Think outside of the box...

Think outside of the box or in this case the suitcase. When I saw my parent's old suitcases in their attic and then saw my grandmother's suitcase, I knew I had to have them. Thankfully my parents obliged and let me take them home. For me they serve two purposes, the blue ones are a momento of my childhood travels. Many a wonderful summer was had traveling around the U.S. And of course anything I have that belongs to my grandmother is just like having her still here. I use all of these wonderful suitcases to store other momentos such as awards my daughter has received from school, letters and cards that are special to me and even some special toys that someday will be held by our grandchildren. What I like about them is that they are storage units that also add to the decor of our house. The plastic boxes are hidden away, but these can be out in plain view for all to enjoy. T

Summer Salad

This is my favorite summer salad but it can certainly be served anytime of year... Summer Salad: 1 package of grape tomatoes sliced in half 1 package of mini seedless cucumbers sliced 1 can medium black olives 1/2 Vidallia onion chopped 1 package Good Seasons Italian dressing (prepared) Mix all ingredients together and let them marinate for at least thirty minutes before serving. Variations: You can also make a citrus vinegarette out of lemon/orange/lime juice, olive oil and salt/pepper You can also add more chopped veggies like celery/carrots/radishes. Feta cheese would be a nice addition as well. Enjoy! T

Ideas

We all do it. We see articles in magazines or flyers. We print recipes we want to try. Or those travel brochures we pick up with the hope of someday using. But what we usually end up with is a stack of paper that grows and grows and by the time we get to it, we end up so frustrated that we toss the whole pile. To help with this situation, I made four folders and labeled them: Ideas, Projects, Recipes and Travel When the folders get full I know that is the time I need to go through them. It holds me accountable and I am more likely to actually use the ideas since I am not battling a mountain of paper. Another alternative is to keep these folders in a bag and when you are waiting to pick up your kids from school or activites, or in a waiting room at the doctor or dentist, you have a few minutes to go through them and it will make your time go by faster too.

T

Labels

An organizer's best friend has to be a label maker. Not only does it come in handy for the obvious task of labeling boxes, but you can use it for so much more. For folks with kids, label makers are a wonderful way to organize baby/kids clothing by size in storage boxes and also organizing school papers. Labeling shelves in medicine cabinets, leftovers, spice jars, canning jars literally your possibilities are endless. Take it to every level in the house especially the dreaded basement. You can't imagine how much time you waste looking for items that can clearly be labeled. A label maker is the most cost efficent item you should purchase because its use will far outweigh the cost. T

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! I am so excited to be sharing many of my ideas for crafting, cooking and organization! I would love to hear your ideas and read your comments too! Please check back often and thank you for visiting! T