living simply and embracing imperfection
Yeah – I’m happy to report that after almost two months of start-and-stop organizing, my fabric closet is done and my stash is significantly reduced. Whew, it’s a pretty good feeling, you know? How good? Let’s review (or avert your eyes if you need to, it’s nasty…): *shudder* I know I shared the picture on [...]
Is getting all your stuff in order as much on your minds as it is on mine? I swear I could hardly wait to get all the Christmas decorations put away so I could start organizing two areas that have gotten out of control over the past year: my recipes and fabric/craft closet. I’m happy to report I [...]
Oh my goodness guys, am I excited to share this post and awesome giveaway with you! I’m honored to be among a group of bloggers chosen to receive some products from the Martha Stewart Home Office™ with Avery™ product line AND to be able to give away a $100 gift card from Staples (where the [...]
For the inaugural edition of Tuesday Thrift Store Transformations (TTST when I get tired of writing the whole thing…), I thought I’d share with you how I’m actually using the .99 bulletin board that I made into a DIY Ballard Designs Monogram Burlap Message Board (featured in the 31 Days series). I decided to change the [...]
Trays are always abundant at thrift stores. In addition to using them as decoration or as well, trays, I love to use them to corral things. I find it amazing how the same things just sitting on a counter all of a sudden look nice and organized when they’re housed on a tray. Organizing with [...]
I don’t think I could do a series on thrift store items without doing something with baskets, could I? I mean, there’s usually a whole section dedicated to baskets. Unfortunately, most of the baskets have handles, which is great at Easter when you’re hunting for eggs, but not for much else that I’ve found. Which [...]
Every once in awhile you can still find vintage suitcases at thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales. They aren’t as plentiful as they were years ago, but they are out there, so it’s something I always keep in mind when I’m “thrifting.” Why suitcases? Because although we don’t use theses hard-sided vintage cases for [...]
Looking through the photos for my article about updating and refreshing my workroom, I realized that I used many of my favorite vintage finds to organize all the little things that are a part of most offices and studios. Most of the things I now use as containers were purchased super-cheap at thrift stores and [...]
We’ve recently finished the last few finishing touches on our laundry room (started years ago, but better late than never!) – beadboard molding, floor molding, and cabinet brackets. I still need to paint everything- including the cabinet- to match the painted beadboard. With our track record, I didn’t think I should wait to do a [...]
Our spices are housed in a ridiculously narrow cupboard to the right of the stove. It has bugged me since we moved here seven years ago. Of course, not enough to do much more than stuff things in there and quickly shut the door. See what I mean? When we first set up our kitchen [...]
Even though there are lots of tutorials out there, I’ve gotten a number of questions- here and in real life – about the basics of Pinterest, so I thought I’d do a quick introduction for those who need it. If you are a Pinterest-pinning fool, this isn’t for you, however- I’d love for you to [...]
Do you switch out your wardrobe each spring and fall? I’ve found this to be one of the best ways to edit and simplify my wardrobe. Of course the real reason I do this change of cooler clothes for warmer is because I don’t have enough room in my closet or dresser for both seasons, but [...]
Hopefully we’ve got our seeds ordered- or at least a list of seeds to order or purchase – and our heads full of the potential of this year’s garden. Which we all know is greatest this time of year. Oh the hope! *smile* Now it’s time to plan were we’d like to put those seeds and [...]
Laundry is one of those things that I’ve always thought would be too basic even to talk about. I mean, no one I know talks about laundry unless it’s to say there’s too much of it. However, over the years I did notice friends always seemed to have laundry piled on the dining room table or [...]
I used to scrapbook more than I do now (the baby books are finished), but when I did, I found I needed a place to store all the little tools, paper scraps and supplies. Not only did I need a place to store them, but I needed some of the papers and tools to be [...]
Do you organize your gardening paperwork? Keep track of what you grew and when? What you’d like to grow again? It is possible to garden without keeping any records. People do it all the time. But there are some very good reasons to keep at least some records, especially with regards to the organic vegetable [...]
The paperwork we deal with on a daily basis can be overwhelming. Bills. Notes to call people. Kids progress reports. Kids sports, youth, and school schedules. Well, I could keep listing things, but that would be boring, wouldn’t it? Let’s just agree to say there’s a lot. Over the years I’ve tried various ways for organizing [...]
An Oregon Cottage has produced another video for your viewing pleasure. Brian has conducted a investigative “20/20″ like interview with me about the organizing strategy I use for all the recipe cards and clippings I’ve collected. It’s all very serious. Hope you’re ready for a good laugh. See this video full size on YouTube. What [...]
One of the goals I had for 2010 was to do an organization series. Hmmm. It’s May and so far I’ve only written about how I organize the contents of my freezer. You don’t think I need to be more organized, do you? I admit I’m not a super-organized person. But I do like organizing [...]
Years ago while reading a Rachel Ashwell book (wish I could remember which one…) I was inspired by her encouragement to add beauty to all the areas of our life. Specifically, she mentioned making the cupboards and closets we see daily into something lovely that would bring us joy. Up to that point I always [...]
This is our freezer. What started out as a circa 1992 white freezer with rusted edges and a nifty (?) black and gray “racing stripe” down the left side has turned into one of my favorite things in our laundry room (that we created during our garage remodel). And it was as easy as painting [...]
Do you stay up to 2 am wrapping Christmas presents? Or spend hours wrapping gifts? Do you buy loads of paper, ribbon, tags and bows at the after-Christmas sales only to see them end up in a recycling bin or trash can the next year? Well, that was my life during the holidays for a [...]
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
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