My Holy Grail!

This summer I was working with a client, organizing her garage. We were sorting through old books and she picked this book up and put it in the "give away" pile. I happened to glance at the book and I was so excited, I had found my "holy grail". I asked my client if I could buy it from her (I never take anything from my clients, though they try to give me all kinds of things.) and she looked at me like "why would YOU need this?!". She smiled and gave it to me. It was like I'd found my old wise friend.

I had read this book as a young mother in the 80's, and jotted down notes from this book on index cards. I returned it to the person that I had borrowed it from and she ended up moving away. I forgot to write down the title and it was a forever search for this book and it's contents.  Deniece Schofield is the author. It's not in print, but there are copies being sold on sites like Amazon.com.

What I loved about this book is the house cleaning system. I began using Deneice's system in 1989 and have used it ever since. It helped me to establish a cleaning schedule that I slowly incorporated into my children's cleaning responsibilities. It was a great system for me because I was a little OCD about keeping my house clean. It helped me to delegate out the house cleaning and do a little each day. That's the key, a little each day, you set up the system according to what you are able to do, and you still find success.

I would highly recommend this book! I haven't read a book that has the common sense knowledge that most people need when it comes to organizing spaces, especially in your home.

Confessions of an Organized Homemaker: The Secrets of Uncluttering Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life. Author: Deneice Schofield

Another organizing book I recommend is:

Organizing from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life Author: Julie Morgenstern

Happy Reading!

Who Doesn't Love IKEA?!

I love using bins to organize clothing items in my closets. There are so many varieties. I usually chose the ones that do not have the label holder built in and frankly, there aren't many that do. I purchased bins two years ago and wanted to find the perfect label holder. I tried all different kinds, even some of my own creation, still not satisfied. Then, recently, I was shopping at IKEA and happened to stumble on the perfect label holder for flat edged bins! I wasn't sure if it was exactly what I thought it was, I do not speak Swedish and I'm not good at reading hyroglifics. I purchased one package and opened them as soon as I arrived home....YES! It was exactly what I had been looking for. ( I wished I had bought more for me and everyone I knew that had this same problem.)

I printed out labels using Microsoft word, voila! It looks perfect. Everyday I see them it makes me so happy! (Doesn't take much to please me, the label holders were only $3 for 10. If my husband asks any of you what I'd like for Valentine's Day... ha!)

They are called ROJA @ IKEA. (A bit of trivia, IKEA is an acronym for the founders name, Ingvar Kamprad and the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his home parish (Agunnaryd, in Smaland, South Sweden)

Here are photos of my bins and wonderful labels. (**Disclaimer, I am not a professional photographer)

I used MS Word to print my labels. I could even make the parathesis match the color of my basket.

I find that bins are great for my husband and kids. No lids to lift, no drawers to open...

a recipe for success.

 I like to fold my t-shirts in a specific way so that the T-shirt logo can be seen. My kids and husband do have a preference on which one they wear for certain activities. Who would have known?! And it looks so nice in the bin or drawer.