Organize with Style

Okay, every January I feel the need to become organized.  I believe it is my once a year duty to clean up the clutter, pitch the piles of paper, and at least try to look efficient.  Unfortunately cleaning is tedious and boring.  In other words, I hate it. 

This year I decided to trick myself into enjoying the cleaning.  I would reward myself by using pretty folders and containers and best of all I would make them!  Once I had filled the trash cans and reorganized the craft closet, I allowed myself the fun of creating colorful file folders and journals.

Making the folders was easy.  I used recycled file folders,  (I grabbed them out of my husband's trash can.)  rubber stamps, and copies of old postcards.  Then I just had fun gluing and stamping until I made a collage that I liked.  If you don't have copies of postcards, use pictures cut from old magazines.  Now my "must do" folder looks so much prettier and less intimidating.

As a writer I go through dozens of journals a year jotting down ideas, plots, and of course the inevitable grocery list.  This year I decided to decorate my own journals.  Again, I used scraps of paper, photocopies of old postcards and pictures, stamps and stickers.  The base of my journal is a standard composition book.  The black binding gives a nice clean edge.

To finish off my notebook, I punched a hole in the edge of both the front and back covers.  Then I looped ribbon through shank back buttons.  Now I can tie up all my stories and lists in one tidy spot.




Overall I thought my creative cleaning was a success.




Now if I can just figure out some way to make laundry fun...