HYD Blog
thoughts on dwelling
We’ve all spent more time at home these past few months than we may have planned or intended to. While we don’t have many places to go or activities outside our homes to attend, it’s a great time to tackle the clutter in our homes. You can do it & we can help. Many of our clients, friends and followers have reached out with questions about where to donate or get rid of household items they are ready to purge.
There are a lot of Knoxvillian’s who are about to move, considering a move, or just moved house. We’ve had the honor to walk alongside many families and individuals through the transition of moving house and we’ve learned a bit along the way. Whether you are buying, selling, or renting, moving is a huge job! Moving your belongings is not a task that we take lightly. We've put together a guide to make your move as seamless as possible.
The word “garage” came from the French word “garer” which means to protect, shelter or store. This is a helpful to keep in mind as you make thoughtful decisions about what is worth “protecting, sheltering or storing” in your own garage. This brings into question what is most important to you & the people in your home.
Our hope today is to remind of the tools you already have to make decisions. We want to encourage you to move towards simplicity instead of complexity. This isn’t always easy (especially when the decisions we’re facing have such great implications), but we’re going to humbly attempt to come alongside and empower you to reclaim some inner space and confidence to lighten the load of decision fatigue.
Since the huge changes in our world these past few months, “working from home” and all of the challenges that come with it, has become immediately relevant & a necessary reality for many in our world today. Your home or apartment may not have a full scale office, suitable for all of your supplies and the space you need. Whether you have an entire room, a closet, a nook or just a desk- here are some suggestions to make your workspace work for you!
We recently heard a neighbor friend say that her quarantine home looks like “a craft store exploded inside.” Can any of you with small kids else relate?? So, what should we do with all those newly created art masterpieces from our kiddos? We want to celebrate all their little creations!
Instead of just stashing all their art in a folder or adding it to "the pile," here are 10 creative & manageable ways to bring some color into your home, celebrate the seasons, & show off your kids' imagination through art.
So this first one's not rocket science, but it's what works in our home. Our laundry room is on the main level & has gray walls so the art can really pop! I (or my kids) just rotate their art 2-3 times a year in this room leaving tiny holes from the tacks. The way I look it, when the art stops coming home someday, I'll be ready to repaint the room anyway, but until then, I get to be reminded of these little people I love so much while I'm trying to find that missing sock or checking their pockets before they hit the washer.
This is a great option for a more polished look that keeps it super easy to rotate art. Shannon Makes Stuff has great images for ideas. Let the kids have another art project by painting the frames themselves.
This option is a bit more pricey, but well worth the money to have one piece that speaks for many. My kids would love how professional this art display would make their art look.
The folks at Artful-Kids used a hanging wire to display art vertically allowing for easy rotation. This is a great option if you're short on wall space.
We love how Amanda Medlin created this wall for her boys' room with multicolored frames, but all white or all black frames would be another great option to showcase your child's art.
Aimee of It'sOverflowing.com has a great DIY plan to create a fun clothespin line for your kids to be able to change their own art with ease. HYD helped a client design one similar to this last year & it was a huge hit with their four kids.
This is brilliant. ArtKive has designed an app that allows you to photograph the artwork, upload it, and then turn it into books, gifts, or keepsakes.
HYD loves reclaimed wood projects. These from Old House to New Home are some of our favs. Of course, you could use lots of different styles of clipboards that work best for your space.
My thoughtful mother decided to pick a couple of my brother's & my best Christmas creations. My brother's is a Santa with no arms, he's a beauty. I did a lovely manger scene that brings back memories but doesn't come close to the fine artistic ability of my brother. It's been over 30 years since we created them & every year, we reminisce & poke fun at each other when mom hangs them. I love them!
Nothing too fancy here. Just find a color of twine or string that works for your space & use clothespins, paper clips, or even colorful hair clips to hang the art. The image above is our favorite using the spools as the anchors to hang. I have a friend who uses the twine method above her kitchen sink with smaller art pieces & it's so cute. She uses her childs' art in lieu of a curtain valance.
