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Thursday, January 7, 2016

Command Center and Card Organization

Hi guys!

I had a big post written for Monday to recap last year in our family life but it got so long and was crammed with so many things that it made me tired. Thought I would spare you that. So here I am! Happy New Year! We had a wonderful break and are now (somewhat unwillingly) back in our normal routine.

I've got another JoAnn's craft for you. Hope that is alright. This is becoming a thing and I am so thankful!

They wanted me to share a bit about organization with it being the new year and I was all like, "Um, YEAH!" I am a command center nut. We don't really have cabinet space to spare in our kitchen but I was very adamant that a set of cabinets should be devoted to all of our office supplies, mailing supplies, cards, calendars, bibles, to-do lists, bills, stamps, newsletters, etc., etc. It is so much easier than walking around the house looking for things that we need to run our home and since we are in the kitchen all.the.time. it just makes more sense to keep everything in this category there as well.

I want to talk specifically about how I have decided to organize all those cards and invitations we get from loved ones throughout the year, and the cards we want to send out as well. There are really a gazillion different ways to do this, but I'm sharing my three favorites below.

1. Greeting Card Organizer:

My New years resolution this year is to send out cards on time. I've always wanted to make a card organizer and finally did it this weekend. You guys. This is the best. And super easy. I've tried a few other things in the past but the best way to do it is to keep it simple; something you can easily grab and easily sift through.




I used a little cute photo box, took the top off, and decorated like crazy. I made DIY dividers by cutting 2 pieces of scrapbook paper to fit and then gluing them back to back. Add a cut pre-cut label, stick on letters, washi tape, and a few other other paper scraps to embellish and there you are. My categories are as follows: Birthday, Baby, Anniversary, Sympathy, Wedding, Thank You, and Blank Cards. I may also add a Mother's and Father's Day section but I ran out of letters so that will have to happen later, ha!


This is so easy and even leaves room to stick your return address stamp and mailing stamps. I already ordered a bunch of cards to cover the year and am waiting for FedEx to bring them to my doorstep. #goals


2. Nail Head Bulletin Board

The front of our fridge isn't magnetized so I had to figure out a different option for displaying all the cute invitations, announcements, and flyers we get for upcoming events. I found this craft a few years ago and fell in love. Serious: this is my favorite craft ever. I have one of these already hanging in my house that I use frequently.



I feel like it has a very non-DIY look with the nice fabric and nailhead trim, which makes me like it more.

This takes about 30 minutes to do. Get yourself a big framed cork board, 1/2 yard of fabric (Always look in the remnant bin, the rolls are 50% off!), some spray adhesive for fabric, and about 3 packs of upholstery tacks. Super cheap. Maybe like $20 with coupons.




Spray the board with the adhesive and lay your fabric on top (iron it first to get out wrinkles). Smooth everything out, make sure it's centered, and then flip it over. Take a staple gun and pull the fabric tight to staple all the way around. Take the tacks and push them into the corners (right against the frame) and then space them evenly in between. You can use a rubble mallet or hammer, too. I space them about two finger-widths apart--no need for a ruler!



So easy, right?

And the last one....

3. Holiday Card Memory Book/Organizer:

If it's getting to that time where you're eyeing your holiday cards hanging on the wall or fridge and wondering what you should do with them than I've got you covered. I found this cute little silver foil kraft binder in the scrapbooking section and made it into a memory book where you can store all of you holiday cards from years past.



The key here is to keep it simple! Just decorate the front, guys. Put your family's current card on the front and have fun. Resist the urge to go crazy and decorate every page---it won't happen. You have a life. You need your sanity. :) Tape or glue your cards to some 8.5x11 cardstock and place in clear page protectors. That's it. You can add on to this every year in about 5 minutes and it store it away until the next Christmas season. It makes a great coffee table book to leave out and look through during Christmastime!



So that's what I've got for today. As always, I will be showing these on KAMR today at 4:00 along with a few other command center tips. :) If I remember I will come back here and post the segment!




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