Are you looking for spring home improvement tips for your Northern Virginia home? Let us face it, DIY repurposing is not going anywhere anytime soon. Why, because there is so much to love about repurposing old items. Not only can you explore your inner creative self but you can usually save a lot of money by going this route. Pretty much anyone can dig around their house and find some old scraps that can be put to good use to recreate something new. Additionally, purchasing raw materials from a hobby shop or hardware store can be much more affordable (and usually higher quality) than the premade knockoff décor lining store shelves these days. The main point of finding a passion for repurposing is less waste. We do not need to throw out everything we own every 3-5 years and replace it with new stuff just because. Not only is that expensive, but it is incredibly wasteful. So when building the décor for your home, think about each room and each piece of décor strategically. Will this item last? Will it stand the test of time? Can I repurpose it down the road? Below you will find some tips for adding new DIY décor to your Northern Virginia home as well as repurposing what you already have.

Spray Drip Canvas Wall Art

If this brings to mind urban graffiti–that is not this. This stylish DIY wall art is very easy and is something you can do yourself with a trip to the hobby shop. Simply purchase a blank canvas and a few cans of spray paint. Think about complementary colors like black, pink, and gold for example (choose any colors you like of course). First, test out a few looks on sheets of paper to make sure you are getting the color scheme you want. Then, when you are ready, prop your canvas horizontally and simply apply the paint in a somewhat random design. Do not overdo it though. Then, prop the canvas up vertically and spray generously with water. From there allow the paint to drip down. Once dry, apply gold to the surface using metal leaf adhesive and a small paintbrush. You may choose to frame the piece or hang as is but either way it will be a cool (and custom) addition to your home.

Stenciled Doormat

This is a fun way to update your doormat and personalize it to your lifestyle. Simply purchase a blank coco coir doormat, a stencil of your choosing, black latex paint, a paint brush, masking tape, and something to protect your paint surface like a drop cloth or newspaper. To get started cover your surface area to protect it from paint splatters and spills and arrange your coco coir doormat and supplies accordingly. Next, use the masking tape to secure the stencil to your mat in the position that you want. Using the brush and latex paint, carefully paint the area inside the stencil until fully coated. Allow the paint to dry and consider adding a second coat depending on how well the first coat dried because coco coir is very absorbent. Allow to fully dry and then remove the stencil. Place your new mat out front and get to stepping toward your next project!

Style the Bookshelves

This is a really fun way to spruce up a room! Gather any hardcover books you have around the house and arrange them neatly by size and color to create depth, texture, and vibrancy on your bookshelf. The important thing to know here is you want to pair like colors together. If you do not have a lot of books, spend a Saturday and hit some yard sales or thrift shops. If you are able to put together a few bundles of different colors, consider tying the bundle together with burlap for a little added pizazz.

Repaint the Front Door

Assuming you have a front door that can easily be repainted, this can be an easy way to give you front entryway some pop. However, you do not want to go crazy here. Do your research and make sure the color you choose compliments the rest of your house. Sometimes adding a crazy color can be overkill if the rest of your home does not really jive with the color you choose, particularly if you have siding, shutters, or custom trim. If your home is made of siding for example and is a bold color, you are not going to want to also make the door bold. If you have green shutters you probably do not want to paint the door purple.. Of course it really just depends but absolutely do your research and look at a lot of ideas online before making this change. When you finally choose a color, make sure to use a premium door paint for the best results.

Spring Door Wreath

These days I really love the idea of making a door wreath using mostly greens with just a few flowers added. It is simple, elegant, and transcendent. To make the wreath you will need a wreath form, boughs of greenery, floral wire, and complementary flowers (white works well). To start, take a few boughs of greenery and bunch them together at the base of the branch. Place the bundle against the wreath form and use your floral wire to secure the form–be sure to wrap the bundle base several several time until it is well secured.  Experts recommend that you do not clip the wire right away. Instead, simply layer your next bundle over the last one, wrap with wire and repeat until you have filled the entire wreath form. Then. wind your wire several times around the base and then clip. From here, you can fill the wreath in with a few flowers by sliding the stems into the greenery wire bundles. Ta-dah! Hang and admire!

Succulents and More

Love it or hate it, succulents are all the rage right now—and honestly, they are pretty cool especially if you are into making a custom DIY repurposed pot for it. Succulents are popular because they are able to survive on limited water resources making them ideal house plants. However, you will need a very well-draining pot, a sunny location (at least 6 hours of sun per day), and good planting soil. Because succulents are part of the cactus family, they need a well-draining mix of potting soil, coarse sand, and pumice. The biggest things to consider with a succulent are that people are prone to over-watering them and that they need to be fertilized once a year in the spring. But, with minimal care and nice pot, you can easily add a little life to your home with these popular plants.

For more tips and information feel free to contact me and follow me on social media on Facebook @mmkrealtyllc, Twitter @MMKRealtyLLC, and Instagram @mmkrealty.

Are you looking for decluttering tips to help get you motivated and organized? It is 2020 after all, and while you may still may be decompressing from the holidays you are probably at least thinking about how you want to improve your home in the New Year. You might be considering buying/selling or renovating and/or redecorating, but whatever you are thinking about doing, there is probably some degree of decluttering that is required in order to advance any new agendas you might have. The problem with decluttering is it can feel daunting, which often leads to procrastination, which then leads to distraction and next thing you know your house is still a mess. It can be a vicious cycle, especially in busy Northern Virginia where free time is a precious commodity. The good news is that the difficulty of decluttering can be minimized by breaking tasks and projects into small and manageable chunks.

I am going to give it to you straight. If you want to declutter your house, you have to be ready and willing and then get off your butt and make it happen. There are no two ways about it, but that does not mean that you have to overhaul your entire house in one day. Be reasonable (and kind to yourself)! As a busy mom, business owner, Realtor, and connoisseur of anything that involves fun, decluttering certainly is not my favorite thing to do, but I always feel better when my life is less cluttered. Here are my decluttering tips for Northern Virginia homeowners.

How to Organize Your Project 

My recommendation for getting started is simple: make a list. However, I have never been a big fan of going overboard when it comes to list making, mainly because lists needs to be flexible because life can be unpredictable sometimes. I see people creating excel flowcharts, color pinwheel graphs, extremely detailed and specific calendars and so forth. In my opinion that is waste of time and a great way to procrastinate your projects (because you are stuck in list design mode). If you are someone that needs that level of detail, then by all means do what works best for you, but in my opinion it is easier (and more productive) to keep it simple. Sit down with a pen and paper (or digital memo) and write down your decluttering goals by area/room. For example, master bedroom closet, office desk, kitchen junk drawer, basement, garage, and hall closet. If you want to declutter your entire house, write down every room/area as a goal. From there start breaking areas into small chunks. For example, my hall closet is not huge but it is messy and I think I can reorganize it in under an hour, so it is first on my list because it is fairly manageable. From there, I will continue ordering the smaller and easier areas first because not only can I address them reasonably, I can build motivation from the sense of accomplishment I get upon finishing an area.

When you get to the larger areas on your list it is really important to break those areas into smaller chunks too. For example, if you are anything like me, adding the basement to your decluttering list is terrifying because it is probably quite a mess down there. However, if I sort areas of my basement into smaller chunks and treat those areas the same way that I treated the hall closet, suddenly the basement is a lot less daunting–and there is a good chance I will actually follow through with my goals. Another benefit of sorting areas into smaller chunks is it makes it easier to recruit help from your family who would otherwise find any excuse possible to get out of helping. If you are able to delegate and give family members small areas/boxes/bins to go through, you are more likely to clear all that clutter faster.

Timeline and Motivation

When it comes to major decluttering projects, we all have the best intentions and we all have different availability so no one set schedule will work universally. However, the critical factor here is momentum. Once you develop some momentum you have to find a way to keep that going until your finish your list. For me, I set aside a few time chunks each week to dedicate to my project and give myself a reasonable but short deadline. For example, for my list outlined earlier I would give myself a 4 week deadline because that is reasonable for my life. On my list I would itemize the small chunks and divide it by four weeks based on how much I thought I could accomplish per week. I personally tackle projects of this nature in the morning because I have more energy and motivation. The trick is sometimes you are estimating and guessing and if your plan does not work out perfectly, you have to be kind to yourself and flexible. But, you also need a contingency plan if something comes up or you lose momentum. How will you keep yourself on track?

Reward-Based Motivation 

We humans love rewards, especially for a job well done. Thus, I highly recommend as you write your project list that you also determine a reward system for yourself. I personally like to give myself smaller rewards at the end of each week (assuming I accomplished some goals) and then treat myself to a larger reward and the end of my project. For example, if after week one I have decluttered my hall closet, kitchen junk drawer, and office desk I would consider that a big win and deserving of a treat. So, I might book myself a massage, splurge on those new athletic shoes I have been eyeing, or get a pedicure—whatever makes you happy. Also, oftentimes my decluttering projects involve selling used items that we no longer need, and sometimes I use that extra cash to reward myself—though I have also been known to save that money and choose more budget-friendly rewards (like a cupcake from my favorite bakery). Even if you decide that weekly rewards are not necessary, you do need a big carrot waiting for you at the end. Maybe you plan an overnight trip—or shopping at your favorite store, a spa day, a new gadget, a night out—again, whatever makes you happy and is reasonable within your budget. The point here is to be flexible and kind to yourself but also give yourself a way to stay on track.

For more tips and information feel free to contact me and follow me on social media on Facebook @mmkrealtyllc, Twitter @MMKRealtyLLC, and Instagram @mmkrealty.