Decorating Ideas

Crazy Hip Blog Mamas and Better Today have asked for decorating tips, here's mine:

Often I have a hard time looking at my home decorating with a critical eye. What do people see when they walk into my foyer, kitchen, living room, dining room? My own sight is met with the same objects I see several times a day, objects that I no longer even see. How can I get a true feel of what other people experience when they enter my home?

Two things have helped: 1.) I've taken pictures and then studied them. It was amazing to me how much clutter I discovered in the photos that I missed when I surveyed the room. 2.) Use a small mirror, with your back to the room, look through the mirror to see the room. I love this to help me determine if the flower arrangement/headless Willow Tree figurines/floor lamps/etc. add to the room instead of detract and if they are in the right place.