the joys of organizing

last saturday night i spent the evening organizing my armoire in hopes of turning my dining table into a true table sans stacks of files and paperwork. finally, a real place to dine. no more eating standing up. last night i spent the evening organizing my linen/entertaining drawers. i created a candle drawer, a cocktail napkin drawer, a server plate drawer (complete with 12 new, lovely charger plates i purchased with a birthday gift card from tarjay), and a linen drawer (complete with cloth napkins, tablecloths, and hand embroidered linens from gramma). sure these two projects took a total of six hours, but the rewards are HUGE. besides opening drawers or an armoire that is tightly organized, i shed lots of unused paraphernalia, made space for new pieces, and reconnected with pieces shoved in a back corner.

a few simple tips for creating mental and physical space through organizing:
1. start small - a drawer, a piece of furniture, a closet.
2. ensure lots of open time as these projects can take longer than anticipated. start them in the early evening when you can sleep in the next day in case you get carried away!
3. pull everything out and place into various piles.
4. put your new piles back into your space strategically.
5. donate or throw away pieces that no longer serve you. i left a pile of old dishware and candles out by the trashcans and they were gone within hours. you city dwellers -- this is a huge plus!
6. relish in the new found freedom that an organized space can provide!

here's to carving out some time to organize our surroundings - sure to make your world more tranquil!