Keeping it clean

• • Happy House Rules • No Comment

This week’s #happyhouserules is about cleaning. Yes, that’s right.  Cleaning!

We talked about cleaning at the beginning of the year as part of a new year cleanse but in reality, it’s not just a once a year exercise but an ongoing, regular activity (well…at least it should be!).

While the answer to “Is it clean?” is no doubt different for most of us, generally speaking, if it’s covered in grime/dirt/dust or cobwebs then that should give you a bit of a clue as to the answer! If you can’t see out of a window or your reflection in the mirror looks hazy then a wipedown of those surfaces would definitely be in order (unless of course you prefer not to see yourself properly, which leads me to other questions but perhaps those are for another time). I could go on about when things might need a clean but I’m fairly certain you know … you might not want to know, but you do know.

keeping it clean

So. Our Happy House Rule for this week is to “Keep it clean”. It’s an exercise that we include in our courses and is fairly straightforward so here goes:

1. Stop and look around your space. Look HARD (because we often lose the ability to really ‘see’ things that we walk past regularly so take the time to do this properly).

2. Once you’ve looked then you’ll know what needs your attention. Out of those things, surfaces, drawers, corners etc, pick one thing that you will clean. Start small. A quick win is always a motivation booster!

3. Planning – think about what you need to properly clean the area you’ve chosen and how long it will take you to both acquire your cleaning materials and actually do the cleaning.  Then, plan this in your diary for the week.

4. When the time comes, grab your cleaning materials and completely empty the area that you have chosen. (Yes, this is also why I suggested that you start small.)

5. Clean the area, be it a shelf or a drawer or a corner (floor, walls) etc AND clean all the items you’re returning to the area before you place them back there (also relocate or throw out the things that no longer belong). Clean it all.

6. Stand back, admire your work and give yourself a big pat on the back for a job well done! Yay!

7. And repeat (if you wish) all over the house.

There are a lot more tips we have with respect to cleaning and learning how to make it an easy habit so feel free to ask specifically in the comments if you want to know them! But a lot of you might be wondering how “Keeping it clean” could possibly be a major Happy House Rule for us. Well, besides the obvious health benefits of living in a less dirty/dusty home, what a regular cleaning practice could help you with are the following:

– It encourages you to take notice of where things/stuff/clutter stagnate in your space so you can deal with these areas (research has shown that clutter makes a lot of people rather stressed and unhappy)

– It allows you to engage with your things (also shown to be important in terms of our enjoyment of them)

– It encourages you to change things around in your home (as they say, a change is as good as a holiday for giving yourself a little pep up)

– It ensures that you are ‘seeing’ your home and catching anything that needs repair early on (which will save you money in the end – you’ll be much happier with that I’m sure!)

– It pretty much ensures that you only keep the things that you need and love (because moving mountains of things aside to clean and then putting it all back – well, you’ll get sick of that pretty swiftly)

The above list is by no means exhaustive but rather a handful of things to get you motivated to do something that most of us find a chore.  If that’s not enough then perhaps thinking of cleaning as an act of gratitude (which has also been shown to increase happiness) might help – so go thank your home for providing you with shelter and safety by giving it some TLC. Someone once told me that it helps to name the items that you need to clean so it’s easier to remember to give them some love once in a while – so why not try it with some of the items that you hate cleaning the most (like the Ollie the Oven) and see if it works!

As always, let us know how you go,

Tip & Nat

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Image credit: Dustpan & broom. Design by Ole Jensen for Normann Copenhagen.

January cleanse

• • Happy House Rules, Interiors • 1 Comment

January. I have to admit, I LOVE January and the new year in general. It always feels like a clean slate to me and it’s usually a great time to get organised, clear some physical, digital and mental space (both at home and at work) and to plan the year ahead.

You’ve probably already started something, whether it be a “dry” alcohol free January or quitting sugar for a month or some other health related resolution(s) BUT what about your space? Doesn’t it deserve a “cleanse” too? Just like our bodies, our homes also suffer from our busier and busier lives and end up with unsightly bumps and bulges where they shouldn’t be! So, it’s time to also give them a little attention and a quick clean up.

There are a lot of easy options or little things that you could start with so I thought I would start with what I’m doing right now…hopefully it gets you inspired – we’d love to hear your ideas of quick little things that have a big impact so comment away or even send us some pictures or your befores & afters.

 

My cleanse (besides reducing my sugar and dairy intake!) involves:

1. A Digitial Cleanse

– I am going through my (hundreds of – eek) photos and deciding what the best ones are and DELETING the rest.
– Old e-mails, files, bookmarks, text messages etc are being reviewed then deleted or, where necessary, archived.
– The last, but definitely not least, part of this is to BACK UP what you want to keep. An external storage device and/or something in the cloud is highly recommended!

2. A Physical Space Cleanse

a. Work
– Just like your digital files, do the same with your physical ones … go through pieces of paper, do the filing that’s piled up across the year and THROW out items that are no longer relevant.
– If you’re like me and own your business, throw out any items that you no longer need to hold for tax purposes or are no longer relevant. If you’re not sure, usually it’s OK to scan and file some items digitally rather than hold on to paper.

b. Home
– Usually this is a lot bigger than your office so you’ll have to devote more time to this. I like to get the whole family in on the action, so the kids have been involved in sorting their books and toys (we usually do this in early December, to make room for Santa to bring new things, otherwise he can’t – works like a charm … we’ll deal with the whole truth about Santa thing when they’re older, hehe), hubs is going through his “man” stuff (to be honest he has clothes and a teeny tiny cupboard) and well, the rest is for me. Most of our home is looking good but I seem to attract paper like moths to a flame so that’s where I’m focusing on for January.

I really have noticed that when things are organised that I achieve more and I’m much happier – and recent studies have actually shown this happiness link too.

Just Start

The best way to approach a cleanse is to take it step by step or in small chunks. As we always say “Just start … with a corner” (or a table top, or drawer etc). Plan some uninterrupted time to devote to a small task and focus on that until it’s done (this is important – started but unfinished items all over the place will only make things worse, not better!). Work quickly and keep a “don’t know” pile to help you work quickly. For most things, you’ll know exactly what to do with them … the don’t know pile you can tackle at the end. Do what you need to spur you on, whether it’s great music to dance and clean to or catching up on some TV series while you delete your files (yes, that’s what I’m doing – love Netflix!).

Once you’ve removed all the unnecessary items, you may find that you need to rethink your storage. More on storage and making the most of every inch of your space in an upcoming post! In the interim, good luck and happy clean, tidy cleared spaces to you!

 

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Happy New Year!

• • Interiors • 1 Comment

Wishing you all a lovely year filled with happiness. Any resolutions that you’d care to share? For me, I’m focused on appreciating the every day, reading more fiction and showing more of the real me in my (creative) work. There’s a lot in store on the AD front, once Nat returns from maternity leave. Watch this space! :-)

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Advent time of year

• • DIY, Interiors • No Comment

amm blog advent calendar idea 2

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As we near December I’ve also got advent calendars on my mind…I keep saying each year that I will do something so the kids can enjoy this lovely tradition in the run up to Christmas but I have yet to do it. This year will be different (she says). So, a couple of pictures via a merry mishap from last year to start getting me inspired to try my hand at a little advent DIY. What are your traditions around this time of year?

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m2matiz love

• • Interiors, Products • No Comment

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I’ve got gifts on my mind and thought I’d share some of my wishlist (both for myself and for my giftees). I’ve met some truly wonderful folk over on Instagram in the last year, many of whom are makers so would love to help promote them in any way I can.

To start, the wonderfully creative Mariana from m2matiz – whom I randomly emailed the details of a local Melbourne wood brander manufacturer to, because I thought she was better off spending her time on her wonderful photos rather than etching her name into her pieces (yeah, I do stuff like that) – luckily, she didn’t think me crazy and we’ve been in touch via Instagram for the last few months. She sent me her under heaven “t.lighthaus” (a cover that allows you to turn any jar into a beautiful tea light candle holder) and I have been besotted ever since.

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Check out her website for more and also good to know is that the t.lighthaus comes flat pack in an envelope so they are very very easy to have posted to you or anyone else around the world for that matter. Enjoy!

Lumierebox

Tiny Miracles

• • Interiors, Products • No Comment

Aaaah … Between Nat taking some rightly deserved time off on maternity leave, my crazy day job and being smack bang in the middle of our attic renovations, things have slipped through a little. Today I found a postcard that I picked up at the Amsterdam Woonbeurs (interiors fair) at the beginning of October about something more than just a little bit wonderful and it would be remiss of me not to tell you about it.

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Dutch designer Pepe Heykoop opened his workshop last year in one of Mumbai’s poorest areas. In conjunction with his cousin’s Tiny Miracles Foundation he teaches skills that he hopes will allow the community to increase its standard of life. Awesome.

Right now 3 items are in production, the Paper Vase Cover (which transforms any bottle into a vase – great gift idea I think!), the Matka Vase (made from furniture industry leather scraps) and the Leather Lampshade (prrrrr). Go check them out and get some feel good factor with your designery buy!

Mini Trend – Raw/Unfinished Wood

• • Bedroom, DIY, Interiors, Trends, Workspaces • 2 Comments

I’ve been noticing a lot of raw/unfinished or any other kind of wood popping up in the interiorsphere lately so thought I’d do a little roundup of ideas – because we all love a roundup, don’t we?

Some inspiration from the Amsterdam Woonbeurs earlier this month:

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woonbeurs barn woonbeurs barn 3

You could try your hand at a plywood DIY (a desk or pegboard shelving perhaps):

Desk DIY peg board

Do your whole room like this small space storage awesomeness:

wooden bedroom storage darker

Or just bring in a few accessories here and there:

wood block side table raw wood accessories

Are you going to jump on this raw wood trend too? If so, let us know how (send us a pic – we’d love to see it!).

Marble Powder Room love

• • Bathroom, Interiors • No Comment

More from the Vogue Living blog. Double Prrrrrrr.

Quick ‘n Healthy Zucchini Bread

• • Food & Recipes • No Comment

I’m always rushing to get the kids out the door for school & my breakfast tends to get skipped so have been in search of a quick & healthy option to grab on my way out the door. Today I found this recipe via Peas & Love SF:

Zucchini Bread or Chocolate Zucchini Bread (if you so desire):

1 cup Zucchini, shredded
1.5 cups Bob’s Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1/2 cup Evaporate Cane Juice, Pure Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
3/4 cup Walnuts and/or Sunflower Seeds
4 tablespoons Applesauce
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda or Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Nutmeg (optional)
1 tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder (if you desire Chocolatey)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together Oil, Applesauce, Vanilla, Sugar/Honey/Maple and Zucchini. In a separate bowl, mix Flour, Nuts, Cinnamon, Baking Soda/Powder and Salt (and Cacao if using). Slowly mix in dry ingredients to bowl of wet ingredients and stir until batter forms. Pour mixture into square pan, loaf pan or muffin pan greased with Coconut Oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sweet aroma permeates. Let cool first- then enjoy!