Spring Cleaning: EDIT!!

Most of us "walk" our homes in the Spring looking for ways to update, repair and refresh. We make lists, head on down to the Home Depot and get to work. Most of us tend to walk right past the photos, frames and snapshots around the house of ourselves, our family and our kiddos thinking we could never take down or replace those gorgeous baby photos although our babies are headed off to middle or high school this year. That would be sinful--a sign of ingratitude! Right?

I am not suggesting that each year we all clean sweep our homes and replace the portraits, but instead "walk" our homes with a purpose--to EDIT! By editing we redefine what our homes say about who we are, what we believe, and what we value. Our lifestyle and our taste is conveyed by our taste in home decor--and that includes the art and photos we choose to keep on display. If your family photographer does a great job, he or she will capture shots that showcase your family's personality or the "light" and "energy" of your child. As for me, there are some shots of my once-2-year-old that will never come off the walls for this reason...or a maternity shot that can never be replaced and chronicles a significant occasion in our lives.
(below: example of irreplacables from tami proffit)

Instead, "walk" with an editor's eye looking for frames that can be updated to reflect who you are now. I was at a friend's home last night and I truly enjoyed the "wall of family portraits" that they accumulated over the past 5 years or so. But it didn't capture who they were now...it wasn't displaying the amazing personality of their children or a keepsake memory. I had an urge to help them EDIT! Only because they are the coolest people...they entertain(lots of people are in their home)...and I know their kids glow but some of those shots were let's just say "less than awesomeness"....

So here are some helpful easy steps to help you edit if you can't seem to part with a single portrait....
1) grab a post-it pad and walk your house. Tag anything "iffy"
2) write on the post-it what you love about the iffy item
3) if you can't articulate what you like, pull the frame down and consult with a photographer and make plans to update the shot...this also makes it easy to choose what size portraits you actually need as you are replacing or updating that frame or that spot on your wall/ledge, etc
4) take a snapshot of your wall/ledge as is and show your photographer to brainstorm "what to do" when planning updated portraits. Here is a cool link to give you ideas on how to hang/display your groupings see the blogof annbeck
5) designate 1-3 spaces (depending on the size of your home) to display all your portraits. Any good home staging expert will advise you not to spread those personal pictures out all over the house. Create an impact with groupings whenever you can. Your family photos are YOUR ARTWORK!

some eye candy to get you thinking...from one cool DIY lady @ sawdustandpaperscraps.com