Motivated to Organize

First off, I wanted to share with you all how I started feeling the need to get organized.  I'm sure there are many factors involved, but here is one definite reason:  FEELING UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY CLOSED IN BY STUFF!

My innate need to collect pretty things for over 25 years has put me in a claustrophobic predicament.  I piled those things in closets, drawers, cupboards and cabinets. It didn't help that I volunteered at a Thrift Shop and brought home lots *(and LOTS) of "couldn't pass up" stuff.  Beautiful things!! 

After many years of doing this, our home became stuffed full to the brink.  I couldn't stand it anymore.  I would go shopping and come home and there would be no place to put anything.  All the "prime real estate" in our home was taken.  My counters were never clear, always covered.  It drove me nuts!!!  I guess you could say that that was my major breaking point. I totally started to feel closed in, claustrophobic.

I decided I wanted to be free, uncluttered, I wanted a home for everything, and if I couldn't find a home for it, I had to part with it.  I wanted to know what I had and where it was!   Why was I keeping all this stuff!?

For Inspiration I started checking out YouTube for direction in organizing and boy did I find the uploads on that subject. I heard it mentioned in one of the videos that for something to take up valuable "real estate" in the home it should be really needed, used, or admired.  I took that to heart and started looking around for things to Purge.  (I call it "blessing others", because I donated it all to Good Will and/or Amvets)  Purging is now a process that I will continue regularly.  I think that if I ever had to move it would take me forever to pack all this stuff.  In other words, it would be way too much work.

Afterward, I find that my home has never been this organized before.  My husband and I are sort of beginning a new chapter in our lives with both of our sons leaving this fall.  One son is serving in the Army and my other son leaves for University this August.  We'll be entering that time clean and fresh, with everything in it's place.  It's a really great feeling!  To be in control of your stuff and not let your stuff be in control of you.  Because the less you have the more time you have to play.  My goal is to play alot!

Next up, purging and organizing my craft room!

Some of my favorite YouTube Vids on Organizing are:
  Malitose79 (short and sweet)
  HomeOrganizing (the ultimate organizer)
  Dolt on a Dime
  Clutterdiet
  and any Filofax vids

What's In My Filofax Mini

Here's a quick tour of what's inside my Domino Mini Filofax.  I love purple!

I made the divider indexes from card stock scrapbook paper.  I love butterflies!  I have the month on two pages as my calendar and then each section has plain paper after them.  The same paper that came with the Domino.  My named indexes are Calendar, Personal, Home, Family, Other and Blogs with two indexes yet to have names.  I have it sitting on my end table in my living room so that I can jot down things I want to remember from things I find on the internet or hear on television or pick up from a magazine or a book. 

Re-thinking this Filofax thing

I was browsing the Filofax website and noticed that the Chameleon A5 in Aqua was marked off 50% last week.  Well, I couldn't resist and I bought one.  I mean, come on, it was half off!!!

When I originally bought my first Filofax on Ebay, I bought the Raspberry Finsbury in A5.  The seller contacted me and told me that that one was out of stock and would take a little longer to get.  I didn't want to wait longer, so I looked back in their store and found a Cuban Personal in Chilli and asked them to swap them out.  They obliged and a few days later the Cuban came and I really like it alot.  I set it up and started using it.  It fit in my purse nicely.

A couple days later I received the Domino Mini in purple, I ordered this one because it was on sale and thought I would use it as a food journal.  But now that I have it I set it up with some homemade index dividers made from Scrapbook paper.  I got the month at a glance calendar pages and I labeled my dividers Personal, Home, Family, Other and Blogs.  I plan to keep it on my end table in my living room to jot down things I want to remember from TV, books or from my laptop.

Now with 3 Filofaxes I had to decide between the A5 and the Personal.  I chose the A5.  I put the Cuban away in its box and plan to use it later sometime, or sell it.  I moved into my A5 and I love it.  I'll give a tour after I become comfortable with its workings.  Right now it's trial and error.

Here's a pic of my beauty's:

I couldn't resist the ColorClick pen I got on Amazon right here. It actually works pretty well.  I bought a sampler of different multi-ink pens and really didn't expect much from this one, but I really like it alot.  I mean, come on, 10 colors in one pen!  It's a little chunky to use, but fun to change the colors.  The pages I write on look so pretty and colorful.  

Make Your Own Chalkboard Labels!

I am shocked at how expensive all the Chalkboard Labels that I've found are.  I found a much less alternative to those labels that they sell at office supply stores.  Here's what I did, I bought Black contact paper  and some Chalk Markers  from amazon.com.  Then on my Cricut I cut out pretty decorative labels.  I cut the scraps into rectangles.  I literally have hundreds and hundreds of chalkboard labels now.  How nice everything will look with those vivid labels on them.  Yeah!   

Filofax

I'm totally getting into this organizing thing.  I have always been gaga over stationary, pens, office supplies and the like for as long as I could remember.  I also love organizers.

Before my iPhone, I had a couple pocket pc's, until they both crashed and were useless. Before that I used organizers.  I remember a pretty red vinyl quilted one, that I got at Target.  I had designed my own divider pages for it and made the organizer my own. And, before that one I had a black, leather like, one that I also enjoyed.  Also with that I kept a 6 x 9 binder that I tracked my short and long term goals, any projects and to do lists.  That was fun to keep.   

I miss my organizers! I like my iPhone, BUT, I also love to write, notes, goals and to-do lists and stuff like that. You know "mind processes".  Hehehe!  Since I love to write and record things I thought it would be fun to get involved with an organizer again.

Sooooo, I decided I would get a Filofax this time.  I found lots of YouTube videos and lots of blogs about them.  I liked what I saw.  So, I purchased one on Ebay and can't wait for it to come.  It's a Cuban Personal.

This Domino mini was on sale on the Filofax website, 30% off.  I bought it for tracking my projects and to-do lists or who knows maybe I'll change my mind and use it for something else.  It will easily fit in my purse.

Click here to see what I'm talking about.  

THE RESULTS: SIMPLIFIED LIVING 1

I rolled all my husband's t-shirts so that they will fit into one drawer.   And I rolled all his jeans and shorts.  Now nothing is buried and he can see everything he has in one shot. I also bought drawer dividers and rolled all his skivvies.  Everything is rolled!  He loves it!  Oh, I also purchased an over the door hook rack for my bedroom door so that we can hang things that don't really get put away everyday, like my robe and his work hat, etc...

UPDATE: MISSION ORGANIZATION

Hey Everybody,

I'm giving you all a short update of what's been going on in my life.  I've been bitten by the "Spring Cleaning Bug".  I've cleaned and organized before, BUT never at this level.  I don't  know what's going on with me, but my passion right now is to get this house in order.  I've cleaned and organized, my kitchen cupboards, the pantry, my linen closet, my closet (no small feat there), the bathroom cupboards and my bookshelves.  I've purged boxes and boxes of stuff, thrown out bags of garbage and purchased bins and containers to organize what I've kept.  And I feel great!  I haven't touched some of those places in 20 years, since we've moved into this house.

I feel much lighter and I've found things that I forgot I had and didn't even know that I had.  I know where everything is and it feels wonderful.  I recommend you take a cupboard or closet and go thru it, it's fun.  Keep only what you love.

Oh, I also purchased a planner, calendar to get my time under control as well, since I can't remember anything.  I'll post of video of what I'm using soon.  I also started a home binder (found this idea on youtube, look it up).

I'll post some pics of the after shots soon.  I was so on fire to do this that I didn't stop long enough to take before pictures, just imagine utter chaos and excess and you'll have an idea of what it looked like before.

I'm hoping that this Spring Cleaning episode will lead me to a higher level of creativity.

See you all soon.

Eclectic Signatures by Annette, Ruth & Myself

Makin' Bottle Caps

I took a bunch of my bottle caps and hammered the edges down, then I put these retro circle pics in them and covered them with Liquid glass *(glassy accents).  I like how they turned out and now they're ready for whatever art project comes along.  On some of them I stuck a rhinestone or two.

**UPDATED Repurposed Purse to Travel Sketch Kit

 When everything was said and done I realized that I needed another pocket for my Windsor & Newton travel watercolor case.  I cut some more denim fabric from the old pair of jeans I had. I boxed the bottom corners of the pocket to make the pocket very roomy.  I had to hand sew it to the base because I had already adhered the base to the purse. 

I decided to put my ink pen, water brush and stick eraser in the front pocket, they fit snug enough where they won't fall out.

Side view with the new pocket.

Alternate sideview with new pocket.

 This is my travel watercolor case that I had to accommodate with this new pocket.

I added a ribbon tie closure to the top of this new pocket to keep it shut.  Here it is now, finally finished.  Yeah!

Video for Travel Watercolor/Sketch Kit!

I know it's almost been a year since my last video, maybe it's been over a year.  I don't know, I'd have to look.  Anyway, I was inspired to turn this "sow's ear" into something useful.  The minute I saw this purse at a local thrift shop I knew I wanted to do this to it.  I've had the purse for about a year or so and now I'm excited to say that I'll be using it all the time now as I sketch and watercolor my daily life.  I love re-purposing and challenging myself to make something completely different than it's original purpose.   You should try it, it's so much fun!

Willowing's Lifebook 2012 Workshop

I started this workshop on January 1st.  I'm a little surprised that I've been able to keep up so far.  Really glad for that!  I have taken the projects and have made them my own by tweaking them a bit to fit my needs and beliefs.  Here's what I have so far.