A Heavenly Home: Spring Cleaning Day 2: Office

                So while I wanted to enjoy my time off from work this week I wanted to reorganize parts of my apartment that needed a little TLC. I decided to devote my time to three areas of my apartment: my closet, my office and my bathroom. I conquered day 2 of my spring cleaning with the task of my office.

                My side of the office was not necessarily dirty but mainly cluttered and unorganized. For example, if I wanted to find a pair of scissors or my stapler I would have to look in several bins. I would not know where to find it. So I decided to reorganize and de-clutter my side of the office. I also decided to pare down the items next to my desk which are used for storage. Next to my desk I have two storage bins and a suitcase. The office is the only place that will hold these items comfortably (because our bikes fill up our storage closet). On top of all that I had four pillows that I use for winter and fall in our apartment and a few extra boxes and bins. I paired down those items and tried to make it look less cluttered. 

                Next, I tackled my desk. My desk does not sadly have drawers so I have to make use of what I have. I have a small three bin organizer that I use to hold my stapler, post its and note pads. Then I have my pen organizer (an old BBW candle covered in glitter) and a purse post it organizer and my high heel tape dispenser. That is it. While I love office décor items I wanted to keep the desk free of clutter so I could focus on my  tasks at hand.  I have a larger three drawer organizer under my desk that holds other items, like notepads and other necessities.

 Finally, I have a mail organizer that I use frequently to hold my items that need to be taken care of, bills to pay etc. I didn’t want it on my desk but I wanted it nearby. I decided to de-clutter the top of my bookshelf and put my pretty decorative books elsewhere. That way I could put my mail organizer there so I could access it while working at my desk when I pay bills and such.

This was a very small project for me. Because of that I decided to use this time to purchase more index cards to write to do lists and I also decided to make business cards for this blog. I am thoroughly enjoying the blog process and want to have cards to give to others so they can enjoy and experience my blog. While this was a small project for me, it motivated me to keep working on tasks around my house. My last step in my spring cleaning “series” is the bathroom. It should take me an hour or two, but I can’t wait to be done with the process!

Does organizing a part of your home make you feel motivated? What tasks are you working on around your home? 

A Heavenly Home: Spring Cleaning: Day 1: Closet and Dresser

                This past week, I was off for a “Spring Break” of sorts. I don’t necessarily count it as spring break because of the crazy wintry weather that we have had recently. I decided on my first weekday off to spend my day cleaning out my closet and my dresser. While the weather has not been warm (besides a few odd days here or there), I have been in love with spring dresses. I have been purchasing spring dresses during the winter in preparation for the upcoming season.  

            I decided to go through my closet and get rid of a ton of items. I decided to make two piles. One pile was a trash pile (clothing that was so destroyed it would not be good for others) and a pile to give to my mom. I managed to get rid of quite a few items. I then made some organization progress in my closet. For example, I sorted clothes by work clothes, then by pants, ¾ sleeve shirts, t-shirts, etc. I also put away my winter clothing. Then I made room in my closet for all of my jeans (as they can be heavy and weigh down my lovely dresser).

        Finally, I made space for all of my spring items. I figure I can wear some of them with leggings or jeans and cardigans until the warmer weather officially is here to stay. I also pulled out some of my favorite tops and put them in the front and center of my closet so that I could enjoy them and see them. A lot of people on Youtube like to have a closet rack out in public. I do not like this for myself (even though I love the idea) because I have a hard time with clutter. Also, I do not have the space for it in the bedroom. This is my solution. I can see my most beautiful items and can enjoy them. I also placed a nice pair of heels and a book to showcase in my closet. It makes me happy to open my closet now.  

                Next, I tackled my dresser. As a self proclaimed introvert (and Social Anxiety member), I love PJs. They make me feel comfy and safe. I had a TON of PJs. I decided to thoroughly go through them and finally got my items narrowed down to my favorites. Again, I organized my PJs by sets, different types and put my workout clothes in a pile. I also organized my socks and my shirts into sections again.

                In reality, I am not a fan of dressers but I love my dresser. While I do not like clutter, I typically do not care how my clothes are organized in drawers. I changed that on my first day of spring cleaning. I am happy with the progress I have made. My next steps to take include tackling my bathroom and my office. The rest of the areas of my apartment have already been cleaned and de-cluttered recently. Stay tuned for additional posts on how I reorganized these two areas. Finally, I can’t wait to share my post about my “office in an ottoman.” As stated I have recently made myself a fabulous reading nook in my bedroom. I have filled my mini ottoman with necessary essentials. Stay tuned for this post.

                I am surprisingly content with the look of my closet and dresser and anticipate the next stages of my organization process!  How are you spring cleaning? Do you spend more time organizing or deep cleaning? I do a mix of both as needed. 

A Heavenly Home: Bring on Spring

            Lately, I have been in one of those ruts, you know when you want spring to come? Well this weekend, I woke up early and decided to get our apartment ready for spring. I watched a Dollar Tree Easter decoration video from Doltonadime and got the best ideas to decorate our home! I immediately got in my car and headed to the dollar store. I got rid of a lot of my decorations because a lot of them were girly.  I typically decorate 3 areas in our home seasonally or based on holidays. I decorate our coffee table, our dining table and the entry way. I will keep up these decorations for most of spring until about mid May.

            Our dining table has a pretty vinyl polka dot blue and white tablecloth. I am not usually a fan of vinyl but the pattern was so cute I had to get it. Plus, vinyl is nice and easy to wipe down. Then, I put a set of daisies in a vase on the dining room table. Not many decorations, as we use the table frequently, but it’s cute enough. 

            Nex,t I worked on our entryway. I put up a little vase of flowers. Again, I chose daisies because they are a gender neutral color and I feel like they really brightened up the space. Usually I am not a fan of decorating for Easter; this year is no exception. However, I found these cute eggs at the dollar store and purchased this egg Ferris wheel (from Jo Ann’s) to place by our door. 

          Lastly, I decorated the coffee table with pieces I have had around the home. For example, I like to have a placemat or two on my coffee table at all times to use instead of coasters. However, I was so tired of the boring tan. So I decided to use one of my boyfriend’s old pillowcases and folded it. It will need to be washed after being used and is temporary. I am hoping to find a few placemats as I shop around. I also placed this iron teapot I purchased a few years ago on the table. In my old apartment, it had pink flowers, but I took them out and added daisies. Finally, I placed our book “box” that is used to hold our remotes on the table. 

        I had one casualty that did not make it to our home (or did in small pieces). I got a snow globe chick that I was going to put in the entry way.  I decided to save it and break off (very gently the snow globe pieces) and wash out the glitter and use it by the door.

I am very happy with the design of our home. While I am a strong independent woman, I love decorating my home. Again, I am fortunate that my boyfriend is flexible with how I decorate our home, as long as it is fairly gender neutral (no pink or purple colors). How have you decorated your home for spring? How often do you change the décor in your home?