Cleaning The Green Way

First let me say that I am so-o-o envious of Paty Jager’s writing space pictured in her April 2, 2012 post right here on Romancing the Genres Blog.

Up until our move to the High desert in OR I had a spare bedroom that I had turned into my writing room. There were bookshelves that lined the walls, a magnificent computer stand with doors that closed and locked when not in use and even room for my exercise bike. The computer stand stood in the corner by the window. I could look out into my garden whenever I wanted to. I had all the room I could possibly need or want.

Fast forward to now. I have a small stand cramped into a corner of our T.V. room. I do have a window I can see out to the bushes and the road. My writing books are packed in the garage, except for one shelf of “How to…” and research books that have found a home on the one free shelf in the closet.

I have found with this smaller space that I have become a neater writer. My stacks of notes and papers have to be organized, dealt with or thrown away because there is no room for those stacks to grow. No free space on the floor either

Now to get back to the subject at hand, cleaning the Green Way is not only good for the environment it is good for the pocket book.

My friend and one of my critique partners, Louise P. lives in Kansas and last week sent me a list of Green Cleaning Recipes. I spoke with her today (since I haven’t tried any of the recipes) and asked her if she had tried them.

Louise said she made and tried the furniture polish and it works wonderfully. Her dining room table has never been so shiny.

So here’s the Green Recipe for wood polish:

1 cup mineral oil

25 drops of pine essential oil

Mix in a spray bottle by shaking up. Do this each time before using.

Then when you polish in the different rooms of your house it will smell like Yule time. If you don’t like pine, try cedar or clove essential oil.

What cleaning short cuts, saving time or money, do you use?

Organizing Easy?

Most people who know me can easily see how creative I am. The hobbies I am involved in are numerous and mercurial. Writing, jewelry, scrapbooking, and sewing are just a few. So, how does a creative/artistic personality keep things organized? You've come to the right place. Below are my four tips for being an organized crafter, whether it's with words or paper.

1.) Find your Organizational Personality.
          Each person has their own way of looking at things. Me personally, I'm a stacker. I'm a very visual person so if I can't see it, it doesn't exist in my mind.

2.) Claim the Space.
          What do I mean? It's simple, really. You've got to make the room something you'll want to spend time in. For instance, my office. When I moved in my father had painted it a dark blue, (which was great for him, but I hated the color) so I repainted it light green. I love the color now!

3.) Purge.
          Simple, right? Not always. Usually we hold on to things for three reasons. The "Sentimental" person holds on to things because of the memories. The "Maybe" personality holds on because they might be able to use it in the future. The "For Someone Else" personality holds on because they want to pass it down to kids/grandkids or friends. A good rule to consider when purging, if it's been sitting untouched for six months you don't need it.

4.) Cheap.
           Yes, you can organize your room for cheap. Luckily here in Oregon we have a dollar store in almost every city. The dollar stores are your friends. So is goodwill and family and friends. Once you know how you see things, you can create the storage solutions you need. I tend to use smaller containers with lids for things I don't need everyday, for instances my inks and stamps. For my paper and scrapbook pages I use office stackable paper holders. When I first moved in I had a bunch of mix match storage devices that didn't work. Once I realized that I need more consistent storage shelves I put together a wooden shelving set my mom had way before I was born, (and had dragged to every place we'd moved to) and set them up.

What are some things you do to stay organized?