Freebie Friday: Get organized!

Well, if you're at all like me, you could use a bit of motivation to get back on track after the holidays. And one of my New Year's resolutions is to be more organized in several aspects of my life. So I was trolling the internet, looking for charts and organizational tips to sort of launch me into being on top of things this year.

I started with FLYLADY.  She has a fabulous website to teach you step by step how to become more efficient at house keeping. Her site can be overwhelming to me, defeating the purpose, because when I am overwhelmed, I just might walk away. SO, I've navigated around her site and found that the best place for me to start was HERE and  HERE.   Her whole premise is that you can master the art of decluttering and cleaning, doing it in the least amount of time, and enjoy it. It is an every day effort and I think it is the solution to my organizational goals for 2013. She has terms like ZONES and THE 27 FLING BOOGIE- but once you get the gist of what she's talking about it REALLY MAKES SENSE. She has the tips and tools to help make new housekeeping habits stick.

And I think I am lost without charts. Last year I so often felt like I was just running from things day to day. I frequently even said to friends, "I'm just doing day to day, I'll get back to you" whenever I tried to schedule anything. Well, NO MORE! I will conquer the art of schedules, chores and the like.  I now have CHARTS. I need 'um. You may, too.  I thought I'd share what I've found! I couldn't narrow it down, so I chose my favorite options and thought it would be fun for you to see if any of them would work for you or give you a starting point to create your own.

So, here is your first Freebie Friday of 2013! A gift you can use all year! Chose one or two or three that may get your year off on the right foot.

2013 Month by Month Printable Calendar from TomKat Studio

Weekly Family Calendar from TomKat Studio

Another Cleaning Calendar

Katie Brown's Cleaning Chart (as if she cleans her house herself).

Daily Housekeeping Schedule from The Time Warp Wife

Clean House Flow Chart

Example of Deep Cleaning Schedule

Daily Chore Chart for Mom

Planner from Ink Tree Press

Do Your Chores from Lisa Dickenson

Weekly Cleaning 

Sutton Grace Chore Chart, you'll need to fill in chores

Little Ones Chore Chart from The Handmade Home

Manners Chart from The Handmade Home

Potty Chart from Pure+Lovely

Freebie Friday: Starbuck's Recipe Ebook

Here's another Freebie Friday gem!

Commona-my House may be an unlikely place to find Starbuck's recipes, but I had to share! It's the perfect Freebie for a cold January day!

Click here for
The Ultimate Starbuck's Recipe Book

Have you ever wanted to make one of these at home? Or curious about how you could recreate a Starbuck's favorite?

Then this is for you! I think I may try to make the Cranberry Bliss Bars {they are my favorite}.

This free printable recipe book has all of your favorites!

Enjoy!

XXXOOO.

Dude Decor: January Edition, More than Log Cabin & Plaid Flannel

Log cabin and plaid flannel.  The epitome of MANLY decor.
But not all of us can have a cabin in VT or a Hemingway safari to send our hubbies on in order to have them feel like they are one with their surroundings.  Whether you have a designated man cave, den or office to devote to masculine style, their are some things that you can incorporate into your existing spaces in order to sort of reel in the femininity of your decor.  Even shabby chic furnishings (which is what I would say is a prime example of feminine decor in all of its white washed and floral glory) can be complemented by an antler or two, for example.

I'll be posting Dude Decor ideas throughout 2013, and thought that I'd start today, by highlighting what I think is the best take on the look. It's a little bit old school men's club, a little bit Hemingway, a dash of well traveled, a hint of displaying  your (his) character, no-fuss, not too decorated decorating.

 My take on masculine decorating is heavily influenced by my dad's library.  When I was growing up, I loved going in to my father's library, an enclosed porch turned sanctuary in my parents 1901 Victorian. My dad built floor to ceiling book shelves on 3 out of 4 walls.   He had a leather desk chair, antique desk, old fashioned standing globe, civil war muskets, chippendale camelback sofa,  framed Revolutionary War era family documents, a record player and of course, his cribbage board.

There is A LOT of Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn leather-chair-masculine looking furniture out there today. I think the key for me to achieving a cool man vibe is to keep it looking collected over time instead of instant room, EVEN IF your style is modern and streamlined. Need visuals to see what I mean?
Here they are!
The Look: Dude Decor

Leather.

Dark woods, Clean lines. 

Retro coolness.

Well traveled.

Interesting and symbolic Art (Nature, architecture, sports, music, history, alma mater,  etc).

 

 

Book collections.

A FEW special objects, in this case a silver and horn cup.

Campaign furniture.

And a hint of humor...

and character.

I was inspired to write this post by my friends Katie and Brett at The Art of Manliness {an EXCELLENT website devoted to the (somewhat) lost art of being a thinking gentleman}, my friends Isaac and Becky Childs who hand craft masculine leather goods (rustico.com) as well as my husband, who is the manliest man I know, and who has a "war room".
Viva la manly man.
XXXOOO.

It's 2013, it must be the year of Emerald Green!

I had an emerald green prom dress.

I must have been 20 years ahead of my time.  Because emerald green is projected to be THE IT COLOR of 2013.  Last year's projected IT COLOR was Coral. And it totally was. The previous year was AQUA, and we are still seeing the popularity of Aqua everywhere.

Emerald is a special hue, not just any old green...I keep thinking of the line in the Bare Naked Ladies song "If I had a Million Dollars". It goes like this:  "If I had a million dollars, I would buy you a green dress, but not a REAL green dress, that's cruel".  I've always loved that line because I think we've all seen and maybe even worn a  really ugly green dress in our time, but emerald green dresses are HOT.  Buy a green dress. Paint a dresser green.  Throw a green pillow in the mix. Infuse this bold green into a room, but do it in your accessories or as an accent.

Not just any green will do...I'm saying here and now, stay away from avocado and go for bright, fabulous, green with envy emerald!

silk-cotton by Madeline Weinrib

Emerald and White crisp chevron curtains, emerald  greek key pillow, floral silhouette pillow.

green curtains and hint of greenery in bowl table centerpiece

Bottle Lamp

emerald green carved door

Bold Green and White pillow

curtains and greenery

Retro dresser in Annie Sloan's Antibes Green Chalk Paint

Serena and Lily Bedroom.   "clover spade" fabric on chair and pillow 

green graphic rug

Serena and Lily bone jewelry box

-------------------------

So if green jeans

{G.P.}

and green sweaters

{Boden}

 and green dresses 

{Anthropologie}

and green purses  

{Kate Spade}

 aren't enough for you, then you'll be thrilled that you'll be seeing quite a bit in decor land that is EMERALD GREEN this year!
 And I'd like to hope that with all this green on our minds, that maybe this will be a year with steps in all things GREEN, as in environmentally green.  I'll be sharing eco-minded posts throughout the year  to help us all along the path to having greener households :)

XXXOOO.