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    The Secret to Decluttering, Organizing, Decorating and Homekeeping Success that No One Tells You About!

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    If you’ve ever struggled with creating the atmosphere you want for your home, I got you! 
    I will share the secret no one tells you about.
    Many years ago I started out my home-creating journey with so many dreams of the kind of home I hoped to have — one that was welcoming to us day to day as well as to the people we invited in.
    Perhaps you have similar dreams for your home.
    Even though my heart was in the right place and I worked hard at it, I felt like I was always struggling to create the atmosphere I desired.

    I often felt like I was failing as a home keeper. 
    While I always loved decorating, much to my dismay I quickly discovered that decorating alone wasn’t enough.
    There were always new messes being made, meals to prepare, laundry to do, needs to tend to, rooms to update, clutter to deal with, endless home projects and jobs to keep up with. 
    While I wanted to be a good home keeper, I wasn’t naturally skilled in figuring out how to do it all well and take care of myself and a family at the same time. I was often frazzled and frustrated. 

    One mess or another always seemed to stand in the way of the atmosphere I wanted.
    When I felt like my home was a cause of stress, anxiety would creep in and make me feel like I was a failure in all areas of life.
    I knew that wasn’t what I wanted for myself or our family. 
    Yet I could not figure out for the life of me how to keep all the balls in the air without causing more stress! 
    I read all the books on decluttering, organizing, housecleaning, and decorating yet none of them seemed to offer the simple holistic, sustainable solution I needed. It was all overwhelming. I just wanted to feel at peace with my home day to day, not create a perfect designer-approved showplace!
    I really didn’t need a perfect home. The truth was, a growing family and every day real-life experiences at home created ongoing understandable chaos. I wanted to savor the people, the moments and seasons of life, but trying and failing to keep up with resulting mess in our home was the opposite feeling I wanted in my surroundings.
    How in the world do you find a balance so you can create the type of home you really want without feeling so stressed and overwhelmed?
    Three homes, three kids, one dog and a lot of anxiety and home keeping trial and error later, I finally had an epiphany. This epiphany changed everything!

    I always knew I wanted my home to be a peaceful and welcoming place, but the peaceful and welcoming feeling I craved wasn’t just about the house.
    *I* needed to feel that way! 
    I needed to feel a sense of peace in our home for my own wellbeing, so I could offer that to my family as well.
    I needed my home to be welcoming to me day to day, too, not just to be welcoming to others.
    I couldn’t just bless the mess. Ha! To me, mess = stress.
    Yet all the methods I had tried to keep up with the mess created new kinds of stress.
    It makes sense that people just give up.
    No one tells you the secret to achieving what it is you really want.
    What most of us want to create is a sanctuary, not a showplace.
    That’s what I longed for all along — a home where I felt at peace.

    No wonder I was stressed!
    No wonder I was floundering! 
    It all began to make more sense. 
    I had been trying to get somewhere worth going, but doing it the wrong way led me to the opposite results.
    I was working hard at keeping up with what I thought was necessary or expected, but I didn’t stop to consider what a sanctuary would feel like.
    To be a nurturing place, living in it or caring for it couldn’t be a stressful experience!

    Little by little I made new discoveries about what it meant to create a sanctuary.
    My perspective on home keeping changed.
    I began to make progress and my family noticed and felt it, too! 
    Learning what to do and what not to do, when to do it and why it all mattered so much to me personally made all the difference. Everything changed for the better!
    My well-being improved and my anxiety and daily struggles diminished greatly.
    The care and keeping of our home not only became more manageable but more enjoyable and fulfilling for me (even with a busy household!). 
    My home became a true sanctuary!
    Once I began to see my new daily efforts for what they were, a worthy investment in our health and well-being, creating a sanctuary truly transformed all areas of my life.
    And the most amazing thing is: 

    It didn’t take a lot of money or a housekeeper!

    I didn’t need a perfect house or a perfect plan.

    I didn’t need ideal circumstances. 

    I didn’t need to be a slave to housework. 

    I finally had more freedom and creative energy to do what I loved!

    I felt better than I ever had before in my surroundings. 

    If creating a sanctuary resonates with you, I would love to have you join me in in this journey in 2024!

    I’ve shared many of my struggles and successes in homekeeping and decorating over the past 17 years through encouragement and practical tips on my blog The Inspired Room and in 11 books. 
    But now I am thrilled to be able to offer my secretes to success and support you in a more personal way. In HomeBody Gathering Place, I’ve brought these important decorating and home keeping concepts all together into a never-before offered format with a simple to follow formula along with my secrets to success!
    I am thrilled to be able to walk with you through this journey in real time through HomeBody Gathering Place!
    You’re invited to join me for A Year of Sanctuary, which takes place in 2024 in my member community HomeBody Gathering Place. If you are a member, you’re all set! We’ll begin the winter season on January 5th. If you are not currently a member, you’ll want to register HERE before we close the doors.

    What is a Year of Sanctuary? What is HomeBody Gathering Place?
    A Year of Sanctuary is our theme this year in HomeBody Gathering Place, a private member community where we focus on realistic methods and make joy-filled rewarding progress in creating a sanctuary.
    I’ve organized the concepts I teach into a new seasonal format so we can experience A Year of Sanctuary! In a Year of Sanctuary, we dive into each of my four essential sanctuary principles as well as learn how to savor the simple joys of a sanctuary week by week, season by season, year round.
    All HGP members get to enjoy A Year of Sanctuary, there is no additional fee or registration, it’s all included in your membership.
    How does a Year of Sanctuary work?
    We go through A Year of Sanctuary lessons together weekly in real-time (either in the optional Facebook community, or your own private dashboard and weekly emails we send), but you can also go at your own pace with previously taught lessons and resources that are all saved and available to you in a private dashboard any time.
    While you will be inspired with new ideas and tips every week, you can also see immediate results if you choose to take simple optional action steps through our weekly challenges.
    Of course, establishing your rhythms and experiencing the full benefits of a sanctuary will take time! But we make it more fun every step of the way. You’ll get access to HomeBody Notebook pages, prizes, printables and more!
    The decorating and homemaking principles we learn throughout the year can be personalized and practiced in a variety of ways in each season, just like we do in our real life homes!
    This is a gentle and sustainable way to bring more joy and peace to life and your home, too.
    You’ll find this to be a rewarding experience — one you can look forward to each week and through every season! 
    Do I have to be a new homemaker to benefit from HomeBody Gathering Place?
    Not at all! Whether you’re already a seasoned sanctuary creator or just starting out or somewhere in between, we can learn and grow together in our own ways. No one has it all together all the time, so we all can benefit from inspiration to connect to our homes in various seasons of life.
    Plus, in HomeBody Gathering Place, I bring together a lovely community of women who are all in different seasons, all creating a sanctuary! It is a joy to encourage each other wherever we are in the journey.
    One step at a time, season by season, I’ll teach you how to not only make your home look great, but FEEL great, too.
    Join us in HomeBody Gathering Place for a Year of Sanctuary. We begin January 5th with our Winter Session on Simplicity!
    Once we close the doors for this session, we don’t open again until spring session.
    TIP: I recommend that you join in January as a yearly member (it’s the best deal, plus this year we’re offering yearly member perks and resources!). We hope you’ll join us for the full year of transformative sanctuary lessons, resources, and activities! More

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      in Style Tips

      How to Fall in Love with Your Room (+ Our New Living Room Arrangement Using What We Have)

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      It’s that time of year when we all want our living spaces to be cozy, welcoming and comfortable. We want to love our homes. But as you look around your room, do you ever have a nagging feeling that something is “off” but you don’t know exactly what it is? I definitely have! Perhaps you’ve considered getting rid of everything you have so you can start over with new things you love. I’ll admit that thought has crossed my mind a time or two.
      Sources: Plaid Arm Chair // Waffle Weave Blanket on back // Jute + Cotton Rug // Round Black Art (my art is birds which is sold out, but this is the same style with butterflies!)
      I’m a fan of using what you have when possible and not always buying new things.
      But sometimes it’s hard to figure out where to put the furniture you have, or how to combine what you have in a new way or a new room. And how to determine when you just need something new!
      Did you know years ago I wrote a book called But Where Do I Put the Couch? with KariAnne Wood from Thistlewood Farms? Seems like I should be an expert on answering that age old question of where a couch should go in a room, but as is often the case with design, the best answer is often found through trial, error and experimentation rather than in a universal set of rules to to follow.
      I think we need to give ourselves freedom to try new things, to break the rules and just arrange furniture in a way that is best for the room! This way your room will be better designed for you and make more sense.
      Source: Brown Gingham Pillow on Wingback Chair // Jute + Cotton Rug with this rug pad // Blue and White Floral Ginger Jar // Clam Shell (similar) and other sources // No link for those toys on the floor, ha!
      I am happy to say I stand by my advice in the book (which is not just about where to put the couch, by the way! It’s so much more than that! It answers 101 actual decorating questions from readers like you! Read all about it here).
      But even if we know the rules, break the rules or both, we can still feel stuck. I get stuck, too.
      Case in point.
      I was so excited when our renovation was nearly complete because I finally got to arrange furniture and get settled. But my enthusiasm soon turned to a slump. I just wasn’t feeling like the living room was coming together.
      It wasn’t the backdrops at all. I was grateful for this newly refreshed space and love our paint colors and new flooring. Love the new feel and layout of our main floor. I still planned to get blinds in the living room, and I knew we’d get those soon.
      Sources: Wicker Trunk // Jute + Cotton Rug // Leather Sofa Armchair Version (loveseat no longer sold) // Pleated Lampshade // Blue and White Stamped Pillow on Sofa // Dining Room Details
      While I was stumped at how to solve the furniture arrangement, a little voice in my head told me to STOP DROP AND ROLL.
      Catchy, yes? You’re welcome. A little lesson we all learned in kindergarten.
      This time though, there was no fire to put out.
      Just a little crisis in my head, but nothing STOP DROP AND ROLL can’t handle!
      STOP scrolling for more ideas that just overwhelm or confuse you.
      DROP the idea that shopping is the only way to solve problems.
      Get out of your head so you can get ROLLING!
      Sources: Blue and White Flower Pot // Plaid Arm Chair // Waffle Weave Blanket on back // Jute + Cotton Rug // Lidded Rattan Basket Under Table // Lidded Basket on Right // Round Black Art // Blue and White Geometric Blanket (reversible)
      Even though I felt stumped — like I already tried every combination or arrangement, I told myself I needed to get up and try again. If I didn’t like it, no problem, I could just move it all right back. If nothing else, it could give me clarity on what it was I needed so I could make a better decision.
      It was time to STOP DROP AND ROLL!
      I turned on my Fall Puttering Playlist, got my comfy tennies on, and started moving the furniture all around the room. I tried every possibility, even the ones I was pretty sure I wouldn’t love. But you never know until you try!
      Several arrangements later…it suddenly clicked! This felt right. Cozy, inviting, and pleasant for conversation. Funny enough, this is the arrangement I tried FIRST! I promptly dismissed it previously because when I tried it before, the dining room was still under construction.
      Sources: Wicker Trunk // Jute + Cotton Rug
      Here’s another handy tip. Don’t judge a room when it is under construction (or in a mess as the case might be). I can often look past a mess but this time, I made a quick judgement that was incorrect. I thought it was too crowded, but I am so glad I gave the arrangement another chance once the mess was picked up.
      There is plenty of room to get around, and the couch there gives each room a cozier feeling! It works! Best of all, I was so happy I was able to use what I already had! All I had to do was try and try again.
      Stop drop and roll.
      Sources: Blue and White Geometric Blanket (reversible)
      Once I fell in love with how the room felt with the furniture this way, it gave me ideas of things I had in other rooms that could serve a new purpose in this space. Our ottomans seemed too big and there were just too many legs in the room with four more on an ottoman (although I might try again, or maybe just get a new one someday). But I brought down a basket trunk I had up in the Snug and much to my surprise, it worked just fine in front of the couch!
      We love how the room feels now. I’m so glad I didn’t give up!
      If you’ve followed along here for awhile, you’ll recognize that many of these pieces are ones I’ve had for years and years and have used in many different ways in several homes!
      If you’re not feeling the love for your home, maybe it’s not your home or your furniture!
      Maybe you just need to STOP DROP AND ROLL!
      Source: Jute + Cotton Rug
      Hope this inspires you today! If you try a new arrangement in your home, I’d love to see! Tag me on Instagram @theinspiredroom. In my HomeBody Gathering Place membership group I share in depth on decorating and creating a sanctuary through custom mini-courses and workshops.
      Join the waitlist HERE (homebodygatheringplace.com) to join us when we open HomeBody Gathering Place again!
      Find more inspiration and encouragement for your home in my books, including Love the Home You Have, The Inspired Room, and Simply Home. Find all my books here.

      Jute + Cotton Rug – with this rug pad
      Plaid Arm Chair
      Blue and White Geometric Blanket (reversible)
      Waffle Weave Blanket on back of chair
      Round Black Art (my art is birds which is sold out, but this is the same style with butterflies)
      Blue and White Flower Pot
      Lidded Rattan Basket Under Table
      Lidded Woven Basket by fireplace
      Wicker Trunk
      Leather Sofa Armchair Version (loveseat no longer sold)
      Pleated Lampshade
      Blue and White Stamped Pillow on Sofa
      Brown Gingham Pillow
      Wingback Chair
      Blue and White Floral Ginger Jar
      Clam Shell (similar) and other sources
      Dining Room Details
      My Battery Operated Candles
      Blue paint color: Beach Glass Benjamin Moore
      White paint color: Classic Light Buff Sherwin Williams
      Find more sources from my home and more decor I love in my shops! More