In which the Declutter is Complete

 

My bedroom is super hott. It is so decisively decluttered that visitors have been known to swoon from their surprise at seeing the floor.

What is the secret? The secret is: a place for everything and everything in its place. If something doesn't have a home you have a choice of either finding it a home or getting rid of it (chucking, donating, selling). Sounds super obvious doesn't it? A lot harder to undertake, especially when you have a lot of stuff. Time to be brutal. Incidentally, letting your friends go through your bag of random clothes and stuff is a great way of getting rid of stuff without feeling so much of a wrench - its good to know that your once-precious things are going to a good home.

This bit has involved me thinking inventively about ways I can store things. I have a new rack for my shoes, and clear plastic stackable boxes that have cleared up my floor no end. I used this tutorial by Susan Beal on CraftStylish to make embroidery frame display-things for my badges and brooches...

...and this tutorial by Ana Maria Braga to make the stand for my prettiest records and random parcels of goodness (these are knitted presents for various Lucky Girls)...

...Gala Darling was my inspiration for the pegged-up pictures.

A second rule: the clearer the floor space, the bigger the room will appear... if the line of sight is drawn upwards then the room will seem more spacious. This is especially important in my room because it isn't especially big - although lots of glorious windows and my fabulous view give the impression of spaciousness. So I've tried to keep lots of my surfaces clear and tidy, and to hang pictures very high.

Finally, I'm lucky that I have lots of windows, and I've discovered that exposing the windows as much as possible by tying the curtains back with ribbons shows the windows to their optimum size... more light, more air, BETTER!

I believe the declutter will be ongoing, as I find more and more exciting ways to tidy and retidy and re-order. I am such a girl for Stuff, and I don't think that will change in a hurry. But it sure is nice to be able to see all my stuff and not feel overwhelmed by it. Huzzah!