We are going to jump right in with our Spring Cleaning Guide, Weekend One!This is going to get some things out of the way that will make you feel sooo good, and get your home ready to rock-n-roll for Spring...Here we go!
GREAT Motivation to Declutter...
I just found out that Amazon has this sort of incredible new Trade-In Program...Actually, as soon as you hit that link, the page will even tell you which of our previously purchased products are eligible to turn in for Amazon gift cards! I think this is great, especially if you are someone who shops often on Amazon, and if you buy lots of your household staples and cleaning supplies online...
Tiny Tidy: Under the Kitchen Sink!
I know! You're probably like...SERIOUSLY? But this one came to light for me last week when it was raining here in Santa Monica VERY hard, so badly that my and my neighbor's kitchen sinks got terribly jammed up. The (awfully sweet!) plumber actually took everything out from under the sink and wiped the space down before leaving (!) And although it wasn't gleaming and spotless, it made me realize that doing a quick-clean under the kitchen sink is NOT such a difficult thing to achieve...
What Self Presentation Means To...YOU
There is so much that can be said about this topic, I don't even know where to begin. This post could be titled "Finding Your Personal Style," I guess, or "Clean Out Your Closet for Good!" But, especially for women, the topic of how a person puts themselves together, (or chooses not to) is one that can cause some considerable debate. It is politically, emotionally, often ethically charged, when we talk about the provenance and price of our clothing...
Tiny Tidy: Decant the Sweets & Snacks in Your Pantry
How to Stay on Top of the Big Things While Dealing with all of the Little Ones...
It's really hard to focus on a huge project-whether work or creative, while staying on top of your day-to-day. Countless productivity systems have been developed to help us get and stay and keep on track. They are literally almost hundreds of ways and systems that have developed over the past twenty years of chopping up one's time and focus, to try and create real and genuine balance in your life. BUT, that is NOT what this post is about...
Tiny Tidy: Top of your Bureau or Vanity
We will be posting these little quick fixes, to get you ready for spring cleaning, or just to rev up your day or morning or evening so you can either A. Relax or B. Tackle some more important sh*t and clear your mind. So, with our further ado...Clear the top of your table top, vanity or bureau of choice, and style it! (WHY NOT?)
Pre-Game Your Spring Clean this Weekend!
Wherever you may reside, if you did not do a post-Holiday sweep of your home, spring is the time to really renew and refresh your space. But do not fret! If you are stressing about not being able to tackle your entire home, we are going to break down a few things for you that will help you be on your way. Promise! Hang on to your hat! Here we go...!
How to Clean Your House & Fast: Pretend Your Place is going to be in Apartment Therapy!
I was so excited when my friend Kat Yore found time in her busy schedule to come on over and shoot my apartment for Apartment Therapy (will post more photos from this great shoot soon!) But when she said, in the beginning of last week, "I can come over Friday," I thought I had several evening to futz about and get ready?
If It's Broke, You Still Don't Have To Fix It (Phew!)
I have a pretty small, two-bedroom apartment. Recently, during the typical January de-clutter and purge session, (and doing a little January Cure from our beloved Apartment Therapy) I was walking through my little space, trying to figure out what to "Fix." And I realized, whoa, first of all, what an attitude! I actually love my "little" apartment. I find it charming and comforting and perfectly suited to my needs.
How To Reboot in 2018! (Minus the Drama!)
I waited to post in the New Year until now, because, primarily, there is just so much great stuff out there currently, and secondly, I wanted to candidly share with you how my year was going so far (I am writing this on Monday, January 8th.) Quite simply, I had a strange sort of holiday, and as such, did not want that feeling lingering into 2018.I also took yet another good look around my two—bedroom bungalow apartment...
Taking Chances...At Home & In Life
Taking a leap is hard, and they come in so many different shapes and forms: Quitting a job you loathe, taking the plunge with someone you adore...Some chances hold great depth and meaning, others are things to be passed up, or not. The way we fill our space can sometimes help jumpstart us when we are starting to make real transitions in life...
Give your Home a Present!
Yes. It's the holidays, arghhhh! Yes, That is the usual response. And her is my usual way of dealing with them: Beginning of December. Week One: Feeling good! Loving all the little tweaks in the Starbucks menu. Holiday goodness abounds. Week Two: Start thinking about what I need to get my immediate family. But I still have time! Yes. Of course I do. Then, as each day drips by, the usual turmoil of head and heart, as my imaginings for the "perfect" holiday go out the door, without leaving their phone number.
Weekend Project: What Have You Been "Shelving" Lately?
Look around your space right now, or in your mind's eye, if you at work or out and about. What strikes you the most, what feels the most "undone?" I can almost guarantee you have at least ONE thing that has not been hung up yet: That small mirror purchased at the tag sale or flea market, or a framed piece of art you love, but never got around to hanging...
Weekend Project: From To-Do to... Ta-Da!
Each Friday, we'll be posting a little Weekend Project to knock off something that has been lingering on your home's To-Do list...But, as Gretchen Rubin of the Happier Podcast once wisely said, why not call turn that To-Do list into a... Ta-Da list? Meaning, start a damn list of the sh*t you get done on a regular basis, and then CELEBRATE it by jotting it down.
Living Inside Your Space...Inside & Out
Is it crazy to think that the outside is often a reflection of what's going on within us? We often worry that we have to set things in place before we embark upon some great creative or work or even home project. I find this personally to be true, and then tend to sort of chastise myself about it. It's interesting, this reverse sort of perfectionism, because it can keep one from finishing, or even beginning.
Tuesday Tip...Prepare for the Fall in Your Heart
Fall is in the air! And it feels great here in Los Angeles! Here are a few things I like to prepare around my apartment. Switch out tablecloths. Clean out the pantry. Maybe hit the closet, and start switching around from summer-to-fall clothing. But fall is also a great, general time for renewal, I think. A second-chance New Years sort of feeling. And with your home comes the people you have in it. Who is gonna stop by for drinks? Is your bar stocked? Cheese at the ready? Then kids in school, new projects, Thanksgiving, work pressures building, holiday shopping...Ughh...Just. Take a breath, please.
Welcome to House & Mind!
This is my first post on this site, and I am so excited to share my thoughts and we can start changing our lives by starting with BOTH our inner and outer "houses." Whether you live in a Bel-Air Mansion, East Village studio, cabin the woods of South Carolina, or condo in Lincoln, Nebraska-we all have blocks in the way we create or don't create the space we live in. This goes beyond the objects that bring joy or not-it boils down to your own way of creating the life you want to live (or a different one than the one you are leading right now!)