You know the saying, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes“?  That’s sort of me when it comes to decorating and tidiness.  I help my clients create beautiful homes while I will turn a blind eye to my own home’s decorating issues.  The photo, two photos below, is proof of my bad behavior!

 

This (below) is my bedside cluttered with unpacked shopping bags and folded laundry on top of a wicker stool that doesn’t belong in the room.  The green upholstery fabric was originally for a headboard, but I was reconsidering it for a roman shade, it’s too heavy and solid for this room’s window, though.

 

My nightstand is piled with an assortment of objects including a painting, a print, a little Italian gold shelf and mirror, my messy earring tower, a pair of socks, a nail file, my cell phone, a book, an empty glass of Airborne and a tall glass half full of water.

 

I have so many projects and interests that prioritizing is difficult and it’s easy to ignore the mess in front of me.  Today, though, I gave myself a 15 minute challenge to see what I could accomplish if my time was limited and I had a clear vision.

I first took a quick walk around the house to see if I had anything to hang above my nightstand that would look balanced with my husband’s side.  I was thankful to find a round mirror sitting on the floor, against a wall in the family room.

 

Then I gathered a tape measure, hammer, and large picture hook.  After that, I circled by the cleaning closet where I grabbed a can of my favorite glass cleaner, along with a cleaning rag.

 

I moved the earring tower to my vanity, relocated the shopping bags to my closet, put the socks in the laundry basket, and placed the book in the top drawer.  I put the artwork in storage and dropped the drinking glasses off in the kitchen.  On my way through the kitchen, I grabbed a pair of gardening scissors and ran outside to cut a few branches of lilacs.  I hurried back through the kitchen, grabbed a vase, filled it with very warm water, properly cut the lilac stems (Valerie taught me to pound the ends of the stems, so they will absorb more water and stay fresh longer) and arranged them.

 

I went back to the bedroom, cleaned and hung the mirror and arranged the night stand.

 

If your bedside needs a little sprucing, may I challenge you to try the 15 Minute Fix?  You will be so happy you did!