And since today has been raining and I'm in the midst of purging my office and reorganizing, it has occurred to me that a design notebook would solve a big issue in my office area...
The Solution: A notebook! I love notebooks. While some things are better in a file, other things are better in a three ring binder, like magazine pictures that inspire me. This way I can pull it out easily and browse through it when I need some ideas. And when I tire of a picture, it will be easy to remove. That way the file always stays fresh.
As I was purging these unruly files, I realized that my tastes or needs had moved beyond most of the photos I had been saving. So I got rid of those and the ones that remained I slipped into plastic sleeves so they don't keep getting bent up and wrinkled.
You can purchase these sleeves in bulk at a large warehouse store like Costco and save a lot of money. Besides, keeping these on hand is a great idea. They hold a ton of things including those little product brochures and paint samples that I like to pick up at the home improvement centers.
Now, doesn't that look nicer than a messy file?
A great idea for all of those design magazines I hang onto. I do this for recipes that I find, so why not for other stuff?!
ReplyDeleteYou can come over and organize my files any day you want to Amy.. I'll fix you a nice dinner too! :) Looks great.. what an inspiration..
ReplyDeleteAmy, you're so funny! I've done the same kinda thing for my magazine clippings here :) I LOVE finding inspiration for my home and garden especially, and am bad about tearing out pages from magazines and writing notes on them for future reference. It's always fun flipping through the notebook occasionally for inspiration!
ReplyDeleteAmy, you are too cute. You are not alone in this. I have at least 5, if not a hidden 6th 3-ring binder chock full of stuff...I keep all my Mary Jane's Farm magazines in there, plus a pristine copy to pass on down to any kids I might have one day, seriously...that's two copies of the magazine, everytim eit comes out.. However, my binders consist of DIY articles, how to's , recipes, crafts - lots of crafts - anything related to homekeeping/homemaking..plus of course, decorating ideas and a small section for wedding ideas. However, mainly the other stuff :) :) A good portion of it I use now, but there's also things I want to have on hand for later, because I KNOW that I"m going to have my own home with some land someday. So I want to collect ideas on what to do :) :) :) Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only one that saves things in binders. I use sheet protectors. It's fabulous. Every once in awhile I go through and pull out things that I know I don't want/need anymore. It's fun and serious inspiration, too:) Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah for notebooks, then! Glad to know others are doing it too!
ReplyDeleteAmy, I like your notebook idea. I think that making your home inviting and beautiful has everything to do with homesteading. After all, we spend a lot of hours at home doing our chores and spending time with family and friends.
ReplyDeleteBTW I love the chair and ottoman on the cover of your book.
Amy... How about we have you (and your notebook) over for a cup of coffee soon? :) I am about to embark on a complete kitchen remodel... a first for me. I have about 3 weeks to plan this thing out and not a clue where to start. We have similar styles and tastes... I would LOVE to get some ideas -- without having to head to the library and raid their magazines, armed with my phone's camera!
ReplyDeleteThis works so well. I just finished doing this too. It's interesting to look at how my style has changed over the years.
ReplyDeleteLove it! We have a binder like that as our "House Book" that holds notes on what paint colors we've used in rooms, upgrades to the house, and all our instruction manuals for appliances and such.
ReplyDeleteMe too! Gotta' love those notebooks! I seriously love going through cast-off magazines and tearing out pictures... some I file for use in my thankfulness journal, some I use to decorate the pages of my "daybook" that sits on my desk and my favorite decorating photos get placed in page protectors in my "decorating ideas" notebook~ I just recently divided it up by rooms (kitchen, living room, etc.) So, so fun to browse through for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI agree... I think my need for spring really tends to bring this out in me!
Karen,
ReplyDeleteYou're on! Name the day and time and I'm there!
Joyfulmomofmany -
ReplyDeleteI saw your thankfulness journal - LOVELY! I want to do one, too!
I do this very thing! I love to look through them!
ReplyDeletexo,
Sena
We must all think alike, I do this for almost every thing , knitting and spinning ,leisure garden , kitchen garden , livestock and yard, recipes , etc etc glad I'm not alone .
ReplyDeleteHappy organising and wishing you All an inspirational year :)
We're all feeling that need to organize! My goal? To get it done before the outdoor must-do's call! When it's weeding, trimming, tilling, mowing (you get the idea!) time, it's hard to keep ahead of indoor chores. Thanks for the inspiration! -Mary
ReplyDeleteNo need to apologize for inspiring!! I've loved your organizing posts - great ideas. This one is a keeper too. I have the same sort of problem and this is a great solution. Here's one for you . . . you know those really cute Mead style notebooks they make now? The ones you buy just because they are so cute and then wonder what to fill them with? I use one for pictures to inspire my sweater designs and one for weaving designs. Whenever I see a picture that gives me an idea to play with I cut it out and with a glue stick paste it in my book. Then when I'm looking for inspiration I flip through the books. I also have one of those chunky little drawing pads (like 3" by 4" or something) that I just use for colors. Whenever I see a color or a combination of colors that I like I paste it in there.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for the post!!
Thanks for sharing this idea! My family is at the beginning stages of homesteading. We have a long way to go. You have so many great ideas on your blog!
ReplyDeleteReindeer Station Farm ~
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I'm glad you shared you notebook ideas. It hit me reading your comment and Awesome Auntie Jules that a Homesteading Notebook would be wonderful.
You are inspiring! Can I just stay home now and reorganize my desk instead of going to work? Please? :)
ReplyDeleteI would like to be home for a week and just clear clutter. *dream*
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing and went to notebooks last year...only I didn't get enough and need to add more!! I just went through things last week and did some purging myself!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I know I'm happier and more efficient when I'm organized!
Ooooh!!! I have been saving ENTIRE MAGAZINES with gardening ideas... what was I thinking?!? I am so going to do this for gardening and organizing ideas. I love the "look" of certain things, but I can't always translate them for my home/yard. This will be handy! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, notebooks! Love them too & I do the same thing with landscaping, organizing, & decorating ideas as well as recipes! Often times when my stack of magazines gets out of control, I know its time to go through & start tearing away.
ReplyDeleteI still love thumbing through a great magazine for inspiration but I also find so many inspiring ideas on line. Just thought I'd share that there is a website called Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) that kinda works like a bulletin board and anytime you find an image that you love you "pin" it to your "board" Lots of people use it for keeping track of decorating ideas or crafting ideas.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I have a board there -just started it last week! Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteOH I love this idea! We recently bought our new little farm and while we wait to close/move in April, I've been collection more than my fair share of paint chips, magazines, etc. thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have a FAT notebook like this, and now my daughters are starting their own! I don't save any magazines, but I do thumb through a BUNCH.
ReplyDeleteWe have been in the process of trying to redecorate the old farm house we live in. It is 100+ years old, very unusual in the arrangement of the rooms and definitely not plumb!! Haha!! Anyway, I did start a similar decorating notebook but I've kept it in the computer instead of having a physical notebook. My biggest problem is what to do with one room in the house that really doesn't seem to have a specific purpose. It is the original part of the house, is the home of our wood burning stove and has a doorway on each wall with an additional sliding glass door on the south-facing wall. It is about about 9x14 feet and I just don't know what to do with it. My decorating theme throughout the house is mainly country shabby chic primitive. (Otherwise called eclectic, haha). I love repurposing things, having things in my home that have their own history other than being recently purchased from Wal-Mart. I love knowing that each item has been involved in someone else's life. My kids and I would make up stories about old things when they were young like who may have owned it, what it may have had cooked in it, what the family was like that owned it, where it may have traveled, etc. Any suggestions on what to do with this odd room?
ReplyDeleteAn extra room? What a wonderful problem to have! If you haven't lived in the house long, you might want to just "live with it" for a while to know what you want to do. I had to do that with our bonus space upstairs and I was surprised to find that what I thought it should be was not what it needed to be. And to this day, I have kept it a bit "undecorated" because as the children grow, I can tell it will need to change again.
DeleteYou've done a good job describing it, but I will still be guessing as to it's best purpose since I don't know where in the house it is located, etc., but here are some thoughts... Ann Voskamp has a space for prayer (http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/01/seven-ways-to-keep-your-home-strong/), or it could be a reading room (especially with the cozy wood stove), or if you added a round table, it could be a room to play games. Even if you don't homeschool, it could become a place of learning - just add elements that encourage study, research, exploring, discovering, etc. Hope you find just the right niche for this space!
I've had these for years -- notebooks and files -- but am now moving this to Pinterest. It is a clutter-less way of handling the materials. If I see something in a magazine I like (though I don't subscribe to any because I hate the clutter), I find it online and clip it to one of my Pinterest boards.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this idea! I am right with you on all of the magazine photos and clippings cut out and everywhere. This is a "must do" for me!
ReplyDelete