• Organizing Collections and Letting Ideas Flow.

    I am supposed to be working. I am supposed to be writing some articles to submit, paying my bills and doing my online course. But I can’t settle into it because my bookshelf is untidy. Also, I see a dust bunny on my floor, and my cabinet is too crowded. I’m having one of those scattered days where every little piece of dirt is a distraction. When my house becomes messy, I literally CANNOT focus on work. I see all of these crowded creative spaces online where they say the “method is in the madness”- you know the ones, paint…

  • That’s It. I’m Throwing it On the Lawn and Setting It On Fire!

    I really feel like I could do that. I do. But I won’t. We still have quite a lot of stuff. In Marie Kondo’s book, she stresses that you should not declutter your family’s things, just yours. Kondo says that even a three-year-old child will get the decluttering bug if you’re setting a good example and they see how happy it makes you. With my kids, this didn’t happen. They saw how nice my room was and then just hung out in there. (hahahah!) Going to their own rooms just had them feeling overwhelmed. I asked my kids a few…

  • A Quick Five Minute List to Organize Your Whole Week

    Today is the day. I say that every Monday, as I see Monday as the day of the week worthy of mini-resolutions. Far from stressing me out, it creates a sense of order and renewal within me. As soon as I have finished packing the kid’s lunches, I sit and eat breakfast, notepad by my side, planning my week every Monday morning. I don’t go too grandiose.  I make a giant list of everything I can think of: from “clean out the pantry” to “make hard-boiled eggs”. Those items are amazingly different! The pantry could take me two hours whereas…

  • A Creative’s Take on the Konmari Method.

    I felt crushed by clutter when I came across the Konmari Method and her book, The Magic Art of Tidying Up. I did not have a hoarder’s palace, by any means, but every time I had to go from tiny pile to another tiny pile of stuff to find what I was looking for, I felt dispirited, my energy sucked dry. Frustrated also became a common emotion; like an old friend, it would hang out in the back of my heart ready to jump out and squeeze my lungs until my frustrated, shallow breaths became a norm. I could feel…

  • Decluttering and Unexpected Emotions.

    When I begin my decluttering journey, it was more about the effort to find the things I need more quickly and not feeling as if I was drowning in “stuff”. How many times can one person trip over a laundry basket of “things to be sorted later” before they feel frustrated? (Answer: Once past ‘too many times’). Even the amount and assortment of clothing I had was starting to annoy me. (You can read about that here). I took a test in a magazine that pointed out I am a “sentimental clutterer”. I keep things because, once upon a time…

  • Capsule Wardrobes

    Have you guys heard of Capsule Wardrobes? You must have! The sites touting the benefits of them is everywhere and there is major inspiration all over Pinterest. I stumbled across the idea of a Capsule Wardrobe on the blog Un-Fancy , and I instantly loved the idea. I started it, but then I got scared of taking my wardrobe in that direction, and I quit. My style now is very teen-inspired-eclectic and I thought I loved it that way. Nowadays? I crave basic staples I could mix-and-match easily and effortlessly. I also want to accessorize more but, with my current wardrobe,…

  • The Konmari Method and Saving Money

    On this cold day that feels like it will snow, I am inside doing laundry and reflecting on the state of my house, which I successfully ignored during the warmer months. It is a cluttered mess. Maybe not by some’s standards, but by mine it is. Even trying to find the right winter clothing has been painful….and, by the way, I can’t believe I have to think about that already!! My mom in Saskatchewan already has a foot of snow. Oh, Canada. So what has being stuck inside on cold days made me think about? DECLUTTERING! And saving money because…

  • Why We Have Chosen to Live on Tight Budget.

    It’s September already! The blur of summer has already passed, which may be a relief if you live in Calgary, AB, like I do, where summer was just a string of thunderstorms. The leaves are starting to change colours which always makes me want to begin change in my own life. The transformation of the natural landscape spurs me to transform too….and not just physically. I find myself reflecting on all of the ways my life could be different and I start to prioritize. This year my kids are both in full-time school. My daughter began Grade 3 and my…

  • Thoughts

    Hello All.   As promised I am going to blog more often. Yesterday my brain wouldn’t shut off with ideas and I realized my creative spirit is awakening from hibernation! Hurray. I don’t usually use Tarot Cards as more than a game, but before our Cuba trip, I was reorganizing and I dropped the cards as I moved them over. “As if I have time for this!” my mind shouted, as I played 52 (+) pick-up and glanced over at the halfway packed suitcases.  When I picked up one card it was like an electric jolt to the brain and…

  • Why I’m Not Focusing On Halloween

    When I tell people I want to be a writer, they scoff and then ask what I REALLY want to be. But that’s all that I love. Anything with words. My children now being in school in the morning means I have a scant two hours to get some writing down, or at least some creative brainstorming. I try to regularly update this blog and I contribute to any site that will publish my work. But lately, I have hit a wall. I can’t seem to get anything down. As soon as I sit down, all I can think of…