bright, clean, and not so much crap.

Every now and then (let's say once a month) I get in these mindsets where all I want to do is go through closets, drawers, and anywhere else Chris and I may stash things we no longer use or need, and THROW THEM OUT!  Of course, the fact that I have a minor addiction to interior design blogs doesn't help my downsize and redecorate mindset, but it never hurts to purge your life of clutter, right?  My house is definitely not cluttered when compared to, say, my Grandma's house, but I think everyone has their limit of knick knacks, and I've passed mine.  I've also discovered the problem(s): first, I don't necessarily like to display a lot of things, I mainly just like hunting for them, and then knowing that I have them; it's not conducive to simple living.  Second, Chris and I seem to be a dumping ground for stuff.  I don't know how it came to be, but we became the people that family just gave their unwanted stuff to, and it's not that we want it or asked for it, we just seem to accumulate it, and then we feel guilty for throwing it out.  BUT, if I can stop feeling guilty and throw things out, keeping only what I really like and will actually use, I wouldn't mind my house looking a little more like this...

I've already got good colors on the walls (white in the kitchen and bedroom, the palest, crispest green in the living room and den, and a dark, sophisticated slate blueish color in the dining room), an overstuffed, modern style sofa, good vintage pieces, retro lamps, and plenty of art for the walls - I just have to refine my collection and then decide how to arrange and display it.  I know some people think spending time or money on your house and the way it's decorated borders on (if not complete falls into the category of) shallow, but I have to disagree; being a homebody, my house is somewhere I like to feel comfortable and inspired, and being surrounded by things you like or like looking at just puts you in a positive mood!

When your life starts to feel cluttered, how do you de-clutter?  And how do you put sentiment aside and get rid of things you no longer use or need?

*All images from Pinterest.

i organized my way to sanity.

if you follow me on twitter, you'll know that yesterday i spent several hours trying to bring some semblance of order to my desk. and let me tell you, it was one hell of an undertaking. i thought about taking a before picture to show you just how bad it actually was, but then i decided that you may contact "Hoarders," and i really didn't want that kind of attention. just to give you an idea, my desk isn't a computer desk (that's my lap, on the sofa), but it's where i make a lot of my jewelry, so the chains, feathers, and beads were so thick that you couldn't even see the top of my desk. and trust me, i don't lie. so after three straight hours and more random chunks of time here and there through the afternoon, i got my desk cleaned off and a lot of my supplies kind of organized. the drawers, that's another story. in addition to cleaning off my desk, i got the necklaces for my shop arranged and organized, and i also hung a mini inspiration/memo/pretty stuff board.

now you may be wondering, "why, danielle, if you're telling us about your new and improved clean desk are you showing us pictures of things that are clearly not your desk?" and i have an answer - my camera regularly has pms and throws fits if the lighting isn't just right, or if it isn't the right time of day, or if we're out of milk. i tried to get a picture of my desk, but since you can't fight with technology, i'll try again tomorrow.

i added a couple business cards from people who inspire me (but i'm missing one from carla), and of course a dinosaur toes business card since this is where the majority of the dinosaur toes magic happens, some pictures, and some notes. i have a few more things i want to pin up there, and i see it constantly changing. i also put those little animals on top of the closet door that's beside my desk so they can keep me company. they used to sit on my desk, but in my quest to be clutter free, they had to be re-homed.

i feel like rambling, but honestly, i don't know what i'd talk about. do you ever get in those sorts of moods? tomorrow i've got a wishlist wednesday post planned for you, and on thursday i'm sharing pictures! i took some time this morning to scan in some pictures i took with film. FILM??? WHAT?!? yes, i still love and use film. happy tuesday!