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I know of a lot people who have a hard time decorating their shelves and bookcases, and because they don’t know where to begin, they decide to do nothing, and end up with a cluttered look. Recently, I’ve been requested to write a post on accessorizing. So, I decided to start with the basics. Shelves & bookcases are often overlooked during the decorating process, and become a place to collect all books, papers and other items, which creates a very cluttered look. I agree, it can be a challenge to decorate your shelves & bookcases, but it doesn’t have to be! And hopefully by the time you finish reading this post, you will feel a lot more confident to go ahead and start decorating, armed with these easy & useful tips.

As with any decorating and design project, it’s important to keep the design principles in mind in order to create visual balance, harmony, unity, scale, symmetry/asymmetry & contrast.

Step 1. To start off, clear out everything from the shelves and / or bookcases that you are attempting to decorate. I know it can be a hassle, but you need to begin with a clean slate. Now, do some serious de-cluttering. Go through all the books, accessories and whatever else you had on the shelves and get rid of everything that you do not need, or that is outdated.

Step 2. Next, group similar items together. For example, all the books in one pile, all the candles in another etc. Group books and other items by color, size or concept, which will instantly create a sense of visual order.

Step 3. It’s always best to accent your books with decorative and art pieces, so go hunting to your favorite stores to find some new treasures, and don’t discount Flea Markets, you can find some amazing vintage pieces there for a steal! When gathering pieces for a shelf display, make sure you have a combination of short, medium and tall objects. Depending on the scale of your shelves / bookcases, keep an eye for bigger, bolder accessories that will stand out on your shelves. Also, when it comes to decorating, I say, less is more. So fewer, well thought out pieces will create more of a visual impact, than trying to cram the shelf with everything you have.

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Step 4. Now that you’ve gathered everything you want to display on your shelves, you are ready to start decorating, which of course, is the most exciting part! (Well, for the design-nerd in me it is! =) )

Always start with placing the heaviest books and objects on the bottom shelves, and work your way up from there. This helps to create both a visual and actual weight. As a general rule, try and place large, tall items at the back of the shelf and work your way to the front, creating layers and depth. Always arrange your items in varying heights and always in groupings, as opposed to lining the shelf with all the same height objects one by one. Remember to group items in odd numbers, so groupings of 1s, 3s, 5s and 7s will always look more appealing.

Step 5. Use decorative lighting such as track lighting, or spot lighting to illuminate the shelves in order to highlight your arrangements and give them the added importance.

Step 6. At last, step back, squint your eyes and make sure all the arrangements flow nicely and that you are happy with the final result. The best part about decorating shelves is that it is super easy to make changes and doesn’t require to break the budget to make changes on a whim!

I hope you found these tips & advice helpful. Most importantly, when it comes to decorating, don’t be afraid! Have some confidence in your decorating abilities. And if all else fails, you can always Contact Me for help! =)

This weeks Hits are:

- My new polka-dot Rain Boots! I know it is such a small, materialistic thing, but these cute polka-dot Rain Boots make me happy. I have only worn them once so far, and looking forward to rocking them out more as the fall weather brings in more rainy days with it. They inspire me to smile, and I can see some really cute Fashion Photo shoot ideas wearing these cuties…

- A random, happy, homeless man. On our way downtown a couple of days ago, my friends & I were driving down Yonge St . As we were stopped at a red-light we were people watching, and noticed this homeless guy sitting on the floor. We couldn’t help but notice the difference in attitude between this guy, who seemingly has nothing (by society standards), and all the rest of the by passing people. Everyone else, although might be happy & content with their lives, were too busy living in their heads, hurrying up to attend to some important business. And this guy, was completely living in the moment / in the NOW, he was just sitting there, beaming from ear to ear, said hello to us, and made a comment about what a beautiful & sunny day it was! The moral(s) of the story: 1. You don’t need a lot to be feel happy, content & be grateful & 2. Take the time to ‘Stop & smell the roses’, no matter how busy you are. =)

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- Waking up early. Anybody who knows me well, knows that I have always been a total night-owl, and by nature I am the epitome of an anti-early-riser. I absolutely love the night-time. I function so much better at night. There is nothing quite like it like the peace & quite that I feel, when it seems that the entire city is asleep and I am the only one awake. BUT, the problem with that is that I would go to bed at 3-4 and sometimes I even pushed it to 5 am, and of course, because of that I would wake up late, and would always feel like I wasted the day (although I would still do what I had to do during the night). I knew I had to change it. So my goal for this week was to wake up earlier than usual. I know for some people 9 am is not early, but for me, 9 am is early, because I go to bed at 3 am… So, I am so proud of myself for actually sticking to that goal. Some days were harder than others, and perhaps I lingered in bed for 10-15 minutes extra and it took an extra push to get myself out of bed, but overall, I am very proud of myself! Eventually, my goal is to push it to 8 am, and then maybe, just maybe if I am strong enough to 7 am… It will be hard, but not impossible. I will get there! =)

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This Week’s Misses are:

- Not reading enough books. I love to read, and usually have a few books that I’m reading at once. I think books are one of the best places to find inspiration, to learn wisdom, to travel to unknown places, to experience certain emotions that otherwise you might never do in your own life. That is the reason why I love to read, but unfortunately, lately, I have not been able to read as much as I know I should. It all comes down (again) to being more organized and better time-manage so you have time to do everything on your to-do list. I’m working on it… Small, baby steps… As long as I feel I am progressing, it is all good! =)

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