Category: Crafts and Scrapbooking

  • Thanks for the Memories… But Give Them To Me On a ThumbDrive Please

    Amy_mobray_blog_2What if all those scrapbooking memories you’ve been creating were in vain?

    What if your family told you they weren’t interested in their history?  What if they wanted all their childhood photos on a UBS flash drive?

    That’s the scenario in My Son Doesn’t Want My Scrapbooks! and the source of a reader question on Maria Gracia’s powerhouse of an organizing site, Get Organized Now!

    "… my 12-year-old son, my only child, says he really doesn’t want to haul scrapbooks around after I’m gone and ‘couldn’t you just put all the photos on a thumb drive and hand it to me, Mom?’"

    Read Maria’s response, as an organizer, and as a mother.

    If your only child told you they didn’t care about the memories, what would you say?

    • image courtesy Amy Mobray’s Blog

    John_trosko

  • Archive Your Wedding Gown Like a Museum

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    We were in West Hollywood yesterday, picking up dry cleaning and stumbled on some information about archiving textiles.  While this is not the most exciting news, we do run across this issue occasionally– boxing up wedding gowns and children’s clothes for organizing clients.

    Designed to last 200-years, my local dry cleaner is now using archival-quality boxes and tissue paper just like museums, overseen by Federal and State governments for the preservation of historical costumes, and by libraries for the preservation of rare books and magazines.  You are familiar with this material already because archival board is used for the backing in framing pictures.

    Once your gown has been preserved, it’s up to you to incorporate these tasks into your datebook:

    • Every 2-3 years open the box and inspect the gown;
    • Wash your hands with baking soda mixed with warm water prior to touching the garment;
    • Examine each layer, box, tissue, fabric;
    • If you see spots or discolorations, contact your cleaner;
    • It is not necessary to remove the garment for initial inspections.  Examine top layer of the gown, and in-between a few folds;
    • Wash the cotton liner and cover every 10-15 years;
    • After initial washing, rewash every 20 years.
    • Tissue should be replaced every 25-30 years.

    A quick check on Microsoft Outlook does prove that you can make a to-do task in 30 years.  So there’s no way you’ll miss it.

    Image courtesy Cat and Adi at Next Exit Photography.  Christina and Kevin’s wedding ceremony at La Venta in Palos Verdes, Calif.

    John_trosko

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  • Organize Your Toy Legos and Build More Stuff

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    This just about takes the cake, er, um, Legos.

    Now, we’re a huge fan of Lego’s.  Sitting on our bedroom floor in 1976 listening to Top-10 WABC Radio in New York City, this Jersey boy managed to keep his pre-teen sanity by building large-scale Lego projects galore.  Such fun.  Our collection resembled the box above.  Except back then, we didn’t have all the high-tech small pieces.

    Storing_legos Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has a post today on How to organize your Lego bricks for efficient building.  What has this world come to?  If you’re into Legos, you’ve got to check this out.  If you’re not, you’ve got to check out the passion this writer has for "efficient building." They’ve analyzed:

    • Why storage drawers won’t work;
    • Which Legos stack better than others;
    • Why stacking bricks of like kind together make it easy to pick them out of a large bin;
    • How alternating stacked bricks will save you time when pulling bricks apart.

    LegosOur most favorite comment is from Tim T. who says:

    "It is always such a relief to find other people as enthralled with organization as I am. When we bought our house, which for all intents and purposes has infinite space (at least compared to our previous apartment), I spent about 2 weeks sorting all of my Lego’s for easier access. Previous storage consisted of a gigantic purple plastic bin, plus a few smaller additional bins."

    2 weeks separating his Legos?  Now, that’s dedication!

    Read – Evil Mad Scientist

    Related Posts:

    • How to organize a playroom – leave it be?

    John_trosko

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  • O-Magazine Offers Organizing Tips and a Sweepstakes

    Pavilion_iq770_2If you’re feeling lucky, Los Angeles organizing expert Chris McKenry can help you.

    Chris is part of an advertisement in O-Magazine this month for Microsoft’s HP Pavilion IQ 770 TouchSmart Computer.  Our colleague offers great tips for organizing your kitchen, home office, wardrobe, mail and time– many of those tips includes ways you can incorporate technology into your daily life (like we continue to do) by using the TouchSmart.

    The HP Pavilion IQ 770 TouchSmart Computer helps plan your family’s schedule, manage events and leave personal messages – all at your fingertips, on a touch screen. 

    Here’s a sample Conquer Your Clutter tip we love:

    "Another key to staying organized is keeping items where they are used. You normally don’t leave the milk, fish, and eggs sitting on the dining room table when returning home from the grocery after a difficult day. Think of the mail as perishable and keep those surfaces uncluttered. No matter how tired you are, get in the habit of placing the mail on your desk.

    Record events in your TouchSmart calendar and recycle the invitations."

    To read more of Chris’ Get It Together LA! organizing tricks, check out this month’s O magazine on newsstands now.  You can also read the online version and enter to win a variety of prizes (including a TouchSmart and a visit by a professional organizer), by clicking here.

    John_trosko_3

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  • Martha Stewart Craft Line at Michaels – A Review

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    One of the things we love most in writing about organizing, is we get to hear rumblings about new ideas, read the formal announcements, see the actual idea or product revealed and finally get an opportunity to review it.  It’s fun discovering, and sharing with readers.

    Our friend Amy Mobray has been to Michaels Craft Store, and checked out their brand-new line of Martha Stewart’s new line of craft supplies.  She says good things.  Amy does have her pulse on typical shopping– what has value for the price, and what just seems wrong.  Her opinions are always on the mark.

    Amy has written up a great review and even snapped a few pics (where does she find the time?) on Martha’s new line.  Better than we could have done.  Our nearest Michaels is in the Burbank Empire Center, 7 miles away in *uber* heavy San Fernando Valley traffic.  We don’t get there as often as we should.  Here’s what Amy said about Martha’s organizational products:

    "I did purchase a few of [Martha’s] organizational products.  I bought the paper box, CD box, and photo box…  I like how the boxes have ribbon in them so you don’t remove the lid completely.  The ribbon acts like a hinge.  Another thing that I like about  her stuff is the packaging.  Apparently there’s storage binders to store all the rub ons, stickers, etc. in.  My Michael’s didn’t have it."

    Check out Amy’s review on Martha’s new craft line-up.  If you’ve seen the products, we’d love to hear what you have to say, too.  Enter your comment below.

    Picture courtesy Amy Mobray.

    John_trosko_2

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  • Martha Stewart Crafts Premieres On-line And In-store

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    Holly over at Decor8 mentioned today that Martha Stewart’s craft supplies site has gone live.

    The site (which is a clever reincarnation of Martha-by-Mail) offers over 500 products for do-it-yourself-ers, including two pages of organizing supplies (some are pictured, above).

    We’re not too impressed with the regular array of photo and art boxes, although the colors sound delicious (walnut, cloud, and persimmon).  We’re sure though that more products are on the way, and more may be available soon.  The wrapping and food packaging department are neat.

    Departments on Martha Stewart Crafts include:

    • Embellishments and accents
    • Tools and adhesives
    • Paper and stationary
    • Storage and organization
    • Wrapping and food packaging
    • Scrapbooking and albums
    • Kits
    • Entertaining
    • For kids

    The products, (first mentioned in our blog on March 8) were inspired by Martha’s love of crafting.  They’re on sale now on the website, and through Michaels nationwide.

    For all the crafters reading, we’d love to hear thoughts.  How does Martha’s new motto "Crafting will never be the same, now it has a brand name" ring for you?

    John_trosko

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