Dynamic Women In Their Home - Molly

We’re in a year long series of interviews highlighting incredible women in our community. The focus of each interview is to have a candid conversation about their home, life, what they value, what feels challenging right now, and most importantly, what’s bringing them joy.

Our next interview is with Molly Lam. Molly and I were destined to meet for many years because we were swirling around in the same handmade/makers community in the DFW area. When I met her in the fall of 2016, I had come off of an incredibly taxing year of family health issues, followed by having a miscarriage of my own, all in the midst of studying for one of my Interior Design Professional exams. To say that meeting Molly as a fellow designer/maker at the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash/Handmade Bash was a *bright spot* for me that year would be a total understatement! She stopped by my booth of paper goods and said the most sincere, kind things about my shop and my booth display. We hit it off, both encouraged and inspired by the design work we were both doing at the time, while also having young children about the same age. We’ve thankfully stayed in touch ever since and I continue to be inspired endlessly by the creative, color and dynamic work of hers over in her design shop, Tokodots. Since that show, her illustrations have evolved to various mediums, from prints, to cards, to fabric designs and surfacing art. She also has a card of the month subscription delivered to you monthly so you can keep a stash of beautifully colorful cards on hand for notes through out the year. Yes please!

Most days you can find Molly and I chatting about our kids, random house decluttering/organizing bursts, and how we’re navigating motherhood along side being a small business owner. I am so grateful to have her here to share with you!

Scroll down to enjoy my interview with Molly about all things home and life.

Photo Credit: Yony Lee Kim @ylkphotography

Share a quick snapshot of your last 5 years:

The last 5 years have been a whirlwind of the early years of motherhood as a SAHM to my two young boys, building and running a small stationery and art business. 

What's your day to day like right now?

It’s the end of the school year (at the time of writing this) so things are crazy, breakfast and rushing to school in the mornings, usually followed by a little down time at home with my toddler after that. We spend time in the garden, making art, doing housework and sometimes just sitting on the couch to watch TV while I work on a project before naptime, then school pickup and the dinner/evening activity rush. By the time the kids are finally settled down some time around 8:00pm I find it really hard to make good use of that alone time! I like to just go to bed early if I can stay off of my phone, but a lot of days lately I’m up late trying to get in some time on creative projects. 

How long have you been in your current home?

My husband and I moved into our one story, 3B house in the suburbs about 6 years ago before our oldest had his first birthday. Because of the timing of our move with a little one I let so many design decisions go for years and years and am still working through some ideas about how I actually want things to look. 

What do you love most about your current home?

We have a “small” home by Texas standards, but I love that I can have eyes on both of my kids from the kitchen while I prepare meals in any of the areas they’d be playing in our house. When we were searching, we definitely had the kids in mind as we decided what was a priority for us at this stage, even if it’s not really what we ultimately love in a home.

We’ve also been really flexible about how we organize the space, and some rooms have seen many different layouts and setups for the kids as they have gone through different stages of childhood. We’ve eaten dinner at our dining room table about 3 times since we’ve lived here, and the rest of the time the room has been used as a “family work room” which has meant sewing spot, painting studio, Lego zone, puzzle area, or even cello practice area over the years. We’ve moved the table around the room in different ways, had a couch in there for a short time to accommodate a big tent in the living room, and cordoned the whole area off with a baby fence for a big portion of the pandemic. Our master bedroom, off the main living area, now has a big bookshelf, all of the art supplies, and several work tables for the kids because it is a convenient space we could lock off for the little one but I could still see and supervise from my spot in the kitchen. It’s not exactly the most relaxing bedroom setup for me, but we like that everyone has a variety of spaces to use throughout our home and that feels worth it for the sacrifice when the kids are small. 

What's something you'd love to change/or feels challenging for you in your current home?

I never thought I’d buy a house with half-circle windows and really wanted something more interesting but here we are in the North Texas suburbs with lots of things I swore we’d never have. I have had a hard time expressing my own style in a home that is not really what I had envisioned for our family, but little by little we’re making it our own. We started by painting everything white, the walls and the kitchen cabinets, and try to use that as a base for the colorful textiles and artwork that we’d like to use in the space. The house has these small cutout shelf/nooks in some hallway spaces that really bothered me at first, but I’m finally figuring out how to use them in a way that I like.

In the last year, have you spent any time decluttering/editing in your home (if so where/why)?

Yes! It is a constant struggle, because I have a tendency to always be stashing things out of the kids’ sight—toys they are being too rough with, special items I want to have up my sleeve for when they need a surprise, or just things of my own that I don’t want out for everyone to see—and this often means stuffing things quickly into a locked cabinet, tall shelf, high counter, or off-limits closet and then not having the energy to clear it out when the kids are asleep. My guest room/studio closet, a few junk-type cabinets in the kitchen, and my desk are all places that I spend decluttering more often than I’d like, but as the kids get bigger I can find a little time and mental space to address these things, more than I used to at least.

If you have spent time decluttering/editing, what was the result? Was it helpful?

It always feels so great to declutter and get rid of things I don’t need but I’m obviously not doing it enough because there are certain problem spots that just need to be addressed again and again. Although each time I do a big purge—baby toys we’ve outgrown, maternity clothes I’m not saving anymore, and other unnecessary items, I’m getting closer to the simplified home I prefer.

What part would you rather do - declutter OR organize (+ why)?

I think I’d rather declutter.. I’ve spent years reorganizing things that were really just too big for their spaces. And now that I’ve realized the great feeling of leaving some spaces empty, I just want to clear out everything! 

Where's your favorite spot in your home right now?

I love this hutch in our dining room/family work room. It had more of my own books and display objects on it until recently, when I had to make room for some growing book and Lego collections. But I love how my cookbooks can live alongside Lego manuals and everyone has their own space on this special piece. 

What object in your home means a lot to you?

My favorite things are my quilts—mostly made by my mom but a few by me too. I wanted to find the right place to store them where I could enjoy looking at them all the time, so we settled on this console table in an angled spot leading into our family room. I love it because I can see them as I walk by (when the kids don’t have them draped all around the living room), but I also like that if I ever had to run out of the house in a fire I could probably grab an armful to bring them with me.

Tell me something fun or quirky about you I probably don't know...

I’m not an animal person. When I first moved to Japan after college I had a blog called “Afraid of Small Animals” inspired by my fear of the creepy crawlies that I figured would show up in my new apartment. Now that I have kids of my own I work really hard to show how excited I am to meet neighborhood pets so that my kids don’t end up scared too. But it might be in their blood.

OK, NOW A FEW RAPID-FIRE HOME QUESTIONS!

Light/bright OR dark/moody:

Light/bright

Open concept or separated rooms/nooks:

Open concept

Color or neutrals:

Color!

Real plants or faux:

Real.. if I can keep them alive

Listen to music or read:

Read

Favorite morning or daily ritual:

That first cup of coffee

Morning person or night person:

Morning

Favorite piece of furniture in your home:

My little Muji couch, the first piece of furniture I bought as an adult in 2005 in Japan and have found a spot for ever since. It’s faded and a little worse for the wear but still hanging in. I’d love to reupholster it in a bright, colorful pattern when the kids get a bit bigger. Maybe of my own design!

Do you dress like the interiors of your home?

Sometimes! Neutrals as a base for bright colors and interesting textiles… but I want to do a better job of mixing color and texture in my wardrobe. It’s a work in progress.

THANK YOU MOLLY for sharing more about your home and life with us! I love following along with your colorful life and designs and can’t wait to see what you’ll be creating next! Thank you for giving us a snapshot into this current season of life for you!

Photo Credit: Molly Lam | http://www.tokodots.com/

Portrait Photo Credit: Yony Lee Kim @ylkphotography

See Molly’s Shop on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/tokodots

Find Molly on IG: @tokodots

See you in the next interview!

Ready to make things feel easier + simpler in your home?

✔ Learn the 3 step process to start simplifying your home now + regain more time/energy.

✔ Shop all Declutter/Organize/Design Guides + Programs here.

✔ Shop all desk/home/kitchen organizing helper in the Paper Shop.

✔ Skip to the head of the line + work with me to fast track the changes to make life lighter + easier in your home now.

HAVE YOU GRABBED YOUR FREE DECLUTTERING FREEBIE YET?

Learn 10 Not So Obvious Things To Declutter Now To Start Living Lighter.

3 Steps to Improve Your Entryway Today: Back To School Edition

If I got paid for every time someone popped into my DMs about their entryway being a fluid concept, I’d FOR SURE be more financially stable in my small business!

For those of you who have hung out with me for a minute, you know that our entryway (where our front door is) also doubles as my kids’ main play area. Now while you may think I’m on something, I’ll assure you every square inch is intentional for everyone using the space and everything has a home. I also have to note that this spot happens to be more of a secondary entryway for us currently.

Our pass thru from the kitchen to the laundry/pantry/garage is what we use most and MUST be a well oiled machine or it’s a one way pass to the hot mess express. Another less significant in and out point of our home is near the door to our backyard, but more on that spot another day! You can read more on our garage pass thru entry/exit spot in our home and streamlining your morning routine a recent blog post here.

Your primary entryway in your home is a workhorse, however it is set up. It does, however, often get ignored because of the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. How often have you noticed something in your entryway as you were leaving and thought “geez, it would be nice if ____ was different?” Only to go on with your life and only think about it again the second you are back in that spot. Sound familiar?

Well today we’re going to learn how to break this cycle of confusion and chaos in your entryway once and for all with tools/strategies that will stand the test of time. Deal?

Here’s 3 steps to improving your entryway that I know you can do in a snap so you can get back to all the living!

1. Observe, audit + edit.

For the sake of this exercise, I want you to identify the primary entryway or in and out point in your home. This doesn’t necessary have to mean your front door.

Next I want you to simply observe what is going on in this space. Look at it with fresh eyes like you’re a visitor to the space. Who uses it? What do they need there? What clutter chaos is hanging out there? What doesn’t need to be there? Are there other functions going on in here (this is where we also do laundry and unpack groceries)?

Now I want you to do a thorough, RUTHLESS edit of this space. If it is not going to support the actions that must happen in this space, relocate it, donate it, recycle it, send it packing. Only allow things to stay that will actively support your in and out routine in your home. Again, I want you to be ruthless, OK?!

PS. Do not feel discouraged for a second looking at my laundry room/mudroom photo up there…it has been RUTHLESSLY edited and organize over the years (this is also my job!) and I can assure you that this photo makes this space appear far larger than it is in real life!

2. Create essential zones.

With your primary entryway newly edited, it’s now time to create clear zones for your essentials. Remember, your essentials are the things you MUST have for your entryway to work well, improve efficiency and streamline every action you’re doing. Try to limit any “extras” in this space and only focus on what you need to make life EASY moving in and out of your home.

Some examples zones might be: shoe storage, bag or backpack storage, seasonal clothing storage, reminders board, extra baskets or bins for store returns or library books, etc. Create whatever zones you need to make your space efficiency for all the users of the space.

We’ve spent time streamlining/editing your entryway, and now it’s time to possibly bring things in to make your space work even better. Do you need more hooks for backpacks? Do you need a smaller basket for shoe storage to encourage less options to be stored there? Do you need a place to sit to put shoes on? Do you need a pen visible to sign papers for school? Think through each step, each detail and each need and keep asking the question…”how can I make this easier”?

A few quick considerations from your resident Interior Designer here and efficiency chasers:

• Remember who is using each item and consider the height or reach range of each user so they can easily use hooks, shelves, baskets, etc. If they can’t reach it, they won’t use it and chaos will continue.

• Consider the weight and durability required for things like wall mounted hooks or storage shelves. Install these items in studs in your home wherever possible. Verify weight capacities on any product you install for safety and so you know how much you can store where.

• Focus on durability and aesthetics while selecting items to finish streamlining your space. If you select pieces that won’t last, you’re wasting your money and material resources. Shoes shouldn’t be stored in white soft bins for obvious reasons. Consider items that can be easily vacuumed out or wiped down. Also, make sure you actually like each item you bring into this space. You will be looking at it everyday, several times a day. It will impact your mood and it’s worth the attention to get it just right.

• Bonus points - select items that you could use in other areas of your home in the future! This is how the “shop your home” concept continues to come full circle with intentional buying!

3. Live with it + make changes.

There is an unfortunate misconception that once we get a space set up that it’s done for good. Sometimes we do get really close and don’t have to touch it for a while. True. But is that realistic for anything, to expect it to never change or evolve over time? Does anything in life stay exactly the same? No. I want to encourage you to have the mindset with any area of your home that somethings might need to be tweaked and a few things changed here and there. Not only is this necessary but this mindset is aligned with real life.

At this present moment, I want you to live with the changes you have just made. Give them a few test runs. Check in with all your users and see how it works for them? Were they able to put everything back where you showed them things belong? Did you need one more bin or need to remove one that is not being used? Do you need one more hook in a different location than you thought? Do your keys need to be stored in a completely different spot? Make a few intention tweaks if needed and then get back to living.

Inevitably seasons change, needs change, kids get taller, schedules shift, etc. Do a check in during the first few days of your improved space, then only sparingly after that when you detect a bit of extra chaos. No problem. Simple run through these three steps again and you’ll be good to go!

Product ideas if you need them (but please shop your home first as always)!

Galvanized Metal Planter (or maybe a shoe tray - check the depths with the shoes you want to store first)

Galvanized Boot Tray (would great for kids + adult shoes/larger boots for rain/winter situations)

Dog Food Tray Mats ( to give a minimal durable/physical boundary for shoes, lay a wet umbrella on or hang to drip on)

Yamazaki Home Shoe Rack (I love most of their designs + like that it is more vertical solution for several pairs of shoes)

Minimal Wood Wall Hooks (you can create all sorts of designs with these or simply keep them in a row - they look like art when not in use!)

Pegrail Hook Rack (these are essential in our home + are helpful for bags, backpacks, jackets, seasonal gear + more)

White Wire Baskets with Wood Handles (durable extra storage and things to remember heading out the door with a boundary that looks good)

More Resources!

Watch my Instagram live with one of my favorites @thefreckledkey where we chat more about the challenges in her mudroom/entryway in her home and some ideas from both of us for how to navigate them. It can be incredibly helpful hearing how someone else is using their entryway area in their home and the roadblocks they’re dealing with (which just might happen to look similar to what’s going on in your home). You can do this!

Thanks for being here + I’ll see you in the next post!

More Support for Your Home + Life:

✔ Lots more decluttering + organizing support here to lighten the load in your home!

✔ Ready to take action in your home? START HERE with with FREE Home Simplifying Quick Guide!

✔ Not sure where to being + need help getting started? Check out the tools I’ve created for you HERE.

3 Things To Simplify Your Morning Routine For Less Stress: Back To School Edition

Well friends, it is August and back to school plus the general shift out of summer mode is upon us, and with that comes the resurgence of morning chaos (if we let it)!

The phenomenon of morning chaos comes from two things. One, things taking too many steps to complete. And two, things being done that don’t actually need to be done at that time. But I have GREAT news! We have control over both of these things, and when we streamline our morning, it also allows for more flexibility to handle those unpredictable moments that tend to pop up conveniently at this time (like spills, a forgotten scrunchie, or a missing favorite shoe).

Whether your kids are headed back to school, you homeschool, you’re starting a new job or just wanting to tame your regular morning chaos during the week before you start your day, I’m here to help. Let’s not waste another second!

1. Clarify what’s essential for your morning.

You’re no longer going to walk blindly into your mornings or let them just happen to you, deal? You’re also not going to shove a bunch of stuff into your morning that won’t add value to you, your family or your day. When I say clarify, that’s exactly what I mean. I want you to go through this list below and ask yourself (honestly) what needs to be part of your morning (and for everyone involved) to make it great (and of course less chaotic). We’re going to do a morning time/activity audit if you will!

Before you add or allow something into your morning routine, first ask yourself:

Will this add fuel to my tank (or to others) to start the day?

Does it absolutely have to be done in the morning before work/school/etc?

Could it be done at another time and still be helpful/effective?

Do I even need to do it at all? (domestic chores, can lunch packing happen at night or the process be simplified or delegated)

Make sure whatever you have loaded up into your morning routine during the week are things that HAVE to happen in the morning to get your day started off on the right foot. Edit out everything else from your morning that doesn’t need to happen then and watch the chaos melt away!

2. Edit your “exit” zone.

You can also consider this your landing area for bags/daily essentials OR the place you grab all the things you need before you head off to school, work, etc. If you’re schooling from home, take some time to edit your learning hub/learning command center so your transition into your learning time is smoother and easier. Our exit zone in our laundry niche, which also happens to be the pass thru between our kitchen, pantry and garage. There is a lot of activity happen in one small area so it must be a well-oiled machine or it quickly turns into the hot mess express.

Here’s a few things to consider while you edit your space:

Does each item in this space support what needs to happen here?

What can I remove from this space to make grabbing our essentials for the day easier/quicker?

It is clear what each person should do here, is clearly marked, or highly intuitive so it is easy to do?

Do I have everything I need here or do I need to add anything to streamline how this space works? (more hooks, labels, rearrange a few items)

Have I given this space some breathing room (some white space) so it’s not chocked full of stuff and more flexible for us to move in and out of?

Does everyone in the home understand where everything is, what to do in here and what the realistic expectations are?

After you edit your space, give it a test run to make sure you’ve covered all the details. Walk everyone through how to use the space and let them ask questions and share feedback/share their insight to make improvements. Make tweaks as needed once you start getting in you groove during a normal week day. We learn and improve things only by living with it and by reflecting on how well it is working.

3. Carve out time to fuel + care for yourself.

Remember to do this what actually help you save time and energy over the course of your whole day, boost your mood and increase your patience/flexibility to handle whatever the day might through at you. This looks different for each person, but as the adult in the home, you need to invest time each day in yourself to care for your well-being, even in small ways right out of the gate as you start your day.

Here’s a few ideas to get your going:

Having a quality but simple/quick breakfast.

Filling your favorite water bottle up the night before to save time in the morning.

Quiet time to stretch before you join your family to start the day.

Packing a protein snack for later in the day.

Having fresh flowers out on the counter you see the most during your morning routine.

Reading a few pages in your book instead of screen scrolling.

Avoiding checking emails first thing in the morning.

Sipping your favorite coffee or tea while you get breakfast ready.

Delegating some tasks to free up a few extra minutes so you can spend more time caring for yourself.

Getting up a few minutes earlier so you can move slower while getting dressed for the day.

Listen to your favorite music or an inspiring podcast while you get ready.

Going to bed 20 minutes (or more) so you can feel more refreshed when you wake up in the morning.

Tidy up the kitchen, your bedroom or your exit zone the night before so the first thing you see in the morning is order and peace.

Test these 3 simplifying strategies in your home now to reduce the stress and chaos you feel in your morning. And remember to check back in with these whenever you feel the chaos on creeping up again…you just might need to implement a few simple tweaks to get your routine back on track!

See you in the next post!

BIG HUGS,

Kristin

More Support for Your Home + Life:

✔ Lots more decluttering + organizing support here to lighten the load in your home!

✔ Ready to take action in your home? START HERE with with FREE Home Simplifying Quick Guide!

✔ Not sure where to being + need help getting started? Check out the tools I’ve created for you HERE.

Dynamic Women In Their Home - Lauren

We’re in a year long series of interviews highlighting incredible women in our community. The focus of each interview is to have a candid conversation about their home, life, what they value, what feels challenging right now, and most importantly, what is bringing them joy.

Our next interview is with Lauren Nygard. Another one of my favorite humans I’m so thrilled to introduce you to in our incredible community here. Lauren and I met at Texas A&M in Architecture School (we were both studying Environmental Design during our undergrad years). I’m trying to pinpoint exactly when we met, but I am guessing it was at least by sophomore year. We were in the same student group that studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain and we’ve stayed connected ever since. After we both went in different directions for graduate school, we stayed connected by sending each other mix CDs…Lauren, should we start this up again? I loved this! Lauren is a former military spouse and mom of 2 young boys who wears many business hats that I’ll let her tell you more about. She’s an incredible photographer (you can find her work here) and is a major learn through reading advocate. Yes, she’s my go-to book lady! Most days you can find us DMing about misc home biz, iced coffee hacks + kiddo randomness. She has the most lovely, infectious laugh and is passionate about creating and sharing good out in the world. I’m so thrilled to share more with you about her here!

Scroll down to enjoy my interview with Lauren about all things home and life.

Photo credit: Lauren Nygard

Share a quick snapshot of your last 5 years:

In the past 5 years, we've added two boys to our family, my husband got out of the military, we moved from NC to TX, and I've been working from home during a pandemic. :)

What's your day to day like right now?

We spend a lot of time in our backyard or reading on the couch. I squeeze in work when I can during the day, and usually work for an hour or two after the boys go to bed.

Photo credit: Lauren Nygard

How long have you been in your current home?

Since September 2019, though it seems like just a few months!

What do you love most about your current home?

It's cozy and the perfect size for our family.

What's something you'd love to change/or feels challenging for you in your current home?

This is a huge can of worms! We had to have our foundation repaired last summer and are still waiting for our flooring material to arrive so that we can replace the flooring (it was damaged due to foundation issues). We then will need to repair cracks in our drywall (walls and ceilings) and repaint practically every surface.

Beyond that mess, our boys' bathroom doesn't function well as is (I've messaged you about our towel storage in there!) and I'm considering replacing the vanity while we're redoing the floor. The vanity that was installed before we moved in is above average height, which I actually love but it doesn't work well for our 18-month-old. The bathroom is so small that we can't put a step stool tall enough in front of the vanity without blocking the entrance to the bathroom (the door opens up to the sink). Now that he's interested in potty learning, it's been even more frustrating than it had been.

Photo credit: Lauren Nygard

In the last year, have you spent any time decluttering/editing in your home (if so where/why)?

Yes! Lots of editing of my closet and dresser drawers, as well as my "work" and "craft" stashes. When our second son arrived, my office became his room, and my work desk moved out into our living room. When he's a little older, he'll move into the same room as our older son (and we'll get an office again--hurray!) but I cleaned out a lot to make the shift happen--and it's still a work in progress!

If you have spent time decluttering/editing, what was the result? Was it helpful?

It has been super helpful to be able to find more of what we need and get rid of things we no longer need or use. There are still some areas that need more decluttering (our laundry room cabinets have become a stash for random stuff) but we've been working on it little by little.

What part would you rather do - declutter OR organize (+ why)?

Right now, definitely declutter... because organizing doesn't matter if you still have too much stuff.

Photo credit: Lauren Nygard

Where's your favorite spot in your home right now?

Inside.... Our bedroom! We spend most of our time in our living room but the 4 of us end up hanging out, lounging and reading on our bed sometimes. The living room tends to get out of control with toys so our bedroom is a nice place for us to relax since it's usually cleaner. (Except when I don't put my laundry away--shhhhhh!)

Outside... We have a really deep front porch that was a total sanity saver when we were homebound in 2020. Colt and I spent lots of time out on the porch, even through the heat of summer (pregnant!)--we were gifted an old art table from a neighbor, and he'd scribble for hours out there. We added a big deck in our backyard about a year ago, which has been amazing as well.

Photo credit: Lauren Nygard

What object in your home means a lot to you?

I can't think of anything right now!

Tell me something fun or quirky about you I probably don't know...

Do I have any secrets? I can't think of one.

OK, NOW A FEW RAPID-FIRE HOME QUESTIONS!

Light/bright OR dark/moody:

Light/bright

Open concept or separated rooms/nooks:

Open concept

Color or neutrals:

Neutrals

Real plants or faux:

Real!

Listen to music or read:

Read

Favorite morning or daily ritual:

My new morning ritual is to drink 16oz of water before I have any coffee. I feel like it sets me up to drink more water throughout the day. But my favorite daily ritual is my early afternoon iced coffee a la Kristin (shaken, not stirred)!

Morning person or night person:

Morning

Favorite piece of furniture in your home:

Our mid-century dining table

Do you dress like the interiors of your home?

Color-wise? Yes. Style? I'm not sure.

THANK YOU LAUREN for sharing more about your home and life with us! I love following along with your entrepreneurial spirit and seeing what awesomeness you’re cooking up next. Thank you for giving us a snapshot into this current season of life for you!

Photo Credit: Lauren Nygard | https://laurennygard.com/

Find Lauren on IG: @laurennygard

More Support for Your Home + Life:

✔ Lots more decluttering + organizing support here to lighten the load in your home!

✔ Ready to take action in your home? START HERE with with FREE Home Simplifying Quick Guide!

✔ Not sure where to being + need help getting started? Check out the tools I’ve created for you HERE.

See you in the next interview!

5 Things I'm Intentionally Taking Slow Right Now

Summer seems to slow us down from the heat and a shift in routines for most of us. I can’t say I needed the heat to crank up like it has recently here in NTX but the shift in routine has proven to be critical to my body, my mind and my soul as I’ve moved through the first few weeks of it.

During this shift, here’s 5 things I’ve decided to take intentionally slow right now, and invite you to come up with your own list as well.

#1. The pace of my business

Ya’ll, this last spring was fast and furious. It seemed to wildly fly by. I was wrapping up the creation of my new Organized Home Masterclass that rolled out literally the day my oldest daughter finished school. I couldn’t believe I had made it to the finish line. But all along last spring, my intention was to roll out that program in order to down shift for the summer with my girls. And somehow I did it!

Last summer was quite different, as I rolled out my Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide smack in the middle of the summer to celebrate my 10th year in business as Fuzzy Hippo Shop in July of 2021. For me celebrating this milestone meant I wanted to create something new for you, and that’s exactly what I did! I knew, however, this summer needed to be different, as I didn’t have the mental or physical energy to repeat this. It was critical I shifted my timeline to make space for a slower paced summer.

This summer, while I am still very much running my business on reduced and adjusted hours around being with my kids, the focus is a lot more about letting my mind wander and hold space for new ideas to develop, while my business mind is allowed to be less busy and more quiet. I can’t wait to share with you more about the new shifts in my business that will happen in the future! So excited!

#2. The speed in which I do things all day

Up until summer, I found myself rushing through almost everything I was doing all day, even when there was no reason to do so. Rush to wash my face and put on make up, rush getting dressed, rush making the bed, rush making breakfast, etc. You see where I am going. This had all been conditioned to get my babies to their school on time, which is all fine and well, but I was struggling to control when to go fast and when to go slow. It’s like I always tell my kids, there are times to move quickly (like move across the road quickly because a car is coming) or slow, when chopping veggies for dinner so we don’t get hurt.

Those are two basic examples, and I’m finding we need both rhythms everyday in some capacity. Some days need to be intentionally slow to rest and refill out bucket. Some parts of our day might be more action packed, but then maybe we downshift later on to reduce that feeling of rush that we all dislike so much. Either way, we can control these rhythms and we can decide when they happen or need to shift. And this lady is currently in slow down mode.

#3. How I exist with my children

Kids move fast, run fast, play fast. I’m intentionally trying to join in with them during the day when I can in slow ways. Reading or snuggling together on the couch. Sitting on the floor with them to have a tea party or play a game. Sit on the floor and watch them build something while I stretch after we walk the dog. Often I find the change in position/change in the level I am on helps a lot. Getting" out of the “standing over and observing mode” and sit down on the floor, lay down or pull up a stool to engage always helps things slow down. And my kids love when I am on their level by the way. We all win!

Also worth noting, anytime outside with my kids (or even if I am alone) feels slower, whether it is picking tomatoes in the garden, listening to the birds, watering, looking at butterflies bouncing around on the zinnias, or looking underneath the big vining leaves for cucumbers. Being outside seems to freeze time, especially if you have an ice pop or popcicle in hand!

#4. Taking slow walks with my dog

I am walking in the neighborhood with my girls most mornings now that we are all home and at first I was feeling a little annoyed that my morning walks were no longer a fast-paced exercise for me to get my rear moving. Now we’re walking at a much slower pace with little legs. Once I got out of my head about this I was just simply grateful to be with my kids outside during the coolest part of the day, getting fresh air, listening to the birds, practicing our car/street crossing safety, looking for cool leaves, rocks and feathers to bring home, etc.

My walks during the summer have a different purpose and I have learned to be ok with this. It’s also given us a chance to connect more with some of our elderly neighbors we don’t get to see as much during the rest of the year, bring them tomatoes from our garden or flowers, and just so many other things that in the rush of the pace before would not have happened before.

#5. My meal planning structure

You know I’m an avid meal planner during most of the year because it saves me so much brain power, time and money. But during the summer I ease up a bit on the planning and loosen the reigns with how I meal plan. If I feel like doing it one week, I do it. If I decide that we’re going to eat meals to “clear out the fridge this week” then so be it, and I write nothing down. A lot of our meals right now are swirling around how I am going to use all these beautiful garden tomatoes, and what a wonderful problem to have! I don’t know about you but my appetite shifts a lot during the summer as well, in that a lot of foods don’t sound as good because of the heat. So often what I will do is jot down a few dinners that do sound good and just put those bad boys on repeat and not look back. I highly recommend it!

And when you’re ready to dive back into meal planning or want to test it it out to see just how much mental bandwidth it saves you, check out all the notepad/list helpers I have in the paper shop to make all of this so much easier to do! Your brain space and energy during those more chaos filled days will thank you!

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

What’s something your doing this summer to intentionally slow down? I can’t wait to hear what great ideas you have to share with us!

Thanks for being here.

Dynamic Women In Their Home - Nazly

We’re in a year long series of interviews highlighting incredible women in our community. The focus of each interview is to have a candid conversation about their home, life, what they value, what feels challenging right now, and most importantly, what is bringing them joy.

Our next interview is with Nazly D. She’s one of my favorite humans I’ve connected deeper with in this space through home. I met Nazly through her husband that I knew from Texas A&M Architecture School and then went on to work with him professionally at an architecture firm in Plano for many years. She’s currently in higher education research (in short) with an extensive background in psychology and developmental psychology (she has a PhD to be exact!) She’s a mom of a toddler and knows the world well of working hard and playing hard with her family. I love chatting with about anything home, design, organizing and decluttering. You can often find us sending photos of areas we are working on in our home or new vessels for our plant babies to live in! She’s such a honest and beautiful human (also a rock star volleyball player!!) and I’m so thrilled to share more about her with you here.

Scroll down to enjoy my interview with Nazly about all things home and life.

Share a quick snapshot of your last 5 years:

The last 5 years have been a whirlwind with many ups and downs. We moved from Dallas to Houston in 2016 and I started a new career in higher education research. Over the years I continued to grow in my field and currently serve as the Executive Director of Data Analytics and Institutional Research at a University in Houston. At the end of 2019, I became a new mom and right as I was coming back from maternity leave, the pandemic began a few weeks later. My husband and I were fortunate to be able to keep our jobs and spend more time with our baby. Then in July of 2020, I lost my two longest-time friends, who I grew up with like sisters, to a violent incident. My whole world came crashing down and I began a long journey of coping with the grief and trauma in the middle of a global pandemic. I felt this desperate need to control my environment as a way to cope, and thankfully came across my husband's former colleague and friend, Kristin! Being part of her Declutter Your Home Masterclass gave me the tools I needed to change my mindset around my relationship with stuff and things and allowed me to gain control of my space and create a more peaceful home. This has single-handedly been the most transformative aspect of my grieving journey over the last several years.

What's your day to day like right now?

During the week, my day to day consists of waking up, spending some quality time with my toddler while getting ready for work and prepping for preschool/grandma & grandpa's house, commuting to work, lots of meetings that could be emails, and driving home in time for dinner and toddler bedtime. After she goes to bed, my husband and I spend the evenings together, usually watching something hilarious and having dinner. Then it's bedtime for us, rinse, and repeat the next day! Weekends are much more casual, typically spent running errands and grabbing snacks while out and about. Our daughter loves Trader Joes, since they have an entire wall dedicated to puppy and cat photos, which we have affectionately termed "the puppy wall" (we aren't cat people).

How long have you been in your current home?

We've been in our current home since the summer of 2018.

What do you love most about your current home?

We love that our home has intentional spaces, every room has a purpose. We love our patio/backyard probably most of all. The sellers were the only owners of the home before us and spent a great deal of effort and care into the home. They created a beautiful garden with fountains and beautiful pathways. It’s our happy place.

What's something you'd love to change/or feels challenging for you in your current home?

If I could change something right now, it would be the kitchen finishes, including the countertops/backsplash and maybe the cabinet color and floors. They look nice currently and are very functional, but I wish they were lighter, brighter, and a bit more modern.

In the last year, have you spent any time decluttering/editing in your home (if so where/why)?

Yes! Oh my goodness yes. I started my decluttering/editing journey last Janurary, so it's been a little over a year. In that time I have more or less decluttered nearly every space in our home. I started downstairs in the kitchen and living room since we spend most of our time in these two rooms. I keep tweaking here and there to make improvements as we go, but I’ve got a good foundation.

If you have spent time decluttering/editing, what was the result? Was it helpful?

Decluttering and editing our spaces has made me realize how much functional space we actually have and has led to greater use of each space. It has also helped create a sense of calm and peace in our home. For example, when we see only essential things out on counters, it clears so much mental space and reduces anxiety.

What part would you rather do - declutter OR organize (+ why)?

I actually really like decluttering, there's something that feels cleansing about it. I have struggled with decluttering the closet though…between pregnancy and grief, my weight has fluctuated in both directions wildly, so it’s a little confusing to figure out what still fits.

Where's your favorite spot in your home right now?

I have two, my living room and our bedroom. I spent a lot of time really thinking through both of those spaces and curating them to align with our goals and aesthetic that brings a sense of calm.

What object in your home means a lot to you?

A watercolor painting my dad did of our daughter for her 1st birthday.

Tell me something fun or quirky about you I probably don't know...

I think I have actually developed OCD over the years, I legit paused a conversation one time with a colleague to stand on a chair and fix a crooked ceiling tile in a hallway at work...also I played volleyball in college! That's maybe a little less strange and obnoxious haha!

OK, NOW A FEW RAPID-FIRE HOME QUESTIONS!

Light/bright OR dark/moody:

Generally light and bright

Open concept or separated rooms/nooks:

Open concept

Color or neutrals:

Neutrals

Real plants or faux:

Real plants

Listen to music or read:

Music to drive, books before bed

Favorite morning or daily ritual:

Washing my face and doing my skincare routine...feels so luxurious!

Morning person or night person:
errrr....neither! If I had my way I would sleep early and wake up late! But I'm definitely not a morning person.

Favorite piece of furniture in your home:
1000% our couch...comfortable AND beautiful. I am a true believer in Cantoni...worth every penny!

Do you dress like the interiors of your home?

What a fun question! I would say somewhat, as I tend to wear neutral colors as well.

THANK YOU NAZLY for sharing more about your home and life with us! I know you have so much greatness on the horizon for you that I can’t wait to hear all about. Thank you for bringing us along for this life snapshot!

Photo Credit: Nazly D.

More Support for Your Home + Life:

✔ The brand new ORGANIZED HOME MASTERCLASS will be live May 26th! Learn more about how epic this new Masterclass is HERE!

✔ Ready to take action in your home? START HERE.

✔ Not sure where to being + need help getting started? Check out the tools I’ve created for you HERE.

See you in the next interview!

Organizing Mistakes You're Making in Your Home + What To Do Instead: Part II

We’re back at it discussing organizing mistakes commonly made in your home and what to do instead. Is there a better DIY topic that exists on the planet right now? I think not! If you missed PART I, you can check it out HERE and then come back to us for PART II below!

MISTAKE #4: You’re locating things in the wrong place.

One of the key components to a highly organize and efficient home is locating things in the RIGHT place to make life easier for you. No one has ever argued with me that they want life to be harder, so let’s keep reading! I know this might seem like a really obvious one, but when we get into the nitty gritty of everyday life, we get into autopilot mode. Here’s a few things to consider to make sure an item has truly landed in the right spot.

✓ Does the item or group of items support a task or goal for this spot in your home?

✓ Does the item or group of items make the task or goal easier and more efficient to complete because it is here? (Example, laundry detergent directly above the washer, verses on a shelf off to the side you have use a stool to get to, then get it down, etc. That’s too many steps!)

✓ Is the item or group of items essential in this location (accessed often, helpful, useful, valuable) or could it go away and life would remain unaffected by its absence?

Answer these honestly then remove or move items that don’t support the task or goals you have for that zone. Yes, decluttering is forever and ever! But it gets easier, trust me! Stick with me friend!

MISTAKE #5: You’re not giving your items breathing room.

You can have a well organizing drawer with lots of little compartments and containers, but if you don’t need half the items in the drawer (ie. they’re never used) or if everything is filled to the brim and you have to dig around in each container just to grab your favorite pen or washi tape, we still have an issue. Organizing is about keeping what you use and love, AND giving it space to live and breathe. Consider the follow tips to give your items you’re organizing a bit of breathing room.

✓ If you ever have to dig (aside from inside a LEGO bin) for something, you have too much. You either need to edit more, or you need to make additional categories to spread out the things you have.

✓ In most cases, you should be able to see everything you have in a drawer at one glance. This means you should avoid stacking things vertically if possible in drawers (or bins) to avoid the “out of sight out of mind” epidemic. If you can’t see it, odds are you won’t use it or you’ll forget you have it.

✓ On shelves, in cabinets and in closets, you should be able to see, grab and pull out anything easily. This means you need space to reach things and remove them without having to move 5 things. If you hold to this rule, you’ll avoid over-stuffing any and all of these spaces.

Just like in graphic design (and in all forms of design) white space is often the solution to solve many design issues. It is the same throughout your home. In this case, the “white space” is the “breathing room” that the things in your home desperately need, just like you need it!

MISTAKE #6: You haven’t shopped your home first.

True story. 9.5 times out of 10 I can solve any organizing issue with the things in my home before I ever even entertain running out to buy something. I want you to look at this like a choose your own adventure game. The next time you encounter an issue with an area in your home that you know needs more order, consider looking throughout your home thoroughly to see if you already have what you need (then prepare to be amazed at what you’ll find). Try these tips.

✓ Declutter the zone in question first, then assess what is left. If you have lots of small categories, hunt around for trays, reusable bags, small jars, tops of shoe boxes, etc.

✓ If you’re dividing up large or deep spaces like a kitchen cabinet, consider something you can pull out similar to a drawer like a bin, a container or a box. You can use a cardboard box and cut out your own handle then swap this out over time if you’d like - but take the time to understand what you need first. If you need to divide the space up further, think “containers within containers”. Drop several smaller boxes inside a larger box to create several small zones in whatever configuration works for what you need.

✓ Make swaps with things in other rooms. If you’re going to corral/organize something in a spot that is more visible and you care what it looks like, consider swapping an old box that will go deep in a cabinet for the nicer basket that will help elevate the aesthetics of your space and be highly visible.

→ Now comment below on which one of these 3 Mistakes feels most common for you? I’ve been guilty of all of them!

I hope these first 3 common mistakes were eye-opening for you + will inspire you to take concrete organizing action in your home. My goal here is to help you save time, money + energy. See you soon in Part III of ‘Organizing Mistakes You’re Making + What To Do Instead.’

PS. The Organized Home Masterclass is coming at the END OF MAY! If you’d like a little sneak peek into what this program is all about, you can check it out HERE! To say I’m excited about this new program is an incredible understatement. Stick here with me + I’ll continue to spill all the beans for you.

Dynamic Women + Their Home - Kirsten

We’re in a year long series of interviews highlighting incredible women in our community. The focus of each interview is to have a candid conversation about their home, life, what they value, what feels challenging right now, and most importantly, what is bringing them joy.

Our next interview is with Kirsten Griffin. She’s currently a Job Captain at HKS, Inc. and the Vice-Chair for AIA Dallas Latinos in Architecture (LiA). Kirsten and I got connected through Instagram by a mutual friend/colleague a few years ago AND of course our names are quite close so we’re automatically bonded for life. Quite quickly we had several incredible, genuine, interesting conversations about simplifying life through editing in her home and planning for her future. I’ve always been impressed with her insightful, wise beyond her years questions and ideas about home. I’ve loved getting to know her through our chats about our spaces, the misc. house projects we’re working on/dreaming up, and all things design. I deeply admire her passion for architecture, and her intentional action to make an impact and serve her local architecture community. I love all the commitments she shares with us on Instagram from caring for herself through fitness goals (PS. this girl is strong, don’t mess with her!) and her intentional focus going after her architecture license. And all of which she does while having fun along the way! Recently she’s woven more into her day to day stories about her deaf/hard of hearing and bilateral cochlear implant journey. I value her perspective on this topic that I’m continuing to learn more about. Follow along with her vivaciousness over at @kirsten_ttu on Instagram.

Scroll down to enjoy my interview with Kirsten about all things home and life.

Share a quick snapshot of your last 5 years:

Been a busy 5 years! I Graduated college with my Master degree, got married and started working full time in an architecture firm. We adopted two dogs while living in an apartment, then we bought a house to have backyard space for the pups. Now working on my Architectural Exams and highly involved in the architecture community.

What's your day to day like right now?

Work out in the morning, go work at the office at home or the company office and then spend my evening attending an event or at home studying for my Architectural Exams.

How long have you been in your current home?

2 years! Got it July 2020.

What do you love most about your current home?

The space! Get to have my own office and my own home gym.

What's something you'd love to change/or feels challenging for you in your current home?

The challenge would be the bathrooms, its a late 70's home. So the bathrooms are not a big as the newer homes.

The outdoor patio is the space where I enjoy drinking coffee in the morning or relaxing in the evening when weather is nice.

In the last year, have you spent any time decluttering/editing in your home (if so where/why)?

Yes, the closets. There were a lot of clothes and memorial items that haven't been used in years.

If you have spent time decluttering/editing, what was the result? Was it helpful?

Relief, we have plenty of space. More than we think. Spend less time stressing about the overload of items or looking for something.

What part would you rather do - declutter OR organize (+ why)?

Organize but we have to declutter before organizing. Organizing because you know exactly where everything is rather then looking for awhile to find it.

Where's your favorite spot in your home right now?

The smallest office the house with the little couch in the corner. A small cozy room.

What object in your home means a lot to you?

My small round breakfast table, I sit here almost everyday drinking my coffee. Came from my uncle who passed away recently.

The breakfast nook is my favorite spot I spend a lot of my time.

Tell me something fun or quirky about you I probably don't know...

I’m left handed but I only eat and write with my left hand. And I do everything else with my right side. Can write/draw also with my right hand (not as good as left).

OK, NOW A FEW RAPID-FIRE HOME QUESTIONS!

Light/bright OR dark/moody:

Light/Bright

Open concept OR separated rooms/nooks:

Both! Open concept for social events and then separation for more comfort/cozy.

Color OR neutrals:

Neutrals

Real plants OR faux:

Faux

Listen to music OR read:

Listen to music

Favorite morning or daily ritual:

Getting my day started early and drinking coffee

Morning person OR night person:

Morning, but I still have my days where I don't want to get up.


Favorite piece of furniture in your home:

Breakfast table

Do you dress like the interiors of your home?

Yes, Simple

THANK YOU KIRSTEN for sharing more about your home and life with us! I can’t wait to see what you’re involved with and creating next!

Follow along with Kirsten’s architecture, mentoring and home adventures over on Instagram @kirsten_ttu HERE. Photo Credit: Kirsten Griffin

Ready to take action in your home? START HERE.

Note sure where to being + need help getting started? Check out the tools I’ve created for you HERE.

See you in the next interview!

Organizing Mistakes You're Making in Your Home + What To Do Instead: Part I

Spring might be a natural time to think of organizing as the weather shifts + we too feel that internal shift + need to restart, regroup + refresh. I’m going to invite you to lean into this feeling while it’s here. These natural rhythms that happen during seasonal shifts help motivate us to tweak in our environment what needs a little boost or a change.

But before you get too wild with your organizing efforts, PLEASE make sure to follow my 3 part blog series on mistakes to avoid when organizing in your home.

I promise it will be worth your time, energy + sanity preservation to follow along with us!

MISTAKE #1: You Didn’t Declutter FIRST!

If you’ve been hanging out with me for hot minute, you likely knew I was going to go here first. I had to. Why? Because this crucial step helps you avoid spending time organizing things you don’t need in the first place! Here’s a few more benefits of decluttering first before you start hoarding baskets. (Yea, I see you!)

✓ Gain clarity on what you own + what you no longer need. (No use saving valuable space for things that no longer support you!)

✓ Save time later on with your organizing efforts. (Less things, less time to organize + manage those items.)

✓ Save money on organizing supplies + products. (Again, owning less means less to corral in the first place.)

MISTAKE #2: You’re Not Focusing On Your Essentials!

Organization is all about keeping the right things in the right place. So what exactly are essentials? We focus on these in great detail in the Declutter Your Home Masterclass + in the Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide but the quick + dirty notes on it are that you keep only the things you need to complete a task, chore or daily routine in that spot of your home. So as you can imagine, throughout your home you should have clear grouping of “essentials” depending on the tasks that need to get done. Here’s why this is so important:

✓ Curating essentials in an area where an important task needs to happen makes it much easier to complete that task.

✓ You’ll save time because your space will offer you clear direction on what exactly to do in that area.

✓ It helps you save energy throughout the day so you have more to give to the things you care about most.

MISTAKE #3: You Buy Organizing Items First Before Assessing What You Have!

Are you seeing a pattern here? Yes you are + here it is again a bit louder for those in the back. You need to have complete clarity on what you own, where it should go + what your goals are before you run around buying organizing product that you likely don’t need! Decluttering + setting goals/expectations is the first part, then a thorough inventory of what you have helps guide you on what you need to buy (if anything)! Here’s a quick reminder why you need to slow your roll before you run out to the stores trying “get organized”.

✓ You’ll save money, oh so much money, when you wait + understand what you actually need before you buy anything to organize in your home.

✓ You’ll gain clarity on your goals + needs for spaces when you go through the process of assessing what you have + taking inventory of your essentials.

✓ Organizing will go faster + be easier to maintain when you know what you have, you create efficient zones for what you need, + then corral them properly to make life easier throughout the day.

→ Now comment below on which one of these 3 mistakes feels most common for you? (For me, I always have to stop myself before I start reorganizing a space to make sure I’ve decluttered first!)

I hope these first 3 common mistakes were eye-opening for you + will help you slow down before you engage in anymore organizing tasks in your home. My goal here is to help you save time, money + energy. See you soon in Part II of ‘Organizing Mistakes You’re Making + What To Do Instead.’

PS. The Organized Home Masterclass is coming at the END OF MAY! If you’d like a little sneak peek into what this program is all about, you can check it out HERE! To say I’m excited about this new program is an incredible understatement. Stick here with me + I’ll continue to spill all the beans for you.

Thanks for being here.

Dynamic Women + Their Home - Hannah

We’re starting a year long series of interviews highlighting incredible women in our community. The focus of each interview is to have a candid conversation about their home, life, what they value, what feels challenging right now, and most importantly, what is bringing them joy.

Our first interview is with Hannah Key of The Freckled Key Photography. I’ve lost track with how Hannah and I first got connected, but it went something like…I use to work with someone in corporate architecture that went to school with her husband and I followed his wife on Instagram who is also a talented graphic designer and maker who was connected with Hannah and once posted about a photo Hannah took of their family. Phew! I’m grateful for the incredibly indirect way we’ve connected. I’ve truly enjoy getting to know her through Instagram, email and quick weekly messages about the randomness going on in life, motherhood shenanigan, decluttering adventures, an amazing vintage garment we’ve spotted, or our shared love for Revlon lip stain sticks! PS. She’s also an incredibly talented abstract painter/artist and absolutely worth having in your social media sphere! You can follow Hannah on Instagram here: @thefreckledkey

Scroll down to enjoy my interview with Hannah about all things home and life.

Please share a quick snapshot of your last 5 years:

Oh girl, you know I’m wordy, haha! I’ll try to keep it brief… In the last five years we have become the parents of TWO daughters, ages (nearly) 7 and 4. My husband started working for himself full time in April of 2019 so we are both officially self-employed, which is both amazing and stressful, haha. We have moved TWICE in the last five years (but we’ve been in Houston since 2009). We sold our beloved first home in January 2019 and moved into rental while we built our new home. We moved into our new home in November 2020, so just over a year ago now. I would say the last 5 years has been one of immense personal growth, and growth as a family. I struggle with anxiety and it really came to a scary head in the fall of 2020. I’ve come leaps and bounds since then (with the help of counseling, medication, prayer, and my beloved husband) and ever strive to empower other momma’s in their mental health journeys. We are not alone!

What's your day to day like right now?

I am a part-time homeschooling momma to my oldest (she attends school 2 days a week and I teach her here 2 days a week), so my day to day really changes depending on the day of the week, ha! Mondays and Wednesdays my girls are both in school, so I work from my home office or photographing families on those days! Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I devote 100% of my energy to teaching and house duties. Weekends are a wonderful time to reset as a family; Scott (my husband) and I often take on a project and/or go for a hike with our girls.

How long have you been in your current home?

Just over a year! We moved in in November 2020.

What do you love most about your current home?

The natural liiighhht! OH my. My husband is an architect and when he was designing our home I told him I wanted two things: hardwood floors and as much natural light as possible — and he DELIVERED! I don’t have to turn on a light until dusk, and it just makes my heart sing.

What's something you'd love to change/or feels challenging for you in your current home?

Man, this is tough. My husband really designed the home of our dreams! I suppose if I could name a daily grievance it’s the ever-presence of my girls’ toys and clothes. I am very strict about culling their toys and clothes several times a year, but it seems I always find a pile of dirty clothes here and there as well as dolls, stickers, and craft paper all over my floor by days-end, haha. I am a creative person so naturally I highly encourage my girls to be messy and creative on a daily basis, but I am also a very TIDY person so perhaps I need to put some effort into teaching them how to better clean up after themselves; an exhausting effort, indeed, ha!

In the last year, have you spent any time decluttering/editing in your home (if so where/why)?

Yes!! All. The. Time. I probably tackle a drawer a week just to satisfy my love of organizing/purging. I will take on a larger declutter project, like a closet or a room, probably 1-2x a year. I love it!! I like everything to have a home and truly feel stressed when things are a mess so frequent little declutter projects are my JAM!

If you have spent time decluttering/editing, what was the result? Was it helpful?

ALWAYS helpful. I find that doing these small weekly declutter tasks give me energy to do the next one! I also love that my girls are witness to my frequent editing of our things, showing them that “stuff” is not where our joy and purpose lie.

What part would you rather do - declutter OR organize (+ why)?

Oooooo…. Can BOTH be an answer? Haha! I suppose when it comes down to it, I enjoy the decluttering process more. I find such satisfaction in seeing things LEAVE my house, haha. Giving everything a proper home after the declutter is immensely satisfying as well.

Where's your favorite spot in your home right now?

In the mornings, I really enjoy sitting on our big window bench with a hot cup of tea and my Bible (and my phone, because I’m addicted to my daily Wordle!) Afternoons I want nothing more than to sit in my sun-filled (TINY) paint studio and throw my cares at a canvas. My girls will often join me there with paper and pastels; it’s a sweet time of day that I have grown to love.

What object in your home means a lot to you? Oh man, I am pretty sentimental about items so there are several in my home that really mean a lot to me. I like to have a small treasure or two in each area of my house that reminds me of someone I love. I suppose the ones that give me the most daily smiles are 1) the hand-written birthday card from my grandmother that I keep in my bathroom. Seeing her handwriting every morning and reading her brief note are a daily delight. 2) A stained glass medallion that hangs above my kitchen sink. One of my dearest friends died of cancer 11 years ago and her dad made me this piece to remind me of her. I think of her every time I wash the dishes. 3) A large floral painting that my grandmother did when she was about my age. It sits on top of our piano. She is the one who taught me how to paint, so having one of her earliest pieces in a prominent place in our home delights me.

Tell me something fun or quirky about you I probably don't know... Hahahaha…. so many things?? Um… Okay, here’s a good one: I eat my pizza backwards (crust to tip) and I eat my sandwiches and burgers circumference first, then the middle. Ha!

OK, NOW A FEW RAPID-FIRE HOME QUESTIONS!

Light/bright OR dark/moody:

Both!! My photography and paintings are very much dark/moody (I believe this is a reflection of my own inner conflict — ever seeking light in the dark) but I HAVE to have light! My mood is so effected by light!

Open concept or separated rooms/nooks:

OPEN CONCEPT! Walls make me feel claustrophobic, ha.

Color or neutrals:

COLOOORRR!! I am all about those jewel tones!

Real plants or faux:

Real plants — I’m not the best at keeping them alive, but I have kept a 12’ fiddle leaf fig alive for 7 years, so I’m counting that as a plant momma WIN!

Listen to music or read:

Read. I am super super sensitive to sound, so music often stresses me out, haha!

Favorite morning or daily ritual:

My morning tea at the window seat.

Morning person or night person:
Ooophf. This is tough. I really like my morning tea time, but I tend to have more energy at night!

Favorite piece of furniture in your home:
Either my piano or my bed, ha!

Do you dress like the interiors of your home? Yes! Full of color and mixed patterns. Pattern mixing all day e’ry day!!

THANK YOU HANNAH for sharing more about your beautifully colorful life + home right now with us! I can’t wait to see what you’re creating next!

Follow along with Hannah’s photography, painting + much more over on Instagram @thefreckledkey HERE. You can find out more about here photography work at The Freckled Key Photography HERE. Photos Credit: Hannah Key

Seasonal Shifts | How To Declutter + Design Your Way Through It

It’s an interesting time right now for most, where cooler weather (unless you’re in Miami per se) has you bustling around with a renewed sense of energy that was previously absent in those high heat months. While it is a time of year that for most of us feels like things are RAMPING UP, I’d encourage you to SLOW DOWN during this “Seasonal Shift” into Fall/Winter, as we dive into December. Look at it as a time to review a few odds + ends around your home to lighten your load as the new year approaches. The new year will thank you!

1. CATEGORY: CLOTHING

When you you start pulling out your cooler weather clothing, take a moment to assess each item + your likelihood of wearing it again.

PRO TIP: Keep a notepad handy + write down any essentials that you’re missing + need to shop for (ie. raincoat, gloves, warmer socks) —PS. I wrote that sock part as a reminder to myself! Last winter was rough…as a I tried to “create” one pair of warm socks by layering three together…yea, it’s embarrassing.

ADULTS

✓ Review your colder weather items in categories (ie. sweaters, jackets, scarves, gloves, boots, etc.) so you can assess what you have objectively + not as one big pile. This is a time to assess if you have any duplicates that aren’t used. Give those away to someone who can use them now!

✓ Ask yourself when’s the last time you wore the item? If you can’t remember + aren’t excited to wear it, let it go, Elsa style.

✓ Keep your best + favorites that you’re excited to wear. Donate the rest that are in good shape + could be immediately useful in someone’s life/home.

✓ Give these cold weather items a good wash + get rid of the dust bunnies, then fold/hang as needed so they’re easy to get to for the season.

KIDS

✓ Look at their clothing in categories (sweaters, jackets, sweats, etc.). Depending on where you live the quantities you need to support your lifestyle + weather conditions will vary. For example, here in NTX, it’s mild but winter can still get “serious” now + then so a good heavy jacket, raincoat we can layer with + a good hat, mittens/gloves, plus warm sweaters are still essentials. But we don’t keep many multiples. Beyond that, focus on layering pieces to create or remove warmth.

✓ Remove anything they’ve grown out of for the season or don’t wear/don’t have interest in.

✓ Make sure these seasonal items are easy for your kids to get to encourage them to get dressed appropriately on their own. If it needs to be hung up, make sure a stool is nearby if they can’t reach it on their own. We hang up our heavy coats, then put all the “cold weather essentials” in a separate drawer down low. Our everyday pants + long sleeves are in another “everyday” drawer because it is worn frequently.

2. CATEGORY: KITCHEN/FOOD

To do a seasonal breeze through of this, only focus on the items below to lighten your load. You can do another deep dive when you have time/energy.

PRO TIP: Keep things simple by breaking things into mini tasks, like one drawer at a time, one pantry category at a time (teas, baking supplies) rather than looking at everything all together which just fuels the “overwhelm”. Put your energy in places you know need TLC (like neglected pantry shelves or drawers that you can’t shut or find anything in). These are quick win/high impact suggestions, so feel free to pick + choose from the list or do them all if you’re feeling wild!

✓ Do a quick review of your pantry - remove old/expired foods + foods you’re not going to eat. Donate to a local food bank anything not expired or unopened.

✓ Jot down on a notepad foods or pantry staples you’d like to restock on for your holiday/seasonal favorites.

✓ Drawers - remove anything that never got used this year/you avoided (or you can’t remember the last time you used it). Toss broken/beyond repair items.

✓ Cabinets - remove anything that you no longer use, is broken or you’ve fallen out of love with. Donate (or sell) anything in good, usable shape.

✓ Fridge/Freezer - toss expired sauces, foods, frozen items, etc. Clean + recycle as much packaging as possible.

✓ Spices - toss anything that’s old/expired (smell it to determine freshness, it should still smell like the spice or toss it) - plan to restock on your favorites.

✓ Mug Intervention - yes I’m talking to you! I’m totally game for all the warm + cozy drinks, but you don’t need 30 mugs to do, I promise you! Pull them ALL out on the counter + only keep your absolutely FAVORITES. The chipped ones need to go. Donate the extras in good shape. Phew! Don’t we all feel better now?!

3. CATEGORY: SEASONAL DECOR

NOW I probably have your attention! Are you ready to tame the seasonal decor chaos? OK, here we go!

PRO TIP: There is this unnecessary, ridiculous pressure each holiday season to buy new decor for your home. What’s the deal with this? Can we just kick this to the curb once + for all? I am here to liberate you. If you need to make a swap or bring something new in, something should be headed out the door as well. Keep reading for more tips on this below.

✓ As you pull out a box/bag/container of seasonal decor items, you’re going to objectively look at each item to decide if you’re going to keep it. PS. Your taste is likely going to change over time + that’s OK! Part with things you fall out of love with + make peace with it!

✓ Declutter as you decorate. Yes! It’s groundbreaking concept, join me! It’s great! I often sort as I open containers + keep a brown paper bag or box handy to add ornaments, knickknacks, art, garlands, seasonal platters, cups, etc. When you have it in your hands if you LOVE IT + you IMMEDIATELY know where it can be displayed/put out, KEEP IT. Once you’ve done a thorough editing on these items (+ have honed your personal style a bit more), there’s less + less to edit each year. Phew!

✓ Be incredibly mindful of what you BRING IN this season. It’s OK to love what you already have + not buy new. It is also OK to make some intentional swaps if there’s something you’re missing + want to add. But don’t bring in more than you need or will use. It is more to manage + store ALL YEAR LONG.

4. CATEGORY: EXTRAS

This category is really for the non-essentials in our life that do make life more enjoyable when we have boundaries for them. Let me enlighten you…

PRO TIP: If you have items you’re donating, plan to donate your items that week. Schedule it into your time + get it done!

✓ Pick one or as many of these “extras” to go through at your leisure: kids toys, magazines, books, decor, throw blankets, writing utensils, candles, lotions, soaps, teas, coffees, etc.

✓ Now pick an “extra” + review it by zone (by shelf, drawer, etc.) or do a full group (pull all your magazines together on the table to review). Keep only what you LOVE + USE + ENJOY NOW. The rest needs to go.

✓ Kids Toys - only KEEP the following: items they use/play with regularly, are developmentally appropriate, aren’t broken/damaged, are worth the space they take up in the home + it doesn’t interfere with valuable open/play space for them. Open space will always be more valuable than any single toy that exists on the planet. Let that sink in.

✓ Some of these “extras” may need to be tossed if opened, expired, etc. Donate or giveaway anything in good shape. Recycle/donate sell books + magazines. Donate decor items you’ve fallen out of love with but are still in good shape + could be useful in someone else’s home.

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

It’s time to enjoy the space you’ve just freed up throughout your home! Yes!! These are all ideas on where to start + by no means do you need to do all of them unless you’d like! I know you’ll love the results when you’re done.

If you’re needing help with more decluttering + you’d like more support from me, feel free to check out all of these mini course still available discounted through the end the year. Here’s the line up:

Clothing Closet Declutter Guide

Declutter Guide For Kids

Organization + Style Guide

Please feel free to DM me on Instagram / email me with any questions while you’re working through these mini courses. I am more than happy to help + keep you moving + encouraged!

And don’t forget, enrollment for the Declutter Your Home Masterclass will be open for enrollment again early next year! If you want to learn more about this holistic, deep dive into learning how to declutter + learn all of the skills you’ll ever need to declutter your home + life for good, click HERE. If you want to know the moment it is live again in 2022, make sure you’re signed up for EMAILS (light on your inbox + you’ll get a bonus low cost organizing guide too just for signing up!).

Thanks for being here.

Why Your Refrigerator Is Working Against You + How To Fix It

If you’ve ever stopped for a moment in front of your refrigerator and thought, “Why is this not better, why does it look like this, and why do I keep wasting food?” Well, I have answers for you that will help you blast past this today. For a space we are in an out of all day, it deserves a little TLC to make life easier.

Quick note, if someone asks me to talk about organization anywhere in the home, you must know that this is a deeply layered topic to truly undercover what is going on and the steps to resolve it. This is just real life, but I am here for it and I hope you are too! I am also here to make that process streamlined and easier for you, I bet you’re here for that too!

Here’s the RECAP BELOW if you missed the video chat that you can also see in my Instagram highlights under KITCHEN I.

ISSUE #1: You’re not treating your refrigerator like it’s a room in your home.

You need to have a mindset shift about your refrigerator right now to improve things, and here’s the secret…you need to treat your fridge just like any other room in your home you’re trying to improve.

SOLUTION: View it like a room in your home. And you need to take the steps with it you would like any other room in your home. You need to ✓ edit/declutter it thoroughly, ✓ simplify what’s happen in there with clear zones and organization that support those zones, and you need to ✓ design it to be helpful, low waste, and beautiful to make life easier in there!

A few quick tips on decluttering + editing your refrigerator today:

✓ Remove expired product/produce/etc.

✓ Remove items you’re not going to eat (that sauce that looked great and wasn’t your vibe)

✓ Clean out and recycle or repurpose containers/jars as much as possible

✓ Pull everything out and sort it in to categories as you remove each item to save time

✓ Wipe everything down (it doesn’t have to be perfect)

ISSUE #2: You don’t have clear zones for EVERYTHING going in your refrigerator.

This is also true for creating space for things that can change, like leftovers (small and large containers). If you don’t plan for these types of spaces beyond the big, obvious stuff, the items you don’t plan for will overhaul your other areas and destroy your organization.

SOLUTION: Create clear zones for everything, and I mean everything. This will help you save time finding things and putting them away, along with saving you money because you won’t forget about what you actually have in your refrigerator. Get creative with the space you do have and don’t feel like you have to stick to conventional uses for each common area in your fridge. Create zones that make sense for you + your home.

A few quick tips on creating clear zones:

✓ Consider moving shelves around in your fridge to take advantage of unused space (think about move a shelf up high for all your shorter items that take advantage of an often forget zone at the top).

✓ Start with the easy items to put back first. If you know the only spot certain condiments or tall drinks fit, put those away first.

✓ Give everything a spot, even if it a spot that is a broad category, like left overs.

✓ Leave breathing room. You don’t have to fill everything up. The refrigerator is one of the only areas of your home where the physical space literally changes multiple times a day. Allow space for this changes + set up some areas/zones that are super flexible.

✓ Corral awkward + varying shaped items in a single category with a container to maximize your space. Example: coffees + syrups. Lots of different shapes that make sense together in a long plastic container that keeps things orderly and easy to see.

✓ Label bins or containers of items when you’re more likely to get disorganized + just throw things in. You know what I’m talking about… you don’t have to label everything, but even a few labels go a long way!

ISSUE #3: You’ve got clear zones, but they’re in the wrong spot.

News flash: You can have an organized refrigerator with clear zones, but if you have things in the wrong spot, it can still be an issue; you will still waste time and money on what’s being stored in there because of where things are located.

SOLUTION: Move zones (or categories of food) in the refrigerator that make life easy. Pay attention to where you’ve had issues before in your refrigerator and design around those to make quick improvements. Example: You’re always forgetting leftovers, so move your leftovers landing spot to the front in a spot that easy to see, and maybe start storing them in clear/glass containers so you can see exact what you have.

A few quick tips on making sure your refrigerator food zones are in the right location:

✓ Frequently used items should be front and center, easy to grab.

✓ If you struggle to use up food before it spoils/expires, put them in clear containers so you can SEE everything.

✓ Don’t allow items to get shoved to the back. Instead consider a clear bin to corral categories of items that you can slide out to get access to just you would a drawer.

✓ Not all fruit or produce has to be stored in the drawers assigned by the refrigerator manufacturer. You might like those drawers better for breads, canned drinks, or for left overs. Create your own rules that take advantage of your space.

✓ Revisit your zones and tweak things (move them around) when you notice you are forgetting about foods or you’re struggling to reach something. Small tweaks translate to big improvements.

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

Now it’s time to go tame the chaos in your refrigerator, or just spruce it up a little bit! For a space we’re in and out of so much each day, you’ll be blown away at how a little time spent in there can have a cascade of positives happen with your mood and how you organize other areas of your home.

If you’re ready for more support in your kitchen, you’ll want to make sure to check out the Kitchen + Pantry Ultimate Guide launching in JULY 2021! Make sure you are on the email list so you’re the first to know when it is live!

Ready to streamline your home + make it more beautiful without running out and buying a ton of product? I’ve got you, that’s how I roll too. I’d love for you to check out all the resources I’ve created for you here.



I Took A Month Off Social Media For Business Planning + Here's What I Learned

Social media can be an incredible place for connection and learning, it can also be heavy and toxic. I want to preface this conversation in saying my plan starting out was to take off 1-2 weeks from social media to focus on business planning, and, well…2 weeks turned into a month. It’s been a very interesting month and I wanted to capture for you what I learned so that it might be helpful for you both in business and in life.

Here’s how it started.

When I started my few weeks of focused business planning, I had a lot of questions for myself and my business. As a solo-entrepreneurs, we can be in a constant state of doing because of all the hats you wear. Tweak your website here, streamline that process there, market all the things here. It’s exhausting without boundaries, and part of your schedule should be intentional time NOT doing things. Strategic time to think, plan, write, draw, let your mind wander around a bit. It is a hard thing for me to do, for someone who loves to be in action and doing all the time. Do you feel this way too?

In an effort to be more intentional about having clear boundaries for myself and my business, there were a few primary themes that surfaced that I hope will be helpful for you too. Alright, let’s dive in!

Questions that surfaced in my 4 weeks away from social media.

When I took a break from content creating and planning for social media, some vital brain space freed up and I started by asking myself a very important question that changed the whole trajectory of my energy for the next several weeks, and for good.

1. How do I want to show up + bring value?

Stick with, this is a big one right out of the gate! I asked myself at the core of everything: How do I want to show up + bring value to my current and future clients? How do I want to impact their lives? This question I knew needed greater clarity because some ideas were crystal clear, others had become a bit fuzzy.

So here’s what surfaced:

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO CREATE THEIR BEST LIFE in the home they’re in, by teaching them how their home environment directly impacts this + how to change it.

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO TAKE ACTION AND MAKE CHANGES to their home environment + improve their quality of life.

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO KNOW THEIR POWER in their home, and help them focus on what they can control in practical steps that aim to reduce overwhelm + build confidence.

I WANT TO HELP WOMEN CREATE THEIR HOMES into a place where they feel restored, creative, joyful and productive (and anything else they’re after).

I WANT TO MEET EACH CLIENT WHERE THEY’RE AT and encourage them on their home journey, wherever and however they want to start.

I WANT EACH CLIENT TO FEEL EMPOWERED by the choices they have in their home and confident in their ability to start with small actions.

I WANT TO SHARE WITH EACH CLIENT the most effective tools to help them transform their current home with sustainable, long-lasting results with strategies that fit their current season of life.

I WANT TO CUT THROUGH THE NOISE and teach my clients realistic ways to transform their home that don’t require a ton of time or money, and can be done with their own two hands.

As I got clearer on how exactly I want to serve my clients and how I want to take care of them, I started asking even more questions about where my energy was currently going in my business.

By the way, you can’t do any of this without SLOWING DOWN.

This is one of the first things I discuss in my Declutter Your Home Masterclass, that you must SLOW DOWN to SPEED UP and put new skills into action. You must start by slowing down, take an objective look around to figure out what is actually going in your space. What do you want to happen in here that’s not happening now? What needs to stay, and what needs to go to focus more strategically on your big end goal?

Taking an inventory of where your energy is going in your business (or life) I’ve discovered is incredibly similar to taking an assessment of a room that you want to improve because you know it’s not quite right.

Where your energy goes in your business (or life) in general is exactly the same as assessing what’s working and isn’t working in your spaces throughout your home.

( Thank you God for this revelation during my slow down time!! )

So where exactly was my energy going in my very limited amount of time I am working during the week? To answer these questions, I had to take a break from doing all the things.

Friends, you have to SLOW DOWN + STOP.

Here’s more about what surfaced through this slow down…

2. What do I wish I was doing LESS of in my business?

+ WORRYING ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA. My remedy: Have clear goals + boundaries for how and when I will show up on social media.

All of this may seem like it’s a no-brainer, but the climate of social media has shifted in big ways that can be draining to you as a human and a business owner. I also acknowledge that it is one valuable way I can connect with each of you.

A few things I do know is that I will NOT show up on social media and contribute to reminding people of current and past trauma. For example, I will not be engaging in highly heated topics that can be triggers for my tribe/clients (I’m not going to list of them all, you already know what these topics look and feel like). One of my favorite Instagram accounts afrominimalist shared this so well the other day; that we need to be highly thoughtful before we re-post information we find that’s simply in another format of info circulating around — and to be incredibly mindful of what we consume while on social media. It effects your whole being. If we have a conversation around home on social media thru Fuzzy Hippo Shop, it will be supportive, encouraging and motivational.

I care about YOU + YOUR HOME. Period.

I’m finally at peace with these boundaries I have set for myself + my business. I also know how I want to show up offline to contribute actively + positively to the world around me, including how I raise/guide my children to do the same.

I hope you too will set whatever boundaries you need to support your physical, mental and emotional health as it relates to social media, and focus even more on how you want to show up to impact the world positively offline. This will look different for each of us.

+ STRESSING ABOUT MARKETING. My remedy: Continue to grow in business and marketing knowledge, while applying this in a more human way to the people I want to serve + support.

Marketing is hard for me. While I love talking about how I can support and help people, I don’t like selling product. But that is essentially what a business is, am I right? Sharing information about something you have created, asking people to learn about it, and then if it is a good fit, asking them to buy it. A business cannot survive without making money.

I have some lofty goals about supporting my family in a greater way financially, as well and setting money aside for my children for their future education/life goals, whatever that may look like. I will have to sell the products I offer and I will have to sell services to my clients. These things I have to accept, and it is not easy for me, as a person who is by nature an introvert but can turn on the extrovert button on occasion.

A helpful mindset shift I’ve had, that may be helpful for you as well if you’re a business owner, is that I am simply going to focus more on SHARING.

I’m going to give myself the space to share more intentionally, be highly transparent with what I offer in my business, and allow myself to feel confident that the clients that need the support I offer will join our tribe in whatever way makes sense for them + they’re comfortable with.

I’m at peace with this mindset shift and I am excited to put it into action!

3. What do I wish I was doing MORE of in my business?

How often do you ask yourself this, in business and in life? This seems to be a highly important question to revisit from time to time, as your values do shift.

Our values can shift in both obvious/large ways + subtle/small ways.

I haven’t noticed any large shifts in the last year (even during a pandemic, which feels shocking) but I have noticed that some things that I enjoy and I miss doing have strongly revealed themselves to me until I couldn’t ignore them anymore…so what do I wish I was doing more of in my business?

+ WRITING. My remedy: Write more!! I’m doing it write now!! Progress!!

I can’t say that I forgot how much I enjoy writing, but more recently its been pouring out of me in a big way. The ideas + topics I’m looking forward to taking a deeper dive into with you feel endlessly exciting!

I cannot dream up a more fulfilling topic to discuss with you than improving your quality of life through your home environment!! Honestly, I can’t.

I’ve always loved writing. I’ve also always disliked reading (however I love reading with my kids). I don’t like being short winded. I like discussing things thoroughly to share deep understanding, insight and provide support/ideas through writing. I hope that a greater focus on blogging will be both therapeutic on my end and offer a lot of value to you, my readers. Make sure you’re on my email list to know when my new posts are live!

+ HAVING HONEST CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOME. My remedy: More of this! Keep having them!!

I want to demystify and crack open all the old, unrealistic concepts about how our homes work.

I want to talk a lot more about what’s influencing us in society with our homes, ideas that have been passed down about home, and what it actually looks like to “fix” the things we might need to lean into a bit more to make our homes both lovable, livable, and make life easier.

Recently I’ve become very concerned about the idea that some of us think that we will never have enough time or money to make our homes feel like ours + become a place of calm and refuge. I simply cannot accept this. I can’t. I know it is possible regardless of your season of life, where you are financially, and with whatever time you have available. I will keep pressing on to prove this to you + show you how, that I can promise you!

4. What areas of my business do I feel most energized by?

+ INFORMAL EMAILS + DMs FROM YOU ON IG: I love it so so much when you send me a message telling me about something you’re working on + the benefits of your efforts in your home you’re starting to see + feel that I’ve helped guide you to! Incredible!

I mean, what’s better than this? I feel so energized + inspired by you and the changes you make with your own two hands in your home. You don’t have to wait for some else, or wait for the perfect day to show up. You simplify have to start. But the most important thing I’ve heard + feel from these conversations is that your confidence in your ability to act and create change in your home is growing and you feel empowered. That’s massively wonderful. I’m here for all this.

+ SHARING WHAT WORKS IN OUR HOME: Being able to share real life in our home as it applies to decluttering, simplifying your patterns + systems, all coupled with design and how it can all be possible for you.

It massively energizes me and motivates me to share more helpful tips with you to try out as needed in your own home that have already been put through the ringer in our home. Our home is not perfect, and in fact, likely has a lot of the same imperfections that you might currently be stressed out and obsessing over. I want you to know you can make your current home amazing.

5. What do I wish people knew more about me +/or my business?

+ THAT YOU WILL CREATE THE POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR HOME. No more saying you’re not good at it, or it’s not the right time or you’re waiting on something or someone else.

+ BEING GOOD/WELL-SEASONED AT DECLUTTERING, SIMPLIFYING + DESIGN ARE ALL SETS OF SKILLS THAT ANYONE CAN LEARN. Don’t sell yourself short, with the right tools + coaching, you’ll have it down and you’ll have it for life. Stick with me, I’ll show you!

+ THAT DECLUTTERING YOUR HOME WILL LIKELY NOT SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS. But it will solve a lot of them. I’ve narrowed down all home environment/space issues to 3 LAYERS that I believe whole-heartedly that if all are addressed in some capacity, you can “fix” your space, then only lightly manage from there.

You must DECLUTTER (be intentional about what you own and own less), you must SIMPLIFY (streamline and create more efficiency in your daily patterns), and you must intentionally DESIGN to complete the story and curate what you want happening in your space. If one part is left out, you’ll know it and feel it almost immediately.

+ MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND STARTED IN ARCHITECTURE, THEN SHIFTED TO INTERIOR DESIGN. I have a lot of technical knowledge about all things buildings/homes (I’m also a licensed Interior Designer) and take this into consideration with all 3 LAYERS (Declutter, Simplify, Design).

But all that aside, where I’m MOST interested in is digging in deep with you is the environment you’re creating in your home. Understanding HOW to create space that work well, are livable, easy to maintain, and actively contribute to your sense of well-being physically, mentally and emotionally.

6. What am I most excited about that’s coming up next?

+ CLEARER BOUNDARIES FOR MYSELF + MY BUSINESS! Woohoo!!!

+ MORE BLOGGING/WRITING!

+ LOTS OF GREAT TOPICS TO DISCUSS IN OUR EOW (END OF WEEK CHATS) ON INSTAGRAM! Feel free to DM me or send me an email with any ideas for future topics you’d like me to discuss!

+ A FEW NEW PROGRAMS I HOPE TO ROLL OUT SOMETIME SUMMER/EARLY FALL! Here’s a little sneak peek!

• SIMPLIFY YOUR HOME GUIDE

• REDESIGN + REFRESH ANY SPACE GUIDE

• KITCHEN + PANTRY ULTIMATE GUIDE

You can learn more about these + all the other programs/guides/support available for you HERE.

+ VIRTUAL HOME COACHING - 1 ROOM! A holistic approach that includes Decluttering | Simplifying | Design as a complete package to maximize your results, one room at a time.

Coming in the FALL 2021. Email me HERE to get on the waitlist + to learn more!

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, thank you for being here + I hope you grabbed some helpful tips you can put to work for you in your own life/home.

Would you love help slowing down to reflect to SIMPLIFY where your time/energy is going in your life or business right now? Awesome! I’ve got you!

My Business + Life Simplifying Guide is now available for you HERE! Start simplifying your business, life or both right now with this helpful tool that keeps you focused + moving forward with tangible action steps.

My Approach To Interior Design + Tips For Your Own Home

The Real Reality: Our homes are multi-faceted and require various levels of support during our time within them.

No matter what area of your home you’d like to improve, I know these Interior Design tips will help you move forward in a way that will help guide where you should put your energy next in your home.

1. I always start with the 3 Ps: People, Patterns + Potential.

Regardless of the project, no matter the location, size, type, I always start here. I work on lists + diagrams of each of these simultaneously because they are all so interwoven and need to be thoroughly thought of together.

✔ People: Who’s using the space currently? Who will or would you like to use in the future? Are there any special needs by these users? And yes, this may include pets!

✔ Patterns: What is happening in the space? What going on now (that you want to continue) and what need to be eliminated? Are there any new things you want to happen here? What needs to be simplified/improved overall? We’re always looking to create simplified, efficient patterns no matter what space you are working on to save you time and energy.

✔ Potential: What are your goals for the space? What challenges do you want to overcome? These can be as broad or as details as you’d like. This can be for a small or large area (small = cabinet, large = entire room). What excites you about transforming this space? List out all the positives that can come of the improvements you want to make. How will these changes improve other areas of your home/life as a domino effect?

Ex. When I redesign my pantry to make it more efficiency, it will make meal prep much easier and save us more time throughout the day that I can use for other things that are important me.

Ex. When we redesign our current office room to also accommodate a guest, we will no longer have to overhaul our entire living room each time someone comes to stay, and they can have their own space to comfortably store their belongings.

People Pattern + Potential drive all of the questions I ask my client + all the decisions I make thorough the design process.

2. Avoid creating spaces that feel “flat”.

What does a space feeling flat mean? Well first, I am referring to entire rooms on this one. The exception being the garage, discussion for another day my friend. So a room that feels “flat” is one dimensional. It is one style, has no variation or texture, it lacks layers, it is hard to focus on anything because everything feels very similar and lacks contrast (or might have too much…stick with me).

WAYS TO AVOID A ROOM FEELING “FLAT”:

✔ Integrate complimentary styles to your primary/preferred style (Ex. You love modern, add natural elements to contrast and enhance your modern decor).

✔ Add texture and variation in a room through textiles/woven items - blankets, pillows, storage solutions - but only bring in things you love + use!

✔ Add layers through collected items that tell a story of what you love - when you display items you love + don’t overcrowd them, the soul of the room is felt. What you love comes to life!

✔ Contrast is essential and can be loud or subtle, depending on your style. Contrast can come from framed artwork, fabrics, a rug, paint, etc. If you love a light and bright white room (me!) look to add contrast on your wall art and other elements that soften the room.

Work within the design boundaries you feel most comfortable + good in, always.

3. Curate what you want people to care about.

If you watched my IG stories on this topic, you know I talked about choosing the “show ponies” of your space. Yes, this is my term, AKA focal points. Everything cannot be the show pony of the room, it would become overwhelming, loud and draining. Pick your moments. What do you care most about in your room? Is it artwork? It is your incredibly comfortable couch? Is the fireplace? Is it a colored glass collection on a shelf? Is it your big dining table where everything happens? Is it a framed favorite family recipe in your kitchen? Pick a few “show ponies” and then give them breathing room. Don’t overcrowd them. They’ll be even more amazing, trust me.

4. Natural light is always a good idea.

Now you may need to be thoughtful about managing this light (window treatments, etc.), but let’s be honest, everyone looks great in natural light. Everything looks better in natural light, much like a great photo. Bounce more light around in a dark room with lighter walls and lighter decor through out. The light that does come in will bounce around more easily. If you love dark and moody, choose your moments and use lighter/brighter spaces adjacent to it to enhance the moody tones you love.

5. Low maintenance spaces = good design.

High maintenance spaces can ruin a beautiful design. It can take all the amazing elements you’ve curated over years of experiences and your own hard earned money and destroy it. If a space takes a lot of work to manage, you’re constantly cleaning up in it (for long periods of time + feeling frustrated), things are hard to find and difficult to put away, and oh by the way, it leaves you feeling completely drained, it is too much. It is too high maintenance. It is poorly designed. This is fixable.

HOW TO CREATE A LOW MAINTENANCE SPACE:

✔ Create a foundation in your room of reduced clutter + basic organization of your essentials

✔ Add efficiency + remove obstacles to complete your normal day to day tasks

✔ Simplify your patterns + normal daily habits to make them as easy to do as possible

✔ Infuse your personal style + aesthetic around this decluttered + simplified foundation for your space

✔ A well-designed space is only as good as your ability to maintain it

PS. Did you catch this conversation it in my IG stories? If not, no worries. See “Interior Design” highlight on @fuzzyhipposhop to re-watch this video conversation. You can also find this in my IGTV.

Declutter + Organize Without Making A Huge Mess

If the fear of making a huge mess often scares you away from decluttering + organizing, please keep reading!

We’re going to talk about both the mess + the overwhelm of larger projects, or projects that might take more time to knock out. Solutions do exist for all of this, I promise!

We started this discussion last week in our EOW Chat (end of week) that I post on Instagram stories typically on Friday or Saturday each week. When This conversation was initiated by several of you reaching out to me over the course of many months, sharing your own concerns + stories, so I thought this topic deserved a deeper look. Let’s get to it!

Many of you (and myself included) said that there are often times when you KNOW there is an area your home that needs attention - whether it be decluttering, organizing, or both - BUT you never get started out of FEAR of making a big mess during the process. This fear stops you in your tracks.

This fear you’ve expressed to me, and that I am very familiar with, comes from various layers worth mentioning. See if any of these thoughts resonate with you:

• When I get started decluttering or organizing, it spreads out and takes over my whole house!

• Decluttering makes more of a mess than what I had to start with!

• I don’t have enough space in my home to start decluttering.

• My kids will get into everything I’m trying to sort through.

• I don’t have enough time to declutter an area and get it pulled back together quick enough.

• I’m not going to be able to use this space for my day-to-day if I start decluttering here.

I hear you. I do. Now let’s start talking about solutions.

Create a Plan + Timeframe

Without a plan you will lose focus. Let’s say you want to tackle a space this month. Great. Right it down on paper, on the refrigerator, in your phone, add to your google docs/schedule, whatever works best for you. After you have your timeframe in place, it’s time to dive into some practical strategies to make your decluttering/organizing actually happen.

Assess Your Space

Take a moment to get clear on the area you’re wanting to work on decluttering/organizing. Is it a closet? It it an entire room? It is one part of a space? Get clear on what it is you want to get through. Now look at this space objectively - what is it made up of? Shelves, drawers, furniture, bins, piles, containers? Learning to look at your space IN PIECES is a great tool to help you more easily break your space up into MINI ZONES. These mini zones make the decluttering/organizing task more manageable. Now go get your donation/giveaway + keep boxes ready! Let’s keep going!

Avoid A Massive Mess

First, I’m going to be candid with you, there will be some mess. That is actually an indication that progress is happening! But here’s how to not let it get totally out of control and take over your home. Once you’re seeing your space in MINI ZONES, decide where you want to start. If you feel like you can’t work in that particular space to get the decluttering done, go grab a box/bag/container and fill it with the items from one or more of the MINI ZONES in your space (ex. empty out one full drawer or shelf into your box). Then take it out of the room to go through in a low traffic space - like the top of your washing machine, a low use counter top, the garage, on a bed in the spare bedroom - somewhere out of your high use spaces so you can keep moving + living.

You can also apply this to CATEGORIES you see in your space - remove all the books and put them in a box to go through - finish that category then move on to the next category until you’ve chipped away at your entire space. Or let’s say you want to get through your entire closet this month with limited time/space. Go through 1 category each night and put things back each night so there’s not a clothing explosion all over your room for weeks on end! Decluttering/organizing by MINI ZONES or BY CATEGORY will also help you manage your time and not get so overwhelmed by the process. It also lends itself perfectly to not having large, continuous chunks of time to do the work.

What To Ask Yourself

✓ Is it bringing value to myself/home/family?

✓ Do I/we use it?

✓ Do I actually like to look at this item?

✓ Does it support my current + future life goals?

✓ Would I buy it full price in the store today?

Be objective, be honest, stay focused on creating space for what you love + value + is essential to your life/home day to day.

Restore Order

While you’re going through your space, you can choose to put things back gradually or all at once once decluttering is completed. Your most effective organizing will happen once you see all of your KEEP items together, to make better sense of them as a group. Also consider if these KEEP items should go back where you found them, or be more helpful + efficient in another location. Sometimes decluttering in a different space than where you found the item is highly beneficial, as it often helps you separate yourself and the item from its’ old, often stagnate home. It can be easier to assess the value of something in a neutral location more objectively.

Parting Ways

As those donation bags or boxes are filling up, even if you are in the middle of your decluttering in that space, I encourage you to remove them from your home as quickly as possible. Divert as much from landfills as possible. Set up a scheduled pick up time, give the items away to a friend, drop off at a local charity, shelter or donation site as soon as you are able to. Make sure to remove the items you’re parting with from the space you’re working on immediately. This will help you more quickly see your progress and not let you get hung up on indecision. Honor your instincts and decisions. If you’d like to sell some items, give yourself a timeframe, and create a donation or giveaway back up plan if your items don’t sell. Keep your eyes + actions focused on looking forward (not back)!

For more decluttering + organizing resources see these guides:

Declutter Your Home Masterclass (doors close 2/5)!

Clothing Closet Declutter Guide

Declutter Guide for Kids + All the Things!

Organization + Style Guide

Note: Clothing Closet Declutter Guide, Declutter Guide for Kids, and the Organization + Style Guide are ALL included in the bonus section of the Declutter Your Home Masterclass.

5 Simple Things To Reduce Stress + Anxiety Now

Are you feeling it… yep, I’m feeling it too! Did you know the environment we create in our home has a huge impact on how we navigate stress? So let’s talk solutions.

If you're feeling anxious, stressed or uneasy, here's 5 simple things you can do right now in your home that will help, with little effort + time.

1. Clear a counter.

Small or large, choose one and make it as minimal as possible. Only leave out what you absolutely need...BLISS! Anytime you can reduce visual fatigue in your home, the better. You simply do this by reducing how much is grabbing for you eyes and attention.

*My kitchen counter seems to have the most impact on my stress level, so I try to keep it in check since it is used often and highly visible to the whole house.

2. Hang up clothes/jackets/piles laying around.

Take 5 minutes to put things away if there’s any piles or items stacked up in a chair, and enjoy seeing your space without the piles.

*Same is true with bags, coats, boots + shoes. Put a few things back in their home and reduce the visual clutter quickly. Phew!

3. Streamline your nightstand.

Keep it as minimal and joyful as possible. Add flowers, a good book or magazine, some cozy socks, maybe a good candle and clear off the rest.

*Mine is very simple right now - I have a lamp, one book/mag, glass of water, and typically that is it! Oh, and my polka sleep socks are in a basket on a shelf under the top of the nightstand…essentials!

4. Make your bed.

Simplify what's on there to the best items that you love. Make it look inviting, fluff the pillows, put your favorite throw blanket at the foot of the bed to grab anytime you need it. Done!

*My favorite, soft, cozy throw blanket sits at the foot of our bed and it is my go-to in the evening. I love knowing it is there, ready and waiting. Also, seeing a made bed throughout the day is such a game changer for how clean your room looks and how good it feels. Try it, trust me.

5. Pour yourself a glass of water.

Temperature of your choice - give it a boost with some fruit slices or mint.

*I love combining citrus fruit slices and strawberries - and sometimes I use frozen mango for the ice - delicious!

I hope these tips help you today + become your go-to when you need a quick reset anytime you're feeling a bit off. Keep it simple + spend only a few minutes.

You have incredible power right in front of you to create good, right in your home. Take care my friends.

PS. If you have more chaos + clutter to tame and you want help making it feel less overwhelming, check out all of my mini courses + guides HERE.

Declutter Your Home Masterclass: What it is Actually Like Inside?

[ THE SNEAK PEEK YOU’VE BEEN ASKING FOR ]

We all want a peek behind the curtain to see if this program is right for us before we click buy…I get it, I am the same way!

So let’s demystify and answer your top questions I’ve received about the Declutter Your Home Masterclass since the original launch back in the fall of 2020.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here is the full outline of the content in the Masterclass HERE.

YOUR CONCERNS + QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1. I am afraid it is going to take up too much TIME. (I barely have any, how will I do this too?)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

✔ It is flexible and self-paced program, which means it can work with your schedule. I teach you how to find pockets of time to make tangible progress!

✔ I have strategically organized the content in a way that you can digest in small bits. Then move on to the next topic.

✔ I only encourage you to make progress on decluttering in your home through MINI TASKS. This is the way to stay motivated and see clear progress quickly.

✔ All the tools I have created for you in each section SAVE YOU TIME. When you follow the tools/checklists I provide, you get the results you’re craving the quickest.

2. Since this is self-paced, how do I stay on track and stay motivated?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

✔ Self-paced means that you get to move as fast or as slow as you need to. You personalize the pace to make sense for your current life and what it will permit. For some of us, that is a few evenings a week after the kids go to bed. Others like to dedicate part of a weekend. It all depends on your person goal(s) which I help you intentionally discover and outline in a practical, tangible way. Replace your phone scrolling with this MC in small bits and you can completely transform your home + life before you know it.

✔ The content is organized in a very simple way, WELCOME, START HERE, STEP ONE, STEP TWO, STEP THREE, BONUS CONTENT (which is filled with extra awesomeness by the way). In each section you are given a quick video with me to watch, and a list of content to review, plus all the resources and tools to get you moving quickly on that topic. You are stepped through each area in a way that is easy to understand/implement.

✔ I’ve recently added a bonus checklist that you can keep and print out to help you keep track and check off your progress while you move through MC. You’ll find that under the WELCOME section. Also, each section is loaded with simple, helpful lists to help you move through the skills with ease + lots of support.

3. Once I buy the MC, I know I have life-time access to all the content, but what does that really mean?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

✔ It means that once you purchase the program, you have IMMEDIATE ACCESS and CONTINUED access to all the material and resources as long as you’d like (for personal use only).

✔ Occasionally I might add updates or an extra bonus to the material or an awesome resource I run across and you get that too! You are the first to be notified of these extras via email, and they will be added to the MC outline pages (where you find all the content).

✔ You can login and access the content from the Masterclass outline page from pretty much anywhere (on your smartphone, tablet or laptop/desktop).

4. What’s the best way to move through the Masterclass to get the most benefit/bang for my buck?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

✔ To get the MAXIMUM benefit of the Declutter Your Home Masterclass, I honestly believe you need to go start to finish. Move through the sections as I have laid them out for you. The order is easy to follow.

✔ Each of the sections were written/created in a way to build on skills and knowledge we’ve discussed in the previous section. You will want the knowledge base from each of the previous sections to rock it in the next section. They all build + support each other!

✔ I also provide quick links for you to access all of the most important resources and tools to implement new skills at the end of the section content. Each of these quick resources are easy to pop open and utilized the moment you need them without digging through the full section to find them.

5. When will I see results from the skills I learn in the Masterclass? What will my home feel like, and what can I expect?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

✔ The first results you will noticed are the simple mindset shifts you will make early on in the WELCOME section. These will continue and are strengthened during the START HERE section. You will notice an IMMEDIATE shift in how you approach your home, making future skills you’ll learn even easier to implement.

✔ In Step One and Step Two, we start taking the most ACTION steps were you will see real physical results right in front of you. You will learn how to assess concerns (and find problem areas) and find high priority areas in your home to address and then create a goal. I teach you exactly how to break it down into small steps to actually make it happen. I give you ALL the exact tools you need to learn and implement decluttering anything, in any area of your home. It’s amazing! Skills you have forever!

✔ By the time you are in Step Three and you’ve moved through all the previous sections, you are an old pro! You have an incredible skillset to identify issues in your home, understand how they got there, declutter the area, improve the efficiency and organization in the space, and then know what to do with the items you’re parting ways with. You will also learn how to prep your home for future success and continue to set decluttering goals for your home as needed.

✔ Most importantly, these results are sustainable that you continue to benefit from. You get immediate results, you get results throughout the process, and you continue to benefit from your decluttering efforts long after you’ve completed your goals, even in the smallest of areas and even through the smallest of goals. Also, YOU START SAVING MONEY because you actually know what you have in your home!!!

✔ Your home will feel lighter, more efficient, less frustrating, less stressful…many report they feel like they “can finally breathe” in their home. It feels calmer, it feels relaxing. They feel less anxious. You start saving money…the list is longer…who doesn’t want all of this?

YES, THAT WAS A BIT LONG WINDED…but sometimes that is what is needed, as I wanted to make DARN sure I eased your concerns and help you decide if the MASTERCLASS make sense for you right now. If you have anymore questions, feel free to leave a comment below or email me at: fuzzyhippodesign@gmail.com

And thank you AGAIN to all my current Declutter Your Home Masterclass Students!! You are all telling me about the amazing things happening in your homes, the difference you feel, and the improvements you see in your day to day. I am so grateful + happy to be along side you for it! Keep the awesome stories + feedback coming!

Start Decluttering + Organizing Today With My Top 3 Strategies

OK my friend, let’s get REAL for a second here. We are being swept up in a whirlwind of people and companies giving advice on how to reduce what you have in your home and how to get organized, and A LOT of that basically points at you needing to buy more “product” to make any of this happen. I don’t completely agree with this, in fact I want to shift gears here a bit and share with you my TOP 3 STRATEGIES to get you going on decluttering + organizing in your home RIGHT NOW, today, as you read this blog post. These strategies will work and will make a difference. I want you to get ready to put them into action on your home ASAP. And no, I am not going to tell you have to go buy any products to get started, I promise!

So let’s go ahead and dive right in.

STRATEGY #1: You need to slow down.

No really, SLOW DOWN! You need to slow your roll…and you can approach it two ways.

ONE, in general start slowing down when you are doing any daily task in your home. Notice how you are feeling during them, are you frustrated, do you find yourself looking for things, are things falling on you while you try to perform a basic task like grab something from the pantry, etc. Also, which tasks are smooth as butter? Which ones are so simple and mindless and easy to complete? We need to pay attention to both. Write them down or take mental note of both conditions as you see fit.

TWO, another option is to look at one specific area of your home you know is a big pain-point for you. For example, your laundry room is driving you nuts, it feels disorganized, it doesn’t look good in there, you have issues finding things and keeping things in good stock and you generally dislike being in the space. Write down every layer of what is an issue and what obstacles seem to be present making it a frustrating space to be in and complete basic tasks in.

STRATEGY #2: edit + sort

After you have slowed down and you’ve decided to focus on one “problem area” that you’ve taken a moment to identify things that are causing you grief, let’s now start focusing on change. Before we do this, we need to start with editing + sorting.

Remove items in the space that are:

✔ broken

✔ not used

✔ need to be in another area of your home

✔ have too many duplicates of

✔ you dislike or have a negative associate with

✔ is not essential, useful or valuable to your day to day

With whatever is left + you are keeping, do the following:

✔ group items into “like categories”

✔ group items by type, shape and/or frequency of use

✔ you might need to apply several of these to one category as you see fit, but just get started and see where it goes

✔ example // junk drawer groups: writing utensils, scrap paper/notebooks, tools, office supplies, misc. Lay each item out in their appropriate group on a table for a closer look with strategy #3 next

STRATEGY #3: tap into YOUR RHYTHMS to truly get organized

OK, so you have created piles of things into groups that make some basic sense for you and you’re further along than when you started. EXCELLENT. Let’s get things put back in a way that’s intentional, efficient and looks good.

Let’s talk RHYTHM. How do you use this space? What essential activities are happening here?

You can apply this to something as large a room or as small as a drawer. Rhythms are relevant everywhere because it cues your brain on what to do and how to do it. You want this to be as simplified as possible.

I’m going to use the laundry room example again. Let’s say there’s 3 major things you do in here: you manage all the laundry, you store dog supplies/food here, and it’s a catch all for household supplies/tools/etc. So your RHYTHMS are all centered around these 3 tasks (doing laundry, taking care of the dog, and grabbing a household item/tool).

Now you can start to put things back into the space based on these RHYTHMS you’ve identified that need to occur in the space. Laundry essentials go back together, dog essentials get grouped together, household essentials put back together.

And LAST BUT NOT LEAST (and probably your favorite topic to discuss)…

Let’s talk ORGANIZATION. This is where RHYTHM, FUNCTION + BEAUTY all come together. 

Within each group of items that SUPPORT A RHYTHM (or essential activity) you’ll organize your items with these guidelines:

✔ items you need to see and reach/grab daily or frequently make them easy to access

✔ create simple groupings within these high access or low access groups by shape, size and/or by color + style, and labels are always great to remind you what you have and maintain order

✔ further corral random sizes of things that support a rhythm but don’t really “go together” or maybe don’t look very good together by gathering them in a container, basket, box,tray, etc. Giving them a boundary is essential or it can get chaotic and spread out fast.

✔ aim to shop your home first for these containers - you can always swap them out over time as needed but the edit/grouping/organizing will already be done!

OK, IT’S ACTION TIME!

Go put these strategies to use, test them out, and tell me how it is working for you! My goal is always to transparently + honestly teach you the tools to help you to be immediately active in improving your home environment as soon as possible. It will always be worth the effort, even in small chunks. Set a timer for 15-30 minutes and see what you can do. I think you will surprise yourself.

P.S. If you’re feeling like you want even more help with decluttering + organization / you’d love to take the guess work out of it + clarify where you should start? I’ve got you. Click HERE to learn more. As always, please feel free to email me with any questions you have. EMAIL: fuzzyhippodesign@gmail.com

Thanks for being here.

30 Day Declutter Challenge

Hello my dear friend!

HOW ARE YOU? Wow, what a doozy of a year we’ve had so far. Some of you joined us WAY back in March when we all went into shelter-in-place and started a quarantine lifestyle for the health of ourselves and our community with the onset of COVID-19. During those first 30 days, I invited my Instagram family to join me in a 30 Day Declutter Challenge where we did one *mini* declutter challenge each day for 30 days (we took Sundays off), so it took about a full month-ish. I wanted to recap that 30 day experience with you all here, and if you missed any days, or wanted to get started here on your own time, I have it all mapped out below for you.

The nature of these challenges, as I mentioned, is that they are indeed intended to be*mini* declutter challenges, meaning that they should likely only take you between 5-15 minutes each. Consider it a quick declutter session where you stay focus only on the task at hand, and then you move along with your day!

Did you know that I did all of the challenges right along side everyone and showed each day my progress and how I approached each mini challenge?

Yes, I sure did! See all of the details in my Instagram highlights, click HERE.

[ NOTE: you’ll need to scroll through the Instagram highlight bubbles and look for these highlights: 1Mini Declutter | 2Mini Declutter | 3Mini Declutter. There’s three different highlights to capture our full month+ because we went through a lot of awesomeness together! Also, I mislabeled a few days on IG, but if you follow them in order, they correspond with the full list below. I blame the errors on the foggy quarantine brain… you know…]

Let’s dive into the list + then I’ll share some final notes on the experience + TOP TIPS I shared with my IG family during that time.

DAY 1: SOCK DRAWER

DAY 10: LAUNDRY ESSENTIALS

30 DAY DECLUTTER *MINI* CHALLENGE

DAY 1: SOCK DRAWER

DAY 2: CLEAR OUT A BAG/BACKPACK/PURSE

DAY 3: REUSABLE BAGS

DAY 4: UNDER KITCHEN SINK

DAY 5: WRITING UTENSILS

DAY 6: BOOKS (choose a shelf or a category if needed)

DAY 7: KITCHEN SPICES

DAY 8: JUNK DRAWER

DAY 9: TOP OF THE REFRIDGERATOR

DAY 10: LAUNDRY ESSENTIALS

DAY 11: SHEETS + BEDDING

DAY 12: TOWELS (NON-KITCHEN)

DAY 13: JEWELRY

DAY 14: BATH/SHOWER AREA

DAY 15: DISH/KITCHEN TOWELS

DAY 16: FIRST AID KIT/SUPPLIES

DAY 17: GIFT WRAP + SUPPLIES

DAY 18: BIZARRE PAPERS (MANUALS, REFERENCE PAPERS, WARRANTIES, ETC.)

DAY 19: MUGS

DAY 20: REFRIGERATOR

DAY 21: PICK A PILE

DAY 22: MAKE UP BAG (OR TOILETRIES OF CHOICE)

DAY 23: SMELL + SCENTED ITEMS (CANDLES, OILS, DIFFUSERS, STICKS, ETC.)

DAY 24: HAIR ACCESSORIES

DAY 25: DIGITAL DECLUTTER/PHONE CONTACTS

DAY 26: BAKE WARE

DAY 27: LIGHT BULBS + BATTERIES

DAY 28: KITCHEN UTENSILS

DAY 29: PANTRY + DRY GOODS

DAY 30: HOUSEHOLD TOOLS

SEE ALL OF THE INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHTS ON OUR 30 DAYS TOGETHER WITH ALL OF MY EXTRA NOTES + PROGRESS IN MY HOME [ HERE ]

NOTE: Highlight names are 1Mini Declutter, 2Mini Declutter + 3Mini Declutter. You’ll have to scroll over in the highlights to find them!

30 DAY DECLUTTER *MINI* CHALLENGE top tips + notes:

For those of you who maybe starting your decluttering journey now, are continuing one, or might want to start in the future, I wanted to share my TOP 5 TIPS to encourage you and get you started in a positive and highly successful way with results that are visible, helpful and inspire you to do more in the areas of your home you feel need the work. Focus on mini tasks, take breaks, drink water and remember to rest often!

1. FOCUS ON KEEPING ONLY THE ESSENTIALS.

Do you use the items frequently and do they add efficiency and value to your daily routines? Keep only what is consistently adding value and streaming your day to day. This is also true particularly on visible surfaces throughout our home. The less we have to look at in each room, the less visual fatigue we experience and more calming a space feels.

2. IS IT WORTH THE SPACE IT TAKES UP?

Do you have items that take up a lot of space but add little value to your life? Reconsider keeping them. The items in your home should be worth every square inch of space they take up.

3. LOOK OUT FOR DUPLICATES.

Stay on the look out for multiples of items doing the same task/job. We all know you have a favorite spatula…so why do you have 5 of them you never use that take up almost the entire drawer? Keep the one (or ones in some cases) that help streamline your life and help improve your daily routines and that you enjoy using.

4. SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY.

When decluttering and editing, it is also important to consider HOW you do things in your home. Could you do them in fewer steps? Could it be done simpler? Does it even need to be done at all? Could you reduce the items you own in an area and create space for something you value more? Think about your daily patterns and see where you can streamline and simplify to remove things that take up excessive time or are overly complicated.

5. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO CREATE SPACE FOR?

If you’re more of a tea drinker and you have 10 coffee gadgets, consider creating more space for the tea ritual you love by parting ways with most of your coffee gear. You’d like your bathroom to feel more relaxing and more spa-like; the first place to start is by editing the space and reducing what you see. Create space for relaxation and then consider design updates. Always edit first. Let go of items you truly don’t need to focus on creating more space for what you value right now, today.

[ Check out all the results from my Instagram stories in my highlights HERE ] They can be found under these highlight bubbles: 1Mini Decluter | 2Mini Declutter | 3Mini Declutter

Remember to recycle and donate as much as possible. Call your local charities and donation sites to see if they are doing drop offs and/or pick ups during this pandemic. I’ve recently had success with a contact-less pick up from Salvation Army.

I also have some recycling and donation resources for you HERE.

[ Are you wanting to continue your decluttering efforts but want to dig in deeper with more direction and resources? ]

My DECLUTTER YOUR HOME MASTERCLASS is HERE!

It is life-changing + self-paced with amazing resources and guides that actually work to blast you past decluttering roadblocks we all encounter with step by step support to help you declutter any spot in your home with greater ease.

I truly believe it is the only home decluttering support you’ll ever need the rest of your life and I stand behind this. I want you to live lighter and create your best life + home right now where you + your family can thrive

Looking forward to seeing you insider the MC…

Happy decluttering + editing my friends. Your life deserves it. You deserve it. Your home deserves it.

xo

Kristin