Sure Ways To De-Clutter Your Home!

New Year - New Clean Up!

                                      Palatial Living's TOP 5 Stress-Less DeClutter Tips

1. The Scout

If you love that family and friends can rely on you to handle any situation, but your tendency to keep things comes from the anticipation that you might need it someday, you might have a scout's organization personality. So in order to let go, try creating a catch phrase to ask yourself that will help you identify items you no longer use frequently. 

You can also set boundaries before you begin to declutter. Determine how many of the same type of item you should realistically keep, and then make yourself follow those rules.Try asking yourself, "How often am I really using this?" Or, "In what situation will I really need this?" You'll soon start to realize that you'll never need a lot of the items you're holding on to. 

                                                            2. Purge Old Paperwork

Getting rid of old office paperwork is extremely liberating. Tossing random notes and old checklists and files quickly transforms an office into a place where you can think. 

Create a box to hold papers that need shredding as you sort, and then shred them while you watch television to make the time go by quickly. When you've cut through the backlog of papers, start fresh and shred papers immediately after you've sorted the mail.

3. Restful RetreatMake your bedroom a haven by surrounding yourself with things that bring you comfort and peace. Let go of furniture and other objects in the room that take up space without adding value. If space allows, carve out a nook for a reading chair and ottoman or a chaise. You can also layer your bed with blankets that add color and warmth. Install artwork or use paint to customize and brighten your space.

                                                              4.Organize for Your Needs

An organized closet can help set the tone for the day ahead. When you can see everything you own, you can find things faster, get dressed with confidence, and feel ready to tackle the day. When deciding how you should organize a clothes closet, ask yourself the following: How do I look for things? How do I get dressed? How do I put things away? Sort your items into categories based on your responses. To make things even easier to find, try color-coding items within your categories.

                                                          5. Children's - Play Stations

When toys, books, and dress-ups have proper homes, children can participate in the cleanup process and help keep clutter to a minimum. Consider dividing a bedroom or playroom into activity stations to create clear separation. Make sure children have easy access to items they gravitate to frequently, such as a basket for books. Avoid oversize containers that make it hard for children to find toys, and keep lids to a minimum -- except on items you want to control access to, such as art supplies.

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With my first post of the new  year I do this some 5 weeks into the new year - A BIG Hello & Happy New Year to you! After coming back from holidays in wonderful Japan skiing and visiting Tokyo Disneyland I am back into it full mode! Hence my cleaning & de-cluttering post today!

I have gotten through all the washing from the holiday and tackled all Christmas things - away and sorted. Now I am planned to attack the office and the wardrobe!

What about you - what have you de-cluttered in your home recently?

Hopefully the tips here will give you a great guideline to get inspired to make some space i your life.

Enjoy, 

images & subtext via BHG.com & Palatial Living Pinterest

Vibrant Accents...

An empty bookcase painted Pratt & Lambert's Orange Spice sets off sparks in the living room, picked up in the custom-colored print by Galbraith & Paul on the pillows and curtains. Custom orange fabric from Lewis & Sheron Textiles. Charlotte wing chairs and sofa, coffee tables, ceramic garden stool, and Black Corbel chandelier from South of Market. Acrylic log holder by CB2. Wall paint is Benjamin Moore's Seapearl.

 Orange paint sets off the Palladian details of the bookcase.

Overscale willow basket lights from South of Market help define the breakfast area in a large kitchen. Tones of gray reappear in the curtain fabric by Lewis & Sheron Textiles and the Dual Seat Counter Bench by Lee Industries. Faucet by Waterworks. Sub-Zero refrigerator. Mirror from South of Market.

I love this Kansas City Apartment profiled in House Beautiful ... the accents of vibrant orange bring a modernity to the neutral palette, that also allows you to change up the accent when the mood or fashion strikes you.

Enjoy,

 An old shop awning is hung on a living room wall like a piece of art.



images via housebeautiful.com

Lightness of Spring...

 A collection of images that I found in my image library - that inspired me as I placed them together - joining accents of forget me-not blue, myrtle walnut timber, tints of white & shades of taupe. Gives a sense of whimsy, old school, the level of lightness in these images portrays for a new season upon us....

Spring is here, for die-hards to the calendar Spring Equinox is around the corner too! Enjoy,

images via pinterest, tumblr, miss wall flower, crushculdesac, pretty stuff

Gorgeous Easter Desktop ScreenSavers...

 

Eggs in a Row

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

'Use This Desktop'
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Need some desktop Easter inspiration? I found these sweet images on the American BHG [Better Homes & Gardens] site that you might want to use for each day leading up to Easter Sunday! Click on the the text below the image that says 'USE THIS DESKTOP' and you will be directed to the screen saver web page where you can download it and save it to your desktop images.

Maybe there's just one you like or maybe a couple or maybe you can't choose and will use all of them each day!

Have fun & Enjoy,

 Egg Carton 

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

'Use This Desktop

 Blossom & Hand Painted Eggs

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

'Use This Desktop'

Silver Basket Eggs

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

'Use This Desktop'

 

 Egg Decor for the Door

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

'Use This Desktop'

Easter Blooms 

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

'Use This Desktop'

Egg Shell Potted Succulents

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

Use This Desktop

Egg Plant

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,

below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

'Use This Desktop'

images & links via BHG

Small Spaces For Christmas Decor ~ Part II...

So with only 4 sleeps to go - if you're still stuck for some holiday decorating in Part II of my posting for Small Spaces Decorating - you may just find some great nifty quick ideas as well as getting that table decor you've been pondering over for Christmas Day! Take a look, there might be an idea just for you!

Enjoy,

Go Small with Displays

Ornaments have tons of pop -- utilize their glitter and glow for a small-space display. Glue an ornament to a small, round plastic or glass disk. Remove the hanger and tuck in mini blooms or sprigs of berries. Group the vase ornaments on a tray for a centerpiece.

Accent Your Kitchen Windows

Open, airy windowpanes dance with color, thanks to these colorful snowflakes. Hang similar ones in a pattern or at random; add the final touch with a simple swag of greenery overhead

Use Window Space

Simplicity is key for small-space decorating. White pillar candles, placed on a silver tray, add elegance to a windowsill. Two faux dwarf evergreens, wrapped in burlap, add a bit of color to the wintry scene

Make an Impactful Wall Display

Old photos are great conversation starters, particularly at the holidays, and this display takes up only minimal wall space. Start with baby photographs; cut them in a circle, mount on foam core, and arrange in a tree shape. Little space, big impact.

Great Tip: For a great together-time activity, have family members guess who is who in each photo.

Color

A bare-bones tree is a treat for a small corner, and choosing just one accent color is a good way to cut down on visual distractions. For the base of your tree, wrap a small box with a dish towel and fill the base of the box with stones (disguised with a layer of pearl-white ornaments) to hold in place. Add a few more wrapped boxes in a variety of papers and ribbons

 

images & subtext from BHG, tumblr, Country Living, House Beautiful

Small Spaces for Christmas Decor...

all the luck in the world - cards - via etsy

Stuck for Space at your place when it comes to Christmas decor? I know I am stuck for space at the best of times just with storage for toys, clothes, shoes manchester etc - especially in the wardrobe dept!

But believe me careful consideration is needed whether you have a lot of space or a little on the tight side of space... when it comes to festive decorating. For those of you on the leaner side of space here's some fabulous tips I found on my blog travels that I thought might come in handy for you, and for those with a lot of space but want to add to those decorations one or two of these ideas you might also love & incorporate into your holiday decorating!

Enjoy,

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Use Space by the Stairs

A small table by the stairs is a prominent small-space spot to start your Christmas merriment. Add a little, lightly decorated tree and a modest display to the tabletop. To give the evergreen a bit of height, place in a tall silver vase

Brighten a Hanging Picture

You've already decorated your home with personal pictures -- give them a holiday touch with a sprig of evergreen. No special crafting tools required

Use Wall Space

That lovely solid-color wall in your living room? The perfect home for a holiday display. Here, miniature grapevine wreaths add texture to a green wall. We chose a variety of accents -- faux birds, small ornaments, sprigs of berries -- and glued them onto the wreaths before hanging the displays from a length of ribbon

 Fabricate a Faux Tree

If you don't have space for -- or just don't want -- a real tree, you can get the same feel with this evergreen idea. Start with a wide branch; hang on a hook from the wall and decorate with treasured ornaments.

Utilize Vertical Space

If space is limited, you might not be able to hang every ornament you own on a tree, but there's no reason to keep the leftovers boxed up. Look for unexpected places -- from a chandelier, at a window, over a doorway -- to dangle a few for sparkle and cheer

Fill a Corner

Nooks, crannies, shelves, bookcases: All are great spots for diminutive seasonal decor. If there's no space for a full tree, put a single dwarf version -- with a few presents -- on a midheight shelf. In place of lights, decorate with small-scale ornaments

Decorate with Small Wreaths

Large and impactful are typical design credos for wreaths, but small can be equally as mighty. Hang a mini wreath with a velvet or satin ribbon from shelves or drawer pulls

 Hang Ornaments on Walls

Making clever use of wall space will ensure that your small-space holiday schemes have impact. To boost the seasonal spirits of small stretches of wall space, try this simple trick: Use a length of ribbon and hang ornaments that spell out a message (tie the ribbon around each to keep in place). Secure with thumbtacks and disguise the ends with a bit of evergreen

 Add a Tree in a Bathroom

Don't overlook bathrooms as places to add some merry touches. Here, a small corner offers a great spot for a potted tree decorated with cream and blue ceramic bells and glass balls

 Create a Hanging Window Display Look out on something pretty -- a basic painted frame strung with ribbon and hung with ornaments jazzes up a window and requires zero rearranging

images - subtext via tumblr, country living & bhg
top pic by all the luck in the world - etsy

day~dreraming

After nearly a month away from Palatial Living it feels like I have been in a daydream away - but no I have been madly decorating & renovating our 'new' old home we bought and moved into in mid July this year! How time flies - whilst paint dries, leaf litter is moved, mulch is laid, curtains hung and furniture moved around! Now I feel like I need at least a few weeks away from the paint brush! But I must say it feels like an addiction - I might have one or two nights off from doing something and then I get restless again and get back into it or much to my supportive loving husband's dread - start another project on the house! Ha ha!

This weekend is my last full weekend home before I jet off again for a week away in Hong Kong & China visiting trad fairs and sourcing new products - but for fashion accessories, jewellery, hats, scarves, bags and footwear for my [day-time gig] as a Group Brand Product Developer/ Designer for a fashion company here in Sydney! So I am planning to get into the garden with my husband who is leading the way - I drew up a garden design & landscaping plan for all the 'room zones' we want to create... very exciting. 

So as I get some more time I will post pics of all the different things we have - so far - accomplished at the house, including my bathroom refurbishment - that blew me away!

So for now I will enjoy a little daydream with a coffee and see you soon. 

images via pretty stuff, ys voice, crush culdesac