On the Bandwagon

I am the first to admit that I totally jumped on an already happening bandwagon when I decided to start blogging.  My blog's first anniversary is approaching this September, so this blog is still very much a baby in the grand scheme of things.

There are plenty of other times that I jump on the bandwagon.  I try to be original, but I'm also a sucker for word-of-mouth product recommendations and good ideas.  So this post is chock-full of things that you might have already seen on other blogs.  The main reason i'm passing it along here is that I would like to think I have maybe at least two readers who haven't heard about these things elsewhere.  If nothing else, I can trust that my bff will be entertained by this post. (Hi, Court!!)

Okay so first up on this list of things is my Erin Condren planner.  You may have seen these all over twitter or other blogs so I'm not going to go on too much about it.  There's a link up over at The Tichenor Family Blog where a lot of other bloggers have talked about their favorite features of the planner.  I'm really liking mine too.  I have a few things I don't love about it but all in all, its a great product and the online deal I got made it a great product at an even greater price!

Please forgive the phone pictures!

 Here's mine.  The blue post-it is covering my last name.  All the planner covers are personalized which is a lovely detail.  My pattern of choice is the Trelis pattern in "multi" color.  I have to say the planner was much thicker in person than I was expecting, but I'm still enjoying using it.  I'm sure I will enjoy it even more as I learn it, if you know what I mean.

Here are some of the complimentary goodies that were included with my planner.  Little gift labels- some even with my name on it.  Fun, right?

Like the good little SEC fan that I am, the first thing in my planner was the 2011 LSU Football schedule.  Kick off is in twelve days!!

The second thing I have to discuss is a great deal on "call-me cards."  The deal is through minted and is being talked about on many blogs as a "mommy card."  I am not a mom but I still ordered some of these cards and took advantage of the deal!  The deal gets you 25 business cards (a $30 value) for free! I actually ordered 75 cards and my total came to about $23 including shipping. A great deal, in my opinion- especially for the nice design of these cards.

According to Nina and Erin at Blue Eyed Bride have both discussed this deal and you can find all the details on their sites.  I've been meaning to get some "call-me cards" for a while so I'm happy to finally cross that off my list!  It will be nice to have these to hand out to people whether we meet at networking events or through classes. Who knows, perhaps I will be able to hand one out to a potential suitor.  (I WISH!) 

There are some incredibly chic designs to choose from! I am very anxiously awaiting mine in the mail.

Last, but not least, I wanted to link to my pinterest account.  Please do follow me on pinterest- I would love to follow you back! I think you may have to sign in to pinterest before this link will route you to the correct place.

Thats all for now, folks.  Wishing everyone a bright and productive Monday! 

A Tisket, A Tasket

Baskets. There are so many great uses for them. Since I like to keep things organized and orderly, I use baskets a lot to group things together and keep them from going crazy.  The best part about these baskets is that I only bought one of them for the specific purpose it is serving. The rest I just happened to have and was able to find a useful place for. 

So, what can you use them for?

Dog supplies.  Eliza is high maintenance. This is no shock to those of you who know her.

 Lotions and potions.

Socks and other unmentionables.

Dog toys.

Snacks. (This really helped me maximize space while still being able to reach everything.)

Light bulbs. Secure they are much tougher to break.
Fact: I absolutely HATE the sound of a lightbulb breaking. And hey- those energy efficient ones don't come cheap. I can't afford to have them break. 

Toilet paper. This way, my guests don't have to go rooting through my closet to find more toilet paper if the roll runs out.

I did actually buy these with the specific purpose of desk organization a couple of years ago for another desk. I was so happy when they fit in this desk! Each basket is labeled too. I know it is obsessive but it makes me happy.  It's the little things, right? 

Sometimes you have to get creative with your resources, and it works out quite well.

Necessity Breeds Invention

I'm just putting this out there for all of you folks who might still be working your way through undergrad. Be prepared.  I had no clue that I would be MORE stressed about finances after I graduated, but it has happened.  Moving to a new city and going to graduate school are not exactly super-affordable endeavors.  When that meets with a summer of working at a non-paid internship (and so many are non-paid), things can get a little be tight in the financial department. 

When I moved into my apartment, I needed all of those things that you need when you move, so I spent a day out in the 'burbs of D.C. going to Walmart and Target (it was heavenly).  But I was really concentrated on buying ONLY necessities: like, say, a trashcan and shower cleaner.  Not glamorous, but true.  

  I have always loved the look of apothecary jars, especially when they are used in a kitchen or bathroom.  But these start at $20 a piece, even if you find them at a discount store like Home Goods, they are pricey.  So I decided to use mason jars instead.

via Pottery Barn

I bought the jars brand new from Walmart and I purchased a set of 12 for about $7.00.  Things don't get much more affordable than that.  (Bought in an antique store or flea market, antique jars usually start around $7.00 a piece, but oftentimes you can find a blue jar, which is so pretty!)

Truth be told, I think I prefer the look of these,  I store the things I need all the time here and they are so easy to use. (I don't have the lid on these- just the other piece of the lid, so I can just reach right in and get what I need.)

I also found a ton of ways to use the 8 other jars.

Left to Right: for make-up brushes, extra buttons, and food items that I buy in the bulk aisle at Whole Foods.  I also use mason jars when I make iced tea or homemade dressing.  They work so well that I only have one empty one left. 

Sometimes when you have to get creative due to lack of funds, it works out better than you can imagine! 

Random Weekend & Organization

How was your weekend? I had a lot on my to-do list this weekend and sadly I didn't get as much done as I wanted. But isn't that always the way it goes with the weekends? I always feel like Sunday night gets here too quickly.


The weather on Saturday was dreary and rainy.  That makes it so hard to get anything done. But yesterday, it was beautiful! I met a friend for brunch and then came home and took Eliza for a long walk.  I think she really enjoyed it. We went to a little park nearby and she just had to sniff every single tree.  It is nice again today so I'm hoping I will get some things done this morning and be able to take her for another walk this afternoon. 


I was able to get a little organization and cleaning up done around my house.  I thought I would share since I know a lot of people are always looking for ways to organize the things we use every day but don't necessarily know how to store.


I moved several times last year- first from Baton Rouge to a temporary dorm in D.C. (with a stop at home in between) and then to my apartment that I live in now.  I won't go through all the details, but every move was really disjointed and not very organized due to lack of time. I did my best to get everything I thought I needed where I needed it, but it was really hard.  Some things got lost in the shuffle and when I first moved into my new apartment, my makeup and toiletries got neglected.  I had several bags and bins of bathroom "stuff" and I just never really organized all of it, beyond organizing my everyday necessities.


Here is what my bathroom drawer looked like before:

I also had several things in my closet that needed to be gone through, so I started by emptying everything out and organizing like things together. 

As you can see, I had a bunch of really random junk.  This was the result of going on trips and never really unpacking, and moving lots of times and still never fully unpacking or having a real place to store all my worldly things.


I had a couple of old Vera Bradley cosmetic bags that most of this stuff was stored in, so I emptied them out, wiped down the inside with a Clorox wipe, and store stuff back in them.

This is what things look like now. Much better. And now I actually know where things are- there is one spot for nail polish, and another for first aid-kit items like bandaids and medicine.


I also got a chance to get all my non-everyday make up together.  I have two drawers in my bathroom. One is for the makeup that I wear every day (left).  The other (right) holds make up that I bought for fun or a special occasion.

Now I can actually find what I need when I need it.  These drawer organizers are great.  I got them at Target and they are similar to ones found here, except that mine are made for smaller drawers.  It is hard to tell in this picture, but they have little cardboard dividers that you can pull out if you want to or collapse if you need a bigger storage area.  I think I paid around $12 or $15 for a pack of two.


Getting to the gym today is on my list of things to do- please wish me luck! 

The Nook for Students

[By the way, if you haven't taken my survey yet about what you'd like to see more (or less) of on this blog, please click here to take it!  It is only four questions.]

I've mentioned before that I have a Nook and I really enjoy it.

Not only can you buy books without having to go to a store (big bonus for me... since Barnes & Noble or Target is kind of far away), but you can download said books practically instantly.

Well, recently I've taken advantage of another feature of the Nook- downloading PDFs.

This is the Nook charger that comes with the device when you purchase it. It works sort of like an Apple product- the charger's cord has a USB connection on one end, so all you have to do is connect the Nook to your computer using this cord.

I absolutely love this feature. Using my Mac, I can drag PDFs to my Nook and they download in seconds.  It is so much easier to read on the Nook for a long period of time than it is to read from my computer screen. And frankly, I spend enough time on the computer as it is. It is also much more portable- I can toss the Nook in my backpack or purse and take it with me just as I would with a book.

Best of all? I don't have to waste time, money, paper & ink printing out the NUMEROUS PDFs that are assigned in each of my classes to read each week.

Sorry about the orb from the flash!

One tip I have for those who want to do this is to name your PDF files in a way that makes sense to you.   For example, I name mine using the date the reading is assigned + the name of the document used on the syllabus.  This makes it easy for me to spot what I'm looking for in the "My Documents" folder of my Nook.  I'm sure you could even organize your files further and use multiple folders, but I haven't felt the need to explore that option yet. 

So just in case you are on the fence about e-readers- here's another great plus for you, especially if you are a student! 

Catch-Up & Reorganizing My "Pantry"

Well, it has been quite a week.  

On Monday, I met my friend Lauren in Jackson, MS and brought her back to Memphis with me so she could make the drive with me to DC the next day.  We took 2 days to get to DC, staying overnight in Knoxville.  The first day was miserable, the second day was not bad at all.

Once we got to DC and unloaded, Lauren stayed for 2 and a half days so we could do the typical "DC" things.  I will post more about that in the days to come...

We had a lot of fun and I think yesterday exhaustion from doing so much finally hit me, because I took about a 3 hour long nap!  It was great! 

This morning I woke up feeling like I needed to clean, unpack (finally) and organize!

I looovveee those pantrys that people post about on their blogs that are super organized.  I hope one day I will have a pantry like the one at House of Smiths.  (Click on the link.  You won't be sorry.)

But for now, my "pantry" consists of a couple of exposed shelves, so I wanted to spruce them up a little.

Here's what they looked like before:

And here's what they look like now:

Still not perfect... but much better!  I'm buying storage canisters and containers little by little.  They are great investments, in my opinion!  

Happy Sunday! 

Type A

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

- John Lennon 

I love this quote from John Lennon.  It reminds me to slow down and enjoy the journey.

Even so, I am a planner.  Planning things out just helps me to feel calm and relaxed.  For more on some organizational tips I have read here.

Today, I thought I would share some great planners that are out there for 2011.  I know some students use agendas that are organized with August- August, reflecting the pattern of a school year, and that works well too.  I made the switch over to a typical calendar year planner a while ago, and it has worked for me so far.  I usually wait until Christmas break to buy a planner for the new year, but I started getting a lot of questions about planning things for next year in November, and it kind of freaked me out, so I got a head start this year.

This planner from Lilly Pulitzer is the same style that I used in 2010.  Apparently, they are now offering 17 months in the planner- August 2010- December 2011.  That's a lot of bang for your buck.  These retail for $24.95.

If you are a girl who prefers Vera Bradley, here is their student agenda for 2011.  It runs June 2010- December 2011. I have to say I'm surprised to see that they've discontinued the style of planner that I used in 2008 and 2009 from Vera.  I really liked that style (it is very similar to the layout of the Lilly planer), so I am not sure how much I would love this one.  This one retails for just $15 and you can buy it here.

If you are a girl who likes to plan a little but not go overboard, this planner may be right for you.  It just offers monthly at-a-glances (so no weekly view).  This might work for you if you have graduated and are working.  I find that I need the weekly view to write down assignments and such, but that is just me. This planner is only $20 and it is available here.  Add it to your Christmas list! 

This planner from The Paper Source is simple and not fussy.  It also comes in a light blue, yellow, green and black. It has monthly and weekly views.  This version is $29.95.  It is also available in a mini version for $19.95.

Here is a fun rendering of the 2011 Moleskine daily planner.  It has daily views for those of you who need more room.  Many people love Moleskine products, and they offer many other varieties of their planners.  This one is available for $23.95.

This is the planner I purchased for 2011.  I bought it from Talbots, of all places.  It is bound with leather and the leather has a slight golden sheen to it.  I really like it- it is my first real, "grown-up" planner.  It is on sale for $39.99 here.  

Well, that's all folks.  Good luck finding your perfect 2011 planner! 

A Clean House

A speaker in my class last week said that your house will never be cleaner than when you are working and going to school.  That resonated with me so much.  

When the assignments and projects are done, and I have a day of work in the office behind me, I  find just about anything "productive" to do around the house besides studying.  Procrastination is by far the biggest problem that I have as a student. I love checking the "easy" things off of my to-do list, and it is just so much harder to do that when your "to-do list" says "STUDY!"

At any rate, I thought I would provide my tips on keeping a clean house constantly, so that you can't using "cleaning the house" as a way to procrastinate for 3 hours.  

1.  A place for everything.

What I mean by this is, have a place for everything and put it there.  If over-organization stresses you out, it is okay to have a few junk drawers to catch things you can't categorize elsewhere.  I have one- it holds scissors, candle wax, my tape measure, extra pieces to assembled furniture, etc.

If you have a place for everything and you put it there, this amazing thing happens- you can actually find what you are looking for!

2.  Pick up after yourself.

If you pick up after yourself as you go, I promise your life will have so much less stress and your house will always (appear) clean.  Even if you haven't vacuumed in a week or can't remember the last time you dusted, if you keep your environment picked up, it will always appear clean to outsiders.

3.  Know thyself.

This is important in all sorts of areas of life, but also applies to keeping your house clean.  You need to know what is important for you and recognize your habits.  

For example, my dad sends me a letter every week.  I love them and I could never bear to part with them.  Nor can I bear to part with cards received from friends for holidays, birthdays, etc.  So, I have a designated spot for these.  I keep them in a little box.  I don't know how I will store them long-term, but this works for now.

4.  "Clean" a little bit each day.

This article from realsimple.com offers a plethora of great tips on cleaning.  These tips have helped me greatly.  Some of them are just total common sense, but reading them in black & white can help a lot.

On this point of "cleaning" every day, I also have a few cardinal rules for myself:

1. As long as I haven't overslept, I make my bed in the morning.  It is amazing how much better you feel when your bed is made.
2. I never, ever, ever leave dishes in the sink.  If I have time to cook, that means I have time to clean it up.  My only exception to this is if the dishwasher is running.  I empty the dishwasher after I've run it. I usually run it at night, so I empty it the next morning.
3. Pick up before you go to bed.  Straighten the couch cushions and pillows, put any stray dishes or cups in the dishwasher, fold up blankets and put them away.
4. Take out the trash when it is full.  'Nuff said.

I hope these tips help for people out there reading.  By no means is my apartment always clean, but I try to keep it neat at minimum.  It just helps me stay calm and focused.  

A Studio "Home Office"

Welcome to another home tour with the Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life series!

If you've visited my blog before, you know that I live in a small studio apartment in DC.  Since it is a studio, the whole apartment is one big room.  So... my "home office" is a bit unconventional. Really it is just a small space with a desk, chair and printer.  But just because it is small doesn't mean it can't be stylish!

Here it is!  For the office, I was on a very limited budget, so I opted to purchase the desk and hutch from walmart.  I really like the desk and it serves its function for now, but I'm not sure how much longevity it will have. 

The hutch offers really great storage, and I like that I can display things on the upper level of the desk.  The little black organizational boxes were bought on the super-cheap at Ikea.  The other little pictures and accessories I already had.

These little containers hold my staples, binder clips and paperclips.  They were also bought on the super-cheap at Ikea (I think I paid like $3 for the set of 4.) They were meant to hold spices, but they work so well for this!

Here's the desk drawer.  I love how organized it is! It makes it so much easier to find things.

Here's my little printer stand.  It is a simple little table that I found for $15 at Target.

Here is a similar view of the office.  I wanted to show the faux-bamboo details of the chair.  This was another craigslist find (one advantage of living in a big city).  Right now, I have a temporary cushion on it, but I bought this fabric to recover the cushion:

Waverly Bedazzle Silver Lining

I really loved this fabric in the store, and lately I've been seeing it all over the blogosphere.  I can't wait to show yall how the chair looks once the cover has been done.

If you are new to my blog, be sure to click here to see the rest of my little home.  And if you have time, make sure to check out Kelly's Korner to see other great home offices.

Thanks for touring the home office!

Organizational Tactics: Staying on Top of Your To-do List Without Losing Your Mind

If your semester is trending in a way that is comparable to mine at all, things are about to get crazy, and I mean, really crazy.  I am a pretty organized person because I like organization.  I need to have everything written down, or else I'll forget and have an unsettled feeling- like I am missing something important.  As the semester enters peak time, I thought I would post on some of my habits for staying organized.

I need an agenda book- the old fashioned paper kind. Electronic organizational tools are great too, but for me, I need paper.  It just helps me to visualize my schedule and everything I have going on. 

On this note, I have a few requirements of a planner:

1. It needs month-at-a-glance views.

2. It must have at least two pages dedicated to each week.  It is best if weeks run Monday-Sunday.

3. All national holidays must be written in already.

4.  The days of the week and the dates must already be written in too. 

All other details are superfluous.  I've had a couple of Vera Bradley planners in college, and for 2010 I use a Lilly Pulitzer planner.  I've used these because the style and layout work for me, being attractive is a plus.

I like the month-at-a-glance views because I like having one calendar that I can write really big, important dates on.  Things like tests, papers, birthdays, and trips go on this calendar (in addition to the LSU football schedule).  This way, I can see clearly the big things that I have coming up.

The individual weeks are for other dates and appointments, and also for recording due dates of smaller assignments.  If I have something due every week, it goes here so my monthly calendar does not get clogged up and unreadable.  Big, important things on the weekly view are highlighted.  Boxes are placed next to projects that are due so that I can check off when they are done.

My to-do list is clipped in my planner each week.  I write this list on Sundays and carry over anything that was not accomplished in the last week.  I cross items off as they are accomplished.  I add items as I think of them.  I've tried other systems before where I prioritize items or put them on different color post-its because they relate to different categories such as school, personal, work, etc., but those systems just don't work for me.  I think the best thing you can do to stay organized is find a system that works for you and stick with it.  

A big calendar in my kitchen is basically a copy of the month-at-a-glance in my smaller agenda.  I like having this around because it allows me to look at things that are coming up easily when I am at home.  I typically look at it in the mornings and evenings as I prepare for the day ahead or the next day. 

What about you?  How do you keep up with all the things you need to get accomplished?

Friday's Look for Less: Seagrass File Boxes

I will be attempting to find a "Look For Less" item to highlight each Friday.  This week, I was inspired by my quest to find affordable storage solutions for my home office.  

I'm an organized person, and to me, having organized files for all my papers just makes sense- but I don't love the look or the price tag of large file storage units (nor does my studio apartment offer much room for such units). 

When looking for home office storage, I fell in love with these file boxes from Ballard Designs.

Woven File Box from Ballard Designs, $59.00

As much as I dig this storage solution, I do not dig the $59.00 price tag.  Remember people, grad student here.  I'm don't exactly have a money tree growing in my backyard.  Oh wait, I don't have a backyard... 

Anyhow, I found this very similar product from Shop Get Organized:

Seagrass File Box from ShopGetOrganized, $19.98

I ordered this file box a couple of weeks ago, and I just love it.  Now, just a side note, when I received this file box, it was missing a metal piece that allows you to hang the files... kind of an issue, right?  Well, I called the company and they sent me a new file box at no additional charge.  The customer service was fantastic!  The cool thing about this box is, it folds up completely flat, so if you don't need it you can store it very easily.  And at less than $20, you can't beat the price.

Thanks for stopping by to see this week's look for less!  If you come across any great look for less items, please send them my way!