Give The Gift Of Getting Things Done!

This December, Blue City Monthly will be publishing a handy and timely article for this festive gift-giving season written by yours truly. We love getting to write about things we care about, and we love thoughtful gift-giving.

For those of you who are chomping at the bit to check a few gifts off your shopping list NOW, we decided to give you sneak peak - a teaser, if you will - of what you'll be able to find in Blue City Monthly's December issue. 

If you're ready to give thoughtful gifts that are personalized, clutter-free and can even reduce stress for the recipient, here are a few ideas to get your gift-giving juices flowing. Renters and homeowners alike have hefty to-do lists for their home. Why not choose holiday gifts that will help make that list easier to conquer for your loved ones? 

Idea #1: Gift Certificates to Home Improvement Stores

Know someone planning to retile their bathroom? Put a 10lb bag of grout in a gift bag (along with a return receipt) with a gift certificate to your local big box store to help fund the DIY project. The big bag of heavy grout will make them wonder until they open the gift, and the money will be well spent.

Idea #2: Window Cleaning

This is a favorite gift given by real estate agents to new homebuyers, and often that first year of homeownership was the last time the windows were professionally cleaned. A gift like professional window cleaning is exactly the kind of thing people won’t get themselves which makes it a luxury. Find a picture frame that looks like a window, tuck the gift certificate inside the frame for a clever presentation.

Bonus Idea #3: Chopped Wood
This one isn't even in the upcoming article, but came up while we were prepping this blog for you. Our fabulous intern mentioned the idea of having a cord of chopped wood delivered to your family members who might be a bit tired of prepping their own winter fire supplies - what an unexpected and lovely idea this might be for your snow-bound family! Want to see an amazingly efficient way to chop wood? Check out this video!

Any of these gifts can be services you offer yourself if you are handy and have the time. That makes the gift that much more personal and saves money, too. So, whether you find great professionals for these or offer yourself as the “honey-doer” for the day, think outside the gift of stuff this year, and help create happier, less stressful lives for those you love this holiday season.

For more gift ideas, check out Blue City Monthly or like them on Facebook.  

Happy gift-giving!

A Romantic Home 365 Days A Year

February triggers an expectation of romance, but the focus is often on temporary romance - roses, candles, bubble baths and champagne.  While those things are lovely, why not set up a home that encourages long-term romance, the kind that can last a lifetime? What are the key ingredients in a romantic home, and how can you bring them into your space and relationship?

1. Create adult-focused areas

We all hear about kid-friendly rooms, but these days it seems the whole home is not only kid-friendly, but kid dominated. How romantic is it to cuddle when surrounded by Barney dinosaurs and stepping on stale cheerios? While it is important to have an inclusive, loving family, it is also important not only to have spaces where you can be grown ups and individuals, but also to teach the kids that there are times and places for different things, and that it is not, in fact, all about them. They will grow up to be better balanced, more empathetic adults.

2. Balance masculine and feminine energy

"Romantic" often brings to mind classically feminine associations - pink, ruffled, layered, soft, light, etc - but masculine energy is every bit as important as feminine in creating romance 365 days a year. For long-lasting romance, try to keep a balance in each room. Pair soft curves in a crystal lamp with strong lines on a deep wood end table. Pair a fluffy white duvet on the bed with a rich, clean-lined frame and headboard. Install rustic, reclaimed hardwood floors and top with an inviting white velvet armchair. A full life honors both sides of our male-female energies, and a balance, romantic home does the same. 

3. Control the lighting

Always give thought to the lighting in your home, especially in the bedroom, but also in the living room, dining room, and bathroom. Have layers of light (ceiling light for overall light, table and floor lamps for mood and task lighting) and put as many of them on dimmers as you can. Dim lighting can mask clutter, create a flattering glow, invite a desire to linger, and set a mood for slowing down and spending much-needed time together.

Bedroom Before & After:  A Romantic Makeover

Embrace Romance

Romance can be part of your life 365 days a year. That feeling of being present, being aware, lingering, can be created whether you are enjoying a cup of coffee on your own by a fire, or snuggling with a partner on a lazy morning in bed. Take time this month to eliminate things in your home that hinder romance (clutter, sheets leftover from an old relationship) and bring in what you need to feel at home (soft lighting, fresh bedding, a kid-free zone). Then lower the lights, pour a glass of wine, and love being home.

A different kind of holiday wishlist

We're coming up on a time of year that tends to be about buying a lot of 'stuff' cleverly camouflaged as gifts.  Have you noticed that many of the gifts we exchange at Christmas just add to the piles of unnecessary things in our houses?  This year, why not take a different approach to the Christmas wishlist?  This idea is more economical because it calls on your skills instead of your wallet, it's better for our home because it doesn't bring in more 'stuff', and can potentially create more lasting memories as you work with your friends and family to accomplish something.
Take a tour of your home and make a list of all the things you've been putting of or meaning to do - glue the leg on your dining room chair, replace those burnt out light bulbs, repaint the front door, swap out the kitchen faucet, take that load in the garage to goodwill.  Then email the wishlist to your partner, friends and family and ask them for help with these things as your Christmas gift this year instead of 'stuff'.  In turn, ask them to email their own wishlist - you might be surprised what they could use a hand with that you might find easy to do!  How great would it be to start the new year with all those little things accomplished, and know that you helped out your friends, too!
Normally I clean my car, gutters and windows myself.  It's one of those things I can do so I am too cheap to hire someone else to do it for me.  But I HATE doing it - it's cold, wet, and messy.  So last year, for Christmas, my family hired someone else to do this for me.  My dad got my a gift certificate to detail the interior of my car (he's in Kentucky or he'd have done it himself), a friend's handyman-husband cleared the gutters, and Paneless Window Cleaning came and did the windows.  Not only was it such a luxury, but they all did the job so much better than I ever had.  These were gifts I really treasured and would not ever have purchased for myself.
Happy gifting!

Teaching kids gratitude while clearing clutter from your home

Want to clear the clutter from your home, teach your kids great habits, and encourage gratitude in your home? Start this new holiday tradition.

Set a day on the calendar for "making room" and be sure that each person or child you want involved will have time free that day. This can be a good activity the day after Thanksgiving as a way to reflect on the meaning of gratitude, or chose a day closer to Christmas as the kids are getting more and more excited about the new toys they want.

• On the given day, start off by reading "Too Many Toys" by David Shannon. It's a great way to help kids relate to and understand the idea without any lecturing.
• Set a timer. Adjust the time based on how much you want to declutter. Older kids and adults can probably handle an hour or two, but with younger kids, limit the time to thirty minutes. 
• Set the example by choosing some number of things from your own closet, craftroom, or storage area to give away.
• Have the kids choose the things they are ready to give away (you can determine how many items that should be).
• Then let the kids celebrate by making up their Christmas wish list.

This should be a time for appreciating gifts from the past, and for learning that generosity returns only to those who are generous. By making this an annual ritual you will not only keep the clutter down in your home, but also help teach the kids, and reminds yourself, of the importance of generosity and gratitude.