Modern Decorating with Doilies?

I have a clutter bug for a mother. This is one of the main reasons I rebelled against my upbringing and grew into the anti-clutter maven that strives for organization and simplification.

My mother’s clutter stems partially from her collections. One of her many collections is a doily collection. Yes, the obtrusive dust collectors that little old grannies find the epitome of home design. (Mom, if you’re reading this you know it’s true.) my mother, like most clutter bugs treasures every little bit of clutter and expects others to likewise treasure it. So I am on the receiving end of doilies, tea sets, and sets of cloth napkins, even though my apartment is too small for a dining room table.

Storing the gifts in a box in the closet tugs on the guilt strings, but turning my living room into a Sandra Bullock period piece isn’t an option. So I framed my favorite doilies behind new Ikea frames with funky red crocodile decorative paper behind. I thought the funky paper would update the look a little. So thanks to my Mom’s goofy collecting habits, I have a cheap and colorful piece of artwork. (And it makes me all warm and fuzzy to see something she cares about in a place of prominence. Awwww.)

I think it’d be kind of neat to frame some cute crocheted pot holders alongside maybe some random needlepoint. The key to modernize this project is to use sleek or a funky frame and use a funky bright paper behind it.

Solving Clutter Problems

Today’s blog is a practical exercise in solving clutter problems. Your house may be clean, but if you have a few random things lying around on every surface, it doesn’t look clean. People often ignore things lying around because they don’t have a place for them or aren’t sure what to do with them.

Step 1: Clear off a large space to put all of your clutter. Pull out the trash can, get a bag for donations, a laundry basket, and get a box for miscellaneous items. Set out the trash bags and plastic bags.

Step 2: Walk around your home and pick up the little bits of clutter lying around. Set it all on a table or in one location in the middle of the floor. Mail, lotions, clothes, random projects are all lying around my place.

Step 3: Start piling like things together. Make a pile for dirty laundry, or for trash, one for items to donate. If you have random things, make a pile for each room and even each area they go in. Create a pile for things you have no idea where they should go.

Step 4: Once you have sorted everything, put the groups of items away in each room one at a time. Take out the trash, put the donation items in the car.

Step 5: Take a look at the miscellaneous items you can’t find a home for. Determine if you really need them in the first place. Maybe you don’t need 18 Yankee Candles out at a time and you can put some in a space the cupboard. If you need a break, put the miscellaneous items in a box, just don’t leave everything out indefinitely.

Step 6: Schedule a time to sort through the miscellaneous box. Schedule a time to deliver donations if you cannot deliver them immediately. Do not shove it in the corner. On your appointment time, go through the miscellaneous box. Don’t be afraid to throw away things if you find you really don’t use or need them.

Unique Magazine Recycling Ideas

Clutter comes in many forms, but the most intrusive is certainly the old magazine piles. My mother has Better Homes and Gardens from a decade ago. I've always thought that simply throwing magazines in the recycling bin seemed like a waste. There are so many people who would enjoy even old magazine articles. So here are a few ideas for a way for people to reuse your old magazines.

1. Take it to the gym. My gym has a giant magazine rack where people leave their old magazines and then borrow them while they are working out. It's great because i don't have to drag one along every time and i get to see new stuff. If you gym doesn't have one, ask one of the managers if you can set up a neat little bin.

2. Coffee Break. Bring a couple to the break room at work and leave them in a neat little bin in the corner. Make a sign offering them for free. You'd be surprised how people will add to it and start sharing.

3. Use them for art projects. I love to cut out my favorite pictures and paste them on different projects, from those plain wooden magazine bins from Ikea, to a bland picture frame, they can really spice up your environment. I will have soon some more craft ideas for your extra pictures.

(Another way to get some cool cutouts is to go through old catalogs.)

Whatever you do, don't keep the magazines around, saving them for the day where you will pull the pictures out. If you don't have time, get rid of that clutter and haul those magazines away!