The "I Live Here" Clean

This post is not directly connected to party planning, but about cleaning your home for yourself (and your potential guests)!

Like many other women, I love looking at catalogs that feature furniture and new ways to arrange my home (currently my favorite is the IKEA 2012 catalog) however, no matter how hard I try, my house will NEVER look as good as the catalog!  I don’t understand how they expect my closet to only hold 4 shirts and 2 skirts, or ONLY 6 pairs of shoes!  When I look at home office pictures from “See Jane Work” collection I wonder how none of the computers have cords, and no one seems to own a printer!   The living rooms in these types of catalogs have NO personal pictures, the owners own 2 DVDs and one color of books.   

I collect these catalogs, rip pictures out and smash into my (very awesome) SMASH book, or add the picture to my pinterest board (For the Home).  However no matter how many of these types of inspiring pictures I keep, I realize that my townhouse apartment will never look like these grand pictures (very disappointing!) 

My house will not be like these pictures because I LIVE HERE!  (Yes a real person (me) lives in this apartment.  It is not a stage, nor a show room, it is a home in which I live.  Now, rather than trying to create a catalog picture perfect apartment, I clean, organize, and host with that idea in mind (I Live Here!).  My closet is going to be FULL of shoes and BAGS.  My book case will not only hold black and white bound books and DVD cases.  My computer does have cords and I indeed own WAY too many clothes.  I made a {freebie} printable for those out there that need a reminder that they do live in their homes and although those catalogs of inspiration are wonderful works of art to look at, they are NOT realistic.  (Mine is on the wall above my desk at home.) {Download the file from the FREEBIES page!}

Pick a color... any color... and share where you put it!