Peace in Small Places

There has been a lot of buzz recently about Spring cleaning tips, organizational ideas, and all that comes along with changing of the season, warm weather, and lighting a fire under our butts to get life back on track once again. But let's face it...it's daunting. I saw an article recently about a 10 "easy" step guide to Feng Shui your home so you were happier and more productive - I practically had a panic attack after reading step one. The idea of carving out enough time to accomplish that step in our current living situation made me sweat!
Kyle and I were talking about the differences between our old house in Durham (about 3300 square feet) and our current rental (about 1500 square feet). You would think that it would be a lot easier to keep clean because it's so much smaller - at least that was my initial impression when we moved in! How wrong was I!! First, with three big dogs (no fenced in back yard anymore) and a toddler, it takes about 30 minutes for the entire first floor to be "destroyed". Then the stress level rises because there is nowhere to send the creatures while you try to pull things back together. I'm still trying to figure out why I try to pull things back together because it only takes another 30 minutes to destroy it all again.
Then, the cabinet space and dishwasher size are both significantly smaller than what we had. If there is one thing toddlers are great at, it's getting dishes dirty and Dablet is going through the "I need a snack" phase...all   day    long. So what has happened? I LOT of purging! And we're going to have a BIG yard sale next month as well. Goodwill has become our best friend, and this time not for shopping, but donating! It's a nice life exercise to focus on what you actually NEED versus things you think you have to have, and creative small space storage ideas! I'm sure that when we move again in September back into a bigger space we will thank ourselves for this time!
But until then - I wanted to share some little ideas I found that made me feel better, and were quick small space ideas! Sometimes you just need a little corner that you can see to get started and be your happy place before you move on to the rest of the chaos!

Give yourself something when you walk in that makes you feel good!

I don't mind doing laundry, I'm not hugely successful at putting it all away once I'm done with it however! Part of the problem is being so worn out by the process - this would make life easier! 

Anytime you can get things onto a wall and off surfaces is a win!

SHELVING!!! It's your best friend in a small space! 

The top picture is an easy find at Target or Lowes, and the bottom one could be installed easily above ANY door! Life is better with functional storage!

All pictures featured here can be found on my Small Space Peace board on Pinterest, along with others!

Happy Spring cleaning!