Organizing my jewelry

Doesn't it get so frustrating when you have to get to work in five minutes and you can't find the other earring or your necklace is all knotted up into a ball. Well, that happens to me on more than one occasion in a week, and I have tried several methods to keep my jewelry more organized. I used to have them all in seperate boxes, or several small resealable packets within boxes, only to be too lazy to put them back where they should belong.

I didn't have to browse for too long to find the perfect solution. I bought the biggest photo frame that I could find from Dollar Tree and dressed it up. All the necklaces and the hook earring sets found a place here.

But wait, I am not done yet...All the clip-on or friction back earring sets found a new home in an empty egg carton...

I am trying to think of a way to disguise the egg carton top. Have a few ideas that I might try this evening. Will post pictures once I am done. But for now, I hope this serves the purpose and there are no more instances of lost or mixed up earrings.

Thoughts?

Organizing R Jr.'s craft/art work

R Jr. shares my love for crafts and I am so proud of it. There was a time when I saved every little scribble...I started saving all his work in those 5 pocketed letter folders from Target dollar aisle. But very soon I realized that I would never get myself to open these at all...they would just be sitting in the drawer, all ignored...Not anymore!!!

THIS, is how I keep his craftwork now...

This binder method is a lifesaver! No more craftwork lying around. Everything worth keeping is neatly filed into this binder. I just took a gift wrapping paper and and used it as the binder cover. I created tabs to seperate his paintwork, his craft, other memories like his some his first birthday greeting cards from friends. Here are some tips to make the binder system work:

1. Organize them by year
2. Create a binder for every two years(seriously, you do not want to fill your house with binders)
3. You can slip in one of your child's masterpiece in the front cover.
4. Use tabs to organize them in categories of your choice.
5. Decide on what is worth going into the binder. Not every piece of scribbled paper. Also, some of the craftwork done at school may be done mostly by the teacher.
6. I like to put the date on all art/craft work.
7. Sit down with your child and go through the binder when you have time. Ask you child of his/her interpretation of a drawing. Appreciate his/her work of art or creativity.

Today, R Jr. and I went through the binder. He was so excited seeing some of his old craftwork, like the snowman he made for last christmas, or the valentine card he gave his mama...it was so much fun.

Now, I plan to do the same with my recipe printouts, embroidery patterns and so much more.

How do you organize your kid's masterpieces?