organizing + storing sentimental items

I seriously love this story.

I received this photo along with an email from a newsletter subscriber. She read my article on clutter-free souvenir ideas and it made her think of the fishing lures and bobbers in her home. I loved it so much I just had to share:

When I read your newsletter I immediately thought of something my husband recently did to organize something special.  I have included a picture. 

When my father passed away last November, my mother had a hard time parting with some of his things.  My husband loves fishing and when she found some old lures and bobbers she asked my husband if he would want them or had any use for them.  My husband was quick to reply, "Yes!  I would love to have them".  I wasn't quite sure what my husband would do with them or if he would just toss them in his tackle box.

I was pretty excited when I came home to find this:

My husband had found a beautiful way to display my dad's old fishing memorabilia and a way to keep them protected from little ones.  Now, every time I walk by those jars I think of my dad and all the wonderful times we had when we went fishing on family vacations.

I love this story for a number of reasons (in fact, just reading it again gave me a whole new round of goosebumps.) So many people I encounter have their precious memories stuffed in cardboard boxes on a shelf in a storage area in their home. The man in this story found such a beautiful and meaningful way to bring the memory of someone important, his wife's father, out in the open and on display—and in such a simple, beautiful way. This display allows the husband and wife to remember wonderful memories on a daily basis—fishing on family vacations. This, to me, is what it's all about. Having what we love out and on display, filling our homes with wonderful feelings and memories of a special person or event.

Seriously good stuff.

So, I asked everyone to share their favorite, non-traditional souvenir ideas, and you didn't disappoint. What fabulous ideas you all had! Thank you. So, let's do some more sharing, shall we? I would love to hear how you store and display your most precious keepsakes and sentimental items. The thing is this...when we get these really special items out in the open we find we don't need to keep everything to hold onto our memories and honor the people we love. A few carefully selected and displayed items fill our homes with enough joy and connection to the past and our loved ones to sustain us. So then we find we just don't need as many cardboard boxes full of mementos in the basement. You know what I mean? So, if you have ideas for getting your precious memories out of a box and into the sun, I know a whole bunch of blogging friends would truly benefit from your ideas.

I can't wait to hear your ideas. :) 

clutter-free souvenir ideas

Travel season is upon us! And you know what that means—souvenir buying season is in full swing. If there's one thing I've noticed (over and over again) when working with clients...it's that sentimental items like souvenirs are oh-so hard to let go of. So...this month my newsletter article is all about "Avoiding Vacation Clutter."

Now, avoiding vacation clutter doesn't mean you can't bring home mementos from your trip. No siree, that would not be the creative organizing way. A vacation can give you the rare opportunity to find items that will serve many purposes in your home and life...

from serving up the daily cup of Java...

to organizing business cards...

 

to corralling medicine in a medicine cabinet...

all while providing you an ongoing reminder of your vacation. How great is that?

The trick is to find something inspiring that you'll put to good use when you get back home. For more ideas on finding travel mementos that will not only prevent clutter...but help you be more organized as well, just check your in-box for the newsletter. (You can sign up here if you don't yet subscribe...or if you're already a subscriber, check your in-box tomorrow. She'll be on her way real soon!)

Oh, and if you don't have travel plans this summer, no worries. (I don't either.) But you could go on a day-trip to a local antique shop or thrift store and hunt for your own creative organizing finds. Not convinced that you'll find something good? Just check out this last gem that I found (for one dollar!) at a Utah thrift store. You just never know...you may find something so great at your local thrift store that you'll feel like you've been on vacation!

So...is it just me? Or do you like to find the perfect, non-traditional souvenir when you travel, too? I'd love to hear your finds or your approach to clutter-free vacationing.

organizing + storage finds at World Market

Can you just see the organizing possibilities?

Sure, you could used the rectangular galvanized bucket for plants (as intended) but why not use it for corralling important files...a cheerful, little, file-bucket? (I like the sound of that.)

Sure, you could use the small, melamine bowls for dipping sauces and other small condiments, but why not use them to corral small scrapbook supplies in a drawer?

Sure, you could use the serving tray for carting drinks or dinner to the deck, but why not pick up a second and use it for toting scrapbook supplies for a night of cropping in front of the T.V. ? That last nugget I learned from Kelli Crowe when we were putting together "The Organized & Inspired Scrapbooker" and I have to confess I seriously love the brilliant simplicity of this trick! Saves me from running up and down the stairs a million times when there's a project I want to work on and my family's up for a bit of T.V.

The best part of all...World Market is having a clearance sale...so it's organizing fun and goodness at a discount! Hurry fast...because these little gems are priced to move.

Have a great weekend...whether your plans call for shopping, organizing, scrapbooking, hanging out with the family or something else altogether. I'll be away from the computer for the next few days tending to some personal business...so have fun, be safe, and give your loved one's an extra squeeze this weekend. See you soon.

Online Organizing Workshops Q&A

Answers to your questions…

Q: “Hi Aby, Thanks for doing this workshop it is just what I need at this point of time. My question is what happens if I can't call in on the telecall. I'm in Australia and it would cost me a small fortune, will you write up notes for this or even make a podcast.”

A:  Yes, the telecall will be recorded and made available as an MP3 download afterward. So, if you can’t attend because you live in Australia, or you’ll be out of town on vacation, or your son has a baseball game---no worries. All the info will be made available to you to listen at your convenience. Plus, if you have questions you’d like answered via the telecall (and you can’t attend) you can post your questions in the workshop forum and I will answer them during the call.

Q:  I just wanted to know if you needed to be online for the day the workshop started? Or is it a self paced workshop - as I live in Australia - and the time difference can make it difficult.

A:  The Quick + Simple Clutter Control Workshop is self paced. All the lesson content will be made available tomorrow (!) June 3rd. At that point you’ll have access to all the course materials. Then, you can use the next four weeks to work at your own pace acting on the concepts taught in the workshop. You will have access to the online community (including me) for a full four weeks.

So what does this mean to you?

You can take this workshop completely on your own time schedule. If you’re going out of town for a week, you won’t miss any workshop content or get behind, you’ll simply miss out on a bit of community time in the forum and photo gallery.

The only scheduled, time-specific event is the telecall (and this will be recorded, so you don’t even have to be available for that.) There will be emails each week the workshop is live—to keep you engaged and taking action on the course material...and to help you bite-size the concepts. You can decide which projects to take-on in your home, based on your time schedule and other commitments.

Q: How much time will this workshop require?

A: This is a great question...that’s a bit tricky to answer. But here’s a stab at it. The Quick & Simple Clutter Control workshop includes a 15 page download, and an hour long audio recording of the main course content. In this content are action steps and projects—some of which you will choose to do and some of which you may not do.

To go through the actual course content will take an hour or two, depending on if you just read, just listen or do both. The telecall is another time investment of probably an hour or so. (I’ll keep going until all questions are answered...so it’s guess at this point!)

The amount of time you spend taking action on the workshop concepts is completely up to you. I encourage you to schedule hands-on organizing time—time when you’ll be implementing the concepts because the true value in taking this workshop comes from creating change in your home. Sure, I’d love you to learn something new but even better will be to *see* something new—a clutter free area (or two or three or four!) in your home.

Let me know if this Q&A session prompted any other Q's. I'll be standing by ready with A's. And remember, the workshop begins tomorrow...so sign up today!

simple creative labeling ideas

You may have noticed, I've got a thing for labeling. I like to label everything from refrigerators to baskets to buckets. Labels are an important step in the organizing process...but why not make 'em cute? That's what I say, anyway. And as these examples show, cute doesn't even have to be time consuming. It can be super-simple.

Here are some ideas:

In the example above, you just use a pre-made tag from Wal-Mart. (These are Paperbilities brand in the scrapbook section.) Just add some ribbon (from American Crafts) and your own handwriting and doodling...and you've got yourself a label. (The basket was from the Target dollar spot. I snagged it a month or so ago.)

This little bucket is sporting the same store bought label, this time with Orfray ribbon (Wal-Mart again.) And the words "stamp pads" are stamped using this and this. 

This last example uses the same stuff, but simply adds a card-stock letter (from My Minds Eye—really old!) for an added bit of color and fun.

So there you go...if you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, why not label some bins, buckets, baskets or jars? Or you could always do something more traditional like a BBQ, but what fun would that be? ;)

Whatever your plans for this weekend, have fun!

By the way...I've been getting some great questions about The Quick + Simple Clutter Control Workshop. If you have a question, too, post it in the comments. I'll do a blog post to answer all the workshop Q's later this weekend.

baskets for scrapbook storage

The Organizing Junkie is hosting a basket carnival today, and I just couldn't pass up on the fun. See, the buckets have been getting a lot of press around here lately. But my first love organizing love was the good old wicker basket. I seriously remember going to Pier One with my Mom when I was maybe like 12 years old and drooling over all the baskets. Crazy, isn't it?

Anyway...I thought I'd share some photos of baskets (and other containers) I use in my scrapbook space / office. Since...I also haven't really talked about scrapbook organizing lately on this blog-o-mine. So here we go:

This is a photo of one of the cubbies in my space—it's journaling central. Everything I need to journal on my scrapbook pages is tucked into this one cubby.

I love this basket because it's already divided, making it perfect for stashing an assortment of goodies, like markers, journaling cards, a date stamp, and accent words. I added some drinking glasses inside the compartments so the pens would stay propped up. A sundae cup raises up the journaling cards for easy access.

Next to the basket are two containers with more journaling goodies: a ceramic dish holds little journaling cards...

and a metal tin holds stickers, journaling notebooks and larger journaling cards.

I also use a basket to hold my 8 1/2" x 11" card-stock. I love this. I have super heavy pieces of white chipboard that serves as a divider between the different colors...so it's easy to flip right to the color I'm after. Plus, big scraps of card-stock can go right in the front of each color section for easy access. The basket is labeled with a swatch booklet for quick and easy reference of color combinations to try.

Both baskets were purchased at Wal-Mart...over a year ago. The ceramic dish and metal container were from Target. Which reminds me...if anyone has any extra of those metal, rectangular buckets...the small size from a year ago...let me know. I know someone who really, really wants some and would be happy to relieve you of them. Post me a comment if you over-indulged in small, metal containers.

Happy organizing!
   

organizing for the do-it-yourselfer just got more fun!

You may have landed here today and thought "Where am I?" Well...you're right here at the Creative Organizing blog. We just gave her (and the simplify 101 site) a new look in honor of something new we've been working on to help you on your organizing journey.

Do you love to organize? Or do you love the feeling of a freshly organized space? Do you love to learn new things and make new friends? Do you wish you could work with a professional organizer...but feel that you'd stretch your budget better if you did the hands-on organizing yourself?

If you answered yes to any of these questions...you're going to love our brand new online organizing workshops.

We're kicking it off with a workshop called "Quick & Simple Clutter Control." In this workshop, you'll have access to an online community, photo gallery, lesson materials, a project download and a worksheet—all designed to help you learn clutter control techniques, and then, take action on them in your own home. You'll have access to the ten simple yet effective clutter control solutions during the first week of the workshop. Then, for a full four weeks, you'll take action at a pace that works for you and your schedule, conquering the most troubling clutter hot-spots in your home.

For four, full weeks you'll have access to a professional organizer (me) via a private, for-workshop-participants-only, forum. Plus, we'll have a live telecall to get your questions answered. So you'll have everything you need to your home into a haven of calm by the end of the summer! How fun is that?

I hope you'll join me on this exciting new adventure!

organizing business cards

(alternative blog title: proof I shop places other than Target)

If this isn't your first stop at this blog...you may have noticed that I enjoy organizing things in somewhat non-traditional ways, with a creative touch whenever possible. Today's post combines lots of my favorite organizing things (and there aren't even buckets involved!)

Besides my love of buckets, I also love old, wooden boxes. So imagine my thrill last summer while in Seattle I happen upon this beauty:

I also happen to love the color red, so I'm not sure it could get better than this. Here's a peek at the inside of her:

Even though this box is designed to hold 3X5 cards...I decided she could be put to use to solve my business card dilemma. I have been collecting cards for years and never found the perfect organizing system for them. My rational, organizer mind said "Go electronic! It's so much more efficient." But my creative organizer mind said to do this:

"Make index dividers using your favorite card-stock, and use the cool, red box who does not deserve to sit idle on a shelf any longer." And so I did.

So here's the deal. This system isn't for everyone, by any stretch of the imagination. But for me, it became quite clear after years of not entering all my business cards into Outlook or some other electronic system...that electronic was simply not for me (even though that rational organizer kept telling me it was a better way to go...the creative and tactile side of me wasn't biting.)

My personal belief is that the best organizing systems are the ones that work for you and how you think...and the ones that make you happy. An old, red wooden box with index cards made using my favorite scrapbook paper in the world...makes me happy! So you don't have to use technology if technology doesn't work best for you. PDA's, information managers, and all the other electronic tools are terrific for people who think this way, and for people who don't develop a personal attachment to business cards. I love a pretty business card and I also remember people by their business cards. It's a visual queue I use to remember who someone is, where I met them, and when I met them.

Once I decided on the red box as the storage solution, I needed to figure out how to sort or organize my cards. Had a client posed this question of me about their business cards, I could have easily rattled off a number of suggestions. But...since this was my own personal organizing dilemma, I was riddled with the feeling that I should already know what to do. "It shouldn't be so hard, Aby," a little voice kept telling me.

But it was.

I was already feeling guilty ;) for not being more hip from a technology standpoint. Couple this with the knowledge that for the past several years the cards had been unsorted in a small (but very cute) basket where the cards were next to impossible to find when needed...well I was feeling a bit paralyzed.

So, I did what anyone in my position would do: I emailed a professional organizer.

Janine came to my rescue, helping me put my indecision to an end. The final sorting system: the cards are sorted by how I think of them! (Brilliant!) I have categories such as "scrap friends" for people I meet at scrapbook trade shows or through other scrapbook events. There's one called "BNI / Chamber" where I store all the cards for people I met through those organizations. There's one called "NAPO '08" where I store cards from people I met at this year's convention. Behind each divider the cards aren't in any particular order...which will work fine for me. This will give me a great excuse to sift through the cards when I go looking for one...so I get to revisit all those wonderful cards again.

The truth is...the people I contact on a regular basis are in Outlook...so I can quickly get my hands on their info. But my cute red box will make a nice addition to my office and allow me to hold onto the physical business cards for when I want or need a memory jog about that one lady who I met at the scrapbook show that has a great organization for donating used scrapbook supplies...

So where do you weigh in on the business card organizing dilemma? Alphabetical or by category? Paper or electronic? And if electronic...do you throw the cards away once they're entered? Red wooden boxes or blue? You know I'd love to hear from you!

seasonal storage solutions

This is a great time of year to let your creative organizing juices flow as you browse through the outdoor summer-ware / party-ware isle at your favorite local retailer. (Like Target for example.) You might just stumble upon a serving tray like this one:

and decide it's perfect for corralling scrapbooking and other craft gear for an evening of crafting (or button sorting) in front of the T.V., like this:

Or you might come across a silverware caddy (that closely resembles a bucket making it almost irresistible) like this one from Kohl's:

and decide it'd be perfect for corralling markers, colored pencils, scissors, paint brushes, a bottle of decoupage, sanding blocks, and other crafting essentials. (Or you might, like me, get an email from Missy with the above photo attached giving you a head's up about this darling caddy from Kohl's. Thank you, Missy, and the rest of you who think of me when you're out and about and happen upon buckets.)

So what if you don't scrapbook or craft? Are these finds useless for you? No siree. These organizing gems are terrific, even when used for their originally intended purpose.

We love to eat on the deck this time of year (in the rare event it isn't raining!) and a serving tray and silverware caddy makes it a much simpler and orderly undertaking. Load up the caddy with silverware, napkins, salt, pepper, or ketchup and mustard...and you'll save yourself many-a-step on the way to your outdoor eating adventure.

So keep your eyes open for some fun and colorful seasonal finds that will help you organize creatively (or enjoy a meal outside.) Either way, how can you go wrong?

OK...it's your turn. Have you found any creative organizing gems lately? You know I'd love to hear...

the organized garage

If I'm being honest...the thought of organizing the garage (my own) doesn't make my heart sing, unless of course, two conditions are met:

condition #1: the weather is great. If it's a beautiful day, sunny and warmish with a nice breeze, then not only do I get to do one of my favorite things in the world (organize) I get to do it in the midst of a beautiful day. That my friends, is a good day.

condition #2:  there are buckets involved. Yep, you knew I'd work in the buckets, somehow, someway! It always comes back to the buckets, doesn't it? So here are the latest additions to my bucket list:

sidewalk chalk

gardening gloves

Balls (hey, who mixed that tennis ball in with the baseballs?)

sports "equipment" like rackets, golf "clubs" and bug nets

See, even the garage is more fun with buckets!

If your garage is in need of an organizational do-over, I'll be sharing even more garage organizing ideas (and it won't just be about buckets!) in my upcoming newsletter. Sign up here to be added to my list (newsletter list...not bucket list) and get in on all the garage organizing fun.

I will say this. While my garage is truly not at the top of my list of all time favorite spaces to organize in my home (scrapbook space anyone?) I have found my freshly organized garage to be a surprising source of happiness. ;)