Have some plain white cabinets in your home that need perking up? Try decals! They are such a fun and dollarwise way to do a little cabinet (or wall) spruce-up. Here's how we used them in our home recently ... DISCLOSURES My best tip for installation is to ask your hubby to install the decals. :) Steve likes to help with home projects of all kinds and he's handier with things like this than I am so I'm all for his help. My job was to research/source Amazon to find what I thought would look good and here they are. They look like watercolor paintings and are really nice quality in person. You can't see them on the cabinets as "decals" at all; they look like they are painted on there. They are substantial in size so that worked well too. Other decals. The first week after Steve put these on, every time he came out of his home office he would comment, "I love those pots; they added so much!" We had the colorful painting from a past vacation, and I bought orchids and topiaries to complement that for additional charm. We are considering changing the cabinet handles too, but we have not gotten to that just yet. Changing handles on a plain white cabinet is another way to make them look more updated and/or "custom." Personally, I like these and these as I think they would look nice with our floor and also look good on our dark oak-ish kitchen and bathroom cabinets as well. Update: I am also still very pleased at how the functionality of our pantry is working too after using it awhile. So much easier than the several small cabinets we once used as mini-pantries before Covid turned all our homes into a grocery store! With my pantry groceries all in one place, just a glance makes it easy to see what I need the next time I place an online grocery order. A thought: Some people set up their pantries with everything still in original boxes and bags and there is nothing wrong with doing it that way as there is more than one way to organize a functional pantry. I personally prefer to use bins I can see through and baskets I can see into easily and here's why: with clear bins I know exactly how many noodles or crackers I have left and with one glance I know when I should order more instead of thinking a box is full of crackers when there are really only two (broken!) crackers left in there that I can't see unless I open the box. I don't like fiddling with things unduly so I prefer the "at a glance" method for my pantry. I don't want to be caught with two broken crackers hidden in a box that I thought was a whole full box of crackers if I want to make a snack tray serendipitously. Also, this clear bin method makes it easier to have a family member take a glance through the pantry, write down what needs to be re-stocked on a magnetic pad you keep on your fridge, and then give you the list to order groceries. Team work! NO! This is our skinny cabinet we also added recently at the end of our kitchen cabs. I first bought this pantry decal and liked how the font looked, but overall it was an epic fail that never stayed on well so finally I tore it off and tossed it and then ... YES! Now this is what I should have bought first! It's very sturdy and Steve bought darker screws to match our bronze sign instead of bright silver glaring at you. Adds just that little touch. Little things add so much to the feeling of home, in my opinion. Maybe you can't afford a $20,000 kitchen remodel, or you just don't want the upheaval of a remodel, but you can do some dollarwise small things to make your current kitchen and home a little cuter and more functional. What can you do to add a little dollarwise charm to your pantry and kitchen? I know you can come up with something! Happy house-love and prettier cabinets, my lovelies, Kathryn :) #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #pantryorganizing #homecooking #cookingathome

Steve and I have been streamlining our little cottage home since January 1 or so. We do this on a regular basis, but once a year we re-evaluate everything in our entire home and do a big purge if needed, refresh our decor, and streamline and shred our office paperwork etc. It's still in progress, but here's a sneak peak ... We got rid of some furniture and arranged our living room at an angle which turned out great! Much more room. Rugs to come that I found on a super sale from Wayfair. We already had one in our kitchen so this was a fun find to match. Our style continues to be gardenesque-cottage, but with less of it! We made a space near our front door for shoes, off the floor. We bought new gardenesque curtains for our laundry room after removing the door that was heavy and fell off the track all the time. Mission accomplished! The door was propped up next to the dumpster in case someone else in our 'hood wants it! And of course, a run to Goodwill was in order. Happy month of love, whether you're decluttering or moving or both! (Decluttering help) Kathryn :) #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #decluttering #organizing #decorating #DIY #home #smallspaces #smallhomes

Does the over-the-top commercial glitz and expense of the Christmas season ever wear on you? Call me Grinch, but sometimes it does me! Steve and I have celebrated many (wonderful) styles of Christmases over our 41 years married, most of them simple and sweet and yes, some of them a bit fancier, but my favorite way to celebrate is to focus on ... Christ's humble birth that resulted in a gently powerful life mission as God and Savior of the world, for everyone. That's quite a gift! Some of my favorite ways to celebrate a simpler old-fashioned Christmas: Growing up, my favorite memories of our Midwestern Christmases were of our little white-with-a-cute-steeple rural and small-town churches where we sang Christmas songs, ate homemade cookies, drank homemade hot chocolate, (with a little candy cane in it of course!), put on a Christmas pageant, and took Christmas baked goodies we had made to neighbors and friends. When I was a little girl, we made homemade cinnamon rolls at home, (round bread balls with cinnamon in them about the size of a baseball that we let rise), and then we placed them on a cookie sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree and baked them 'til golden. When cool, we frosted them with green icing and topped the icing with colorful sprinkles. We gave these to neighbors and friends, and they made a nice centerpiece for our own Christmas table too. If you want to try this, you don't have to make homemade bread -- it's fine to use frozen bread dough to keep things easier! We decorated our childhood Christmas tree with simple objects that cost very little. Like paper chains we made and glued together, and garlands we made out of popcorn and cranberries strung on a thread with a needle. (And yes, there was a poked finger or two!) Our childhood tree topper was an angel with a pink feather skirt and a porcelain face and it lasted many years until finally the feathers were worse-for-wear worn off. A good way to create a fun dollarwise Christmas tradition for your kids: choose tree toppers, one for each child, that they can eventually take with them when they leave home and start their own families. Our childhood 4-H club went Christmas caroling to elderly farm homes and it was priceless to see the residents come to their front door. I remember their lit-up faces even now, 55 years or so later. Afterwards we had hot cider with cinnamon sticks and cookies at our 4-H leader's home. As newlyweds living in western Nebraska, Steve and I enjoyed very traditional church services at a sweet little Episcopal church, and a festive night at a beautiful home located along a pretty river, where we were served traditional wassail and sang Christmas songs. It was magical! As a newlywed teacher living in small-town Nebraska, a new teacher friend from the East Coast and I spent an evening making Christmas cookies together at each other's houses -- the goodies were all over the table and counters! We exchanged recipes from our own childhoods and then boxed the cookies up in pretty Christmas-themed-containers and gave them to families from school and church. As young marrieds in our late 20s, Steve and I enjoyed a cozy chili suppers at home on Christmas Eve, candlelight Midnight Mass, and finding wonderful church musical pageants to attend each year in various neighborhood churches when we lived in Omaha, Nebraska. Of course, sledding is free fun once you buy the sled, and growing up Midwesterners, we did our fair share of sledding. (I have never liked snow though, so this was NOT my favorite Christmas activity, I admit!) But if you like snow, sledding is a fun dollarwise Christmas activity to do with your kids on Christmas Day afternoon that they'll likely remember! We have enjoyed all styles of at-home Christmas dinners with new friends we have met along the way as we have moved towns and cities around the U.S., both during childhood and as adults, and most of these dinners have been simple but festive, and many of them yummy potlucks. You don't have to spend a lot on an over-the-top meal; you just need to bring one yummy dish to the potluck and show up with a smile! One Christmas after we bought our Omaha home, I hosted a Christmas tea for my work friends. I bought festive Christmas themed dishes and trays and mugs on sale at a store that was going out of business and used my newlywed-gift lace tablecloth and some big red bows. We had a small tree with presents already underneath set up, so that was the living room "centerpiece." It was simple, but pretty, and we all enjoyed ourselves as I asked them to each to share a favorite personal Christmas memory of their own to get to know each other better. You don't need a big space to celebrate a pretty Christmas either! The above photo was taken in our small Omaha apartment, (1200 SF) where we popped up the leaves on our Duncan Phyfe table that we bought at an antique store, and I covered it with a new white damask sheet and tied bows on the end. All the serving bowls and platters and pitchers and real silver were either collected over the years at thrift stores, antique malls, or were gifts. (The pretty mirror that looks so fancy was a $100 scratch and dent that I covered up the small ding with gold paint and the pix are discount store frames with glossy floral greeting cards inside, but that's another dollarwise decorating story.) That Christmas we invited people who were single, away from family, or couldn't travel back home due to work, and it was quite interesting conversation! Some had just moved into our apartment complex and we barely knew them, but they left as friends. All the food was from Costco so we didn't stress out about making everything homemade since we had about 10 people to feed so this was easier. One Christmas I remember fondly in our 30s was singing carols on Christmas Eve with our church friends who had adopted two small foreign children and had invited us to their home. They were having hard financial times due to a job cutback, so they had just moved into a small rental house after having to sell their large home. Even so, their little Christmas tree was festively decorated, the host played his guitar as we sang, a Jewish friend-of-a friend joined in with us in the living room singing Christmas songs too, their foreign-adopted kids had several sweet gifts under the tree, and the kids' "Aunties & Uncles" from church, (us and others), were lovingly present for these adopted kids. Money was not flowing freely for this family that Christmas, but love was. "And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." --Isaiah 9:6 Wishing you a simple, celebratory, loving, dollarwise Christmas season! Kathryn :) #KathrynBechen #KathrynBechenAuthor #AuthorKathrynBechen #Christmas #SimpleChristmas #CelebrateChristmas #DollarwiseChristmas #Christmasathome #BudgetChristmas

I don't know about you, but after all these intense pandemic-drama past months, I think we could all use a high-end spa day of pampering and relaxing and some new clothes. But if pricey spas aren't in your money-budget or in your time-budget, then never fear, since I'm sharing below today my fave at-home DIY dollarwise ways to pamper yourself and your wardrobe. DISCLOSURES I have used Devita facial products for awhile now. Recently I'm enjoying their Aloe Vera Moisture Cleanser and Perfecting Time Moisturizer. Ordinarily I use very unscented products due to allergies, but I have been able to tolerate their cleanser which has a very mild rose scent. The moisturizer has no scent, (to me anyway), and is wonderful for our Arizona desert air in case you also live in a dry climate. BTW, these two products are much cheaper at Vitacost, which is a dollarwise site for holistic products, foods, and supplements. They have great customer service and run super site-wide sales too. I have been using them for years and I love shopping online there. Loving this makeup mirror which works great with my new eyebrow razor. I have never tried one of these for brows before and it sure beats a tweezer! I will never go back. This new little pedi set works really well in spite of the low price and has many positive reviews on Amazon which is why I bought it. If you don't like the clear case, insert it into a pretty makeup bag which is more pleasant to look at. (Because we are dollarwise Duchesses, after all, my dears, so we like pretty, right? Yes, yes, we do!) If you are cutting your own Covid-times hair, as I am, the Tinkle Haircutter works great for a short pixies, layers, and bangs that look more feather-y soft on the ends than harsh-cut-straight bangs. I've had some trial and error with cutting my pixie during this time, to be sure, but I have found the Tinkle Haircutter to be the absolute best after using this hair scissors which is my favorite. The result ... Okay, so I won't win any "Mrs. America" hairstyle contests, but it's cool in the desert heat and easy to just fluff up with my hands without a hairdryer with a little of this no-fragrance mousse for help. :) The mousse is not inexpensive, but for those of us with fragrance sensitivities and hair cowlicks too, it's a God-send! Side Note: My dear-hearted and well-intentioned hubby Steve tried to cut my hair during Covid and since we both ended up crying, (seriously!), we don't suggest trying spousal haircuts on each other on the off-chance you have considered that. (The perm he tried to give me way back in our college dating days didn't go well either, nor did my trying to cut his thick curly coarse red Irish hair way back then. Amazingly, we still got married in spite of our college-days hair fiascos, and 41 years later, here we are!) :) Back to the hair present: Steve resorted to a hair trimmer for cutting his own hair himself during Covid. Looks good and is cool in 100+ temps. (He said to mention to you that his curly red hair is long gone, so it was not too hard to just shave his head!) :) Ah well, with maturity comes ... resilience and a sense of humor. :) How's your months-of-Covid-culture wardrobe looking these days? I hear you. I have made it my mission to be comfy, yet still look nice at home. I don't succeed every single day but I try and I absolutely love these "day dresses" or loungers or whatever you want to call them. (Ok, nightgowns, but not really.) They are like wearing PJs, but thick enough fabric that you can put on some sandals and a shawl or cape and run errands or such and it looks like it's a dress. One you can't see through. Easy. Did I mention these loungers are knit so they stretch so you can move well while housecleaning and doing laundry? Amen. Thank you, Lord. (And Amazon!) The floral prints are really pretty too. The solid color loungers are lighter fabric so I bought those for bed and they are really nice, and cooler, for sleeping. I also like these jacket cardigans as they are PJ-soft too but cute to cover my now-chubbier arms. Can you relate? I like their 3/4 length sleeve too as you can still wash dishes etc. with that length of sleeve without having to push them up or fiddle with them with wet hands. And this dress was my fave until I found these dresses which are now my current fave, and paired with these knit cardigans/kimonos you have a cute and comfy dollarwise outfit. The cardigans can be tied for a second look in front. Don't be fooled; you can wear these as everyday dresses and cardigans and not just nighties and coverups. I also like fun slippers for around the house. And with these comfy inserts inside that you can cut to fit your size, they'd be great for a wedding dance! :) If I really want to wear "slipper-slippers" then these have great padding for standing in the kitchen for long periods of time. Steve compliments me when I wear these with the floral lounge dresses. Don't like dresses? Latuza on Amazon has nice cool summer pants. Mine fit well and you can't really tell they are (shhhhh!) PJs. They are nice and lightweight for our hot AZ temps. Side note: I shop almost all things on Amazon now as it's easy and efficient and I can find cute dollarwise items that are suitable for my current lifestyle. Read: soft knits. Delivered right to my house and hallelujah; I've found fashion heaven! If you prefer, you can also try before you buy on Amazon too. This may or may not work for you, but for me, I love it. My 10 best dollarwise tips for organizing your wardrobe and your closet: Don't own more clothes than you really wear is the first thing. Sorry to disappoint you with that right out of the gate here, but it's true. A smaller wardrobe makes things easier to find and easier to mix and match outfits from the same color family. Saves you lots of time, and fewer clothes saves you money, too. Bonus: less laundry if you choose colors in the same color families. Think of your wardrobe closet like this: set up your closet like a little boutique with carefully chosen items, NOT like a huge department store filled with racks and racks of clothes so that you feel overwhelmed to shop there due to too many choices. Hanger heaven: these dollarwise hangers are all you need, and in my opinion they are actually preferable because they are lightweight, noise-free, move across the rod easily, and skinny in space-taking. With the shoulder grooves on the top they are great too for hanging tank tops/camis/tank dresses so they don't fall off the hanger. Be sure to buy the ones with shoulder grooves. Put a couple in your luggage for when you travel; they are lightweight and if you forget one in the hotel clos, it's not an expensive loss. Hanger heaven! Trust me on this; I have moved 15 times as an adult and had many varying closets and clothes styles for many varying jobs over the years. These work well so you don't need to buy high-end "designer" hangers. Clear bins and stackable drawers are your wardrobe BFF. Seriously. Not only that, you can take them with you when you move, they are SO dollarwise, and you can move them around and mix and match them to fit most any closet. Forget expensive celebrity-style custom organizers/closets and use these instead, and then fund your IRA or take a trip with the money you saved, my dollarwise lovelies! Keep a plastic basket for anything you need to mend and when it's full, pull out your little sewing machine or if you don't sew, take them to a tailor. Or, you can use one of your stacking drawers too, labeled "Mending." A label maker is your next best closet friend. A big drawer like this works great as a laundry "basket." If you have room in your closet, buy four of them and your laundry will be all sorted! Great for shoes or boots too. Hang your clothes by like items together, (all pants, all dresses etc.), and then by color within each category so it's easy to pull the bottom and matching top and jacket. That also fosters creative outfits too depending on what pieces you choose each time. Have fun with that! Go through your closet about four times a year, or minimum two times, and ask yourself if you will REALLY wear each item again. Will you REALLY wear it?! Come on now. Hello Goodwill! Keep your shoes minimal. I know; I know! Shoes are art. But in reality you only need a couple pair of sandals, two comfy walking shoes, one or two sneakers, one pair boots, two pairs heels maybe, and some cute fancy slippers for no-blisters dancing. If you buy them all in the same color, you could even get by with fewer pairs of shoes. (I love black shoes now. Boring? Maybe. Convenient and dollarwise? Absolutely!) If you buy solid-color dresses, pants, tank tops etc. in various colors, you can add a printed cardigan/coverup and jewelry for some quick and easy easy fashion "cute." When choosing your cardigan pattern/colors, choose prints and colors that can go with a minimum of two dress colors or better yet, three dress colors. That makes it easy to mix and match and you don't have to donate the dress, nor the cardigan, when one piece gets permanently soiled and it only matches one color dress. Okay my "Dollarwise Duchesses" -- that's all for now. Next time you come back here you'll be pampered, rested, and your wardrobe will be decluttered and organized, right? Kathryn :) P.S. Need more dollarwise DIY organizing tips? I have an eBook of dollarwise decorating and organizing tips. Also, my clutter eBook of tips and lots of pix, will help you too! P.S.S. Why do I enjoy being a "Dollarwise Duchess" and write about it? Because it's creative and fun to me to live a pretty and quality lifestyle while also saving money so that I have some financial security/savings and can therefore sleep at night. I love simple living, but with an aesthetic twist to it, rather than living in a blah dull home or environment or wearing blah clothes... hence the "Duchess" part is where my love of "pretty" comes in! I hope you'll join me. #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #dollarwiseduchess #dollarwisedecorating #dollarwiseorganizing #dollarwisewardrobe #budgetorganizing #budgetdecorating #budgetwardrobe

My book publisher has recently retitled my Small Space Organizing book/eBook as Maximizing Your Small Space and they also gave it this fun new cover! The Maximizing Your Small Space eBook is now for sale on pre-order. The paperback version is available now for pre-order as well and will release approximately March, 2022. If you like/prefer audio books, it will also be available soon from ChristianAudio.com. PLEASE NOTE: If you've already bought my original book, Small Space Organizing, you have the information/manuscript/tips already as that was not changed inside the new Maximizing Your Small Space package/version. This book focuses on both DIY organizing and decorating tips and ideas, mostly based on my living in 15 small home spaces myself with my husband over our now 41 years of marriage. The book/eBook has no photos, so here are photos of some of our own past small homes to give you some visual examples of some of the ideas I mention in the book. Please note that my tips are applicable/adjustable to any small home space be it a house, condo, or apartment. You use my book to tap your own DIY creativity! There is also a chapter for RVs. And many of the tips and ideas can be used in a larger home as well since even large homes have small spaces within them. You deserve an orderly and beautiful home, whatever its size and wherever you live! Kathryn :) #KathrynBechen #KathrynBechenauthor #AuthorKathrynBechen #Smallspaces #Smallspaceorganizing #Smallspacedecorating #DIYhomeorganizing #DIYhomedecorating #homeorganizing #homedecorating

Whether you live in a small home or a large one, the basic reason that some homes look and feel peaceful, calm, cozy, and orderly is because they have less stuff overall + good products to organize the home goods that one wants or needs to have in their home. My favorite recent home organizing (and other) products are below and I am very glad I bought all of them. My hope here is that you might find something here that will make your home more functional and/or prettier too. DISCLOSURES BATHROOM BEAUTIES: This new acrylic makeup and toiletries organizer I bought recently is attractive and functional. It holds a lot and streamlines everything into one nice place. It spins. It's easy to clean; just wipe off with a wet cloth and dry. The shelves are adjustable. In other words, I love it! Now, if you don't like looking at your products, or want them in picture-perfect visual order on your counter, then you probably won't like this product. But for me, I wanted the ease of use all at my fingertips, and readily-visible, rather than an Instagram-worthy perfectly-organized products photo, so this was it! SAVE SPACE TIP: I also bought these acrylic tumblers to further organize products within my new bathroom toiletries spinner. They are very attractive and work well to further separate things, or stand tubes etc. up vs. have them lying on a shelf. I also used a couple of other small containers to make corralling small things like my earrings easier. PERSONAL PRODUCTS, NON-TOXIC, THAT I LOVE: (Be sure to check ingredient labels to make sure they work for you, as everyone is different!) I have found Weleda to be wonderful! Made in Germany, (home of generations of my ancestors, back to the 1600s, as far as I have traced), so I love German-engineered products as I know they stand out in quality. (Germans have innovatively invented and discovered lots of amazing things!) I especially like Weleda's sensitive line. Their sensitive calming oil and face cream are so nice and have been very effective for facial dryness and redness in our Arizona dry climate. I also have used Bach Flower Remedies for a long time, developed by German Dr. Edward Bach, and I love those as well. Storage tip below. Also, if you notice the deodorant bottle on my toiletries spinner, that's Lafe's and I use the unscented version and have for many years. I really like it. BUDGET SHOPPING TIP: I shop online a lot at Vitacost for most of my non-toxic toiletries, food, and supplements. They run great sales, often site-wide for every single product, so you might want to sign up for their mailing list to be notified of sales and get the current code to use. Great customer service. Easy return policy, no questions asked if something comes broken -- you call and they refund. Last year I figured out I saved hundreds of dollars on Vitacost's ongoing discounts, and that was just for one year and I have been shopping there for many years. It adds up, and my savvy shopping savings grow our travel/fun fund and our emergency fund! Want to save even more on your Vitacost orders? Enter the Rakuten site first and then click on Vitacost in there for a rebate on top of your Vitacost discount. Recently I got 12% off from Vitacost with 3% off from Rakuten on top of it. 15% off everything I ordered. Yay! Rakuten deposits the rebate into your bank account. Vitacost takes the discount off your cart before you pay. What could be easier?! (Check Vitacost for their Weleda brand products when on sale too; sometimes cheaper than Amazon.) HAPPY HAIRSPRAY: I have also looked for a long time for a new hairspray/gel I could tolerate with my severe fragrance sensitivities and this one by John Masters has done the trick. Not a very strong hold, but better than none and barely just a very faint essential oils smell that evaporates quickly. It's not inexpensive, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do, right?! MAGIC MAKEUP: Allergic or highly sensitive to makeups like I am? I really like Bellephoria and RMS Beauty. I have had excellent online customer service from both companies, repeatedly. RMS "Uncoverup" is my fave and I use it as a coverup and foundation in one, with Bellephoria face powder over it with just a light dusting with a brush. I like RMS Lip2Cheek lip color that doubles as blush too. I like Bellephoria's face powder the best of any face powder I have ever used. (Personally, I found RMS foundation and face powder did not work well with my skin -- was too drying in our Arizona desert climate and for my age 60s skin, but you might like it for your skin and where you live as it's creamy and goes on nicely.) I love these bamboo makeup brushes for applying face powder, especially for the dollarwise price! SMALL STORAGE DRAWERS: I recently moved my Bach Flower bottles to the little drawers in my kitchen I mentioned above. They do roll around a bit, but it's sufficient. You can also buy them as a kit to keep all on hand and keep them organized too. This mini Bach Flower kit and also this one make great try-them-out gifts! We could all use a little "hope & joy" and "clarity of mind" about now, right?! I put them in my water glass and sip throughout the day. If you want to learn more about Bach Flowers, this class I took years ago in person is now available online and it's excellent and easy to learn. WHERE'S MY MASCARA?! On the other side of my bathroom sink is this new makeup drawers holder. I bought it with clear drawers (vs. white opaque ones) purposely so I can see really quick what I need to grab to quickly do makeup. Dandy. I stood drawer towers two next to each other and that worked great. And when I am ready to go on a trip? Easy to just dump each drawer into pockets in my hanging toiletry bag really quickly. The acrylic glass tumbler I mentioned above works great for my makeup brushes. I also bought one of these trimmers for eyebrows and like it so much better than a tweezer that I will never go back. Those red and white lidded containers you see here? Those are salt and pepper shakers that hold my loose powder makeup. It avoids waste, looks cute, and when I travel I just put a piece of masking tape over the holes so the makeup doesn't get all over. But yes, they are plastic, sorry. (I know, landfills and our oceans!) If flying, I'd probably put tape around the top too so the lid would not pop off from air pressure and put it also in a zipper plastic bag for good measure just in case so that I wouldn't be wearing my makeup on my white top later. Yes, I know, sounds a little dramatic, but why chance ruining a white top or several other clothes in your suitcase when you're on your dream vacation! Better yet, I'd buy these with a lid next time. MR. HANDY STRIKES AGAIN! I like to keep as much as possible off my (small) kitchen counters, so I had Steve add two more wire baskets to the front of our pantry. He taped them up and leveled them and then screwed them in. Good idea! Similar baskets I try to make the best use of vertical space that I can, without getting carried away so that it looks too cluttered. We are trying to streamline our small home, after all, and that's an ongoing process. Basket mission accomplished. My pantry sign is similar to this one. So what do you do if you want to ever remove the baskets and there are holes in your cabinet, you ask? Easy. Just fill them in with putty-stuff and spot paint over them white and when dry sand a bit and then a little more white paint and when dry, wipe of a bit with a wet rag so it's all smooth. It'll do because white paint cures a multitude of house sins! :) If you can still see something/don't like it, you can always cover it with a pretty decal. These mini drawers work just great for storing small things in the kitchen, like the Bach Flowers I mentioned above, and I use them in my home office too. And I like these clear/white drawers too which stack and work great for all our food labeling supplies. (Thank you pandemic, for increased cooking supply needs!) These white trays have come in so handy for SO many things in our kitchen. They are sturdy, clean looking, and things don't slide off with the big sides. Nicely priced too. Win! I love them for our Sunday Trays. TERRIFIC TURNTABLES: Clear turntables in small cabinets are just the best! I use mine for supplements inventory storage and for spices. Small short baskets work great for fill-in spaces too. And yes, I like to sort items and label the sorters. (And no, I don't take all these supplements every day.) The clear bins above I've had for awhile and they were from a dollar store as is the white basket. Easy to see through to find things quickly when I cook. REFRESHED REFRIGERATOR: Tired of paper lists on your small counter? I hear you. I wrote in this post about my ideas for keeping your fridge front clutter-free. FILE FOLDER HEAVEN: This is by far my favorite recent file papers organizing bin for my home office. I've tried many! It is sturdy. It has handles. I don't see it on Amazon anymore, but here's a skinnier similar style so you could use two of these. Or here's a similar one the size of mine. The folders don't catch on these when you take them in and out. I also like these plastic file pockets so papers don't fall out, plus you can wipe them off so they don't get so dusty. They last a long time. These hanging file folders hold them nicely and are pretty, but you don't have to use the hanging folders. You could use just the pockets. Be sure to measure the size though before buying as I have found lately that not all "letter" size poly folders fit a letter size file holder. Measure please. And this trolley I bought last year is just so great for organizing my office supplies by category. I love it! It's very lightweight so it's easy to move for us seniors, too. STEVE TAMES THAT BIG SCREEN TV! Have you ever tried to figure out what size new TV you need, gone to Costco and seen 9000 TV screens flashing in all sizes and then said um, yeah, and just left with a headache and no TV? Me too! So when our 13 year old TV bit the dust right before Christmas, I told Steve there had to be a better way for introverts to buy a TV and how could we order a TV online without having to return it if we didn't like the size? So one day my dear husband came in the house from his shed with this non-permanent TV-measuring idea ... He cut cardboards in various sizes, put them on top our cabinet, and then we made an educated guess together on size depending on how it felt in the room! Our "educated guess test" involved both of us sitting in our bed together like when we watch movies together there, and deciding if we thought Downton Abbey would look good on various size screens. Don't laugh; castles need certain size TV screens to show up their best details and period costumes! (Or, you could just visit there in person, I guess, if you want utter clarity on the house-behind-the-TV-show.) At first, I thought I wanted a really big screen because it would show all the beautiful travel scenery and gorgeous details on TV shows, until we did the cardboard test from our bed and I saw how it would seriously overpower the small room with a HUGE black box-thingy right in your face. Um, no. We are so not "go big or go home" people in much of anything, I suddenly remembered, so this 43 inch size TV was big enough for us! So that was the end of our "scientific measuring for a new TV experiment!" BTW, we love this TV. The colors are wonderful, as is the clarity. Now you don't have to go to Costco, in a pandemic, and get yourself totally overwhelmed with buying a new TV, in the right size, right?! We made it easy for you! You're welcome. :) LIGHTNING SALE LOVE! We bought our TV on an Amazon lightning sale. Next came the installation, which Steve also did, God love him, since I don't do cords or anything electrical and Steve likes figuring that stuff out. Trust me, you and I are glad I don't do electrical cords! BTW, Steve was the kid who at age six didn't like the fact that his head felt higher in bed than his feet so in the middle of the night he went all by himself to get a tape measure, pliers, and another tool from his Dad's toolbox and fixed it! Sure enough, his head was one inch higher, according to the measuring tape! True story. He just told this to me recently and I marveled and laughed out loud. At six years old?! I asked him how he knew how to do that and he shrugged and said, "I don't know; I just did." ) No wonder he grew up to be my Mr. Handy! xxoo You see that little charming street scene above of coffee and cake on our new TV? That's my kinda place! I hope you enjoy "Calmed by Nature"! We found these TV screen charmers right when we hooked up the TV and they are so fun and relaxing! JUST SAY NO TO CORDS! Now, I do realize there are some cords in the back of our new TV that you can (kinda) see, but in our case, it just had to be that way as we could not drill into the wall or cut a hole or some such. But Steve covered the cords up the best he could for his picky-about-cords wife, using one of these. Double yay for Steve! PULL IT OUT PLEASE: We have added pull-out-drawers to almost every home we have ever lived in and they are worth every penny, I think. Similar style, but ours are on a track. My back thanks me as it is now so easy to get my new little crockpots out. Speaking of which, we bought two of these just $27+ crockpots recently and they are such a great size for two people. I can make two different main dishes at a time or put potatoes or a veggie in one and a main dish in the other. Love this size! MOONLIGHT OUTSIDE OUR KITCHEN WINDOW ... I hope some of my ideas from our little Arizona home will help you organize your own home, and life, as you see fit. Have fun! Come back soon to see our new-to-us streamlined living room, and a great new way to organize your important paperwork that you'd need to evacuate your home in an emergency. Stay healthy, happy, and enjoy organizing your home! Kathryn :) P.S. My new Maximizing Your Small Space book is now available as an audio if you prefer audio over reading a paperback book or Kindle eBook. #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #homeorganizing #organizingproducts #smallspaces #smallspaceorganizing #decorating #smallspacedecorating

DISCLOSURES I had half of a can of black beans in the fridge so I decided to make homemade enchiladas. I saw a few recipes online but they seemed overly complicated and since I like SIMPLE, I made up my own version and my hubby and I both enjoyed them so I thought you might too! DIRECTIONS FOR INSIDE FILLING: Mix all of the below together in a large bowl: 1 can refried pinto beans, mashed up with a fork 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used my half can plus added another whole can, but one can will do.) 1 cup cooked brown rice (I keep this in the freezer at all times.) 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use this plant-based cheese and like it.) 1/2 container sour cream (I use Kite Hill non-dairy sour cream and like it. Other brands I have not liked at all.) 1/2 to 1 cup salsa (I use mild but you might like more zing!) 1 T. taco seasoning mix (optional) 1 T. dry onion/garlic mix 1 t. salt This makes a BIG batch of filling so the nice part is that you can use just what you need for however many enchiladas you want right now, and freeze the filling in containers for later use. Alternatively, you could fill all the enchilada shells with filling now and put them in a pan in the freezer and then just pop the pan in the oven when ready to eat. You could thaw them out overnight in the fridge, or just put them in the oven frozen and bake them a bit longer. DIRECTIONS TO ASSEMBLE ENCHILADAS: Brush coconut or olive oil on both sides of soft tostada corn shells with pastry brush Spoon and spread out above mixture on each shell Roll up in a roll Place each rolled shell in a 9x13 inch pan with seam down Bake in oven at 350 degrees until cheese melted and beans hot; about 30-45 minutes Or, I put mine in my beloved Crockpot Casserole dish on high for about an hour or so and it worked great and was easy clean up! DIRECTIONS FOR TOPPING TO SERVE: 1 mashed avocado 1/2 container sour cream 1 t. dry onion/garlic mix 1/2 cup salsa 1/4 t. salt Mix all together, spoon over hot enchiladas, and enjoy! Kathryn #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #cookathome #homecooking #cooking #easycooking #enchiladas

April brought flowers to our little cottage home -- indoors and out! But here's our secret: they are all faux. Yep, after years of planting real flowers and succulents in other places that we lived, in Arizona it's easier to "grow" faux flowers! They look so real but we don't have to water or weed them or change out the soil or fertilize or ... :) I still love real flowers, of course, but as a "seasoned 60s senior" now, I know my limits of time and abilities and gardening and all it entails is no longer a priority so this is a nice alternative to still get the beauty without the labor. DISCLOSURES Our new wreath makes me smile! (As I write this it's 35% off if you want one!) It's perfect for the front of the trellis Steve installed for me a few months ago and I love the bright colors of the flowers. When people walk in our neighborhood the many brightly colored doors and outdoor decor make people smile as they walk by. I've noticed people seem to be painting their doors a pretty color more. One row of cottages on a street next to us has many new pretty front doors in various colors of the same style door which makes me wonder if they all got together and negotiated a bulk door sale! :) In any event, it looks charming! These new faux blooms make me so happy too -- so full and colorful that they look real and the color is a nice distraction from our utilitarian shoe and mask basket on our step. They are also UV resistant so in our hot AZ sun that's a good thing! Steve just hung this new blooming beauty on the side of our house where I can see it outside our kitchen window when it's open. Similar. We considered whether to put up a hummingbird feeder, but with the intense Arizona heat in the summer Steve was worried the nectar could be not good for the birds if it got too hot/rancid so we hung this faux bloom instead. And I like the bird hanger. Similar. We get a lot of wind here some days, so Steve put a few rocks in the bottom to help the possibly wildly-swinging-plant cause along and that worked! It's a big drought in the Southwest currently, so the palm trees and cactus are looking a little worse for wear right now. Some of the cactus are actually tipping over. That is sad because it takes a very very long time for them to grow large. I also like to use flowers inside our home, and these new flocked floral blankets even make me feel like I'm napping in a garden! They are SO nice, especially for the price. They washed up like a dream and the floral design is raised and "furry" -- not just printed, so that makes them extra cozy. Also, these silk zippered pillowcases are my absolute favorite and the floral patterns are beautiful, no matter which ones I have bought over the years. Great gift too for Mother's Day so your special Mom feels like a Queen! You'll sleep like a dream on these I'd bet -- I do! Steve and I are enjoying our "flowered bed" for our movie nights in front of our TV. BTW, if you missed our free "scientific experiment" of how to measure to buy the right size new TV for your room, go here. Some of our favorite shows we have watched lately on our new TV and really enjoyed are: Kirsten & Joerg -- An adorable German couple who moved to England and they share wonderful videos of both countries as well as recipes and their beautiful DIY home decor renovations. We smile at their interactions as a longtime married couple with distinct personalities -- fun and funny! Steve and I are both of German descent and we are also both longtime Anglophiles as American Episcopalians since the early 80s too so we love watching their videos. We also share their love of inns, however our inn travels have been across the U.S. vs. Europe. Escape to the Country -- Tours of English homes with interesting pix and tidbits about English country life thrown in. Beautiful scenery. Bliss! Dietmar & Nellia -- Oh my, can this senior German couple dance!! So fun to watch them and the looks on the young people's faces watching them is priceless - they love them! Here is the girl in the garden painting hanging above my desk. Steve says it reminds him of me when he met me at age 18. The garden scene in the pix is really pretty in person -- very realistic. I love Glover's floral paintings and have another one that is a total favorite. BTW, if you have a window in a room you can still hang a picture over it. Read on below to find out my little trick! And yes, I love my organizing trolleys. They are not fine furniture, but you just can't beat them for sorting things so it's all SO functional. Just attach some cording or ribbon to the back of the picture and tie a bow at the top. Then hang it on a C-hook that you have installed in the wall behind the curtain. Presto! You can raise or lower the picture by varying the length of the cording. Here's an easy way to make your living room, (or any room), look more spacious and open ... Remove some things. There, I said it. And move the remaining things around. We took out two chairs and a rug that was more old-fashioned in design and we removed some small wall items. Steve carted them all off to Goodwill as we didn't want to mess with trying to resell them and it makes us feel good to donate things that no longer feel right for us in our home because someone else will use and like them most likely. We angled our loveseat in the corner. Doing all that opened up our small living room a lot. Our coffee table we already had and it is purposely glass since the room is small and glass tables help a room feel less cramped. We also added a simple foyer table and fireproof storage carriers. After surviving the CA wildfires in 2007, I learned to have fireproof carriers and keep them as close to the front door as you can. And I wanted a table that sort of floated and was more modern. I like mixing old styles and new. (To a point.) We also added colorful and more modern feeling floral style rugs, (similar), and just one simple succulent arrangement on top the table in our living room. Everything is streamlined really well now in our home and it feels so much more open and "flowy" and yes, "gardeny" too in our living room which is what we were going for. I might repaint the white cube cabinet in our living room one day. Who knows?! It holds Steve's tools and some paint. Steve cut the legs off of it a couple years ago so it would fit next to our coffee bar with a hamper on top for the right height. Oh well, then we moved it again but It's fine! Soon we are going to put the ice maker machine we just bought on top of the cube cabinet. We do not have an ice maker in our freezer and in Arizona in the summer, you need ice! We are looking forward to making iced tea and iced coffee soon and sitting outside in our cabana. New pillow covers added some more flowers! BTW, new pillow covers are one of my favorite dollarwise ways to change out your decor, along with colorful throws and new rugs. How are your pillows and rugs looking lately? Do you need to spruce them up?! Nobody would blame you for spending a little money on new ones since you have been in lock down staring at your same decor for 2+ years now and can probably use a change-out! Our living room is not perfectly balanced due to the gray file holders, but that's okay. It needed function first and the rest just has to be okay and not magazine-worthy and that's fine by us. Things are also blooming again in our at-home Bechen Bistro. (bistro sign) We streamlined all our fave recipes into one binder. But for most dishes we cook we just make it up as we go. Hearty comfort foods are our favorite cook-at-home fare, made from whole fresh ingredients. As Steve says: "Let's save the pretty foo-foo food for when we go back to eating out." I agree. Simple is best when you make 352 days a year worth of your own meals at home which we have done for the past two years. We have had all our groceries delivered, but no take-out, no take-in, no restaurant deliveries. No ready-made deli beans and coleslaw and potato salad. Nada. We have made it all! And NO, we do not have any desire to open a restaurant in the future on the off-chance you might be wondering. :) And thank goodness for Amazon Fresh grocery delivery! They have done a wonderful job with our deliveries. I tried others but it's worth it to me for their efficiency which saves me time and all the produce etc. has been wonderful. Steve is helping lots with our cooking these days since he retired from his full-time career last year. We team it depending on the day. He has really enjoyed learning to expand on his once-small-cooking-repertoire of "college guys cuisine" --- a.k.a. tuna noodle casserole! :) When I complimented him recently on how much he has improved on his "clean up as you go" method, he replied good-naturedly: "Well with a small kitchen you HAVE to do it that way!" I laughed because at one point I suddenly realized he had never learned to clean up as you cook so it was time for this teacher to teach him that skill! And now, he tells me that's how it has to be in a small kitchen, God love him. (Kind of like a reformed smoker who preaches "stop smoking!" to all, right?!) He's laughing as I read this to him and said: "It's all in good fun!" For Steve's recent special occasion dinner, I brought out his favorite color tablecloth: green! He is half Irish so he loves green. I put some little faux succulents on the table for a little garden-y zing. They usually sit on my kitchen window ledge so I just grabbed them for the table. And these are the "copycat" Runza recipe I made in memory of our many years living in Omaha, Nebraska where Runzas are a big deal. Think cold snowy days and nights made easier with a warm homecooked yummy! I just wrapped bread dough I made from scratch (any recipe you like) around sautéed plant sausages, onion, and peppers. I added a bit of shredded plant cheese on top of the "meat" mixture and baked them for about 30 minutes or so. Delish! To go with the Runzas I made potato salad which was a good combo. For Easter, I made two loaves of what I am calling "tea bread." I doubled this vegan muffin recipe, which is wonderfully tasty, and I put lemon and lemon zest in one and topped it with crushed pecans. (Lemons from our own tree!) The other loaf I added vanilla, blueberries, and peaches. Both turned out really nice and I sliced them and Steve wrapped each slice in foil for the freezer. Now when we have coffee or tea as a break in the afternoon we can just pop a slice in the microwave and slice in two again and share. YUM! Thanks to those of you who have emailed me Easter greetings, and blessings to you this Easter. A beautiful song about the true meaning of Easter; this one makes me cry every single time. My favorite book about Christianity that I first read when I was just 21 years old is Mere Christianity and C.S. Lewis is by far still my favorite Christian author. The cross above is from my personal collection. The butterfly was a gift sent to me when I was very ill from author Alexandra Stoddard and her late husband author Peter Brown. The vase under the cross and butterfly says: BLOOM. This is my wish for all of us! Blessings, blooms, and Happy Easter and springtime to you and yours, Kathryn :) P.S. If you need easy DIY home helps, here you go ... My books and eBooks #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #Easter #Christianity #JesusChrist #cookathome #flowers #gardens #decorating #dollarwisedecorating #organizing #dollarwisedecorating #cookathome

I've always smiled at this quote: "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights." --Maya Angelou So, I thought I'd share some nifty organizing products for Christmas decor storage below. BUT HERE'S ANOTHER THOUGHT: Alternatively, you could go super-minimalist-Christmas like we purposely chose to do a couple years ago and now all our Christmas decor fits in one small bin. That m.o. might not be for everyone, but we have really enjoyed just putting out a few things at Christmas now and it's SO easy to put them away after Christmas too. STORAGE TIP: When possible, I chose plastic storage products below vs. fabric so they can easily be wiped off. DISCLOSURES A great way to store your artificial tree Wreath storage Wrapping paper & bows storage Large container for storing ornaments Smaller container for storing ornaments Storage for Christmas-themed blankets/throws & pillows Christmas dinnerware set storage Great way to store your Christmas flatware Christmas lights organizer Christmas lights organizer Christmas lights organizer Handy Christmas lights storage organizer Happy after-Christmas organizing! Kathryn #KathrynBechen #AuthorKathrynBechen #KathrynBechenauthor #Christmas #Christmasdecorstorage #Christmasdecororganizing

Oh my, even in Arizona I can feel fall in the air so I thought it was time for some homemade muffins! I jokingly call these "faux" muffins because I have modified an old recipe I had to be dairy free, gluten-free, and egg-free. They are denser and not as fluffy as an egg-based muffin, so don't expect light and fluffy, but they are still good. Steve actually whipped this batch up for the first time and he did a great job! DISCLOSURES RECIPE Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 2 T. dry chia seeds with 6 T. boiling hot water in a bowl and set aside for about ten minutes. This will make a sticky "faux egg" that will bind the dough together. In another bowl, mix together 1 cup nut milk (almond, coconut, or such) with 1/2 c. oil (I like sunflower oil), and 2 t. vanilla extract and then mix well with the cooled chia seed "eggs." In another bowl mix well the dry ingredients of 1 cup coconut sugar, 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, 4 t. baking powder, and 1 t. salt. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients and add fruit and nuts of your choice. I used blueberries/cherries I bought frozen and then I thawed them and then tossed them with 1 T. of lemon juice before putting them in the dough and mixing well. Any nuts will add a nice touch too. Raisins and chopped apples would be great too! Whatever fruit you like is the best. Put in muffin tins and bake 16-20 minutes. Do not bake too long; test them with a fork or toothpick 'til it comes out clean. These freeze well so just contain and enjoy your muffins for breakfast or with a nice salad lunch. FALL FRUIT BREAKFAST COMPOTE I also like to make an easy baked apples/pears/oatmeal compote in my slow cooker when fall arrives. This is yummy as a breakfast meal with nut milk on top or even as a dessert with dinner with a scoop of non-dairy "nice cream." (Or go ahead and have real dairy ice cream if that's your thing; some of us just can't do that without feeling ill.) Here's what I do to make this little recipe ... Dice apples and pears and toss in slow cooker. I use four or five of each. Cover with one or two individual packages of instant oatmeal. Add a dash of cinnamon, vanilla, and a little water. Stir it all well and turn the slow cooker on high and it will be done in no time. Stir once during cooking so it all mixes up well. if it seems dry, you can add more water or even a little coconut or other oil. MY KITCHEN FAVES I am still partial to my old-fashioned Crockpots with no buttons to program. I like just high, low, and maybe warm settings with a plain old knob. Easy-peasy. I also now prefer a smaller size and we keep two slow cookers on hand so I can cook different things at the same time. (I love to make "boiled" potatoes in my slow cooker and I will tell you how I do that in another post.) I really like these non-stick muffin tins. Also, I am so in love with my new lemon dish towels that you see in the pix above. Soft, absorbent, great price. They look so pretty hanging on our black-glass oven door; they just make me smile! I also love these dishcloths. They are a happy yellow color, absorbent, and have enough "scrubby nubby" on them to get tough stuff. It's the little simple things in life and at home that bring joy, don't you think? Kathryn #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #food #homemadecooking #homemadebaking #homemademuffins

DISCLOSURES While working on my new website, I perused lots of files on my computer and found many letters from readers that I had saved. The letter below, from way back in 2006, brought tears to my eyes because it so aptly conveys why I love writing "how-to-with-heart" about all things home. My writing is my gift to you, like the girl offering you flowers above, and now I do that exclusively in the form of my books and eBooks. Donna's letter: "I wanted you to know that the day I discovered your site* we had just moved into our 'own' first home, and I was overwhelmed with what to do to make it feel like our place. The previous owner's taste in paint, color, design is so drastically different from my own. Your site just really helped me to settle in, soak up some much-needed inspiration and then get started -- a little bit at a time. You are a visual artist and that comes shining through in your writing. Kudos!" --Donna in Georgia, October, 2006 And thank you, Donna. It makes my heart glad all these years later to know that my online presence inspired you to create a home that feels like you. *I no longer operate that cottage decorating website and blog that Donna is referring to in her letter. My thoughts: Donna is wise to make her home feel like her own taste. She's also wise to do it a little at a time. Need help getting started making your home feel like you? My eBook 121 Dollarwise Decorating & Organizing Tips to Make Your House a Home will help you along. Want easy ways to make your home feel cottage-cozy? Sign up for my e-mail list at the bottom of this page and you'll get a free instant download of A-Z tips. If you want even more cottage-style decorating tips, here are my 191 easy and affordable tips! Here's the "Grace" mug in the photo above if you'd like one of those for your morning coffee or tea. Many blessings, and make your home feel like you! Kathryn #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #decorating #organizing #homedecorating #homeorganizing #dollarwisedecorating #cottagedecorating #smallspacedecorating #smallspaceorganizing #maximizingyourspace

It's time for another dollarwise DIY home project! Right after the pandemic started, our dishwasher quit working. Permanently. Good timing, I know, and it was under three years old. After researching new dishwashers and seeing so many complaints about many different models we decided that for two people we didn't need a dishwasher, not to mention I didn't want to have to program a bunch of electronic buttons and preferred a sink and my two hands. The good news was that removing our dishwasher gave us a block of space in our little home that we could turn into coveted storage space. But, as usual, I wanted cute storage space! And so, we turned our dishwasher space into a faux "wine cellar" or "root cellar" look, (even though we weren't planning to store wine or root veggies or canned goods in there.) It was the "charming" look I was after. I doubt this surprises anyone who reads my work or knows me in person or via my writing because I like charming everything! (Harder to find these days, but not impossible.) DISCLOSURES I found this self-adhesive wallpaper online, and after looking at how nice some of the reviewers' projects turned out for them, I was sold. The color goes nicely with our flooring too. Steve implements our DIY home projects like this as I am not handy with installing things. But I like coming up with think-outside-the-box home solutions and researching for the goods to bring the ideas to life, and since Steve doesn't like researching for home goods online but he likes the finished home improvement result, and handyman tinkering, I guess that makes us a match made in home-sweet-home-DIY heaven. :) Well anyway, it all works for us, even though our m.o. might annoy some couples. We used a cart similar to this one to store extra storage containers we use daily. (I especially like these white baskets.) I am so thrilled with how cute this project turned out that I keep the bedroom door open now sometimes just so I can see our new little "bricked" storage "cave" while sitting in my bed writing on my laptop. For me, it's the little things at home that give me a thrill. Hoping that you make your home feel happy this fall with a little DIY project, Kathryn :) P.S. If you want more dollarwise DIY ideas for your home, this eBook is the best one I've written for that. Please send questions or comments here: kathrynbechen (@ sign) gmail (dot) com #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #DIYdecorating #homedecorating #smallspacedecorating #smallspaceorganizing