I'm almost home! Until I am, I'll leave this post live so you can share your thoughts.
Please Answer:
"Why are you reading a blog about simplicity?"
You can take that to mean whatever you want, and I welcome anything from a few words to an essay full of your inner thoughts! :-)
Please also encourage, ask, and discuss amongst yourselves; the IntenseDebate commenting system I use lets you reply to specific comments which will show up threaded... meaning it's easy to see who's responding to whom.
Since I'm not posting weekend link love posts anymore, I'm playing around with Tumblr as a way to share what I'm up to and what's inspiring me.
Bookmark (or subscribe to) SimpleShorts to see the links, videos, images, and more that I enjoy throughout the week.
Have something I might like? Bookmark the link as "for:simplyla" on delicious, or email me!
Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!
Since I launched Simple Makes on September 14, 2008, I've played around with different post formats, page layouts, topics, post frequency, and content. I've blogged recipes, book reviews, printable how-to guides, links to craft tutorials, photos from my home, and thoughts on simplicity.
As I write and look at the response (both mine and that I see in visits & comments), I've finally settled on what you can expect when you come to Simple Makes:
Tuesdays, I will blog about simple & green living for families, based on what my family's been doing together. Posts on family activities, travel, and crafts for kids fit in this category.
Posts I've written that would fit into this category include:
* Puzzle People Game
* Enjoy your Family... without Spending a Cent!
* Packing Light Tips
Thursdays, I will blog about simple & green living for homes, based on what we've been doing in our home. Cleaning tips, composting, and recipes fit in this category.
Posts I've written that would fit into this category include:
* Energy & Air Leaks
* Shower Supply Simplification
* Apartment Composting
Saturdays, I will blog short posts on any simple or green living topic, mostly using photos & links. Weekend snapshots, announcements of giveaways or special deals, and link love-type posts fit in this category. I'll also reserve posts like "On Simplicity" for Saturdays.
Posts I've written that would fit into this category include:
* Weekend Snapshots #1, 2
* Top 10 Craft Tutorials
* Simple Living or Giving Up?
Tuesday & Thursday posts are my content, based on what my life's been like, written in a way that you can use what I've done and learned, too!
For Saturday posts, I need your help. What'd you blog about this week? What's your Etsy store got on sale? What nifty link did you run across this week that I'd love, too? The best way to get my attention is to tag it for:simplyla on delicious. If you're delicious-less, try email: send your idea to me here.
Hope you're enjoying the way Simple Makes is going; comment to share your thoughts & ideas!
I found this forum thread on WiseBread.com forums several months ago and have followed it ever since. Go check it out and join the discussion: do people live simply because they enjoy the simple life, or because they 'can't any do better'?
...and you?
I'd love to see a lively debate in the comments section right here, as well, so comment away!
I've spent the past month learning how to set up www.SimpleMakes.com, and am finally done. As I worked, I wrote but saved instead of published posts until I was ready with a uniform theme for the site. It's all ready now!
All the posts to this point are available as backdated entries. So they don't get lost in the archives, here's a quick index to what we have so far:
On Simplicity
Sept 8, 2008
Green posts:
Start Living Sustainably
Sept 12, 2008
Apartment Composting Series
Sept 4, 2008
Craft Posts:
Mugful of Craft Tools
Sept 5, 2008
Crafting How-to Books
August 29, 2008
Home Posts:
Desk Drawer De-clutter
Sept 9, 2008
Home Design: Flickr & Color
Sept 2, 2008
Simple Candle Wax Fix
August 26, 2008
...and you?
Stay tuned for more posts: simplicity, green, craft, home, and family. Please comment to let me know what you'd like to see!
Busy people + the need for storage can all too easily equal clutter. Here's the good, the bad, and the how-to make it better from my own desk drawer experience.
Home from vacation, it didn’t take too long to discover the dreaded desk drawer that’d become a cluttered toss-all pile weeks before we left. Looks like a home organization job to me!
I took the picture above for memory's sake before digging in.
Though not as visually frightening as some, it wasn’t working out; we spent too much time with a hand in that drawer.
The good:
Organizers (the little boxes) within organizers (the drawer) work well. Most notecards are neatly stacked. Money is either in envelopes, or paper-clipped with labels.
The bad:
Some items (stapler) are on top of unrelated items (envelopes). Loose items (paper clips) have no home. A pile of used paper meant for reuse keeps growing under the envelopes because it’s easier to get to the (store-bought, i.e. not free) notecards. The larger box is made of newspaper, so its sides don’t hold up very well.
The desk-drawer clutter $0.00 solution:
The how-to:
First, I made some decisions: “Will I really ever use this?” Though I may, someday, want a 6.75x4” piece of paper, I’ll likely be fine with just one size. I took the largest paper and divided it in 4. Just fold and tear - no need for smooth, perfectly straight edges. I took all the other paper and tore them to the same size. Smaller scraps will become recycled paper later. I clipped the new notes together and decided not to keep more than will fit in the clip - excess will be recycled too. We won’t need to buy notecards anymore, either (frugal bonus!)
Second, I got rid of loose items. I put some paperclips and staples in the smaller box. Large items go in the new, sturdier large paper box.
Third, I combined rarely-used items out of the way. See the white box in the corner? The lid was always cumbersome when I just wanted to grab or put away something, so I tucked it and the flaps inside the box. Since I have staples and paper clips out (second step), I won’t often need their boxes, so they’re tucked away back there, too. Several cards that previously floated around the room are now stuck upright in that box.
Fourth, I oriented items so nothing important overlaps. It turns out the envelopes fit better longways, for example.
Fifth and lastly, I did a visual check. Because the colorful collections of items were all on the right side of the drawer, I switched the new notepad paper with the newspaper box. Not a big deal, but it looks a little better this way.
That’s it!
...and you?
What’s your $0 organization solution that saves you bits of your precious time here and there, time that adds up? Comment for a chance to have your tip featured here on Simple Makes! Or, reorganize your desk drawer and post the before-and-after at our flickr group.
What is Simplicity?
Simplicity is the opposite of confused, complicated, and cluttered. Simple instructions are easy to understand. Simple families enjoy one another, not the number of activities they can crowd into their schedule. Simple homes have what they need to function peacefully, without all sorts of extra (unnecessary) products.
From the archives by Marcusrg on flickrFor me, to live simply is to orient my life on what matters: relationships with God, family, and community. The opposite is a life oriented on possessions. You can recognize a simple life not by who owns the least, but by joy, freedom, and generosity that come from not relying on material things for status, security, and satisfaction.
Simple Makes & Simplicity
Here at Simple Makes, I share tips every week to simplify your life. Remember, though, that tips are not laws. Using simple beauty products, for example, does not mean you are free from slavery to stuff if you still blow up and yell at your toddler when she spills your homemade body wash!
Simple Words
I try to reflect simplicity in my writing. I want to provide honest and straightforward content, so I avoid jargon and long-winded sentences that make me sound good but communicate nothing. If you catch me falling into self-promoting blabber, tell me so I can get back on track!
Why Simplicity?
Why Simplicity? Because the things I own aren’t really mine; they’re gifts to share. Because no matter how much I have, mere stuff can never satisfy me. Because trusting God to give me what I need today frees me from the anxiety that I won’t have enough tomorrow. Because I like spending my time enjoying life instead of worrying!
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.”
-Proverbs 30:8-9
References
Where do my ideas come from? If you’re interested in reading more, try:
* Leviticus 27:24, Psalm 24:1, Matthew 6:33 in the Bible
* Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline chapter, "Simplicity"
(read his 10 guidelines for simplicity)
Most crafters agree they have too much craft stuff lying around, but share an organizational problem: what to do with it all? A challenge & poll led to netizen crafters' brainstorming & creativity, plus some interesting stats!
The Mugful Story
I recently began using mugs to store smaller, more frequently-accessed craft tools. This puts everything in one place while allowing me to add a fun, but functional, decor item to the room.
As I enjoyed my new crafting organization, I wondered: if all I kept to craft with had to fit in this mug, what would stay? What would go? The mug no longer just said "storage solution" to me, but also "simplify."
I asked online crafters how they would simplify their craftroom (or corner of the living room, or wherever) if they could only keep one mugful of craft tools. By “tools,” I excluded supplies (such as bolts of fabric) as well as equipment (like sewing machines).
Some crafters posted a photo of their mugful:
Poll Results
Crafters at etsy.com, several flickr.com groups, and right here at www.SimpleMakes.com voted on the top 3 tools they’d have to keep.
The Top 3's Top 3:
Scissors (over half the crafters would include scissors), knife or other cutter, and, to my complete surprise (since I never use them in crafting), pliers!
Complete results (by % of crafters who'd include each in their top 3):
58% scissors
39% knife or cutter
32% pliers
25% writing utensil (pen, pencil, chalk)
25% ruler
21% knitting needles
18% tape measure
18% sewing or embroidery needles
14% seam ripper
14% paint brush
11% crochet hook
11% pincushion
7% small torch
4% hammer
4% chopstick
4% glue
4% stitch markers
Of course, responses were biased based on particular trades... I wouldn't suggest building a craft supply emporium based on these numbers! Do enjoy the stats, though; it's fun!
...and you?
Whether you do this as a mental exercise or actually pull out a mug, go through your stash, and try to stock it with just the essentials, it is a helpful activity that aids in simplification priority-making. Do you really need to keep all three size H crochet hooks?
Using the options in the poll results above, comment on this post with your top 3. If you take a photo, post it on our flickr group.
Enjoy!
What craft books are the best to keep around? When do you know you have enough? A confession, a solution, and some recommendations to help you simplify your selection of crafting how-to books.
A Solution
Here are a few useful tips I’ve found to keep my book pile under control.
1. Keep the best, and only the best - I keep comprehensive books that I refer to often instead of those which just have one pattern I like. The same “if you haven’t enjoyed it in the past year, let someone else enjoy it” rule applies here.
2. Don’t keep more than you can store - If your books no longer fit on their designated shelf, you may need to get rid of excess books, not buy more shelving!
3. Borrow & share - Use libraries, your friends, and online organizations like Bookcrossing. This way, you rotate fresh ideas in and out of your library, keeping only the most useful and passing along those that someone else can better use.
Recommendations
As promised, I’d like to share recommendations from my bookshelf and other crafters'. With just these few, I (or whomever) have all the information I need for almost every project I encounter:
#1 for hand embroidery: Complete Guide to Embroidery Stitches
#1 for sewing: Sew Everything Workshop
#1 for jewelry: All Wired Up
#1 for soapmaking: The Everything Soapmaking Book
...and you?
What craft book could you not do without? Comment with the type of craft and your book recommendation. You can also take a picture of your craft books, organized or chaotic, and post them on the Simple Makes flickr group!
Make simple living a reality in your own family and home!
Simple Makes at www.SimpleMakes.com launched September 2008 as a source to read and share ideas for family activities, household tips, guides to green (sustainable) living, make-your-own craft and other project how-to's, and much more!
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