Organizing Tip: Spice Drawer

There are lots of jokes aimed at organized people like, "oh yes, I spent my Saturday organizing my spice drawer!" Well, I'm one of those people and I take pride in the little areas of my house, like my spice drawer!

I love to cook and insist on a simple, well set-up kitchen, free of clutter and free of the items I rarely use (those are stored in the basement on a shelf).

Have you ever considered using a drawer to store your spices? It's a lot easier to find what you need (and know what you have so you don't double up) if they're lined up in a drawer. If you currently use a cupboard, how about making the switch? If you're happy with your cupboard and don't want to change, how about going to Target or www.stacksandstacks.com and getting some item risers (your spices will be lined up like they are attending a high school pep rally in the gym!).

And have you ever wondered how long spices last? Not as long as you'd think: herbs? 1-3 years. Others? 2-3 years. You really ought to upgrade while you're organizing. I love the "Simply Organic" line. Another great store/catalog is Penzey's Spice.

Go get spicy :)!

Gardening Catalogs

Because Spring arrives in New England at a turtle's pace, it's a lot of fun to spend early Spring browsing seed and bulb catalogs. Today I got a fantastic one from the people at Seeds of Change, which is all certified organic.

Here are my favorites:
Seeds of Change: www. seedsofchange.com
Brent and Becky's Bulbs: www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com
Burpee Seed: www.burpee.com/public/index.aspx

This year we are going to build ourselves raised garden boxes, based on the book "All New Square Foot Gardening", by Mel Bartholomew. There are many advantages to this method, including bringing in really good organic, composted soil, being able to walk around the box (for weeding and picking) and because they look really pretty! I'm not interested in digging up the yard, so we can place these on the edge of the property. I love the idea of an organized garden (go figure!!)

We're going to build 3 boxes (to start!) and plant:

Box 1: Giant Heirloom Zinnia, for late summer cuttings
Box 2: Herbs and Tomatoes
Box 3: Kids Box! Either sunflowers or pumpkins

I'll take pictures for the blog once we've built the boxes and set them up.

Happy Spring!

Yard Sale Furniture!

Anyone who has been to my house knows I've gotten some of my favorite pieces of furniture at yard sales. The coffee table in my den? $7. The queen sized solid maple bed in my son's room? $10. The list goes on and on! When people visit the house and compliment something I have to stop myself from giving a tacky play by play of where I've found my finds!

Now that yard sale season is upon us, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share some very easy tips for refinishing yard sale furniture.

First of all, you want something with good "bones", i.e. it doesn't matter how ugly it looks on the surface, if it's made of nice solid wood (not vaneer), pick it up. What's the risk? $10? Who cares?

If the wood needs it, give it a light sanding with a medium sand paper and then work your way to the finest paper. Wipe clean and PRIME (do NOT skip this!) with either KILZ or BULLSEYE primer. I usually do 2-3 coats of primer. Next? Paint your find! I like taking my Benjamin Moore paint wheel to the store and having something mixed custom, since I like to really customize the colors. A semi-gloss is nice. You'll want 2 coats of the paint.

To the right are pictures of my favorite find to date. I got this table at the local Salvation Army for $10. It's a late 19th century dining room table. I sawed the base down, reattached it, painted it white and made a coffee table. Love it! Do you know how hard it is to find a table big enough for the whole family to play games and make puzzles?

Happy Hunting! See you at the yard sales! p.s. don't forget to keep bungee cords in your trunk, ladies!

Cherry Almond Cake

Here's another fool-proof amazing dessert. Sounds ordinary, but tastes extraordinary!

Cherry Almond Cake
1 cup flour
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 stick butter, room temp
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t almond extract
15 ounce jar pitted cherries (I use ones in a glass jar)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-11 inch springform pan. (I like butter flavored Crisco)

Beat sugar and butter about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Add almond extract. Sift flour and baking powder and add to butter mix. Mix until incorporated. Scrape into pan. Top with drained cherries. Bake 65 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on rack and remove sides of pan. Top with powdered sugar.

Do you need my help?

I just returned from a very satisfying closet organizing job. I loved the work, the client was very pleased and my kids got to play with her kids while I worked. What a life I lead! She told me she's a regular reader of the blog (thank you!) and encouraged me to remind my lovely readers that, although I love to blog, my primary job is an organizer/decorator. I'm here for the hiring, friends!

My current rate is $50 an hour. Most jobs require at least a 2-4 hour window. It's best to book me at least a week in advance.

The great news for you is that next year I'll be childless during the day! That's 9-3 of un-interrupted organizing time! Please treat yourself to the space you deserve. Organization is not a one-time quick fix. It's a process. It's thinking about your space/life with new eyes.

Hire an organizer today!

Twistie Ties

Remember the days when toys came in simple packaging? Or little packaging at all? Now, it seems every toy is tied down in its box by about 10 silver colored "twisty ties". It's a comedy of errors Christmas morning when parents are trying desperately to rescue a toy from it's restraints, isn't it? I can't remember which of my talented friends gave me this idea, but it's one I love:

Use the twisty ties in your garden to stake plants/flowers/tomatoes, etc. They are especially good because unlike the ties you get with trash bags, they are really really strong. I collect them after holidays and keep them in a clear jar in the garage.

Happy gardening!

Too Many Catalogs?

Are you overwhelmed by all the catalogs that arrive in your mailbox? Do they remain unread? Clog up your recycling bin? I found a fantastic site to help!

www.catalogchoice.org

I just visited the site and was very easily able to opt-out of many catalogs we receive, and never use. Most of the shopping I do is from companies websites anyway (hello Lands End! Ha, ha)

Start with little ways to live deliberately, responsibly and simple.

Let me know how it goes!