One of the things I requested when we built our home was to have a desk area in the kitchen. I had seen it in other homes and it always seemed to just make sense to me. Unfortunately, I've never truly utilized the space as well as I could have and it soon just became another "dumping ground" for large stacks of papers that were to be sorted through later (and later just never seemed to come!). The problem, I believe, is that it was never truly organized in the first place. When you see such a clean and organized desk as in America's Housekeeping Book, it can motivate you to clean and duplicate that image. So... it's taken me three days to do so.
Admittedly, I still have a small laundry basket that I've filled with items that I can't find a true home for, but if I can't find them homes in the next week then I'll just toss 'em out. That's the point I'm at right now. =)
One of the suggestions the book gave was to have a bulletin board to keep the family posted as to everyone's where abouts. I've recently found a great website called cozi. It's a modern day's family solution to the bulletin board, only better! You simply plug in your schedule (it organizes it and color codes each individual family member!) and cozi will send a text message to assigned individuals reminding them of upcoming events. It also keeps track of your to-do lists, shopping lists, recipes, and more. I highly recommend checking them out, and best of all, it's FREE! If you like the FlyLady like I do, you'll also find that you can sync cozi with your FlyLady schedule! Really, how cool is that?!
Another cool thing about the homemaker's photo above is the radio! One way you can replicate that style is obviously heading to the antique stores, or Target! Check out the Crosley collection of radio's at Target. They have various styles, but the best things about these modern vintage styled radio's is that many can play records, cd's, cassette tapes and even ipods!
This way you can listen to your favorite 1950's tunes and if your lucky, still capture that slightly scratchy sound of a vintage record! It's a great way of blending the old with the new.
While my kitchen, with the dark wood cabinets and black speckled countertops don't scream 1950's, I do plan to add touches of it with my decorating, now that I am completely organized. =) It's great to have sort of a clean slate to be able to search out darling little vintage treasures to decorate with. To browse fabrics with ideas of making cafe curtains, chair pads, and stool covers. Searching for treasures, to me, is more fun then just being able to go to the store and purchasing something new. There is just something about the hunt.
Taking the time to actually organize this space in my life makes me feel comfortable. I now know where things go, and there is a feeling of calmness. The feeling comes because I know that items aren't hidden away just waiting to bust out of the drawers, but rather each cabinet and drawer has been organized. One of the reasons I am tackling this project is because I always want to have time to bake, sew, and do many of the great projects I read about in magazines but it seems as if the daily workload just never ends. I'm so excited to be able to open my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook and begin making some of the lovely Christmas cookie recipes. Having this calm, peacefulness in the kitchen just inspires me to tackle the rest of the house.
Tomorrow I will begin the living room. That is a fairly simple project for me as I've tackled the organization of that room a few months back. One thing I've learned is that once the area is organized, it does generally stay that way, especially if you keep up on the maintenance. That is what used to scare me... maintenance, as if it would take me just as long to maintain it as it was to thoroughly organize it, but I couldn't be more wrong. It only takes a few moments to tidy up, and with an organized daily schedule, it really won't take long at all and it will give me the time to tackle the fun projects I wish to do.
~ Smiles ~
Angela
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