On this week’s podcast we share our top five tricks for creating better flow in any room so it reads larger and less cramped. We also reveal a major financial upside to buying a beach house in rough shape (it’s saving us thousands), discuss organizational items that professional organizers dislike and what they recommend instead, and pass along a listener’s helpful strategies for finally conquering a huge laundry pile. Plus John tells a story about some mildly creepy Facebook stalking that, oddly, made him feel like a hero.
You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio, or listen below. Use this page to find the links, notes, and photos we referenced. Note: if you’re reading in a feed reader you may need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- We found a money-saving program related to our beach house project, but in lieu of a visual here’s a quick update on progress: the rotted side of the house (which revealed more extensive foundation issues than our inspection showed) had to be removed and rebuilt. We’ll share more details and photos in an upcoming post.
Updates
- Following up on the holiday gift exchange themes we mentioned in Episode #29, here are some of the “What’s That Smell?!” gift ideas we’re considering this year. This is one of our quirkier moodboards:
- A collapsible popcorn popper for popcorn lovers
- A cute cheese platter to pair with stinky cheese
- Funny breath mints (read the packaging)
- An on-topic book that actually sounds interesting
- Sweet-smelling soap or lotion
- Sleek reed diffusers in frosted glass
- A mimosa-scented candle
- Nostalgic markers for a playful twist
- Fragrant spices for home chefs
- An eco air purifier (now I want one for the car)
- Other ideas not pictured:
- A scented storybook for kids
- A guessing game about smells
- A ridiculous gag gift that kids would probably love
- And during our laundry mountain segment John and Megan recommended the book The Power of Habit as a helpful resource for forming better routines.
What’s Not
- We referenced an article about organizing tools professional organizers rarely use. In contrast, the organizers we trust do recommend a few simple, effective items: felt or velvet hangers, under-bed storage for seasonal items (not daily use), and clear plastic shoe boxes for easy visibility.
Take Five
- Here are some posts that expand on ways to make a space feel larger and more cohesive:
- Making flooring cohesive
- Choosing a whole-house color palette
- The virtues of a large mirror
- Built-ins that draw the eye upward (finished with molding)
- Choosing and hanging the right curtains
- Installing crown molding
- And a page collecting favorite area rugs for using larger rugs well
We’re Digging
- We loved bingeing a Netflix series called Glitch, a show with a spooky, mysterious vibe rather than a straight zombie premise.
- For calmer reading, Sherry recommended two take-a-deep-breath books: Chasing Slow and Hands Free Mama—both focus on slowing down and living more intentionally.
Psst—Looking for something we’ve mentioned in a past episode but can’t remember which show notes to open? We keep a master list of everything we’ve been digging from past episodes to make it easy to find.
Check out the full line of HANDy Paint Products (including magnetic paint pails) on the manufacturer’s site or wherever you buy paint.
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