Craft

Rejuvenate your home!

Jan 10 10:24am

Three top tips for getting started...

We've all made those new year resolutions that are hard to keep ... you know, give up chocolate, exercise every day, get enough sleep. So for a change this year, how about focussing on your surroundings? Sprucing up your home will give you a boost, and hopefully the effects will last all year! Dora Papas, Better Homes and Gardens Decorating editor, has three simple steps to get you started:

1 Purge - anything you haven't worn or used for over a year - turf it. Of course, if something has sentimental value, find a creative way to display it. For instance, if you keep travel mementoes, get into scrapbooking and use everything from ticket stubs to photographs to journalling to diarise your holiday.

Look out for BH&G at scrapbooking events

2 Storage Boxes - these are invaluable. Have storage boxes, containers or furniture storage for each room in the house. Storage can be decorative - so put collections on display on walls, arrange objects on sideboards, mantelpieces etc.

Storage ideas

Make your own boxes on castors

See more storage in February's magazine

3 Don't try to do it all in one day. Set yourself achievable targets each day or each week - whether it's sorting out your paperwork, desk, pantry, wardrobe, garage etc.

We want to hear from you. Tell us what you hope to do this year to give your home a fresh look....leave your comments below.

10 Comments Report Abuse

1. babatknits - Jan 10 09:47pm

Hi in two weeks i am moving into a 2 bedroom rented flat in Bundanoon Southern Highlands NSW.It is very old and the decoration is pretty awful.i do not have style it has a garden at the side which is very overgrwon and i want to build a veggie garden there but also have a little place to sit.Barbara

2. miaum2001 - Jan 10 10:26pm

You can make ANY place your home - by surrounding yourself with all the things you love.....Try out lots of arrangements etc and see which one appeals to you the most. Brights flowers in a vase work wonders.
Have you ever thought of growing all (or most) of your veges in pots...sitting area!

3. miaum2001 - Jan 10 10:27pm

4. indiebonbindie - Jan 11 09:50am

my garden is my priority for this month. i have a large garden at the front of my house that has sadly been neglected due to work committments, but this is the month. unfortunately the rain while very welcome is putting a bit of a 'dampner' on these plans, but it will not deter me.

5. sumanaju - Jan 11 01:18pm

I am disabled and in Palliative Care in my own home. I no longer have the energy to keep my place how I used to. So I decided that each day I would choose one badly needed doing job and do it. I think by the time I've done everything it will be time to start again. Any other tips for me?

6. wendytrand - Jan 14 07:43am

Hi babatknits
Who said that vegies can’t be planted amongst ‘normal’ flowers gardens ... You can plant lettuce & sage for borders, as well as mixing all sorts of herbs as ground covers, incl. strawberries. Many vegies have attractive flowers, foliage & scent, incl. curly parsley, beetroot, rosemar

7. haiyen_82 - Jan 20 03:56pm

I need to get myself moving, meaning exercise everyday, but haven't had any motivation to do so. When I thought today would be the day, it started to rain, and things always seemed to come up to avoid me from exercising... or maybe it was just simply me... NEED HELP!

8. nat1275 - Jan 20 05:38pm

Hi Barbara,
Welcome to Bundanoon... I've lived here for 2yrs and love. All gardens thrive here. We have a great climate for most tastes.

9. tj.1967 - Feb 09 11:54am

I hope to finish a few of the renovations that were started many years ago by my partner who likes to start things but never to finish them. I've just grouted the new toilet am looking for a mirror to finish that room off, then I'll move on to the next, hoping to get 3 more finished this year.

10. buff_fan91 - Apr 26 11:12pm

this year i plan to build another room onto my house, so that i can have another baby in the future without worrying about it. and also to renovate the my 2yr old and 16yr olds rooms, finally get round to painting my newborn twins room. and then get round to the 5yr old twin boys room.