AEDM 13 Day 29 Kristen Toney Campbell´s recipe book

I met Kristen Toney Campbell through a blogging group and immediately fell in love with her blog. It is full of lovely projects with a down to Earth approach that completely suits my style.

As I´m running a decluttering and organizing of crafty material series on my Facebook page with daily tasks and I´m also introducing some holiday prompts to get ready for the season Kristen´s post on a personalized Recipe Holder fit both themes perfectly and I asked her to be my guest here today.

You can find more organizational articles at her "The road to domestication" blog and more tips at her Domestic Road Facebook page.

Here´s Kristen´s demo:

So, I LOVE to cook. Some women don’t like to come home after working a full day and have to cook, but it’s literally one of my favorite times of day! It’s my “me” time, it’s my relaxation time, it’s my time to create and experiment with flavors, textures and styles!

As you can imagine, I’m always finding new recipes. I see them on blogs, I get them in my email, I get them from friends, I pin them on Pinterest…you get the idea. And almost none of them come in the exact same form.

This created a large build-up of papers (of all shapes and sizes), napkins, recipe cards, etc. Whatever form the recipe came in was shoved into a folder, which meant that every time I said, “Hmmm…where did I put that recipe for Paula Deen’s meatloaf I found the other day?” I had to pull out the folder and dig through until I found the desired item. VERY ANNOYING. Not to mention that our kitty figured all the papers spread everywhere was a direct invitation to come along and pounce away. An even bigger mess.

As the holidays drew near (last year), our family began to set up menus for all of the events, and there are always requests for specific dishes I make. The only problem was finding the recipe for all the requested dishes. And I was over it this past holiday season. Something had to give.

So, I searched and searched for the perfect solution. To no avail. After a few weeks of frustration, my husband commented, “Geeze, why don’t you just make your own! You make everything else, don’t you? That way you can customize the whole thing and it will be exactly how you want it to be!”

Smart man I married, smart man.

Here’s what I did – it’s all pretty simple.

1. I picked up a black 2-inch ring notebook, a set of black and white 8.5 X 11 scrapbook papers and a set of sheet protectors. 

2. I went through all of my recipes and separated them all into categories that made sense to ME and the way I cook.

3. I created sections for each chosen category using the sheet protectors, scrapbook papers and my big label maker.

4. I put ALL of my recipes on the SAME SIZE sheet of paper in black and white.

Voila!

What I love about it:

• It’s all black and white. I’m a very black and white person, literally and figuratively, so this worked great for me, and it saves on printer ink, too - but you can do it in any color combination!
•  It’s customized so I know exactly where everything is.
•  It’s easy to add a new recipe.

Here’s what a section looks like:

And here’s what a typical entry looks like! (I just copied this out of a magazine somewhere…I think! Ha!)

I even made the back cover pretty!

I was originally going to put a Table of Contents on the back cover, but I decided not to yet, because I’m always adding and changing things!

This made the holiday season much less stressful, I have to say, and it’s still working perfectly. Did I mention it makes meal planning and grocery shopping SO MUCH EASIER? It does!

Whatcha think? Fairly simple, right?

Thank you for your contibution Kristen! 

Find Kristen on line at her blog: The road to somestication, her Facebook page:  Domestic Road and Twitter: @DomesticRoad

Talking about organzing things, I´ve been working on my plans for December and beyond. I´ve been working with my own pretty papers too:

And here´s the finished layout: Tati´s first cell phone (ok, the only one so far but the title looked cuter with "first" ;) ) which she got when she finished her primary school.

Only one more to go for Art Every Day Month!!! Come back tomorrow for the summary of such an intense month and an invitation to new adventures. :)

Quinn McDonald´s creative space story

Do you yearn for a place to create? This week I talk to trainer, author and business and creativity coach Quinn McDonald, who shares the genesis of her own creative space at home and the work she makes there.

1) When did you start dreaming about having your own creative space? Did you have one as a child?

When I was a child, and until I left home, my bedroom was first a sunporch, then closed in but used as a shortcut to both the garage and to my older brothers' room. Being the youngest, and coming along at a time when parents were practical, and stoic (rather than delighted) about having a child late in life, I never expected a room with privacy, but I wanted one. In college, there was still no privacy, so it was not until I was an adult that I had a space for myself and my work. And ever since, it has been a requirement. Now, I have a space in the former dining room for my office, which is open to all (but no more tidy) and the studio is the guest room, but it still is my studio, in all its glorious mess!

2) The day you stepped into your space for the first time, did you already know how you wanted your studio to look like or did the design evolve from the actual space?

Each time I moved into a new space, I let the space speak up for my current work. The spaces have varied widely in size and location, and each time, it's a surprise to see what developes. My most surprising development was about five years ago, when I moved to Phoenix while my husband stayed behind in D.C. to sell the house. What was supposed to be a few weeks turned into a year. I had a tiny apartment, but I took an art class, and sure enough, a small table and colored pencils grew under the only window.

3) After the work is done, do you clean up after each piece, after each day or whenever you can´t find the table any more?

I leave work out to tempt me to come back and work again. There is always something in progress. If I finish something, I start something else. As a creativity coach, I know that it can happen that you leave the studio and never return, because of the responsibility of creativity. So I always leave more of less of a mess. OK, more, rather than less.

Thank you so very much Quinn for being my guest today!

Inspired to create but don´t know where to start? Quinn gives you five idea on what to write on the first page of your journal here.  

You might be intrigued by the concept of a creativity coach and wonder how it works. Here´s how in Quinn´s words.

Thanks again for illustrating week #37 for me! 

Now on to you. Do you have your own creative space?

Keep it simple, make it work #5.3

For the past five months I´ve been running a decluttering and organizing series. You can read the whole lot of posts here! My aim is to find time and space for my creativity within my daily life. So I have to make time and space. ;) Share the path with me!

Let´s talk about cuttlery today. Do you have different sets for different occasions?

* The "good" set. The one that goes with your "good" china. Most are inherited or bought as a wedding gift.

* The "daily" set. Here is where things get tricky. We get one set to begin with but along the way other sets or even single pieces are added to the collection.
Time to have a look at our cuttlery. Check for rust points and old grime. Toss those pieces that are no longer safe or have become a health hazard.

Give them all a good clean. Put them in a basket.

The "party" pieces. Long toothpick like forks, small size spoons, no blade forks for dips. Do you use metal ones or plastic ones?

The "picnic" set. Do you use your daily set for picnics or do you have a different set for them?

Just for fun. Imagine you are in a Victorian movie and prepare a cute picnic with your best pieces. 

The project´s summary:
9 months to streamline your home spaces and systems

3 months for the practical spaces: kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room

3 months for the shared areas: entry hall, dining room, living room,

3 months for the personal spaces: bedrooms, office, hobbies room

1 big task each week illustrated with my own pictures and daily {gentle} reminders, tips and cheering at my Facebook page. Like my Facebook page Paula - Buenos Aires to be able to follow the tips every day and record your progress with a friendly crew!

Week #27 2013 Getting ready

If you are looking for this year´s decluttering and organizing posts click here!
For daily tips on both the practical and the spiritual process you can also follow my Facebook page. 

For Creative Every Day challenge 2013 by Leah Piken Kolidas, I´m taking at least a picture a day for the whole year. I´ve checked 186 out of the possible 188 pictures for 2013 so far. Click on the pictures to see them bigger!

Monday, July 1st (180/182): Just moving some dinnerware around made it look so much tidier!

Tuesday, July 2nd (181/183): Ok, mom, one more picture then ... ;) Mati and his "business models by youngsters" project certificate.

Wednesday, July 3rd (182/184): Happy 14th birthday toTatiana!

Thursday, July 4th (183/185): our 20 year ols can opener broke today. He will eb missed. :(

Friday, July 5th (184/186): Winter holidays! Tati´s best friends came home to celebrate.

Saturday, July 6th (185/187): TaDaaaaaa! The attic / temporary Mati´s bedroom / hubbie´s office new colour. Bright traffic light red. *grin*  Mati will sleep here in his old bed while our exchange student is staying with us for the next two months. Yes, we finished the room the night before the arrival!

Sunday, July 7th (186/188): David is here! Remember Mati spent his summer in Germany at his place? Now it´s our turn to be hosts. :)

You will see the pictures of our adventures in the next few weeks. Come and join the fun!

Keep it simple. make it work #5.2 China but not the far away kind

For the past five months I´ve been running a decluttering and organizing series. You can read the whole lot of posts here! My aim is to find time and space for my creativity within my daily life. So I have to make time and space. ;) Share the path with me!

Let´s talk about dinnerware today. Do you have different sets for different occasions?


* The "good" set. Used for the most extraordinary events and sleeping on the shelves for ages and ages. Go for it! Have a family dinner with your best china. Enjoy!

Have you inherited a good set? Do you cherish it or has it become a burden?

* The "daily" set. Ordinary doesn´t mean boring! Choose colourful sets and extend the possibilities by combining them with different tablecloths and place mats. 

* The party set. Lots of bowls and trays. Mine are made of melamine. Very durable and easy to clean.




The garden/outside/picnic set. Cheap colourful, plastic set. Some bowls, some plates and you are ready!

Where do you store your plates? The kitchen or the dining room?

The project´s summary:
9 months to streamline your home spaces and systems

3 months for the practical spaces: kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room

3 months for the shared areas: entry hall, dining room, living room,

3 months for the personal spaces: bedrooms, office, hobbies room

1 big task each week illustrated with my own pictures and daily {gentle} reminders, tips and cheering at my Facebook page. Like my Facebook page Paula - Buenos Aires to be able to follow the tips every day and record your progress with a friendly crew!

Keep it simple, make it work 5.1 The table

For the past four months I´ve been running a decluttering and organizing series. You can read the whole lot of posts here! My aim is to find time and space for my creativity within my daily life. So I have to make time and space. ;) Share the path with me!

The project´s summary:
9 months to streamline your home spaces and systems

3 months for the practical spaces: kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room

3 months for the shared areas: entry hall, dining room, living room,

3 months for the personal spaces: bedrooms, office, hobbies room

1 big task each week illustrated with my own pictures and daily {gentle} reminders, tips and cheering at my Facebook page. Like my Facebook page Paula - Buenos Aires to be able to follow the tips every day and record your progress with a friendly crew!

This month we will work on the dining room. The goal is not a Martha Stewart perfect room, although yours can look like it. The goal is to make it work for us. Functional and pretty.

This week we will check all the linens. Get them all together.

* Check your table cloths. Are they clean? Do they need repairs?
* When the table is not in use, do you have a table runner? Do you place one over the main tablecloth?
* Check the placemats. Do you have embroidered ones? Do you have plastic ones? Other materials?
* Check your napkins. Do you use cloth napkins or paper ones?
* Do you use napkin rings? Time to check those.

Do you keep the linen in the kitchen or the dining-room?

Keep it simple, make it work #4.3 You´ve got mail!

Yes, you do. Even with all the web based activities we still get mail. The paper kind.
How do you handle your mail?

Day 1: bills. I put them first so we can deal with them and get them out of the way. ;) Designate a "bills central" together with your cheque book, pen and stamps. Here you can pay your bills at places like  Rapipago. After they are paid file them.A few weeks ago I burnt 10 years worth of old bills. Want to see the bonfire? Check it out!

Day 2: catalogs and fliers. Just two words: be ruthless. Have a look. Interesting? Read. Put a Post it note on the things you want. Place it on catalog tray. Not interesting? Directly to recycle bin!

Old travel catalogs and fliers off to be recycled

Day 3: "real mail" letters (does anybody still get any of those????) and cards. Display seasonal cards (birthdays, Christmas, holidays, etc). In the search for space, toss the envelopes and keep the cards. That is if you are the memory keeper type like me. :D Show boxes are fine, pretty boxes are better.

letters to Santa 2005

Day 4: newspapers and magazines. After the newspaper is read it goes to the recycle bin. Magazines have a longer life. You can choose to get rid of each old issue as soon as the new one comes in, send them to the recycle center once per semester or collect the ones that have timeless practical information like needlepoint or antiques.

Day 5: outgoing mail. Designate a place for paper pad, envelopes, stamps and spare cards to keep them all together. Yes, I have an old fashion paper address book. ;)

Day 6: list days. Get your calendar, write in all the due dates for bills and birthday cards to be sent.

appointment diaries and lists

Day 7: your day off but I´ll give you a task. Write a Thank You card. Are you the daring kind? Write a love letter!

I´m paticipating in Mary organizes Link party . 

Keep it simple, make it work #4.2 Clothing in the foyer

"Your entryway is the first and last room your guests see, so creating a welcoming and memorable space is key. An entryway is more than a simple doorway; it’s the space where the transition is made from the exterior, public world to the interior, private world. The entry or foyer also offers visitors the first view of your home, so its significance is greater than its size. "

 "In reality, this means that entryways are drop zones. Car keys, purses, grocery bags and backpacks — not to mention mail, cell phones, and shoes, coats and scarves — all end up being carried into in this space. Visitors are often squeezed in amid the many everyday items. Serving as a bridge between private and public spaces, a place to meet guests, and an area for controlling the clutter of everyday life is a lot to ask of one small space. Meeting all these needs without overwhelming either the room or the people in it takes careful planning."

From Houzz.com

What do you do with your jackets and accesories when you arrive home? Let´s find a place for everything so we can put everything in its place. :)

Day 1: handbags and backpacks. Do you have a place to hang your bag? We added a side table to the desk under the stairs for the kids backpacks. Don´t look too closely at the desk. ;) We´ll handle that next week.

Day 2: jackets and scarves. Do you have a place to hang your coat? What about the scarves? I usually wear lightweight ones so I wear them all day long and they go to their shelf at night. Nowadays more and more my scarves find their way to my daughter´s room. Lol!

Day 3: umbrellas Do you have a designated place for the family´s umbrellas? Do you have a place for wet ones? If you go back to day 1 and look at the side table you will see Tatiana´s umbrella and my own. Matias (17) has decided umbrellas are not cool and doesn´t use one and hubbie keeps his in the car.
Why this picture? you ask. Because that is the corner where our umbrella basket would have been if we had ever bought it! :D

Day 4: boots Picture this scene. muddy boots, wet shoes, nice clean floor. What do you do?

Day 5: hats and gloves. Do you have a special place for them when you arrive home? Do you put them immediately away?

Day 6: Saturdays are lists days.

Day 7: take a day off. Rest and do something fun.