An old 3-ring binder (from my college days) and loads of inspirational tear-outs…
Plus a $7.77 pack of page protectors…
Equals an organized, anytime flip-through of eye candy and endless ideas.
Or as I like to call it, My Little Black Book.
I strongly encourage anyone who is thinking of painting, decorating or buying new furniture to make one of their own. In the end, this underestimated book will save you time and money. Simply tear out magazine pages of rooms that you are drawn to. Don’t think (yet) about why you like them or if you can afford them. Just rip ’em out for about 6 months or so before you do the aforementioned painting, decorating or buying. Then compile all pages into a binder with page protectors. (Punching holes into thin magazine paper results in torn holes and lost pages. Believe me, I know.) Organize them by room… kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.
Periodically, go through and study your book. Remove pages that you are no longer drawn to (because we all like to change our minds!) and look for a common theme in the pages you keep. This should really help nail down a feel, style or color scheme. Do you like bold, bright colors? Or are you drawn to more serene rooms? Is your taste pretty traditional or do you lean more toward straight lines and no frills? Are the rooms in your binder mostly formal or casual?
Once you can pinpoint a feel, your projects and shopping lists should become more focused. I didn’t do this for the first year we lived in our home. I had all these little ideas but no overall concept of how I wanted our house to look. Needless to say, I wasted some time, money and paint on things that didn’t turn out ‘right’. I was in a hurry to get it done. Once I took the time to compose My Little Black Book and discover that I like light, airy, neutral rooms with pops of color (especially green), texture and geometric details, it was easy to start working towards a cohesive vision. Go ahead, try it for yourself!
DIY, inspiration, organization