Projects – Page 5 – Skies of Parchment

July 27, 2012March 20, 2013

There was Once a Garden Party…

[this is the first installment of the Barkman/Yoder wedding
(not my own but my sister),
beginning with a bridal shower done splendidly by the maid of honor
[also my sister, Claudia].
i don’t like to say things are my favorite, because every party is unique and special.
however, hypothetically, if i were to have favorites, this one would be it.]

It was absolute perfect fairytale-ish evening, and i must begin with this.
Two evenings before the beautiful wedding,
the bride was relaxed enough to simply be and enjoy a dinner in her honor.
Most brides would be stressed with an evening event so close to the wedding;
not Ervina.
‘Stress’ was not even a word experienced the entire wedding week.
The loveliness of this evening was only a foretaste of the beauty and peace to come.

Might I show you a glimpse of

The Garden Party

[words written by the bride, Ervina]

Once upon a time, not very long ago,
the best maid of honor in the world threw a splendid party for her bride-to-be sister.

Some of the bride’s dearest friends were there, the ones that live so much of life with her.

And everyone wore lace, because lace is very party-ish.

The party was full of bright colors.
There were jelly beans in vintage glass bowls.

And homemade popsicles with real fruit that the maid of honor had experimented with
for weeks to get just perfect.

And delicious food fresh off the grill.

A friend made her famous scones, just for that night.
Chocolate chip scones, with icing.

Coffee was served in glass mugs (the bride’s favorite).

For dessert, they ate gelato with pretty spoons,
because everything is better with pretty spoons.

Somehow in the middle of things, a boy slipped in. B
ut that was ok, because everyone positively adored him.

So among doily banners and strung lights and sunlight peeking through the trees,
they soaked in the warm summer evening and laughed and talked and celebrated.

It really was too lovely for words.

And the bride-to-be felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

Because she was.

And that is only a beginning of so much loveliness to come… :)

~clarita

May 5, 2012March 20, 2013

How to Make a 5-Star Bed

Before I even get started, let me just say that I am very well aware of the fact that my title has nothing to do with the Imminent Issue At Hand.

But please, let me also say that I am wanting to talk about things other than an “L” word that rhymes with ‘gate.”
And two other words; an “O” word that rhymes ‘rover’ and a “D” word that rhymes with ‘blue’.
And I would like to talk about something other than numbers in the double-digits.

And before anyone offers advice on How to Make a Baby Come,
let me also say that I have tried everything under the sun and nothing even phases me.
The only other thing I will say is that I have 3 more days at the very most.
There IS an end in sight, after all. :)
I’m fully expecting the baby to come out talking, and his first words better be “sorry mom.” :)

And on to the subject of this post…

How to Make a 5-Star Bed

You know how you spend a much-looked-forward-to night in a beautiful hotel,
saving the pennies and dollars for a very long time until you can afford that certain one you really want?
And the hotel itself is beautiful.
Not a crummy little joint where you’re afraid that a roach will run out from the bathroom,
[and WAS that bathroom even cleaned anyway?]
or that there will be hair from several past renters in the bedsheets?

No, not that kind of hotel at all.
The kind where you walk into a room and you instantly feel pampered.
Just stepping inside and looking around makes you feel like you’re in a special sanctuary.
And the bed, oh the bed.
The crisp sheets, the fluffy duvet, the pillows…
Even if there is great entertainment all around, you just want to sleep for at least 8 hours in such a bed.
Or more, given the opportunity.

I want to offer the opinion that you can create such a chamber of your very own.
Why wait for those once-a-year splurges,
when you could spend the same amount of money and have something of your own all the time?

My personal take on the matter of a home is to create a sanctuary.
Not perfection, not a performance, not simply to impress someone who walks in.
But to bless your very own family.
To make them feel as though they live in a palace, even if it’s a little cottage less than 2000 square feet.
That they are valuable enough and special enough for you to create a place of beauty,
and to do those little extras that give life those Rainbow Sprinkles, as Leslie Ludy says.

So a bed that I’m speaking of is not a $5 yard sale find.
A lot of what I do around my house is in $5 increments, and I like to do it that way.
However, a bed is one thing that is worth the splurge.
And if I, in my O_ _ _D_ _ state still find my bed to be the most comfortable place,
I’d say that gives some weight to what I’m saying. :)

There are a few articles that I would recommend for this 5-Star Bed:
[assuming there is already a bed frame and mattress]
* a feather-bed
* a high quality sheet set
* a down comforter and duvet

So, how to make a 5-Star Bed:

1. Begin with high-quality sheets.
My personal favorites are those of Egyptian Cotton, 1000-thread count.
Yes, that’s one-thousand thread count. ?
These can be rather pricey, so overstock.com is a good place to find them, or on sale at department stores.

The difference of sleeping in between sheets of 200-thread count and 1000-thread count is out of this world. You won’t have the little balls that appear after several washings, and the higher thread count sheets stay crisp and fresh much longer. If you’re one of those that likes super soft sheets, these may not be for you, because although not crispy, they definitely are not a satin finish.

I don’t normally have any spare sheets for our beds – what is on them is what we’ve got, and so I wash and rewash them often. But a good quality sheets set lasts me several years, even with weekly washings.

2. Freshly launder the above said sheets in gentle action, cold water.
[If necessary, you can add oxy-clean for added cleansing, but if you’re gentle on your sheets they will last much longer.]
And there is nothing like climbing into a perfect bed with lovely smelling sheets.
Use your favorite scent of laundry detergent or fabric softener when you launder your bedding.

3. Put your pillows in the dryer on high heat for 20 minutes.
This kills any dust mites (or so I read) and it fluffs them beautifully.
On a normal day I hand-fluff them before returning them to the bed, but try to dryer-fluff them at least once a month.

4. Shake your featherbed. If you have no featherbed, then wash the mattress pad and try to be content without a featherbed. :)
Because once you sleep on one once there is no turning back, at least for most people.
A featherbed creates a softness that is unlike any other pillowtop mattress or anything else.
If your mattress is somewhat firm that is a good thing,
because then the featherbed will just form a gentle cushion but you’ll still have good support from the mattress.
If you do have a featherbed, then shake shake shake every change of sheets until you’re short of breath.
These guys are heavy, and I only bough a medium quality [on sale].
This gives you your weekly exercise, or daily exercise, depending on how often you change your sheets.
Please don’t tell me you go longer than one week. :)

5. Pamper your bed, and ultimately you and your family, with the freshly laundered sheets.
Make a “hospital corner” on the flat sheets and blanket down at the bottom.
This is the professional way, even though it’s never seen.
Carefully tuck in the sides and edges to make a tight fit.

{Nesting} 307

[a hospital bed]

6. Fold down sheet, with blanket if needed, at the top of the bed.
Or have a blanket fluffed [can you tell I love fluffy bed objects?] and folded at the bottom.

7. Add an assortment of pillows – big, small, a few select, a bedful, whatever is your preference.
And arrange however suits your fancy. A very deliberate, or just a tossed-on look both look great.
But do add pillows. Pillows add a “come crawl in” feel.

8. Do not touch the bed until you climb in at night! The feeling of getting into a bed that is freshly made like this is unbeatable!
[Just as a side note: do you make a 5-Star Bed if you’re expecting company for the evening with small children.
Your 5-Star Bed will be crushed and turned into a flat little roadside inn bed.]

And enjoy the luxury of a 5-Star Bed, right in your very own home!

Until next time…….

~clarita

April 16, 2012March 20, 2013

The Wedding {in pictures}

Ahhhh, the wedding.

[in the which a sister shows a hundred pictures of wedding and details and fond memories]

Or, should I say, The Wedding!

What an incredibly lovely day. A wedding among weddings [if I may say so myself, it being my sister’s wedding].

I’ve been wanting to post pictures for almost two weeks now, but due to having some time in bed due to too-early contractions one week, and a computer at the shop due to a virus last week, I’m finally back trying to play catchup. And bear with me, this is my first sister’s wedding, so there are many pictures and details. :)

The weeks surrounding it were full of planning and a bridal shower and preparation and program making & editing and lots and lots and lots of work. :)

The week prior to it was extra busy for me ~ I had gone to Pennsylvania almost two weeks before the wedding, with Ben planning to join me after about a week. The day he planned to leave there was a tragic death in his extended family in South Georgia, and he ended up staying in the south until the day of the wedding, arriving in time to watch the girls as the bridal party took pictures. It was a crazy week for both of us because of all that,

But The Wedding! A sister’s wedding is so much fun! My first sister to be married ~ what an exciting event!

There was much preparation for months in advance.
Zoe and Olivia were asked to be flower girls, along with another two girls, and they were wildly excited, even though they weren’t sure what all being flower girls even meant. :) I made some flowers and pillows and accessory things for Jana for the wedding, and so the months before were busy with sewing and pretty-making and outfit-hunting and phone calls and all sorts of things! This was a wedding of details ~ from the planning to the carrying out of the plans, there was detail to be found everywhere by Jana.

The Preparation
It was so very fun for me to make some little things for Jana from across the distance. If we’d be living in the same area I know I would have been over a lot to help her. But since I wasn’t and couldn’t, I told her I would still help her out in any way I could. It was very little in the grand scheme of things, but made me feel like a part of it at least. :)

[lots of flowers pins in plum & charcoal & burlap & mustard]

[little dress made out of a girls’ top from Old Navy and altered]

[wristlets for the girl servers]

There was pillow making. I made 7 pillows of charcoal and plum, and these were given as gifts to the bridesmaids and a cousin. I dubbed myself ‘The Pillow Factory.’

And I forgot to take pictures of two burlap pillows that say ‘MR’ and ‘MRS’… [shown on the photographer’s site]

There were little shoes to embellish, just for fun…

We bought these shoes at Old Navy and Kmart, respectively. But they looked like they needed just a little extra sparkle.

Sooooo, some thread, some pretty beads, and a hot glue gun…

And several hot glue gun re-attachments as we tried out the shoes, and some changes made, we were satisfied. However, on the silver shoes so many of the little beads popped off with the first use,
that I removed them all except for the big rhinestone and added a strip of lace on either side across the toe.
Pretty does still have to be practical. :)

Day before the wedding…
Some of the bridesmaids and friends went with Jana to get our nails done. I took Zoe with me, and it was her first time at a salon where SHE got her nails painted. She was open-mouthed and speechless with excitement. :)

Zoe chose three little flowers on each hand. And was she ever proud of those little flowers. It was precious!

The Day of the Wedding!

A bright and crisp day, but clear and windless.
Pennsylvania had been having some very windy weather which would have made pictures challenging as well as very uncomfortable. The weather that day was an answer to prayer!

Photo credits for quite a few of the bridal party & wedding day pictures go Danae, one of Jana’s personal attendants. ” She grabbed my camera and took pictures when it was impossible for me to do so!

[bride’s preparation]

Mr. & Mrs! Jana married Anthony Swartzentruber, a wonderful godly man, and an accomplished musician! We are so excited to have him join our family! You can listen to a few of his songs here.

Sadly, I have so few pictures of the two of them together.

The Bridal Party!

Bridesmaids ~ what a fun group of beautiful ladies.

Sisters! It’s a given, we are all in each other’s bridal parties. No questions asked. :)
Jana asked me to be her matron on honor, and I was very honored.
It’s not every bride that wants a pregnant bridesmaid 3 weeks from her due date!

All of us sisters are now either married, engaged, or dating. :) Just so much fun!

The Six of Us! How I love being part of a big family!

The whole Barkman family. We’re expanding by leaps and bounds. :)

My dad with Olivia, and our two girls with their daddy whom they hadn’t seen in 10 days.

Little Girls of Mine…

Their hair was so beautiful done for the 2pm wedding… at 9am in the morning. Big mistake. Within an hour you couldn’t tell a thing had been done to it! And all day I was running around behind them trying to make them look like they did indeed belong to someone who cared. :)

Barn Reception Details!
Like I said, this was the Wedding of Details. Also, the Wedding of DIY. She created the wedding theme & decor style and made almost all the decorations herself, spending weeks on various projects! And in honor of Anthony’s love of music, there was various musical accents in the wedding and reception.
[reception tables detail]

Table
Style #1:
Jana made these twig centerpieces herself – painted the clay pots and freehanded the roman numerals, cut out the little birds out of music sheets, and gathered the twigs from a surrounding orchard after they had trimmed the trees. They were beautiful, especially in the evening candlelight reception.
These were set on pages of sheet music and surrounded by moss, on burlap squares.

Table Style #2:
Tall cylinder vases with rocks on the bottom, filled with water and lemons, topped with hydrangea and curly twigs, set on a blanket of sheet music and moss with plum taffeta.

[bridal table details]

Old doors were borrowed from friends and placed behind the bridal table. The wreaths on them were made by friends.

The tissue paper balls and coffee filter balls were made by a friend of Jana’s, and were hung on three old ladders suspended from the ceiling. We filled in with paper lanterns, glass globes and candles, and 3 chandeliers. Jana created & organized the style of decor she wanted to hang from the ladders. She also cut up sheet music and put it into hanging glass ornament balls. She asked me to collect Spanish Moss from the south and that added a mystical feel.

It took forever to hang them all. It was gorgeous. :) I do think this was my favorite part of the entire reception, this whole ladder thing. (This was her idea)

Daylight [before] and Candlelight [during]

The Dessert Bar [and behind it, in the which we put up old doors and shutters and sconces and chandeliers and all sorts of things… :)]

Reception candids…

Ahhhhh, what a beautiful day!

Jana chose one of the best photographers in her area, so if you want to see even more pictures, you can visit Char’s blog. She is fantastic ~ her work is just out-of-this-world beautiful.

To the newly-weds… I wish you a marriage even more beautiful than your perfect wedding day!

A wonderful week beginning to you all!
~clarita

March 22, 2012March 7, 2013

{Edition Three} Tricks of the Trade

I’m writing from a strange computer in a familiar place.
Back “home”, which is Pennsylvania.
There are a myriad of mac computers, which are quite complicated to me.
Control + C doesn’t copy. I don’t know how to paste.
And I love my little shortcuts on a normal computer.
I’m behind the mac-times like that.

But I am finding myself in the midst of a quiet afternoon, all alone in the house actually.
Sister-to-be-married is getting some beauty things done :)
Other sisters took one of my girls,
mother took the other on another errand,
brothers and father are gone,
husband is still in the south and will be arriving over the weekend.

It’s so fun to be here, to have time to spend with the family before the busyness of the wedding next weekend.
It’s harder to be gone from husband with two little children for a longer amount of time,
but he was gracious and my family is so helpful.
The Little Love is due is less than five weeks, so we are not giving him/her any options but to hold tight until after the wedding. :)

There hasn’t been a wedding in the family for almost 7 years, when Ben and I got married,
so this is high excitement.
I get to be in on last dress fittings, wedding details, reception decor,
and I love it. :)

But I can’t show too many pictures yet and give away the bride’s wedding detail secrets!
Later. :)

But I wanted to do the third [and last] edition of the Tricks of the Trade!
There have been some wonderful contributions, and I love it!
Thank you so much to all of you who sent in pictures and ideas!
I was a little nervous at first that I’d have some blank posts, and no responses, but it’s been wonderful.
I am very much indebted to you!

So enjoy these last ideas and tips! :)

And it’s with a resounding cheer that I bring you these lovely ladies!

Cindy

i LOVE organizational bins!boxes!jars!labels!

(if i had a label maker and laminator? i would need an intervention for sure.
nothing would be safe. i’m a dork that way.)

and yet. while i can point at what i’m working on. there’s so much more…haha. that i’m not.
and should be.

but this is all about sharing. learning. and fun. right?

my top three fav things are:
(my favs are directly related to staying sane efforts.)

1. my bin labeled “too small”

my kids grow out of stuff left and right.
it gives me a place to stash those items out of the way,
till i can sort what i want to share with friends or give to the goodwill.

2. my box labeled
“things i am not wearing but cannot part with yet.”

sounds dumb.
but. it gets my odds and ends out of the way.
while i pray for a re-purposing brain cell to suddenly activate in my head.

3.color coded cups and folders for my kids.

seriously. before color assignments for precious children?
we would have used 20 or more drinking glasses a day. made me nuts.
the folders are mine to keep important school info, report cards etc. throughout the school year.
handy because i can read colors faster than words. ;)

i want a bulletin board for my kids…but till then…
old frame (needs to be painted. what do you think?) for free.
thick dollar store foam board. (can you guess how much?)
hemp string and clothespins.
cheap with acmoore coupon
free map and i now have a…
a place in addition to my fridge, doors and walls :) to hang my kid’s masterpieces!

i am loving making tags and labels using old book pages.
i use alot of cardboard boxes for bins that i got for free.
(the bigger bins here are for shelves above our desk.)
bought brads with coupon at hobbylobby. cheap.
covered boxes with fabric scraps. free.
using spray adhesive. cheap.
i like writing free.
sorry ’bout that.
or paper and glue sticks. which are cheap.
i like writing cheap too.
sorry ’bout that.

if you haven’t thought *dork* already, this one will do it.
but trust me. i have very good reasons.
our house is old, we heat with coal, our closets were built on stone walls.
let’s just say dusty, dirty and damp.
so to save my shoes, i keep the boxes (yes. space hogs i know)
and when i was weary of digging through boxes…
i *blush* had a photoshoot with my shoes and pasted the pictures on the boxes.
like colors, i read pictures faster than words.

the remainder of the pics are just misc for toys, shoes, ribbon etc.

and this one is seven recipes taped to the inside of my kitchen cupboard.
it’s my “save my procrastinating butt” approach to dinner. :)
all of them are ways to use one pound of hamburger
and have a meal ready in about 30 minutes or less.

Gabrielle

I love our spices like this. Years ago we’d done the lazy-susan idea but we never could find what we needed fast and we’d tried the stair-stacking idea but then when you get one in the back all the rest would fall down. Here we used the spice racks from the container store. I love ours like this because they’re right by the stove and I can quickly get to them and they’re put in there alphabetically so their easy to find too. Actually the ones we use the most don’t even have labels on them because they’ve worn off.

If you had more room on your door and did it just right you could probably figure out a size of spice you buy at the store and just use those jars instead emptying them into glass ones. We just didn’t have enough room here and it works fine.

Next up is our teeny tiny corner closet. Literally it’s not more than like 1 foot by 3 feet at the most but it’s 9 feet tall.
What do you do with such a closet? You make it into a wrapping “center”

The wrapping paper is held up along the outside of the shelf at the top of the roll
by jumbo rubberbands fastened onto long nails sticking out in the corners.
So all we have to do to get it is slide it out and it’s easy to put back too. Hope that makes sense.
(though right now we’ve got a couple wrapping papers that are either to long or too big that don’t fit too well.)

Second Shelf is bows and ribbon

Third is gifts and packaging stuff

Fourth is bags

Tissue paper is on the door in ziplocks nailed on the door with pins

Here’s my mom’s card/craft room. She just recently organized this and I thought I’d show it off. :)
Again this is a really tiny room. It was hard to get pictures. It’s actually one of the 3 dormers and right off a bedroom and closet.

Here’s where we keep the stamps, idea books, paper and some supplies.
The ribbon and glue and ink pads are in old sewing machine drawers.

And lastly laundry, that thing that all mothers seem to talk about and that’s never caught up. Growing up we had baskets labeled for whites, permanent press, towels, jeans, and maybe a few others. Even little kiddos can do this. Every morning people would bring their clothes to the laundry room and sort them out. Then, when the washing was done, each person had also a box-you can kinda see the big brown boxes at the bottom of the picture and that’s where all the clean clothes would go. They could then empty them out whenever they got around to it. That means all the laundry would stay in the laundry room unless it was put away. Nowadays since there is only 3 of us we each have our own baskets and then a whites and towels one and a few extras.

Lucy

Organizational theory #1. Put everything in its place right away instead of making a pile to take care of later. It might mean a couple extra steps now, but will save time. Which leads me to. . .

Theory #2: If it doesn’t have a “place”, it might need to be gotten rid of. That theory either motivates me to find a space quickly or take a trip to the thrift store.

Theory #3: Be a minimalist. I hate clutter and since I live in a two story row-house with two closets and no attic, storage place is precious. It has turned me into a bit of a minimalist. I seriously look at my overflowing closet full of clothes, sometimes and just want to rip out half of it and give it away. And honestly, I can live with way less.

P.S. Just a side note about the minimalist theory. After a trip to Ikea’s showroom one day, I lay in bed that night freaking out about how much stuff and space we really have. I figured out that we could totally live on our first floor (if we had designed things different during the remodel), and we could divide our upstairs into two rental units . It would be so practical. Crazy, yes, but practical. :)

_____________________________________________________________

Thank you so much! All you who contributed, and those of you who encouraged those who contributed!
This was such a fun thing for me to do, and I was often in open-mouthed amazement
at the wonderful ideas that came in! Some of these I will definitely be trying in my own home!
Many many thanks!

~clarita

February 29, 2012March 7, 2013

{Edtion Two} Tricks of the Trade

I just returned from a most lovely weekend away in the company of nearly 30 beautiful ladies.
I flew on a jet plane for the first time in years, that was so fun in itself!
I am still whirling mentally from all the conversation and late nights, and smiling at the memories made.
Getting to meet such beautiful women in real life that I’ve only dreamt of interacting with…
Words evade me about details. :) But a huge thank you to those of you present ~ you know who you are!

Thank you for the comments and feedback on the first Guest Post!
I am thinking I’d like to have them a regular feature. Or goodness, they may as well just take over.
They’re far more popular. :)

And this is just a little heads-up for whoever is interested…
Ervina and Claudia began a blog when they were in Cambodia for several months in the summer of 2010.
And Claudia has a small business making lovely feathered headbands and headpieces, found on facebook at The Feather Factory.
100% of all profits go toward the ministry in Cambodia.

____________________________________________________________________

And now this is like a second guest post, only by many contributors!

At first when I ~~gave the invitation~~ made the plea for organization tips and ideas,
I was a bit nervous that I’d be left high and dry and end up saying [sheepishly],
“Umm, sorry, ladies, but um, no one sent ideas…….”

I am so very happy to say that there were so many wonderful tips and ideas given,
and they should probably each have their own post, there were that many!
I am so grateful and very much indebted to you all! Thank you, thank you!
There are so many great ideas, and as they kept coming in
I thought to myself that each one of you could easily be featured in some great article on housekeeping!

What I loved about all the ideas and pictures is that they are so real life and yet so wonderful.
I am not one that goes for a sterile, stark, and cold environment.
Magazines and the pictures in it are lovely, but so often they feel so staged to me.
Like, really, someone actually lives there? not sure about that.
What I like is order and calm, but where it also looks inviting and warm.

And that is exactly what these pictures and ideas portray to me.
To say I’m thrilled with every single contribution is an understatement.
Thanks again, ladies, so very much!

I’m going to be separating the ideas into two separate posts, so if you sent me some pictures and ideas, you are not being forgotten!
[and I apologize for the long delay, it’s been a whirlwind here].
Also, if you were wanting to still send in some pictures you are welcome to do so.

Annnnnnd, *drum roll, please* here are the featured contributors!

Esther offered some tips on organizing containers on her blog, as well as a kitchen tour after their remodel!
[I’d show pictures, but I’m not really a picture-stealer, so… :)]

From Laura:

“Just thought I would my two cents worth your organization article, Part II.
I am not by nature an organized/super clean person…however, I married one. =)

Anyway, having recently moved to a bigger house, (3 baths instead of one, 5 BR instead of 2, etc!)
I found it was really difficult to get an entire “Saturday cleaning” done in one day.
I might get all the cleaning done, but our meals suffered and it made me grouchy. =/
While I would prefer to have the entire house spotless at once, I divided all the cleaning into 6 days-
-Monday through Saturday, with Saturday being a very light day. Every day I do what’s on my list, and forget the rest!

General pick-up/put away gets done all through the house every day of course, but actual bucket-and-rag cleaning has its designated day.
It has worked wonderfully for me! I can do my days chores, then spend the rest of the day sewing or whatever I choose/needs attention,
without feeling bad about the rest. And yes, when company comes, the entire house does get cleaned all at once.
But for day to day, normal living, a little each day is perfect! Just wanted to share what works for me…”

From Tracy Cassel, some great tips on laundry and mudroom organizing…

“Here are a few pictures from my mudroom/laundry area.
These shelves hold my bigger pot and occassional kichen necessities.
We hang our coats on the bar that runs along the bottom.

Another view of the same area.

To the left of the shelving is the front door of the mudroom.
I love having a place for all of our shoes and boots, back packs, and hats.
Under what we call the 'the shoe bench',
are three canvas boxes where socks and other winter gear are kept.
This works well for us.

To the right of the shelves is my washer/dryer.
Right outside of the door is the back yard where my husband build me a large 'Amish'
wash line system a few years ago.
I hang my wash year round and only us the dryer on occasion.

From Mary, with some wonderful organization…
This is in the nursery. Elizabeth’s changing table/dresser is right by her closet so I have this hanging inside the closet door.
It’s handy and keeps the dresser free of clutter.
I love plate organizers! They’ve helped out with our dinner plates.
I’ve also liked having quite a few of those white things that fit into cupboards, I forget what they’re officially called.
They’re great for making efficient use of tall counter space; stuff can go on the top and bottom of these handy things.

This is a cupboard above the stove. I love this for kids’ meds, adult meds and spices that I buy in bulk.
Self-explanatory picture of where I keep paper products.
The fridge! I am big on keeping this thing wiped out constantly because I don’t like a dirty fridge.
It takes seconds to wipe out a spot before I set something else in there.
I also move things as quickly as I can which helps with making sure food doesn’t get wasted.
If I have leftovers and there is still some left after already using some, I move this into a smaller container.
It helps keep the food looking nice :) which is more appealing and uses less space in the fridge.
My friend, Tracy, [look above! ~c] is the fridge queen and I’ve learned some of this stuff from her. :)
I am with you, Clarita, on not being sure how to store empty storage containers.
For as long as I’ve had my own house, I have stacked them with the lids on and that mostly works well.
I just think it takes too much space but this is how I do it……until I find a better way. :)
This is my pantry. A few years ago, I saw this shoe thing used on the back of doors.
I’ve loved it especially for little things that might otherwise get lost on pantry shelves.
Using ice cream buckets isn’t the fanciest thing but it sure has helped keep stuff organized.
I typically keep bulk food in bags and then just stick it right into the bucket, it helps keep food stuff fresh.
This is a cupboard right above the coffee machine.
I again used those shelf organizers to help keep the mugs organized and not falling over.
I still do stack the mugs on top of each other but now it’s only two instead of five or more. :)
It’s handy to have this right above the coffee pot.
This is supposed to be over by the other picture that has the cupboard above the stove.
This is the other cupboard above the stove.
Lazy susans have been great just as you said in your post and for me, it’s been the best way to keep my vitamins and spices organized.
I love that these kinds of things are above the stove, away from eager beaver little hands that would love to have all this stuff. :)

Aimee, from My *Pink* Life said,
“I like to think outside the box when it comes to organizing and running a house.
We don’t need to things like our moms and grandmas did things ~ this is something I’ve learned throughout my married life.
And sometimes what works for you doesn’t work for someone else.
You have to make solutions for yourself that work best for YOU.”
She referred me to a great post she did recently on a baking station –
just beautiful and yet practical, so worth visiting her site to see!
[sneak peek]

Thelma:
“I too have my little morning ritual. I’m much more in the mood to get my house in order in the a.m. then at night.
I always go through my upstairs rooms and put away any stray clothes, make the beds, put away random shoes,
clean off the bathroom counter, it’s amazing how it gives you this good feeling later when you dash through and see everything nice and neat,
at least in that part of the house. i do the same in my kitchen too…”
Bek said,
“I hate clutter and I feel like I’m always fighting it in this small house full of busy little children.
In the past year I’ve come to the solid belief that less is more. The kids can only play with so many toys.
I’m not going to throw away their precious toys, but i will pack half of them away for a while… then trade them out again.
It’s fun for them and I’m tripping over/picking up half the amount of the toys.

And clothing… used to pick up anything at yard sales, or on bargain racks.
It turned out that we all had a lot of clothes, but not much really nice to wear.
So… totally cut back. All the kids need is a few skits/pants, and a few nice shirts to go with them.
Of course there are a few Sunday dresses hanging in the closet too. But I love how it simplifies everything in their room.
And that’s about all I know. Organization is very much a work in progress around here!:)”
[I LOVE the trading out toys idea!! I’m definitely going to start doing this! [~c]
A reader:
“About your container drawer… ;)
I’ve found that if I keep all my containers in a cupboard, nested in each other as nicely as I can, and keep all the lids in a drawer, it works best.
I sort my lids- all the round ones in one drawer, and all the square, rectangular, or otherwise odd-shaped ones go in another drawer.
I have a very small kitchen, and I had to give up some other things that I really wanted in drawers & cupboards
to be able to do this, but it is by far worth it to me. “
And that concludes Part II! Thank you all so much again for your tips and tricks and contributions!
And Happy Leap Day!
~ clarita

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February 7, 2012March 7, 2013

Guest Post by the Sisters

Okay, so I am really really excited about this post.
Probably more excited than I’ve ever been about a post on my blog.
Probably because I didn’t write it. :)

It’s not every day that two lovely ladies call you up and ask to do a guest post on your blog.
Sure made me feel special that they thought my blog was cool enough.
Or maybe they thought it needed some help?? :)

I’m thrilled to introduce you to…
… my first guest post by two of my sisters!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Modest is Hottest….

Or… New Ideas for the Practical Woman

Together, I, Claudia, with my sister, Ervina Barkman-soon-to-be-Yoder, have combined our love for photography, our fascination with unique clothing combinations, and a deep gratitude for our sisterhood, to bring you the highly anticipated and most delightful post.
Of course, I had to take this opportunity to use the cheesy and bestest title ever. Hence… The title.

It was June 8. 2011. And We Committed.
On a plane enroute to Bangkok, Thailand, Ervina and I, made a most momentous decision… to cut off all communication with the Shopping-for-super-cute-and-fashionable-clothes-World.
Seeing as how I am a five year thrift-shop veteran, and Ervina a 10 year H&M veteran, this decision was not made lightly.
However, I convinced her that this was a pivotal decision for our lives, and so we decided on a One Year Clothing Fast. YAY!!

However, It only took a few months before Ervina realized I had pulled a fast one on her. “I’m sorry, But a wedding dress….” I regretfully told her, “ ….is not even an option.”
Of course, she found plan B, and planned her wedding for June 8, 2012, claiming that her dress was on a payment plan.

Ok. Ok. I’m Lying. It was I, Claudia, who Heroically and quite alone(elly) committed to the 1-year clothing fasting plan. With the exception of:
A. Using Gift Cards (Not gonna lie. I thought about buying myself gift cards, so I had to add on:) …that have been given to me as gifts (Not gonna lie. Again, I thought about buying myself gift cards as gifts, so I had to add on:) FROM FRIENDS (Not gonna lie. I have pondered the question, “Am I my own Friend?”).
B. Clothing bought as a gift for Dear BoyFriend.
C. Maid of Honor dress for June, Bridesmaid dress for March.
D. 12 DIY projects

Since June 8, I have been having quite the fun wearing the same articles of clothing in as many different ways as is possibly possible. I have especially enjoyed bringing periodic heart attacks to Mother as I come downstairs in another t-shirt hacked into a vest or an old sweater made into a cardigan. Many thanks to Ervina, who has gone along with my swell inventions.
So. Today, we bring you Mother’s latest heart attack, in the form of a Scarf.

In Ervina’s Words: It all started with one of those decisions to stop shopping for clothes and begin exploring new ways to wear what’s in our closet. Naturally, you can mix and match and layer in lovely ways but our most recent [and fun] discovery was finding out how versatile a scarf can be. First of all, make sure it’s one that’s fairly large and either rectangular or square in size (triangular could become a bit scandalous). When worn as a skirt or tucked-in top, secure with a dramatic belt.

The Church Service

The Bridal Shower

It’s simple to create these outfits, really. Just brush up on your kindergarden shoelace knot and you just might be good to go. And If that doesn’t work, just pull out your HDDP (Handy Dandy Diaper Pin) for some added security.

For the Scarf: Wrap once, twice, or thrice around neck.

For the Skirt: Simply wrap the scarf completely around your body. Making sure that it is adjusted so that the bottom layers are even all around. Tie the two ends tightly together and tuck securely underneath a rad hipster belt. (If in a pickle. Resort to the HDDP for help) This can also be worn as a high-wasted skirt.

For the Shirt: Wrap the scarf evenly around the upper body, tying or HDDP-ing securely. This outfit can be completed by tucking in the scarf, wearing a big buckle belt, and finishing it off with a cardigan.

Even if none of these are exactly your idea of style, perhaps they’ll inspire you to reevaluate your wardrobe and have fun experimenting with unusual combinations of accessories — and save a few pennies while you’re at it.

[ brought to you by the sisters ]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I loved this. I think because I learned so much from it. They are some of the most creative, unique but lovely dressers I know. I call them my fashion consultants. :)

When they told me their ideas, I was thinking, “A scarf as a skirt? What??”
But I sure wanted to see it. :) I think it’s fabulous.
And with two kids tugging at my skirts, I will most certainly be using the HDDP. :)

And I didn’t even realize until I read this that Claudia was on a one-year clothing fast. She definitely doesn’t take a martyr’s stance on it, but makes it a fun challenge.

So let them know how much you enjoyed this and maybe we can convince them to come back for re-runs. :)

~clarita

p.s. i’m still hoping for emails/pictures/messages with organizing tips from you all! or else there will be no second edition to the Second Edition. :)

January 31, 2012March 20, 2013

Tricks of the Trade {housewife edition}

So January is National Organizing Month.
Just hearing that, “organizing month,” makes me happy.
Not that I’ve actually even done that much this year,
with just getting back and adjusting to a routine again.
But I really do love having a bit of organization in my days and life and home

I thought it might be fun to do a little “tricks of the trade” of house-wife-ing,
in honor of this month. Since I have one day left in January. :)

Any other occupation tries to find ways to better itself and find shortcuts and time-savers,
so why not the career of housekeeping?

[Now as a disclaimer: This is not about a clean house.
I’m not talking about dustless baseboards or spotless floors or weekly cleaning.
This is not about trying to have “the perfect house.”]

[Yes, there are flowers blooming in January. I think winter forgot to come.]

This is just going to be some tips and tricks that I’ve learned from so many other people
throughout the past six years of marriage. And even before that, observing my mother with her six children.
These are just things that seem to make the days go by
with more calmness and keep the home functioning more smoothly.
Things that promote orderliness and that are easy to teach to younger children.

I’m not a neat freak, but I do love order.
I also think that as a follower of Jesus my home should reflect His character and Spirit.
Jesus is the Author of peace, of order, of rest.
He’s also the One who created laughter and fun!
And I want our home to be a reflection of Who He is.

I want my children to grow up without a feeling of chaos, but with peace and rest and lots of fun.
On a practical level, this means a lot of love and laughing, a lot of big messes, and a lot of cleaning up.

I’ve quoted Edith Schaeffer before, and she says,
“The fact that you are a Christian should show
in some practical area of a growing creativity and sensitivity to beauty,
rather than a gradual drying up of creativity, and a blindness to ugliness…”

I love that. And yet, honestly, with small children, it can be challenging.
Add an adorable but small cottage with two closets and it’s even more challenging. I
want to live functionally, practically, and yet beautifully.

I also know that in about three months our world will be changed by a little person less than two feet long,
and I’m hoping the things we do now will stick then and hopefully help with the adjustment.

So, while order and neatness are important,
I also never want my children to feel like they are in an institution,
where a organized house is The Most Important thing to me.
While I want to teach cleanliness and consideration and respect of others,
I also don’t want shoe tracks across the freshly-cleaned kitchen floor to mess up my whole day.

As a mother, I think there must a be a fine line to all this,
and it’s Wisdom that can tell the difference.
I don’t always have it, and therefore ask for it. Often.

Somehow, in all the responsibilities of keeping a house,
and cleaning up and washing dishes and laundry, I believe it can all be worship to God.
I want to be a happy housekeeper. :)
And yet I also don’t want to lose track of what really is eternal, a
nd that is the souls of my children, and showing them LOVE above orderliness.

House-wife-ing, for lack of a better term,
can be worship of God, but it can also be worship of self.
And how I need God to speak to my heart [as He did this morning] when I was doing the latter.

So I hope this can be a mutual encouragement, and not a comparison of who does what better.
It’s a mutual learning, and that why I want to hear from you too. :)
Maybe someday I’ll look back and all this and think, “Goodness, girl, just let it go!” or maybe not.
Time will tell. :) But for now, these are things that are working well for us,
and as our family changes I expect some of this will to.

So, let’s start in the kitchen.
I think I’ve learned more about kitchen organization from two of my sister-in-laws than anyone else!
I’ve lived in three different houses since we’re married,
and two of those kitchens were organized by my sister-in-law when we moved in.
She’s just really good at it. :)
She thinks so logically – like baking stations
and putting mixing bowls and scrapers close together for convenience-sake, a
nd all sorts of wonderful things. I like organizing too, but Sonya is just really good at kitchens.

One fantastic thing I’ve learned from her and Mary Jo is to put lazy susans in the refrigerator.
I’m sure the thought would never have crossed my mind,
but when I saw it in their kitchens I thought it was brilliant.
It works wonderfully for those little jars of all sorts of things, that are difficult to find if stacked all behind each other.

And not just in the fridge, but all over the kitchen.
Under the sink for the soaps and scrubbies. In cupboards for spices, for vitamins.
Little lazy susans like that are so cheap and you can buy them at Walmart or almost anywhere,
but they have helped keep order so very well.

A lot of people have drawer organizers so this is not a new thing, but I love mine.
TJ Maxx or similar type of stores carry very good quality ones for under $10 and I love the shining pieces all in order.

[for silverware, large utensils, and small cooking items]

I solemnly affirm by Tupperware’s modular mates.
Pretty? Well, not especially.
But if organized is beautiful to you, then you’re in luck. :)
But functional and practical and organized as can be.
And now I hear they come with black lids, which are quite classy.

Every January for the past many years I’ve collected a few,
because in January and part of February they are 40% off,
which makes them quite affordable.
Other times, not so much, unless you have a party.

Also in the kitchen… Does anyone else have a problem with The Mail Collection?
It seems that it piles in the kitchen no matter how hard I try to take it to the desk.
So I may as well have a little place for it. This is Ben’s place for bills/reminders/coupons.

The kiddo drawer.
I wanted my kids to have easy access to their plates and cups for several reasons:
so they can learn to set the table, so they can grab a drink if they need it,
and so they can help unload their things from the dishwasher.

I think this was a Better Homes & Gardens tip, the assortment of napkin rings into little bowls.

In the girls’ bedroom.
One of two rooms that has a closet. Advantage must be taken of it.
The Closet: It serves as room for their hanging clothes, but also organization for some of their toys.
Can you tell I ♥ baskets? They can be a bit of an investment, but to me they were well worth it.
Some of these I bought years ago, some I even received as wedding gifts, and they last so long.
I keep wanting to make little signs to put on them to label what is what,
but so far the kids can’t read so the signs would only be for their mother. :)

I have a basket just for Zoe’s K-4 supplies in her room,
so that we can just grab it and take it to the table when we want to work on it.
Glue, pencils, scissors, crayons, and everything are in it.

For pretty and practical – 5 little tins from the dollar section in Target.
They hold erasers, crayons, pencil crayons, glitter glue, and markers.

Trunks:

not just for looks, although I like the vintage touch they add.
The bottom trunk holds princess outfits, the top one baby dolls clothes and bottles and…

There is one more trunk in their bedroom that serves as the General Toy Chest.

Dresser: There are two small and two large drawers, and that’s the only bit of furniture besides the beds.
It’s a small room, and somehow Baby #3 is going to fit in there too. :)
Zoe and Olivia each get a small drawer for shoes/socks
and a large drawer for everything else but hanging pieces of clothes.
It helps me keep their clothes up-to-date with sizes and also minimizes how many articles each one can have.

Bathrooms.

hair pretty organizer: this idea [seen in Pottery Barn and replicated]
is wonderful for those little bows and flowers that would just get so lost in a drawer.

And a little tin container works well for the satin and metal headbands.

bathroom drawer organizer: I’m big on bins, baskets, and storage things
~ they simplify and organize life so much better.
These aren’t that cute but they’re hidden in a drawer
and work perfect to keep everything from falling over each other. From Walmart.

A tiny plastic organizer, for those little objects:

The countertop can be a place of organization too, because we’re short on space. T
he key is displaying it attractively but practically.

Hair accessories: these are little condiment dishes I picked up at a yard sale.

Daily uses [junk shop or goodwill special]:

The laundry room is my other place of storage.
We had custom cabinets build when we moved in, and without them I would be lost.

Above the washer and dryer the bins hold cleaning rags,
spot cleaners and laundry soap, and the first aid supplies.

Also in the laundry room, various other storage units.

Our games are also stored in the laundry room, for lack of a better place,
and the small ones we keep in a basket for easy access.

Shoe organizer: We take off our shoes most times in the house,
and so a goodwill basket is a great place to put them.

General Clean-up Time:

We have two different clean-up times in the day. One is for me, and one is for the girls.

Mine falls in the mornings mostly, and is breakfast for everyone. This involves a cleanup of the whole kitchen area, cleaning all dishes out of the sink and either washing them or stacking the dishwasher. All countertops in the kitchen are wiped, the rug in front of the sink vacuumed, the floor swept, and a general tidy appearance is made.

Also included in this is an overall walk through the house, stopping in at the girls bedroom, getting them dressed if they didn’t already put on The Rainbow or The Sunshine, helping them fix their beds, putting jammies in drawers or in the hamper. Then on to the bathroom, making sure faces are washes, teeth are brushed, hair is combed.

Next is laundry – I’m still figuring out if a small load every day is best or making two big laundry days a week is better. This varies by week. And by weather, since I hang out most of the laundry. So if it’s laundry day I get that started, and if not, I make sure clothes are not left lying in a rapture-like state around the house.

Last stop is in the master bath, checking in the mirror to make sure I got fully dressed as well. :)
And after all that, which takes around a half hour normally, my part of the house is in decent order, the girls are making a happy play mess somewhere, and that’s when I can take some time for projects, computer time, [and in a perfect day] a walk outdoors with the girls, or some other housewifely thing. :)

For the girls, their cleanup time is a little different.

With small children, you could walk in my house at almost any waking hour and it’s a play area. Toys, dolls, princess dresses, play kitchen things, markers and pencils and colors and pads of paper will be found nearby.

So when it’s playtime those things are allowed. It’s just part of life with kiddos. But three times a day we have clean-up time: 1. before lunch 2. before suppertime 3. before bedtime

And each of those three times is needed very much. :)

But it allows enough of playtime to where my kids are not frustrated by cleanup. There are times when certain things are allowed to stay out longer than the three respective cleanups, but as a general rule this works really well for us.

And it helps me wake up to a clean house every morning. I have this thing for a clean house upon awakening: my morning time is very precious, and I do not want to spend any of it cleaning up. Also, I cannot, and I mean, cannot, have any quiet time in the middle of a mess. A mess makes my mind feel cluttered, and it completely distracts me from time with God. So, even if it means staying up later in the evening, I will do it, just for the sake of a clean house in the morning.

Confession. I have several disaster zones. Try as I might, I cannot figure out how to organize them. HELP.

The Container Drawer.

The Under-the-Steps Cubby [home to brooms, vacuum, extra table leaf, various miscellaneous…]

Now this is the second part of the post:
I would love it if some of you would share your tips for the rest of us to learn about.

Within the next two weeks, I’m hoping for messages and emails, and hopefully some pictures, of things that have helped you. I’m talking about very practical things, but if they’re pretty and practical that’s great too. My email is (so embarrassing, I created the account as a teenager and have never changed it) skiesofparchment (@) gmail.com. Please include your name, a link to your blog if you have one and care to, and pictures if you like. In about two weeks, if anyone has sent me anything :) I’ll do a Part Two Edition. I’m really hoping for your input, and would love to learn from you!

So, here’s cheers to anyone who keeps a house, who makes a home, and who wreathes it in smiles!
~clarita