You should have all seen the home tour by now but let me just tell you that the one thing I'm more proud of than my decorating is how easy it is to keep my home clean. I do a few simple things on a regular basis which help keep it looking shiny, open, and clean!
1. Once a Week Wipe Down
Once a week I do a through wipe down of the bathrooms and kitchen. Murchison-Hume has an amazing line of cleaning products and these 2 are my favorites lately! The Ladies Bathroom Cleaner is so simple - I just spray and wipe. I use it on counters, handles, in the shower, and on the toilet. It neutralizes germs and odors without the use of harsh chemicals. It actually cleans instead of just masking odors! And Counter Safe All Purpose Cleaner does a fabulous job in the kitchen with all that counter space! It helps kill germs and I use it on pretty much every surface I can! I love that there is no harsh chemicals or nasty smell to these products!
2. Regular Dusting
Home Decor items may look beautiful on display but they can attract dust quicker than you can even imagine. So I make sure that once a week I dust high and low. I usually do it right before I vacuum so that I can suck up all the dust that falls to the ground.
3. Putting Things Away Each Day
I usually put things away the instant I'm done using them. But sometimes I'm in a rush so if that's the case I make sure that before I go to bed each night, I do a quick run down of each room and put anything away that's sitting out!
It's not really that hard to keep a tidy home if you keep up with the regular tidying up aspects of it and use the right products.
And guess what! One of you is going to win the two cleaning products above (the same ones that I use!) Good luck!
So many people lately have been noticing my laid back attitude and my zen mood. Sure, it's probably since I now have a place of my own but it's also because I've been making a conscious effort to meditate and be more aware of everything in my life.
1\\ I Enjoy Quiet
There are plenty of little spaces in my home where I can go to have peace and quiet and just reflect on my thoughts. Sometimes I go on the screened-in porch to enjoy the sounds of nature. Other times I will go into my "get ready room" and just stare at the ceiling. Either way, I allow myself safe spaces in my home to just be.
2\\ I Take In Everything Around Me
Whenever I'm stuck in traffic or waiting in line at the store, I will take a deep breathe and start observing the world around me. I take in everything other people do, and find cute "aww" moments when I can. I try to be present that way rather than just get on my phone or text whenever I have to wait.
3\\ I Take Zen Energy Everywhere I Go
I've also been embracing more peaceful jewelry. The above is my Peace & Balancing Love Mala from House of Jaguar. It has Rhodochrosite which balances and enhances love on all levels. It calms excessive passions and brings balance and clarity by eliminating inner conflict and promoting compassion and intuition.
I just love the attention to detail. House of Jaguar Jewelry represents elements of spirituality and ancientness that inspire and combine ancient wisdom, modern spirituality, and empirical beauty. It's a great way to express yourself and keep a reminder with you at all times of what your mindset should be. Their jewelry is created to celebrate the ancient cultures around the world and their indigenous wisdom. The beads, pendants, and amulets are hand made in remote villages in Thailand, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Nepal, and Tibet. The jewelry is assembled by hand in Nepture Beach, Florida. The reason I love 108 beaded Malas so much is because they are a set of beads that has been historically used by Buddhists and Hindus. They are used for keeping count while reciting a mantra from the ancient Sanskrit language. And each mala comes with a piece of paper that has information about it's healing properties and the suggested mantra to use with it. They use specific healing stones and positive energy in them. My mantra was Om Mani Padme Hum which contains the essence of Buddhist teaching and it's said that reciting it will not only benefit me but all living creatures. House of Jaguar also has bracelets. No matter what you choose I promise this will help energize you deep inside if you let it!
What ways do you stay calm and focused in this crazy world?
The difficult thing about the home office in our new house is that it doubles as a storage space AND the room where my pet rat is kept and where my dogs can use their pee pads. Because of that, I have to make sure I keep it organized AND stylish. So here is how I do that.
1 \\ To Do List that I Can't Lose
I used to use a paper To Do List for blog stuff, until I realized that it often got lost in between other papers or in a pile of unwanted clutter. So now I make it big and hard to miss! This Dry Erase Frame Wall Decal from RoomMates is AMAZING!! The frame makes it super stylish so it looks great on the wall in the office but most of all, I love that I can write HUGE on it. And - I love that the marker sticks to the frame so I can easily hang it up when I'm done using it. The best part is, if I ever want to move this decal, I can just lift it off and put it elsewhere. Sometimes I even clear it off and write a fancy and beautiful little quote on it if I have guests over.
2 \\ Mix Style and Practicality
Sure it may not look super appealing to have dog toys, rat food, paper towels, and pee pads stored in the same little unit but guess what - I take away from that with some décor on top of the shelf.
3 \\ Labeled Containers
I don't even know what else to say except that I LOVE ORGANIZING! I put like items together and label them and then figured out a good way to arrange them so that this wall doesn't ONLY look like it's for storage. I mixed in some décor in whatever ways I could like the little frame, the Filofaxes, etc.
Which one of these is your favorite?
It's getting crazy lately on Facebook. Everyone is freaking out over current events and starting mini world wars on their Facebook page. While it's totally your own page to do whatever you want, if you don't want lots of drama try out these tips.
1\\ Think Twice Before You Post
If you know that the only reaction to your status will be an uproar of opinions and you don't want to deal with it - DON'T POST! I always tell people - if you wouldn't say it in a room full of strangers, coworkers, or relatives - don't put it on social media.
2\\ Respect Opinions
Keep in mind that everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you are posting yours in a status be prepared to hear objections. You have to realize that just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean you don't have other things in common and can't be friends.
3\\ Delete It
If people start posting low blows at each other it may just be time to take the post down. Seriously. If you already made the mistake of impulsively posting something iffy, just delete it.
4\\ Lighten Up
Try to make a joke and lighten the mood if you are putting up a controversial status. Try to avoid offensive humor though. Sometimes I make a joke to lighten the mood in my comments or I'll even make the statement "I don't agree or disagree with this article, I was just sharing it".
5\\ Avoid Certain Topics
The thing about religion, politics, and sports is that there is no right or wrong. Everyone gets to choose what they like or believe and everyone will think their belief is the best. So it's completely pointless to post about some of those topics if you don't want people to object. If you do post about them, sit back and get ready for the opinions.
What do you do to avoid Facebook arguments?
So this is the first of 2 blog posts about how I decorated the walls in my new home. I want to start with the dining room. The dining room has a Buddha theme with the beautiful gold Buddha art canvas. It goes great with the beige and brown throughout the room and it even looks great with the carpeting.
We also have an area rug under the dining room table which has gold, light and dark blue, and brown in it. So I wanted to add something else besides the Buddha face which is where Roommates Decor came into play. I used 2 identical Indian Buddha wall decals from RoomMates Peel and Stick Decor that match the exact color of Buddha's eyebrows!
It looks amazing with the carpet and the area rug accents! How perfect is that?!
It's so important to try to keep with the natural color theme of your house. Whatever colors you have on the carpet, counters, or walls are colors you should try to coordinate by finding wall decor that has the same tones. It really helps everything in the room flow.
Then we have this wall that basically transitions into the Kitchen...
Here it was before ...
And here it was after not one but three Cityscape Giant Wall Decals from RoomMates Peel and Stick Decor. I love this! It gives it a somewhat urban feel but it doesn't take away from anything else in either room!
These give such a great look without being tacky or looking cheap!!! I love how perfectly these were able to stick right above the chair rail.
Since there were really no colors to worry about in this space, it was easy to use a black color (the city scape) because no matter what colors we change in the rooms, this will always look perfect where it is.
Stay tuned laster this week when I show you how I use Wall Decals to stay organized with my blog and stylish in my home office.
