Sprucing, Spiffing and Gussying

I have embarked on a couple projects to spruce, spiff and gussy up our house.  Project #1:  The continued mission to declutter and simplify the house. I have gotten rid of a lot of "stuff" and neatly arranged what is left. "A place for everything and everything in it's place."  

Were you to walk into our home, I don't believe you would call it "cluttered" (except maybe that stack of stuff on the end of the kitchen table that just never seems to find a home).  However, I find that my organizing doesn't stay that way for long - usually because an item's "place" may be in bin #5 of a stack of bins - so the item gets temporarily laid on top  ("I'll put that away correctly in a minute").  Then it's in the way when I need to get an item out of bin #2, so it gets moved (temporarily) to a nearby counter. Uh-oh, company is coming and I'm in a hurry, so it gets shoved into a drawer to get it out of sight . . .  According to Ms. Kondo, this phenomenon happens because I still have too much stuff, I just now have it in bins.  Once I finish reading the book, I'll report back on my progress.

Project #2:  It's time for our furniture and decor to get an update.  Not possessing the winning Lotto ticket, I'm working on it in stages.  We have a friend who has a design business in Colorado, so I have been consulting with her about changing color schemes and working with what I have in the mean time.  When we started, I knew that I want Mid-Century Modern and/or Craftsman styles -  and aqua.  Not much for a designer to go on, is it!  Connie (the designer) suggested an orange/red, and shades of yellow to compliment the aqua.  I wasn't sold at first.  Those aren't my usual colors!  But isn't that the whole point?  

The light dawned the next time I was browsing my basket of favorite fabric purchases. Take a look at some of the fabrics that have followed me home recently:

These were all purchased before I started thinking about redecorating. Maybe I like Connie's color combinations more than I realized!

So far, my revamp has consisted of purchasing two vases and a small side table that was multi-clearanced to $9, making a table runner, and a whole lot of window-shopping.  Some items we already have are getting repainted or recovered, but the first major purchase will be a replacement for hubs' old-faithful recliner.  Warning newlyweds: Do not try this at home.  This is a shopping trip that should only be undertaken with a minimum 25-year foundation for your marriage's stability.