| |
| |
|
Organizing Information |
|
|
|
LifeHealthInsurance.ca Memorabilia -- Use It or Lose It!
What do you do with those special items that have been passed down to you? Put them in the hall closet and hope the door will shut? Probably not a good choice for several reasons. First, you are unnecessarily creating clutter; second, if the item is very old and unstable, you will further the aging process; finally, and most importantly, what's the point of keeping these special items if the only time you enjoy them is when you move or get the bug to clean out a closet! This summer my grandmother passed away and I was the recipient of many beautiful things, especially table linens. My grandmother enjoyed entertaining and her tables were always draped in an impeccable manner. As I started to sort through everything to see what I actually had, I found napkin-sized linens on which my grandmother had painted picnic scenes. They are so neat and I could not just stick them back in a closet for another 50 years. But the dilemma was, what should I do with them? They were too precious to actually use as table linens, so I decided to have them framed to display in my daughter's room. I visited a local frame shop only to discover a vast range of options for preserving any and all types of mementos. For my project, the shop owner recommended conservation framing. The linens were very old and starting to discolor. The conservation frame process includes hand-stitching the fabric to a suede board, use of acid free mattes (very important because acid from papers and plastics can migrate onto your memento), and image perfect UV-filtering glass. The painted napkins turned out wonderfully and look great in my daughter's room. Now, every time I am in there making the bed or putting away laundry, I am reminded of my grandmother's big heart and gentle smile. My Aunt Marcia has a particular knack for finding creative solutions for our family heirlooms. When my grandfather's health was failing, he always had a hand-stitched quilt over his shoulders for warmth. Family members had a very strong association between that quilt and my grandfather. After his death my aunt had the quilt taken apart and the pieces of fabric made into teddy bears for grandchildren and doilies for his daughters and daughters-in-law. In addition, a frame was presented to my dad containing his father's Bronze Star, the Executive Order, and the article from the newspaper, all arranged under glass using conservation techniques. Many mementos are suitable for display, given the appropriate treatment. Things that may be considered include, but are not limited to: garments worn for a special occasion, a lone piece of china or silver, and special awards or medals. There are many conservation or preservation solutions available. Costs will vary depending on the size and detail of the project, but consider it a worthwhile investment in the preservation of a small piece of your family history. So run, don't walk, to your attic, closet or wherever you have hidden away a precious memento and find a way to put it on display now! Copyright 2003 Bridget Messino About the author: Bridget Messino is a Professional Organizer and co-owner of Clutter Free Living, Inc. Her work frequently appears on many Internet sites and on her own organizing site Clutter Free Living as well as in her monthly Home Organizing Newsletter How to Be Clutter Free. Subscribe to the FREE monthly e-newsletter by sending a blank e-mail to cflnews-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Getting Organized for Achievement Getting and staying organized is critical to achieving your goals. A well organized person is more productive, has more free time, wastes less money, and experiences less stress. Saying Goodbye to Stacks of Paper and Distractions A daily journal will save you time, reduce stress and make you more productive.Several months ago, I visited the office of a million dollar producer. Ten Signs That Your Life Is Cluttered How do you know if you need to clean out? Here's a sure-fire ten-step way to spot (and deal with!) clutter in your life.YOU HAVE TO MOVE A PILE OFF A CHAIR SO SOMEONE CAN SIT DOWNHaving a junk closet where you hide it all away is one thing (not good, but certainly a bit more tolerable). Change the Way You Think and Change Your Life Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day and a security guard at night. He needs these two incomes in order to stay above water in his bills. Choose Spice Racks That Help You Organize Your Home Today you have almost as many choices of spice racks as you do of the spices they contain. Spice racks are wonderful kitchen home organization gadgets. Organized For Life Questions come my way all the time regarding my God-given nature to be organized. It has been said that I stayed under the proverbial "organized spout" too long when I was being created. Creative Storage Solutions When the things in your home start crowding in around you and you're short on cash, it's time to come up with some creative storage solutions. Don't be afraid to think "out of the box". 10 Minute Tricks to Help You Get Organized Whoever thought you'd be able to get organized in just 10 minutes?! Here are a few simple ideas.1. Is Your To Do List The Problem? You start each week with great intentions. You are determined to get a grip of your workload. Making Life Easier, with NLP Chunking! You know, in psychology there is a rule, especially within the NLP circles that I work in and the literature that I read, it is quite a famous rule; 7 plus or minus 2 - this is the notion that the conscious mind can only keep track of between 5 and 9 discrete pieces of information at one time. Your unconscious can literally keep track of billions and billions of things at the same time aparently (clever thing that it is!), while your conscious mind is more one step at a time and it has a fairly narrow focus. The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Organizing Your Kids Rooms 1. In terms of organization, what is the first thing a parent should do before decorating a kid's room?Get rid of the clutter! Because we are such a materialistic, marketing, socializing-driven society, kids are bombarded and often overwhelmed with "stuff" - much of which they don't even like and will never use. Feng Shui Guidlines for Storage Spaces Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such as shelves above doors and in corners, hooks on the backs of doors, and peg-board or tools and small appliances. They are masters at maximizing every square inch of a closet with bins, baskets, shelf dividers, and multiple hanging rods. Identifying the Rocks: Organizing Your Priorities In one of my favorite books, First Things First, written by Stephen Covey with Roger and Rebecca Merrill, is a story of the man in front of his class with a pile of rocks and a jar. He puts the rocks in the jar, and then asks the class "Is it full?" "Yes," they answer in unison. 35 Santity Savers - Get More Productive Use these 35 sanity savers this year to help you become more productive and get more done in less time, so you can get on with life!EmailOnly check your emails twice a day - don't respond each time you receive an email it wastes too much time! Set up folders for your inbox so you can 'electronically' file your emails when you have completed them. Set up rules within your email so messages are automatically filed for you to read later. 5 Reasons to Organize Your Home Today Home organization isn't just for neat-nicks or those drawn toward organized living. Even if you don't fall into those two stereotypes, you should consider learning and implementing some home organizing techniques. How to Prevent Piles of Paper! If you have piles of paper all over your desk, you're going to love this article.The method is called FAT. Family Management Tip #2: Choosing the Right Organizer for Your Family What method do you currently use to organize your family? Do you mean my paper calendars or my electronic ones, you ask? If you're like the vast majority of people we surveyed, you're probably using a wall calendar on or near the fridge. And, for portability, you keep the same information on your pocket day planner, which you carry around. Your Organizing DNA Do you like storing your papers on top of your desk in trays, baskets or just plain piles? Do you have a preference for Post-it notes and maybe some colorful file folders? Or are clearly labeled files and file cabinets more your style? Do you 'file' or 'pile'? I make it a practice of testing my workshop participants for this very thing because of its importance in creating and supporting an effective, organized workspace.The brain's dominance factorResearch conducted in the late 1980's proved that human beings exhibit brain hemisphere dominance in early childhood. Tired of Endless Chores and To-Dos? Stop Running Around in Circles and Enjoy Life Again Do you feel like you are running around in circles, completing one task after the next only to find there are 20 chores you have not done yet? I am not even talking about the constants such as grocery shopping, returns, doctor appointments, clients, and carpool!If you are tired of fighting this endless battle, stop fighting and start winning. I have come to the realization that I will ALWAYS be able to think of something else that needs to be done-even after completing my long to-do list!Tired of my endless pursuit of checking off my to-do list and interested in silencing my mental clutter, I made a conscious decision to give up the frustrating goal of "getting it ALL done" and instead have regular achievable goals that fit into my larger life path. Letting Go of Clutter In Your Office Some people would say I'm the last person in the world to be writing about clearing out clutter; I seem to accumulate so much of it. But I also get rid of it, when it reaches the point of bothering me.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
