Monday, August 23, 2010

SIMPLIFYING

So here's the dilemma... How do you SIMPLIFY your SPACE and yet still SURROUND  yourself with the lovely vintage things you love? And how do you SIMPLIFY your LIFE and still be in the business of collecting things to repurpose to sell and have loads of projects to work on? This has been my dilemma. But I'm working on a solution!

First of all, I don't like clutter in my home and lots of little knick-knacky things all over ( too much to dust for one thing ). Though I do love looking at all the lovely homes that DO have LOTS of little pretty things!

But I ALSO LOVE having beautiful treasures that make me smile and are lovely to look at. So can these two "lifestyles" be compatible? And the answer is YES, THEY CAN!

 Here's how I'm working it out...

First, PART ONE:  My Personal Living Space:

1) Keep just my FAVORITE items for home decor   There are so many cute things that I love but I can't possibly keep them all. So I choose a FEW PIECES that either have special meaning to me or things that make me smile and that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE. I keep the uncluttered look in my surroundings this way. I also find that I like to" rotate" treasures. If I find something I REALLY like and want to keep, I've made a "rule" for myself that I have to sell or give-away something else. This works to keep my home uncluttered and having the look of simplicity that I need for the peaceful ambience I enjoy. I still have pieces that make me smile and brighten my home.

2) Allow one small room or area in the house for a more frilly look    I do have one  room that is  a bit more fru-fru with more frivolous treasures. This is a spare bedroom with twin beds that is a guest room. Women feel very cozy in there with all the cuteness but men, not so much. I allow this room to have a bit more "clutter" than I normally would but it gives me a place to indulge that part of my personality. But I even "purge" my treasures in there once in a while.

3) Collect ONLY those things that I will USE    I'm not a fan of large collections. So I've decided that I'll "collect" only those items that are practical and can be ACTUALLY USED on a regular basis. Therefore, I DO keep fun pieces and treasures that I can use for having guests for dinner and entertaining. I enjoy vintage tablecloths, napkins, serving pieces, dishes, etc. and it's fun bringing them all out for meals and actually making GOOD USE of theses treasures.

I do have a couple of exceptions to the "no collection" rule:
A)  I keep all the old cups and saucers that have been passed down from my Grandmother's collections. But I try to USE them as often as I can. ( See Gramma Camp post )

B)  And the other exception to collections is the Byerly's Carolers that I collect and decorate with at Christmas. I've ALWAYS loved dolls but didn't want to have a large group of dolls laying around so this was my way of indulging in the love of dolls.

4) Keep "treasures to sell" neatly put away or stored in fun vintage storage   This is my BIGGEST challenge as my "treasures to sell" keeps growing! But I now have found a room for storing these treasures and am working on storing them in a fun and interesting way. I try to keep these business treasures separate from my "personal treasures". It helps keep my "thoughts organized" to keep these two areas of my life separate.  I joined the blog party "Where Bloggers Create" and found some very inspiring ideas! Thanks everyone! I'm still trying to get around to see everyone's spaces.

And lastly, the question of how to SIMPLIFY MY LIFE while being in an "anything-but-simple-business" of collecting and selling vintage treasures...You will find in my next post, PART TWO!

I'd also love any other ideas that YOU might have that would be helpful!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Sandy!

    I wish I could stick to the guidelines you set out. It's getting rid of something to buy something else I really have a problem with. I say I will, but then I don't. I buy things to sell and then once the re-do is complete I just can't seem to part with it. I have drawers and drawers full of stuff. My shop is overflowing with STUFF! Someday I will weed it all out.

    Until then, I will keep searching for my heat gun, which I put with some stuff somewhere I would be sure and remember...

    Vera
    Olivia Paige

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  2. LOL. Of course this is just the IDEAL! It's a challenge for ME also. I have a hard time parting with things I buy ...Therefore...MY rules for ME! Because even when there's LESS STUFF AND ORDER, as I get older, I STILL forget where things are! I'm just trying to keep my sanity.

    Hope you find your "heat gun". : )

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