This is the time of year in which I perform my seasonal swap of clothing. No more sandals and summer time dresses taking up room in my closet. Now is the time I grab my two seasonal bins from storage and spend a couple hours to bring out the winter wear and put away the spring summer fashions. Next year I will be excited to do the swap again and look forward to taking back some of my favorites to enjoy.
 
I suggest everyone try this, and give your closet some breathing space. Enjoy the stuff that you really love and use often. All you need is a few clear bins as shown in the picture and some safe and dry space to store it. As you see, my needs are covered with only two bins. The box on top represents a portion of donated items from my household and my mothers too.
 
Cost to you, about $20 per bin and a few hours of your time.
And you can do this with things like kid’s toys and books too. Doing a seasonal swap each year gives your children a chance to focus more on the few favorites they own and each year see the old as new again. It beats shopping for new stuff when you can get a thrill from un-boxing some almost forgotten favorites. 

Will your pictures and keepsakes mean anything to the next generation?



A lifetime goes into collecting images and keepsakes that take you back, to that special day, that once in a lifetime event, that person you could never forget.

So why can these precious items that tell your history, that hold cherished memories, be lost in piles, water-damaged, folded up, scattered about, or have never made there way out of the envelope? And how can this happen while perfectly good, empty albums and scrapbooks lie about, having suffered the same fate?

Who cares?! Getting them organized now is what really matters.
Before its too late and these keepsakes, heirlooms and photos get left behind as the next generation doesn’t know the story and doesn’t understand the value.

Getting organized in any area of life and work should not be about assigning blame or guilt to what hasn’t happened, it’s about taking action now and honoring your possessions and space for the present and for the future.

So the question begs, how do I organize them? Here are 5 steps to help you: I call this my ‘ALBUM’ method!

Arrange and Sort
Gather some shoe boxes or other trays to sort in. Have a marker and note cards ready to make categorizing easy.

Choose your categories based on dates, life stages, events, or people. You decide, just remember to think long term on what makes most sense for you and your family.

If you can’t decide ultimate order now, that’s ok just take time to label the categories you come across well so putting in order later will be easy.

Limit and Purge
Toss the extra packaging, old flyers and old cardboard frames.

Toss any unflattering, fuzzy or ‘too dark/too light’ shots.

Redundant, duplicated, off centre and poorly framed shots can get tossed too, unless there is any potential to create a special effect when scrap booking a very special image. In which case do limit this, as in reality you’re not going to do this with every subject.

Toss pictures taken for temporary needs or practice shots.

Box it up safely
Chip in and get good archival quality photo boxes that are acid free.

‘Neatly’ label the outside of each, and don’t mix up your categories. That ‘I’ll put it here for now’ mentality is what gets us cluttered in the first place. This stuff is either valuable and to be honored, or it’s not.

Safely store negatives in envelopes with photos if possible.

Upgrade when you have time
When shopping for albums & frames consider your volume, the sizes and where in your home you will display them.

Take the time to plan how much album space to allot to each category.

Purge more as you go.

Maintain your system
Develop film or download images from digital cameras immediately.

Limit the pictures you take, or keep. Don’t fall back into that ‘good enough for now’ habit.

Update boxes routinely, monthly, bi yearly or yearly.


Then sit back, enjoy your collection, invite family and friends to view them with you.

Re-live all those great memories in style while making new ones to cherish along side them.

Enjoy the peace of mind being organized brings and share the news on how grrrrreat it really feels.

To learn more about organizing your home, your office and everything in between, get resourceful and check out the information and free gifts available on this site.

You can also call or write today and I will be happy to discuss any organizing dilema you may be experiencing.

Warmest Regards,
Michelle



Additional free resources:
Archival Products - www.archival.com
Collection Protection Supplies - http://www.bagsunlimited.com
Specialty Options - http://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional/storage-boxes
Instructions on the nitty-gritty of photo storage – http://www.ehow.com/how_4599899_best-way-store-photographs.html
Tips on how to organize digital photos – http://smallnotebook.org/2008/05/20/how-to-organize-digital-photos-the-easy-way/