The way I organize has changed a lot over the last few years. I used to have a tremendous amount of paper to deal with (not just the usual receipts and bills, but massive stacks of clipped tearsheets from magazines). And while I was early to pay bills online and get paperless statements, I never imagined that one day I'd read all of my magazines online - and save all of those tearsheets digitally as well. It's been a relief to get rid of that paper. So much of a relief, that I've started scanning just about everything I can, backing it up to multiple sources. There's something immensely attractive about the idea of holding most of your world in your hand.
Slower to change has been the way I work. It's just physically impossible for me to keep the craft supplies and tools contained in one nice, neat, small package, no matter how much I crave it, which means that I'm always looking for new and better ways to store the little odds and ends of my job, preferably in a clean, stylish manner.
So when Avery sent me a few pieces from the Martha Stewart Home Office collection at Staples, I was delighted with the idea and the look of the Shagreen boxes from the Stack + Fit line. It's modular storage with mix and match capabilities, all in the streamlined, sleek look and color palette that we've grown to expect from Martha.
One of the things I really love about these boxes is how well they fit in with existing decor. If you find that you're usually crafting in your living room or at your dining room table (like I do, even though I have a craft room upstairs), you can stash your most used tools and supplies in these boxes and give them a home on a bookshelf (or even in a china cabinet) and they'll just look like a pretty accessory instead of practical storage.
The other item I really love from the Martha Stewart Home Office collection is the wirebound notebook. I'm completely old school in that regard and I always have a notebook in hand. If something doesn't get written down or explored on paper, it doesn't stay in my brain. And because I use a notebook every day and use it across multiple areas of my life, it helps if it's college ruled, has a pocket, a durable cover, and looks pretty at the same time - which is just what you get.
Organized, but not boring. That works for me.
*Visit the Staples website to see more of the Martha Stewart Home Office Collection with Avery.
I love this kind of craft.
Posted by: recruitment franchise | 13 November 2012 at 10:32 PM
Love the article from McSweeneys - Thanks for the laugh.
Posted by: Margery | 01 November 2012 at 08:55 PM
Aby, I've gotten the tape from numerous sources. If you look up "washi tape" on Etsy you'll find a huge array of designs from different vendors. But be careful - once you buy your first roll, it can quickly become an addiction!
Posted by: Suzonne | 29 October 2012 at 06:47 AM
Nancy, I agree with you. I'm an extrovert with a job that requires a lot of solitude. But it gets awfully lonely when you're tucked away for so many hours at a time - and if I didn't work at my dining room table, I fear I'd never see my family!
Posted by: Suzonne | 29 October 2012 at 06:39 AM
Margery, I know exactly what you mean! I have pretty little notebooks that I'm afraid to write in. I like the humble nature of the spiral notebook - it gives me the psychological freedom to put everything in there, important and not. And when I get to the end of one, I always find myself going back to the beginning, flipping through all the scribbles and lists and notes to myself, along with ideas (some good, some awful) and thinking, "Yep, that's my life."
I think you'll appreciate this article from McSweeney's:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/review-the-mead-spiral-100-college-ruled-notebook
Posted by: Suzonne | 29 October 2012 at 06:35 AM
I just came home with round 2 of my MS spiral notebooks. I can't tell you how much time I've spent at bookstores and office supply stores looking for the perfect daytimer/calender/notepad/planner/receipt and fabric swatch keeper. aaaarrrrrgh! I always come back to the basic spiral notebook. I think it's because it is not too precious to hold all my lists and the scribbling artwork of my kindergartener.
Posted by: Margery | 25 October 2012 at 07:21 PM
I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one who crafts on the dining room table when I have a perfectly good craft room. It was upstairs and it got to the point where I was actually lonely up there all by myself.
Posted by: Nancy Thomas | 22 October 2012 at 04:38 PM
Where did you get the tape? Love it!
Posted by: Aby | 22 October 2012 at 02:04 PM