2015 is just around the corner, why wait till January to organize and clean out your home? Start with your closet, a manageable project. A clothing exchange party with girlfriends is a great way to get rid of that bag of clothes that has been sitting in your closet for months on end. Why not make it fun and festive by making a party out of it?! That's what I did this past weekend.

For me, day-of New Year's Eve celebrations have always been somewhat anti-climactic and in recent years I have been content to just make some fancy food at home and hang out with friends. However, the prospect of getting to start with a clean slate - the idea of new opportunities and new beginnings - is worth embracing. And there is no better place to embrace those ideals than in your home.

3-STEP PLAN FOR A SUCCESSFUL CLOTHING EXCHANGE PARTY

STEP 1. FOOD & DRINKS. If you plan to host, make it easier by forgoing most of the cooking and picking up some samosas, serve alongside an easy side salad. And of course don't forget the champagne and high quality OJ for those oh so important mimosas. A fun tablescape always helps!

STEP 2. CLOTHING CONTRIBUTIONS. Another essential element of a successful clothing exchange is of course clothes and accessories. Encourage your friends to bring anything and everything!

STEP 3. AMAZING GIRLFRIENDS. Invite your girlfriends, who are not only willing to bring their clothes but also willing to have fun and invest in some much needed quality girl time.

We donated the clothes that remained at the end of the party. Of course the key is to leave with less than you came in with and that's what happened, most of us picked up 1 or 2 items and the rest was donated. It's a great feeling to feel like you just went shopping without spending any money while also feeling that you removed some clutter from your closet!

So much fun. Why not try this out in January when people's resolutions are still new and going strong? I promise, cleaning out your closet will seem all that much more gratifying when you are rewarded with a fun party while accomplishing your closet clean out goals.

We all have a love/hate relationship with social media. Admit it. But the one indisputably great thing about it is the ability to keep in touch with old friends and immediately make contact. A friend who I hadn't seen since our high school graduation in 1999 reached out to me for help after seeing some of my blog posts! The 90s, yup, the era of flannel shirts and baggy pants, dark lip liner (let's hope that never comes back in style) and K-Ci & JoJo. Is the melody of "All My Life" running through your head right now? It should be. Anyways, I digress.

Since I've known her (starting in middle school), this client has always been immaculately clean, and when I went for a site visit in October, I realized that nothing had changed. Having recently purchased a new home and with two very rambunctious young boys, she needed to figure out a kid friendly way to bring some warmth into her home. The challenge was to create a stylish adult living/dining room, while also making sure anything within arm's length of her boys was not fragile. Further, since the main living areas were connected, we needed to make sure the rooms remained cohesive.

As you can see, the living room was fine as it was but an injection of warmth, color and texture was needed. Further, my client wanted more storage for media and other miscellaneous items. And lastly, since she was hosting large family events for the holidays, she wanted the room to be welcoming to adults as well as children.

Nice, right? It's so much homier. It's difficult to see but the TV wall is a nice blue-gray color which gives immediate impact. The walnut colored media console, vibrant rug and throw pillows give so much warmth and texture to the room. The standing plant stand extends the visual length of the media console which is great, tricking the eye into seeing a longer console than is actually there. Often, parents with young kids forgo the coffee table. Safety first, I get it, but parents also sometimes need to put a drink down while watching TV. The compromise? This tufted coffee table ottoman. Placing a tray atop this coffee table offers a landing space for beverages, laptops, etc. No sharp corners and it can also be easily moved to the side when additional space is needed for the kids to play.

The dining room and entryway area also needed some sprucing up. Again, the space was totally fine and it's amazing with two young boys how this client manages to control the kid debris. Yet, somehow the space didn't feel finished, it needed color and vibrancy.

Breath of fresh air. The console table is adjacent to the front door to provide a landing zone for keys, mail, etc. The client chose some affordable prints which I then had framed to create a gallery wall. The prints provide the needed color to the space. Like the living room, the dining room is modern with clean lines, styled but not over styled. It's real life people, kids have toys, but that doesn't mean they have to overtake your home. We tucked the cutest basketball hoop and toy kitchen under the staircase instead of the living room where it dominated the common space.

Although colorful and vibrant the dining room remains neutral, keeping things cohesive with the adjacent living room. Take a look for yourself below.

And lastly, a fun look at the styling process for the living room. All accessories atop the media console had to be sturdy and kid friendly. From the resin elephant bookends and wood candle holders to the canvas storage box, all can survive young hands and some wear and tear.

One final note, the multiple remotes that are laying around? Not fun to constantly corral or look at. The look like a book canvas box below is the perfect solution, easily accessible but as easy to tuck away when you're done with your shows!

So fun to do this fast fix and reminisce with an old friend and recent client. December can be daunting with all the holiday events and obligations, but that shouldn't stop you from sprucing up your home so you can host in style.