Jeri's Organizing & Decluttering News

A Bookend Menagerie — and More

2012-01-26T00:36:00.000-08:00

Cats make terrible bookends. — Nora O'Neill, on The Bookshop Blog

Once you've decided which books are worth keeping, you'll want to look at good ways to store the keepers. Sometimes, that involves bookends.

And while cats don't make good bookends, cat-shaped bookends can work just fine, as Limor Yaron demonstrates. Although these bookends come from Israel, they're readily available to those of us living elsewhere through the wonders of Etsy.

Want some larger cats? Have a lot of money to spend on bookends? Here are some lion bookends from Fornasetti.

Prefer a different animal? Take a look at the Pulpo Stubborn Goat bookends, sold directly by Pulpo and on other sites, such as Occa-Home.

But perhaps you'd rather have a brontosaurus — or one of the many other wonderful bookends from Knob Creek Metal Arts.

And then there are the elephant bookends from Philippi, sold at a number of web sites (including Occa-Home).

Restoration Hardware has provided some wonderful bookends in the past — and continues to do so with these bunny bookends. [via Ink + Wit]

And of course, bookends don't have to feature animals. This bookend come from Goodwin + Goodwin in the U.K.; you can also get one that says The End in a similar script. You can find them at Bouf.

Related Posts:
Nice Bookends Don't Have to Cost $685
Treat Your Books to Some Nice Bookends: The Elephant Edition
Bookends for Those Who Haven't Totally Converted to the Kindle, Nook or iPad
5 Bodacious Bookends
For Book Lovers: Fun and Functional Bookends

Decluttering the Bookshelves: 7 People Share Their Stories and Insights

2012-01-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

Photo by dolescum / Anne G, licensed under Creative Commons

Are you suffering from overstuffed bookshelves — or books laying around everywhere, not on any shelves? Here are some encouraging words from a variety of sources to help inspire you to deal with all those books.

It's not easy, but it's necessary:

Painful task: getting rid of books (as I did yesterday). Like severing friendships. But shelf space is finite, and new friends arrive. — Alexander McCall Smith, on Twitter

OK, sometimes it IS easy. Many of us have books we can quickly say goodbye to:

Outdated business books — I never liked you in the first place. Who needs two copies of Naked Conversations? Out.

Outdated computer programming and computer reference books — I have no lingering, nostalgic affection for you. Out. — Dave Coustan, Purging and De-cringing a Bookshelf

Here's how one person got rid of some knitting books:

Part of this was just being pragmatic: paring down books that basically repeated information I have in other, more frequently used books. Some had patterns I once thought I’d make but no longer fancied — and, in some cases, couldn’t imagine why on earth I thought that was a good look in the first place. ...

I also realized that I acquired a number of these books at a time when there weren’t so many knitting websites around. Now I can get a lot of these patterns — or similar ones — online. Or I can check the books out of the library. — Julia Smillie, Purging

You can tackle the bookshelf-decluttering project in small bites:

We're decluttering our books, one shelf at time. — SueBK

You can (almost) always find the books again, if need be:

Getting rid of books does not remove them from the universe. Have faith in libraries, bookstores (new & used), & swappers. Donate some now. — Discardia, on Twitter

Just got rid of a ton of legacy-format books. If I ever want them again (unlikely), I'll re-buy electronic versions. — Fraser Spiers, on Twitter.

You really don't have to finish every book you begin:

Sure, sometimes a book is bad. More likely, though, the book is a misfit, at least for this time and place in the reader's life. Neither reader nor writer has failed; the two are simply mismatched. ...

In her reading memoir, So Many Books, So Little Time, Sara Nelson calls deciding to allow yourself to stop reading a book "a rite of passage in a reader's life." It is, she says, "the moment at which you can look at yourself and announce: Today I am an adult. I can make my own decisions." — Cynthia Crossen, Wall Street Journal, via NomdeB

Plastic Grocery Bags Put to Good Reuse

2012-01-20T05:13:00.000-08:00

Photo by mtsofan / John, found on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons

Do you have a stash of plastic grocery bags?

Some places, like San Francisco, have partially banned stores from distributing these bags — and some stores such as Whole Foods have banned them on their own. And many people are pretty good about bringing their own tote bags — which some stores reward you for using.

But still, many people have a lot of these plastic bags hanging around. You could donate them to a group that does food giveaways — groups that give away food almost always need more bags, too. You could recycle them. Or you could use them to form wastebaskets or recycling bins!

Easy Garbage from obj. studio in Spain "was born from this idea: a structure specially designed that holds any model of supermarket bag in order to use them as rubbish bag. This ... extends their useful service life." You can buy Easy Garbage at Un4Verde, where you have a choice of black or white — no red, at least right now. [via The Kitchn]

Ben the Bin recycling bins are sold individually or in sets by Reestore in the U.K. They're made from 100% recycled plastic.

And finally, there's Urbano, designed and produced by Kevin McElroy — and manufactured from recycled plastic in the U.S. As Kevin explains, "This handy little waste basket both uses and stores the ubiquitous plastic grocery bags leftover from shopping." It's available in green and in black from UncommonGoods; it's gotten great reviews. It's also available at the IHCD store — IHCD being the Institute for Human Centered Design — which currently has four color choices.

Related post:
Binvention, from Sprout Design Ltd.

Shredding Gets Easier — and Cuter

2012-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

I'd bet 99% of shredders in U.S. homes are never used. — Joe, from the bookofjoe blog

Most shredders are ugly, brutish, and short, not to mention noisy and messy. — Peter Lewis, CNNMoney

If Joe is right, and you're one of the 99%, perhaps you could use a better — and easier-to-use — shredder. I haven't yet tried them myself, but the Swingline Stack-and-Shred shredders sure seem to fit the easy-to-use description. While you can still feed in a few individual sheets, you can also just lift the lid, insert a stack of papers, close the lid, and start shredding. You don't need to remove staples or paper clips, either. They come in five sizes, from ones that handle 60 sheets of paper at a time to those that handle 500. And addressing Peter's concerns, Swingline says they are quiet, too. Although these shredders are not cheap, Swingline says they provide "a better way to shred." [via Popgadget]

But what if your concern is more about that "ugly" part? I've mentioned some pretty nice-looking shredders before, but if you're into cute, let's look to Meiko, a Japanese company that makes a number of shredders. The cute one is called SE.CU.MO — and unlike some other cute shredders, it doesn't just create strips; it shreds the papers into tiny pieces. It comes in four colors, and you can buy it here, here, and here. [via Steve Levenstein at InventorSpot]

Related Posts:
A Simple Shredder
Staples MAILMATE Shredder
Oddest Shredder Ever
Paper Shredders Don't Have to be Boring
Update: Six More Shredder Options
Shredders With Style
Shredders: Getting a Good One
Paper Shredders: From Furry to Functional to Fantastic
Defining Your Own "What I Need to Shred" Policy

The Sentimental Stuff: A Photo or Portrait Can Sometimes Replace a Thing

2012-01-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

Photo by Noah Scalin, found on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.

Children's artwork, a special outfit, a favorite toy — these can all be hard to part with. Sometimes the answer is not to part with them; as space allows, we can hold onto a reasonable number of sentimental items. But if you're getting too many of these items, sometimes the best answer is to take some photos and let the actual items go.

Rachel Meeks at Small Notebook has a great idea: when she picks her daughter up from art class, she takes a picture of her daughter holding her latest creation. And over at Parenthacks, Michelle suggests photographing the Lego creations; a series of these photos makes a nice display!

Another option is to bring in some professional help. Hippopota will provide a lovely portrait of a worn-out toy (from a child or a pet), a special article of clothing, or anything else you'd like to memorialize. [via the New York Times, found through Naomi Seldin Ramirez]

The Memento Works will also photograph of your special items and provide you with a stunning print, mounted or framed. [via Swiss Miss]

But maybe you'd prefer a painting rather than a photograph. Erin Chainani at First Friends will create a portrait of that favorite toy.

And if you have a favorite piece of clothing, Mark Hall-Patch of Ephemera Friends will a custom watercolor painting. [via Apartment Therapy]

Related Posts:
July 2007 Organizing Tips and More, with Alisha K. Ard's custom shoe portraits
The Sentimental Stuff: When Teddy is On His Last Legs, with Jennifer Maher's custom toy portraits

Double-Duty Hooks Provide a Little Extra Storage

2012-01-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

Now here's an interesting idea: a combination hook and storage cubby for small items. It's such a good idea that a number of such products have been designed. The one above, the @ entry hook, comes from Chiasso; it's made of die-cast aluminum.

A second option is the shed coat hook from Domesticity, made of powder coated steel and available in orange, grey and white. [via Switched On Set]

And then there's the hooknook from Flip & Tumble, made from 50% recycled polypropylene and available in three colors. [via Cool Mom Picks]

Another such product that got a lot of attention in the design world is the Cubby, but the designers have not yet found a manufacturer. When they do, I'll let you know!

Related post, with another hook/cubby combination:
The Hook Box Hits the U.S.

Other posts in the current "hook" series:
Back to Basics: Organizing with Simple Hooks
Using the Alphabet: Hooks with Letters
Hooks with Moose, Birds, Bats, Cats and Other Critters
A Special Kind of Hook: Leash Holders

A Special Kind of Hook: Leash Holders

2012-01-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

Leash holders with dog (or other animal) themes can be used for more than leashes, of course. Use them for those leashes — or for all sorts of other things, from car keys to baseball caps to necklaces.

And there sure are some nice ones out there! The yellow bone leash holder above is sold by Up Country; there's also a red one, with a slightly different design.

More wonderful dog leash hooks with a bone theme are available from My Spoiled Doggie.

And then there's the personalized bone-shaped hook made by Whitehall, made from recycled non-rusting cast aluminum. It's sold all over: Grandin Road, Plow & Hearth and many more sites. It comes in four finishes, although not all sites offer all the finishes.

Of course, a leash holder doesn't have to be bone-shaped. For Love of a Dog has a number of different handmade dog leash holders with porcelain tiles.

This is just one of the delightful leash hooks from these creatures; it's available in three colors.

And then there are the dog-breed hooks. East of India makes this Scotty dog lead holder, found at Isabel's Attic.

Finally, while the leash holders and pegboards from Beyond the Crate are a bit too cutesy for me, I was delighted to see the range of dogs they include. I always look for English mastiffs, after my friend Debbie Wolfe introduced me to the breed.

Related Post:
Reader Question: Pet Stuff Storage (Part 2: Hooks for Leashes)

Other posts in the current "hook" series:
Back to Basics: Organizing with Simple Hooks
Using the Alphabet: Hooks with Letters
Hooks with Moose, Birds, Bats, Cats and Other Critters

Hooks with Moose, Birds, Bats, Cats and Other Critters

2012-01-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

Is this cute overload? I'm a sucker for stuff like this: Moose on the Loose, from All Lovely Stuff. You can also find it at The Collection and twentytwentyone.

A number of wonderful (and very cute) hooks come from Domestic; this is the set of two birds (and one heart) designed by Rolito. You can also find them in black or white from La Corbeille, or from Smallable.

Domestic also has lacquered metal hooks by Geneviève Gauckler called Potatoe (yes, with an "e" at the end) — sold individually or in sets of three — and the set called Hang on to Yourself. These can also be found at La Corbeille and Smallable.

Barnvänligt of Sweden sells sleepy owl hooks; the web site currently has them available for purchase in blue and black. [via My Owl Barn]

I'm a gecko fan, so I'm especially delighted with the gecko coat rack from Artori, available from Design My World and Animi Causa.

Among the many hooks from The HookLady you'll find this Victorian bat hook. [via The Cultivated Home]

These enamel cat hooks, on clearance sale at The Animal Rescue Site, come from Noah's Ark, "a company based in Moradabad, India that focuses on fair trade." (You can read more about Noah's Ark at Ten Thousand Villages.)

Let's end with something simple and sweet: the pewter bird hooks from Beehive Kitchenware.

Related Posts with Animal-Themed Hooks:
Hooks: Organize with the Animals
Hooks to Hold Your Hat - Or Coat, or Towel, or Whatever

Other Posts in the current Hook Series:
Back to Basics: Organizing with Simple Hooks
Using the Alphabet: Hooks with Letters

Using the Alphabet: Hooks with Letters

2012-01-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hooks are such wonderful organizing tools — and I have so many cool ones to share — that I decided to turn this into a series. And today I'm focusing on hooks with individual letters — which could be used to spell out something, to distinguish what each hook is used for, or simply to look cool. The iron letter hooks above come from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.

Wrought Iron Haven is another source for iron letter hooks, in a somewhat different style.

And Penelope Tom has alphabet letter hooks in "shabby vintage style" made from white-painted metal.

Anthropolgie's alphabet hooks provide a totally different look.

Whitehall makes the Cloister Monogram Hook, which you can find at Aspenberry and Greentagged. The filigree monogram hooks at Ballard Designs appear to be the same thing, although they aren't identified as such. Greentagged notes that "being environmental conscious is not a new concept at Whitehall Products. Since 1941, the products have been handcrafted from recycled materials - primarily aluminum." They come in three different finishes.

And finally, there are the lettres from Pêpin Le Malin. [via BabyGadget]

Other posts in the series:
Back to Basics: Organizing with Simple Hooks

Back to Basics: Organizing with Simple Hooks

2012-01-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

As much as I love some of the clever hook designs I see, I also appreciate the simpler, elegant designs. The Dots from Muuto, designed by Tveit & Tornøe, are ones I've mentioned before. But I only mentioned the natural ash version; they now come in six other colors. The natural, black, and yellow versions are the easiest to find if you're in the U.S.; you can get them at Design Within Reach and Scandinavian Grace. For a fuller range of colors, you could go to Designdelicatessen.

This hook from Sentou is called Manto; the designers are Charlotte Arnal and Francis Fèvre of Design by O. You can also find Manto for sale at Pepdéco, Made in Design, Smallable and Kdesign.

Another option is the Ohook from Helgo. Ohooks come in five colors, and are sold in single-color and mixed-colors sets. Two of the places you can find them are Kiitos in Australia — you can see more photos on the Kiitos blog — and Hay in Denmark.

Finally, let's admire the Kula hooks from Normann Copenhagen — "handmade felt hooks from Iceland" by textile designer Bryndís Bolladóttir. You can also find these at The Future Perfect, Made in Design and Sit On Design.

Related Post:
Basic Organizing Tools: Peg Racks

How Some (Fake) Grass Can Help You Organize

2012-01-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

Organizing products with a grass-like look have sprung up all over the place! The one above, called (not surprisingly) Grass, is the countertop drying rack from Boon. Boon recommends it for baby accessories, and assures us it's BpA-free, PVC-free, and Phthalate-free. There's also a larger version of Grass, called Lawn.

Umbra makes its Grassy Organizer in green and in white. You see it being used to hold toothbrushes and toothpaste, and to hold pens and other desk items. Vat19.com no longer carries this product, but it has a nice write-up explaining why it thinks the Grassy Organizer is awesome.

Pratonzolo is a pencil holder — or desk organizer, since it could hold more than just pens and pencils — designed for by Matteo Mocchi of BBMDS and Max Battaglia of Givingshape for Stylemylife. It's "a little piece of fake grass" made of "natural bristles and wood."

Finally, there's the Kikkerland Grass Charging Station in white or black; you can also get a mini charging station.

A European Tour of First Aid Boxes

2012-01-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

One resolution you might want to make: create (or replenish) your first aid kit. If you want ideas of what to put in the kit, I'll send you to fellow organizer Geralin Thomas. But if you want interesting boxes to use, I've got you covered.

Back in 2009, I wrote about first aid boxes and began with a box by 100drine. That version was in French, and was called la boîte à pharmacie. Now we have an English version of the same box, available from Sentou, Made in Design and Mon Joli Shop.

And here's another reprise. Back in 2009, I included a similar box, but the picture on that one wasn't full-length, and therefore didn't show the woman's lovely legs. This one is from Amadeus, and it's certainly eye-catching. It's out of stock at Jardindéco.com and Ogardeno.com, where I first found it, but you can still get it at Sylvester Oxford and Keladeco.com.

I don't know who makes this wooden pharmacie box, but you can find it at Dibor; there's also a white version. You can also find the unpainted version at The General Toy Store.

Yves Blayo at Incidence has designed a number of first aid boxes: see here, here, here and here. You can find them a number of other places, too; the photo above come from The Holding Company.

Present Time, headquartered in the Netherlands, makes this simple first aid box in two sizes; there's the smaller and the larger one. You can also find it at DIGS.

Balvi, located in Barcelona, also makes a number of first aid boxes. Yes, this one does look a lot like the Present Time box, except for the colors. Two places to buy it are C'tendance and Jardindéco.com.

Finally, if you prefer homeopathic remedies, there's a box for you, too. It comes from Derrière La Porte and is sold by Maginéa.com.

Related Post:
First Aid Boxes with Flair

Small Space Organizing: Making the Most of the Walls

2012-01-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

Have limited storage space? Using the walls is always something to consider, and these wallpockets from Amerpersand are one interesting way to make use of that space. They're manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, from recycled cardboard. They're for sale at three places in Cincinnati, and retail outlets beyond Cincinnati are planned.

Then there's #topos, from the German company Pulpo. I found this through Shoebox Dwelling, which writes: "The series of powder coated metal sheets can be attached to the wall to create a storage area as big or small as your space requires. All modules have slots into which metal triangular pockets are inserted. And if you need to store something more substantial than paperclips and trinkets, a bigger tray can be placed instead of the triangles, creating a shelf."

I've contacted Pulpo, which informs me there's no shop in the U.S. selling this product — but you can buy it directly from Pulpo. If you let the company know what you want, they'll get you a freight quote.

And if you're crafty at all, you might enjoy making an embroidery hoop wall pocket, using the pattern from Sew Daily. If you want to get really inspired, take a look at the very cool wall pockets shown on Spotted Stones and A Fabric Affair.

Related Posts:
3 Unusual Ways to Use the Walls
Zid Zid Kids - Wall Panels
Cache-pyjama Hippo - Fun Storage from France
Wall Pockets: Not Just Plastic Anymore
Your Mail Needs a Home (see option 4)
Small Space Organizing: Using the Walls
Return of the Wall Organizers

New Year's "Be On Time" Resolution Help: Cool Alarm Clocks

2011-12-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

Poster from Oh, Dear Molly, via moderncat

Get a better alarm clock. By now, we all use the alarm clock on our phones to wake us up. But I’ve got a backup, as well. It’s a $15 Sony alarm clock, and it sits across the room. When it goes off, I have to get up to shut it. You know what that means? It means I’m up. — Peter Shankman, Eight Ideas for the Next Seven Days

Well, I'm writing this on Dec. 26, and we're now down to only six more days in 2011. But if you'd like to follow Peter's suggestion — and you don't want to rely on the cats — I've got some alarm clocks you might consider, other than Peter's Sony.

Punkt takes Peter's point a bit further, saying, "Why have your cell phone lying on your bedside table, when you can be woken up by a superb design object like the AC 01?" And it certainly is a great-looking clock, available in black, white and red. Some of the many places you can buy it are Design Public, A+R Store and The Lollipop Shoppe.

If you want the limited edition Punkt. for Japan clock — only 500 were made — I'm still seeing one here. "100% of the profits from the sale of the special edition clock will go to rebuild family homes and play areas in Maeami, a fishing village in the Tōhoku region which was swept away by the tsunami. The project is supported by ‘Architecture for Humanity,’ a non-profit design services firm founded in 1999." [via Switched On Set]

Newgate has a bunch of alarm clocks to choose from; this one is called the Regulator, and it comes in four different colors. [via Retro To Go]

Another traditional alarm clock is this Big Ben clock sold by L.L.Bean. Customers rave about how quiet it is.

There's also a smaller, folding Big Ben clock, which can serve as a travel alarm.

This wooden block alarm clock, from the Japanese company Lemnos, is a MoMA exclusive.

Tiffany sells a number of alarm clocks, but this travel alarm is the only one using the Tiffany blue. [via Furniture Fashion]

And finally, while it doesn't have the elegant design (and easy-to-read clock face) of the other alarm clocks shown here, I couldn't resist showing you the Lego Star Wars Yoda Minifigure Clock.

Related Posts:
7 Alarm Clocks for A Gentler Wake-Up Call
Clocks With Character
Two Alarm Clocks With Fancy Scheduling Features
Alarm Clocks: Amusing, Beautiful, Practical - and Furry
5 Alarm Clocks to Get You Up and Running
Waking Up On Time: Five Alarm Clocks

It's Really OK to Get Rid of Unwanted Gifts

2011-12-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

Sweater from the Ugly Sweater Store

Did you receive some gifts this year that you just don't have any use for? No matter how much you care for the gift-givers, you really do not have to keep the gifts, as even Miss Manners will agree. She requires appropriate thank-you notes, but says you are not stuck with an item that doesn't suit you.

As long as the recipient does not come back with complaints or, worse, a demand that the giver exchange the item, she may do what she likes with it. The only requirement is to prevent the donor’s knowing that it has been rejected. No yard sales in the same neighborhood, for example. And no demanding a receipt.

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy concurs; he says, in an article I found though Discardia:

One can very gratefully accept someone’s giving and not have to live with their gift. You’re not doing yourself or your friend a service by hanging onto the thing they gave you that you don’t like. What you do owe them, however, is to move it on from your home discreetly.

Author Alexander McCall Smith explained his personal philosophy about such gifts in a series of tweets:

Tweet 1: Christmas brings a major moral problem: what to do with unwanted gifts. Initial reaction: one must pretend to like them. Thank you so much.

Tweet 2: You don't have to keep the present for ever, but you should not give it away immediately. Certainly not on Boxing Day.

Tweet 3: January 25th is about right. Thereafter the unwanted present may be disposed of, preferably given away. If sold, proceeds to charity.

Erin Doland of Unclutterer notes, in an article in Real Simple, that as much as she feared people would ask about the gifts she finally gave away, that wound up not being a problem.

My decorating tastes may change over time, but I am fairly certain I will never enjoy a home filled with a series of rhinestone-accented paintings of scary clowns. Yet I had hoarded these and other unattractive presents because I thought that was the decent thing to do. I also wasn’t sure what I would say if someone noticed his gift missing and asked why. Well, you know what? No one has. Not even the bestower of the scary clowns.

As feng shui expert Karen Kingston says, when it comes to unwanted gifts, "It’s far better to accept the love that was given with the gift and let the physical object go." She also notes that we might consider how we, in turn, feel about the gifts we give to others:

My own attitude is that if I give a gift to someone and it amounts to instant or eventual clutter in their life then I certainly don’t want them to keep it. I would much prefer they sell it, regift it or throw it away if necessary. I give the gift and let it go.

Donating that Single Sock or Lonely Glove

2011-12-20T23:05:00.000-08:00

Photo of Pacific fisher by U.S. Forest Service, Region 5; found on Flickr. Photo is in the public domain.

Got some socks with no mates? Those socks can find a good home with the University of California's Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project. As YubaNet reports:

A University of California wildlife research team working in the Sierra Nevada is asking the public to donate clean, gently used socks for research on a rare weasel called the Pacific fisher. ...

After years of experimentation, the research team has determined that socks are the ideal receptacle for hanging fisher bait in trees. The baited socks are hung in trees in view of motion-activated cameras. As the animal moves, climbing the tree and chewing on the sock, the camera takes photos that allow the scientists to identify the species.

The researchers are going through 250 pairs a month. ... The scientists don't need new socks; they would prefer old, unmatched, non-holey ones, something everyone has cluttering up their sock drawers.

You can read more about this project — including where to send the socks — on the YubaNet site, or on the Sacramento Bee web site. [via Cynthia A. Smith and Avital Binshtock]

And what about those gloves with no mates? Glove Love in London will take them, clean them, pair them up with other single gloves, and sell them to glove lovers. "The money goes to Green Thing, which is a not-for-profit organisation set-up to inspire people to lead greener lives." It seems the single gloves are matched not just by size but also by general type: mittens with other mittens, for example.

Mourning for My Puppy

2011-12-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the end of the line for my sweet Puppy cat. As I mentioned before, he'd was diagnosed with large-cell gastrointestinal lymphoma back in October, and that's a pretty grim diagnosis. When he stopped eating, stopped drinking, and retreated to a hiding spot, I knew it was time to say goodbye.

Over the past two days, I've noticed I've reacted to his death the same way many people react to deaths of loved ones, both people and pets: We want the reminders of their illnesses gone, right away.

* I gave the unused medicines back to the vet, to give away to someone else in need.

* I had a number of special foods I'd bought to tempt Puppy to eat. Some went back to the store where I bought them. The ones I couldn't return, including open packages, went to a friend with a cat who would enjoy them. (My other cats would, too, but I'd rather keep them on their normal diet.)

* I gave the baby food — another tempt-Puppy-to-eat item — to my neighbors, who will in turn give it to people they know who have babies.

But the other things, that remind me of good times, I'm not ready to decide about, and there's no rush to make any decisions. That box he's curled up in, that he loved so much for many years — no, I'm not ready to do anything with that.

Again, this mirrors how many people deal with items after any loss; we wait a bit, and make decisions as we're ready.

Clutter-Free Gift Suggestions for Holiday Shoppers

2011-12-15T00:41:00.000-08:00

You'll see lots of articles with recommendations for "consumable" gifts — but how about some unusual consumable gifts, such as these postage stamps from Fresh Roasted Graphics? The company has a number of other stamp designs, too. [via Charles Apple]

Giving a gift to someone who knits? How about some handspun, hand-dyed yarn? You'll find lots of choices on Etsy; the yarn I'm showing here comes from The Naked Spinner. [via Charles Apple again, who recommends the yarn from London Nelson]

And while chocolates are one of the classic consumable gifts, I've never seen Chanukah-themed chocolates that are as stunning as those from Rogue Confections. Cool Mom Picks explains that "these are not foils — the designs are printed right onto the chocolate discs with gorgeous edible inks. This is one of two Chanukah choices; Christmas versions are available, too.

This final one is a bit of a cheat; while most children's art supplies are consumables, clay is less so. But I still like the idea of giving children items for creative, artistic play — and Mama K's aromatic play clay created with "subtle aromatherapy oils to soothe the mind" sounds intriguing. There are seven scents, including chamomile, bergamot and lemongrass. [via the Cool Mom Picks 2011 Holiday Gift Guide]

Want more clutter-free gift ideas? See all my gift-giving posts! And if you have some great clutter-free gift suggestions of your own, please add them in the comments.

Cookie Jars for Holiday Treats: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-12-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

If you're baking a lot this holiday season, you may be interested in some cool cookie jars. This one — "the ugly" — is actually one of three Uglydoll cookie jars.

And let's look at one more cookie jar designed to make you smile: the Zombie Head cookie jar. [via ThisIsWhyImBroke, which I found through Nancy Wisser]

The bad? Those are all the cookie jars I'm not subjecting you to, that I sorted through before writing this post! So let's go on to a whole bunch of "good" ones, in a wide range of styles.

Emma Bridgewater makes a number of biscuit bins, but the one I like the most is this Big Love one. You can also find it in blue. The Emma Bridgewater site says it has a "tight fitting lid to keep all your biscuits very fresh."

Another fun biscuit bin comes from Creative Tops; I found it here and here. Again, the sites say there's a "tight seal."

Brabantia has biscuit barrels in neutral colors. You can find them many places, including here and here. Kitchen Critic explains the appeal of this one, beyond the nice looks: "The ingenious Brabantia Keep-Fresh lid features a compartment filled with moisture-absorbing crystals. Even better, the crystals never need replacing. Every couple of months you just pop them in the oven for a few minutes and revive them! The clever design even has a handy calendar to remind you when they need refreshing."

The Guzzini biscotto container, made from molded plastic, comes in five colors. Forma in the U.K. carries it in green, orange, red and yellow. [via Retro to Go]

And I'll end with the drop-dead gorgeous cookie jars from R Morales Pottery — so lovely I couldn't pick just one to show you. [via Re-Nest]

Related Post:
Sweet Storage: Cookie Jars and Biscuit Barrels

Three More Ways to Make Recycling Easier

2011-12-12T06:08:00.000-08:00

Looking for something a bit different to collect your recyclables? I've written about recycling bags and bins before — see Related Posts at the end — but I've now found some more.

Let's start with Husmus, from Muungano. The bags are made from recycled plastics, and are designed to fit under the kitchen sink. [via Better Living Through Design]

Old News from Creatables gives you a nice way to collect newspapers to haul out to the recycling bin. Apartment Therapy explains that Old News is "made from excess felt from the production of indoor tennis courts."

And these recycled recycling bags come from At West End, which explains: "Discarded newspapers from around the world are collected in the Philippines and made into these reusable bins to collect your recyclables. Laminated and durable for easy wipe down."

Related Posts:
Recycling Made Easier: Recycling Bags
Recycling Made Easier: Recycling Bins

2012 Calendars: Final Fabulous Finds

2011-12-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Besides helping you keep track of appointments, calendars can benefit good causes. Here's one such calendar, and it's like nothing else you've seen: Gina Elise's Pinups for Vets. (And yes, this is all safe for work.)

The calendars can be ordered for yourself — or you can order them to be sent to a hospitalized veteran, or to an active-duty service member. Pinups for Vets is a non-profit organization, and Gina Elise says your purchases are tax-deductible. The funds from all purchases "help us improve Veterans' healthcare programs across the U.S." You can buy the calendars here. [via The Whatever Shopping Guide on John Scalzi's blog]

Other calendars appeal to me just because of the lovely design — like this clipboard calendar from Carlo Brito. One place you might be able to buy it is Nouvelle Nouvelle. [via Better Living Through Design]

Finally, if you'd like to see the whole year at once, take a look at this planner from Crispin Finn. [via Design Milk]

Related Posts with other 2012 calendar finds:
First Look: 2012 Wall Calendars
Helping Dogs and Cats in Need: 2012 Calendars for a Cause
Two Unique 2012 Wall Calendars
2012 Wall Calendars: Cats and Dogs — and More

Simple Solutions to Holiday Gift-Giving Craziness

2011-12-06T06:09:00.000-08:00

Idea #1: Minimize the Gift Giving

Want to give — and get — less stuff this holiday season? Miss Minimalist has a One Less Gift certificate you can use. However, even Miss Minimalist is not entirely opposed to gifts; for example, she suggests exchanging services, with "coupons" for babysitting, snow shoveling, etc. Another nice idea is this one:

Make charitable donations. The money we spend buying each other gadgets, knickknacks, and tchotchkes can do a world of good for those less fortunate. The key is to make it fun: spend an afternoon with loved ones choosing favorite charities together. Selecting a sheep, goat, or water buffalo to donate through Heifer International, for example, can be a lot more fun (and certainly more fulfilling) than fighting crowds at the mall.

Read her whole post for more ideas on ways to enjoy the holidays without going crazy on the gift-giving. [via The Consumerist]

And for more encouragement to minimize the gift-giving, watch this charming short video called Chip and Bean Buy Nothing.

Idea #2: Give Gifts that Won't Become Clutter

If you'd like to buy some gifts, and ensure they are still not clutter, there are a number of ways to go. If you know someone well, you may have a darn good idea what that person would love to get — and it might be a small thing that's somehow just perfect.

When I look around my home, I can see a number of such gifts that I've received over the years. Clo the Cow, the mascot of Clover Stornetta, is just one such gift — a perfect reminder of time spent in Sonoma County.

And then there are the standard non-cluttter gifts: gifts of consumables, gifts of experiences, and those gifts of charitable donations mentioned earlier. These still need to be picked with care — not everyone wants wine or chocolates, for example — but these are all gifts that won't add to the stuff lying around the house, at least not for long! Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Gift subscription to CoffeeCSA.org — or just a one-time delivery

Many of us are familiar with community-supported agriculture programs, where local farmers sell their produce direct to consumers. Most of us don't have a local coffee grower nearby, but this program provides the next best thing.

The site is not yet set up for gift subscriptions, but Thaleon Tremain, the CEO of CoffeeCSA.org, suggested this to me: "Subscribe to a CSA and then ship it another address, as a gift. If you would like to include a message, please email us directly and we will hand-write your message on a nice card."

2. Unusual seeds

This could be a fun gift for any gardeners you know. The seeds shown above come from the Italian company Franchi Sementi, which has distributors around the world. (This photo came from The Italian Gardener in Australia.) You could also give a gift certificate for such seeds.

3. Classes offered by local shops

LeeAnne Jones of Diablo Magazine wrote about classes offered in the East Bay (part of the San Francisco Bay Area). But lots of stores all over the place offer classes! The photo above comes from The Naked Sheep Knit Shop, which offers a class called A Year of Hats — and many other classes as well.

Related Posts:
All my non-clutter gift-giving ideas

Pillboxes with a Dose of Cute

2011-12-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

"Cool pill cases/organizers. ... I want some CUTE options!" That's the request I got from my friend and fellow organizer Julie Bestry, and I'm delighted to oblige. Let's start with this pillbox from SweetHeartSinner Creations — one of the many it sells.

The Unemployed Philosophers Guild sells six different pillboxes, including this one. If you don't want a Jesus theme, you could choose Freud or Shakespeare, among others.

This pillbox from Glam may not be cute as much as charming. I don't see this specific one on the Glam web site, but it's available through SilverHooks and Amazon.com.

Kyle Design is another place to go for a large number of pillbox designs — and a number of different sizes, too. The largest one "holds a seven day (1 week) supply of pills in a plastic flip top pill case hidden inside."

Of course, no one does cute quite like some Japanese designers do. Japanistic sells four pill cases, and this is my favorite.

And if you just have a few pills you need to carry, this pill keychain from Jonathan Adler might do. [via Switched On Set]

For something larger, your choices are much more limited; beyond the Kyle Design boxes mentioned above, you're mostly stuck with boring plastic boxes. I did find this one from the Korean company Donbook — but at a place where you can only buy in lots of ten, and have to pay some rather high shipping costs. (Here's another place that has "free shipping" but has a much higher lot price.)

Related Post
Organizing the Medications

2012 Wall Calendars: Cats and Dogs — and More

2011-12-02T06:44:00.001-08:00

I'm always on the prowl for good calendars this time of year — for the blog, of course, but also for my own gift-giving. While I'm personally looking for cat calendars — a cat calendar is my traditional Christmas gift to one friend — I appreciate the other cool calendars I find, such as this one: the 2012 Boston Buddies Rescue Calendar. What's not to like? It's got cute animal photos and nice boxes for writing in, and it benefits dog rescue work.

I found that Boston Buddies calendar through Lili Chin of Boogie's Blog, who has her own calendar: Boogie on Scooters. (Boogie is on the cover of the Boston Buddies calendar.)

Moving on to cats, here's the Cranky Cats calendar by Cindy Schmidt of Indigo Art. You can buy it from Cindy by sending her an email at queenofbugs@yahoo.com, or you can buy it at Cat Alley. (Photo provided by Cindy and used with permission.)

If you'd like a non-animal calendar, here's a 2012 calendar from Rethink Ink Design printed on "post-consumer waste recycled paper stock." The theme of this calendar is fresh, local foods. (Photo used with permission.)

For the minimalists who'd prefer no illustration at all, here's the 2012 calendar from Redstar Ink, also printed on recycled stock. [via Re-Nest]

While all the calendars I've mentioned so far were new finds for me this year, there are a number of calendars I've written about in prior years that now have a 2012 version available. This one is from Nakisha of Blue Dog Rose, but you might also like these:
- Classic Crop Circles
- Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies
- Hawaii Cats
- Kiva calendar
- Multifaith Calendar
- Nantucket Mermaid
- Nice Jewish Guys
- New Zealand photography calendars from Craig Potton
- Seva Calendar

Related Posts with other 2012 calendar finds:
First Look: 2012 Wall Calendars
Helping Dogs and Cats in Need: 2012 Calendars for a Cause
Two Unique 2012 Wall Calendars

Two Unique 2012 Wall Calendars

2011-11-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

Looking for a cool wall calendar? Into cats? How about Nedobeck's 2012 Fanciful Feline Calendar? For a small extra charge Don Nedobeck will sign the calendar, adding a first name and a drawing of a fat cat. If you like Don's work, you can also check out his Facebook page. (Photo provided by the creator and used with permission.)

Un Amore is an interesting company; owner Nicole Dinardo hand paints KitchenAid mixers! Even if you don't want your mixer painted, you may like the 2012 Calendar of Custom Un Amore Mixers. [via David Lebovitz]

Related Posts:
First Look: 2012 Wall Calendars
Helping Dogs and Cats in Need: 2012 Calendars for a Cause