Storing a colour wheel of scarves

So, what does a professional organiser do on their day off? Reorganise their scarf drawer, of course!

I’m well known for my extensive scarf collection. Scarves are my signature piece. They can lift an outfit from dull to colourful in the time it takes to loop one around your neck. They have the added advantage of keeping your neck warm or keeping the sun off it. But! I digress…

Back to my scarf drawer. I’ve been trialling a few different storage methods but I’m yet to hit my sweet spot. There’s nothing I like seeing less when I open the drawer is a jumble of scarves that all tumble out when you try to choose just one.

Time to try something new. First I tipped the contents of the drawer on my bed, then I carefully rolled each scarf to approximately the same size, taking care not to crush them. Them just for kicks I arranged them in a colour wheel. That made me very happy!

A colourful collection to add that extra something to any outfit

My drawer is not ideal but you have to work with the storage you have. I decided to try a system I know works well in other situations and raided my ibox supply. 

I then put a single layer of scarves into the drawer and added the rest into a couple of boxes. 

The bottom layer

The top layer, using two iPad boxes

These boxes fit perfectly on top of the layer in the drawer and are easy to remove so I can see what’s under them. I think I’m going to like this new system but I’ll keep you posted about it goes.

Oh, and before you go. In the interest of transparency, here’s my other scarf drawer. It holds warm wintery scarves as well as beanies and gloves. Time to give it a spruce up too.

All the warm stuff

The great laundry flood of 2017

‘Mum, the laundry is flooding’ are not the words you want to hear when you’re on your way home from a relaxing weekend away.

We arrived home to find our daughter wasn’t exaggerating when she said water was gushing out of the washing machine tap, which by the way, is located inside the laundry cupboard. 

My daughter walked into the room in time to see a trickle coming out of the bottom of the cupboard door and when she opened that door she was met with a mighty deluge.

The empty cupboard with a drip tray in place - waiting for the plumber to fix the taps

Luckily the plumber was already booked to fix the bathroom leak (that’s a whole other story) so we were only without the washing machine for a day. Meanwhile I was faced with the soggy contents of the laundry cupboard.

Nothing like a messy job to bring you back to earth with a thud! We’d only just celebrated two years in our new house so figured there wouldn’t be many excess items to clean or cull. Boy, was I surprised at what we’d managed to build up in that time.

It was time to don my professional organiser hat and get to work. Water damaged items went straight into the bin. Empty bottles were sent to recycling and I dried and categorised the rest.

I then grabbed some boxes from the stash I keep on hand for clients. Three mango boxes, an iPad box and the box my planner came in were the perfect combination.

This mango box was perfect for storing bottles and cans in my laundry cupboard

One box was for laundry detergent and associated products, another was for shoe cleaning supplies and the third housed the pets’ assorted brushes and combs. The final three contain other cleaning products and sunscreen.

And the beauty of the box system? The boxes are easy to lift out of the cupboard. so, everyone in the household can easily find what they're looking for and return it to where it should be when they've finished using it without creating a huge mess.

The great laundry flood of 2017 occurred in January and I'm happy to report the cupboard is still in tip top shape, give or take a bottle or two!

PS. Xena thoroughly enjoyed the laundry clean up. She couldn't decide whether to be in the cupboard or the boxes and finally settled in the laundry basket.

Let's get crafty! (Tips to create and maintain your craft room.)

Pinterest is full of gorgeous images of beautifully curated craft rooms. Not a thing out of place. Big rooms, small rooms, cupboards and corners, the possibilities are endless but they are always beautiful, colourful and spotless.

Added to this there are many blogs out there detailing how to set up a craft room, how to curate your stuff, beautiful storage solutions - both bespoke and off the shelf but what none of them tell you is how to maintain the space once you've set it up. Most fail to plan for future purchases or even the practicality of creating in the space.

Systems fail when they're too complex to maintain. Simple is best. But how does that work in a room that is like an Aladdin’s cave? A room stuffed to the gills with every craft material you've ever bought but perhaps never used?

After we moved house three years ago, I achieved the unthinkable – a whole room of my own for crafting and creating.

To start with I used the furniture we had, a motley collection of storage cubes teamed with a desk and credenza bought for an entirely different shaped room. And I made these things work while I dreamed of a Pinterest-worthy space. I was happy here and spent many hours creating.

Meanwhile I planned my ultimate craft room for over a year. I measured my space and drew up plans, then I redrew them. I visited IKEA and Howard’s Storage World and redrew my plans again.

I planned and re-planned. I took stock of what I had and then planned again.

Before I bought a single piece of furniture I revisited every item in my crafting supplies from rulers to fabric squares and scraps of paper to ribbon and wool. I knew exactly what I owned and what I was never going to use. I attended a crafting event and sold my unwanted supplies to raise money for charity. I donated the rest of my still over-abundant supplies to various school and church groups and I felt lighter and more focussed. I was ready to build my dream room.

My existing furniture went into my husband’s studio and suddenly I was faced with an empty room. My hours of dreaming and planning were put to the test as I bought and assembled the storage units I had decided upon.

I mounted these cubes to the wall. They are both functional and decorative

I have to admit feeling a level of fear and trepidation as I filled my shelves with my carefully chosen supplies but everything fitted, with space to spare and the room was beautiful – Pinterest-worthy even. And just between us, for a while I was too scared to use it in case things got out of place. But I soon got over that and I can now spend hours happily crafting and creating.

IKEA's kitchen shelves and rails are a great addition to your craft room

So, what did I learn?

•  Take stock of what you have. Cull and donate. Be ruthless if you haven’t used it in 12 months are you going to?
•  Shop smart - stop auto subscriptions. Whilst beautiful these subscriptions tend to be the very things that are stashed away and never used because they weren’t bought with a particular project in mind.
•  Be clever and creative with storage ideas. Use what you have. A successful room is one that suits your needs not something from the pages of a magazine.
•  Future proof. Don’t plan a craft room that can only house the supplies you have now. Like any good storage solution, it should only be 70 per cent full.

And the key to maintaining the craft room of your dreams?

Simple.

Put stuff away.

Make sure everything has a home, even those works in progress. Only too often I hear the words – my craft room is a disgrace! And the messier a room becomes the less likely you are to use it and the less likely you are to use it, the more likely it is to become a dumping ground. Stop the cycle before it begins.

The finishing touches

 And now it’s time to go and live a creative life.

The room of requirement

We have a room adjacent to our kitchen. It's lovely big room, full of light, with views to the deck on one side and garden on the other. It's a room where people gather, it's warm, welcoming and spacious. But strangely, it's a room without a name. All of the other rooms in the house have titles - lounge, dining, bedroom, laundry - based on their primary use.

Sometimes we talk about the Red Room, based on its decor but even this doesn't stick. Its the hub of our home, a that room matches our ever-changing needs, it's the room where anything can happen. A room where variety is the spice of life, the room of requirement. 

Depending on the time of day it can the breakfast room, a quiet reading room, an extra bedroom, a games room - this is where the Xbox and play station live and the room can be brimming with teenage boys vying for supremacy in soccer or rugby. It was also the dance floor, complete with DJ, for my son's 18th Birthday. For a month it was the room where my mum convalesced after her back surgery. It's also been a massage room! 

Rob had to fight the cat for his turn!

It's where we gather when we all come home, to chat, debrief and shrug off the day. At Christmas time we move the dining table in so the extended family can fit. It's a room that invites laughter and conversation. But it's also a room that lifts you up when you need it most.

I've spent a lot of time in here over the past few years. Central to the room is a sofa bed that also converts into a chaise. And it's here that I've recovered from my various surgeries. 

A flashback to the time I spent six weeks in this contraption as it bent and straightened my knee.

I'm in the room right now, writing this post. so, now the room is an office too. This is how the room currently looks, complete with pets, washing and an abundance of lemons. This room is real life. 

Xena has a red blanket and Sparky has a red beanbag and they don't like to share.

What room is the hub of your home? Do you have a room that changes with your needs? What do you call it? I'd love to hear about it.  

Tell me a story...

Everyone has a story to tell and each of us is in charge of shaping that story, of writing the next chapter through the choices we make and the actions we take. 

Every time someone decides to engage me they're choosing to change their story, to shake off the physical burden of their stuff, to write a new chapter that is lighter and more lively. Each client's journey and story is different and the emotional and sometimes physical changes that accompany decluttering and simplifying one's life can be both unexpected and challenging. I love working with clients as they move through these changes and delight in sharing their discoveries.

But, today, let me tell you a different story...

Ten days ago an experienced surgeon performed a type of operation he'd never undertaken before. He discussed this unique case with his learned colleagues. They'd never seen anything like it before either. So, together they formulated a plan to undertake a surgery that took them into uncharted territory.

It sounds like a story featured in a documentary. One which you read about in a textbook or research journal. But, for me, the strangest part of this story is that the patient with this bizarre and unique issue was me.

For the past two and half years I've lived with chronic pain. A pain that has become more and more debilitating. A pain that has refused to be diminished with medication. A pain that crept into every pore of my being and impacted every facet of my life. 

My world became, at times, very dark. I would wake every morning, in pain, wondering if this would be the day I gave up, pulled the covers over my head, admitted defeat and took to my bed for the rest my of natural life. I wondered when the day came, would it be a Monday or perhaps a Thursday? Maybe even a Sunday? But then each day I thought of what I'd miss. There was so much more of my life to be lived and so every morning I gritted my teeth and greeted the day. 

Over time I learnt to live within the confines of my pain and refused to allow it to completely rule me. But this effort came at great cost. I couldn't handle both the pain and my job and the pain showed no signs of easing. But sometimes opportunities come when you least expect them and whilst battling my demon I forged myself a new career complete with a fledgling business all of my own.

I'm proud of what I've achieved, of how I've overcome issues that seemed insurmountable. But mostly, I'm feeling a rising tide of excitement as I acknowledge that my pain, the demon that lodged itself deep within me, has gone or at the very least is sleeping. 

Everyone has a story to tell and its time to write the next chapter of mine. 

Let's make up

Being a minimalist isn't about going without, it's about deliberately choosing less of the unimportant stuff so you can choose more of the things you love.

Recently, I watched an interesting spat play out on a well-known Minimalist's blog when he shared a post from another well known Minimalist who wrote, among other things, about her make up purchases. 

Readers immediately jumped up and down about that point and that point alone, as if she had committed some huge minimalist faux pas as well as crimes against feminism. To the original blogger's credit he rose to her defence and commented that everyone's vision was different and if she found joy in make up that was her deal. And it really is.

My favourite minimalists are the ones who seek to live a simplified life or one with intention. The lives they have chosen appear to be full of family, friends and simple joy. They're not just getting rid of stuff because it's the latest trend. Nor are they single people living in a room with just one chair and a macbook.

I've never been a heavy make-up user but let's face it, I'm not in the first flush of youth anymore and we all know women of a certain age start to fade - literally. Sure I could choose to fade to beige but since a pale washed out version of myself does not bring me joy, I like to colour things up a bit. And that means choosing make up that suits me and my lifestyle.

I'm not willing to use cheap products, ones that are bad for the environment or most importantly have been tested on animals. So I choose my products carefully and when I like something I tend to stick with it. I like to think I'm opting for style over fashion but maybe I'm just staid!

I love these products, they colour my day. Subtly, of course!

As part of my minimalist journey I sought to rationalise my personal expenditure. Changing careers played a key factor in this decision-making process too. Not even in the name of self-care could I justify spending vast amounts at the hairdresser every five weeks. 

So I grew my hair into a slightly longer style that could go for longer periods between cuts and changed from getting a full head of foils each time to a half head. I also decided to embrace the naturally-occurring silver streaks that are growing in number with each passing day. 

My hair still looks great but is costing about a third less over the course of a year. The longer style also reduced the need to wash it every second day or use daily styling product. I've halved the amount of of shampoo and conditioner I use. 

The silver streaks are all natural!

Something else still I do routinely is get my eyebrows waxed. In the past I'd buy three different products to darken and/or highlight them. Now I get them tinted at the same time as waxing and the savings are adding up. I remember thinking tinting was an added expense I didn't need but really I was just investing in a false economy by purchasing multiple (beautifully packaged) products instead. 

Still the point remains, what minimalism looks like to me probably isn't what it looks like to you. You might think my continued support of the beauty industry is a waste of money and a crime against minimalism. And that's ok.

What is important is that you choose the life you live and live it with intention and joy. And let others do the same.