I’ll take that challenge!

You may know that I am a decorating junkie (and if you didn’t know before…..that statement was a dead giveaway).  Every Christmas my husband “surprises” me with a year’s subscription to Style At Home.  I follow decorating blogs and get updates from Houzz and Apartment Therapy.  It was a bit silly when I was living in an 1100 square-foot-condo that I couldn’t afford to renovate, but it’s ludicrous when we’re living in a teensy laneway house with all-new furnishings and finishes.

Or is it?

Although we are going to concentrate on de-cluttering and minimalising our lives this year, we will also have to finish off the little things that will make our house our home.  And Apartment Therapy has a great way to do it, with lots of help and tips.  It’s called The January Cure — a month-long step-by-step way to give yourself a

 “new” cleaner and more organized home.

What’s the sense of moving into a perfect home if I keep up all the bad habits that got me into clutter-strewn life I lived when I had more space?  I’m sure it will take me many iterations of the cure to rid me of all my bad habits but I will start small.

Step One (I should have started this on Thursday, but won’t have to spend a lot of time on it):  Make a List of Projects.

Hmmmm. Starting in the front foyer area, we need to put a picture over our electrical panel.  It’s well-recessed into the wall, so a picture on a good solid hinge can also hide lots of “front door clutter” behind it.  We also want to hang some more art.

We have to wait until all the deficiencies are addressed to get some of these projects finished BUT making a list will give us a good start. I’ll go through the place room by room to make the list.

Step Two:  Weekend Chores, Flowers and Floors.  Hah!  That’s a snap.  Our built-in vacuum will de-fuzz the floors followed by a swipe with the damp mop. Quick work.  Plus a visit to the market for some flowers.

Step Two also includes finding Earth-friendly cleaners.  We have been relying on tried-and-true cleaners, but this is a good time to check out some of the more ecological choices we have. Luckily Apartment Therapy has some suggestions.

We’ll also see if we can’t complete one task from our project list: hanging the bedroom blind.

Well, I feel I’ve accomplished something already.