Waiting for the water to boil or the nail polish to dry (or your turn in the endless line of party preparers waiting to pay the cashier) is a time when the topic of New Year's resolutions crops up. And there's a minute to think of what you want to be, and how you want to be.
What I want to be is a better writer. How I do that is write this and my "patient experience" post on HEN BACKTALK blog today.
How I want to be is free of this disease. How I work toward that is to show up for my radiation appointments. And go for a walk before my pre-appointment shower. And another walk later. And some workout time this evening. And skip the vanilla latte today. And take a nap if I need one today.
How I want to be is a good friend and relative. I know some ways to do that today.
If you are in a group that believes in paying your debts by the new year, you can write one check today. Or two. I can call the dentist and ask her to take my cleaning off my credit card today.
I still don't have a place for a kitchen calendar where I could put gold stars for things I do today, but I still do have a red purse calendar with room to draw a star or two.
Today.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
THE H WORD - Sherlock says: Don't mess with this
The great way to stop stuff trouble is to build good habits. It takes time. It takes reminding the family - until they hate hearing about it. But it works. The laundry actually ends up in the hamper which you've kept near the tub and shower. The dry cleaning ends up in the container you cleverly positioned on the way to the car, or the bus. Let's talk about an imaginary woman called Sheila.
Sheila has herself firmly in hand, and her habits going strong. Her hamper works, her dry cleaning gets dry cleaned. She owes herself a frappucino.
Then along comes a new idea. A new central organizer or something. It might even be something from my blog. Creativity raises its not always wise head. Sheila says Aha! She thinks the new thing is very high tech looking, or very Victorian, or whatever. She makes a date for charity to pick up the hampers.
She buys the new thing. Admires it. Happily plunks things in it. Then Sherlock notices (almost immediately) that something isn't right. The dirty clothes are still near the shower - on the floor. The dry cleaning is draped over the hall chair with her coat for the office. Nothing has been dry cleaned for some time.
What happened? Her good habits are short-circuited. All the training it took to get things in the hampers is gone with the wind, so to speak.
Luckily, Sherlock had a talk with Sheila, and the New thing is now a sorter for different types of cat paraphernalia like brushes and food and sand and flea drops and rubber mice. 'Nuff said.
Sheila has herself firmly in hand, and her habits going strong. Her hamper works, her dry cleaning gets dry cleaned. She owes herself a frappucino.
Then along comes a new idea. A new central organizer or something. It might even be something from my blog. Creativity raises its not always wise head. Sheila says Aha! She thinks the new thing is very high tech looking, or very Victorian, or whatever. She makes a date for charity to pick up the hampers.
She buys the new thing. Admires it. Happily plunks things in it. Then Sherlock notices (almost immediately) that something isn't right. The dirty clothes are still near the shower - on the floor. The dry cleaning is draped over the hall chair with her coat for the office. Nothing has been dry cleaned for some time.
What happened? Her good habits are short-circuited. All the training it took to get things in the hampers is gone with the wind, so to speak.
Luckily, Sherlock had a talk with Sheila, and the New thing is now a sorter for different types of cat paraphernalia like brushes and food and sand and flea drops and rubber mice. 'Nuff said.
Friday, December 20, 2013
THREE PAIRS OF TWEEZERS
No, I don't tweeze in the car. And never in Starbucks' restroom (although the light is excellent there.) So where do tweezers escape to?
I brought a pair with me in my suitcase, but moving was such a trauma that I just couldn't find them. No problem, I got a ride to the drugstore and got a pair that were a little more visible. The little basket I take to the bathroom was kinda full, and so were the transparent pockets in the closet where I hang my clothes, but I found a place for the tweezers. A place I never found again.
It was always hard to see brow hairs in the bathroom here, so I had finally figured out a way to pile up some books to hold my magnifying mirror by the window. Then all I needed were tweezers. Sherlock was no help. I have an extra basket for some grooming stuff I rarely use. I emptied it three times and searched the contents. No tweezers. I looked in a plastic box that holds night-time medicine, nail files, whatever I might need at night. No luck. It appeared that I would soon have more tweezers than eyelashes.
So I bit the bullet, so to speak, and bought yet another pair. They can't defeat me! I put a red thread through the joint in the handles. This is much harder than threading a needle. It didn't make the tweezers easier to find, and the thread gets in your eye.
Then one day I went looking for the shoe polish in the closet where all the shelves are. That one has transparent pockets on the door, too. There they were, miles from any other face product--both earlier sets of tweezers.
I need a new category for where stuff goes. No, I need a sidecar on the seriously loaded basket of my grooming tools. Or a nap. Before I try to see my eyebrows, and try to avoid the John L Lewis brow, which is definitely not the Red Carpet look right now.
I brought a pair with me in my suitcase, but moving was such a trauma that I just couldn't find them. No problem, I got a ride to the drugstore and got a pair that were a little more visible. The little basket I take to the bathroom was kinda full, and so were the transparent pockets in the closet where I hang my clothes, but I found a place for the tweezers. A place I never found again.
It was always hard to see brow hairs in the bathroom here, so I had finally figured out a way to pile up some books to hold my magnifying mirror by the window. Then all I needed were tweezers. Sherlock was no help. I have an extra basket for some grooming stuff I rarely use. I emptied it three times and searched the contents. No tweezers. I looked in a plastic box that holds night-time medicine, nail files, whatever I might need at night. No luck. It appeared that I would soon have more tweezers than eyelashes.
So I bit the bullet, so to speak, and bought yet another pair. They can't defeat me! I put a red thread through the joint in the handles. This is much harder than threading a needle. It didn't make the tweezers easier to find, and the thread gets in your eye.
Then one day I went looking for the shoe polish in the closet where all the shelves are. That one has transparent pockets on the door, too. There they were, miles from any other face product--both earlier sets of tweezers.
I need a new category for where stuff goes. No, I need a sidecar on the seriously loaded basket of my grooming tools. Or a nap. Before I try to see my eyebrows, and try to avoid the John L Lewis brow, which is definitely not the Red Carpet look right now.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
A KITCHEN IDEA REMINDER
Where the devil is it! My nail polish I only use once a year? That scratch touch-up stick? My other, and favorite, lipstick????? The flea medicine for Caruso?
Saw a kitchen on line, I think it was the one in the female-architect designed house. There were little step-ups inside wooden cabinets (the steps seem snowy plastic.) They display the stuff that usually hides behind other stuff in kitchen cabinets, or bathroom, or wherever cabinets. Since they're not wire, they keep the tiniest thing from disappearing.
And they look smart, not tacked-on.
Now where can I find some?
Saw a kitchen on line, I think it was the one in the female-architect designed house. There were little step-ups inside wooden cabinets (the steps seem snowy plastic.) They display the stuff that usually hides behind other stuff in kitchen cabinets, or bathroom, or wherever cabinets. Since they're not wire, they keep the tiniest thing from disappearing.
And they look smart, not tacked-on.
Now where can I find some?
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
IT ISN''T CLUTTER
Today I saw a picture of a kitchen with an indoor tall palm tree. It reminded me that for years I saved a picture of a palm I loved. I even learned the name of it, and tucked away the picture for "someday."
I wish I had made a pretty montage board with photos of things and design that I really admired. It would have taken up almost no space, and saved my favorite indoor and outdoor photos from becoming hidden clutter dumped in a book or file folder. Not to mention that seeing them displayed might have inspired me to act on my finances instead of daydreaming.
When I unexpectedly moved twice, somehow these pictures disappeared. If they had been mounted attractively, the whole display board could have slipped into a plastic folder like the one that holds my writing samples. It wouldn't have added even 25 cents to my UPS bill.
I could secretly do the same on a small scale now, carefully considering my projected budget and avoiding pictures of Ralph Loren's $$$ castoffs.
You can make your own Garden Vision Board, or Indoor Vision Board. And send me a photo.
I wish I had made a pretty montage board with photos of things and design that I really admired. It would have taken up almost no space, and saved my favorite indoor and outdoor photos from becoming hidden clutter dumped in a book or file folder. Not to mention that seeing them displayed might have inspired me to act on my finances instead of daydreaming.
When I unexpectedly moved twice, somehow these pictures disappeared. If they had been mounted attractively, the whole display board could have slipped into a plastic folder like the one that holds my writing samples. It wouldn't have added even 25 cents to my UPS bill.
I could secretly do the same on a small scale now, carefully considering my projected budget and avoiding pictures of Ralph Loren's $$$ castoffs.
You can make your own Garden Vision Board, or Indoor Vision Board. And send me a photo.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
WHERE THINGS GO - and sensory overload
When I read what others write about clutter and our Stuff, they sometimes mention how Stuff everywhere distracts our attention and tires us. When we avoid Stuff Problems, we choose a box for this, a closet for that, a drawer for measuring cups; a different drawer for cooking tools. And we close the drawer.
When friend of mine developed cancer, she was lucky enough to have a therapist who told her: Put all the medical paraphernalia in a box and close the box. Serious illness can drive us to distraction all by itself. If it's inside us, we don't need any unnecessary reminders.
I don't have pills to take for my DCIS (yet). So most of what I have is piles of paper. So much paper that an important reminder for tomorrow almost got lost and ignored.
In desperation, a set up a file folder. All my file folders and hanging files for health are red. This one only says Mammo.
Now I think it should have two separate files--Diagnosis and Fighting. If I later have to take the long-term medicine, it will go in the closet.
I need my concentration for remembering to walk, for counting my exercise reps, for talking to friends and my granddaughter on the phone. For showing up for appointments. For remembering to say thank you. For drawing some Christmas presents, which I love to postpone.
And of course, for remembering to go to Starbucks.
When friend of mine developed cancer, she was lucky enough to have a therapist who told her: Put all the medical paraphernalia in a box and close the box. Serious illness can drive us to distraction all by itself. If it's inside us, we don't need any unnecessary reminders.
I don't have pills to take for my DCIS (yet). So most of what I have is piles of paper. So much paper that an important reminder for tomorrow almost got lost and ignored.
In desperation, a set up a file folder. All my file folders and hanging files for health are red. This one only says Mammo.
Now I think it should have two separate files--Diagnosis and Fighting. If I later have to take the long-term medicine, it will go in the closet.
I need my concentration for remembering to walk, for counting my exercise reps, for talking to friends and my granddaughter on the phone. For showing up for appointments. For remembering to say thank you. For drawing some Christmas presents, which I love to postpone.
And of course, for remembering to go to Starbucks.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
A DIFFERENT HOLIDAY STORY
A radio celeb and single father once said this: I wish I could remember his name. My apologies that I have to post it anonymously:
"My daughter has everything she needs, and a lot of what she wants. The only thing I want to hear from her at Christmas is: 'Daddy, please give me some money to buy presents for other people who don't get any.'"
The same man and his radio guest decried the practice of people giving their kids' used toys to holiday gift drives. It may be a great way to unclutter, but it's not even re-gifting. It's just easy recycling.
There was a Cancer Society thrift store near where I lived in L.A. that put local items out immediately. Once during a budget famine, I got a skirt there once that actually fit. And other people in a budget emergency could get a quality dish or a toss pillow or a scarf for Aunt Hepzibel without raiding the grocery money.
There's a used book store at the library that sometimes has a treasure for a gift.
And yes, I need to do more. And give more. So about the drawing my daughter wants . . .
"My daughter has everything she needs, and a lot of what she wants. The only thing I want to hear from her at Christmas is: 'Daddy, please give me some money to buy presents for other people who don't get any.'"
The same man and his radio guest decried the practice of people giving their kids' used toys to holiday gift drives. It may be a great way to unclutter, but it's not even re-gifting. It's just easy recycling.
There was a Cancer Society thrift store near where I lived in L.A. that put local items out immediately. Once during a budget famine, I got a skirt there once that actually fit. And other people in a budget emergency could get a quality dish or a toss pillow or a scarf for Aunt Hepzibel without raiding the grocery money.
There's a used book store at the library that sometimes has a treasure for a gift.
And yes, I need to do more. And give more. So about the drawing my daughter wants . . .
Sunday, December 8, 2013
ASK SANTA TO BRING A CARPENTER (and where to take him shopping)
As a former closet designer, it is my duty to tell you a lot of clothes closets could use a kitchen designer, but a very experienced, truly innovative kitchen designer. Maybe even better is shopping in a kitchen store.
Kitchen stores are a wonderland of gadgets and especially places to put things. My last design department job was in a such a store. There were interesting cabinets and shelves and gadgets that I could imagine in a wardrobe closet.
For example, I once did an attic wardrobe closet that had loads of floor space and not quite enough wall space for the shelves people had pictured. But if I had worked in the kitchen design store first, I could have solved this with at least one of these . . .
Kitchen cabinet manufacturers now feature a magic "drawer" that is the world's tallest and skinniest. It pulls out to reveal about six feet by three feet of shallow shelves on a backboard, for skinny grinders or skillets too heavy to stack or platters or trays or whatever needs shallow, vertical space.
Think how many flats and loafers and driving shoes you could put in pockets on such a thing! How many sandals! Think how many scarves or belts (or neckties for Santa) would be easy to see and never get dusty! Imagine never standing foolishly on a chair to reach the shoe boxes on the top shelf. Never snagging a blouse as you reach to the back of a regular closet.
And where pull-out cutting boards are available, you could install one in a wardrobe cabinet to keep things neat as you choose the bottom sweater in the stack. Or as a folding shelf.
You'll get some good ideas yourself. The tough part is not spending your holiday money on a new kitchen instead of your wardrobe closet.
Kitchen stores are a wonderland of gadgets and especially places to put things. My last design department job was in a such a store. There were interesting cabinets and shelves and gadgets that I could imagine in a wardrobe closet.
For example, I once did an attic wardrobe closet that had loads of floor space and not quite enough wall space for the shelves people had pictured. But if I had worked in the kitchen design store first, I could have solved this with at least one of these . . .
Kitchen cabinet manufacturers now feature a magic "drawer" that is the world's tallest and skinniest. It pulls out to reveal about six feet by three feet of shallow shelves on a backboard, for skinny grinders or skillets too heavy to stack or platters or trays or whatever needs shallow, vertical space.
Think how many flats and loafers and driving shoes you could put in pockets on such a thing! How many sandals! Think how many scarves or belts (or neckties for Santa) would be easy to see and never get dusty! Imagine never standing foolishly on a chair to reach the shoe boxes on the top shelf. Never snagging a blouse as you reach to the back of a regular closet.
And where pull-out cutting boards are available, you could install one in a wardrobe cabinet to keep things neat as you choose the bottom sweater in the stack. Or as a folding shelf.
You'll get some good ideas yourself. The tough part is not spending your holiday money on a new kitchen instead of your wardrobe closet.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Clutter and the opposite of holiday shopping.
No, this isn't about re-gifting!
My daughter specified no presents except what I paint or draw. Last year was easy - I collected the most interesting autumn-colored leaves on my walk, and made a falling-leaves drawing/painting.
This year I have leaves, but no ideas.
The other problem: because of being unexpectedly busy, I haven't finished sorting the closet, where art supplies cuddle up with books from insurance, maps of this almost un-mappable township, stationery, and mystery novels.
If I had stored more candy in there behind all that, I might find it easier to dig out all the art supplies and see if they give me any ideas.
My strategy of going to Starbucks and postponing the art supplies and scrap picture inspiration is not working. I must think of a reward that keeps me in here in front of the closet. Or just picture her face if she gets her Christmas gift in February.
(PS See your dentist or health practitioner before you try the buried candy closet-search strategy.)
My daughter specified no presents except what I paint or draw. Last year was easy - I collected the most interesting autumn-colored leaves on my walk, and made a falling-leaves drawing/painting.
This year I have leaves, but no ideas.
The other problem: because of being unexpectedly busy, I haven't finished sorting the closet, where art supplies cuddle up with books from insurance, maps of this almost un-mappable township, stationery, and mystery novels.
If I had stored more candy in there behind all that, I might find it easier to dig out all the art supplies and see if they give me any ideas.
My strategy of going to Starbucks and postponing the art supplies and scrap picture inspiration is not working. I must think of a reward that keeps me in here in front of the closet. Or just picture her face if she gets her Christmas gift in February.
(PS See your dentist or health practitioner before you try the buried candy closet-search strategy.)
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
LOST AND FOUND Is this good news?
This morning I couldn't find my red purse calendar. I took the room apart because I had used it yesterday to make a dentist appointment. So it had to be here, right? Finally I realized I might have left it at the grocery store. There it was in their lost and found.
When I first moved here, I couldn't find my front door key. After looking everywhere, I called the library. I had left it on the checkout counter where there is no clutter.
A few days ago I lost my car keys. They were 6 inches from the "car key dish" in a different dish.
So if clutter is not always the cause of the thing I can't find, what is?
It didn't take long to realize that a major culprit is being distracted.
In the library that time, I was trying to hurry and distracted by a dozen things I had to remember to do in a new town and trying not to drop my cane on the floor.
Yesterday in the market, I was distracted by a dozen over-the-counter meds in umpteen sizes, but no sign of the one the doctor suggested.
So what distracts me enough to lose things?
Way too much on my Today list
An awful lot in my purse.
Thinking I have to rush because people are behind me in line.
Just plain NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
And SENSORY OVERLOAD. A mountain of medicine cartons and a shopping list in my hand.
The phone ringing and the cat wrapped around my ankle.
What keeps me from finding some things?
Sensory overload in the purse, on the chest of drawers, in a drawer
In other words. Clutter.
I re-organized the purse a bit, but I still have a long way to go.
If you reorganize or simplify today, give yourself a treat. And don't call me til I finish this ice cream.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
SHERLOCK SEES MY FILES; takes aspirin
Since there's no file cabinet in here, I have a file box on a little table. Easy to reach. And too small. Right now it looks a lot like my recycle bag, because it's too full. Even too full to read the tabs on the manila folders. I wanted this design because all the tabs can be read. Let's face it, I just stick paper in right now where I think the folder is. Okay, I confess: there's also a smaller box of the same design from last year, in the closet on a shelf, ignored. Under torture, I couldn't tell you most of what is in it.
This is a 911- level FILEMERGENCY.
In the bottom of a borrowed closet is a completely empty file box no one uses. That should be my file for paperwork that's in limbo right now. And since I do more and more on the laptop, and store more and more in flash drives, maybe even some research clippings should go in that limbo file. Okay, "inactive" file.
Today, tonight, I will assume squatters rights on that file box, and paste an INACTIVE label on it before Sherlock resigns, packs his headache pills, and goes away.
This is a 911- level FILEMERGENCY.
In the bottom of a borrowed closet is a completely empty file box no one uses. That should be my file for paperwork that's in limbo right now. And since I do more and more on the laptop, and store more and more in flash drives, maybe even some research clippings should go in that limbo file. Okay, "inactive" file.
Today, tonight, I will assume squatters rights on that file box, and paste an INACTIVE label on it before Sherlock resigns, packs his headache pills, and goes away.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE!
Regarding things that are so nice we just keep them a little too long. . . A story that's in my book manuscript:
A neighbor who was moving, a man I really didn't know, started talking to me one day when I was walking along, taking a break from writing about clutter.
He said he was getting ready to move. That one day he had looked at some expensive sweaters and realized he didn't like them that much. He gave them to a man he didn't know. A man who appeared homeless.
Then he was in a big-box store one day when a stranger stopped him. A man. And the man said, "You gave me some good sweaters once. I started wearing them. I was warm. I looked better. And someone offered me some work! A job. You changed my life."
Happy Thanksgiving.
A neighbor who was moving, a man I really didn't know, started talking to me one day when I was walking along, taking a break from writing about clutter.
He said he was getting ready to move. That one day he had looked at some expensive sweaters and realized he didn't like them that much. He gave them to a man he didn't know. A man who appeared homeless.
Then he was in a big-box store one day when a stranger stopped him. A man. And the man said, "You gave me some good sweaters once. I started wearing them. I was warm. I looked better. And someone offered me some work! A job. You changed my life."
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
WHAT TO KEEP may be the most important topic?
Things I'm glad I kept:
A big, wooly, curly, waist-length ivory sweater that buttons down the front. This thing has been knocked off by other companies, but they can't compete with the original. When I bought it, my daughter said it made me look like Lambie-Pie. Then I got slimmer, and it was perfect. Two winters since I left the corporate world, this sweater has done duty as a winter coat on days it doesn't rain.
A emerald frosted glass box that was a gift from my best decorating boss. It's definitely breakable, not ant-proof so it's no place for a candy stash. It's for treasures like the corner of an envelope with a famous writer's return address hand-written. I need it. Beauty is important.
Jewelry my daughter made. Because things my daughters make feel like hugs.
An amazing scarf my daughter made by pulling tufts of beautiful yarn through a scarf of deeply crinkled silk.
Real art in clothes or other belongings doesn't shout 80's or 60's.
Real art, our real treasures, and real beauty keep me from wanting too much trendy stuff with too much hanger appeal.
A big, wooly, curly, waist-length ivory sweater that buttons down the front. This thing has been knocked off by other companies, but they can't compete with the original. When I bought it, my daughter said it made me look like Lambie-Pie. Then I got slimmer, and it was perfect. Two winters since I left the corporate world, this sweater has done duty as a winter coat on days it doesn't rain.
A emerald frosted glass box that was a gift from my best decorating boss. It's definitely breakable, not ant-proof so it's no place for a candy stash. It's for treasures like the corner of an envelope with a famous writer's return address hand-written. I need it. Beauty is important.
Jewelry my daughter made. Because things my daughters make feel like hugs.
An amazing scarf my daughter made by pulling tufts of beautiful yarn through a scarf of deeply crinkled silk.
Real art in clothes or other belongings doesn't shout 80's or 60's.
Real art, our real treasures, and real beauty keep me from wanting too much trendy stuff with too much hanger appeal.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
The Real Trouble Spot
In my beloved mystery novels (writer's heroin) there are pizza boxes and overturned beer bottles among the underwear on the floor in the suspect's place. Oh, and the empty snack bag and half a sandwich. Maybe the racing form. The detectives usually expect this when they open the door.
I have no sandwiches on the floor. There are several clothing items that will not fit in the dresser. Also shoes (not as many as I'd like.) My pink dumbbells. And my purple ones. Books.
And The Desk.
I am notorious for not being able to part with paper. Even stupid paper. Even duplicate letters insisting on signatures on duplicate petitions re health insurance. And I have no bulletin board for the fairly intelligent letter from Blue Cross that explains everything except the dollar amounts for my policy. If I file it, I'll never remember to call and chastise them. Also, I have several receipts at any given time that need to be posted in my spending for the month. Okay, once it was several dozen.
My daughter put Dale Carnegie's book in the bathroom so I can't pretend I don't know where it is. He talks about a secretary who found a long-lost typewriter under the Stuff on her boss's desk! I have not lost my laptop. If you don't even have a desk, do you have a paper collection somewhere?
What I tell other people to do, and then forget, is that all those papers and books and the dustrag are sensory overload that my nerves don't need right now. Or ever.
That treasure box of dishes I brought to Texas will not create gracious living by themselves. They're no match for this desk and my worry at stoplights about whether I ever called that insurance company.
It's not about will power, it's what do I want and how do I want to see myself? A friend of mine sets a good example on that score. I just have to follow it.
I have no sandwiches on the floor. There are several clothing items that will not fit in the dresser. Also shoes (not as many as I'd like.) My pink dumbbells. And my purple ones. Books.
And The Desk.
I am notorious for not being able to part with paper. Even stupid paper. Even duplicate letters insisting on signatures on duplicate petitions re health insurance. And I have no bulletin board for the fairly intelligent letter from Blue Cross that explains everything except the dollar amounts for my policy. If I file it, I'll never remember to call and chastise them. Also, I have several receipts at any given time that need to be posted in my spending for the month. Okay, once it was several dozen.
My daughter put Dale Carnegie's book in the bathroom so I can't pretend I don't know where it is. He talks about a secretary who found a long-lost typewriter under the Stuff on her boss's desk! I have not lost my laptop. If you don't even have a desk, do you have a paper collection somewhere?
What I tell other people to do, and then forget, is that all those papers and books and the dustrag are sensory overload that my nerves don't need right now. Or ever.
That treasure box of dishes I brought to Texas will not create gracious living by themselves. They're no match for this desk and my worry at stoplights about whether I ever called that insurance company.
It's not about will power, it's what do I want and how do I want to see myself? A friend of mine sets a good example on that score. I just have to follow it.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
New Kid on the Block needs Sherlock to track down job-hunt wardrobe
When I first came to Texas, overwhelmed and feeling out of touch with the world, my daughter said something that I'm sure she didn't mean as a wardrobe plan, but that's how I'm taking it.
She said, "The next person who waves to you might be your next boss." Or did she say the next person who says hello to you. Anyway.
That one sentence gave me an overwhelming urge to pay attention to how women who work here seem to dress. I look at my closet with jaundiced eye now that I'm determined to look like the woman who has earned money recently, instead of the woman who came here on a wheelchair flight. This requires much sleight-of-hand since the few office clothes I brought from L.A. were definitely not prepared for the humidity here. Nor the temperature highs and lows. But I'm determined.
So some anti-success clothes are out of the closet and into the donate bag, probably to stay there. And some will never be worn farther than the mailbox. And my beloved jacket with the bling on the collar -- hope I don't have to make it into a quilt. Also I have to take my own advice about the alterations guy. My blazer and a lot of other things need a nip and tuck and sometimes a slash.
But my cardinal rule for looking job-worthy is one that guys have known since before the Great Depression. Since before Louis the XIV probably.
And women far, far too often forget: No suit will make up for shoes that need repair, and please! polishing! When I look like I can't afford shoes, I look like I haven't had a job for decades. So I'm hunting, and I'm writing to shoe companies, and complaining. And I have two tins of black shoe polish, for insurance.
She said, "The next person who waves to you might be your next boss." Or did she say the next person who says hello to you. Anyway.
That one sentence gave me an overwhelming urge to pay attention to how women who work here seem to dress. I look at my closet with jaundiced eye now that I'm determined to look like the woman who has earned money recently, instead of the woman who came here on a wheelchair flight. This requires much sleight-of-hand since the few office clothes I brought from L.A. were definitely not prepared for the humidity here. Nor the temperature highs and lows. But I'm determined.
So some anti-success clothes are out of the closet and into the donate bag, probably to stay there. And some will never be worn farther than the mailbox. And my beloved jacket with the bling on the collar -- hope I don't have to make it into a quilt. Also I have to take my own advice about the alterations guy. My blazer and a lot of other things need a nip and tuck and sometimes a slash.
But my cardinal rule for looking job-worthy is one that guys have known since before the Great Depression. Since before Louis the XIV probably.
And women far, far too often forget: No suit will make up for shoes that need repair, and please! polishing! When I look like I can't afford shoes, I look like I haven't had a job for decades. So I'm hunting, and I'm writing to shoe companies, and complaining. And I have two tins of black shoe polish, for insurance.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
SHERLOCK DISCOVERS MY FANTASY WARDROBE
I hate that Sherlock found the black dress I hung in the books and paperwork part of my closet in case there's ever another fund raiser at George Clooney's, and I win a ticket. Or I get a tv award or something. Sherlock is almost as nosy as my kids were when they announced to my husband that the shoes I bought were in the trunk of the car. Okay, my fantasy dress needs some sort of sheer black wrap or jacket to hide my upper arm disaster. If you win dinner with George C., will you need an all points bulletin to find a top flight tailor for that little . . .uh, buns problem that makes your fantasy dress hang a little funny?
I once had a fantasy dress that I wore to one big-deal gala and then forgot at the cleaners for years. Didn't get out much to that sort of event . . .
Fill a holiday food drive bag at the grocery store. Put the kitchen tools in alphabetical order, or at least in the drawer they belong in. Just finish something.
There'll be another day when you feel like getting rid of the clothing Oops collection. I promise.
I once had a fantasy dress that I wore to one big-deal gala and then forgot at the cleaners for years. Didn't get out much to that sort of event . . .
Fill a holiday food drive bag at the grocery store. Put the kitchen tools in alphabetical order, or at least in the drawer they belong in. Just finish something.
There'll be another day when you feel like getting rid of the clothing Oops collection. I promise.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
TOO PRETTY part 2
Is it too pretty to just toss into some gas station clothing drive box? But a bit too ripped or worn for the charity outlet fashion shop?
I knew a young lady back in LA who invented a new kind of stuffed toy. She always needed fabrics for the toy, and she was also crazy about buttons.
I also know a guy who was making a puppet or a model of a fantasy person he was going to create on line. Are you with me here?
And I'll bet there are plenty of puppet makers in LA or maybe anywhere near . . . I don't know, maybe a library where kids go to see puppets?
And for that pile of fabric languishing under the bed? Perhaps a school where there are plenty of festivals that require kids' costumes? I know of one of those, too.
There's always a place for clothes too pretty to leave on the porch where it will rain before the truck comes to pick it up. It takes courage to pull out the stuff, say goodbye, and take it to the right place. Don't forget to celebrate when you've done it!
I knew a young lady back in LA who invented a new kind of stuffed toy. She always needed fabrics for the toy, and she was also crazy about buttons.
I also know a guy who was making a puppet or a model of a fantasy person he was going to create on line. Are you with me here?
And I'll bet there are plenty of puppet makers in LA or maybe anywhere near . . . I don't know, maybe a library where kids go to see puppets?
And for that pile of fabric languishing under the bed? Perhaps a school where there are plenty of festivals that require kids' costumes? I know of one of those, too.
There's always a place for clothes too pretty to leave on the porch where it will rain before the truck comes to pick it up. It takes courage to pull out the stuff, say goodbye, and take it to the right place. Don't forget to celebrate when you've done it!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
TOO PRETTY TO THROW AWAY an idea
When I was a little girl, there was the most beautiful quilt at our house. Grandma said it was made of all their best, best dresses. Although the colors were not bright or cheery, since many of those clothes were from the Great Depression, and Grandma probably lived too closet to the steel mill dirt to risk bright colors, the combination in the quilt was beautiful. I couldn't resist touching it.
A few years after Grandma died, my mother moved to a smaller, newer house. She was giving away some things, and I asked for that quilt. She told me it had simply disintegrated. I still think of it.
There is a lot of interest in quilting today. Even my grand-daughter does it. If you have clothes crowding your closet but too pretty to throw away, your local quilting group may have a notice and phone number at the library or in a neighborhood newspaper. Have you thought about asking if someone uses torn or worn but beloved finery for quilts? Or even pillows?
Your Something Old, worn, and beautiful can be made into something new, something beloved.
A few years after Grandma died, my mother moved to a smaller, newer house. She was giving away some things, and I asked for that quilt. She told me it had simply disintegrated. I still think of it.
There is a lot of interest in quilting today. Even my grand-daughter does it. If you have clothes crowding your closet but too pretty to throw away, your local quilting group may have a notice and phone number at the library or in a neighborhood newspaper. Have you thought about asking if someone uses torn or worn but beloved finery for quilts? Or even pillows?
Your Something Old, worn, and beautiful can be made into something new, something beloved.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Stuff everywhere? Can't find the . . whatever?
Corral it! (Don't worry; just because I'm in Texas, I won't start using rancher words every day.) Maybe.
If Sherlock were wandering around the house, he might find that what we thought were stolen goods have been right there in the house. . . but in the wrong places.
Remember the old phone booths with actual books that were held in there with a chain? What if the scissors were tethered where you use them with a pretty but strong ribbon? Or if you're a guy, go ahead and use a chain. Need another pair of scissors for the second floor or the kitchen? While you're looking for the ribbon, you may find the second pair of scissors you've already bought that promptly got lost--needs its own chain.
My shoulder bag (the one that the flight attendants supposedly all use) has a tough cloth tape sewn in with a little snap hook for my car key. I will never confess the jams I got myself into by losing my keys before I started using that little tape. Now if someone will invent a new phone that actually would fit in that purse. . . .or in my pocket. Or somewhere. A pen that is fastened permanently into that purse might be great. In fact I had such a thing before they started with the plastic pens and the collector megabucks pens.
What if the shoe polish were in a plastic sandwich bag that's fastened into the drawer right where you polish your shoes?
You can probably think of some great ideas for corralling things. If you have a teenage or preteen daughter, you could make a fortune telling others how to keep the good mascara and the new lipstick firmly fastened where you can keep an eye on them. I personally have lost two nail files this month, and two pairs of tweezers this year, and I don't have a teenager!
Keep thinking of ways to keep things firmly located. We both know the dog doesn't have the scissors. But the cat did take my nail file.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
SHERLOCK and the hundred dresses
I used to do some storage design that usually involved reminding women that their closets would still be too full no matter what shelves and hanging rods we built into them. And I saw clues to what makes us buy so much. One woman had an armload of beautiful, feminine, flowered tops and dresses. Thinking back to her closet reminds me of my mom. Mom had convinced herself that she couldn't wear the same thing twice to club meetings. So even the guest closet was jammed full of interesting outfits, only one of which I'd ever seen her wear. Since vacations were spent fishing with Dad, she wasn't saving those outfits for the out-of-town crowd.
Making my own clothes as a kid, I fell victim to the prettiest yard goods, the most flattering pattern. Over and over. My allowance wouldn't cover the dresses I saw in Seventeen magazine. By the time I got married, not only was the closet full, but I had a full closet rod of interesting dresses up in the attic.
Years passed. My closet space and sometimes my budget got smaller. I got a job in an upscale store and had to be there every day in full view of her clients. I had lost weight since my corporate days. Five days a week, I wore the only black wool skirt that fit. Burbank, CA can be hot for a wool skirt. But a black straight skirt is just a black skirt so nobody noticed.
It reminded me of a book I read in grade school called The Hundred Dresses. A girl from a not-rich family wore jeans every day. She told other kids she had a hundred dresses. Then her family moved away. They found her empty closet was papered with her colorful drawings of - you guessed it - a hundred dresses. She had learned that a pair of jeans (in those days) was like a plain black skirt. No one knew for sure it was always the same one.
Someone I know can wear the same black denim pants and white shirt to work every shift - no one knows.
Sherlock finds the closets full of flowers and frills and plaids and stripe pleats and colors and even flowered shoes GUILTY of TMHA.
(Too Much Hanger Appeal. Too few basics. And too easy for everyone else to remember.)
Making my own clothes as a kid, I fell victim to the prettiest yard goods, the most flattering pattern. Over and over. My allowance wouldn't cover the dresses I saw in Seventeen magazine. By the time I got married, not only was the closet full, but I had a full closet rod of interesting dresses up in the attic.
Years passed. My closet space and sometimes my budget got smaller. I got a job in an upscale store and had to be there every day in full view of her clients. I had lost weight since my corporate days. Five days a week, I wore the only black wool skirt that fit. Burbank, CA can be hot for a wool skirt. But a black straight skirt is just a black skirt so nobody noticed.
It reminded me of a book I read in grade school called The Hundred Dresses. A girl from a not-rich family wore jeans every day. She told other kids she had a hundred dresses. Then her family moved away. They found her empty closet was papered with her colorful drawings of - you guessed it - a hundred dresses. She had learned that a pair of jeans (in those days) was like a plain black skirt. No one knew for sure it was always the same one.
Someone I know can wear the same black denim pants and white shirt to work every shift - no one knows.
Sherlock finds the closets full of flowers and frills and plaids and stripe pleats and colors and even flowered shoes GUILTY of TMHA.
(Too Much Hanger Appeal. Too few basics. And too easy for everyone else to remember.)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
The Pants With the Magenta Lining
Speaking of confessions:
The black pants with the magenta lining were worn in public only once. I don't know if I liked the lining better than the delightful beads around the lower edge, or vice-versa. I lost weight and put off alterations until they were just too big to alter. Yet they were in the closet--goodbye pants. Goodbye to what I paid for them.
Now there is a blouse I had to have. It is the most "successful-working-woman" blouse I've seen this year. It also looks very hard to iron and likely to need ironing after one washing. I don't know yet because it's too hot here now to wear it. But I want to look like that at work. If I leave it in the closet, it's clutter. If I never put it on, I won't dare to wear it at some important meeting - for fear it wrinkles too much or does something else like show my bra through the knit part. Fear of blouses! I have to pick a day and just road-test it before I really need it.
I think I'll sign off now before I confess that my blazer still hasn't had the sleeves shortened.
Fear of bad alterations is just as bad as fear of bad mechanics and bad plumbers..
The black pants with the magenta lining were worn in public only once. I don't know if I liked the lining better than the delightful beads around the lower edge, or vice-versa. I lost weight and put off alterations until they were just too big to alter. Yet they were in the closet--goodbye pants. Goodbye to what I paid for them.
Now there is a blouse I had to have. It is the most "successful-working-woman" blouse I've seen this year. It also looks very hard to iron and likely to need ironing after one washing. I don't know yet because it's too hot here now to wear it. But I want to look like that at work. If I leave it in the closet, it's clutter. If I never put it on, I won't dare to wear it at some important meeting - for fear it wrinkles too much or does something else like show my bra through the knit part. Fear of blouses! I have to pick a day and just road-test it before I really need it.
I think I'll sign off now before I confess that my blazer still hasn't had the sleeves shortened.
Fear of bad alterations is just as bad as fear of bad mechanics and bad plumbers..
Thursday, October 17, 2013
SHERLOCK IN THE CLOSET - more discoveries
What else is in our closets? Well, in mine, there are some rarely worn things that don't need an alterations expert. Sherlock may discover that I've been lazy. A sort of raincoat/raincape that I've had for years needs only one (1) big black hook and eye or one big black snap to make it very useful. I just haven't taken myself to the local hobby shop to see what they have in the sewing supplies area.
I also have an anorak for rain. Also not new. It needs some new buttons and sleeve elastic. Once again, stuff I could buy and install myself.
What? You can't sew a button? This brings us to that other dread solution:
Asking for help. You'll be surprised who knows how to do that - even military veterans have learned such things. Offering to pull some weeds or fold the laundry may be necessary, but then I'd have two decent rain jackets and you'd have . . . whatever it is.
As for that navy tank top long enough for an NBA star . . .I'll bet Sherlock is itching to put that thing in the donations basket at this very minute. But I may grab it back from him and save it for when I get my jeans altered. I'm going to. Really.
I also have an anorak for rain. Also not new. It needs some new buttons and sleeve elastic. Once again, stuff I could buy and install myself.
What? You can't sew a button? This brings us to that other dread solution:
Asking for help. You'll be surprised who knows how to do that - even military veterans have learned such things. Offering to pull some weeds or fold the laundry may be necessary, but then I'd have two decent rain jackets and you'd have . . . whatever it is.
As for that navy tank top long enough for an NBA star . . .I'll bet Sherlock is itching to put that thing in the donations basket at this very minute. But I may grab it back from him and save it for when I get my jeans altered. I'm going to. Really.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
SHERLOCK HOLMES In Our Closets
When my closet bulges, it doesn't mean I have too much money. Even Sherlock probably couldn't figure out a woman's closet, but if he could he would see more than one issue.
In mine, as I've mentioned, I'm hard to fit. So I buy something that will have to do while I keep looking for a better fit. One fashion guru was bemoaning the clothes with tags still on, but I knew when I bought the Almost Right pants that even they would be gone if I hesitated in the store. Too often, I didn't find the Just Right pants. So I'm wearing the Almost Rights.
Enter Fear of Lousy Alternations. A bad car repair could leave me calling Triple A. Toothache - we know who to call. But if a so-called tailor ruins my jeans, there's nobody to call. On the other hand, if I never have them altered, they hang there being Clutter. It's okay to ask people if they know a good alterations tailor.
Did I mention that if by some miracle I try on a pair of pants that fit, I should get out my wallet pronto. I found a pair of knit pants that fit on the same day I found a pair of dark blue crops that were almost perfect. Luckily, I bought them. I wore those cotton knits every day in post-surgery rehab because they were compatible with the huge brace, and I could put them on myself.
Now, if Sherlock discovers them in my closet, he won't see any dust on them. I wear the knit and the dark blue in rotation all the time in my new home state. They are neutral and low-key enough that no one notices how often I wear them.
The moral: if it really fits, it's useful and neutral, and you aren't oversupplied with the same type, don't wait around til someone else buys it.
In mine, as I've mentioned, I'm hard to fit. So I buy something that will have to do while I keep looking for a better fit. One fashion guru was bemoaning the clothes with tags still on, but I knew when I bought the Almost Right pants that even they would be gone if I hesitated in the store. Too often, I didn't find the Just Right pants. So I'm wearing the Almost Rights.
Enter Fear of Lousy Alternations. A bad car repair could leave me calling Triple A. Toothache - we know who to call. But if a so-called tailor ruins my jeans, there's nobody to call. On the other hand, if I never have them altered, they hang there being Clutter. It's okay to ask people if they know a good alterations tailor.
Did I mention that if by some miracle I try on a pair of pants that fit, I should get out my wallet pronto. I found a pair of knit pants that fit on the same day I found a pair of dark blue crops that were almost perfect. Luckily, I bought them. I wore those cotton knits every day in post-surgery rehab because they were compatible with the huge brace, and I could put them on myself.
Now, if Sherlock discovers them in my closet, he won't see any dust on them. I wear the knit and the dark blue in rotation all the time in my new home state. They are neutral and low-key enough that no one notices how often I wear them.
The moral: if it really fits, it's useful and neutral, and you aren't oversupplied with the same type, don't wait around til someone else buys it.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
COMPUTER CLUTTER Another thing that helps clean out files
What are those little rectangles with arrows that pop up in a computer folder when you move your cursor to a particular title? I think they may be called Tips. Anyway, they tell the last date that I worked on something. This can be a big help:
For instance: One day over a year ago, someone taught me a new resume format for people who have been displaced by the recession. I know the approximate date that happened in June, 2012.
When those little "tips" give me a date before late June of 2012, I'll compare that title with similar ones and probably push the earlier versions into the Recycle Bin pronto.
For instance: One day over a year ago, someone taught me a new resume format for people who have been displaced by the recession. I know the approximate date that happened in June, 2012.
When those little "tips" give me a date before late June of 2012, I'll compare that title with similar ones and probably push the earlier versions into the Recycle Bin pronto.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
COMPUTER CLUTTER or What Have I Done?
I may have thousands of files - mostly Word. And too many Excel files of expenses from last year. (Just dumped those monthly ones as soon as I wrote that.)
What is helping me cut out the losers in Word? I just compared two resumes side by side and saved the best one using a great technique from a free library computer class:
In Word, I can view two documents side by side by: pressing the little Microsoft flag key in the bottom row of my keyboard at the same time I press one of the direction arrow keys. Then do the same for the other document and the other arrow key.
This way I can switch back and forth as many times as necessary, move good stuff, and delete the boring stuff until I have one good document to keep.
Expect another secret I use in the next post soon.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
CLOSET EXPLODING? Looking for help in new places
Of all places I didn't expect tips on over-Stuffing closet habits, it's Prevention mag. The June issue has been hanging around on a shelf. I saw a picture of a woman with too many pretty boxes and quickly turned the page. Then I realized the June NEED TO KNOW, on a money topic, had tips on things to do instead of "retail therapy." Although shopping isn't the only way we get Overstuffed closets, it's a clever article with good reminders on good habits. Hope you can find a copy, maybe at a library. Or on a shelf at home?
Friday, September 27, 2013
FAVORITE TOOLS FOR ORGANIZING OR WHATEVER
Some things are more talented than they seem, for instance:
NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS. A fingernail saver. Especially good for all kinds of stuff in the kitchen, even pulling that nasty plastic stretch inner lid off the little cup of chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
A long, narrow GADGET THAT THREADS ELASTIC thru waistband, or wrists or whatever. There is an ugly rumor that this gadget is no long manufactured. Give presents to anyone who will lend you one. An extremely long crochet hook might work, but don't count on it.
SWEATER DRYER - I have one sweater that's washer-okay, but not dryer-okay, so these mesh things up on little legs are essential. Also for my little stretchy liner sox for inside walking shoes. I once knew someone who dried her cashmeres on towels on the carpeted floor, so I'm convinced most knits may not need the cleaners. CAUTION: cats think this thing is a bed.
PLASTIC PUSH PINS (the ones that look like a little spool with a pin in one end) Besides bulletin boards, you can pin the head-liner of your drive-to-work car up where it belongs so it won't fall on your face in traffic. My daughter taught me this. You can hang up anything smaller than a cat with these little pins. Okay, almost anything.
A NOTEBOOK WITH SEE-THRU PAGES I can stuff in torn off corners of envelopes with return addresses and file them sort of alphabetically. Remember how easy it is to keyboard these addresses all wrong, thus losing the guy forever. Judging from letters I receive, most people transpose house numbers easily.
The THREE COMPARTMENT STAND-UP ORGANIZER my daughter put in my car trunk so coolant bottles and other things don't roll around and leak. (In LA, this would have been super handy due to having to brake every five minutes for maniacal drivers.)
Those SETS OF PLASTIC POCKETS THAT HANG OVER DOORS so you never lose stuff like your expensive ear buds or backup stock of your prescription.
That wondrous little PLASTIC OR NYLON KNIT SCRUB GLOVE from the 99 cent store that keeps me from dropping the soap in the shower. I admit the texture is exfoliating. You could probably wash dishes with those things, too.
NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS. A fingernail saver. Especially good for all kinds of stuff in the kitchen, even pulling that nasty plastic stretch inner lid off the little cup of chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
A long, narrow GADGET THAT THREADS ELASTIC thru waistband, or wrists or whatever. There is an ugly rumor that this gadget is no long manufactured. Give presents to anyone who will lend you one. An extremely long crochet hook might work, but don't count on it.
SWEATER DRYER - I have one sweater that's washer-okay, but not dryer-okay, so these mesh things up on little legs are essential. Also for my little stretchy liner sox for inside walking shoes. I once knew someone who dried her cashmeres on towels on the carpeted floor, so I'm convinced most knits may not need the cleaners. CAUTION: cats think this thing is a bed.
PLASTIC PUSH PINS (the ones that look like a little spool with a pin in one end) Besides bulletin boards, you can pin the head-liner of your drive-to-work car up where it belongs so it won't fall on your face in traffic. My daughter taught me this. You can hang up anything smaller than a cat with these little pins. Okay, almost anything.
A NOTEBOOK WITH SEE-THRU PAGES I can stuff in torn off corners of envelopes with return addresses and file them sort of alphabetically. Remember how easy it is to keyboard these addresses all wrong, thus losing the guy forever. Judging from letters I receive, most people transpose house numbers easily.
The THREE COMPARTMENT STAND-UP ORGANIZER my daughter put in my car trunk so coolant bottles and other things don't roll around and leak. (In LA, this would have been super handy due to having to brake every five minutes for maniacal drivers.)
Those SETS OF PLASTIC POCKETS THAT HANG OVER DOORS so you never lose stuff like your expensive ear buds or backup stock of your prescription.
That wondrous little PLASTIC OR NYLON KNIT SCRUB GLOVE from the 99 cent store that keeps me from dropping the soap in the shower. I admit the texture is exfoliating. You could probably wash dishes with those things, too.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
CAN'T THIN OUT THAT WARDROBE? Try this
Every day I see young women who could look a lot better than they do. Older women, too. They forgot to do one urgent thing before they left the house. . .
Check their rear-view mirror!
I've had some clothes that I probably would have gotten rid of immediately if I'd seen the back view. . Right now, I have to hold up a mirror to see the back before I go out. It's worth the effort.
But even holding up the mirror, I miss one important thing: the rear view in motion! With buns like mine, I could use at least a light control panty even in the indescribable Texas humidity. If only I can find one.
No matter how thin you are, if some clothes make you hate to walkout of a crowded room, give them the acid test. Ask a friend you trust to use your new tiny video camera and shoot your back view as you walk away from her. Just in case, insist she use your camera; then she can't yield to temptation. Yes, I know you trust her.
And don't ask Mom, or you'll get some announcements with your photos.
When you've seen the video, donate those clothes you don't ever want to walk away in. See how spacious your closet suddenly looks?
Check their rear-view mirror!
I've had some clothes that I probably would have gotten rid of immediately if I'd seen the back view. . Right now, I have to hold up a mirror to see the back before I go out. It's worth the effort.
But even holding up the mirror, I miss one important thing: the rear view in motion! With buns like mine, I could use at least a light control panty even in the indescribable Texas humidity. If only I can find one.
No matter how thin you are, if some clothes make you hate to walkout of a crowded room, give them the acid test. Ask a friend you trust to use your new tiny video camera and shoot your back view as you walk away from her. Just in case, insist she use your camera; then she can't yield to temptation. Yes, I know you trust her.
And don't ask Mom, or you'll get some announcements with your photos.
When you've seen the video, donate those clothes you don't ever want to walk away in. See how spacious your closet suddenly looks?
Sunday, September 15, 2013
TRAIN YOUR BATHROOM TO CUT CLUTTER Part Two
Stop! Before you hang those coat hooks for easy towel hanging, before you even buy the hooks, I must confess I forgot the basic planning step. It's no use having wonderful towel catchers in the wrong places!
Whoever finished the interior of the bathroom may have seen a nice flat wall somewhere, and happily hung a bunch of towel racks on it. Are there towels on the floor? Then don't put your new towel hooks where the towel racks were.
As I've written before, the cardinal rule is: put things where you use them. Most wet people will find a towel, somewhere. But the usual procedure is:
1. Get wet
2. Dry off
3. Let go of towel.
The hook must be right where the hand lets go. If kids are involved, see step 3a.
3a. Or, put a hamper right where hand releases towel. There are soft, mesh hampers now, for crowded spots, easy on the toes, easy on wrestling kids. These softies have open tops, a necessary feature.
Say goodbye to the cute hamper with a lid. People who just showered are often in a rush.
Caution: I don't urge dropping wet towels right into the clothes chute, if you're lucky enough to have one. Green things are in the air, at the bottom of the even the cleanest clothes chute, waiting for something to nest on.
Whoever finished the interior of the bathroom may have seen a nice flat wall somewhere, and happily hung a bunch of towel racks on it. Are there towels on the floor? Then don't put your new towel hooks where the towel racks were.
As I've written before, the cardinal rule is: put things where you use them. Most wet people will find a towel, somewhere. But the usual procedure is:
1. Get wet
2. Dry off
3. Let go of towel.
The hook must be right where the hand lets go. If kids are involved, see step 3a.
3a. Or, put a hamper right where hand releases towel. There are soft, mesh hampers now, for crowded spots, easy on the toes, easy on wrestling kids. These softies have open tops, a necessary feature.
Say goodbye to the cute hamper with a lid. People who just showered are often in a rush.
Caution: I don't urge dropping wet towels right into the clothes chute, if you're lucky enough to have one. Green things are in the air, at the bottom of the even the cleanest clothes chute, waiting for something to nest on.
Monday, September 9, 2013
DESK STUFF - you'll never guess these organizers
My desk is tiny, and full. I have a basket for the little stuff, since there is no drawer. In the little basket are two things that help organize it all.
One is - an empty plastic glass from a Starbucks tall iced coffee. Pencils, pens, a plastic sleeve of stamps, and a tiny ruler all stand at attention.
I also use these empty plastic glasses in my "portable bathroom" basket to keep toothbrushes standing, and keep floss from disappearing. (Why didn't I save that for a bathroom post. . .)
The other wonderful helper is a tall,skinny plastic envelope with a snap top. Maybe pens came in this; if so, you can find one. It SAVES me because only my latest flash drive goes in it. Ever. The snap top makes it easy to find among all the pens, markers and whatever.
The moral? Neither one costs money, unless you buy pens you don't even like, just to get one of those envelopes to promote to Flash Drive Holder.
One is - an empty plastic glass from a Starbucks tall iced coffee. Pencils, pens, a plastic sleeve of stamps, and a tiny ruler all stand at attention.
I also use these empty plastic glasses in my "portable bathroom" basket to keep toothbrushes standing, and keep floss from disappearing. (Why didn't I save that for a bathroom post. . .)
The other wonderful helper is a tall,skinny plastic envelope with a snap top. Maybe pens came in this; if so, you can find one. It SAVES me because only my latest flash drive goes in it. Ever. The snap top makes it easy to find among all the pens, markers and whatever.
The moral? Neither one costs money, unless you buy pens you don't even like, just to get one of those envelopes to promote to Flash Drive Holder.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Train your bathroom to cut clutter
Why are all these towels on the floor? Since I'm a Droppit, I'm practically an expert on why towels are on the floor. My decorating jobs, however, fiercely motivated me to do something about the bathroom floor, the edge of the tub, and all other flat surfaces.
The thing about standard towel racks that seem to come with every bathroom wall is that the towel is hard to hang unless one actually FOLDS it. Way too slow. And some of us have not mastered the art of nice folding. Solution? In one or more bathrooms, I've used towel rings--at least slightly forgiving, and at least the towel isn't on the floor.
HIGH SPEED solution? If you can find them, good looking coat hooks, single or in sets, will catch the towel as one rushes past. Certain family members may not notice these hooks unless clearly notified that the hooks are new and are for towels.
CAUTION: Small children left unattended too long may attempt to hang other things like chairs or small siblings--even cats on the hooks, just to see what will happen. But then, those are the same kids that tried to chin themselves on the old towel rods.
The thing about standard towel racks that seem to come with every bathroom wall is that the towel is hard to hang unless one actually FOLDS it. Way too slow. And some of us have not mastered the art of nice folding. Solution? In one or more bathrooms, I've used towel rings--at least slightly forgiving, and at least the towel isn't on the floor.
HIGH SPEED solution? If you can find them, good looking coat hooks, single or in sets, will catch the towel as one rushes past. Certain family members may not notice these hooks unless clearly notified that the hooks are new and are for towels.
CAUTION: Small children left unattended too long may attempt to hang other things like chairs or small siblings--even cats on the hooks, just to see what will happen. But then, those are the same kids that tried to chin themselves on the old towel rods.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
A Low Blood Pressure oasis for the Family
"Nobody ever sits in here!" A co-worker in a business where I was decorating invited me over to her house one day. The small room in question had some nice furniture, including a secretary that looked very valuable and a bit formal. And the other furniture was upholstered to be equally formal. The family included a motorcycle owner and some teens.
We picked a wide wale cord for an armchair and ottoman, and replaced silky looks with sturdy fabric in "early American" turkey red and dark green. The mood was definitely curl up and get cozy. No television in there made it perfect for reading the paper, petting the cat, writing a letter . . . even homework.
The floor plan enhanced the peace and quiet - the room wasn't the best route to the refrigerator, so people weren't passing through and chattering on the way. The owner called a few days after we were finished and announced that the whole family was already into putting their feet up and relaxing there.
Sound impossible? This was a real family, not like some I've seen on television. With a little thought (okay, more than a little) can you carve out a low pressure hideout at your place? The younger your kids, the easier it might be to start that custom now.
PS If your family's dream oasis hopes for less quiet and more "touchdown" just start with a sketch on a napkin. Maybe you want more kitchen access or a fridge (and trash facilities) right in the oasis room. Or do you want the game time relaxing furniture and big screen right in the kitchen? Dream. Make it yours.
.
We picked a wide wale cord for an armchair and ottoman, and replaced silky looks with sturdy fabric in "early American" turkey red and dark green. The mood was definitely curl up and get cozy. No television in there made it perfect for reading the paper, petting the cat, writing a letter . . . even homework.
The floor plan enhanced the peace and quiet - the room wasn't the best route to the refrigerator, so people weren't passing through and chattering on the way. The owner called a few days after we were finished and announced that the whole family was already into putting their feet up and relaxing there.
Sound impossible? This was a real family, not like some I've seen on television. With a little thought (okay, more than a little) can you carve out a low pressure hideout at your place? The younger your kids, the easier it might be to start that custom now.
PS If your family's dream oasis hopes for less quiet and more "touchdown" just start with a sketch on a napkin. Maybe you want more kitchen access or a fridge (and trash facilities) right in the oasis room. Or do you want the game time relaxing furniture and big screen right in the kitchen? Dream. Make it yours.
.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Your Oasis
What we hate most about clutter is usually how it looks. Right now I'm not concerned about how it looks to neighbors unless they burst into tears when dropping over for coffee. I just mean how it looks to us. Our over-stuff can be distracting and nagging us when we're supposed to be ordering ornamental chard by mail. Or getting some sleep.
When the whole of my stuff in my room is just to much to "fix" right now, I've come up with something that helps. My tiny oasis.
Since I'm a drop-it, I come back to the house and drop my sun glasses and keys on the chest of drawers. But now I pick them back up and put them in the set of clear plastic pockets on the back of the door.
I need my oasis, and the top of that chest of drawers is it right now. I need it to be orderly and pretty because my eyes go right there when I enter or even glance into this room. There's a little lamp there, and my beautiful green frosted glass box from my best decorating boss. There are two little flowering plants, and my clock and water glass. Of course, one sand dollar from my wonderful years at the beach. Best of all, a get-well drawing my pal Tom made and gave me at the first hospital last year. Last but not least, a perfectly unobtrusive small set of 3 tiny notepads.
What keeps the surface honest (almost always) is that the top drawer of the chest absorbs all the little bottles and tubes from the medical world, and more grooming stuff, and the renegade sox, so I don't have to look at them.
In my old apartment in the hills, a coffee table and two chairs were my oasis - no pills, no lotions, no abandoned cola bottles. Just a peaceful surface and a place to get comfortable.
If you're about to go into a big, dramatic clear-out, toss-out, dump-out for whatever reason, PLEASE make your oasis first. Piles of boxes and bags may grow in other rooms or other corners, but you'll need your calm corner to withdraw and regroup after all that carrying and all that deciding.
This oasis is doubly important if you work at home. I can't give you a sure fire remedy to keep the rest of the household out of it, but keep insisting, bribe them if you must. Keeping it uncluttered is for you even if you have to evict some lunch they left behind.
What's your favorite oasis? Or where do you want one?
More on this soon.
When the whole of my stuff in my room is just to much to "fix" right now, I've come up with something that helps. My tiny oasis.
Since I'm a drop-it, I come back to the house and drop my sun glasses and keys on the chest of drawers. But now I pick them back up and put them in the set of clear plastic pockets on the back of the door.
I need my oasis, and the top of that chest of drawers is it right now. I need it to be orderly and pretty because my eyes go right there when I enter or even glance into this room. There's a little lamp there, and my beautiful green frosted glass box from my best decorating boss. There are two little flowering plants, and my clock and water glass. Of course, one sand dollar from my wonderful years at the beach. Best of all, a get-well drawing my pal Tom made and gave me at the first hospital last year. Last but not least, a perfectly unobtrusive small set of 3 tiny notepads.
What keeps the surface honest (almost always) is that the top drawer of the chest absorbs all the little bottles and tubes from the medical world, and more grooming stuff, and the renegade sox, so I don't have to look at them.
In my old apartment in the hills, a coffee table and two chairs were my oasis - no pills, no lotions, no abandoned cola bottles. Just a peaceful surface and a place to get comfortable.
If you're about to go into a big, dramatic clear-out, toss-out, dump-out for whatever reason, PLEASE make your oasis first. Piles of boxes and bags may grow in other rooms or other corners, but you'll need your calm corner to withdraw and regroup after all that carrying and all that deciding.
This oasis is doubly important if you work at home. I can't give you a sure fire remedy to keep the rest of the household out of it, but keep insisting, bribe them if you must. Keeping it uncluttered is for you even if you have to evict some lunch they left behind.
What's your favorite oasis? Or where do you want one?
Friday, August 16, 2013
What Does Your Closet Say?
Somebody won't like this, but here's what I've noticed through the years in closet design and reading shelter magazines. . .
If the closet belongs to an entertainer who is seen as well as heard, there will be a lot of clothes.
If I'm touring an old landmark home that may no longer be occupied, the closets will likely be surprisingly small, even if the lady's closet is in a dressing room/private sitting room where a friend might come to talk fashion and have tea.
In an upscale magazine closet ad, we will see very few clothes. The "rich" signal is fine cabinet work, even if the plan seems inconvenient to us. It will be clear that the fictitious "home" has a lot of room for closets. The clothes in the ad photo are never crowded--there is empty space. I wish I'd had a couple of those pictures in my real estate days, to show to people who wanted a great price for their houses.
Conversely, the most jam-packed closets I ever saw were in very modest homes where the budget didn't allow me to make extensive changes. And these were often the very customers who refused to lay out their clothes and consider thinning them out to get more room.
I'd love to hear your ideas on what this may mean. Are the rich more likely to thin out their wardrobes? Can they say goodbye to clothes more easily? Do they feel secure because they expect to afford more clothes next season? Or do they feel insecure if they don't make room to shop often? Or were most of their clothes at the cleaners?
There are exceptions, of course. But the contrast makes me think.
If the closet belongs to an entertainer who is seen as well as heard, there will be a lot of clothes.
If I'm touring an old landmark home that may no longer be occupied, the closets will likely be surprisingly small, even if the lady's closet is in a dressing room/private sitting room where a friend might come to talk fashion and have tea.
In an upscale magazine closet ad, we will see very few clothes. The "rich" signal is fine cabinet work, even if the plan seems inconvenient to us. It will be clear that the fictitious "home" has a lot of room for closets. The clothes in the ad photo are never crowded--there is empty space. I wish I'd had a couple of those pictures in my real estate days, to show to people who wanted a great price for their houses.
Conversely, the most jam-packed closets I ever saw were in very modest homes where the budget didn't allow me to make extensive changes. And these were often the very customers who refused to lay out their clothes and consider thinning them out to get more room.
I'd love to hear your ideas on what this may mean. Are the rich more likely to thin out their wardrobes? Can they say goodbye to clothes more easily? Do they feel secure because they expect to afford more clothes next season? Or do they feel insecure if they don't make room to shop often? Or were most of their clothes at the cleaners?
There are exceptions, of course. But the contrast makes me think.
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Secret Life of Closets
My favorite thing I think I ever did in a closet was for a young girl's closet. The mom had a tight budget and just wanted everything done with shelves. But there was a younger child in the family also, who certainly knew how to get things off other people's shelves.
I convinced the mother that we should put in a little drawer with a lock and key, so the big sister could have one small nest of secure privacy for her favorite tiny treasures. I don't think I ever had anything like that when I was a girl.
Closets, in short, can be whatever we need.
I convinced the mother that we should put in a little drawer with a lock and key, so the big sister could have one small nest of secure privacy for her favorite tiny treasures. I don't think I ever had anything like that when I was a girl.
Closets, in short, can be whatever we need.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Today . . . a five-minute closet quickie?
Is there something you can do today in five minutes?
Do you have a big reusable grocery tote that's too nice for groceries? You might take five minutes to put in the MAYBE clothes that probably should go to the Dry Cleaners. Maybe they've just been hanging there unworn for months. Maybe you never looked at the side where you brushed up against a car after a rain. Maybe that zipper really did open all by itself and does need to be replaced by the really good alterations guy at the cleaners. Just stuff them in the bag. If you have to, put it near the outside door so you'll take some action and get them back like new.
And don't do what I did--forgot my once-a-year long black dress at the cleaners until too late.
Do you have a big reusable grocery tote that's too nice for groceries? You might take five minutes to put in the MAYBE clothes that probably should go to the Dry Cleaners. Maybe they've just been hanging there unworn for months. Maybe you never looked at the side where you brushed up against a car after a rain. Maybe that zipper really did open all by itself and does need to be replaced by the really good alterations guy at the cleaners. Just stuff them in the bag. If you have to, put it near the outside door so you'll take some action and get them back like new.
And don't do what I did--forgot my once-a-year long black dress at the cleaners until too late.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
YOU LOVE QUIZZES? Truth or Clutter. . .
Truth or Clutter: Got a pencil?
How many of my clutter problems started in a shopping cart?
10% __ 25% __ 50% __ 75% __ Even the FBI can't make me tell__
I've noticed in upscale shopping areas that there are shopping bags instead of shopping carts. There is no need for carts in a couple of LA/Beverly Hills shops, since they are boutiques with only an armload of clothes in the whole shop.
How willing am I to go into a big-box store or big -box company in a mall with only a shopping bag instead of using a cart?
I'll try it __ How big a bag? ___ Maybe___ Get serious! No cart? ___
I get a cart "only" to put the toddler in, but I know I'll put more than one item to buy in with Bitsy.
True __ Probably true___Who? Me? I might not buy a thing in here__
There are no scores here. Only you know if your regular answer is an answer to the excess stuff at home.
My confession: I think it's ridiculous to wait in line at checkout with only one thing in that cart--so I once added a belt and sash that I never once used so it would seem worth waiting in line. Recently, I went home without the belt I think I needed, rather than wait in line with one thing.
How many of my clutter problems started in a shopping cart?
10% __ 25% __ 50% __ 75% __ Even the FBI can't make me tell__
I've noticed in upscale shopping areas that there are shopping bags instead of shopping carts. There is no need for carts in a couple of LA/Beverly Hills shops, since they are boutiques with only an armload of clothes in the whole shop.
How willing am I to go into a big-box store or big -box company in a mall with only a shopping bag instead of using a cart?
I'll try it __ How big a bag? ___ Maybe___ Get serious! No cart? ___
I get a cart "only" to put the toddler in, but I know I'll put more than one item to buy in with Bitsy.
True __ Probably true___Who? Me? I might not buy a thing in here__
There are no scores here. Only you know if your regular answer is an answer to the excess stuff at home.
My confession: I think it's ridiculous to wait in line at checkout with only one thing in that cart--so I once added a belt and sash that I never once used so it would seem worth waiting in line. Recently, I went home without the belt I think I needed, rather than wait in line with one thing.
Friday, July 12, 2013
The New Thing in the Bathroom
Hanging on the door (actually, its flat hooks hang over the top of the door) to the tub compartment here is something I had not seen: a vertical organizer made of cloth, with pockets wide enough for a yellow legal tablet. And the smart designer added a little pocket full of pens!
I usually don't need to write on a big pad in the shower area, but this gadget now contains a couple of books. So maybe it would hold a very small hair dryer?
Maybe it would be a blessing in the bedroom for slippers or bulky running socks. . .? Bras?
Maybe by my minuscule desk?
Got any ideas for your place?
The tag says Reisenthel , and some things from them can be bought from Amazon.
Maybe those flat over-door hooks can be bought somewhere?
I usually don't need to write on a big pad in the shower area, but this gadget now contains a couple of books. So maybe it would hold a very small hair dryer?
Maybe it would be a blessing in the bedroom for slippers or bulky running socks. . .? Bras?
Maybe by my minuscule desk?
Got any ideas for your place?
The tag says Reisenthel , and some things from them can be bought from Amazon.
Maybe those flat over-door hooks can be bought somewhere?
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
PURSE CLUTTER progress but . . .
I have this "flight attendant" bag, black with 4 zippers. I wanted the last compartment to be personal, you know, tissues, lipstick, dental, cough drops, and such. So of course, the car key snap thing (a fingernail breaker) is in that compartment.
So here's my question: this purse is for females. It has slots for pens. So why can't the personal section have a slot for lipstick, a pocket for throat drops, and so on. Or why can't it have a pull-up thing with slots for everything? And where's my magic water bottle? I need both hands for hands free shopping.
The next compartment has the pencil slots, and pockets for biz cards and basic phone. So with pencil slots, it's the business compartment. My purse calendar with shopping list clipped on, is in here. Also a lifesaving map of my new area. Said map is getting shredded by pulling out the calendar and such.
Now the third, smaller, compartment is used for my multifold wallet, which makes the slim-line purse look like a badger is hiding in here.
Finally, down at the bottom is the smallest compartment. I could complain about how hard it is to use, but . . .
My real question is this: why do other women I see (including actual flight attendants) and others manage to keep this style purse looking virtually empty? They wear lipstick. If they look good enough I guess they can borrow a pen from a guy. So they don't have the umpteen insurance cards and money cards? And other cards that have to be shown, not just looked up on their phone? And a comb? And a driver's license?
If you have any idea on this, do let me know. Meantime I may have to bite the bullet, so to speak, and look for a very flat wallet that still lets me find my library card (for my Michael Connolly fix) and my coffee shop card. In a hurry.
So here's my question: this purse is for females. It has slots for pens. So why can't the personal section have a slot for lipstick, a pocket for throat drops, and so on. Or why can't it have a pull-up thing with slots for everything? And where's my magic water bottle? I need both hands for hands free shopping.
The next compartment has the pencil slots, and pockets for biz cards and basic phone. So with pencil slots, it's the business compartment. My purse calendar with shopping list clipped on, is in here. Also a lifesaving map of my new area. Said map is getting shredded by pulling out the calendar and such.
Now the third, smaller, compartment is used for my multifold wallet, which makes the slim-line purse look like a badger is hiding in here.
Finally, down at the bottom is the smallest compartment. I could complain about how hard it is to use, but . . .
My real question is this: why do other women I see (including actual flight attendants) and others manage to keep this style purse looking virtually empty? They wear lipstick. If they look good enough I guess they can borrow a pen from a guy. So they don't have the umpteen insurance cards and money cards? And other cards that have to be shown, not just looked up on their phone? And a comb? And a driver's license?
If you have any idea on this, do let me know. Meantime I may have to bite the bullet, so to speak, and look for a very flat wallet that still lets me find my library card (for my Michael Connolly fix) and my coffee shop card. In a hurry.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Architectural CLUTTER can be outside, too
I long to change the façade of a house I have seen. The front windows, which may be slight bays, have faceted, slanted copper "hoods." The front door has two white pillars, that support only a bit of flat roof.
I see it in my mind with the pillars gone, or with the same copper treatment over the door. It would almost surely look more expensive either way.
And I'd like it better.
I see it in my mind with the pillars gone, or with the same copper treatment over the door. It would almost surely look more expensive either way.
And I'd like it better.
Monday, June 24, 2013
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