A friend of mine had a wonderful idea for some old chairs she replaced in her dining room. The chairs were covered in a beautiful brocade fabric--but they had seen better days. Her two lovely cats thoroughly enjoyed hiding underneath the skirt of the chairs; and the top was perfect for a scratching post.
The chairs seemed too nice to throw out--so after a quick brainstorming session--the decision was made to purchase slipcovers and distribute the chairs among her girlfriends, keeping one for herself. Each of us would choose the color slipcover to match the decor of our own homes. Then, we would all get together to personalize the slipcovers with sewing, embroidery or painting. In my case, my chair personalization involved none of these creative techniques--instead I used a fantastic product called Badge Magic. It's basically double-sided tape for fabric.
The transformation was amazing!
The slipcover matched the decor in the room where I placed the chair--and the "art" (if you can call double-sided tape "art") made it a one-of-a-kind piece. The whole project involved no sewing on my part and possibly 45 minutes of finding and cutting scrap pieces of fabric.
The success of this project made me think about other furniture transformations that I've made over the years. As I walked around our home, I found three other re-purposed items that could have been thrown out based on their looks alone.
I transformed a donated striped green and white couch to a fantastic red piece that we've used for hundreds of booking readings before bedtime. All it took was some skillful internet shopping, a gift card to Macy's, and recovering some old pillows with new fabric and the project was complete. And for those wondering, I did sew the pillows (it was the only thing I could sew at the time!).
Then there's the matching ottoman, also green and white striped that became a stylish window seat with the help of some beautiful fabric and the phenomenal sewing skills of a dear friend. This is one of my favorite places to sit in the morning--and to think--the entire thing could have taken a fateful trip to the town transfer station.
Finally, one of the biggest conversation pieces in our home is a 12 foot church pew. In our old house, it served as the entry way bench, school backpack holder, shoe cubby, coat rack and time-out chair. In our new home, I thought it deserved a little more respect. It was placed in a sunny spot that someone could curl up with a good book or have a nice conversation. Once again, I pulled out my trusty striped fabric and enlisted the skills of my sewing guru friend.
This was the most sewing intensive project in that it involved fitting the fabric around two foam seating cushions--I was now entering into 3 dimensional sewing! And, although it took me several months of starting and stopping, I was thrilled with the end result.
What once was an old church pew is now a lovely space to enjoy the sunshine coming through the windows.
I'm hoping you have a clearer picture of re-purposing and what it means. It's definitely part of the green focus of recycling and reusing what you already have. How does it relate to organization, design or style?
We all have things around our home that either don't serve a purpose or we no longer love. We hang onto those items thinking, "I may need this one day" or "I can't throw away a perfectly good painted neon green coffee table." After a while, your house may be home to many of these items--and now you are living in a space that's either cluttered, not well-designed, or completely does not match your style.
With a little creativity (and sometimes the help of a friend or two), the thing that was once an eyesore in your home can become one of your favorite items. Re-purposing can be as simple as taking a cardboard shoe box and turning it into a charging station for your cell phone, tablet and ipod--or it can be as daunting as my church pew cushion sewing. Regardless of the project, I'm certain you'll feel a certain sense of pride and satisfaction knowing you have given new life to something you already own.
"Organized" might not be the first thought that comes to mind when you see these market baskets
sitting at the bottom of a stairwell. Yes, they are overflowing with toys, clothes, books, papers, and I think some leftover fruit snacks(?). But to the untrained eye, this is a highly sophisticated "Organization System." Well, maybe it isn't highly sophisticated--but it is a system.
A couple questions may come to mind; 1) What is an organization system? 2) And why should I care? Fortunately, I have the answers to both.
I would guess that most people understand what an organized room or home looks like. And most people also understand that someone had to do all that organizing. I would venture to guess, however, that not everyone is familiar with how to continually keeping a room or home looking organized without a lot of extra effort.
How do people keep their home looking like a magazine picture from Home and Garden Television? And how do they find the time?
The answer is to develop a way to keep a space tidy once you've initially put everything in it's place. Everyday, you take a few minutes to "process" whatever items are constantly coming into your organized spaces. Whether it be incoming mail, boots and coats, or toys--a few minutes a day is all you need to maintain those magazine good looks.
Using the "highly sophisticated" market baskets as an example will help further explain what an organizational system is.
Step 1: Identify the Problem Area
For us--there were toys, clothes, books, papers, (and fruit snacks) everywhere! Miscellaneous piles of items could be found on the furniture or floor making it difficult to sit down, walk around or vacuum.
Step 2: Define the Goal
We wanted to sit, walk and vacuum without having to constantly be cleaning up after our kids!
Step 3: Put a System in Place
I decided to get each child a . And if I happen to pick up a random toy or sock, I have a place to put it without spending all day cleaning up.
Now, on to the next question--"Why should I care?" . . .
Having a system in place is a time saver, a stress reliever and can give you incredible peace of mind knowing that you are in control of your space--your space doesn't control you. But maybe the most important reason why you should care . . . no more fruit snacks in the vacuum!
New Years Day has come and gone and Spring is on the way according to Punxsutawney Phil. So how is that New Year's resolution to "Get Organized" going? If you have found yourself struggling to meet some of your goals, then February is the perfect time to re-evaluate and get ready for a spring clean-up.
(Photo credit: CNN)
Often times, a well-intentioned resolution becomes too big and overwhelming--which is why "only 8% of people achieve their New Year's goals" (University of Scranton research as reported by forbes.com).
This may sound familiar to anyone who has learned about goal setting -- Here it is from an organizational slant.
1. Set a Small Attainable Goal
Instead of, "I'm going to clean and organize my whole house!" You might choose, "I'm going to clean and organize the pantry."
It's difficult not to get overwhelmed by large projects. If you are able to break a large job down into smaller, more manageable parts, you will be able to tackle those small projects more easily.
For example, try setting aside a half hour to take on just one pantry shelf. Take everything off that shelf, throw out expired items, donate items that you won't use, group like times together, then place them back on the shelf and call it done. Mark another half hour block on your calendar and repeat!
2. Make Your Goal Specific
If you've promised yourself, "I'm going to stay on top of all the incoming paperwork in the house," -- what does that actually look like? To some, it may mean stacking the paperwork all in one spot (like the recycle bin). And to others, it may mean putting the paperwork away in a desk drawer to deal with later. Either way, important correspondence like bills and notices are not dealt with in a timely manner.
A more specific and measurable goal would be, "I will sort the mail everyday, recycle unwanted papers and file the rest immediately. With this goal, paperwork is dealt with in less than 5 minutes, bills are paid on time, and your counter stays clean!
3. Hold Yourself Accountable
This is my personal favorite because it is where you can take a somewhat tedious organizational task and turn it into a fun social event. It is the equivalent of taking a run with a friend. Getting up and out the door is easier when you know you are meeting someone--and often the run goes by more quickly with the company.
So, find yourself an "Organizational Buddy." Ideally, this person is non-judgmental (we all have our messes, even the professional organizers). You and your buddy can either check in on each other's individual projects or help each other to work and complete both projects.
Having the moral support of an "Organizational Buddy" may be just enough to get the ball rolling on those tasks you keep putting off. Partnering up can also be very energizing, inspiring both of you to tackle more projects in the future. But, most importantly, you can keep each other honest and accountable. And there are no rules against celebrating together too!
Happy New Year, Happy Groundhog Day, and (to keep you accountable) I hope you look forward to a happy and organized Spring!
Finally, one of the biggest conversation pieces in our home is a 12 foot church pew. In our old house, it served as the entry way bench, school backpack holder, shoe cubby, coat rack and time-out chair. In our new home, I thought it deserved a little more respect. It was placed in a sunny spot that someone could curl up with a good book or have a nice conversation. Once again, I pulled out my trusty striped fabric and enlisted the skills of my sewing guru friend.
