Decluttering Archives - OrganisedWell - Professional Declutterer & Organiser

10 Easy Upcycled Christmas Decoration Ideas

Extend the life of unwanted possessions by upcycling your clutter with these fabulous Christmas decoration ideas from our guest blogger Hannah from Jolly Festive.

Turning our clutter into Christmas décor is a win on so many levels!

It’s not just about reducing waste, but also saving money and adding personal, meaningful touches to our homes. Plus, upcycling gives us an excuse for some mindful, handmade fun, creating decorations we can display for years. You may even want to gift some of these upcycled decorations!

From old décor that no longer match our style to everyday household items, there are endless ways to give clutter a second life.

Here are 10 upcycled Christmas decoration ideas to inspire you this season:

1. Jar Candle Lights

Old jars are perfect for upcycling! Add a frosty look with Mod Podge* and Epsom salts, decorate with glass pens, or simply tie on a festive ribbon. Add a tealight or fairy lights to create a beautiful addition to a sideboard, Christmas centrepiece, or bedside table.

*Just so you know, Laura is an Amazon Associate. If you shop via the links in this article Laura earns from qualifying purchases.

2. Re-sprayed Baubles

Don’t toss those old baubles just yet! If they’re looking tired or are the wrong colour, a quick spray can transform them. Remove the clasp, pop them upside down on skewers, and spray them in a new shade. Or try Mod Podge with small strips of paper napkin for a pretty, eco look. Paint them with the family. Or use the nail polish dip method for a marbled effect. The possibilities are endless!

3. Wrapping Paper Photo Frames

One of my favourite upcycled Christmas decoration ideas. Replace or cover photos in frames with leftover wrapping paper. Switching out ordinary décor for Christmas items is always fun and this creates a cohesive, festive look. Plus, it allows you to “unwrap” your regular photos in January for a fresh start.

4. Christmas Tea Towel Bread Boards

Give old bread boards a new lease of life as a Christmas tray. All you need is an old festive tea towel, trimmed to size, and some Mod Podge (are you getting the idea I’m quite a fan?!). I added brass handles to mine. It’s just as good as festive décor as it as a mince pie carrier!

5. Rag Wreaths

If you have fabric scraps around, turn them into a rag wreath. This simple DIY project results in a charming, country-cottage look. These wreaths make wonderful gifts as well as decorations.

6. Christmas Jumper Cushions

Repurpose old Christmas jumpers the kids have outgrown as festive cushion covers! Slip an old jumper over a cushion, tuck the sleeves into the neck, and secure the bottom with a couple of safety pins. When January rolls around, you can simply dismantle and reuse or donate the jumper.

7. Curtain Ring Photo Ornaments

Old curtain rings can make beautiful, personalised photo ornaments.
Attach a photo to each of two rings. Secure them back-to-back with
glue and add a ribbon for hanging through the ring eyes. It’s a
unique and meaningful addition to your tree!

8. Homemade Christmas Tablecloths

Transform old bedsheets into Christmas tablecloths or runners. Leave them plain and let the table decorations and food do the talking. Or add festive touches:

Add two ribbon strips for a clean border look
Use cookie cutters and fabric paint to stamp Christmas shapes
Create a fir pattern with paint-sprayed pine branches pressed onto the cloth

9. Christmas Water Glasses

Repurpose old jars as additional drinking glasses for guests over the festive season – much better than buying single-use cups! Decorate them with glass pens (a fun family project) and place alongside a jug filled with water and seasonal berries for a simple yet festive hydration station which doubles up as a gorgeous sideboard decoration.

10. Upcycled Christmas Tree Refresh

If your Christmas tree is looking tired, try these upcycling ideas to revive it:

Add Extra Foliage: Fresh pine or fir sprigs add fullness and texture to an artificial tree and bring a natural, festive scent
Flock It: Give your tree a snowy look to bring it back to life. Homemade flocking methods using shaving foam or cornflour work well. I also love this biodegradable artificial snow powder from The Flower Lab*
Reimagine Branches: If the tree really can’t be saved, repurpose its branches into garlands, swags, or wreaths to bring a bit of its festive charm to other areas.

Upcycled Christmas decoration ideas bring extra charm and character to festive décor while reducing clutter and giving new life to old items. With a little creativity, these projects are simple, sustainable, and perfect for a personalised Christmas season. What other ways do you enjoy making upcycled decorations?

If you’ve enjoying reading this article, please do head to Jolly Festive to see more of Hannah’s easy, homemade Christmas ideas, including food, activities, décor and more!

If you’re thinking about getting organised for Christmas you might also like to read Laura’s blog 5 Practical Strategies for a Stress-Free Christmas Season

Hannah Bartlett is a year-round Christmas writer, creator and trend forecaster, and the creative force behind Jolly Festive. Making Your Christmas Is Her Year-Round Obsession!

She delivers tips, hacks, recipes, and family-friendly DIY projects to a global audience. Recognised for her extensive knowledge of Christmas activities and travel as well as her festive trend analysis, Hannah has been featured on UK Channel 4’s Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and other national media outlets.

Autumn Decluttering Made Easy: 9 Practical Tips for Busy Families

Transform your home this Autumn with these quick and easy decluttering tips, perfect for busy families looking to create a calm and cosy space for the colder months ahead!

As the leaves are starting to turn golden and the weather becomes wetter here in the UK, your family will start to spend more time cosying up inside. Autumn is the perfect time to refresh and reorganise your home to ensure that it continues to work for your family over the coming months. For busy families, finding the time to declutter can feel overwhelming. But with a few practical tips, you can transform your living space into a cosy, clutter-free haven. In this blog, I’ll share eight simple and effective decluttering tasks that you can fit into your today-to-day life. You can create a warm and inviting home just in time for the colder months.

It can feel overwhelming when you feel that you have so much to tackle so let’s break down your decluttering efforts into small tasks that you can tackle one step at a time.

Blog Contents:

Start with the Hallway
Kitchen Clear Out
Seasonal Wardrobe Swaps
Tidy Up the Living Room
Bedroom Refresh
Bathroom Blast
Toy Tidy
Paperwork-Purge
“One-In, One-Out” Rule

9 Practical Tips for Busy Families

1. Start with the Hallway

Create convenient homes for heavier coats, boots and umbrellas. Put away light jackets and summer shoes to make space for winter wear
Use containers or hang tote bags for easy storage of hats, gloves, and scarves in the entrance of your home so that they are easily available when you leave the house

2. Kitchen Clear-Out

Work your way around your kitchen cupboards. Remove any expired foods or ingredients you no longer use. Dig out any appliances that you no longer use and donate
Organise items that you commonly use together to that they are easily at hand (such as baking ingredients) and consider meal planning to use up short-date items and reduce waste over the longer-term

3. Seasonal Wardrobe Swaps

Pack away Summer clothes and bring out Autumn and Winter wear. Your wardrobe can be a great place to start because you can easily identify those items that you won’t wear over the coming months and put them to one side or pack them away to create more space. You may also move a bulky coat to your hallway for regular wear over the cooler months, which will make it easier to see what you have available in your wardrobe
Donate or recycle items – quickly filter off items that no longer feel great to wear, don’t fit well, are well worn or just not your taste any more. You don’t have to empty out your entire wardrobe or work through every item to make an impact – when you have little time, you can skim off items that are clearly no use to you and this will make a difference

4. Tidy Up the Living Room

Make space for indoor living – move around your lounge and review any magazines, books, and decorative items you find. Keep only what you use or love, donate the rest
Take the opportunity to review DVDs, CDs, computer games and any tech used in this room. Trade or donate anything that your family no longer enjoys

5. Bedroom Refresh

You’ve reviewed your wardrobe, now take a look at your bedlinen. Work out how many sets you need and donate or repurpose the excess and older bedding
Review surfaces and bedside-table drawers, decluttering things that you don’t need to have by your bed to create a calm sleeping environment

6. Bathroom Blast

Quickly go through your bathroom cabinet, clearing out any expired toiletries. Donate any unused products to a charity shop or food bank
Organise remaining items by person in containers for easy access. (Just so you know as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)

7. Toy Tidy

Make tidying toys a family activity. Assign age-appropriate tasks to children to teach them the importance of organisation
Micro decluttering sessions are good to help children review their toys (allow them to make decisions about what they no longer play with). Set a timer and plan a little reward to keep everyone motivated and focused

8. Paperwork Purge

Gather paperwork from around the home and review. Recycle/destroy envelopes, leaflets and paperwork you no longer need
Create a landing area to intercept paperwork as it enters the home; process, diarise, file or destroy it here to prevent it piling up around the house

9. Finally, adopt a “One-In, One-Out” Rule

When a new item is brought into the home, prompt yourself to find an item that is no longer used or loved
Keep a bag in the car boot or hallway cupboard for items to donate – when it’s full pop it to your local charity shop to help maintain a clutter-free home

It is possible for busy families to enjoy a clutter-free and cosy home this Autumn.

Decluttering doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By breaking down the tasks and involving family members, you can transform your living space into a warm and inviting retreat just in time for the colder months. You don’t need to dedicate lots of time, but decluttering in small chunks of time will save you time and energy overall. The key is small, practical steps.

Which decluttering task will you try first?

If you’d like extra support, click below to receive my Free Quick Reset Checklist

You might also like to read Declutter your Towels with this Formular.

How to Harness your Energy to Spring Clean your Home

Spring brings brighter days, longer day-time hours and increased energy, so embrace the chance to Spring clean your home.

As the weather starts to improve, we have longer daylight hours and see growth and renewal all around us in the natural world. It’s a wonderful time to embrace our increasing energy levels to clear our clutter and bring positivity to our home.

If you are struggling to take action, to freshen up those rooms, brighten up your space and clear out the dust and clutter accumulated over the winter months, I’ve got you. In this blog I share why we Spring Clean, remind you why you should tackle your home, and share 6 ideas to help you harness your energy for a good clear out!

Why do we traditionally Spring Clean?

The origins of Spring Cleaning are unclear; a number of religious traditions involve cleaning the home, the alter or church.

But you know I’m all about the practical, so let’s consider Spring Cleaning from that perspective! Here in the UK, though we still have cooler spells, the weather becomes warmer in Spring. Historically this was a good time to open up the home and clean off the soot, dust and dirt accumulated over the winter months. Home fires, oil lamps, candles and other methods of heating and lighting the home would leave the house dirty, dull and in need of a good clean.

Biologically Spring is great time to make changes as the weather has a positive affects on our bodies. Over winter the days are shorter, we may go out less and we are exposed to less sunlight which affects melatonin production and makes us more sleepy. During Spring increased natural light causes less melatonin production which gives us more energy.

And don’t forget the Clutter

Over Autumn and Winter we acquire possessions, and after spending more time indoors, may have stopped noticing the things that we no longer use or love. Spring is a great time to take a fresh look.

Clutter can make it difficult to process information, affects our ability to focus and affects our memory. It can negatively affect our mood, stress levels and can even affect our physical health, including our eating habits. Read more in Psychology Today.

Aside from the traditions and the practical reasons to Spring Clean, it’s a great time to tackle the clutter that has a negative impact on our body and mind.

When you declutter your home, you get intentional about your environment. You make conscious choices about what you want to keep, how you want to feel and what you want to be able to do in your home. And you remove the things that you no longer need or love, to create space to live and enjoy. You also make it so much easier to freshen up your home, keep it clean and to decorate.

What better time to embrace clearing out your clutter!

‘Clean home, clear mind’.
Unknown

6 ways to harness your energy for that Spring clean:

1. Define your goal

Do you want your home to feel fresh, open, cleaner, and lighter as we head towards to brighter months? Are you expecting guests, activities, birthday parties? Do you want to make things more manageable as you head into a busy period at work. Or perhaps you have teens at home who are facing exams. A clearer, cleaner home gives them a great environment to focus.

Whatever is coming up for you, use this goal to help you focus, so that you get started and stay on track with your decluttering tasks.

2. Get super focused

We all only have so many hours each week and so much energy to work on tasks; so we need to focus our efforts on what matters most. It can help to focus energy on the priorities and get help, or spread out work on the other areas over time.

It can be overwhelming to think about everything that needs to be done so it’s helpful to write them down. You can then prioritise and cross off as you complete items. You can also schedule any tasks that don’t help you achieve your goal for later.

Some of my clients find it really useful to talk through their tasks, areas to focus on and how to achieve them. If you’d like some support feel, free to contact me for a chat.

3. Make it fun

I know decluttering can sometimes feel like hard work, so make it fun with some of these ideas:

Stimulate your senses – play your favourite playlist, podcast or audio book while you get decluttering
Make it competitive! Race a timer, another member of the household or appliances (such as declutter a drawer while the kettle boils)
Chat to a friend or family member while you work through some possessions

4. Don’t try to do it all on your own

Working alone can be satisfying but it can also take time and energy. If you can, getting some help can help you go much faster. Consider asking a friend or family member for support reviewing your clothes, or decluttering the garage or shed.

Outside help can also be useful if you are pushed for time, energy or need a boost. You might hire a cleaner to deep clean, an oven cleaning company to bring back the sparkle or gardener to help you refresh the outside space. And a Professional Organiser can help you declutter and organise any area of your home.

5. Re-imagine each room

A lick of paint can do wonders to freshen up a space. But it’s also a great opportunity to evaluate and get intentional about what you keep in each room. (And I’ll tell you a secret; you don’t even really have to decorate to make a difference).

Imagine (or do this) if you were to empty the room and redecorate, what furniture and possessions would you want to return to this refreshed room? This exercise can really help you to work out what’s important and what you can release.

6. Schedule your Spring Clean

We are more likely to do something if we set an intention; deciding when and where we are going to do a task (Achieve Your Goals: The Simple Trick That Doubles Your Odds of Success).

We also have the opportunity to consider our needs or anticipate barriers, and can ensure that we support ourselves to achieve our goals.

Consider what time you have available, when you feel most energetic and how long you can work on it. Then commit time in your diary for the task you want to accomplish.

Make sure you include time for rest, hydration and other demands you have on your energy – you may need to take longer or take more breaks to achieve your goals.

If it’s a bigger task, you’ll need to engage other household members or ask for support with other tasks.

Ready to make a start?

You may also be interested in my blog Spring clearing!

If you’d like help getting started, keeping going or dealing with tricky challenges, contact me for practical advice and support.

It wasn’t easy to donate my wedding dress, but I’m glad I did!

It’s not easy to let things go but you can gain so much more when you do.

I donated my wedding dress earlier in the year. I’d been thinking about donating it for some time, but when it came to taking action it was harder than I expected.

My wedding dress was beautiful and held lovely memories but I felt it was wasted and unloved under our bed. I was never going to wear it again and it was bulky. It took up valuable space in our home.

I had decided it was time to let it go months before, but something held me back.

Lots of people feel this way about things they want to move on, so I know I’m not alone. If you experience this, I hope my story and tips will help you.

Precious memories

I last wore my wedding dress in 2008 on our wedding day. That was the first and last time, and it sat in a box under our bed ever since.

It was a beautiful wedding dress. I tried on about 40 before I found this one, and I fell in love with it. I remember buying it in London. And thanks to alterations made by the lovely seamstress, it was the first outfit that truly fitted me. It made me feel fabulous!

For years, I kept my dress because it was special and… that’s what you do isn’t it.

The week after our wedding I arranged for my dress to be dry cleaned and carefully packed up in a beautiful box tied with a bow. Now I could keep it forever!

It cost a lot of money, and it would be a waste to just discard it!

Would it be bad luck to get rid of it? What did it say about my marriage if I wanted to declutter the dress?

And surely, it’s an heirloom. What if I want it in future or my daughter wants to wear it for her wedding? Though, honestly, she’s a child! Who knows whether she’ll want to marry, let alone wear my old thing)?

It wasn't easy to donate my wedding dress - close up of my dress

It wasn't easy to donate my wedding dress - the bride and groom

What can come up when we think about donating precious things?

You may have experienced this. You know it makes sense to let things go. Perhaps you need the space; don’t want things to waste away in your home; or you want less to maintain; store and distract you. But you can’t bring yourself to do it!

It’s upsetting to think that you will no longer have it (although you’ve not used it or looked at it for so long). What if you do want it in future? What if someone else wants it? Sometimes you fear parting with it but can’t put your finger on why.

I had all these feelings!

I had decided it made sense to let my dress go but I was delaying taking action. So what was going on for me?

As a Professional Organiser, I’m familiar with the process, the struggles we experience when considering letting things go and understand the reasons for these. So…

What helped me take action and donate my wedding dress?

When I recognised that I was procrastinating, I knew it what I had to do:

1. List my objectives

I reflected on all the reasons why I wanted to release my dress.

It was in good condition and deserved another bride! We don’t go to formal events so I couldn’t dye and wear it again. In any case it’s not really my style anymore
I wanted it to be enjoyed. I’d only looked at it once in the last 15 years, it was wasted under the bed!
I wanted less to maintain – it was gathering dust and in the way under the bed
I wanted our home to feel clearer and lighter
I wanted to have the opportunity to store items we do use so that our living space can feel calmer

2. Reframe – focus on the gains

I recognised that I was probably experiencing loss aversion; a cognitive bias where we feel the pain of losing more than the pleasure of what we gain.

I was fearful that letting it go would be painful.

So I focused on the gains – for me, the charity, the purchaser (and the dress!).

I would gain:

a lighter bedroom
more space to keep other things that matter (I still have my tiara, photos and lots more items gained more recently that I want to keep)
I no longer have to feel guilty about not wearing or looking at the dress
I don’t have to keep the dress to enjoy the memory.

After doing some research, I discovered a charity that has a specialist bridal store. So there was a good chance that my dress would be enjoyed by an excited new bride-to-be (rather than be cut up to make into other garments). My dress would also help raise much needed funds to help care for hospice patients.

The dress would have another fabulous outing, be loved again and fulfil it’s purpose for a 2nd time.

3. Explore the emotions

When I thought through my feelings, I realised that I was worried that I might miss my dress. I feared I might want to look at it again in future and I wouldn’t be able to do that.

Also, I worried about how much husband and daughter might feel. So I talked about my plan and they were both fine with my choice. They also loved the idea of supporting the charity.

On reflection, the dress also meant represented a childhood memory. I remember my Dad collecting up his pocket change and paying it into a savings account for me. When I left home he gave me the bank book, and I had put that money towards my dress; so it represented his love and care too.

After looking through photos (which made me feel happy and nostalgic) I decided to keep my tiara as a little memento the day. It’s much easier to store!

Finally, I gave myself some time to consider my decision. I took a moment to unpack the dress, hold it, and said goodbye. By this point, a lot of the sad emotions had drifted away, and I knew that donating it was the right thing to do.

Taking action was easier than I expected

Once I’d taken my wedding dress into the shop and walked away, I can honestly say I’ve had no regrets. A few days later I drove past the shop and saw it displayed in the shop window. It was great to see it having another day in the sun! I was glad I was able to release it so that it could be worn by another bride. And I appreciate having more space and less stuff that we never use in our home.

If you are thinking about letting go of a precious item but finding it difficult, here are my Top Tips.

My Top Tips for letting your things go:

Here are some tactics you can use when you are finding it hard to let go.

Consider your objective – what do you want to achieve? List the reasons you want to let go, including what you will gain by doing so
Reframe the decision in terms of what you gain – look for a cause that’s important to you and focus on what you are giving them
Emotions – write down or discuss your feelings, work out what is really concerning you and explore this. Name your feelings and reduce their power. If you need it, allow yourself time to come to terms with your plan (a deadline is helpful)
Consider how to keep the memory alive without keeping bulky items – take photos, make a scrap book, journal, or keep a small piece/item

If you struggle to let things go, it can help to talk it through. A friend or family member may be a good support or talk to a professional organiser for sensitive and impartial support.

And remember, I’m here for you…

I’m Laura, a sensitive and practical Professional Organiser based in Nottingham and supporting clients all over the Midlands. Find out more here

Reset for Autumn

As the seasons change your priorities change, so your home should too! Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to reset for Autumn!

One minute you are digging out your summer wardrobe, having picnics in the park and looking forward to getting away from it all, the next thing, the children are back at school, everyone is back to work so days are full-on, mornings are pressured and you spend more time indoors trying to juggle everything (including hungry children, mounds of laundry and keeping up with tidying and cleaning!).

Before it all becomes too overwhelming, now is a great time to reset your home; to declutter the summer paraphernalia and organise key areas of your home so that daily life flows more easily.

In September, I shared tips with Sarah Julian at BBC Radio Nottingham and Kelly Hinch at BBC Radio Leicester. Read my reset tips below and grab my quick Checklist to reset for Autumn!

My Autumn Reset Tips

It’s time to get practical! Your home needs to work for you. Now is the time to remove the excess from your functional spaces and organise them so you can access what you need and keep things tidy with ease.

Go for impact!

Focus on the area(s) that will make a big difference to your day. You use these areas daily, your day will run smoothly if you can access everything you need easily, the state of this space can have a really positive impact on how your mood.

Complete one area before you move to another. It’s difficult to complete an area if you try to multitask (which isn’t a thing by the way – the brain can’t multitask, it just swaps between tasks which it’s not very good at doing). Work on one area, if you find things that need to live elsewhere put them to one side (or in a box) to take to other rooms once you’ve finished.

Reset your Hallway

The hallway is your launchpad. It’s the last place you spend time before you leave your home and the first space you see when you come home. When you create a welcoming and functional space that supports you it will have a big impact on the start and end of your day.

Ensure you have homes for the shoes, coats, bags, and items that you need daily. Hang as much as you can, allocate space for each item and use containers for small items such as keys, tissues, wallets, gloves, glasses etc.

Occasional wear, summer coats, and shoes you only wear every now and again should be packed away or live in wardrobes. This is not the place to leave things that aren’t helpful to your mission of leaving or entering the home smoothly each day.

Reset your Kitchen

The heart of the home, it’s also the place where paperwork, bits and bobs, toys, pet paraphernalia, bags, clothes and all manner of other clutter gravitates to.

You visit this room at least three times a day, and probably much more. You’ll likely want to prepare meals, make drinks, clean, do laundry and many other tasks as easily as possible. You spend a lot of time here. You may also eat family meals and spend time with guests, so you want it to feel inviting.

Your reset for this space will include returning items to their homes, recycling/shredding/filing paperwork, packing away picnic sets, decluttering things you no longer use,

Reset your Wardrobe

You wear clothes everyday. When you have a sea of clothes you no longer wear and seasonal items peppering your wardrobe it can make it so difficult to find what you need.

Imagine how much calmer your mornings would be if you could find what you need easily rather than having to spend time rummaging for items you know you have but can’t find.

Keep the floor-drobe at bay by making it super easy to put things away:

Pack up off-season clothes and remove anything no longer fits or doesn’t feel great.
Separate clothes into categories such as work, social and occasional items to make it easy to access those items you wear day to day.

Need help to work through your Autumn Reset?

Are you ready to do your Autumn Reset? Download my Quick Reset Checklist to tackle your kitchen, hallway or wardrobe today!

Find out more about my Decluttering and Organising services

Contact Laura to discuss your organising needs on +44 (0)7970 989955