Idea: Wastebasket Umbrella Holder

After weeks of searching for a good umbrella holder to place next to my entry, I found this gem hidden in my broom closet.

For my wedding, I decided to do the floral arrangements myself, so my mother-in-law bought a bunch of these small purple wastebaskets from Target to transport the flowers to the wedding site.  Since we had an August wedding, dorm gear sales were in full swing, so the wastebaskets ended up costing only $2 each.  After the wedding, we didn't really have a place for the wastebaskets, so they ended up in a closet.

Most umbrella holders I found were pretty pricey...at least $15.  This one does a great job for a fraction of what I would have paid for a new umbrella holder at a store.  If you are in the market for an umbrella holder, consider looking into similarly shaped objects, such as wastebaskets, to expand your style and price options.  (Or take a look at what's in your broom closet!)

Inspiration: A Prayer by Sarah Teasdale

                 
A Prayer

When I am dying, let me know
That I loved the blowing snow
Although it stung like whips;
That I loved all lovely things

And I tried to take their stings
With gay unembittered lips;
That I loved with all my strength,
To my soul's full depth and length,

Careless if my heart must break,
That I sang as children sing
Fitting tunes to everything,
Loving life for its own sake.

                                                     
-Sarah Teasdale

What a great way to live...enjoying life for what it is.  To experience life's best, we often must endure life's worst.  Loving deeply is one of life's greatest joys, but it comes with the risk of losing love, one of life's most deeply painful experiences.  It's so easy to hold back on investing oneself wholeheartedly for fear of danger or loss or factors we cannot control.  Let us not hold back on living deeply simply because we are afraid.  A full life, complete with sincere love, is worth the risk.

Idea: Use a Dresser as a TV Stand

Instead of using a short, flimsy tv stand to hold your television, consider placing your tv on top of a dresser.  The storage of a long but not-too-tall dresser cannot be beat!  You can use the space to hide video games, board games, dvds, and more.  If your living room is in close proximity to your kitchen, you can use the dresser to store extra table linens, centerpieces, candles, or dishes.  The cords of electronic equipment can be hidden behind the dresser, far from view.  A used dresser is often cheaper than a new tv stand, though the former is much more useful than the latter.  Plus, many tv stands are so low to the ground that the full screen cannot be seen from the perspective of someone laying on a couch.  A tv placed on top of a short dresser cannot be missed.  If you already have an unused dresser, great.  If not, do know that you can find one at an affordable price.  I found this dresser on Craigslist for just $45, but even the cheapest tv stands tend to be at least twice, usually three times that price.  After searching for several weeks, I was able to identify a dresser at the right price in a wood tone that matches my coffee table.  This is just one of many cases in which using a basic item in an unconventional way yields great results!

Inspiration: When Death Comes by Mary Oliver

"When Death Comes"

- Mary Oliver 

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

This is one of my favorite poems. While the title may not sound inspiring at first (who wants to think of death?!?), the last bit of the poem encourages us to fully embrace the lives we have. If we do this, we will not be afraid of death or unready to go because we have failed to make the most of what we have been given. Don't just be a visitor to this world. Explore it, experience it, embrace it.

Idea: Use Hanging Shoe Holder to Organize Winter Accessories

Consider using a hanging shoe holder to organize scarves and gloves. The pockets are just the right size to hold a scarf, some matching gloves, and a hat (if it's soft and pliable). Since all the items are easy to spy, you won't have to spend valuable time searching for the right set to match a particular outfit--just grab and go! Before, I used shallow totes to hold my winter accessories. I found that these bins took up more space than necessary, and many items (particularly gloves) would get lost in the mass of fabric. With separate organizers for each set, I no longer waste time searching for items that aren't there.  If it's not in its space, I can use the process of elimination to determine where it is (the car, the wash, etc.). Standard shoe organizers hold 8-10 pairs of shoes each, so you'll only need a few to capture all your winter gear.

When winter is over, consider using the shoe organizers to hold your rainbow of summer flip-flops!

The best part?  Shoe organizers can be very affordable.  I found mine at Big Lots for $3 each.  IKEA's SKUBB Organizer, just $4.99, has breathable netting behind each of its 9 sections, perfect for airing out items that are still a little damp.

Fab Find: Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crisps

Yesterday I discovered the tastiest low-calorie snack--Fruit Crisps by Brothers-All-Natural!  These tasty treats pack two servings of fruit into each half-cup bag of freeze-dried crisps.  With no added sugar and around 40 calories per bag, these snacks satisfy a sweet tooth without packing calories.  At my local Walmart, I found a 6-pk. with 2 packs each of Asian Pear, Fuji Apple and Strawberry and Banana for $4.48.  I also picked up individual packs of Apple and Cinnamon and Pineapple for .77 per pack.  Other flavors include Peach, Strawberry, Banana, Mixed Fruit and Mandarin Orange.

Many freeze-dried fruits are sold as "space food," so prices tend to be marked up quite a bit due to the novelty label.  I was pleased to finally find some at a reasonable price.

Inspiration: A Philosophy Concerning Stuff

"Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful."
- William Morris

This is a quote I think of often as I work to make my house a home. Having graduated from college and entered married life with little more than a few boxes of memories, a bunch of threadbare fabrics and some cheaply framed pictures, I find myself collecting the pieces of my home slowly but surely.

For the bones of our home, the basic pieces of furniture we plan to use for a very long time, my husband and I try to choose well-made items that are also a good value.

Right before we got married, we selected a beautiful, sturdy bedroom set, one that we will probably use for the rest of our lives. We were living in separate cities at the time. He visited the local furniture store to make the purchase, while I went to the store's website and identified a few favorites from which to choose. We are happy with the purchase, and look forward to using this set for many years to come. (If I could do it again, though, I would have tried to find a suitable set on Craigslist or in the local classifieds, both of which often feature bedroom sets for less than half of the original cost--even those that are only a year or two old!)

Since then, we have added to our home:

• a floor model butterfly-leaf dining table (which can seat up to eight when its center leaf is in place)
• a gently used couch and loveseat set from Craigslist 
• a full-size guest bed and a coffee table from a used furniture store 
• two desks, a coffee table and a chair from Ikea 
• a twin bed and a roll-top desk from my husband's childhood home 
• bedside tables from a local discount store
• decorator tables from Walmart

I tend to analyze (my husband would say overanalyze) purchases for our home because I like to buy for the long haul. Because I am practical above all, I try to make purchases that:

• will last as long as I do (although we still have a few flimsy holdovers from our college and apartment days) 
• are not too "of the moment" (ie. lacking versatility) 
• will be functional and safe even as our family grows
• are a good value (not just a low price or a high-quality piece)
• are a pleasure to use (ergonomically and aesthetically appealing)

What factors are most important to you as you choose items for your home?