November  2012
 

 
Hello from Mahlah!

 

Thanksgiving and Christmas are on their way! For some this can feel like a stressful time. "The house needs cleaning and organizing and and and UGH!" Don't fret. Check out my organizing tips to get your home Holiday ready.

Setting The Table

 

My favorite part of the Holidays is being with people I love and eating! So naturally I can't wait to set a beautiful table. There are so many creative and beautiful table scape ideas. Forget about paper plates and think "work of art" as you set your table this year.   

                                     

 
Organizing Tip/Challenge
 
 The Holidays are great, but let's face it by January we are all trying to fit our new gifts into our potentially already crowded homes. The New Year has us planning all sorts of great resolutions such as "getting organized and clearing the clutter".  Why not get a head start?
Your challenge:
Once a week for the month of November collect three items per room in your home that you can live without.  They can be as small as a clip board that has been in the office closet for five years or as big as a piece of furniture that you are so sick of looking at. Feel free to let go of more than three a day by all means.
The idea is that by December you will have less stuff you can live without and the realization of how many items are unnecessary in your life.  Ah... I already feel the burden of possessions lifting.
Embrace and enjoy.
Blog it up!
 
Check out my new design blog and join the chat.  Here I will share design ideas and incite and all sorts of other fun information and thoughts.  I would love your input and ideas:)


 
About the Author

 



Interior Designer Mahlah Karpavage has had a passion for design since childhood. As an adult she followed her passion by earning her BFA in Interior Architecture & Design. She now owns Design Me By Mahlah an Interior Design and Organizing business in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

 


My Links
 
 
Healthy Home Tip
 
Tired of laundry detergents with an endless list of ingredients? How about all those plastic bottles and boxes hitting the recycle bin? Not to mention that cute containers are way more fun! Here is a recipe for home-made laundry soap that really works, can be made into any size batch that you need or have room to store, and can be contained in the container of your choice.  This recipe was featured in the July/August 2010 issue of Natural Home Magazine. Enjoy!

-16 cups baking soda
-12 cups borax
-8 cups grated castile or glycerin soap flakes
-3 tablespoons lavender, lemon, or grapefruit essential oil
-Mix all the dry ingredients and then whisk in the oil
-Use 1/8 cup per load

Reduce or increase the measurements depending on the desired quantity.
 
Featured Business 

 

  
Jim Koch Painting, Santa Cruz, California.
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