Tips & Resources Archives

Textile Tuesday::Quilt Market Tools-N-Treasures

October 29, 2013 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Tips & Resources

I just returned from my first Quilt Market…(I’m no longer a #QMVirgin)! It was completely inspiring, overwhelming, amazing, fun and EXHAUSTING…in a good way. Before I crash I wanted to share a couple hilights from my trip and I’ll be sharing more over the next week or two. First of all, let me tell you WHY I went to Houston. In August I was offered an opportunity to do some consulting to help launch a new brand product called FabricMaker! I won’t get totally into the details here because some of you read my blog for more organizing related stuff…others for the textile goodies. I’ll give you a bit of both.

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Here’s our booth from the Market. I helped to design some of the pattern collections and was excited to be at the market for the official product launch!

So, what is FabricMaker? I think I’ve got this down after 3+ days of telling everyone…it’s the first Commercial Quality, Pigment Based Digital Fabric printing system available! What? That means you can use the matched system of special pigment based inks to PRINT YOUR OWN FABRIC’S…ON DEMAND and know that you will be able to wash them without them fading and they are fade resistant and archival! You no longer have to order your fabric printed through services like Spoonflower (although I have LOVED them for what they have brought to the market over the past 8+yrs). Parent company, Sawgrass Technologies has been working on the product development for this for about 18 months now due to demand in the market for lower priced options for digital fabric printing technology. We will have a lot to respond to in the market as we learn who and how this new tool will be used but it’s full of exciting potential and it’s affordable (prices start at $500 for the small system-including ink, fabric and printer). It’s crazy amazing, I’ve got one of my own I’ve been playing with and I can’t wait to see what other people make with them.

I’ll keep you posted on what develops with this…on to some other tools and treasures I found at market!

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There were a few really cool digital tools but I think my favorite was the Slice Cordless Digital Die Cutter. So small and simple to use! Sizzix and Silhouette are great systems too!

Needles

Some of great new “analog” tools I learned about included the super strong, amazing selection of Tulip Artistic Needles…

Clover Weaving sticks

…and Clover’s Weaving Sticks (as a weaver I love to see others begin weaving). I haven’t used the weaving sticks but there is a review over at The Zen of Making.

For my organizing readers here are a couple super great products I found and am excited to share! I don’t have a picture (so the one below is from their website) of the Reisenthel bags but they have a bunch of great models including the original Carrybag and are beautifully made!

CarryBag

Yazzii

Another very high quality bag I now love (along with the sassy owner of the company:) are Yazzii Mulit-Functional organizers.

FabricOrganizers

And I’m saving the best of the organizing resources for last are these Fabric Organizers by DeNiece Designs. I love, love, love them and how did I not know about them before now? They remind me of my retail days folding tee shirts with folding boards.

Hopefully this gave you a small taste of some of the fun goodies at Quilt Market but I’ll be back with actual Textiles, designers, pattern makers and more inspiration!

Sunday Savings::7 Ways Organizing Saves

March 10, 2013 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Paper management, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

I’m shifting gears this week to share 7 Ways Organizing Saves you big $$!

I’ve often had clients comment to me that they are ashamed of spending so much money to hire an organizer and they wonder if something is wrong with them. No way! Anyone who cares enough to invest their time and money will potentially be saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Really…I’ll share some statistics and examples.

Source: moneysmartfamily.com via HKpowerStudio on Pinterest

7 Ways you can Save by getting more organized:

Money-both cash and checks. I have found either cash or checks with almost all of my clients when we dig in and start sorting. Sometimes it’s just a few dollars and sometimes I’ve found hundreds! I know other organizers who have found thousands if not HUNDREDS of thousands with clients!
Space-by clearing out old clutter and not PAYING to store it in storage bins or rooms in your house! EX…do you store your junk in your garage and your second most valuable asset-your car-out in the elements? If you have storage bin or room in your house you are throwing hundreds out the window every month. According to the storage industry 10% of Americana households have storage!! Why would you pay to store stuff you don’t need or use? Short term storage can have a purpose if you are moving but otherwise it’s probably a waste.
Calories! Yes by saving time and being more productive you can prepare healthier meals for yourself and family. Not to mention the act of organizing can be quite physical and you will burn calories while your at it.
Relationships…many relationships are put under tremendous stress when one partner is utterly unorganized. The conflicts that can arise from one partners responsibilities not being met again and again can lead to devastating consequences!
Taxes-found receipts, deductibles and preventing expensive audits or late fees.
Time-when you know where to find what you need you will save time on a daily basis. [time=productivity=money]
Fees-you can eliminate late fees on bills and credit cards if you have an organized system for bill paying in place.

Rather than asking yourself if you can afford to hire an organizer or spend the time working through it on your own shouldn’t you ask yourself how you can afford NOT to be organized?

What value do you think being organized has in your life?

Where can you find ways to save?

Wednesday’s Word::Tenacious

January 23, 2013 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Tips & Resources

Tenacious is a great word. One we don’t hear people using much in today’s everyday language but it’s tenacity that usually helps us to hold our course.

Definition of TENACIOUS

(courtesy of Merriam-webster)

a : not easily pulled apart : cohesive <a tenacious metal>

b : tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance <tenacious burs>

a : persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired <a tenacious advocate of civil rights> <tenacious negotiators>

We all find at times we may need to cultivate tenacity, especially when we feel uncertain, discouraged or otherwise like we want to give up because something is sooo HARD! Some people can naturally be described as tenacious and others may find that Tenacity is a skill that they need to cultivate. There are naysayers out there that say Tenacity can not be taught and although it’s not easy or a “traditional” subject to try to teach I’d bet every parent has tried to varying degrees to teach their children tenacity. I think it’s also important to be selective about being tenacious. No one wants to be constantly pushing towards goals or ideas that no longer serve them so most importantly, evaluate when to let go of things that are not appropriate and cultivate tenacity in more selective terms.

5 Ways to cultivate tenacity:

Listen to your gut (intuition, instinct or whatever you want to call it)/Ignore your Ego (that naysayer, little devil on your shoulder etc). If it’s making you miserable, it’s time to re-consider it.
Try it a different way; often times if we’ve tried and given up there may be a different system or solution that might just click! Keep trying until you Succeed and keep track of what works!
Embrace the Process; not the outcome. There’s no denying we are a result driven society but by being more process centered we can appreciate and congratulate ourselves along the way (to the bigger goals)
Surround yourself with tenacious people. When we see others emulate qualities we want to cultivate we will be much more likely to succeed.
Hold yourself accountable but let got of the guilt! Maybe you need an accountability partner (one of those other inspiring tenacious people in your life). Putting it out there in front of others helps hold you to your word.

Your Desk Assignment

January 14, 2013 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Paper management, Productivity, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

Since January was GO Month, I’m continuing to bring you Get Organized tips. Today, here’s your Desk assignment if you choose to tackle it! Because, you know…it might be a mess regularly, or you may need to start getting tax papers together.

You know your why, I’ll show you how.

Spend the thirty minutes to hour of your day at work keeping your desk organized for a more productive week, month & year!

Really! If you spend 30-60 min’s today and clean up your desk, it will make you feel so much better, more productive, more effective and less stressed when you sit down (or stand) to get back to work.

Here’s a quick breakdown with a few tips to keep in mind as you are tackling this little (or maybe not so little?) task:

If you already have a good filing system in place, sort & file or toss/shred the rest. IF NOT…
Decide if you are A filer or A piler (more here ). If you are a ‘filer’ proceed to the next step using a vertical file sorter. If you are a ‘piler’ then proceed but modify this system using a horizontal filing baskets, bins or small drawers.
Create a ‘Tickler or Action file system’ for the items that need to remain nearby. There are several types like 43 Folders or a more action-based system. Sort items & file or toss/shred the rest. Action files may include: To Do, Pay, Contact, Research or Decisions, Complete, Pending, Read, Delegate, Upcoming events, File, Current projects (by name) and more.
Clear supplies off surfaces. Put them in drawers or bins/boxes/baskets and label as needed. Keep only what you use regularly on the desk. One pen/pencil and one notepad and the electronic paraphernalia.
Utilize vertical space. Hang a cork, whiteboard, calendar, or action file sorter (not where things should live permanently!). Consider anything else that you can remove from your desk to better use vertical space.
Remove anything unrelated to work or home office (toys, mail that hasn’t been sorted, tools, knickknacks, etc.)
Optimize your workspace ergonomics. Check the height of your chair, monitor, and desk. Add good lighting and consider using or adjusting arm rests, using a riser for your monitor, a wedge for your wrists etc.
Include something beautiful (not a bunch of things!). One or two beautiful objects like a plant, a crystal, a photo, candle etc. that give you a place for you to rest your eyes. Cast your gaze on these when you are taking recommended 3-min breaks from your monitor.

IF this doesn’t seem like a task you can tackle in 30-60 min’s and you can’t do it all at once then tackle the tasks above that seem easy and check them off the list. When it comes to the BIG piles, can you do a quick sort and keep only the things you really need on/near your desk in a desktop sorter of some type? The rest can go into a box for you to label “SORT” and work on a little at at time (30 min’s a day) for the rest of the week or until it’s done.

Coming to work tomorrow will be that much more joyful with a neat an tidy desk!

Brought to you by National Clean off your desk day! Who thinks of these things? Hallmark? Is there a card for it?

Now, I’m off to take my own medicine! Happy Clean Desk Day!

Finding Electronic Files

November 9, 2012 by Heather Filed Under: Digital Organizing, Organize, Paper management, Productivity, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources 1 Comment

In my previous life as a Designer and Project manager, I witnessed a lot of different filing systems both electronic and paper. Some of these were quite effective but many were very cumbersome and way too complicated. Below, my take away is a system that I created based upon the best of everything I learned. I use this system across the board for all my files (on my computer, on paper and in the cloud- design-business-personal).

Having one simplified filing system that applies to all categories makes it simple to locate what you need wherever you need it.

Inside Level 1:: Broad Hierarchy based categories

You can see I have less than 12 folders that are logically divided by category. These live in my main documents folder (which is where everything goes).

Inside Level-2:: Sub Categories-Business folder (similar sub folders for other categories)

…again not many folders and I’m keeping categories broad but specific to help me quickly locate files.

Inside Level 3::Detailed Categories (Year- ‘Clients’ folder)

This is where all client folders are kept by year. I happen to keep my client folders alphabetically by last name but a numbering or other type of system would work equally well.

Inside Level 4:: Sub-folders or loose files

These are the specific files I need to keep for each category, they could be monthly accounting based or whatever I may need for working files.

I use a very similar Hierarchy system for my email files.

In this case I keep emails (when needed) in Outlook folders. Level 1-Broad, Level 2-Sub Categories, Level 3-Detailed categories

I hope this filing system overview gives you a few ideas of how you can simplify or re-arrange your computer filing systems.

What kind of computer filing systems do you? Are they simple or more complex than this? I’d love to hear about them.

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