I don’t know about you, but after the fun and festivities of Christmas, I start to look to the calendar, and think of ways to improve the balance in my life by decluttering my home.  Come January, I can’t help but focus on simplifying everything.  After all of the rushing, decorating, baking and eating that comes with the holidays, I want nothing more than to clean, get rid of clutter, and get organized !

I want to live by the words of William Morris:  “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

So I’ve decided before I start up on any more home improvement projects next year, I’m going to dedicate five days in January to achieving some sense of order at home. 

It’s ambitious.  I’m not sure if I can even accomplish it, but I’m sure going to give it a try.  

Tackle a closet, a room, or your entire house !  Won’t you join me in this grand attempt to declutter, organize, and start fresh  ?

The kids beg me all November to open the Christmas closet.  It’s a big deal because the Christmas closet is hidden in a secret hiding place where no one else can see it, and it’s a little tricky to access. 

When we remodeled our house three years ago, we insisted on claiming every inch of storage possible.  Under the staircase was yet another place for us to incorporate a storage space dedicated solely to Christmas. 

Mr. CG calls it ‘the vault’ and it’s secretly hidden behind the dining room hutch.  Inside is 42 x 120 inches of great storage.  Every January I stuff it full of all of our decorations, and every year after Thanksgiving, we open it up again. 

Take a peek:

When I said I liked Christmas, I kind of meant it. 

This is only half of my collection – just the interior decor. 

Another eight boxes of the outdoor decor are sitting in the garage. 

Now if I can only convince my hub to climb up on our second story roof

and hang those lights.

Ever since I repurposed some bookshelves into a media center in our guest studio, I’ve had bookcase styling on my mind.  I am always drawn to bookcases where the back has been enhanced with paint or wallpaper.  I took a few hours to decorate my own media bookcases in an inexpensive way. 

But first, here are a few images that really inspire me.

 From Belle Maison

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I moved into my new desk space in my home office/library last night, and it feels like a whole new world.  Throughout this remodel process, I was committed to the idea that I was not going to use anything industrial to hold my office supplies.  That aisle at Staples filled with black plastic letter holders and ugly paperclip dispensers makes me shudder. 

Months ago, I began collecting pretty little containers to hold my supplies because I wanted to surround myself with things that inspire me.  I pulled from thrift stores, antique stores, and discount stores to achieve a high end elegant look, without the cost. 

Here’s a peek at some of the non industrial containers at CG Central.

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