by Natalie Morey | Oct 25, 2016 | Home Organisation, Tips
We spend enough time in there so why not make our bedroom clutter free, organised and stylish. Here’s 10 ways to add glamour to your bedroom and they won’t cost a fortune either. Plus, with the change in seasons, it’s the perfect time to declutter and organise your bedroom, add some pops of colour and freshen up the space.
1. Add a gorgeous headboard
Check out these gorgeous padded bedheads. Elegant and distinctive they come in a range of great colours and totally change a drab bed into a fab one in know time at all. Check out:
http://www.heatherlydesign.com.au/ for some stylish options.
Beautiful Bedroom
2. Beautiful bed linen
You simply cannot go past the feeling of beautiful soft linen. You know that feeling when you stay at a luxury hotel and you climb into bed and go “ahha””. 1000 thread count all the way for me! If you plan your shopping well, buy your new linen when it’s on sale so it won’t cost a fortune either.
Visit: www.sheridan.com.au/1000tc-sheet-set-s0ld-b130-c242-749-midnight.html
Luxury Bedroom Linen
3. Add texture with a beautiful throw
Organised Bedroom
A quick and easy way to change the look and feel of your bedroom is with a throw. They come in so many different colours and textures; a throw rug immediately adds depth to any bed. Plus it provides extra warmth on those cold winter nights.
4. Cushions, cushions and more cushions
10 ways to add glamor to a bedroom
Visit: https://www.adairs.com.au/bedroom/bedspreads/bianca/rylee-coverlet?colour=White
My husband will tell you that I a mad for cushions. They just finish off a bed. Yes, you do need to take them off the bed of a night so you can sleep, but so what. They look great and finish off the perfect bed.
5. Add flowers
Beautiful Bedrooms
Fresh flowers add a lovely touch to any bedroom. It’s a cost effective way to add some style and brighten up any bedroom.
Image credit http://www.thepeakoftreschic.com
6. Mirror mirror on the wall
Beautiful Bedroom Mirrors
Mirrors help to create the illusion of space in any room. They also add depth and an element of light in your bedroom. As a tip, be sure to check what sort of hook you will need to hang your wall mirror with.
Image credit: www.houzz.com.au
7. Burn a candle
Beautiful bedrooms
These days their are so many amazing scented candles and diffusers that create beautiful aromas. Perfect for helping you to relax and ease into the perfect night’s sleep.
Image credit: http://lyfestyled.com.au
8. Rug up
Bedroom rugs
Add depth to your bedroom by including a floor rug. They come in so many amazing colours and styles, you are sure to find something to fit your style and décor.
Image credit: http://www.zgallerie.com/
9. Pretty as a picture
Beautiful bedrooms
Hanging pretty wall art, or pictures adds personality to any room. You can get some beautiful frames and images that will suit any room. Go for gold or silver, or keep it neutral or white, or make a statement with black.
Image credit: www.pinterest.com.au
10. Clear the clutter
Clear the clutter and surround yourself with meaningful objects. Create a peaceful and relaxing place perfect for rest and rejuvenation. Have you got too much stuff sitting on your bedside table? Is your chest of draws full of things that you never use? Are clothes just dumped on the floor?
Their is nothing better than waking up in the morning to a clutter free bedroom. Commit to do a quick clean up every morning when you are making your bed and that way, clutter will never build up.
by Natalie Morey | Sep 27, 2016 | Home Organisation, Tips
These 10 tips for planning the perfect kid’s party cover off on the key things you need to address when organising a kids birthday party. So good luck with planning your little munchkins party.
- Set your budget
Organising the perfect kids party
Image credit: blog.hwtm.com
Remember, it’s a birthday party not an 18th or a 21st birthday party.
Some people love big extravagant party’s and some don’t. It really comes down to you, your family and your budget. The key is to not put yourself under too much pressure. It’s also worthwhile to keep in mind that if you do an amazing party this year, you may feel the pressure to repeat it again next year. I have found that the first born seems to get the amazing party and then the second child misses out. I know that we had a really big party for our first daughters first birthday then had a lower key party for my second child (and I felt a bit guilty about it).
2. Set the date and time
Kids Birthday Party Ideas
Image credit: http://karaspartyideas.com/
Set the party date early as everyone seems to live such busy lives these days that it’s good to give as much notice as possible. Plus, depending on the age of your child you may need to consider any sporting commitments the kids may have.
3. Select the venue
Kids birthday party
Image credit: pinterest / http://www.burlapandblue.com/
Now you need to decide if you are having your party at home or at a venue. Both have their pros and cons. If you want a smaller party, then having it at home is perfect. Plus, it often motivates you to do a bit of spring cleaning and decluttering in preparation for the big day.
It’s amazing how the garden improves and the windows get washed when you have a party, so you can benefit from all this extra cleaning after the party has been and gone.
However, if you want a bigger party where you can just walk in and it’s all set up, you might need to find an external venue such as a play centre, sporting facility or function room. Just remember that most venues will charge a room hire to use their room, which adds to the cost of the party. You will most likely have to pay for venue staff and possibly use their food or choice of caterers. So, if you want to bring in your own food or use your choice of caterer be sure to ask these questions before you book.
The other thing to remember is that their will be a set time at which point you must be out of the venue by. You will also need to check how early you can get access to the venue to set up. If you are having an elaborate theme and setup, you will need to ensure you negotiate an early access time to the venue.
4. Planning the menu
Party Food
Image credit: pinterest / jacqy918.tumblr.com
For a first birthday, let’s be honest it’s mostly about the parents, however if you have older kids then you will definitely need some party food too. If you are doing it yourself, select food that can be prepared the day before and only needs to be heated up on the day. Food like:
- mini quiches
- sausage rolls
- chicken balls and
- risotto balls
Can all be made ahead of time taking the pressure off you on the day. Then, you just need to reheat them on the day.
The last thing you want is to be stuck in the kitchen all day when you have got guests. To make it a bit easier you might even decide to purchase some of the food off a caterer which means you only need to make some of the food and not all of it.
You will also need to consider if there is any special dietary requirements that you need to cater for. You need to be really careful about nuts and allergies these days.
5. The birthday cake
Kids Birthday Cake
Image credit: Pinterest / projectnursery.com
Will you make or buy the birthday cake? If you are buying it, most places need a couple of weeks’ notice. Also, keep in mind that the more detailed cake design you have, the more notice they will need.
If you are making the cake, do you need to do a trial run a couple of weeks before the big day? I wish I had with my son’s birthday. He had a Peter Rabbit themed party and I had seen a cake that I wanted to recreate. I made the cake which turned out perfectly, however I couldn’t get the right coloured blue food die to match the picture I had. I then had to go and buy a different coloured blue at the last minute because when I mixed it up, it wasn’t the right colour. This is something that I would not have known until I started mixing the colour.
Write a list of all the things you might need for the cake:
- Do you need to buy a special cake tin?
- Have you got all the ingredients for the cake?
- What sort of icing are you going to have?
- Have you got the right coloured candles and plate to put the cake on?
- Do you need any cake decorating equipment?
- Do you need to buy sugar flowers, ribbon etc.?
You will definitely need to consider all of these things if you are going to make the cake.
6. Design your invitations
Kids Birthday Card
Image credit: https://www.paperdivas.com.au
How do you want to invite your guests? Are you keeping it simple and will you just call or email your guests? Or do you want to design and mail out invitations to match the theme of the party?
Consider if you need to also have printed: matching
- Envelopes (Don’t forget your stamps either)
- Thank you cards
- Stickers for drinks, food signage and goodie bags.
If you are having them printed, you will need to allow time for printing and mailing. Check also if they supply matching envelopes or if you need to purchase envelopes seperately.
If you want printed invitations, check out these websites. They are easy to use and you can quickly create great invitations that can be printed off, or they can print them for you.
https://www.optimalprint.com.au/birthday-invitations
https://www.paperdivas.com.au
Now is the time to also check and make sure you have everyone’s addresses. If you want to get really organised you could type the addresses up in Excel, then do a mail merge and print off the address labels. This is really useful if you plan on sending out thank notes or using the addresses again to send Christmas cards to.
Guest list
With your guest list you will want to keep a record of who you’ve invited to the party, as well as who has RSVPed and any special meal requests they might have. Keep in mind that big is not always best.
7. Choose your theme
Now the fun begins. Time to decided on your colour scheme and theme for the party.
Party Theme
Pinterest / birthdaygirlblog.com
10 tips for planning the perfect kid’s party
Image credit: http://myperfectevent.com.au
8. Manners
I am a big one for manners. Now is the perfect time to remind your child about the importance of thanking their guest for any presents they may bring. Plus, making sure that no kids are left out from the activities and looking after their little guests is important too.
9. Clean out the toys
With a birthday party comes lots of new toys. So I use this time to do a big clean out of old and broken toys or toys that the kids have grown out of. Otherwise, you just end up with the biggest pile of toys that you then need to keep tidy and organised.
10. Runsheet
As a former event manager I LOVE a run sheet. I cannot help myself. I do a run sheet that lists when everything is happening and who is doing it. It helps me to keep organised, not miss anything and on schedule. It should list all of the tasks that need to be done prior to the party as well as on the day.
Here’s a sample of tasks that you would include on your run sheet:
| Date |
Task |
Who is responsible for this |
Done |
|
Do my budget |
|
|
|
Set the date |
|
|
|
Select the venue |
|
|
|
Decide on a party theme |
|
|
|
Design and proof the invitations |
|
|
|
Print invitations |
|
|
|
Purchase stamps and envelopes |
|
|
|
Print out address labels |
|
|
|
Mail off invitations |
|
|
|
Order birthday cake |
|
|
|
Plan the menu |
|
|
|
Purchase the birthday gift and card |
|
|
|
Organise the child’s birthday outfit |
|
|
|
Finalise the guest numbers |
|
|
by Natalie Morey | Sep 22, 2016 | Declutter tips, Home Office, Home Organisation, Tips
Don’t make these 4 mistakes when decluttering. If you keep motivated and inspired you will achieve great results. Make sure you have a plan and keep focused on the job at hand. Their is nothing more rewarding than standing back and admiring your work, once the job is done. I often find myself going back to a cupboard that I have organised, opening the doors and having a quick peek in to see my decluttering effort.
1. You don’t think there is a problem
Time to declutter and organise your wardrobe
You have become so use to living in a mess that it has become normal. It doesn’t worry you anymore that the dining room table is full of papers and stuff. You cannot see the office floor because of all the paperwork lying around but that is fine because you have just become accustom to it. You get frustrated when you go to get dressed for work because you cannot find anything, but that’s just normal now because it happens every morning.
2. You procrastinate
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the job at hand and just not do anything because you don’t know where to start. If you are struggling then perhaps book the services of a declutter expert to help you. It’s amazing how motivated you become once you know someone is coming to your house to go through your wardrobe!!
3. You don’t have a plan
To do list
You need a vision if you are going to get anywhere. Often clients stand at the door to the room and because they don’t know where to start, they simply close the door again.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed so having a plan or a vision is essential. I always ask clients how they visualize the room once it has been decluttered. It helps them to get inspired and motivated about the declutter process plus they have a goal to work towards.
I also recommend decluttering one shelve at a time. Start small, work through that area then start on the next one. Use these 4 categories as a guide to help you group declutter and group items.
- Keep
- Cull (throw)
- Donate
- Repair.
4. You lose motivation
Declutter and get organised
It’s easy to lose motivation especially if you cannot see much of an impact in the room you have been working in.
Decluttering can be a big job especially if you have a room full of stuff. If you are decluttering an office it can be much harder than decluttering a wardrobe because you physically have to inspect each piece of paper in case it relates to tax. Where as you can make a big impact in a wardrobe in a small amount of time by simply throwing out a couple of big, bulky items. Therefore, it’s important to remind yourself that your mess that may have been building up over a number of months or years, is not going to disappear in a matter of minutes. It might take a couple of hours or even a couple of days to see a difference.
It might also be a good idea to get a declutter expert to help you. They make you accountable and they can give you work to do in-between visits. We often give our clients “homework “to do before we come back and see them again. It helps our clients stay motivated because they have a deadline to work towards.
The Lifestylers Group can work with you to declutter and organise any part of your house: the kitchen, pantry, home office, bedrooms or garage.
by Natalie Morey | Aug 30, 2016 | Declutter tips
If you’ve spent any time in a disorganised man cave or a messy garage (aka Dad’s domain) you will know how helpful a little organisation can be. Here’s 6 ways to help declutter your garage.
Organised Garage
Image credit: Bunnings.com.au
1. Clear the clutter in your garage
Start the garage declutter process by grouping items into the following categories:
2. Group similar items together
Now that you have decluttered the garage it’s time to group and store the various items together. If you have a lot of different size nuts, bolts, nails etc., then put them into either small plastic containers with lids or clear boxes with different compartments. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes and you will find a container that is perfect for all of your stuff. I guarantee it will make finding the right size screw so much easier next time.
Containers to keep your garage organised
Image Credit: https://www.masters.com.au/product/100797002/really-useful-box-0-3l-box-16-drawer-set-clear
Containers with compartments – great for the garage
Image Credit: https://www.bunnings.com.au/tactix-20-compartment-organiser-storage-box_p2581003
3. Label it
Now that all your bits and pieces are grouped together, take the garage organisation one step further and label up the shelves and containers so you know where everything belongs.
4. Set up zones in your garage
Set up different areas (zones) in your garage to store things. For example put all your garden tools and equipment together in one area/shelve.
Peg boards like this are the perfect way to keep tools organised and off the workbench. Alternatively, you could place them underneath the bench. By making specific areas to put different items in it creates a more organised garage which in turn makes it so much easier to find things.
An organised garage
Image credit: http://wonderfulengineering.com/40-awesome-ideas-to-organise-your-garage/
Organised tools
Image credit: http://wonderfulengineering.com/40-awesome-ideas-to-organise-your-garage/
5. Shelve it
You can buy different sorts of portable shelves that are easy to install and will provide extra storage space. They are also portable so you can take them to your next garage and you can make them into different configurations such as a low work bench or high shelves.
Garage Shelves
Image credit: https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-range/storage-cleaning/storage/garage/shelving
6. Create space by hanging items
If you need to store things like bikes, fishing rods, long pieces of timber or pipe you can use a range of hooks secured from the ceiling. It gets everything off the ground and keeps your work benches and floors clutter free. Or store large tools with a unit like this.
Racks for the garage
Image Credit: https://www.bunnings.com.au/storease-large-tool-hanger_p2580042
Or try this wall mounted bracket to hang your fishing rods from.
Organised fishing rods in the garage
Image Credit: https://www.bunnings.com.au/storease-15kg-wall-bracket-fishing-gear-hook_p2582761
I hope that I have given you some inspiration with my 6 ways to help organise your garage. Set aside a weekend, be prepared to get down and dirty and do some serious decluttering and get your garage organised.
A unique gift for Dad – A garage declutter
Instead of giving another boring tie or DVD give a gift that is a little more practical. Dad’s love gifts that they can use over and over again. And, if it means every time they walk into the garage it looks schmick and organised and they can find their stuff, they will love it. A garage declutter is a perfect Father’s Day, Birthday or Christmas gift.
by Natalie Morey | Aug 16, 2016 | Declutter tips
There is a lot to do when you declutter and prepare your home for sale. So I have broken the tasks you need to declutter and organise down into 4 manageable parts (1) the outside, (2), the inside declutter (3) furniture placement, and (4) on the day.
A little bit of planning, organising and decluttering your home for sale can have a big impact on the bottom line. Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression when people come to view your home so you want it to be the right one. Plus, as you know house hunters will often do a “drive by” of properties before they attend open for inspections, so first impressions counts.
Declutter and prepare your home for sale – Start with the outside
Preparing your house for sale
Image credit: http://www.realestate.com.au/
Prepare a maintenance and declutter list and write down everything that needs to be done in the front garden. Do you need to address any of the following:?
- Gardening – either a tidy up or removing and replanting
- Lawn mowing
- Roll up any hoses and place tools out of site
- Painting including the front fence, house and front door
- Fix up or replace the mail box
- Fix the front fence/gate
- Wash down the outside of the house
- Wash the windows
- Wipe down or paint any outdoor furniture
- Place some pot plants around the garden/patio/front entrance (my tip is to plant full-size, bright annuals that will provide immediate colour)
- Replace the front door knocker, knob or other hardware if it looks worn out
- Clean up any clutter, debris, toys and gardening gear from the side of the house (remember people will poke around everywhere so there is no hiding anything).
- Purchase a new door mat.
How’s the view
- Take the time to think about the best attributes of your garden by standing inside your home and seeing what buyers will see when they are standing inside your house. What do you see from the window above the kitchen sink or the biggest window in your living room?
- Do you need to think about creating an outside focal point to draw buyers’ attention to the landscaping? For example, by planting bright flowers in the garden will help draw the eye of outside. Or, if the view is not that great, do you need to consider putting up a screen, hedging or plants?
- Are bushes overgrown and blocking out light from coming into the home?
Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression, so you want it to be the right one. Writing down your maintenance and declutter requirements helps you to get organised and stay organised when you are decluttering and preparing your home for sale.
Also, you will then identify that some tasks will need to be done before others, so a little bit of pre planning will save you time and ensure everything will happen when it’s meant to. For example, you will want to paint before you wash the windows.
It’s also worth considering that in the spring time, you might need to book a more regular gardening service or make sure the lawns are mowed more often.
If you find that the process to declutter and prepare your home for sale is too hard or overwhelming then contact The Lifestylers Group. We can help declutter and get your home ready for sale. Click here to contact us.
