Fashionably Organized

Last year I decided to take up the art of sewing.  It is not as easy as I would like it to be.  When I started this little adventure a very good friend of mine, who is an expert sewer herself, got me the Thread Catcher.  Again, the sellers on Etsy amaze me with their creativity and ability to come up with something that is not only useful, but suddenly needed.

The Thread Catcher is a pin cushion and mini trash can all in one.  This bag hangs from any table because at the top of the bag it is attached to a tiny bean bag that is very heavy.  That bean bag acts as a pin cushion.  Then in the bag is a mini pocket to put a pair of scissors.  The big bag is used to putting scraps of fabric or cut off thread into.

Now that I’ve tried so desperately to accurately describe this wonderful little contraption go check it out.  If you do any kind of crafting at all you will find the Thread Catcher ingenious and you too will wonder why you don’t own one yourself.

This whole post has inspired me to get my sewing projects out again.  I will definitely be taking the Thread Catcher to my sewing class next month.

Let me start out by saying that this is not organizational in any way, but I had to share it with you anyway.  From time to time I may post about non-organizational items, so forgive me for overstepping my organizational duty.

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a wonderful Etsy seller known as FlyLikeASparrow.  Not only are her pictures original, but I just love how quaint they are.  As many of you know my husband and I have 3 children.  When I saw this picture I was sold.  Who would not want a portrait of their family depicted as cute little birds?

I had to browse some more.  I got to the picture of Young Madeline – Bird Portrait, and after reading the description I knew I had found a woman after my own heart.  She has such originality and a wonderful sense of humor.  If you are looking for something to smile about please read the “story” of Madeline.

Since finding FlyLikeASparrow I have been thinking of all of the gifts I could get for everyone in my life.  The owner, Monique, is more then willing to work on custom designs so just shoot her a message.  Monique and I will be creating a lot together in the future, because I have decided I am her #1 fan.  I know that although this is not organizational, it is worth checking this store out just to adorn your house with her art.  It may not appeal to all of you, and that is alright by me, but I just could not let this one go without sharing.

When I was ordering fun things for some friends for their birthdays, I accidently ordered the BlueQ Tote in Yum Sandwich.  I thought I’d keep it for the price, and use it for my lunch bag to work.  After further inspection I realized that my bag was made of 95% post consumer waste.  I felt even more love for this great bag. 

When you go to the BlueQ site you immediately realize that not only do they design great bags in all different sizes, but they have all sorts of fun products with a funky flair.  Thre’s more to this great company: 1% of their proceeds go to The Nature Conservancy, which is an organization dedicated to protecting our planet.  This do good company is also greatly committed to hiring disabled persons.

Back to my bag: After deciding to keep the bag I came to work, and immediately had everyone wondering where I got it.  I then linked them to the BlueQ website.  I  realized that their wide array of sizes and styles would be appreciated by those who are or want to be Fashionably Organized.  Did I mention I also own 2 of thier water bottles?  As you can see BlueQ has not only fantastic products, but is the kind of company I’m happy to send my money to.

For the holidays a very dear friend gave me Dabney Lee’s Catch All as a gift.  The name is PERFECT for this beautiful monogrammed lucite box.  I was in love at first site.  My husband of course, not organizationally inclined, said, “what do you need that for?”  Aha my answer was straightforward: “everything”.  I was so excited I ran around the house trying to decide how I wanted to use it.  I went to my room and thought of all my fun jewelry.  No, I already had a box for that.  Then, I went to the living room thinking what a great box for the coffee table to put coasters in.  However, that didn’t seem good enough.  It came to me like a bolt of lightning, I was going to use it on the kitchen counter in front of my ButtonedUp Mail Sorter (see previous post).  I was going to put all of the pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners and erasers that are scattered around the house in them.  This would be right behind the dining room table where my oldest son and I do his homework. 

I figured out that Dabney Lee’s Catch All had found its purpose in my house.  The best thing is that we have had it for 6 weeks, and I have never looked for a pen or pencil since.  I even keep a small notepad in there.   This box is so pretty, you would have no idea it had such basic items included.  My proposal to you is to get this fantastic item and you will find that something in your house finally has a home.

Yes I am aware that I have been missing for quite some time.  Things have gotten super hectic in my world.  One thing we began again is to work on our fixer upper house.  In doing that I discovered many new items that have helped organize my life.  In the coming posts I’ll be sharing the items I have discovered. 

My first product is Bungalow’s storage bins that come in a various sizes.  We are finishing our office/laundry area, and I had to reorganize so many things on my desk.  I would not have been able to do that without the fantastic Coulda Bin.  It was the perfect size to store some desktop items that are not used on a daily basis. 

My 11 mo old daughter has a bunch of toys in her playpen (Pack ‘n Play) that were making it hard for her to maneuver around.  In order to get them all out of her way I put them in the Mighta Bin.  This little bin was the perfect size for her toys, and funny enough she loves to dump all of her toys out and play with the bin itself.  I love them so much I intend to buy more bins in various sizes because they are sturdy, wipeable and pretty.  Don’t forget to check out their many other products as well.  I take my lunch to work in the Meals on Heels Lunch Tote.

If you wrap presents during this time of year it can get exhausting doing those To/From tags.  I just discovered  that you could actually have labels personalized for the holidays to make things streamlined and even easier.  I ordered some Hanukkah ones here and love them.  They make a gift look so unique.  These tags come in a variety of sizes.  Not only that but you can pick ones that are traditional or whimsical looking.

In light of the holiday season coming upon us I thought I’d share an item that helps you organize your wrapping paper rolls and ribbons.  Several years ago while apartment dwelling, I had rolls and rolls of wrapping paper just thrown into a hall cupboard.  It was a mess.  I wandered into one of those organization stores that feels like a mecca to me, and discovered a Gift Wrap Organizer Tube.  I had found my savior.   I quickly bought one, came home, and voila instantly organized.  So now many moons later I still have this plastic dream organizer.  It’s still in perfect condition safely in the attic keeping my wrapping paper safe from dust and easy to access.  For less then $8 you can have a Gift Wrap Organizer Tube, and I promise you your days of having to sift through rolls of wrapping paper are over.  One small hint though: I keep a pair of scissors and tape in the pocket with the ribbons so when I need to wrap something everything is in one place.

It’s not over yet.  I know many many of you are concerned about the gift bags and tissue paper.  Have no fear I have an answer for that too.  I know they sell those hang on the door organizers for all of your wrapping needs, but I like my wrapping items to be in containers that are completely closed in order to protect them from dust.  I use a plastic bin that is long and skinny like this one for the items that are not in rolls.  You can find that size in most stores for a very low cost. 

These 2 items together are taken out of the attic during the holiday season, and put in the corner for easy access while wrapping so many items.  At the end of the season they are put back in the attic where I know they are safely and neatly stored.

By now you realize I am a huge fan of ButtonedUp products.  This love affair is not over with my recent new addition to my house – the mail.sorter.  I bought this product because my dining room table and kitchen counter were quickly being cluttered by opened mail, unopened mail, art projects from school, homework folder, school newsletters and the list goes on and on.  I was so sick and tired of all of it in my face constantly.  I have bought mail sorters before, but quickly stopped using them as they were mainly for bills or just didn’t hold enough.  I bought the mail.sorter and took it out of the box as if I was Cinderella seeing my ball gown for the very first time.  I believe it was actually twinkling in my hands.  I put it in the corner of my kitchen counter.  Note: I did not put it on my desk which is covered in all sorts of stuff that I can’t even find the table top.  I put the mail.sorter where I could immediately put the things I wanted to revisit in a cohesive place.  Why is this sorter better than all of the rest?  The simple answer is that it makes sense.  The categories for each slot are: notice me, respond to me, read me and pay me.  Can it be any more simple then that?  Before I keep going on and on about how much I love this product in the very short time I have owned it, I suggest you quickly get a mail.sorter for yourself.  It will be the best $16 you ever spent.

For all of you who read a ton of blogs I have a way to organize them all: Google Reader.  Set up an account if you don’t already have one.  Click on ‘add a subscription’ on the upper left hand side then enter the website address.  Voila you can read all of your blogs in one place.  I cannot tell you how much time it has saved me from having to navigate from one website to the next.  I used to forget to check certain sites, but now they are all in one place.  I definitely recommend pulling it all together on Google Reader.

If you are like me and have children who produce lots of trash in your car, then you should consider ordering yourself The Mod Mobile trash bag.  It is very useful for putting all of the dirty kleenex and food wrappers.  The best part is that all you have to do is buy a roll of the pet waste bags and they fit perfectly inside.  It has an adjustable strap, which means you can hang it anywhere.  Mine is hanging from the gear shift in my car so it is up front with me.   They come in a variety of fabric patterns on the outside that will meet everyone’s personality.   If you find yourself trying to figure out where to put the straw wrapper from the drive thru you just exited, then get yourself a trash bag from The Mod Mobile and quickly put in your car.