Happy and Organized

I am the “messy sister”.  To be fair, I’m really not THAT bad compared to the general population.  I would classify myself as the low-end of neat and tidy, or perhaps the upper echelon of messy.  My house is always “presentable”, as I have guests and clients over often. But yes, my closets and bookshelves are a mess,  and I do have that random guest room which has become our storage area. Plus, I have floral and craft supplies everywhere.  And the ribbon, my goodness, the ribbon!

On Monday, I had a sudden urge to purge the mess.  I wanted my house to be SUPER clean, like magazine-worthy.  My first project?  Our office.

I called my favorite “Monica Gellar/Danny Tanner”- my sister, Jenny-lyn.    Sometimes, you just need a cheerleader/drill sargeant to help you get your home in order.  Organizing is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to me,  but my sister thrives on organization.  The morning of her wedding, instead of a relaxing massage or brunch with her bridesmaids, she vacuumed, swept, did the dishes, and cleaned the counters.  That was her way of kicking off her big day!?!

This is embarrassing, but here’s my home office before:

In my defense, I had been crafting up a storm right before this picture was taken.  I don’t always live in this kind of chaos!

Here is my office after:

My desk area is pristine and lovely thanks to the storage boxes from Homegoods and Pier 1.  I bought a corkboard and French memo board to display select cards, inspiration, and photobooth pics.

My craft corner : Goodbye to piles of ribbon and random fabric scraps everywhere!  Supplies are in baskets and bins, clearly labeled.

My office closet: a place for everything, and everything in it’s place.

Here’s the thing about organizing that trips me up:  It’s easy to give up or get distracted.  About an hour in, I got a headache and felt nauseous.  I became so drained that I had to take a break, and curled up in the fetal position on the couch. Could it be the double shot latte I had earlier that day, or was it  something deeper?   Was the very act of bringing out the junk from every corner and crevice making me physically ill?  My sis had to laugh- her last client got sick in the middle of their clean-fest, too! Coincidence?

But Jenny-lyn kept encouraging me to push on, and I’m so glad she did!  How wonderful it feels to work and live in a clean, orderly environment.  I get really happy every time I walk into my office.  I’m resolved to keep it neat!

My sister is amazing at this.  I’m convinced that every small business owner needs a neat-freak to help them get things in order.  Good news for you Orange County peeps- she’s available for hire!  Check out her new blog Happy and Organized for cleaning and organization tips.

Spring cleaning?  Bring it on!!!  Next up?  Linen closet, laundry  room, and guest room.

Tags: cleaning, decorating, office, organization, storage