NIRVANA YOU CAN CARRY

Last week we talked about how to declutter your handbag.  Now let's get to organizing it.

A great way to keep your bag organized is to use mini purses inside it.  For example, I have a small zippered bag inside my main handbag with essential make-up in it.  You can do this for anything your lifestyle dictates that you carry:  contact solution and lens case, medication, mini first aid kit (if you're a mom of little ones or if you're a grandma), coupon sorter, eyeglass case and cleaning cloth, camera, notepad and pen, other office supplies (for years I carried a mini stapler around in my pencil case, and used it almost daily too), and snacks (a must if you work out of your car, of if you're a college student, diabetic, or a mom).

And the best way to organize it all?  Purse to Go!  I received mine this week and I LOVE it.  It's a liner with side pockets and a large central pouch for your purse.  Here's why I love it so much:

1.  It's lightweight.
2.  Mine is a light color so I can see inside my dark-lined purse much better (you can also get dark colors, but I love lighter ones as liners).
3.  You can turn it so the pouches are either on the outside or on the inside.  Love that feature!
4.  Mine has velcro on it (not all of them do, but I wanted this feature) so I can shorten the length so that it can fit in smaller purses.
5.  It keeps my handbag much neater and I'm saving time searching for my cell phone and keys.  It also has two small loops where you could attach your keys, but I keep mine in one of the side pockets of the Purse to Go.
6.  I can still fit my make-up bag inside, along with everything else I carry.

You can get them on ebay, like I did, or go straight to this seller's site: www.pursebling.com. I'm not affiliated with the site, other than being a customer of pursebling thru ebay; but it will save the owner of the company ebay fees if you buy directly from her website. 

Obviously the best way to organize something is to not have to organize it at all, so really work on reducing the volume of things you carry around with you FIRST, and THEN organize the rest. 

Also, for the things you do carry, look for the lightest-weight alternatives, to lessen the strain on your shoulders and back.  

Have fun organzing!
 

A FEW OF MY NEW FAVORITE THINGS

Isn't it fun to stumble upon some new idea or product or system that transforms junk into something useful, makes your life easier, less cluttered, more beautiful?

Here are a few of my recent stumblings.  I hope you enjoy this list as much as I did creating it.  Remember:  none of these things are "must-haves," just unique or creative or downright useful.  Enjoy!

~ Decorative mulch from tumbled-smooth bits of broken terra cotta pots, glass bottles, mirrors, tile, or dinner plates.  An artful way of recycling what others discard!  Go here to buy in bulk, or use a tumbler to create your own (can also be used in funky jewelry design): 
http://www.buildingresources.org/tumbled_glass.html

~  Mesh desk organizer for holding current files and projects.  The most usable one, in my opinion.  Spray paint it a sunny yellow, sage green, or whatever color you prefer, to match your desk accessories.  Or leave it classic black.  Go here: http://tinyurl.com/3hv32ph.

~  Storage baskets, useful and pretty.  Go here:  http://tinyurl.com/prettybaskets

~  Hanging days of the week (or activity) organizer (your choice of two colors).  This is brilliant, especially for ADD/ADHD kids.  Wish I would have had this when my boys were young!  Velcro this handy hanging shelf system onto the rod of your kid's closet, and voila! Instant order.  Well, almost.  Kids can organize outfits for school by days of the week, or they can change the labels on the shelves to match their activities, and store related gear on the shelves, such as karate uniform, sheet music for lessons, even "things to take to Grandma's house."  Go here:  http://tinyurl.com/tidykidz

~ Love this spice rack.  Sadly, my spices are no longer in matching containers, as I outgrew my previous wooden rack and now contain the jars in two plastic storage baskets in my baking cupboard.  But this classy design will fill most any decor, and looks almost big enough for a spice nut like me.  Go here: http://tinyurl.com/fancyspice

~  If you're wondering how to declutter loooong URL's to share with friends in emails or on your blog, well get thee to tinyurl.com.  Simply cut and paste the long URL and the site reduces it to one much smaller.  You can even customize the name, like I did with "tidykids" for the hanging organizer, and "fancyspice" for the spice rack.  

Happy shopping (or tumbling, or organizing, or tiny URL-ing)!