Posts from organization (50)

My friend had a clothing swap party this past weekend. Several of us brought over purses, shoes, clothing and accessories that no longer work in our own closets, but found happy new homes amongst friends. Best of all, it was easy and we didn't spend a dime on new finds.

I hauled over my things in snappy bags I got from IKEA last year. They come in several sizes, made of strong polypropylene and fold up for easy storage. I use mine all the time for grocery shopping, dry cleaning, or to hold the legions of other totes I own :)

Here is the new spring line...

The Lingo and Varmt Rund series bags are only available at IKEA stores, not online. But once you get there, just load up the rest of the stuff you buy and off you go!

images c/o IKEA

I'm a person who has never truly felt organized. In reality, I'm actually insanely organized - almost to a fault - but I always feel like I don't have everything as together as it should/could be.

With tax day looming, and the big move nearly 100% complete, I've been thinking a lot about how to move forward with more determined organizational goals. Here are a few tools that might help me move in the right direction ::

1. Brocade Magnetic Bulletin Board, $29.99, from The Container Store.

2. Do & Delegate Work Notebook, $10.00, available at See Jane Work.

3. How Do I Do It Planner, $14.00, also at See Jane Work.

4. Tax Filer, $20.00 (wish I had this right now!), from See Jane Work.

5. 2-Bin Recycler, $39.99 - I want one of these for the shop and one for my apartment! - available at The Container Store.

6. Locker Basket Letter Trays, available for pre-order $65.00 for 2 trays, available at See Jane Work.

Whenever I'm on the hunt for something specific (like the perfect skinny belt or an adorable shrug), it seems like I always find exactly what I'm looking for on someone's Etsy shop.

Above and beyond there existing inventory of product, many Etsy sellers (including OrangeBeautiful) are both willing + extremely happy to do custom work, or even customize an existing product.

Just last week, I found the perfect little zipper pencil case in the bhive's Etsy shop :: a Skinny Mini Roll. I was thrilled.

But then, when I found out that Korina will make one just for you with your choices of fabrics + zippers, I was ecstatic!

I chose grey & silver cordura for the outside... with a wine zipper + orange pulls. Then the liner inside is teal - colorful, while still dark enough that it won't show pen marks!

It's so great to have a place for my Sharpie pen, my mechanical pencils, a couple erasers, my Princess Leia flash drive and my teflon bonefolder!

Check out all of the goods in the bhive's shop
+plus your customization options towards the bottom of this page.

Did you all have a wonderful holiday?! I hope so!... Regardless of how you spend the holidays - whether or not you work the entire time, or have several weeks off - the change over to a new year is inevitably a time of reflection and renewal.

Here are just a few of the items that I'm hoping will help me with my (always-hard-to-keep) New Year's Resolutions ::

Writing More Letters

1) Hello! Everyday Stationery 6pk, $13.00 from In?Vita Paper Studio ::
with all of the internet-based communication going on nowadays (and being a stationery designer), I'd love to get into a habit of sending out far more snail mail in the coming year...

2) The Mini Black Book w/ People Tracker pages, $50.00/set from russell+hazel ::
a great solution for storing both written addresses and tucking in actual business cards!

Staying Active (and playing more video games!)

3) Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii, $99.99 ::
we've only had this for a week, and it's already proven to be an invaluable tool for getting/keeping active and having fun!

Having More Business Meetings

4) Orange & Blue Pantone Mugs, $14.99/ea from PopDeluxe ::
I resolve to have a cup of coffee with a different person at least once a month. Talking shop with other vendors, store owners, designers, etc. is a great way to learn from others' experiences and impart some wisdom of my own, as well!

Cooking at Home More

5) Olivier Gift Crate, $39.50 from Williams-Sonoma ::
finding fun and easy ways to cook at home should keep us from ordering quite so much take-out this year. These awesome olive oils are a good start!

Learning More About Typography

6) Font: The Sourcebook, $45.00 from Black Dog Publishing ::
even though I'm already a huge typography nerd, I'm always thirsty for more "font-knowledge". A quick glance through this book has already got me salivating over diagrams, typeface origins & typographer interviews. Love it!

What did you get for the holidays that's gonna help you keep your New Year's Resolutions?

FULL necklace, $45.00 by Melanie Favreau.

The end of the year always has me feeling completely overwhelmed... both with work that's yet to be done, as well as with new projects, ventures & ideas for the upcoming year.

With everything that fills your brain this time of year, it can be extra-difficult to focus and let yourself feel creative and inspired. Here's some things that I'm hoping will help me ease into the New Year...

RELAX.

Sit Back... letterpress poster, 11.5x18", $18.00 by Nick Schmitz.

If you're a workaholic like me, you probably struggle with forcing yourself to relax. My brain is always overflowing with thoughts, worries, ideas, etc. (see first image ;) so, even when I have some actual down time, I find that my own mind is my worst enemy. It's important to remember that relaxing, feeling calm, and doing things that are completely non-work-related is just as helpful (if not more-so) to one's creativity than the actual work itself. So just learn to chill out.

SEEK GUIDANCE.

I Swear To Good You Are God At This, $25.00 (holiday price 'til Jan 4th) by Holiday Matinee.

There's a never-ending list of source material out there that can be used for daily inspiration and creative support: books, articles, websites, blogs,etc. One of my most recent finds is a new book by creative studio, Holiday Matinee, entitled I Swear To Good You Are God At This. The book was written "to inspire people who might need an extra push to invest in themselves, do what they love and motivate as many awesome people as possible" - that's what I'm talkin' about!

Along with written inspiration, don't forget about those awesome people that you probably interact with every day... think of someone who inspires you and ask them to join you for a cup of coffee, or email them a couple of questions. I find that other people's experiences are the ultimate inspiration.

REMIND YOURSELF THAT YOU ROCK.

Note to Self Notebook, $12.00 by Bob's Your Uncle.

Sometimes it's easier to see the negative in a situation or in yourself than it is to see the positive. Take the time to think about what you do that's amazing... why you're good at what you do... maybe even why others would find you inspiring. Giving yourself a little pat on the back every once in a while can really help to keep you moving in the right direction.

What are some ways that you find inspiration?

I need this No Tomorrow Planner Pad (from Bob's Your Uncle) for my desk at the studio... I'm always writing, and re-writing, my to-do lists - and this would work perfectly for starting fresh each morning.

5x10" | 366-page pad, available at See Jane Work.

Retro Plastic Desk Caddy Organizer, $32.00 from 26 Olive Street.

After buying this great piece to use as a card display at shows, I've become a bit addicted to browsing the goods over at 26 Olive Street...

Desk Tidy Organizers, $18.00/each, in Olive Green (left) and Teal Blue from 26 Olive Street.

I love all of the different (and colorful!) desk organizers they have in the shop right now... especially the Retro Plastic Desk Caddy Organizer shown in the first photo above... when I was little, I remember my mom having a brown one just like it on her desk.

Desk Tidy Organizer in Salmon Pink, $18.00 from from 26 Olive Street.

Along with all these organizational pieces, there are tons of great vintage finds over at 26 Olive Street... and be sure not to miss all the numbers!

images c/o 26 Olive Street.

My extremely talented friend Gina has set up a beautiful office for her homegoods company, Homegirl. The office is a true reflection of her personal style and even houses some of her favored treasures from previous sales, held in the barn on her historic farm.

Says Gina: "The lamp shade made it into my home from the barn and is the 'hat' for a great lamp I bought at Target." (Readers might recall seeing the shade as a hanging fixture in this post.) Of the prayer men statuettes on the table, she says: "I had bought them to sell, but have fallen in love with them and don't think I can part ways just yet." This exemplifies Gina's emotional approach to collecting and decorating - the end product is so captivating because there is never quite an "end" - it is an always evolving snapshot of Gina's creative energy.

Up next from Homegirl: the " Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio September 18 - 20, and a fall barn sale October 10. More info to come on both events!

Images from Homegirl.

I've been meaning to post about paper goods company, Girl Of All Work ever since I saw their "People" Business Card Holder (below) on See Jane Work. Visiting wordshop. while in Denver and seeing some GOAW products there was a nice reminder...

"People Business Card Holder, $11.95 from Girl Of All Work.

Magnetic Origami Bookmarks, $6.50 (5/pk) from Girl Of All Work.

Desert Notations notepads, $5.95/each in Canyon (left) and Desert Rose (right).

Ona Page Flags, $4.50 (375/pk) from Girl Of All Work.

Chapter Books (Set of 3), $26.50 from Girl Of All Work.

There's really far too many fabulous things at Girl Of All Work for me to post about all of my favorites here. Just get over to the GOAW site and see (shop) for yourself!

images c/o GOAW

clip clipboard, $3.99/ea. + peep file folders, $3.99/6pk

While browsing through one of my newest blog favs, shelterrific, I came across this post about Target's upcoming bedding, home d?cor & stationery line of products by NYC-based designer, Dror Benshetrit: Dror for Target.

toss pillows, $19.99/ea.

stack bookcase, $89.99/set :: full case shown = 3 sets.

Here are a few of my picks (bedding/home d?cor products to be available later this month, followed by stationery items in mid-July)... but be sure to check out the entire lookbook here.

images from the Dror for Target Lookbook