Getting Ready for the Holidays – Clearing Clutter

It’s that time of year again.  The weather is getting colder, the snow is falling, and the stores are bringing out their holiday wares and trims.  With the changing seasons comes a significant shift in the energy around us, which motivates us to adjust our lifestyles accordingly.  We clear the clutter in preparation for the Christmas season ahead.

In the fall I usually clear out my unwanted or unused “stuff.  Recently, my house-clearing produced a whopping nine bags of items destined for charity.  It seems like a lot, but I’m sure if you looked closely at the objects around your home, you would be surprised at how much “stuff” you have. 

Learning about clearing clutter has provided me with a sense of what is truly important in my home.   Each object I own affects the energy in my home and my personal energy as well.  I don’t want to keep items around me that serve no purpose.  Why waste space? 

Clearing those items that were gifts can be difficult.  If you received a gift from someone you love but you don’t like it, the item isn’t serving you positively.  For example, a friend gave me a gift that remained in my home even after the friendship ended.  However, whenever I looked at this object, I was reminded of the negativity of the relationship and of how it had ended.  So, although it was part of a collection I adore, I gave that piece away.  Doing this can be uncomfortable for some people, but the most important part of the exchange is the act of giving.

Holding on to something “just in case” can also weigh us down.  If you aren’t using it now, or you haven’t used it in the past year (or six months even) then the item isn’t serving its purpose.  We use valuable cupboard space keeping that bread maker or kitchen gadget you used twice.  Sometimes, we even forget we have these things until we clean  a cupboard or a drawer.  Keep only those things you use often.

So how do you begin to clear clutter in your home?   Below is a step-by-step plan.  If you get stuck on any item, ask yourself the following questions:

·         Do I love it?

·         Do I use it?

·         Do I need it?

·         Does it evoke a positive feeling and lift my spirits?

If you answered no to any of these questions, the item in question should be thrown out or given away.

Step-by-Step Clutter Clearing

Step 1: Decide on a plan for your clutter clearing (will you set aside a specific amount of time on the same day each week? will you complete one room at time?, etc.).

Step 2: Set clutter clearing goals (I will have de-cluttered and cleaned (e.g., the front closet, the master bedroom, three drawers, etc.) by a certain date.

Step 3: Begin de-cluttering the area of your home that bothers you most.  (If you are still unsure, begin with the front door, master bedroom and kitchen).

Step 4: Prepare physically by arranging boxes for clutter clearing.  Label them as “donations”, “garbage”, “garage sale” and “giveaways”. 

Step 5: De-clutter the space before you try to re-organize it.  Remember the 50:50 rule in order to create space in your life for new items and new opportunities.  Cupboards, drawers and surfaces should only be half-covered or half-filled so new things can enter your home and life.

Step 6: Be sure to clean each area after you’ve eliminated the clutter. 

Step 7: Add aromatherapy oils once you’ve de-cluttered and cleaned (e.g., lemongrass, sage, rosemary, or a personal favorite).

Step 8: Repair broken items (when possible) as you complete the de-cluttering and cleaning in each area.

Step 9:  Plan to take the boxes to their appropriate locations as soon as you can.

Have fun and happy clearing!

Natasha 

Feng Shui Practitioner

What's under your feet? Tips on finding the perfect area rug.

I see so many clients unable to make a decision when it comes to buying an area rug. What makes choosing an area rug for your home so difficult anyway? First of all you have to figure out the right size, pick one too big and it covers all the beautiful hardwood you just installed (might have well kept the old wall to wall carpeting), too small and it looks like an island floating in the lagoon. Then you have to decide on the color, design, style, shape, quality, and material. If those aren't enough decisions to make you have to wade through an overwhelming selection with a wide price range. No wonder people have difficulty deciding and walk out empty handed. Here are a few tips which will help you to start the shopping.

Size does matter, to determine the maximum-size rug that will fit in a room, subtract three feet from the room's width and length, which will create a frame of flooring between the rug and the walls. For a dining room, choose an area rug that is four feet wider and longer than your table so that the chairs will remain on the carpet even when pulled out. There is nothing more annoying than sitting at a table and having your chair wobble because the back legs of the chair are on the bare floor and the front legs are on the rug. In a living or family room, the furniture should be sitting on or touching the rug. For the front door my fellow decorator Janice Funston points out " If your guests start doing an awkward dance once you let them in your house it means a) they started partying without you or b) the rug at your front door is much too small, and they are trying to be polite and not step off of it with their shoes on." Get yourself a nice generous sized rug for the front door. A 2'x3' rug is perfect for in front of the sink or tub where generally only one person at one time stands.

Define the quality and type of material that you need your rug to be. How much traffic will the rug be exposed to? Is there a traffic path right through where the rug will be? Will the rug be in an area that is not used much. These are factors you must consider when deciding on the rug material. Rugs basically fall under two categories:

Natural: Animal or plant fibers, including wool, cotton, sisal, jute, seagrass or bamboo.

Synthetic: Man-made material such as viscose, rayon, nylon,acrylic or polypropylene/olefin.

The characteristics for a few of the more popular rug materials are defined below.

Wool absorbs and retains dyes amazingly well. It is naturally resistant to fire, water and stains. Wool is a resilient material and it has greater durability than synthetic material. If you want to add a soft, beautiful, natural and luxurious rug to your space try a Flokati rug. These beautiful rugs have been hand made in Greece from wool for hundreds of years.

Polypropylene or olefin fibers are petroleum-based products that are derived from propylene and ethylene gases.

an amazing high end line of poly rugs called the Elementz Fettuccine Shag, they are woven in satin ribbon-like strands with a glorious sheen available in 7 different hues (Wine, Silver, Gold, Black, Bronze, Raisin & Champagne). Olefin, which has a soft wool-like feel, is one of the more widely used synthetic fibers for machine made rugs. Polypropylene can be heat-set to give it more durability and less sheen, for a look that is

more like wool.

Polypropylene/olefin rugs

are

popular but beca

use they are lightweight, they may not be the best choice for areas with high traffic although Dash & Albert Rug Company has some rugs made of superheroic polypropylene. These indoor/outdoor area rugs are terrific for high-traffic areas and muddy messes. Scrubbable, bleachable and UV-treated for outdoor use, this collection of woven rugs can stand up to all that you dish out.

These fibers are strong, colorfast, quick drying, abrasion resistant, mildew resistant, along with soil and stain resistant. Rugs made from these materials are at the lower end of the cost scale, making them more affordable than some other types of rugs.

Foreign Accents has

Nylon, another of the synthetic rug materials, is widely used in rug making. Nylon rugs have great characteristics such as uniformity and strength as well as stain and soil resistance. Nylon area rugs come in an unlimited variety of colors and they can be easily cleaned. The resilient nature of nylon rigs makes them a good choice for placing under furniture and for areas of heavy traffic. The cost of a nylon rug is usually less than that of rugs made from natural materials. However, nylon rugs do not hold their value as well as a quality wool area rug.

Remember when you walk into a room thirty percent of what you see is the floor.

If you need help finding that perfect area rug contact me.