Got photos in boxes (and boxes and boxes)? Because if you were born before a certain year and had any interest in playing with cameras at all, you may just have hundreds or even thousands of old photographs and negatives in your basement or garage or storage unit. And while, much like me, you probably can’t imagine yourself throwing them away, they are taking up valuable real estate.

So what’s a devoted clutter hater with lots of old photos to do? Here are four suggestions:

• Create an album that tells a story with Rachel of Small Notebook for a Simple Home
• Digitize them super fast with a one-touch photo scanner (then you can put them on a web site or in a digital frame
• Cull them! Keep the ones that really mean something to you and make a totally sweet scrapbook with them, then toss the rest – do you really need all those grainy, out-of-focus shots of your sixth grade birthday party?
• Give them away to your friends and family who either appear in the photos or would just really love to have them – but be sure that the recipient of your extras wants them before you make your photographic clutter someone else’s problem

How can you make the perfect bookcase extra perfect? Try adding some color with wallpaper or even craft paper or contact paper. Not on your books or on the top and sides of the bookcase, but rather in back, where it will frame whatever is on your bookcase, absolutely brilliantly.

This is a super DIY project if you’re dealing with a flatpack bookcase, e.g., the Ikea Billy, since you can take off the whole back and simply cover it, but it’s none too difficult when you have to put the paper on the backing directly. It just means a bit of careful measuring and cutting, and a somewhat more careful application. But, oh, so worth it! See?

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Don’t you just hate it when a shop puts together a room a that make you want to sell your husband* and then has links to all the stuff you’d need to buy to make your room look just. like. that? I felt that feeling today when browsing at Wake Up Frankie – a store I really ought to stay away from, since their tagline is ‘Fashion for your room” as if that’s the only space you have and they’re featured in such fine publications as Cosmo Girl and American Cheerleader. Yeesh.

But still, I’m loving this black, white, and yellow bedroom, even though I’m a super mature grown-up lady and definitely not a teenage girl (not even just in my mind even a little bit, cross my heart).

All that’s missing is this uber sweet Marilyn Monroe chair:

*But that’s only because the *me* who’d really want the above bedroom is the me of, oh, twelve years ago, and back then I didn’t even have a husband, so there. It’s really only the chair I want, anyway, and with the economy, surely no one is buying husbands?

When you forget to buy a holiday gift for that certain someone on your holiday gift list and you need to gift them with something extra extravagant as a consequence, it’s nice to know that Design Within Reach occasionally has clearance sales.

Of course, how much that means to you will depend on whether you’re the sort of person who looks at the percentage marked down or the resultant price! Architect Wiel Arets’ Jellyfish lounger has been marked down from $440 to $295, while the matching ottoman has been reduced from $280 to $188. The Italian-made Pinot bistro table is now $330, which is 60% off the original price. And the Eclipse lamp (designed by Brazilian Mauricio Klabin) was once $110, but now costs a mere $74.

Sound good? It may sound especially good to that someone special mentioned above, so I’d suggest jumping on these prices while you still can.

I know I have a favorite store every other week, but I can’t help falling in love with all the choice home decor shops out there on the web. My current favorite source of quirky, kitschy stuff for my little cottage is Three Potato Four.

Adorable, no? Three Potato Four is run by Janet Morales and Stu Eli, two hardcore collectors with backgrounds in the design industry. I’m a huge fan of their blog — in the latest entry, they show off ornaments they created that are just like the ones I made this year… just a whole lot better.

PS: If any relatives are reading this, we’d really love a full set of vintage blocks for Paloma this Christmas!