Spring Closet Cleaning

In an effort to lend some organization to my life, I recently completed a major closet purge.  Shoes, clothes, bags, you name it.  I tried to stick to the "if I haven't worn it in two years, it's time to get rid of it" mantra, with a few exceptions for high-end classic pieces and special occasion dresses. Over 8 bags of cast-offs later (some pictured here),  I have to admit, I was quite happy with the results.

Motivation for the Day

Clean Your House in 19 Minutes

(If only I could fold and hang clothing in four minutes...)

Pretty Things

Where did I find these pretty jewelry stands? None other than Urban Outfitters, which actually has three web pages of jewelry organizer options.

Outside the Barn

When I wrote about Pottery Barn the other day, I received a lot of feedback from readers about alternative furniture sources. One reader emailed and told me about Home Decorators. This site features furniture that seems to be one step up from Ikea, with a lot more variety. Pictured above is a sideboard that could be used in so many different ways. The price? From $269 to $469 depending on size. -LG

Perfect

Although I am philisophically opposed to Pottery Barn, I would love to have the Brady Entryway Collection. It turns out Farrell has also had her eye on it...-LG

Reader Request: Recipe Organization

A reader has written in with the following question:

I’m searching for a good recipe organizer/holder – but one that I can distinguish ‘weekday’ meals versus ‘entertaining’ meals – where should I look??

I totally agree – finding a great and functional way to store and organize my recipes is always a huge challenge. I am currently working with a three part system consisting of the traditional recipe box filled with cards (my mom actually started this for me years back and filled it with family recipes, which I have been adding to), miscellaneous cookbooks that I slide into my clear cookbook stand while in the kitchen, and a vast library of recipes from assorted magazines that are very non-ogranized in a few files folders or stuck to the side of my fridge with a magnet.

That said, here are some thoughts:

A traditional recipe box like this is always a keeper. Recipes can be organized by genres via tabs.

This Personalized Recipe and Entertaining Journal from Williams Sonoma is a fantastic choice. It serves a dual purpose – allowing for both the storage of recipe cards, as well as providing space to detail guest lists, menus, etc.

A double sided recipe box like this might be a good choice for our reader’s specific need to organize everyday, quick recipes from those reserved for company and entertaining.

A while back, The Preppy Wedding posted about these cute monogrammed recipe boxes. While they don’t offer anything exceptional in the organization department, they are just too cute, and I certainly wouldn’t mind receiving one as a gift!

Do any of you have any great recommendations on recipe organization? We would love to hear!
flj