Sanctuary

The fruits of my "Voila!" moment last week are beginning to come together. I am so pleased with my bedroom. It has become the peaceful, cozy sanctuary that I have been wanting it to be.

The bedside table is free of clutter. The drawers are neat and the closet is organized. The room gets the late afternoon sun, which is perfect since I work nights and generally sleep from 8 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m. I love waking to sunshine!

In this room, the head of the bed is against a north wall, which my sister tells , according to Feng Shui is much better for sleeping. I think what is best for sleeping is having a peaceful room free of clutter and with cozy linens and pillows on the bed!



Old linens give me joy and I have quite a collection of pieces gathered over the years. Some from family and friends, others found in antique stores and flea markets. One of my favorite finds was this lovely linen pillow pocket.

Pristine white linens on the bed are peaceful and calming to me. Once in a while, I'll add a pale pink quilt or blanket, but most of the time, I love the purity and simplicity of all white.


Another favored object in my bedroom is my Inspiration board. Here I have put a collection of cards featuring paintings I love, tidbits of lace, millinary flowers, handwoven bookmarks, etc. I found it interesting how harmonious the colors are ~ shades of green, purple, lavender and pink with undertones of cream, taupe and warm brown. Also interesting is that these are the colors of my wardrobe with the addition of black! This board features many of my favorite things, bunnies, fairies, roses and gardens ~ all idealic settings!

No pictures yet of my study/studio room. I have much downsizing to do in this room. After moving nearly 2000 books, I realize that I need to do some serious culling! And to think I've already gotten rid of at least 10 to 15 good sized bags and boxes of books! Yikes!!! I also need to get rid of fabric and various crafting items. I must admit that I am seriously addicted to fabric! I don't just buy a yard or two at a time. I tend to buy fabric in BIG pieces, like 10 yards!!! In the past, I sewed most of my clothes and my daughter's, but I haven't done much clothes sewing in the past 5 years. So (sew!) I either need to get sewing and make this fabric into useful things or get rid of it. I also have a loom, which I have not used in some time. It is an expensive piece of furniture to have around taking up space, but I hesitate to get rid of it as I really do want to weave a few things. Someday!

I have some hard choices to make. One of my goals is to have everything I own fit comfortably in this two bedroom apartment. Changing rooms has made me realize I'm still trying to pack too much stuff in. I'm so pleased with my bedroom at the moment, but my study/studio needs serious effort and I need to prioritize my hobbies and let go of some of the lesser practiced ones like weaving. I've found a few books on the topic of organizing and downsizing that I've found helpful.

Scaling down: Living Large in a smaller space, by Judi Culbertson and Marj Decker. This was the first book on downsizing that I read and I keep going back to it for practical, sound advice and tips.

It's All Too Much, by Peter Walsh. This one is also loaded with practical advice. It's a quick read and thought provoking about WHY we keep stuff and how to break the pattern.

Moving On: A practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home, by Linda Hetzer & Janet Hulstrand. Also helpful, but more geared to moving an older family member out of the family home and into a smaller retirement home or assisted living.

How to organize (just about) everything, by Peter Walsh. Covers everything from where to put your car keys and organize your closets to how to organize your life to get into medical school and more. List format makes it easy to find quick assistance when trying to figure out how to do something!

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