There is a lot to understand about the topic of energetically clearing a space. Use your intuition to decide what is right for you. Many people have studied and practice space clearing, call one if you need a professional! If you are stopped in your tracks after editing and clearing out a space, you have kicked up some stagnant energy...old boxes, furniture, papers, etc. hold old, stuck energy. This release can wreak havoc on you physically and emotionally. So, take a break from the space, get some fresh air, drink lots of water, and then give some of these a try: There is a lot to understand about the topic of energetically clearing a space. Use your intuition to decide what is right for you. Many people have studied and practice space clearing, call one if you need a professional!
If you are stopped in your tracks after editing and clearing out a space, you have kicked up some stagnant energy...old boxes, furniture, papers, etc. hold old, stuck energy. This release can wreak havoc on you physically and emotionally. So, take a break from the space, get some fresh air, drink lots of water, and then give some of these a try: 8 Tips to Energetically Clear Your Space 1. CLEAN! Mop, sweep, scrub EVERYTHING! The walls, floors, ceiling, furniture, closets, windows, EVERYTHING! 2. Open the windows/door and run a fan out the windows (blowing out the stagnant energy) 3. Light a candle, Put in fresh light bulbs and leave ON the lights. 4. Put a high quality crystal salt in open containers around the space to absorb the energy. 5. Diffuse essential oils such as Sage, Cloves or Lemon. 6. Party! Turn on some music, bring in the pots and pans, bells and go to town! 7. Arrange to have the items that are leaving the space taken away and off the premises as soon as possible. 8. Set the intention that the space will go forward filled with light and love. I would love to hear from you! If you find yourself feeling the way Lily did, give one or more of these ideas a try! And let me know how it goes in the comments below. Lots of love, Jane
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How can Your Space Support You?I watched Carolyn Wonderland (a performance artist) a few weeks ago on a small stage in Wisconsin, positively ooze and gush her beautiful gift out to the world. It sparked something in me. In every moment of our lives, isn’t that what we all want? To be so connected, so plugged in and so in the flow of such marvelous energy?
EVEN IN OUR WORK? EVEN IN THE SMALL MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES? These questions have popped into my head from time to time, I have been inspired by some AMAZING teachers, friends and mentors, even those in my life who some would call enemies (inspiration can come from anywhere. ;)) I do not pretend to know all the answers to these questions, isn’t that what life is for? Sorting it all out? I have pieced together a few ideas and every day I make a choice to go the direction of MORE fun, joy, and connectedness. Here is my list: ~Breathe and Be Present! (For me this includes: meditating {I’m starting tomorrow}, walking and yoga.) ~Get out of your Head and Into Your Body! (my favorites: walking, rollerblading, dancing, singing (in a crowd or in private!)) ~Hang out with People you LOVE! (this may also include passionate people who inspire you, some that challenge you, and maybe it’s just some good old alone time!) ~Get Crafty! (Crocheting, what else is there?) ~AND, (my favorite…) Attend to your Environment! Let’s do a little meditation… Picture yourself in your most joyful and happy state. You’re free! The birds are singing! The flowers are in bloom! Then picture your living space. Do the two feelings match? Is your space resonating with the version of you in the flow? Are you at your happiest and most full of joy in your own home? Did the sun shine? Or did the thunderclouds appear? Wouldn’t it be great to do something about it? Our spaces and our belongings make a HUGE impact on our lives and on our way of showing up in the world:
Any item in your space that does not lift you up or is not absolutely necessary for your existence has GOT TO GO, it messes with the FLOW! Attend to your space, edit your belongings, make things beautiful and watch the magic happen! I would love to hear about what happens for you when you consider a more simple and beautiful space for yourself, please let me know in the comments below! And, as always, I would love to support you if you make the decision to dive in...just contact me… Love, Jane PS: If you want to make sure to continue receiving the blog + newsletter, sign-up here and we will add you to the list! a.co/d/b5rAr3sSo, you’ve decided to tackle your clothes, huh? Would you like a few tips? Here’s the exact process I use when working with clients and their clothes.
And by the way, this is how we tackled a client’s closet last Friday. We go through her closet yearly so now it’s a breeze...so easy, in fact, that we had time to GO SHOPPING! First, start with the dresser. I would recommend going one drawer at a time so that the job does not become overwhelming! Or pick a category like shoes, sweaters, workout gear. Remember start small and manageable, build your editing muscle without overwhelming yourself. Take everything out (of the drawer, shelf, or section of closet) and give the drawer or shelf a cleaning. (I LOVE Thieves Cleaner, smells like cinnamon and cloves. I’m looking forward to a scratch/sniff app someday, then you can smell for yourself). Then the FUN begins...EDITING! This is where you sort out what to keep, donate, or mend. Some things to keep in mind when working on EDITING For each item:
Be RUTHLESS!!! Someone would LOVE to find this stuff at the Goodwill OR take it to a consignment shop (if you have time) and get back some cash $$$ for your cast-offs. During this process, it can be helpful to make a list of items to buy…Do you need to replace the jeans, sweaters, or shoes you just bagged up for donation? Are you starting a new phase of life, do you need a wardrobe upgrade? What staples are missing from your closet? Are you in need of neutrals? Color? Texture? Lots to consider! Psssst...you might even want new hangers, all the same, beautiful, luxurious! Putting things away should be no sweat now that there’s plenty of space! Ahhhhhh, space for a couple of new things maybe, but just SPACE so that the drawer shuts and the clothes aren’t jammed into the closet and feels really, really good! It makes getting dressed and finding outfits a cinch! Maybe in the try-on phase, you have even discovered a few NEW combinations! Now, CELEBRATE! Sit down with a cup of tea, a piece of dark chocolate, talk a walk in the sun, or (my favorite) do a happy dance...enjoy your success and PLEEEEEEEASE send me a picture or video… (I am starting a collection of happy dance videos. Wouldn’t you love to share?) Good luck and let me know how it goes for you in the comments section below! XOXO Jane Last week, I worked with one of my favorite families to create a fully functioning recreation section of their basement. As you can see from the picture, there were many categories of sports stuff (and a few non-related items :)) tangled up in this area of the basement. This family is busy! Sporty! Active! They love to travel and even go for months at a time on sabbatical. So, time is valuable to them, as it is to all of us! The whole family knew that if they needed ski, soccer, tennis, football, picnic, basketball, biking, or skating gear that they came to this area to look for it. And, as you can see, it had POTENTIAL to really get better and make their lives easier saving them some precious time in the process! We built wire shelving, and labeled clear tubs with categories for easy access. the tops are OFF the tubs and they pull out like drawers so that finding and putting away items is very easy for everyone. Not only is the non-related stuff gone, but the storage looks beautiful and most importantly, it will save this family tons of time locating and then returning their items to their respective spots. Now, imagine applying this idea to your home office, your attic, your garage, and closets. What if organizing and creating accessible storage saved you 15 or even 30 minutes a day? Wouldn’t you LOVE that? What would YOU do with extra time? Please leave me a comment below and let me know... Until next week! Love, Jane THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!!!!
Editing the items from Marie's closet was the next step as we get ready for the new closet to be installed. ~First was the very exciting, (for Princess, the Kitty) throw-everything-on-the-bed stage. The items pictured here are only dresser drawer items which included her workout clothes, sweaters, t-shirts, tank tops, pajamas, bathing suits, and scarves. (We repeated the process for shoes, handbags, and hanging things.) ~Second, we sorted her clothes into categories: items to keep, donate, dry-clean or have tailored. **When deciding to keep clothing or not, always ask the question, "Do I choose it?" This question seems to ease the decision-making process and the editing can go a little more smoothly. Who wants a closet full of stuff that you never choose?** Try using this technique and let me know how it goes for you... ~Third, we put everything back so that when the closet installation happens, it will be easy to take it out and return it to the new, beautiful space. Back to THE CLOSET today at Marie's! Today we worked with Julee Barnett, owner of Tailored Living (jtbarnett@tailored living.com) to address the details of how the new closet will be configured. Julee had previously measured the walk-in closet space, the hanging items, the sweaters and counted the shoes...she's thorough! She brought her laptop with the CAD closet program and we got to work. It took us a couple of hours of putting our heads together, playing with the program (really, really fun) and many trips back and forth to the closet for measuring and VOILA...we all agreed that this rendition was very close to perfect for Marie's needs. She will have cabinets around the top for seasonal items and all the rest of what she needs will be at her fingertips. The third wall will have a HUGE (almost wall sized) mirror and there will be space for art prominently displayed as she enters her closet. Marie decided to use a soft gray for the closet pieces and moulding. We will pick out paint, hardware and a fabulous chandelier next. Keep you posted!
Ok, teensy confession...this was my closet top shelf and it stayed this way for a couple of weeks. I was pulling down what I wanted for an event and they all came tumbling down on my head. So, I threw them all back up there, and went about my life for awhile. Here's what happened...every time I went into the closet, my energy went down, and usually I let out an audible "ughhhh". After a couple of weeks, I got inspired...I had 2 bamboo pot lid organizers (ordered from Kitchen & Company)left over from a previous re-work of a client's kitchen. They worked beautifully to hold the smaller clutches and bags upright and made them soooo accessible. Bonus...there is space (ahhhhhh) AND, in the process, I got rid of two clutches I no longer wanted. :)
Let's just call this project: THE CLOSET. I will be updating you as we work together. Let's just call this client, Anne (cuz her name is Anne and she is happy to share her story). I have been working with Anne for many years. We started working together in her old house and the first thing she did was bring me to her clothes! At that time, the clothes that didn't fit in the closet were hanging on rolling clothes racks (two or three of them) in her bedroom. Since that day, we not only have edited her clothes many times (she lost A LOT of weight!) we also kept going, working on her kitchen, office and basement. Not long ago, she and her husband moved to Fitchburg and we have started the process all over again. Next week, we meet with the closet designer to look at options for building out this fabulous walk-in closet space! I can just see it! GORGEOUS! ***As we change, so do our needs for hanging on and letting go of our stuff.***
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Jane Antonovich
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