pillows & blankets and for hiding toys & etc’s… and I’ve got a new idea I’ll be sharing soon! I think you’ll love it.
Our living room is space in our home that doesn’t suffer from clutter or unwanted items. There are never odd-ball or home less things lingering about. It’s my oasis… and what I strive for in the rest of the house. If you do have any unwanted clutter, you can also go to a Pawn Shop and see how much you could get for them whilst providing for others.
If you want a little cleaning & organizing inspiration, you can find my Closet Before & After [click here for details and shopping sources] This is a non walk in, chandelier free closet, regular girl closet.
And guess what? With a little purging & the proper organizing tools, it still looks this neat & tidy! Swear.
- Oh gosh, this is a good one I’ll share! One of my biggest pet peeves I’ve got are CORDS! Cords hanging out everywhere. No thank you. I have a really easy trick I use and it’s a great way to hide them. Find out how to hide cords by [clicking right here]
Thank you so much for stopping by today! I think you’ll find Make Room For What You Love a great companion to help you navigate organizing & simplifying. I can’t wait to dig into my home decor storage room this week. It’s been on my mind but I had a few things to wrap-up before I could wade into it. I’ll make sure to report back!
I want to leave you with this last quote, so that it’s clear… we are not chasing perfection here!
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For more inspiration, visit the following links and get inside tips & ideas from talented bloggers, homemakers & designers!
Eleven Gables / Craftberry Bush / At the Picket Fence / Julie Blanner / Beneath My Heart / Thrifty Decor Chick / Emily A. Clark / Reluctant Entertainer / My Sweet Savannah / Domestic Fashionista / At Home In Love / 320 Sycamore / Sunny Side Up / Happy Happy Nester / The White Buffalo Styling Co / Sweet and Simple Home / Finding Home Farms / In My Own Style / Fox Hollow Cottage / The House of Silver Lining / Infarrantly Creative / Fieldstone Hill Design / Shabby Nest / Today’s Creative Life / Sarah M. Dorsey Designs / Just A Girl / Southern Hospitality
Some day I will organize and purge, but I will at least try to implement some of the ideas this garage sale season so I don’t have even more to organize and purge!
We are walking a fine line with the booth. The constant hunting has me finding too much for our house 😉