28 UHeart Organizing: Nightstand Styling Tips

The last time Karen stopped by, she shared some of her "no fail" bookshelf styling tips, and they were quite popular with many of you. It seems that you all liked to hear about specific styling formulas, even if they just act as a starting point to jump from. It's nice to have a baseline of ideas and tips, and then utilize your personal style and eye to take things to a place that feels just right for you.

Because she received such great feedback last time, she is stopping by again today to share another quick and easy step-by-step method any of us can utilize; this time for our nightstands. We all have them, and I find that mine is always turning into a drop zone that I am re-styling and re-organizing frequently. Once again, I am inspired to go give the surface some fresh breathing room, and after checking out Karen's tips, hopefully you will feel the same.

Hello lovely iHeart readers! It's always a pleasure to visit and chat with you about all things organized and pretty. Today I wanted to follow on from my previous post about how to style a bookshelf, and give you some tips for styling a bedside table.

I recently did a makeover of my master bedroom in seven days. It went from being an incredibly plain and drab room, to a light and serene space filled with colors and objects I love. (In case you couldn't tell, my favorite color is aqua. And this is the first time I've really indulged that love. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long!)

I styled my bedside tables simply. That's because in good design, form (looks) should always follow function. Bedside tables have some key functions in the bedroom. Here's how to make them both practical and pretty.

START WITH A LAMP

The first element of functional design to consider is your lighting. A bedside table needs a lamp! Lamps create a soft glow that is much more relaxing and inviting than those harsh overhead lights. I rarely ever turn my overhead lights on in the bedroom. I much prefer the warm ambience of lamplight.

A lamp is a chance to make a real decorative statement. For this room I chose curvy glass bases that have a traditional, almost art deco feel. The colour is so pretty, especially set against the fresh white of the bedside tables and mirror.

VARY THE HEIGHT OF OBJECTS

It's important to consider height. You don't want to add a second object that's exactly the same height as your lamp, or your eye won't know where to look. Instead, vary it by including objects that are tall, medium and short.

ANCHOR WITH ART

Next, think about anchoring all the objects on the bedside table by placing a piece of artwork or mirror behind them. This creates depth by drawing your eye to the back. It also helps unify everything in front of it; they all become a part of one story, instead of looking like separate objects plonked down beside each other.

You can simply lean your artwork, or hang it low. Don't worry about obscuring part of the picture. Choose something simple or abstract enough that it doesn't matter.

ADD A JEWELRY RECEPTACLE

It's a good idea to give yourself a place to store earrings or other jewelry that you take off as you get into bed. I used a pretty carved wooden box to keep my surface clutter-free.

Everything I used to style these bedside tables, I already had around the house. What do you have that could be repurposed to hold trinkets? What about a pretty glass dish from the china cabinet? A teacup? A tea-light holder?

INCLUDE A NATURAL ELEMENT

Try adding something organic. It could be a succulent, a small air plant, a potted orchid, greens clipped from your yard or some fresh flowers in a jar. There's something about a natural element that brings a sense of softness to hard edges and breathes life into a space.

LEAVE NEGATIVE SPACE

The bedside table is a much-used space, and I don't want mine filled with clutter. I want to have room to put a glass of wine there if I'm reading in bed (now that sounds heavenly, and believe me, does not happen often enough), and a place to lay my book down when I'm done. I need room to charge my phone and a place to put the baby monitor at night.

So as you add decorative objects, make sure you also leave some negative space. All that means is space without anything in it.

Let's take a look at my last Master bedroom, which had a totally different feel. See if you can pick how I used those tips:

Here are those tips again, if you'd like to see the list all together. And remember, they're just tips; not hard-and-fast rules. However, they're a good place to start if you feel like you need a helping hand.

1. Start with a lamp
2. Vary the height of objects
3. Anchor it with an artwork/mirror (either leaning, or hung low on the wall)
4. Add a receptacle to hold earrings or jewelry
5. Include a natural element
6. Leave some negative space

Simple, right? Decorating doesn't have to be complicated. I hope you find those tips helpful as you style your own bedside tables. And if you want more down-to-earth decorating advice, take a look at the free course I'm offering that teaches the simple step-by-step process used by decorators the world over to create beautiful homes. It's easier than you think!

Thanks for having me, Jen! Wishing you all a house full of sunshine!

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Hi friends, I’m Karen from A House Full of Sunshine. Do you see that grin I can’t wipe off my face? That’s how thrilled I am to be here! I live in Australia where I’m blessed to be a stay-home mummy to my three little people. I’m also a part-time interior decorator and a former teacher of Creative Arts. Basically, I’m happiest when I’m squeezing every drop of creativity out of life – whether that means decorating a room, inventing a fun new activity to do with the kids, thinking up pretty organizing solutions or putting together a DIY project. I believe life is meant to be beautiful, and home is an expression of the heart. My blog, A house full of sunshine, is the place where I share my adventures in creative home-making with kids. The coffee’s on and the welcome mat is out – I’d love to see you there!

11 UHeart Organizing: Bookshelf Styling Tips

Happy Thursday everyone!  How is your week going?  I just finished up a super fun project that I hope to share tomorrow, and it was one that included a bit of styling and editing.  That is NOT my strongest talent, so I am always looking for additional advice and tips in this department.  What I have learned is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, and that everyone sees and appreciates things differently.  Some people only want books on a bookshelf, some love a mix and match of items.  Some folks love doing everything in a monochromatic color scheme, while others use a variety of color theories to bring their shelves to life.  And while some individuals believe in decorating formulas, others play until their eyes are happy.  I LOVE that there is no right or wrong, but I also love to know how others find their styling groove and to read about what works for them.

Karen's spaces have been featured a few times around here; everything from her home office to her pantry, and her style is always recognized and commented on.  She has personally found that sticking to a few rules or tips has helped her create cohesive and functional spaces.  This girl doesn't shy away from color (woohoo!), and is here today to share some of the tips she used when putting together a bookcase in her home.  Here she is now!

Hi friends! It's Karen here from A house full of sunshine. True confession: I'm a bookworm. Yep, I'm completely obsessed with books. Ask me to declutter anything from my home and I will fill that garbage bag without a blink or a tear, but try to whittle down my book hoard and you'll have to pry each beloved novel from my cold and lifeless hands.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But I do love my books. And I have quite a collection of them. So today I thought I'd talk about how to organize and display our treasured tomes.

I love open shelves for books, because I feel they add so much character and charm and warmth to a home. But many people struggle with how to style a bookshelf. Here are my top tips.


GIVE YOUR BOOKS ROOM TO BREATHE

It's tempting to fill each shelf to the brim with books, but it will look much more attractive if you can spread things out a little and leave some room for styling with decorative accents.

You can decorate with vases, vessels, boxes, bowls, ornaments, and artworks. Try shopping your home to see what you already have that might look attractive on your bookshelf.

CHOOSE A COLOR PALETTE

The problem with adding heaps of decorative bits and pieces to your shelves is that it can end up looking like a collection of random stuff from a thrift store. The way to avoid this is to tie it all together with a color scheme. Does that sound scary? It's really not.

All it means is you should choose one dominant color to use throughout, and then one or two accent colors to be used in much smaller doses.

I chose sea blue/green as my dominant color for these shelves, since I live near the beach. I then added a splash of cheeky yellow as my accent, and grounded it all with a bit of black. (Here's a little decorator's secret: every color scheme can be improved with a hint of black to add contrast and depth.)

MIX IN SOME ARTWORK

A pretty print in a simple frame will draw the eye to the back of the shelf. This adds a sense of depth. Now your shelves are not one-dimensional any more - they have layers!

Artworks also help to anchor the smaller items you place in front. This gives a cohesive feel and makes everything feel connected.


GO LARGE SCALE

A lot of people struggle with feeling like their shelves are filled with clutter - a whole bunch of little totchkes that have nothing to do with each other. This is usually a problem of scale: too many little things, and not enough big things.

Instead, start with the big things - artwork, oversized glass vessels, large vases, chunky bookends. Then add the smaller things to balance it out. You do need a bit of both. But be careful to add those small things in moderation. Too much, and it will look like clutter. And always leave some white space around your decor items so they don't look overly crowded and busy.


GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR BOOK PLACEMENT

Vary things up to create some visual interest. Books are not just fun to read, they also make wonderful decorative objects in their own right!  Lay them down, turn them around, prop them up or lean them.


USE BOXES AND BASKETS

Place your largest items down low, so your shelves don't look top-heavy. Stacks of pretty file boxes, baskets, or oversize vessels, are all great choices for the bottom shelf. Not only does this give you extra (concealed) storage, it also helps visually anchor the whole bookshelf.


REMEMBER BALANCE

Stand back and have a look at your arrangement. Imagine your shelves as a set of scales - do they look balanced?

If you've placed all the books to one side on one shelf, make sure you balance this out by placing books on the other side or in the middle on the next shelf down. You don't want to create a lopsided feel.

There should be something interesting on each shelf, but make sure the most visually dominant items are not directly beneath each other in a vertical line. Your eye will naturally be drawn to the most interesting objects, so stagger these at different intervals so the eye follows a gentle meandering S-shape as it travels down the shelves.

Most importantly, remember to have fun with it! Don't be scared to have a go. It's fun to switch things around regularly and try new "looks" for your shelves. You can see my how I styled these same shelves for Spring in this post, my stencilled bookshelves here, and how I created a rainbow of color-blocked books on my daughter's shelves.

Still a bit unsure? I love to help people decorate, but after my fourth baby arrived this year, I've had to put my decorating job on the back-burner for a while. I never like turning away clients, so it got me thinking about how I could still help people out with their homes even while I'm not actively taking on new design jobs right now. This inspired me to create a free e-course called "How to Decorate". In the course I share my top tips for getting started with decorating your home. If you want to decorate but feel stuck or unsure how to begin, I hope you'll check it out. You can sign up for the course here. (Did I mention that it's free?!)

Thanks for having me today, Jen! I hope you all found these tips useful. Happy bookshelf styling!

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Hi friends, I’m Karen from A House Full of Sunshine. Do you see that grin I can’t wipe off my face? That’s how thrilled I am to be here! I live in Australia where I’m blessed to be a stay-home mummy to my three little people. I’m also a part-time interior decorator and a former teacher of Creative Arts. Basically, I’m happiest when I’m squeezing every drop of creativity out of life – whether that means decorating a room, inventing a fun new activity to do with the kids, thinking up pretty organizing solutions or putting together a DIY project. I believe life is meant to be beautiful, and home is an expression of the heart. My blog, A house full of sunshine, is the place where I share my adventures in creative home-making with kids. The coffee’s on and the welcome mat is out – I’d love to see you there!

27 UHeart Organizing: Tips for a Fabulously Productive Workspace

I have experienced a multitude of work environments over the years, from wide open office buildings to cubicles to creating an office (or four) in our home.  I have definitely learned over the years how important it is to love the space you spend so much time in.  It can impact you on so many levels (think personal, business, financial, emotional....), and there are a variety of ways you can personalize your workspace to be a place you enjoy, no matter what the location.

Karen is always a source of inspiration for me; as a friend first, but also as a fellow mother, organizer and lover of all things home.  I adore her style and that she isn't afraid to play with color and pattern, while continuously thinking of ways to create a marriage of form and function.  Today she is inspiring me to get to work on the space I call home many hours of the week; my office!  I appreciate all of her tips for making a workspace feel personal and effective with just a few small touches.  Best of all, many of her tips can be applied whether you commute to the office or walk down the hall.

Hi, friends! One of the first things I love to do when we move house is set up an inspiring work area. I've come to realize that I work best when my home office space is neat, orderly and functional... yet also pretty. When I take the time to think about how a space looks and how it makes me feel, I find that I'm so much more motivated to spend time there.

So today I thought I'd share some tips for creating an organized home office area that you'll love to hang out in!


CREATE AN ACCENT WALL FOR VISUAL INTEREST

Let's face it - when it comes to your home office area, you're going to spend an awful lot of time staring directly at the wall in front of you. Unless you're lucky enough to have a work area with a view, or a generous enough floor area to position your desk in the middle of the room looking out, most of us will at some point be stuck facing a blank wall.

The good news is that it doesn't have to stay blank. In the example above, I used a trellis-patterned stencil to create a pretty feature wall in soft mint. You can see the easy tutorial (and some more pics of this home office space) right here.

In our current home, I went even more budget-friendly. This feature wall cost me $4 and was created using a gold paint pen and a straight edge. I love that visitors always comment on how much they like my wallpaper. wink

You can find out how to create your own sharpie faux wallpaper here. More pics of this home office space can be found in this post.


DECLUTTER YOUR SPACE

Storage is always an issue, especially when your home office area is open-plan, like both of mine. You want to keep your work area looking neat and clutter-free, but it can be hard when there's SO much to store!

I'd suggest starting with a ruthless cull of everything you don't actually need or use. It's amazing how much junk we hold onto that serves no purpose and merely adds to our sense of stress and overwhelm. I wrote a checklist of 250+ things you can get rid of from your home that you'll never even miss. It's organized by zone, so there's a checklist specific to the home office area.


MAKE USE OF VERTICAL SPACE WITH OPEN SHELVES

Now that you've purged your excess and have only kept items you use and love, create smart storage by thinking vertical. Even in an area with very little floor space, you can add floating shelves to hold boxes and magazine files.

The home office in my previous house was nothing more than a compact little nook off the kitchen. I added drawers and a cupboard under the desk, but mostly, we went up. In this way I was able to keep unnecessary clutter off my desk and create heaps more storage space, while still keeping the area looking tidy and streamlined.

USE BASKETS TO SORT MAIL

Mail and paperwork on my horizontal surfaces used to be the bane of my existence. Then I DIY'd these little mail-sorting baskets (using a $5 cleaning caddy!) and my world has never been the same! As soon as mail comes into your home, categorize and conquer!


ADD A PINCH OF INSPIRATION

I love giving myself a dash of motivation in the form of printable quotes that I display in my home office. It's like having a little cheerleader on my shoulder. I created these free motivational printables that you can use to put together a vision board of your own. Pin them to a corkboard, or stick them up with magnets, and rotate whenever you want a fresh zip of inspiration.


ORGANIZE YOUR DRAWERS | KEEP SUPPLIES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

My drawers were a complete disaster up until very recently, when I finally took the time to organize them properly.

It's made a world of difference to have items sorted by category and organized with clear acrylic dividers. Now instead of digging through piles of clutter, I just reach in and grab what I need. You can see my before and after pics and the process I used here.

I also took the time to sort and label the cords for our electronics, using toilet rolls and washi tape. SO much better!

USE A COMFORTABLE CHAIR

This one is a must, but something so easily forgotten! If you plan to spend much time with your backside planted in that office chair, make sure it's a comfortable one. Padded office chairs are great, although a simple moulded seat paired with a decorative pillow is another cozy and visually appealing solution.


MAKE YOUR COMPUTER DESKTOP PRETTY

I didn't bother about doing this for the longest time, but once I did, I wished I'd done it sooner! It literally takes minutes to download a pretty new design for your desktop, making it the quickest and easiest way to refresh your workspace. I created a set of free watercolour desktop designs that you can download here for personal use.

ADD A TOUCH OF GREENERY

Last but not least, if you can't be outside in the fresh air because you have to work, bring some of the outdoors in! Adding a potted plant is a wonderful way to rejuvenate your work space. The shot of green will make you feel happy and connected to nature, and even better, the plant will filter and purify the air around you from indoor pollutants, giving a breath of life in more ways than one.

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I hope you enjoyed these tips for creating a clutter-free, organized, pretty and inspiring work space! Thanks for having me here today Jen and iHeart readers, it's always such a treat to share with you.

Hi friends, I’m Karen from A House Full of Sunshine. Do you see that grin I can’t wipe off my face? That’s how thrilled I am to be here! I live in Australia where I’m blessed to be a stay-home mummy to my four little people. I’m also a part-time interior decorator and a former teacher of Creative Arts. Basically, I’m happiest when I’m squeezing every drop of creativity out of life – whether that means decorating a room, inventing a fun new activity to do with the kids, thinking up pretty organizing solutions or putting together a DIY project. I believe life is meant to be beautiful, and home is an expression of the heart. My blog, A House Full of Sunshine, is the place where I share my adventures in creative home-making with kids. The coffee’s on and the welcome mat is out – I’d love to see you there!

98 UHeart Organizing: Creating a School Memory Bank

Once every year or two, my husband and I pull out our family memory bins and take trips down memory lane.  It is fun to shuffle through items that are from our childhood days, and to share stories about elementary school friendships, the homes we lived in and those adventurous family road trips.  We are thankful that our parents held on to a few of our school moments; report cards, photos and writing assignments are always the first things we grab for.  Not everything requires a spot on the wall or even needs to be saved for future reminiscing sessions, but it is nice when you can offer your kiddos a condensed version of their life during their school years to look back on. 

With that, one of the reasons I heart having a contributing team of writers is because they often times inspire me to rethink my own systems.  They bring so much more to the organizing table than I could do all on my own, and for that I am very grateful.  We have been using our school paperwork organization method for quite a few years now (and it still ranks as one of my most popular posts), but Karen of A House Full of Sunshine has added a few new twists that I am majorly crushing over.  I am so glad that she is here today to share her process for preserving her children's school memories and milestones so that one day they can share their stories with their own families.

Nothing leads to chaos in the home so much as lack of a system.  So when your kids start at school and you haven't yet worked out what to do with all the masses of stuff they come home with... Let's just say that things can end up in a giant muddle verrrrry quickly.  (Can you tell I'm talking from experience here?) 

You kind of get thrown in the deep end when your kids hit school age. I was a teacher for goodness' sake, and yet I still had NO IDEA about the quantity of paperwork I'd have to deal with as a mom. It truly is mind-boggling. And I'm not just talking about permission notes and information letters, which can be dealt with and tossed. The real problem in this house are the things with sentimental value that we want to keep (or the ones we haven't decided yet whether we should keep); the artwork, merit certificates, sporting ribbons, school photos, report cards, and writing samples. All the memorabilia of school life.

Over the past couple of years I've stuffed things in drawers, thrown things in the filing cabinet, stuck paperwork in folders, and no doubt misplaced a lot of things along the way. 

My problem? Lack of a centralized system. I was making it up as I went along, and getting myself into a bigger and bigger mess as time went by. 

No more!

I had a think about what my ideal system would look like, and decided that I wanted a box for each child, with a folder for each grade level. I decided on folders because they keep the contents protected and can be taken out and flipped through at a glance.

I started by purchasing a whole stack of display folders, one per grade level per child, plus an extra for before-school-age art and memorabilia.

The first thing I always do when using a display folder is to slip the spine out and flip it over backwards so the display pockets can be refilled from the back. There's nothing more annoying than running out of room in your folder and having to take every single slippery page out in order to add a few extra pockets at the end. This way, you merely have to remove the back cover to refill it - the pages all stay in place.

Next, I labelled the spines by grade level, using my label maker with transparent tape.

I found opaque hanging files, which I love for their clean and streamlined look.

I used clear plastic file boxes and added the kids' names using pre-cut vinyl letter stickers.

Each child is allocated a different color, so it's easy to see at a glance which folder belongs to who.

I started by printing personalized cover sheets for each folder. If you want to make your own custom cover sheets, you can do it easily in Word - it only took me about fifteen minutes to make and print all 27 covers I needed. I inserted a box a little bigger than 5" x 7" to fit a standard-sized school photo. The font for the child's name is Always in my Heart and for the Grade level I used Bebas Neue. Then I just kept changing the grade level and printing as I went, until I had a full set for each child.

I then designed a series of cover pages to divide each folder into categories, with sections allocated for school reports, awards, artworks and writing samples.  I kept mine simple and graphic so they won't quickly date.

You can download a free copy of the Childhood Questionnaire and cover pages HERE.

I printed the cover pages onto cardstock so that the slightly heavier weight guides navigation through the folder by touch - you feel the thicker cover pages as you flip through. You could also add tabs to the top of your pages if desired, but personally I didn't want anything sticking out. I've found the system is very easy to navigate as-is.

I also designed a simple memory-catcher questionnaire to fill out with your child each year. It has basic stats like age, height and weight, as well as space to record your child's best friends, their favorite activities at school, things they love to do, and what they want to be when they grow up. There's room for a smaller photo in the top corner, or you could have your child draw a self-portrait there.

Down at the bottom is space for a hand print so you can keep a record of your child's growth over the years.

I've ordered my folders as follows:

1.  Personalized cover sheet with photo
2.  Class photo
3.  Questionnaire sheet

4. Report cards

5. Awards

6. Art works

7. Writing

Lastly, I purchased a clear acrylic magazine holder (Jen is so amazing she would probably be able to whip one of these up herself) so I can keep the folders for my kids' current year levels at my fingertips in the cupboard. Now, as they come home from school or day-care with their latest masterpiece, I can easily slip it into the appropriate section of the folder. 

At the end of the year I'll go through the folder and tidy it up, culling some pieces if need be, and then file it into that child's school memory box.

I can't tell you how good it feels to have a system! My eldest child is in Grade One this year, so I'm glad I started sooner rather than later. Now my kids' precious memories have the home they deserve. They already love flipping through their "books" and seeing what they've produced and achieved over the course of a year.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Jen!

 _____________________

Karen lives in Australia and has listed all of the sources for her project on her blog as well:

Clear file boxes - Howard's Storage World
Pre-cut vinyl letters - Officeworks
Clear hanging files - K-mart
Display folders - Officeworks.

I am working to locate and add a few similar sources for the U.S. as well (it seems here in the US we call these "presentation books"). 

You can download a free copy of the Childhood Questionnaire and cover pages HERE.

_____________________

Hi friends, I’m Karen from A House Full of Sunshine. Do you see that grin I can’t wipe off my face? That’s how thrilled I am to be here! I live in Australia where I’m blessed to be a stay-home mummy to my three little people. I’m also a part-time interior decorator and a former teacher of Creative Arts. Basically, I’m happiest when I’m squeezing every drop of creativity out of life – whether that means decorating a room, inventing a fun new activity to do with the kids, thinking up pretty organizing solutions or putting together a DIY project. I believe life is meant to be beautiful, and home is an expression of the heart. My blog, A house full of sunshine, is the place where I share my adventures in creative home-making with kids. The coffee’s on and the welcome mat is out – I’d love to see you there!