inside the studio share + organizing giveaway!!

congratulations Amy Coose, your gonna Organize Your Paper Clutter!!

email me [email protected] ASAP and we can get you enrolled!

been working on a tight deadline for a canvas line and the floor of my studio is tiled in 18 canvases in various stages of work in progress. i have been working with a kinda "artistic-schizophrenia" back and forth on several as the canvases one by one reveal themselves to me.

here is just a sneak peek of them on my floor and the aftermath of what is left behind as i work...mind you i actually cleaned in here yesterday.

on that note, i thought it would be a great day to have an organizational giveaway!

lord knows with the amount of papers, mail, invoices and kids crafts that come in this house i need a plan to keep it all in order..it is so easy to feel overwhelmed when things are not in order and with some basic guidelines, strategies and development of a simple system that works for you best, life gets that much easier.

Aby Garvey, the organizing and productivity expert at simplify 101 will help guide you over a full 7 weeks to Organize Your Paper Clutter, you’ll learn where your paper is coming from, and steps you can take to slow the inflow—making it easier to stay on top of things. You’ll also learn about various ways to store and organize your paper, and how to select the best solution for you and your particular paper needs.

In Organize Your Paper Clutter you will:

• Create an action file and mail handling system.

• Set up your own household reference binder similar to the simplify 101 Command Central Binder.

• Get strategies for handling school papers and kids artwork.

• Learn what paper you need to shred, what paper you need to keep, and how long you need to keep it.

• Set up and use a tickler file.

• Learn the best ways to organize and store each type of paper in your home, so you can find it again right when you need it.

one very lucky (and hopefully very unorganized) blog reader today will be randomly selected to receive a tuition paid admittance into Aby's Organize Your Paper Clutter online workshop!

simply leave your comments today before 11PM (EST) identifying your organizational needs, wants or even ideas and strengths to be entered to win!

 

week 8: day 53(wednesday) - 5 mile run

• time: 58 min 35 sec
• distance: 5.42 miles

Comments

[Emily]

I think I may be the most clutter bound person out here in blog land! My piles of stuff seem to follow me throughout the house! I've been thinking Abby's class would be a good investment of my time!

[Lyn]

very nice giveaway! I have file drawers that could use help!

[Cindy]

EVERYTHING!!! With 3 kids, we always have something that needs to be organized!!

[debbieR]

oh my god, i need this. I moved into a new house two years ago and still can't seem to get moved in. Baby steps, but I can't seem to get organized ugh!!!!
Please let the organizing Gods smile on me today! Thanks Donna and Aby for the chance.

[Brenda]

I so need to take this class as it has started to take so long to find and deal with the necessary things that I have no time left for any of the fun stuff. I know that if I get organized I would have time for it all.

[lola]

I want to quit procrastinating & get organized, but I keep putting it off .....

My (tidy) 8 year old daughter keeps saying, "MOM! WHEN are you going to clean this UP?! (referring to my scrap/art/computer room)

A clean desk might be a sign of a sick mind, but it's not one belonging to a very creative one either .... however, I DO need more than a 2 x 2" space to create on!

LOVE that you're working on the FLOOR these days!!!!

[amy s.]

I so could use some help. I really have a hard time deciding what to keep and what to toss. I have hidden piles of the kids school work and art because I can't seem to figure out what to do with it all! I NEED HELP!

[Jenny Alfonso]

Our dining room has many functions: scrap table (and all my scrap supplies), kids' homework place, houses kids' crayons/coloring books/paints & holds all of our art projects. It is used for every purpose EXCEPT for eating! lol!

[Faith]

I used to think that I was organized but as I get older it seems that things are just going south! I find myself constantly trying to get to the bottom of the neverending pile of mail and mess that collects on my table. What's a girl to do? I am getting ready to go back to school (at 48) and finish an accounting degree that I started YEARS ago and I have got to do something about all the paper. Please help!

[Laura Rich]

Well let's see...I clean my desk and it usually takes a day before it's covered in paper all over again. I usually have my forearms resting on a few sheets of paper while typing on my keyboard or the keyboard itself is covered with paper. Help!

[Darlene]

Oh oh oh oh oh, I so very much need this. My desk and I have issues & my file cabinet is atrocious. This would be an amazing and much needed gift. I have 4 homeschooling kids and I will be going to college in the fall while working and running my own business...

[Kasey Laughlin]

I could definitely use this! I can't seem to EVER get rid of the piles!!! Thanks for the opportunity!

[connie tacazon]

I have 3 girls that are starting to collect their own piles of paper. I need help helping them and managing the chaos together.

[Tamikko Gordin]

I am a paper addict and have a paper problem, big time. Some paper is in some categories but anything since then is in another container and then there's the boxes of unorganized stuff. If I think I have a sheet of particular paper and need to find it, I have to look in 7 different places! (I know this because I've looked for things many times) When you're genuinely surprised you have something you had forgotten you have, you are horribly disorganized and I feel it in my bones.
I need relief! HELP!

[mrsgeek]

Help! My Hubby and I have a small office with one large desk across one wall that we each have an end to. It doesn't take long for the paper to pile. I'd love some type of organizational system to tackle this mountain!

[Lorrie]

I have piles of stuff all over the place. We keep getting "stuff", kids' crafts, mail, forms to fill out later, certificates, etc. With a small and busy house I have a hard time putting things into a place that makes sense to me and that is convenient to keep up with.

[Shelley]

Oh, this would be great!! I feel like I'm halfway there but I've lost my momentum and need to get it finished so everything has its place.

[Teresa]

Oh so in need of that class at home, at work and especially in my scrap room. I couldn't find a piece of paper anywhere right now with out a huge search party! Thanks!

[Karalyn]

this is the thing i struggle with the most - organizing paper stuff - i don't know what to keep or how long to keep it!

[Krys72599]

I can't seem to find the time to file the papers.
Then I have to scramble to find something in the various piles: 3 or 4 piles of bills in the spare room (the room with the file cabinet and the files); 1 or 2 piles on the staircase, just paid this week and/or last week, that I walk past every day but never bring upstairs to add to the piles there; and then there are the "just paid" bills that I'm carrying back and forth to work every day 'cause I don't remember to take them out of my bag and add them to either of the other two sets of piles...
And let's not talk about my dining room table, aka my husband's desk. It's stacked THIS high with paperwork from his afterschool program (and there's some of that on the desk upstairs, too, 'cause I do his typing for him!) and his checkbooks and junk mail he swears he's going to read...
PLEASE pick me!!! PLEASE!!! I'm being drowned in a sea of paper!!!

[Ashley Cannon Newell]

UGH! Clutter is so annoying and unfortunately, it haunts me daily. I have the most difficulty getting rid of items (especially paper, like mail). I would love to learn what I need and don't need to establish an organization system to keep it all in check. My studio is also our office, so everything runs through that room. I need a little space for just about everything, all in one tiny room!

Thanks, Donna for letting me know I'm not the only one!

[Denise Morris]

I am usually a very insanely organized person but when it comes to my scrapbooking stuff (which is astronomical in sheer quantity) I'm hopeless. It's so disorganized that I'm constantly finding items that I forgot I had or worse yet, having more than one of the same item. Help!!!

[Lisa H.]

I hover on the edge of organization. i want to be organized, but it is so hard for me!

[Jacqui]

I have piles of stuff everywhere.... on every conceivable surface in my home!!! I could really do with some help to simplify my clutter and get the most out of my time so I have more time to scrap!!!

[Michael Ann]

If I could only show you the island in my kitchen right now you would realize how hopelessly I need organizational help. Please...send help...before I'm buried alive...... :) Happy Thursday and thank you Donna! Those canvases are beautiful!

[maryann]

Please lead me to the land where there is no clutter!

[Elaine]

I have a huge need for organizing/sorting mail and magazines/publications. If I could just clear the house of these things, I'd FEEL so much better and my husband would too. I even feel guilty because my kids are surrounded with piles...of my stuff...I lose their papers that need signing, bills that need to be paid, and so on... :(

[Dina]

I am sooooo in need of this. DH and i fight over the paper piles all the time (especially when tax time comes around-yikes!)

[Elaine]

p.s. I LOVE the vibrant colors and whimsical feeling on your canvases, Donna!! :)

hugs,
Elaine

[colleen]

I keep trying to beat the clutter at its own game, but I think it is winning. For every piece of clutter I throw away or find a home for, I end up with about 100 more items. I so need to take the paper clutter class. Especially since I so hate to file.

[GayeN]

I badly needed help in organizing bills/mails/magazines/publications. Once I tried to organize it but ended a failure! Please please pick me!!!!

P.S. Love love your canvasses... =)

[Anne Ganguzza]

Oh My - this is exactly what I need!!! I just love the feeling when the clutter is cleared up - it just seems to take me forever to get there! I would LOVE this class!! Thanks for the opportunity!

[Amy Coose]

I'd LOVE to get in on this class...I need help organizing EVERYTHING!!

[Nancy L]

I need help in a bad way. I have so much paper clutter that some receipts from 2000 have followed me in my move. Of course, this is mixed in with the mounds of scrapbooking throughout the house. I really need Aby's help!

[czarina]

Oh, this would be GREAT!!! I can't seem to EVER get rid of the piles!!! Thanks for the opportunity!

[annette abrahamson]

i am starting a new business and would love to stay on top of everything...and to make it easy for accounting purposes! :)

[Olivia]

Like you said..all that daily clutter that seems to mount. The mail, kid creations, magazines, bills...they all end up in piles that I periodically go through and then move around to another part of the house. It's like a cluttered pile that just revolves from room to room, growing and growing.. Agh. I could really use some organization!

[jennie]

ugh the whole house lol, but i seem to suffer with school area, and scrap area.
jennie

[Crystal]

It is a never ending battle. I hate going to the mailbox. Clutter, clutter, ick! I could really use some help in this department. Sounds like a great class. Thanks Donna!!

[Audrey]

I certainly qualify to be labeled an "unorganized blog reader", no qualms about it. I would love to get some help before the kids go back to school and the paper flow increases again!

[Michele]

My hubbie tells everyone I have flat surface disease - meaning there is not flat surface in our house that does not have a "pile" of paper or scrapbook supplies on it. I keep setting up "systems" but never quite finish - I truly need help! It would be nice to be able to have people over to visit again:)

[Cat]

GREAT give away. i personally don't think i need it (not that i'm the most organized person) but would LOVE to win this to give to a dear friend of mine who is struggling with getting herself more organized after the death of her husband last year.

[Mary M.]

My desk needs help! Thanks for the opportunity to win!

[Debra M]

Love the canvases! I so need a simple plan to control the paper madness in my world!
Thanks for the giveaway.

Debra M.

[Jen]

I've looked at Aby's class before and I know I need it -- I'll throw my name in the hat.

[Maya]

I saw need this! I am getting lost in the ocean of paper, bills, magazines, scraps, kids stuff and so on. This morning I couldn't find my closing statement... it's sad

[Briana N.]

My pile of mail is bigger than your pile of mail.

[Tamra B]

Thanks for the giveaway. I do a pretty good job of keeping things organized, but need some good ideas on efficient organization. Some things I could probably do much, much better.

[Asha Patel]

My hubby would think he'd died and gone to heaven if I won this!!! I'm surprised we're not buried in mounds of mail already!

[LA]

Oh man, let me tell you how much I need this class! I have 2 businesses- loaded with mail and papers I have to keep (such a stupid rule) for taxes, audits blah blah, and my own personal mail( I finally went paperless on most bills- so why I am still getting alot of mail is beyond me). Sometimes I get so overwhelmed I hardly look at mine (LOL) and throw it in a basket until its overflowing and things are falling out and making a bigger mess. SO ridiculous. Thanks for the chance to win!! :)

[Amber Zimmerman]

I give my scraps to my kiddos to make collages with, and I try and keep everything in my scrap armoire. Anything beyond that I get rid of, because I could easily take over a room! As for specifically organizing things. . .I don't have a method and could use one! =) Thanks for a shot at the workshop!

[Maryann]

i need to find a place for everything! i have tons of stuff! i need to purge and organize!

[Toni_M]

My work-desk is a little mess every night when I head from work to home. So I really need some help.

[Casie]

Me me ME!!! (waving my hand madly) I really need to go into that class. I used to be pretty good at staying organized. Then I had three kids, started a business oh and will be getting a puppy soon too! Yeah I know... it's my own fault! LOL

[Mel r]

with four kids my paper clutter is outrageous and it seems to be such a universal problem! clothing is also very hard to handle, what to save & hand down what to donate, and how to store it!

[Kim]

What a nice giveaway. I try so hard to be organized and I want to know where everything is but in never fails...I can never find stuff!! My husband comments on the fact that even though I have a scrapbook room he never sees me scrapbooking in it because I am always busy trying to organize all my stuff. Crazy I know, but that's me!!

[Joanne]

I am probably a lost cause for Ms. Aby....but it's worth a shot!!!

[cindy b.]

What an AWESOME giveaway!! Am I the only one with about a zillion PILES of stuff all over her house??!! It's making me CRAZY!! Thanks for the chance to win!

[mary]

not only a system for filing but a reminder to go through the folders and clean out. yeah, I could benefit from the class!

[Jennie]

I'm actually pretty good with organizing...everything EXCEPT paper. It is overwhelming, and getting dh on board with anything I try usually fails. I need this class!!

[Melissa Miller]

I so need this class!! I just spent the last few days going through the last 11 years worth of paperwork! It's crazy how much stuff you keep. Thanks for the give away!!!

[MaryJo Materazo]

i need this badly!!! i have paper hot spots all over my house...in the kitchen...in the bedroom...in my craft room...you get the picture. fingers crosses....

[Maureen F]

I love your canvases - they are fantastic. What a great giveaway - who doesn't need organization

[laura j]

I am the disorganized blog reader that your're looking for! Overwhelmed with paper clutter and don't know where to start!

[Mitch]

The piles in every room would be a huge indicator of how badly I need a class like this! I've checked out Aby's website before. Just need to find the time. Hard with an 8 year old and a 5 month old.
Thanks for the give-away. Maybe if I win it will finally push me to tackle the problem!

[Kimberly]

I desperately need some guidance in organizing my paper clutter, my home and my life! This would be a fantastic start. I love her newsletters. Thanks for introducing her to us!

[Leana]

With a new baby I am finding it harder to stay on top of the paper clutter. During the school year my older two bring home so much paper! I need to find a better system.

[Donna]

I would love to win the class. I'm always trying to get organzied (and stay organzied). I run our business from home, have 2 kids in school, organize all the kids class parties, etc., organize volunteer events, and all my scrap stuff. It's completely overwhelming to even get started most of the time. I did manage to get my scrap stuff done but could really use help with everything else. I haven't filed one thing for my business yet this year!!! Help! Thanks for the opportunity.

[Christine Drevo]

I don't even know where to begin. I have stamp storage issues, paper issues, tools, pencils, and paints I just have storage issues. I need everything and anything so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

[Erin H.]

OMG...I need help! I am a professional woman with no children, but my paper mess just keeps piling up due to getting home at odd times and just life in general. On my desk at home right now, I have two largeeee piles of things to go through on my small desk and another at my feet. I have a couple file boxes full of things that I am unsure of what to do with, not to mention memorabilia all over the place in need of homes...lol. I guess I just need a system and a place to start...I might just get organized! lol

[Michelle]

ASK, BELIEVE, RECIEVE.... I am here. Thank you MS Donna for the inspiration!

[Linda B]

I would love (and need) to win this! BTW, my craft table is covered with the canvas ATCs I made from you, and a bunch of additional ones that I'm making:D

[Kimberly Gero]

Every part of my house needs organizing - might as well start with the paper! Thanks for the chance to win and as always the inspiration!

[Maritza]

I would like to organize my stuff in smaller areas so that I can fit more.

[Betty]

man...i have papers coming out of my ears. i have piles that i don't really know what to do with. It's like maybe I want to keep it...but if I do...what category do i stick them in. Then there's the bulky stuff I that want to keep but should probably not because of it's size. Man....it's a mess. help me help me!