I always have a hankering to reorganize, refresh, and restyle things this time of year. I think there is an implied quiet, calm, and slow pace to January that points us to new beginnings. A fresh slate, a new calendar and a need to shed what does not work and replace it with what does, or at least, what works right now. With the holidays, our little getaway, and all of our sickness around here, things seem upturned to the point of no return so why not start new.
I have a few projects in mind that I'd like to do around the house to see if these small changes might help things run a bit more smoothly. I have the tendency to get a little hyper-organized which stresses me out and is definitely something I want to let go. Why not try something new - a relaxed approach. I'm thinking of doing a little series of posts this month (maybe longer) aptly named The Casual Organizer in an attempt to solve some of our bottlenecked, frustration-inducing hot spots in our home. It seems that the minute we have a system or something is "figured out," another challenge pops up. Or we find our system is faulty from the get go. Or Rylie's needs change, etc. This is a constant, evolving, living and breathing organism, this household of ours.
I made this pencil roll last night after looking for Rylie's colored pencils and not finding a one. I was also prompted by our increasingly "active" dinners out as of late. Rylie is very busy and not content to sit in a highchair very long. Maybe, if we dedicate one set of colored pencils for bringing with us to dinner, and maybe if they are contained in one place, that would help. I used the basic composition from the project in this book and added a large pocket at the end for a mini sketchbook. The book is a reused calendar page from last year and I cut and folded copier paper for the inside to size. Then I ran a stitch through the middle to hold it all together.
Rylie's reaction to her neatly displayed pencils was a little more reserved than mine. Although, she did like removing all of the pencils from their individual slots and putting them back in again; which means the pencil roll serves two functions! Ah, efficiency, could it be better than organization?
Hello! I'm Liz Scott - mama to two little ones, maker, and all around curiosity chaser. I live with my family in Los Angeles, where we seek to fill each day with adventure, joy and creativity. I write about it all here on the blog. Thank you for visiting.
