Life's More Fun When You're Organized

is the motto for The Container Store. Well my goal is to find out. I already took a leap in the right direction at my office. The place is close to pristine and you know what? i've been more productive. So now I have moved on to the house. We have a reconstruction going on in the 1st floor apartment that will eventually double our square footage. In the meantime, I need to find some sanity in balance in our one-bedroom.

I started simply with the tupperware cabinet. It's in good shape and it's been that way for over a month. It's like keeping the weight off. Yesterday was a snow day and I decided to take my (de)cluttering to another level. I have been very unhappy with the configuration in the living room/ Everyone sings the praises of the open floor plan. Personally, I like to have rooms that let you close a door. It's kind of like the junk drawer. You need a place where mess is irrelevant and unseen. Well not in an open floor plan. Our living room is the dumping ground. It's sort of divided into 3 areas. Ethan's play area. My scrap area and then the traditional TV/living room/family room area. Then there's the laundry area, the shoe area, the coat rack and on  and on. Admittedly, on some level, the clutter has just been moved around. So the mess is only going to get worse before it gets better. But prior to moving all the furniture around, I did throw away a lot of stuff. So it was a start.

I can't even believe I'm sharing this photo on line. It's so embarrassing. But this house has hit clutter rock bottom and it's time for an intervention. Maybe a little online in embarrassment will help me get this house into shape. If only my husband read my blog. :)

Here's the before scrap corner at the other side of the room.

Here's a small peak at a somewhat recovered scrapbook corner moved to the opposite side of the room. Again, it's a work in progress. Stay tuned for more over time.

Once I get the multi-purpose living room together, the next goal is to follow Peter Walsh's advice. Flat spaces need to stay clear. We're doing ok with the kitchen counter tops. More to come.