Idea Notebook

Ever make a mood board? It's an efficient and exciting way to begin the design process. A lot of fashion designers start their collection with a mood board:

Kate Spade

J. Crew

Tory Burch

Mood boards don't necessarily have to be a cork board. I like to use a notebook or journal because I can take it anywhere. It doesn't have to be fancy, I use 79 cent school notebooks!

This is my blog idea notebook. I made a blog calendar to help me plot themes for the coming weeks and blah to TADAs! for the day. March 2012 has yet to be filled up. I was to shy to show you January because it has sketches in the tiny boxes and notes all over the margins. Eeeep!

I fill the other pages with magazine clippings. This method works so much better than stuffing them in an envelope. That's blah.

The cut-outs {and some sketches} are visual cues for future crafting.

Even if the holidays are far away, it's never too early to gather pictures! TADA!

Motivation Board

Howdy everyone! This week, I'm writing about mood boards and how they can help you bring your projects into fruition. I know that sounds quite lofty, but a mood board is basically a blank page, a clean slate where you can tack on scraps of ideas and bits of inspiration.

Here are samples of mood boards I found on the Pottery Barn site:

Use a mood board to plan a party.

Create designs for stationery with the help of a mood board.

Decide on colors for your home or clothing line.

Show off progress & remind yourself of upcoming activities.

Use it to prepare meals and menus.

Use a mood board to plan your wedding.

If you don't have a frame or bulletin board,

make one or use a blank wall.

But if you have very little space, here's a tip:

blah: a 2011 desk calendar

Remove the pages so you're left with the

cardboard tent.

TADA! -- Instant mood board!

Stick on photos or in this case,

words of motivation.

Use this as your own personal cheering squad

to make your 2012 goals a reality!

Mood Boards

The New Year symbolizes fresh starts and taking on exciting projects. But where do you begin? Let's start with a mood board! Mood boards are our theme for the week.

When the book Decorate was launched in August last year, the book tour stopped in New York City.

The book is packed with many delightful pegs to create a space filled with comfort and personality.

We got to meet Holly Becker, the author of the book and the blog. She's as vibrant as the flowers she wears on her lapel and so relatable to many of us creatives, bloggers and regular gals who want to make our surroundings beautiful.

We got to indulge in some sweets, sparkling water and wine while having our books signed. We also marveled at the merchandise in Anthropologie Soho, where the event took place.

One of the highlights was a short talk on how to make a mood board. The evening's guests were Marcia and Paul of Zia Priven lighting. They discussed how mood boards help them design their light fixtures. In the photo, Paul holds up a crystal bracelet which was a jumping off point to create the gorgeous H20 chandelier. It's true that you'll find inspiration everywhere!

Here's the mood board that Holly came up with: a collection of fabric, ribbon, paint chips and magazine tear sheets that convey the look and the feeling you want for a room. The mood board zeroes in on what you're attracted to and is a practical tool for you and your interior designer. Let's try it out this week and turn our blah, disorganized thoughts into TADA! results!

Pantry Inventory

Hey, hey, happy Friday!

This week, I shared some thoughts on being more eco-friendly at home. These are simple ideas that anyone can do. Today, it's all about food storage.

How's your pantry situation? I must admit, sometimes I forget what's in my pantry, so I'm left with food items past their expiration date. What a waste. Definitely blah!

My solution? Blah scrap paper!

I use the blank side of the paper to make a list of what's currently inside my pantry. I attach this list to the inside of my pantry door.

I do the same for the cupboards where I store kitchen & cleaning staples and bathroom necessities.

Same with the contents of my freezer & refrigerator.

Once I use up the items, I cross them off the list.

I add to the list whatever new item is introduced.

This way, I have a running inventory of food and the stuff lurking in the back of the freezer are not forgotten. This makes meal preparation easier {get creative with what you have on hand!}. Plus the crossed out items are what I need to get on my next trip to the market or grocery.

As an added detail, make a master list of pantry staples that you have and save it as a file on your computer or mobile phone. Refer to it when trying new recipes or planning meals -- it will instantly tell you what you have or don't have without having to rummage around. Update it regularly and allow it to help you avoid wasting food.

I wish you all a weekend full of fun & sunshine!

A Soapy Situation

I'm cleaning up my act and finding ways to

minimize the extras I use at home.

Take for example, liquid soap:

Don't get me wrong, I love using them,

but once the bottle is empty, it goes

to the bin. Very blah.

My solution -- I'll opt for the big refill

packs/bottles and reuse these existing

dispensers by pouring the soap into them.

Less plastic in the long run.

Another option is to commit to decorative

liquid soap pumps like these. They're not

only pretty, they'll last forever.

TADA!

Green and Clean

I'm trying to cut down on the cleaning products I use. This is not only environmentally responsible, it's money saving and frees up space in my cupboards, too.

Here's something I'm doing my best to

use less of: paper towels.

Even if they're made of recycled paper,

they're harder to break down compared

to other paper products. Blah!

I found these small towels at the dollar store.

I use them as cleaning rags.

Another option is to use your old, blah towels.

These are absorbent and the texture works wonderfully when scrubbing off nasty stains. Just throw them in the washing machine & then reuse them. TADA!

Spray away the Germs

Happy Tuesday! In the recent years, I've started to become more consciously afraid of germs because I know they can make you sick. I think I'm in the less extreme end of the germaphobe scale, since I don't mind handshakes {versus fist bumps} and I can still open public doorknobs without getting queasy.

I do have a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a pack of hand wipes in my bag. I use the hand sanitizer before and after eating, when I cough or sneeze or after I use the ATM. I use the hand wipes for instances like cleaning the tray tables on airplanes, the telephone and remote control devices in hotel rooms...you just never know who was there before you!

As mentioned in this post, I like to keep empty cosmetic bottles, clean them up and use them again. I'm doing the same for these blah fragrance spritz bottles.

I fill them with rubbing alcohol.

Here's my spray bottle, properly labeled. I use it at home to disinfect doorknobs and handles. I can also carry it in my bag as an alternative to sanitizer and wipes! TADA!