Shoes: On or Off in the House?

I didn’t grow up in a “take your shoes off at the door” household, aside from when it was simply a given – i.e., coming in from extreme elements of rain or snow. But it seems like more and more people are moving to a “no shoes inside” policy. And while it’s not something I’d impose upon my guests, I’m very closely leaning toward that direction as an everyday habit as well. Not only does it reduce the amount of wear on carpets and floors, but even more importantly, it reduces the amount of crap from the outside that comes into the house … from pollen and pesticides to the much, much worse.

I recently found a large wooden shoe rack on the curb in my neighborhood, and had my mom throw it in the back of her SUV on her way by.  It has since been next to the door in our garage for shoe storage.  While we don’t keep all of our shoes there, nor do we switch to house shoes every single time we come in and out, we’re on the right track.  Plus, with so many cute slipper and house shoe options, and come on – nothing is really more comfortable than slippers … what’s not to love? 

 Keyhole Flat Back to school sale by HydraHeart on Etsy

 

What’s your shoes-in-the-house / not-in-the-house policy?

Storage Tips for Your Off-Season Clothing

Given the change of the seasons and everyone’s perennial complaint of lack of storage, maybe you have a pile of stuff that’s been sitting in your closet so long that it no longer seems out of place. For me, it’s maternity clothes. Six months post-partum and I still haven’t properly stored them away.

Don’t get me wrong, I am more than ready to see them disappear for a while … but I definitely want to be able to wear them again when the time comes, keeping them in good condition in the meantime.

The first step is to wash EVERYTHING. Even if you think it’s probably clean. Seriously, just do it.

More: New Uses for Lovely Things

Building upon the Home Office edition of More Uses,  here are two additional lovely things that I’ve put to use in semi-untraditional ways.  

(Just so we’re clear, I share these not in a braggadocious, “look how clever I am” sort of way, but rather as an inspiration to you – and myself – to discover new ways to enjoy things you already love … because what’s the point of surrounding yourself with anything you don’t adore?)

A Tisket, A Tasket … The Task Basket

A look inside The Task Basket

Ever wonder how we decide on our Project of the Week (POTW)? In comes The Task Basket.

Because we have so many things to accomplish, the master list is sectioned out by room, materials needed, and ranked by priority. Ugh. There’s no real joy in weighing the pros and cons of one little task from a monster spreadsheet like that. So instead, we wrote all the things that could realistically be done in a week’s time on little slips of paper and put them into The Task Basket (which is actually a bag, but why nitpick?).

New Uses for Lovely Things: Home Office

Let’s face it, office supplies aren’t pretty.  As I continue to pull my home office together, it should be both functional and also reflect my personal style. While it’s still a bit of a work-in-progress (shocking!), I’ve been able to incorporate some non-traditional elements as useful (and pretty to look at!) items.

My pen and pencil holder is an antique silver flower frog (which, embarassingly, could use a good polishing!):

Tough Love with my Makeup Habit

Since I work from home, the bulk of my daytime interaction happens electronically or by phone. Still, I get up, shower, get dressed, and make myself presentable enough so that if or when I leave the house, I’m not in total shambles. Plus, it helps put me in “work” mode.

When it comes to makeup, I usually stick to the basics: tinted moisturizer, bronzer, mascara and gloss.