I love a good shelfie, and this is one is from when I moved beyond the new baby and 3 kids under 4 phase. Phew! Those early years were full on survival mode - not much creativity or time for shuffling of the bookcases if you know what I mean. I also hadn’t really begun my minimalism journey yet {too tired and fuzzy brained to even notice the chaos around me}.
Eventually, though, the children can dress themselves and even fix their own bowl of cereal! Also, the Before photos reminds me our tastes change and items that once held value, may no longer. It is okay to let go.
Symmetry makes me happy, so I wanted to eliminate some of the extraneous decor and focus on the family photos and books. The top shelf on both sides of our built-ins is filled with blue mason jars and a collection of other glass bottles and vases I use all year for scattering flowers around the house and celebrating special occasions.
BEFORE
eeek! so cluttered!
This reset is still in play to this day, about 5 years later! Yay! Library books and kids books are still on the bottom two shelves and that works perfectly for my family. I love my kids have access to their books, and even with very different personalities, they all are happy with a book in their hands. Aside from what is in their rooms for bedtime reading, all of their books live here next to all the snuggly {hand-me down} furniture. The baskets help us keep track of library books and it’s now habit for the kids to put them back there.
AFTER
I love how each shelf has a clear system. Vases + jars up top, books color coded. Photos of my babies. The lower shelves are largely the same - our family photos books instead of the basket, then the kids books within their reach, and library books in the baskets. Not everything has to change for a little shift.