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Office decluttering + desk drawer organisation

Tuesday ~ Posted by Karen Schravemade

Study drawer organisation Facebook image

Since my epic decluttering post, 250+ Things to Throw Away, I’ve been on a decluttering binge in my home. And boy, does it feel good! It’s been a while between posts – for those of you who are new around here, I was in a car accident a couple of weeks ago and because I’m pregnant (35 weeks now!), I needed to have a short hospital stay. All is well, and I’m so grateful to all of you for your kind messages and emails of support. You always touch my heart!

The nesting hormones are in full swing over here with only 3 weeks left until baby makes an appearance, and for my American readers, many of you are in spring cleaning mode. The perfect time to kick off a decluttering challenge. We’re going to tackle one “zone” together per week. So far I’ve purged my way through several zones, but rather than share what I’ve done in strict order, I’m going to jump straight in with Zone 6 – the home office. If you want to join in with the challenge and bust some clutter in your own home, make sure you leave a comment so we can cheer you on. You’ll find the complete office-decluttering checklist at the end of this post.

Study drawer organisation pin

I have a very pretty little home office space off our dining room, but in the interest of complete honesty, I’m about to show you the not-so-attractive side of my workspace. Steel yourself for some embarrassing “before” pictures of my study drawers. If you have an aversion to ugliness, clutter, and extreme disorganisation – look away now. This may burn your eyeballs.

Yep. It was nasty. It’s always harder for me to get motivated to tidy something up when it’s essentially hidden. As long as it looks good on the outside, I tend to procastinate indefinitely. The problem is, it annoys me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I open that drawer or cupboard.

I eventually came to this conclusion: sure, no-one else might ever see it, but I’m worth tidying up for too! It’s totally worth it for the feeling of serenity and satisfaction I get from a well-organised space – even if it IS “just” for me. Plus, it saves time when the items you need are visible and right at your fingertips, instead of buried beneath a whole heap of useless crap.

I started by emptying EVERYTHING out of the drawers and giving them a good wipe out. Then I lined them with some pretty coral and gold wrapping paper, because, well, pretty. I used a bit of double-sided tape to stick down the paper in each corner.

Study drawer organisation

This is what my top drawer looked like before I attacked it:

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After emptying the drawer, I purged a heap of unneeded and unused stationery items.

DSC_1374

I bought a clear acrylic divider to replace the ugly old purple one I had in there before. For a couple of dollars outlay, everything was already feeling so much cleaner and more streamlined.

DSC_1383

So much better! Now I can see everything, and what I need is right at my fingertips. The drawer only contains items I actually need and use on a regular basis.

Study drawer organisation

Onto the second drawer, which looked like this before:

Study drawer organisation

It was kind of a pointless junk drawer, really. It had no specific purpose other than for me to shove random stuff in it. My first step was to give it a reason for existence. So, I named it my “Tools” drawer.

Study drawer organisation

This drawer now holds a sticky-tape dispenser that actually has sticky-tape in it (unlike before), a hole-punch, calculator, to-do list pad, and a jotter. There’s also spare sticky-tape and staples up the back.

Study drawer organisation

Onto drawer number three, previously known as the home of the paper dump:

Study drawer organisation

Essentially, I was using it to store notebooks, among other things. I started by getting rid of a heap of old notebooks. Then I bought a clear acrylic caddy so my remaining notebooks have a dedicated area to hang out in. Everything else slotted in like puzzle pieces after that – blank index cards, a receipt wallet, label maker refills, and various other chalkboard and nameplate labels up the back.
DSC_1366

Study drawer organisation

The fourth drawer is where I store paint colour fan-decks for decorating clients. But they were so buried under other random stuff that they weren’t even visible. A before shot:

Study drawer organisation

It’s funny how organising one drawer has a flow-on effect to all the others. As I worked through the process of purging unnecessary stuff and grouping like items together, it created so much more space in all the remaining drawers. Now I can easily see my fan-decks, plus there’s plenty of room for envelopes, a couple of spare pencil-cases, and even my adult colouring book.

Study drawer organisation

The last drawer contains my cords and electronics, and it was worth a whole post all on its own! You can see how I organised my tangled mess of cords in this post: Cord Organisation with Washi Tape.

Study drawer organisation

Here’s the checklist I used to purge and declutter my home office area. (You can see the complete list of all items for the whole house in this post: 250+ Things to Throw Away.)

Zone 6 Office, Library and Media

  1. Cords that don’t fit any known electronics in your house
  2. Duplicate cords
  3. Chargers for items you no longer use
  4. Old phones and tablets (sell or recycle them)
  5. Out-of-date calendars
  6. Old diaries / day planners
  7. Scrapbooking supplies you no longer use
  8. Old receipts
  9. Old bills (take your banking online to stop unnecessary paper coming into your home in the first place)
  10. Duplicate office supplies such as hole-punches, staplers and rulers – keep one of each
  11. Outdated business cards
  12. Pens that are out of ink
  13. Stubby pencils
  14. Sticky note pads (keep one or two)
  15. Old paperwork you no longer need to keep on file
  16. Old notebooks
  17. Excess paperclips / thumb tacks
  18. Anything that doesn’t work (the broken-down scanner, photocopier etc that’s gathering dust in the corner)
  19. Old photo albums. Can you amalgamate them? – streamline those bulky albums by scanning favourite photos into photo books?
  20. Empty albums
  21. Film canisters
  22. Packets of old negatives
  23. Old school work from when you were a kid
  24. Essays you wrote in university
  25. Old textbooks
  26. Resources from a job you no longer work (eg teaching resources, company manuals)
  27. Old name badges
  28. Bags and lanyards from past conferences
  29. Conference packs and notes that you’ll never refer to again
  30. Books you’ve never read
  31. Books you read and didn’t love
  32. Old magazines (clip any favourite images, and toss the rest)
  33. Old newspapers
  34. Travel brochures
  35. Unused puzzle books
  36. Promotional goody bags from expos, trade fairs etc
  37. Letter openers (have you ever actually used one?)
  38. Stamps or mailing stickers personalised with your old address
  39. Kids artworks and school memorabilia. Cull the excess and display the favourites in a memory box system like this.
  40. Gift books of the sentimental or “coffee table” variety that serve no purpose once read
  41. Old birthday and Christmas cards. Keep a handful with meaningful messages in a memory file, and toss the rest.
  42. Half-finished craft projects
  43. Redundant technology such as floppy discs, cassettes and video tapes
  44. Redundant electronics such as VHS players and cassette players
  45. Old electronics you’ve kept since upgrading (includes TVs, laptops, stereos, computer monitors)
  46. Outdated computer software
  47. DVDs you’ll never watch again
  48. X-Box or Playstation games your kids don’t play or have outgrown
  49. Phone books (the majority of people search online for local businesses now)
  50. Remotes that don’t match with anything
  51. That CD collection that has been replaced by your iPod
  52. Extension leads – keep only what you need and use
  53. Electronic gadgets you don’t use or that don’t work
  54. Instruction manuals for appliances you no longer own
  55. Trophies from when you were a kid – photograph them and move on
  56. Old sheet music
  57. Board games you don’t play
  58. Multiple decks of cards
  59. Mailing tubes and boxes you’ve been hanging onto for years “just in case”
  60. Incoming invitations and school paperwork: write down the information in your planner (or scan and store in Evernote) and toss the paperwork


Looking for some more home office inspiration? I’ve shared two popular study makeovers on the blog – click the images below for all the juicy deets!

DIY Home office makeover and room reveal

DIY Home office reveal

Home office with gold paint pen wall

Study makeover with gold paint pen wall

Happy office decluttering, peeps!

Let’s chat: Who’s in for the decluttering challenge? What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to decluttering your home?

Linked up at these parties this week!

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Categories: Organise

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Lovely comments

  1. Victoria Jackson says

    Tuesday at 9:40 am

    Hi Karen, Jenny from church recommended that I should check out your blog (my family and I have been going to 360 for a few weeks now but I’m not sure we’ve met…?). Anywho, this is awesome, and now I really feel like dashing off to organise our junk drawer. I can’t wait to read more of your blog!

    • Karen Schravemade says

      Tuesday at 5:53 pm

      Yay Victoria – thanks so much for stopping past! I don’t think we’ve met yet, so make sure you grab me and say hello on the weekend! I’m easy to spot with my enormous pregnant belly. 😉 Lovely to see you here, and glad you’re feeling inspired to do a bit of organising. xoxo

  2. Erin says

    Thursday at 9:51 pm

    This looks so amazing! Great job organizing! I have the organizing bug too right because of Spring and I definitely need some clear acrylic dividers like you have!

    • Karen Schravemade says

      Tuesday at 12:05 pm

      Thanks so much, Erin! Yay for the organising bug! It’s such a good feeling getting a few areas sorted and streamlined. Good luck! xo

  3. Ariela Gindi says

    Wednesday at 9:05 pm

    Where are your drawers/desk from?

    • Karen Schravemade says

      Sunday at 3:42 am

      Hi Ariela! The drawers are the “Alex” from IKEA. The desk was from Officeworks. xo

      • Rachel Levy Konik says

        Saturday at 11:11 am

        Love the labels on the drawers, where did those come from? They do so much to elevate the simple Ikea Alex drawers!

        • Karen Schravemade says

          Saturday at 12:09 pm

          Thanks, Rachel! They’re Martha Stewart bookplates, I just spray-painted them gold to give them a lift. 🙂 xo

A blog by

Karen Schravemade

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Hi friends! So glad you're here! I'm Karen, Aussie stay-home Mum to four littlies, former teacher of Creative Arts, agented writer and interior decorator. I'm on a journey to bring beauty to my home and enjoy a more creative life with my kids - I'd love for you to join us. (Curious? Read more here!)

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5 years ago, I was struggling with social media ad 5 years ago, I was struggling with social media addiction.⁠⠀
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My compulsion to scroll on my phone was making me deeply unhappy, but I couldn't seem to stop. ⁠⠀
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It feels incredibly vulnerable, but for the first time, I'm sharing my raw and honest story about how I became addicted to social media, and the exact steps I took to break free. ⁠⠀
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I've gone from wasting hours on a mindless distraction that only ever made me feel worse about myself, to falling in love with God's Word and finding true rest + peace in his presence.⁠⠀
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I'm a speaker at the 2020 Christian Women's Self Care Conference, and the topic of my session is "Stop the Scroll and Feed your Soul - how to break social media addiction and find rest in God's presence."⁠⠀
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There are 55+ speakers in total, speaking on a wide range of topics relating to self care. Registration is FREE, but only for a couple more days until conference starts on November 9th! ⁠⠀
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If you want to hold your seat, just tap the link in my bio and select "Self Care Conference", which will take you to the registration page.⁠⠀
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I hope you'll be blessed!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Meanwhile, please tell me I'm not alone - has anyone else ever struggled with this?? Do share. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
PS... You can read more of my story in my latest blog post! (Link in bio -> Visit the blog). ⁠⠀
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I also shared this super cute DIY phone box to help you interrupt the pattern of mindlessly picking up your phone!⁠⠀
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xo Karen⁠⠀
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#selfcare #christianwomen #christianlife #socialmediaaddiction #phoneaddiction #selfcaresistersociety
If there's one word to describe how many women hav If there's one word to describe how many women have been feeling this year... it would be "depleted."⁠⠀
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I mean, for real. Who would've guessed back at the start of this year that we'd be dealing with a global pandemic, homeschooling our kids, financial uncertainty, and a total lockdown on many of our most comforting routines?⁠⠀
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Ladies, it's time to refill those emptied-out tanks before this year is out. I'm so excited to share that I'll be speaking at the 2020 Christian Women's Self-Care Conference, alongside 55 other bloggers, authors and speakers. ⁠⠀
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It's totally online, and our aim is to bless you with help and encouragement for your 2020-wearied soul! ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Even better, registration is FREE until the conference begins on November 7th, so make sure you hold your seat today! Just click the link in my bio and choose "SELF CARE CONFERENCE".⁠⠀
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Hope to see you there!⁠⠀
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xo Karen⁠⠀
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P.S. Swipe - do you recognise one of those Day One speakers...? More on what I'll be speaking about, very soon! It's a goody!! 😉 😍⁠⠀
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#selfcare #selfcaresistersociety #2020⁠⠀
It’s Reconciliation Week in Australia and right It’s Reconciliation Week in Australia and right now my heart is so heavy with the injustice in the world that I’m struggling to even find the words.

Knowing that I’m inherently complicit in that injustice because of my privilege is sobering. At times I’ve been silent when I should have spoken and at other times I've spoken when I should’ve shut up and listened to the only voices in this narrative that really matter - the voices of those who’ve experienced this sort of prejudice from inside their own skin.

Racial injustice has always grieved my heart, but there’s a difference between empathy and kindness. Having empathy is important, but it’s not enough. Kindness speaks and acts. And right now I don’t really know what to say but somehow I feel it’s important to say something anyway, however imperfectly. Because there is nothing as deafening as silence in the face of systemic suffering.

I don’t know a lot. But I do know that Jesus was always on the side of the oppressed and marginalised. And the Bible tells us that one day, the last will be first and the first will be last. To me that means that in God’s new restored kingdom, these corrupt systems of the world will be turned on their head. In that day, those who’ve benefited from a system of white supremacy (myself included) will be the least. Those who’ve been oppressed and mistreated in this life will be honoured and elevated with the nobility they deserve. What a day that will be!! 🙌

But it’s not enough to know that someday it will all be made right. I hope to see heaven come to earth. I hope to see more black leaders, politicians, policy makers, authors, artists, influencers, CEO’s, entrepreneurs, bank managers, lawyers, judges, scientists and professors. The system is unfairly stacked and our privilege is self-perpetuating. I pray for it all to be turned upside down within our lifetime.

In the (paraphrased) words of MLK, let’s not prefer a negative peace which is an absence of tension (aka passivity, complacency, complicity, silence), over a positive peace, which is the presence of justice. “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬
We’re in week one of homeschooling over here. Sc We’re in week one of homeschooling over here. School closures will last at least five weeks. I will not lie, I was anxious about how I would cope. But we are slowly finding our rhythm and perhaps one day in the distant future I’ll even have time to start scheduling posts to Instagram again. For now, this is a random mid week check-in to say, how are you surviving, friends? I’m thinking of you! Wishing you an oasis of calm in the midst of everything, whether it means getting up half an hour earlier than the kids for a morning walk alone, or locking yourself in the bedroom at night with a good book while hubby puts the kids to bed. #doneboth #wewillsurvive 💗
Easter iso style - camping on our land! When so ma Easter iso style - camping on our land!
When so many are feeling hopeless right now, we are thankful for the hope Jesus brings. 💚🧡 Happy Easter, friends!
There is no right or wrong way to be right now.⁠ There is no right or wrong way to be right now.⁠
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I've felt led to share some hope and peace with you this week. That doesn't mean you need to put any extra pressure on yourself if you are struggling to tap into peacefulness right now.⁠
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I'm an Enneagram 4, so I am well accustomed to getting trapped inside my own feelings. For the feelers, the weight of the world's problems can sometimes feel intense and overwhelming.⁠
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I was on the beach the other day, praying for a "4" friend who is struggling with this exact thing. And all of a sudden, all of these butterflies started flying from the sand dunes toward the sea, and out over the waves.⁠
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It was a windy day and they were being buffeted around. But I was so intrigued that despite their fragility, they stayed on course, flying directly into that strong wind to get to where they were headed. It started with one, then two, then dozens upon dozens of them. None of them were blown into the water or whipped out of sight. They just flew straight on, above the waves.⁠
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And it made me think of the sensitive souls of this world. Our "butterflies", who bring so much beauty with their creativity, perception, and deep compassion for others. ⁠
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Our butterflies are being extra buffeted right now by the winds of change and pain. That doesn't make them weak. In fact they have within them a surprising strength, to stay the course and to fly above the waves.⁠
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The thing is, you don't have to change who you are to be strong. You don't have to be something you're not. Your sensitivity is not a weakness - it's designed into your DNA by God. With so many people hurting and afraid at the moment, we need your compassion more than ever.⁠
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If you're feeling overwhelmed, it's okay to not be okay. Just trust that even if you feel buffeted by the winds, you are lifted by his grace above the waves, and you will not be drowned.⁠
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And even if you feel like you're flailing around out there, you never know, someone else might just be watching you, admiring your beauty and your grace. 🦋
I was reading a random little story the other day I was reading a random little story the other day from the book of Numbers, in the Bible. ⁠
⁠
A king was scared of the Israelites and so he paid a prophet to curse them. Except every time they tried it, the guy spoke blessings instead. This is what he said:⁠
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"God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it! No misfortune is in his plan for Jacob; no trouble is in store for Israel. For the LORD their God is with them; he has been proclaimed their king." (Numbers 23:20-21)⁠
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Even the curses of the enemy will be turned into blessings for the people of God. ⁠
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He has given us an inheritance that cannot be shaken. ⁠
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💜 What blessing are you thankful for today? ⁠
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I'm thankful for the leadership of my local church, who continue to minister to peoples' needs both spiritual and physical. Our pastors have their own families and needs, yet they consistently look outward to care for their flock. ⁠
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Let me know yours below! Let's name as many BLESSINGS as we can!⁠
⁠
xo Karen
Thank you God, for your goodness.⁠ ⁠ For famil Thank you God, for your goodness.⁠
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For family and a home and a table to gather around with our loved ones.⁠
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Thank you that when so much else is changing, you remain the same.⁠
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Thank you that you are for us and not against us. That your heart is toward us. That in you is all we need, now and always.⁠
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We pray for those who are lonely and isolated and anxious and unwell. For those whose jobs and livelihoods are lost or threatened. Give us creative ways to reach out with kindness, that we can be salt and light in a dark world. ⁠
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Let kindness for others not feel like a drain on our limited resources, but a natural outflowing of your continuous, abundant supply. ⁠
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Shelves may be bare, but you always have more than enough.⁠
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Every blessing comes from your hand and we are grateful.⁠
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Amen
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind an “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." John 14:27⁠
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There is truly nothing like God's peace.⁠
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The world can offer mindfulness and yoga and candles and calming diffused oils and self-help. Nothing wrong with any of those things, in fact they can be beautiful tools - I use all of them. ⁠
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But I can say from genuine experience that the peace God gives is not like the peace the world gives. It's on a whole new level. ⁠
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It's the peace that he gives when you're in the middle of a storm and the world is turning to crap all around you and you're at the very end of yourself and self-help has begun feeling like trying to drag yourself from a pit via a rope around your waist that you're tugging on with your own two hands. ⁠
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We can't always lift ourselves out of anxiety or fear. So drop the rope. Stop striving. And ask God for HIS peace. He has an abundant well of supply for you to draw from. ⁠
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Fear is trying to hold tight to control in a situation we can't control. ⁠
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Faith asks us to let go, to repent of our fearfulness and surrender it all to God.⁠
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How do you find this miracle of peace? In the letting go.⁠
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We were never meant to carry this burden anyway. ⁠
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How are you doing today? Let me know how I can pray for you. ⁠
⁠
xo Karen
I was praying yesterday and felt God telling me th I was praying yesterday and felt God telling me that it's time to make a transition. Instead of being a person who looks for support from others in times of stress or uncertainty, he wants me to offer support TO others. ⁠
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I've often felt like I don't quite have it together. I'm sensitive, I feel things deeply, I tend to get trapped in my own head and in negative thought spirals.⁠
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But I felt like he was saying that I have something to offer, anyway. Just because I've always been a person who views myself as needy or weak does not mean God views me that way. He can see the strength that is in all of us and he delights in calling it forth. I love how when Gideon was hiding in fear in a winepress, God's angel greeted him by saying "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."⁠
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He was the furthest thing from a mighty warrior at that point. But God knew the battles he WOULD win in his future. He saw what did not yet exist and spoke about it as if it was already a reality. He saw Gideon's true identity and spoke directly to that buried and hidden place within him.⁠
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So. Maybe all I need is a shift in perspective. From looking inward at my own lack, to looking up at him. HE is the source of any hope and help I can offer. And if he wants me to share that, it would be my privilege to obey.⁠
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So let me know... is there anything you're particularly struggling with right now? If you're feeling anxious or burdened, I would love to support you in prayer. 🙏⁠
⁠
xo Karen
We haven't been quarantined yet in Australia, but We haven't been quarantined yet in Australia, but I know many of my American friends are stuck at home right now. Either way - sounds like a good chance to do "one thing for the home."⠀
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If you're feeling anxious, it can really help to get out of your head for a little while and do something practical. We can't control anything in the outside world right now, but we CAN complete one concrete task to make our immediate environment feel calmer and function better. And sometimes just having that one little win is all we need to break us out of a negative thought-spiral and restore some equilibrium. ⠀
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If you're feeling a bit helpless and panicky, I hope this helps. It's one thing you CAN control. And doing something with your hands will give your mind a much-needed break. ⠀
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🌟THIS MONTH'S PRIZE: A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD! 🌟⠀
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Here's a reminder of how to play:⠀
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1. Decorate, declutter or organise one thing in your home, this weekend. No task is too small! One shelf or one drawer is all you need to tackle to be eligible!⁠⠀
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2. Post your "after" photo on the Facebook thread (click through via my link in bio). Pics DON'T have to be spectacular - they're simply proof that you did it.⁠⠀
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3. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook. (Click through to my Facebook page via my link in bio)⁠⠀
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4. Tag some friends either on THIS post or on the Facebook thread to play along! If you complete the challenge, you will get a bonus entry for EVERY person you tag.⁠⠀
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5. Entries will be given for every challenge completed this month. We play four times in March - once every weekend! You can participate once or all four times, it's up to you!⁠⠀
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Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram. The winner will be randomly drawn at 8pm AEST Monday, following the last Sunday of the month. Giveaway is open internationally.⁠⠀
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I'll be going live on Facebook today at 2.30pm AEST to kick off this week's challenge and show you the space I'll be tackling today. International timezones are on the third slide - swipe right to see! Or click through my link in bio at any time to see the video saved on my feed.⁠⠀
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I hope you join us! This will be fun!
I’ve been quiet this week. In situations of flux I’ve been quiet this week. In situations of flux or stress my tendency is to withdraw and process. (I’ve learned this is very Enneagram 4 of me.) I also feel major reticence about adding to the current noise. I feel there are enough voices talking loudly all at once about the same thing and you don’t need one more.
So I give you instead a prayer for peace. If you are feeling anxious, let this be your exhale today. 💙
Weekend feels courtesy of the "Hamptons House"... Weekend feels courtesy of the "Hamptons House"... 😉⁠
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What are you up to this weekend, friends?⁠
⁠
xo Karen
It's Friday! Time for our weekly "One Thing for th It's Friday! Time for our weekly "One Thing for the Home" challenge! ⁠This month I'm gonna raise the stakes and give away a $50 Amazon Gift Card. 🎉🎉WOOHOO!!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
You can win just by getting something done that you've been meaning to get to around your home! ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Here's how to play.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
1. Decorate, declutter or organise one thing in your home, this weekend. No task is too small! One shelf or one drawer is all you need to tackle to be eligible!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
2. Post your "after" photo on the Facebook thread (click through via my link in bio). Pics DON'T have to be spectacular - they're simply proof that you did it.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
3. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook. (Click through to my Facebook page via my link in bio)⁠⠀
⁠⠀
4. Tag some friends either on THIS post or on the Facebook thread to play along! If you complete the challenge, you will get a bonus entry for EVERY person you tag.⁠⠀
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5. Entries will be given for every challenge completed this month. We play four times in March - once every weekend! You can participate once or all four times, it's up to you!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram. The winner will be randomly drawn at 8pm AEST Monday, following the last Sunday of the month. Giveaway is open internationally.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
I'll be going live on Facebook today at 2.30pm AEST to kick off this week's challenge and show you the space I'll be tackling today. International timezones are on the third slide - swipe right to see! Or click through my link in bio at any time to see the video saved on my feed.⁠⠀
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I hope you join us! This will be fun! 🤩⁠⠀
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May the odds be ever in your favour! 😉⁠⠀
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Let's get this accountability ball rolling - let me know below what you're thinking of tackling this month!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
xo Karen⁠⠀
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#onethingforthehome #organized #organising #organisedhome #organisedlife #organisedmum #homeorganising #tidyhome #organization #organizedhome #aplaceforeverythingandeverythinginitsplace
We are getting closer on the home build front... a We are getting closer on the home build front... after two years of sketching dozens upon dozens of floor layout ideas and ultimately trashing all of them, I finally have a plan I LOVE!! ⁠
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It ended up being a highly collaborative effort between our architect and myself - he came up with a general concept and gave me external parameters to suit the contours of the block, and I then designed the internal layouts to fit. ⁠
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Turns out that is exactly what I needed - some guidelines! Amazing how much better our creativity flourishes within constraints. It was way too open-ended before our architect came on board, and I was flailing around in all that freedom like a tadpole in the ocean. Within a day or two of having a blank footprint to work within, I actually had a decent plan. We've tweaked it a little since then, but it's virtually the same.⁠
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I love it when something you've struggled with for the longest time suddenly just clicks. Has this ever happened for you?⁠
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Now we just need to draft it up properly and then see if we can actually afford to build it. Lol. ⁠
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One step at a time... 😆Celebrating progress today!⁠
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xo Karen⁠
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P.S. Let me know if you'd like to see a sneak peek of our plan in stories!!
So here's a little Enneagram primer to follow on f So here's a little Enneagram primer to follow on from yesterday's chat! This is just off the top of my head, so please take it with a grain of salt - there is SO MUCH more to each type than what I can sum up in a sentence.⁠
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Here are the 9 types:⁠
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1 - The Moral Perfectionist: self-critical, organised, driven by the desire to make things right and good⁠
2 - The Helper: relationally driven, people focussed, places others' needs ahead of their own⁠
3 - The Achiever: success driven and ambitious, gets things done, image conscious⁠
4 - The Romantic Individualist: creative, driven by the desire for uniqueness, feels things deeply⁠
5 - The Investigative Thinker: introverted and analytical,  detached from emotion⁠
6 - The Loyalist: community minded, a team player, driven by the need for security and anxiety about the future⁠
7 - The Entertaining Optimist: positive, energetic and playful, driven to squeeze as much fun out of life as possible⁠
8 - The Protective Challenger: a natural leader, confrontational, confident and determined⁠
9 - The Peaceful Mediator: conflict-avoidant, gentle and steady, driven to seek inner peace⁠
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I'm a 4 wing 5, married to an 8 wing 7. They do say opposites attract 😆⁠
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Do you see yourself in any of these descriptions? ⁠
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xo Karen
ENNEAGRAM⁠ ⁠ Where are my fellow Enneagram fan ENNEAGRAM⁠
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Where are my fellow Enneagram fanatics??!⁠
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I've only recently "discovered" the Enneagram, and OH. MY. GOODNESS. What a game changer. ⁠
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If you're not familiar with it, it's a personality typing system.  I've always been interested in personality differences and human behaviour - that's probably the novelist in me. But none of the other systems I've come across have resonated with me as deeply as the Enneagram.⁠
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It is so accurate, it's almost uncanny.⁠
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Basically, there are 9 types, representing 9 different ways of looking at the world, each with different motivations, behaviour traits, strengths and flaws.⁠
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I'm an Enneagram 4. That's the "Romantic Individualist". It's an artistic temperament driven by creativity, love of beauty, a desire for uniqueness, introspection, and authenticity.⁠
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I guess it's no surprise that when I had to ask my friends and readers to sum up my strengths for an assignment I was given, the two words that came up most frequently were "creativity" and "honesty".⁠
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Enneagram 4's feel deeply and are very connected to our emotions. We'd  much rather have a meaningful conversation about deep feelings than make small talk about trivial things. ⁠
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Each type can pull a little more to one or other of the numbers beside them, giving a different flavour. I'm a wing 5 (the "Investigative Thinker") which means I tend to be less temperamental/ moody, and more steady, reserved and analytical. ⁠
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I'm also daydreamy, a big-picture thinker, and despise administrative details. My "fatal flaw" (each type has one) is comparison and envy. Ohhhhh yep, that certainly rings true. Because while we want to stand out and be special, which can be prideful, we also struggle hard with insecurity and feeling like we never quite measure up.⁠
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Yes, yes and YES.⁠
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If you haven't done the Enneagram test, do a search online - it's honestly so interesting and self-revealing.⁠
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If you know your type, what number are you? xo
So I found out I have bronchitis. 🙄At least I f So I found out I have bronchitis. 🙄At least I feel less like a whiner - if I get sick I usually shake it within a couple of days, so I was starting to feel irritated with myself for still being crook after three weeks!⁠
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Anyhow, could be worse, and I do feel like I'm starting to pick up again now. ⁠
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This buffet in our living room holds a changing arrangement of mostly-white vases, with a bit of blue glass and green foliage thrown in for good measure. ⁠
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Are you a chronic re-arranger, or do you prefer to leave things as-is? ⁠
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To be honest, I've always been a "get it exactly how I want it then leave it like that forever" type of girl, but I've been loosening up and playing around more with my décor this past year, and it struck me that my buffet has gone through several style shifts now. I actually like it a little bit better every time I make a change! ⁠
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Hope this new week will be an awesome one for you, friends!⁠
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xo Karen⁠
BLACK vs WHITE⁠ ⁠ Let's talk kitchens! Our hou BLACK vs WHITE⁠
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Let's talk kitchens! Our house build is on my mind, and even though we're only at the plan stage, I'm trying to nail down my ideas in a general creative direction. ⁠
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The last three kitchens I've designed have been all white, with accents of grey. I really want to use black in my next kitchen. I love the drama of it (as we already established, I like a bit of drama. Ha.) I keep veering back and forth between all black, or some combination of black and white. ⁠
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I'm interested to know... what would you choose? My guess is that white-on-white is still gonna be the most popular choice, and black will probably be controversial, but I could be wrong! ⁠
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So let me know - I'm keen to hear your opinion!⁠
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1. All white⁠
2. All black⁠
3. Black + white⁠
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🖤♡🖤♡🖤⁠
Karen
It's Friday! Time for our weekly "One Thing for th It's Friday! Time for our weekly "One Thing for the Home" challenge! ⁠This month I'm gonna raise the stakes and give away a $50 Amazon Gift Card. 🎉🎉WOOHOO!!⠀
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You can win just by getting something done that you've been meaning to get to around your home! ⠀
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Here's how to play.⠀
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1. Decorate, declutter or organise one thing in your home, this weekend. No task is too small! One shelf or one drawer is all you need to tackle to be eligible!⠀
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2. Post your "after" photo on the Facebook thread (click through via my link in bio). Pics DON'T have to be spectacular - they're simply proof that you did it.⁠⠀
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3. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.⠀
⁠⠀
4. Tag some friends either on THIS post or on the Facebook thread to play along! If you complete the challenge, you will get a bonus entry for EVERY person you tag.⠀
⠀
5. Entries will be given for every challenge completed this month. We play four times in March - once every weekend! You can participate once or all four times, it's up to you!⠀
⁠⠀
Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram. The winner will be randomly drawn at 8pm AEST Monday, following the last Sunday of the month. Giveaway is open internationally.⠀
⠀
I'll be going live on Facebook today at 2.30pm AEST to kick off this week's challenge and show you the space I'll be tackling today. International timezones are on the third slide - swipe right to see! Or click through my link in bio at any time to see the video saved on my feed.⠀
⠀
I hope you join us! This will be fun! 🤩⠀
⠀
May the odds be ever in your favour! 😉⠀
⠀
Let's get this accountability ball rolling - let me know below what you're thinking of tackling this month!⠀
⠀
xo Karen⠀
⠀
P.S. You can decorate, declutter or organise anything you like. No task is too small! Tackle a drawer, a shelf, or a storage tub. Do that niggly little job you've been meaning to get to. Hang that picture. Paint that stool. Sort through the kids clothes. We’ve all got that “one thing” - let us know yours! xo⠀
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#onethingforthehome #organized #organising #organisedhome #organisedlife #organisedmum #homeorganising #tidyhome #organization #organizedhome #aplaceforeverythinga
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