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Callie Moon Blog

September 23, 2015

Living Simply | Limiting Items That Enter Our Home

As I have been getting rid of stuff, I have realized that a huge part of keeping my house simplified is coming up with a system to minimize what stuff comes into my home.

Purchase Consumables ||  Encourage family members to purchase consumables.  My kids have the opportunity to earn money each week.  Once they earn it, they want to spend it.  I encourage them to spend on consumables.  Treats, art supplies, clothing, or a trip to the movies, things that they can use up.  When they get that birthday money, could they spend it on a memorable activity?  An experience such as a day trip to a museum, or an amusement park, or to a play, something they will remember forever.

Use Up Perishables ||  When we receive those candles, lotions, notepads, art supplies, treats, we need to use them up.  These items can collect and after a few months or years they just aren’t as fun to use.  I try to make a point of using the fun new whatever right when I get it.

Look At Non Consumable Items As Consumables ||  I look at many items in our home (such as toys, books, and decorations) as things that are enjoyable to play with for a few months and then we are ready to let them go.  The item was fun and served its purpose, it was useful to us for the time we spent playing with it, and now we are ready to let it go.

Ask For Consumable Gifts || Let family members know you enjoy consumable gifts.  I always have a hard time telling people what to get for our kids, but when I am asked, I give them a list of consumable items.

Celebrate Experiences ||  We are toying with the idea of doing this more, especially as our children get older.  We still purchase at least one toy (or more) for birthdays and for Christmas.  Times that by four children and all the other gifts they may receive, it adds up to a lot of items coming into our home per year.  We have been chatting about gifting our children experiences for birthdays and Christmas versus giving them gifts.  We have to experiment with this but we see real value in focusing more on these types of gifts.

Set An Amount ||  This is the idea of one item coming into the home means that one item must leave your home.  We focus on going through our belongings a couple times a year.  We go through our toys and stuff right before summer birthdays (my three oldest are summer birthdays) and right before Christmas.  We purge the old to make room for the new.  This also helps me in the buying department.  How many pairs of jeans do my children need, how many pads of paper?  If I have an idea of what we have I can limit what we bring in.

Encourage Collections ||  This may seem counterintuitive since it encourages buying more, but I have found that when you add to collections it almost doesn’t feel like one more thing added to your home.  Though I encourage my children and family and friends to buy consumables, I know that my kids sometimes still want something bright and shiny and new.  I know the feeling, it is fun to have something fun and new.  Collections can help solve this problem.  The child or grandparent is able to buy a new toy, but when we bring it into our home, it is just added to the collection.  It doesn’t feel like it takes up too much space because it already has a place.  I can see how this could easily get out of control but I think there is value in focusing on collections.  It can be a great tool to keep things simple and minimal.

Reward With Consumables or Experiences ||  I remember potty training my oldest with cheap toy prizes.  These often ended up broken or in the goodwill pile after a few weeks.  Now I try to reward with experiences or consumables.  I few things we reward with are extra screen time, ice-cream cones, sitting in the front seat, staying up late to watch a movie, choosing what we do for the day, getting the mail, and going on errands alone with mom or dad are just a few ideas of rewards that do not add items to your home.

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Hello eveyone, I'm Callie Moon and I like shiplap, dark chocolate, instagram, and contemporary and classic literature. My family and I are currently remodeling our home in a modern farmhouse style. I love living in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and four children. I'm passionate about decorating my home, reading all the books, and living my LDS faith. I love essential oils, travel, and homemaking pursuits. Thanks for joining me here.
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Added some pink to my shelves. Love Valentine’s Added some pink to my shelves.  Love Valentine’s Day decor!!🤍🤍🤍
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I love, love, love setting goals. Every December d I love, love, love setting goals. Every December during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season I start to dream of fresh starts and look forward to the new year.  I start to envision my new year resolutions and all the possibilities.  And of course, since my home matters, and curating the home I love is so important to me, home centered goals are always part of my new year planning. Today I wanted to share a few of my home centered 2021 goals here with you. I wrote a blog post on all of these goals. Click through the link in my profile to see the blog post. 

Below are my 2021 goals.  What do you think?  Do you have any 2021 home centered goals?

1  Finish home remodel. 

2  Finish decorating our home.

3  Clean second story windows.

4  Repair piano.
 
5  Finish my 100 day organizational challenge. 

6  Thrift a wooden horse and a library card catalog cabinet. 

7  Paint a room a fun color. 

8  Wallpaper a room.

Okay, time to get to work!!🤍🤍🤍
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Working down in my boy’s room this week. I did Working down in my boy’s room this week.  I did half of it over the summer, and I’m finally finishing it up. Excited to have this room all set up for them.
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The posts you liked the most in 2020!!! Also wanti The posts you liked the most in 2020!!! Also wanting to wish you a very happy New Year!  I hope today is full of hope for an amazing 2021!!

Any new goals for the new year? I’m working on mine and will share soon!!
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Let’s talk about cozy today. How do you make yo Let’s talk about cozy today.  How do you make your home cozy?  Today on the blog I’m listing 5 ways to make your home cozy throughout these winter months. Here is a summary of the 5 things I talk about in my blog post.  Click through to read the post and to see addition links and photos.  Check it out, it’s a good one! Link in my profile!! 

1. Candles and diffusers.
2. Pillows and throws.
3. Music.
4. Gallery wall.
5. Rugs and curtains.

Just a few of the things I love to use in my home to make it cozy.
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Chatting about goals tonight by the fire with my g Chatting about goals tonight by the fire with my guy.  Love dreaming big and doing life together! Who is excited for 2021?
Wishing you a wonderful day after Christmas!! . . Wishing you a wonderful day after Christmas!!
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#christmasdecor #hygge #hyggehome #myhyggehome #myhyggevibes #myhyggehomestead #hyggestyle #hyggelife #hyggeliving #hyggelife #hyggehome #showusyourhygge #hyggemoments #homesweethome #mindfulliving #cozy #cozyhome #decemberdecor #mycozydecember #christmasfarmhouse #cozychristmas #farmhousedecor #mycozychristmas #christmas2020 #christmasfarmhouse #farmhousechristmas ##christmasgifts2020
These kids of mine are pretty amazing!! 🤍🤍 H These kids of mine are pretty amazing!! 🤍🤍 Have a wonderful Christmas Eve! 

Our evening of festivities is finished.  Took a break and ate some chocolate, now I’m headed back to fill some stockings and wrap a few presents before bed. I’ll put Steve in charge of cleanup and breakfast prep.
Do you love using maps in your decor? I absolutely Do you love using maps in your decor? I absolutely do, and I love this new map I just received from @grafomap.

My husband and I both love Oregon so much, five out of the seven of us in our family were born here in Portland, so this city is such a beautiful, fun place! Love how it looks in our home. 

The map itself is printed on heavy duty canvas, the colors are just perfect, and it comes with the two wooden attachments for framing. Such a perfect gift for anyone! 

I can’t believe it’s three more nights until Christmas. My kids are beyond excited! I’ve been sharing Christmas tips and ideas in my stories, check those out, today I was chatting about stocking stuffer ideas. So fun to share here with all of you!
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My cross stitched Santa is finally framed! I shar My cross stitched Santa is finally framed!  I share all the details on how I framed it in stories. I also have everything saved about this cross stitch and the pattern in my highlights. Love how this project turned out and it feels so good to be done!

What Christmas project have you worked on this year? Have you ever thought about learning to cross stitch?
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So many cozy Pom Pom garlands for sale in my Etsy So many cozy Pom Pom garlands for sale in my Etsy shop.  Swipe through to see!  These are the coziest, softest, prettiest garlands!! I would love to send one your way!  Check them out in my shop!  Tap on the link in my profile to find the link to my Etsy Shop!  Or if you prefer, dm me and we can use PayPal or Venmo.  These are perfect for Christmas or for any time of year!!

Also, if your interested in making your own, you can find a diy pom pom garland tutorial saved in my highlights. 
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What do you do to make your home cozy? Do you have What do you do to make your home cozy? Do you have a favorite cozy memory?

“My personal decorating style is cozy, romantic and a little rustic, with a sense of whimsy.”

Kimberly Schlapman

Loving this quote this morning. Cozy is definitely part of my style and I think about it a lot when I’m decorating. 

My mom is amazing at cozy and inviting spaces. Growing up she  always made our home feel warm and inviting. I remember her turning down my bedding and turning on my bedside lamp, so when I came into my room at night it was warm and inviting. I remember coming home from school to a plate full of freshly baked after school snack. I remember twinkly lights and holiday music throughout our home during the Christmas season. So many little things that she did to make our home so very cozy.

I try to do the same throughout my home. Lots of pillows and throws on all of our couches and chairs. Nothing is off-limits to pile up, squish down, or cuddle up with. Twinkly lights are my best friend during the holiday season and beyond. I love to string some lights on our headboard that I keep up throughout winter. You can find them strung up and placed on most surfaces through my home.  Steve and I both love a cozy fire in our fireplace. This last Sunday I came home after dropping off a few things at friends homes. Steve was cleaning up the kitchen. He had gone through the house and turned on all the Christmas tree lights and twinkly lights on all the shelves. He had a fire going in the fireplace and Christmas music playing. We all ended up gathering in the living room and just chatting and hanging out. It was such a cozy afternoon together.  Such a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

#christmasdecor #hygge #hyggehome #myhyggehome #myhyggevibes #myhyggehomestead #hyggestyle #hyggelife #hyggeliving #hyggelife #hyggehome #showusyourhygge #hyggemoments #homesweethome #mindfulliving #cozy #cozyhome #decemberdecor #mycozydecember #christmasfarmhouse #cozychristmas #farmhousedecor #mycozychristmas #christmas2020 #christmasfarmhouse #farmhousechristmas #homewiththeseason #thiscozycorner #myhomedecorfinds
#beautifuldecorstyles
#myhomesweetvintagehome
#BigDecorSmallAccount
So I crafted away my weekend. Well, sort of. I ha So I crafted away my weekend.  Well, sort of. I had a little bit of time Friday night and some time Saturday morning.  I have two DIY crafts to share with you this week. Here’s a sneak peek of the one I will be sharing later today. I am prepping a reel to share with you and I’ll be sharing in stories today how I put this fun garland together. Absolutely love how it turned out! Can’t wait to share!

Have you done any crafting over this Christmas season? If so, what have you made?
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#makearteveryday #createeveryday #createdaily #createsomething #diydecor #diychristmas #diyhomedecor #diycrafts #crafts #createsomethingeveryday #easydiy #neutralcrafts #cozycrafts #crafts #5minutecrafts #craftersofinstagram #diyhomedecor #diychristmas #christmasdecor #diychristmasdecor #diygarland #diychristmasdecorations #christmasgarland #christmasgarlands #driedoranges #driedorangegarland
Excited to be sharing this wintery tiered tray tod Excited to be sharing this wintery tiered tray today. Tiered trays are so fun to decorate. I actually bought my first one this year. I have used cake stands in the past to make my own tiered tray when I didn’t own one.  They work in a pinch! 

Today I went with a wintry Christmas theme. Lots of woods and whites. I’m excited for how it turned out. Not only will it work for Christmas time, but it also should transition well into January and February. I gathered together all the items I thought I might use, and just began decorating the trays. It really is such a fun fun process if you haven’t tried it before. I break it all down in my stories today.  Check them out for more details on how I pulled it all together. 

I am Day 5 of our 12 Days of Christmas Tour. So fun to join with these amazing ladies in sharing some Christmas inspiration.  Check out their amazing accounts below and follow along each day for lots of Christmas ideas!

@the_southernhoney @purposedforeight @lambertcottage @holly_moyer_design @sweetlittlesmithfarm @thejunkdrawer_blog @thefinleyfarmhouse
@gigis.magical.moments @mobilehome_cottage @lifeonbrushycreek @ourtravelingfarmhouse
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Joining with some amazing accounts to share some C Joining with some amazing accounts to share some Christmas cheer!  We are sharing a collection of DIYs, recipes, & traditions. 

I’m sharing this simple diy felt garland.  It’s one of the coziest garlands and oh so simple to make.  Follow along in stories for the complete diy tutorial. 

Check out the other amazing accounts that are sharing some Christmas inspiration!  I promise they will not disappoint!!

@thefinleyfarmhouse @my.charmed.cottage
 @junktales
 @rockrosehome
 @justtracytalk
 @we_dabble
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What color is your tree this year?? Here is my fi What color is your tree this year??

Here is my finished Christmas tree.  Love the large snowflake ornaments!!! What do you think?  Do you like them?!??

Went neutral with the colors this year.  I am loving the neutral, but I’m am thinking of adding a little red.  We shall see.
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