Clearing out clutter is never easy—especially when it comes to kids and their ever-growing pile of creations. This week we’re sharing a simple method we use to prevent arts and crafts, forts, and cardboard-box villages from taking over our home, while still encouraging creativity. The approach works for kids’ projects, adults’ stuff, and even for the things we love most. We also dug into expert advice about houseplants and a guideline for how many indoor plants you should have to help air quality, which encouraged Sherry to expand our plant collection even more. Plus: what happened when we switched sides of the bed and the awkward moment that followed, and a cautionary tale about nearly injuring a hand while moving furniture.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- If you missed our earlier chat with houseplant expert Carmeon Hamilton, check out Episode #149. She offers great guidance for nervous plant owners and practical tips that build confidence.
- We revisited the NASA research about which plants most improve indoor air quality. There are several helpful articles and infographics that summarize the study and its finding of roughly one plant per 100 square feet to make a measurable difference.
- Sherry linked back to an old post—written nearly ten years ago—about plants and indoor air purification. It’s a nostalgic reminder of how blogging used to feel, complete with a very small photo.
- Besides pothos and snake plants, we’ve recently added a Fatsia Japonica (pictured on the gray dresser) and more philodendrons (in the pot on the dining room floor). They’ve all settled in nicely.
- Sherry’s favorite planters include a mix of styles and sizes that suit different rooms and plant types. She keeps a rotating list of go-to pots that work well for our collection.
- She also updated a round-up of favorite faux plants alongside the easiest real houseplants she’s had success growing—useful if you want low-maintenance greenery with great visual impact.
Update
- In case you missed it, our experiment where we switched sides of the bed originally appeared in Episode #151. We shared the full results and listener feedback there—spoiler: small changes can have surprisingly big effects.
Well That’s Embarrassing
- The pocket door Sherry nearly smashed her hand on is pictured above. It opens onto one of the small sleeping nooks in the duplex—those same cozy rooms with the wall murals.
- Next time we’re at the duplex we’ll try to photograph the dent her ring left in the door, if it’s still visible. It was an ugly, lucky near-miss and a good reminder to be careful when moving around tight spaces.
Listener Question: How To Manage Crafting & Art Projects
- Our office features a large corkboard that serves as the primary display area for kids’ 2D artwork. We made it from store-bought cork squares, which keeps everything easy to swap out and makes the art feel valued.
- Each child has a large bin to actively store and sort their projects—different from the smaller keepsake boxes we keep upstairs for the special pieces we’ll save forever. Those bins make it simple for kids to curate their own collections without overwhelming common spaces.
- We also suggested adding framed “gallery” spaces in kids’ rooms so art isn’t always shoved into bins. Regular frames work great now, but we’ve used specially designed kids’ art frames that open easily and hold extra pieces in the back—perfect when kids want to swap artwork frequently.
We’re Digging
- One tool we used to speed up installing new subfloors in the bathroom was an impact driver. It made the job faster and much easier on our backs. There are slightly cheaper versions that handle the same tasks for less money if variable speed isn’t a priority.
- We’ve also been enjoying some community service with the kids—collecting Thanksgiving meal items for a local family and donating dog food to a rescue. It felt meaningful and we’re already planning to do more giving-focused activities.
If you want to revisit things we’ve recommended in past episodes, we keep a master list of all our “We’re Digging” picks, plus a Book Club page that lists every book we’ve suggested. Those pages make it easy to find an old recommendation without digging through every episode.
A big thank-you to Social Print Studio for sponsoring this episode. They’re offering 15% off your next order with the code YHL15.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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