Yet Again: Learning to Say No

I keep returning to this theme because saying no to requests for our time is such a hard things for so many of us.

Today's bit of inspiration come from Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work by Richard Carlson:

Saying no without guilt is not selfish - it's a protective necessity. If someone said to you, "Can I have the air you breath?" you'd probably question their sanity. You certainly wouldn't feel guilty saying no. Yet if someone says, "Can I ask you to do something for me that will push you over the edge and make you feel stressed out and resentful?", there are many times that you'll agree either out of habit, obligation, or simply guilt. Sure, the person probably didn't phrase the request like that, but in reality, that's what is being asked of you.

Related posts:
The Importance of Saying No: Two Perspectives
The Importance of Making Decisions
Learning to Say No
Miss Manners: How to Say No

[photo by Simone Scott Warren]

Saving Things "Just In Case ..."

"There may not be much call for for a corset tightener on a day-to-day basis, but you never know ..." -- Don Aslett, Lose 200 Lbs. This Weekend

If you're one of the many people who saves things just in case, I've got some quotes that might inspire you to reconsider.

Louise over on Our Odyssey has a wonderful post abut the just-in-case stuff; she lists questions to ask yourself about all that stuff you are keeping that doesn't ever seem to get used. Here's just one snippet:

Can I rent or borrow it? Everything can be rented these days, from furniture to tuxedos, boat trailers to formal china. We need a car so rarely that we rent one when we do. Bake a cake once every three years? Your campground neighbor who bakes daily can loan you his pans.

Holly addresses the just-in-case clothes:

I have FINALLY come to the place of getting rid of clothes that I either don’t like, or don’t fit. You may think that is silly…but I would keep numerous/multiple clothing items around, just in case. Just in case of what, I’m not sure…just in case I lost weight, or gained weight, or the style came back in, or I ever happened to "like" the tacky item, or really wanted to be uncomfortable…who knows?

And so does organizer Jennifer Swanson:

Beware of spending money unnecessarily on closet gadgets to make room for a collection of "just in case" clothes (just in case I need five outfits to paint the house, just in case I lose weight and want to dress 80's style, just in case...) You probably have a better way to spend your money.

And here are some thoughts from the Flylady web site:

Does everyone save old mayo and jelly jars? "I might need it someday and it still is perfectly useful." Well...I decluttered one of my kitchen cabinets (stuff kept falling out when the doors opened). There were no less than 53 of these jars complete with lids. I do use them occasionally but 53????

OK, I'm off to dispose of that extra box of bubble wrap that hasn't been touched in years. And then there's that fondue pot ...

Seletti: A Stunning Bookcase and More

Wow! Usually when I find something like this from an Italian designer, it can be hard to find places to actually buy the thing.

But this lovely piece from Seletti, called Assemblage, is for sale at Do, in London.

I'm going to quote from do-shop.com: "Assemblage is made up of ten wooden crate style boxes, each with different silkscreen prints. The boxes nest inside of each other and can be stacked and held together by straps to create a shelf, or can be used separately as small side tables or storage units."




And here are some more pictures of how this pieces can be used.




While I was on the Seletti web site, I poked around and found some more interesting things - none as notable as that bookcase, but still worth a look. I haven't seen these storage boxes for sale on the web, but Seletti does provide a list of places that carry their products, from around the world.




They also make a nice coat rack.




And isn't this a nice way to store some basic tools?




Seletti also makes some nice little boxes that you can see (and buy) on this Swiss web site. The measurements on the web site are in cm; for those of you who think in inches, they are 11" x 8.66" x 4.33". You can see another style of box on Seletti's web site.


[via Bookshelf]

File Folders: Declare That You Are Organized (or Not)

I've just stumbled across a series of file folders that specifically talk to our desire to be organized.

1. Crane & Co. sells the file folder shown above; in case you can't quite read the print, it says I am Organized.




2. And here's the file folders for those who can't yet claim to be organized, created by Bob's Your Uncle and sold many places on-line.




3. And for those trying to get organized, here's a set of letterpress procrastinator file folders, labeled with priorities ranging from Urgent to Much Later to Really, Never! (The same file folders are available here.) OK, I don't know how practical these are - but I had to share them, anyway.




4. Along the same lines, these letterpress file folders range in priority from Yesterday to Next Week to Who Knows. They are available here (full set) and here (just three: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow).


Related Post:
File Folders: Moving Beyond Manila

12 More Options for Colorful Storage

Want some bright colors to enliven your home? My last post on colorful storage was quite popular - and since I've since found more interesting options, it's time for an update.

1. Let's start in Melbourne, Australia this time, with one of the many delightful pieces shown on the Wilkens and Kent web site. For a few more quick peeks, look here or here.




2. Moving over to the U.K., this pink chest of drawers is sold by Graham and Green.




3. Staying in the U.K., this sky blue bookcase comes from Zenzu.




4. You might think a company called New England Lifestyle was based in the U.S. - but they're in West Sussex, U.K. They call this the Blue New Hampshire Bookcase.






5. Heading over to Switzerland, we find these very cool alphabet storage pieces. [via Apartment Therapy]. The web site is in German, but it's reasonably easy to navigate even for someone who speaks no German, and a translating tool will help out when you need it. There are multiple options for each letter, with either a front door (with shelves or drawers) or an open back (with shelves) to provide storage.




6. Coming over to the U.S., red egg has some lovely pieces. They don't sell to the public, but you can find their buffet (shown above) and bookcase at Design for Real Living.




7. If you're looking for red, big pagoda has a few options.




8. As you'd imagine, a furniture company called A Colorful Place has a lot of options.




9. Vermont Woods Studios makes painted cottage furniture.




10. This cabinet is made from 100-year-old barn boards! See the Barn Board Treasures web site for more pictures of this piece, and to see the other types of furniture they make.




11. Damian Velasquez makes his pieces from steel and wood.




12. More mainstream companies also have colorful storage. These trunks come from Pottery Barn, which has a number of other colorful options.


Related posts:
Old Office Furniture Gets a New Life
10 Options for Modular Shelving

Storage to Make You Smile: Hand-Painted Furniture

I first saw hand-painted furniture on sites like Room Service Home; that's one of theirs above. Other sites in somewhat the same vein are Touch of Class and The Well Appointed House.

I was enchanted, and I've recently gone looking to see what else is available. Here's just some of what's out there.




Patina sells hand-painted furniture from Italy, including this armoire.




Picking just one piece from Clairborne Ferry Furniture was hard. Picking this one meant passing up the fish, and the cave drawing, and so much more.




Cody Riess Designs has a maddening web site, with way-too-small pictures of what seem to be lovely pieces.




Reincarnations sells all sorts of painted furniture; these are two of their mini-armoires.




La Loba has a number of cabinet options; this one has a picture of San Miguel de Allende.




This calla lily armoire comes from Magnolia Studios - another maddening web site, but I'm glad I didn't give up on it.




This piece comes from Nicole Wolf of Wolf Designs.




The bunny dresser comes from You're Art! by Corie Kline.




Picking just one piece by Hillary Riggs was another hard decision. Choosing this raven cabinet means not including the butterfly cabinet or the poppy armoire - or one of the many other stunning pieces.

The Definitive Guide to E-waste, Part 3: All Recyclers Are Not Created Equal

OK, you know your e-waste shouldn't go in the garbage. You read about an electronics recycling event or a place that accepts old electronics, and that seems to solve the problem. But maybe not. The Electronics TakeBack Coalition has a section in its E-Waste Briefing Book (pdf) entitled Most "Recyclers" Don’t Recycle Our E-Waste - They Export It To Developing Countries. It says, in part:

Currently, a large portion of the hazardous electronic waste collected for recycling in the U.S. is actually exported to developing countries. There the products are dismantled and separated using such primitive and toxic technologies that workers and communities are exposed to many highly toxic chemicals.

In countries like China, India, Viet Nam, and Pakistan, workers in e-waste yards (working with few health and safety protections) actually “recycle” very little of these products – they use hammers, acids, and open burning to reclaim minimal materials and dump the rest.

If you get a chance to see the videos produced by the Basal Action Network, you'll be horrified.

So what can you do? The Minneapolis - St.Paul Star Tribune suggests asking

- If the recycler is certified (such as an ISO 14001 environmental management certification) and if you can read their environmental statement.

- If most of the e-waste materials collected (at least 90 percent) is recycled, and does that happen domestically.

- If they have signed the Basel Convention Pledge.

Let's go over each of those points, in reverse order. Note that this advice mostly applies to the USA, although some points could be useful elsewhere. (I'll touch a bit more on other countries at the end of this article.)

1. Find a recycler who has signed the Electronic Recycler's Pledge of True Stewardship (pdf) - also known as the Basel Convention Pledge.

As Zak Enterprises says:

In order to be compliant with this pledge, recyclers must commit to complying to three fundamental truths in their recycling efforts:

- Prevent hazardous e-waste from going to municipal incinerators or landfills.

- Prevent export of hazardous waste to developing countries.

- Use free market rather than prison labor to dismantle and recycle e-waste.

You can find a list of such recyclers from the Basel Action Network (mostly U.S.; some in Canada and South America) or the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (U.S. only).

September 12, 2008 update: Or, if the recycler seems otherwise responsible, ask why the company has not signed the pledge; there may be a good reason.

2. Question the recycler about how much is recycled, and where.

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition suggests that you "question the recycler on issues listed on the responsible recycler’s pledge. If you cannot get a direct answer, they are probably exporting. Beware of collection events and recycling fairs and ask if the recycler processes on site. If not, they are likely to export, contributing to the global e-waste crisis."


3. Ask about ISO 14001 compliance.

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 14001 is one of its standards; the ISO describes it this way:

ISO 14001:2004 specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes, and information about significant environmental aspects. It applies to those environmental aspects that the organization identifies as those which it can control and those which it can influence. It does not itself state specific environmental performance criteria.

OK, did your eyes just glaze over? I'm not surprised. Even this Plain English Introduction can be overwhelming. Maybe you'd rather see a video.

Here's a simpler summary: "ISO 14001 doesn't define companies' environmental impact. Rather, it requires them to analyze environmental aspects of their products and services and then, based on local regulations and other considerations, set goals for controlling and improving that impact."

Given how flexible ISO 14001 is - you must have an environmental management system, but there is a great deal of latitude in what the system says you will do - you might want to actually read the company's EMS before assuming they are a responsible recycler. (But then again, how much time do you have?)

However, this recent excellent article in IT Pro (pdf) says that "reputable e-waste recyclers are usually ISO 14001 Environmental Certified" - so asking about this certainly seems reasonable.


For those outside the U.S.: This section will be much less definitive, since I'm not as familiar with the complexities in each country. (If you have information to share, I welcome your comments.)

In the European Community, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) is in effect - but it's not yet fully effective. You can read more about the WEEE implementation in each country at sites like WEEE Ireland.

ZDNet Australia indicates there's no national policy for handling e-waste in Australia, but there are some notable trial programs.

Read the earlier parts of this series:
Part 1: What's the Big Deal?
Part 2: Old Cell Phones

[photo © Basel Action Network 2006]

What I'm Reading: In Praise of Slowness

After watching Carl Honore's excellent talk on slowing down in a world built for speed, I knew I wanted to read his book.

I've just begun In Praise of Slowness (titled In Praise of Slow outside of the U.S.) and I'm enjoying it a lot. I love a nice turn of phrase, and was delighted to see him write about "today, when all the world is a store, and all the men and women merely shoppers." Here's a longer quote I'd like to share:

As well as glittering careers, we want to take art courses, work out at the gym, read the newspaper and every book on the bestseller list, eat out with friends, go clubbing, play sports, watch hours of television, listen to music, spend time with the family, buy all the newest fashions and gadgets, go to the cinema, enjoy intimacy ... with our partners, holiday in far-flung locations and maybe even do some meaningful volunteer work. ...

My own life fits the pattern. Children are a lot of work, and the only way to survive parenthood is to downsize your diary. But I find this hard. I want to have it all. So instead of cutting back on my hobbies I contrive to squeeze them into a schedule that is already bursting at the seams.

The chapter I'm reading right now explores the Slow Food movement. Coincidentally, today I had a lovely leisurely lunch with muralist Ellen Joseph, and got reminded again just how delightful that is, and how reinvigorated I feel afterwards.

Words to Live By: Keep Calm and Carry On

I first heard about the Keep Calm and Carry On poster from Victoria at sfgirlbybay, and now she's selling them (in six colors) on Etsy.

You can read the history of the poster at Barter Books in Scotland - which sells reproductions of the poster, as well as Keep Calm mugs.

While the poster was designed for WWII, the message seems to resonate with many people today; you can find Keep Calm t-shirts and tote bags and all sorts of things.

I'm guessing that in our often overly-busy lives, it's nice to be reminded to Keep Calm.


[Picture from Keep Calm Ltd, which sells the poster in various colors - as well as postcards with the same phrase. Via Anh-minh.]

Freecycling Runs in the Family

Shawn (my cousin-once-removed) and her husband Justin are adopting a baby. As an ardent Freecycler, I was delighted to read that Shawn's used Freecycle to get car seats, clothes, crib sheets and blankets, a baby swing, and more.

Related Posts:
The Thoughtful Consumer Uses Freecycle
Freecycle Makes the New York Times

Now Where Did I Put That Note?

Are you a visually-oriented person who works best when certain bits of information are kept right in front of you? Here are some alternatives to the little-scraps-of-paper-everywhere approach, or the sticky notes on the computer.




1. If you just need a place to keep a couple things, the memo holders at Office Playgound might work for you. This is just one of a number of options.

Then there's the special interest memo holders, for those interested in physical therapy or those who love Scotties. And there's also this very cool skull, and this shark, and these buildings.




2. These fish head memo holders also have limited capacity.




3. The Tower of Clips comes from the MoMA Store. They say it's made of remnant steel from the tabletop industry.




4. The MoMA Store also has this item they call the Snap-It-Up Organizer.




5. Umbra sells the Posy Desktop. This one is widely available - at Stacks and Stacks or The Container Store, for example.




6. VivaTerra had these Stone Swirl Message Holders, but it appears they aren't available right now.




7. The Paper Tracker isn't as cute or pretty as some other alternatives - but it could be perfect for someone.


[lead photo by Brandon Brunson]

Umbra: Tools for Your Recipes and Cookbooks

The Portochef provides a different way of storing recipes you've clipped from magazines or printed off the web. It comes with 26 plastic sleeves.




And then there's the cooknook under-cabinet cookbook (and recipe card) holder.


Related Posts:
Under Cabinet Cookbook Holder
Organizing the Recipes in Three Steps

The In Box: 9 Options

Any devotee of David Allen's Getting Things Done will know the importance of the in-basket. Allen actually recommends that you have at least three paper-holding trays: one for an in-basket, one for an out-basket, and others for work-in-progress support papers and/or a "read and review" stack.

Liz Davenport in Order From Chaos also writes about the in-box. "What goes into the In Box? Everything new. New mail, new phone messages, new faxes, new information form others, anything you have not yet seen, reviewed, or dealt with. Other people put things in your In Box, but so do you. If you return from a meeting with a project file full of things to follow up on, but you have to run off to the next meeting before you can deal with them, put the file in your In Box for later review."

Davenport also recommends a To Read Box and a To File Box.

Now, what do you use as your in-basket or in-box - and those other baskets/boxes? Any office supply store will sell you trays that can work - but here are some other options.




1. Levenger sells these stackable drawers.




2. Levenger also has this leather letter tray. You can find other leather trays at Frontgate, Prestige Office Accessories and Bosca Leather.




3. If you'd like something a bit different with stacking trays, there's this one from Lakeshore Learning - intended for teachers, but perfectly fine for anyone else, too.




4. You certainly don't need to be limited to office supply vendors. These trays from DucDuc (a company selling children's items) look pretty wonderful. They are hardwood with non-toxic lacquered paint, available in eight colors. [via Babygadget]




5. Here's a bamboo tray that could work just fine.




6. This hardwood serving tray could work fine, too.




7. For those who would like an actual basket for their in-basket, there's this one from Peterboro Basket Company.




8. These water hyacinth boxes are yet another nice option. I'd leave the lid off on a day-to-day basis.




9. And just to encourage you to think differently: This kitty bed is what I used for my own in box for a long time, until I had my office repainted and the colors no longer worked. (The cats didn't like it, so I found a different use for it. Now I've given it away to someone whose cat does like it.)

Related Post: Your Mail Needs a Home

[lead photo by Stephanie Booth]

Expanding My Vocabulary: Organizing Products from the U.K.

A shoe tidy? That's the latest addition to my English vocabulary - as in the language spoken on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean from me. (Here in the U.S., we'd call this a shoe organizer or a shoe bag.)

I love poking around shops from faraway places - and today we go to Cath Kidston, courtesy of Redbook Magazine (and my neighbor who brought me the May 2008 edition, with its 24 stylish space savers).




Peg bags are what we'd call clothespin bags in the U.S. - but the whole idea was new to me. (On the other hand, it wasn't new to my neighbor, so maybe that's just the gap in my knowledge rather than a U.S./U.K. thing.)




Stepping away from Cath Kidston for a minute, this peg bag from Pouch's Shop on Etsy really caught my eye - now that I know to look for peg bags!




Returning to Cath Kidston, carrier bag store was a new phrase for me - what we'd call a grocery bag dispenser, grocery bag holder, or plastic bag keeper (or some such) in the U.S. (Again, there are some lovely dispenser bags over on Etsy.)




And finally, the house sewing basket caught my eye - and all I do in the way of sewing is fix a torn hem and sew on a wayward button.

Related Post: Desk Tidy: A Product, Not a Dream

Ethical Question: Donate the Baby Bottles?

How can donating something for reuse create an ethical question? I'll let anastasiav explain, from her posting on Ask Metafilter. She's trying to decide what to do with her son's old baby bottles.

Part of me wants to donate them (I even have unused nipples in packages) to a local shelter / food bank, but of course we all now know that clear polycarbonate bottles probably leach bisphenol-A into the milk. ... Can you help me make the most ethical choice?

Infant feeding bottles are expensive items, and I'm sure there are low income women in my community who could use these bottles if I donated them, but I'm having some ethical issues with the idea of donating an item that I am aware would probably leach bisphenol-A into the child's milk or formula. (I did continue to use these bottles with my own son, despite the fact that I was aware of the issue, but I knew I was making an educated choice and took measures to limit the exposure.) ...

On the other hand, I feel equally guilty about simply throwing away an item that could be useful to someone.

What would you do:
-- Donate the bottles
-- Throw them away
-- Some other option I'm not aware of?

I don't know that there's any easy answer to this one; the replies argued both sides of the issue.

[photo shows a BPA-free baby bottle]

How Many (and Which) Books to Keep?

Most book lovers have a tendency to keep a huge number of books - more books than they have space for, and books that don't really serve a purpose in their lives any more. Even professional organizers can struggle with this.

Here is how fellow organizer Kate Murrell deals with her books, quoted by permission.

I recently sat down and did the numbers in my own book collection.

I have been divesting my book in serious quantities. Last year was 8 book boxes. Two years before it was 22 book boxes. My conversation with myself went like this:

Q: How many books do you read a year?
A: 100.

Q: How many more years are you going to live?
A: 30 (with a lot of luck). That is 3000 more books to read in my life.

Q: Of the book in your library how many more are you really going to read?
A: Maybe 50.

Q: How many books are really reference that you will really really really go to instead of the internet?
A: Work in progress. Each year I get rid of more.

Q: How many are precious old friends that you just like to have around?
A: Maybe 100.

The books are now read, logged (to prevent repeats; I like to read series) and put directly into a box that will go to the library book sale that year.

For another organizer's rules of thumb, read Susan Sabo.

Related posts:
Organizing Your Bookshelves
Clearing Out the Bookshelves

[photo by illustir / Alper Çuğun]

Some Technical Difficulties

For those of you receiving these blog updates by e-mail: Some updates are getting mailed out a second time. I don't know why this is happening; some other blogs are reporting the same problem.

I apologize for cluttering your e-mail inbox, and will do my best to figure our what's going on and get it fixed.

Labeling the Spice Bottles

Do you keep your spice jars in a drawer, with the lids up? Do you then have a hard time finding the spice you need? The Best of Fine Cooking, 101 Tips, Winter 2008 reminds us (in tip #54) to label the top of the lid so you know in a glance what's inside.

The picture above comes from Paige; you can see pictures of how other people have done their spice drawers at:

- the petite pig

- Vivacious Vegan (scroll down to the end of the post)

- Martha Stewart


Related posts:
- Storing the Spices: 10 Spice Rack Options
- Be Your Own Professional Organizer, Part 3: Label

Hauling off the Not-Quite-Junk

Ilana DeBare at the San Francisco Chronicle has a great article today on junk hauling companies that focus on reuse and recycling. While the companies mentioned are in the San Francisco Bay Area, the general advice would apply anywhere. One example:

It can be hard to know for sure whether small local haulers are doing all the recycling that they claim. Ask potential haulers for the names of the thrift stores, salvage yards, and the like that accept their stuff. Also ask for receipts for items that are donated to nonprofits. And keep an eye on how your hauler handles items with potential reuse value. "If you hire a hauling provider who starts throwing stuff in the back of the truck, the chance of it getting reused is slim to zero," said Ken Kurtzig, CEO of iReuse.

Of course, that last bit of advice won't do you much good after you've hired them!

[photo from RecycleMyJunk in San Francisco]

Reader Question: Using the Storage You've Got

Reader Michele wrote: I'd love to hear how you help people to develop the habit of using whatever storage solution they choose.

And reader Louise chimed in: I got all excited about key storage, but then remembered that we already HAVE a designated spot for keys. My hubby just doesn't use it.

So here are some ideas for how to ensure the storage solutions you set up actually get used.

1. Go with the flow. Where do things normally wind up getting tossed? Can you put a storage solution there? I worked with someone whose daughter threw her dirty clothes on the floor of her room. Adding a hamper to her room, rather than making her use the one down the hall, made things better.

2. Make it as simple as possible. This might mean containers without lids, a big enough container that it's easy to put things in it, containers (and closet clothes rods) that a child can reach, etc.

3. Use products you like. If the hook you use for your keys makes you smile, you are more likely to use it. The daughter I mentioned above got to select her own hamper, rather than having Mom pick it out.

4. Focus on building the habit. It takes a while to create a new habit, and will take some attention. I've used morning and evening checklists when I was trying to build a new habit - and now that I'm working on a second round of improvements in my eating habits, I'm keeping a food diary. People with young children often set up a specific time for putting away the toys.

5. Tweak constantly. If you find something doesn't quite work, try something else. (See if you can figure out why it's not working, so you can try a better answer, not just a different one.)

6. Look at what else has worked - what always gets put away? Is there something you can learn from that?

7. Realize that even those who are good about putting things away will sometimes let things get cluttered as our lives get hectic and take unexpected turns. Don't be overly critical of yourself about this; just set some time aside to get things back in place, and go on.

8. Whenever more than one person is involved (spouses or partners; parents and children) remember that what works for one person may not work for the other one. Let each person create answers that work for him or her, whenever possible.

[photo by BkTs / Benjamin Kints]

Giving the Keys a Good Home

If your keys always go in the same place, you won't share this lament I read today by Leah Garchik in the San Francisco Chronicle. She was writing about a Memory Championship:

Tests measured ability to memorize number sequences, unfamiliar poetry and the order of cards in a deck. Also, competitors were given 15 minutes to study head shots labeled with the names of 99 people. Then they were given the photos and names separately, and given 20 minutes to match them. But even that hellish exercise is child's play when compared with everyday challenges: Where are the keys?

While any hook could do, here are some products specifically designed for holding keys - in a wide range of styles.

The buckle-up key holder shown above is one of my favorite finds.




Staying with car theme, here's another key holder. The company also makes his and hers key holders.



DutchbyDesign.com has this keyhanger board. This is the U.S. version of their web site; there are two other versions for other parts of the world.




And then there's this deer key rack. Update on July 2, 2009: This one doesn't seem to be available any more.




These brass key hangers were made in India.




This horseshoe key hangers comes from ALGrumpy's Etsy store.




If you don't mind spending $300, you could consider this basket key holder. If you want to spend a whole lot less, you could get a wall-hung soap dish to hold your keys.

Related post: 2 Clever Key Racks

Easter-ish Storage: Beyond the Typical Easter Basket

Forget the boring Easter basket - get a splendid Easter box instead! This one comes from Etsy seller Gigi Phillips, who has some other choices, too.




Cathy Nash has this Easter bluebird box, as well as a spring chick box which isn't specifically for Easter.




This bunny box by Jere Smith has been sold; maybe the artist will make some again in the future.




Caribbean Charm has personalized painted Easter buckets.






And here are some more hand-painted Easter buckets that can be personalized.




And if you really want a basket, the folks at Looking for Penguins suggest you get a "globally-conscious" one - and they point you to numerous options. The one shown here comes from Original Good.

The Definitive Guide to E-waste, Part 2: Old Cell Phones

You've got your new cell phone, and you know you shouldn't toss the old one in the garbage. And you really don't want to have your old mobile phone (or phones) just sitting around cluttering up your home or the office. So what are your options?

1. Sell it.

Sure, you could try to sell your phone on eBay or craigslist or at a garage sale. But an easier option might be selling to BuyMyTronics.com or SecondRotation. (And there are a number of other options, too.) In the UK, there's Mopay and envirofone.com. Sometimes they will even take broken phones.

What happens to the phones? Not all companies tell you anything. BuyMyTronics says, "We take your broken electronics and swap out parts to fix others, then resell your gadgets."


2. Donate it to support a good cause.

There are a huge number of options here; this list is just a sample. This list also focuses on national programs; there are also many local programs that accept cell phones.

Note: Each of these organizations works differently. Many of them will sell the phones to refurbishers/recyclers to make money for their cause, and it's not always clear what happens to the phone after that. Dawn Stover at MSNBC.com has some cautions that are well worth a look.

Call to Protect (USA)
"Collects wireless phones to benefit survivors of domestic violence. Proceeds from the sale of phones help fund agencies that fight domestic violence and are also used to support the educational efforts of the Wireless Foundation. Other phones are refurbished and become lifelines for domestic violence survivors when faced with an emergency situation."

Cell Phones for Soldiers (USA)
"Donated cell phones are sold to a company that recycles them. The money we receive from recycling cell phones is used to purchase calling cards that we send to troops in need."

Cerebral Palsy organizations (Australia; varies by state)
Western Australia's web site says, "All phones received are recorded, sorted, tested, repaired if necessary and refurbished and then exported to developing countries. These phones help bridge the digital divide, improving the local economies and also the quality of life by providing affordable, first-time modern communications for many people. There is a tracking system in place that is able to track any phone throughout the entire process.

Phones that can not be reused are dismantled for parts to help repair phones or make up a working phone. If the parts cannot be used, ARP recovers materials for use in manufacture of other products. Older phones that are seriously damaged are sent to material recycling, where materials can be recovered and put back into productive use. The remaining materials are sent for disposal in an environmentally friendly manner. No materials go to landfill."

HopeLine, sponsored by Verizon Wireless (USA)
"The long-running HopeLine program collects no-longer-used wireless phones and equipment in any condition from any service provider. The used phones are either refurbished or recycled. With the funds raised from the sale of the refurbished phones, Verizon Wireless donates wireless phones and airtime to victims, and provides funding and other contributions to non-profit domestic violence shelters and prevention programs across the country."

Phones for Food (Canada)
This one benefits local food banks. "Phones are sorted and sold to the remanufacturing industry. This industry turns them into refurbished products for consumers."

Recycle for Breast Cancer (USA)
"RFBC donates all its profits from its recycling efforts to support the fight against breast cancer." The web site provides no details on how the recycling is done or exactly where the funds go.

The Charitable Recycling Program (USA)
"Many phones are donated to shelters for abused adults and children so they may have 911 (emergency only) communication. Charitable Recycling also provides cell phones to medical patients who are awaiting organ transplants. Also, some of the phones we receive are refurbished and redeployed in areas of the world where there are no land (wire) lines, or, where the cost of a new phone is prohibitive. Phones that cannot be refurbished or donated will be recycled and disposed of in an environmentally-responsible manner." Charitable Recycling also makes a donation to charity for each phone you donate, and you get to pick the charity.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK)
"For every mobile phone ... sent to The Recycling Appeal, the RSPB will receive a cash donation. This money will help us to carry out vital conservation work across the UK, such as creating habitats for wildlife."


3. Give it to someone who can use it.

Maybe you know someone who doesn't need the latest and greatest. Or check your local Freecycle; I see requests for cell phones on mine fairly often.


4. Recycle it.

Many stores have take-back programs - and not just for phones bought there.

Manufacturers have take-back programs, too: Apple (which takes back any brand), Motorola (which also takes all brands), Nokia USA, etc.

And of course there are recycling options other than the stores and manufacturers; In the U.S., Earth911 can help you find them.

But not all recycling operations are created equal; that's the topic of the next post in this series. (I'm lucky enough to live by Green Citizen; I know anything I recycle with this company will be handled in the best possible manner.)

In the meantime, you might want to watch The Secret Life of Cell Phones.


CAUTION: Before you sell or donate your phone, be sure to remove all your stored information from that phone. You can learn how to do that here or here. Some companies like Green Citizen provide a cell phone erasure service, for a fee.


Previous post in this series:
Part 1: What's the Big Deal?


[photo from The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in the U.K.]

The Definitive Guide to E-waste, Part 1: What's the Big Deal?

"Just throw it in the garbage" is an option many of us try to avoid when getting rid of things; we look for ways to get them reused, or ways to recycle.

But when it comes to electronics (cell phones, TVs, computers, etc.) it's more than just a matter of adding to landfills.

As GreenCitizen points out:

- Electronic equipment contains harmful toxins which, when released into the environment, can contaminate our water, land and air. Lead, mercury, cadmium and flame retardants are all persistent, bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs) that cause birth defects and damage to coronary, respiratory, nervous and skeletal systems.

- A single computer or television monitor contains an average of 4 to 8 pounds of lead. Monitor glass contains about 20% lead by weight. When this glass is crushed in a landfill, the lead leaches into the soil.

And as Earth 911 tells us (before going on to list the specific problems associated with televisions, cell phones and computers):

Electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste that you currently find in landfills. In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain hazardous materials like lead and mercury.

When placed in a landfill, these materials (even in small doses) can contaminate soil as well as drinking water.

Want a good visual? National Geographic has a wonderful tour of the toxic components of a computer.

Another visual? Californians Against Waste has a pie chart showing what's in your PC.

Greenpeace International also provides a run-down of just what's in our electronic devices. And their recent study Toxic Tech: Not in Our Backyard indicates that, in the U.S, "less than 20% of the e-waste categories televisions, PCs including peripherals and mobile phones were separated from other waste streams for further processing and recovery." In the combined 27 countries of the European Union, the figure is only slightly better, at 25%.

And in some places, it's illegal to put such items in the trash. I won't try to summarize the laws in other places, but in my state of California, it is now illegal to put televisions and computer monitors, computers, printers, VCRs, cell phones, telephones, radios, and microwave ovens in the trash.

So how should you dispose of electronics you no longer want? I'll cover that in the next series of posts.

[cell phone photo from djwudi / Michael Hanscom]

Shelving Genre: Surfboard Wall Shelves

When I stumbled on my first surfboard shelf, I had no idea that so many people sold them! This particular one is sold many places on the web - but there are also many other options.




The Surf Room has shelves in a number of different patterns and colors.




HurricaneRita.com sells surfboard wall shelves with a daisy or hibiscus pattern.




Over on Etsy, Mike sells his more subdued surfboard wall shelves.




Carniture Classic Furniture sells a surfboard shelf; each one is hand painted, and the company encourages you to ask for whatever color or graphics you want.





Austin Woodworks makes shelves in a number of different natural wood patterns.




Bigfork Wood Art makes surfboard shelves with a different style.




And even Pottery Barn (OK, PBteen) now has surfboard wall shelves. There's a three-tier option, too.

Not Your Ordinary Children's Hooks

Isn't this a great hook? Once I saw it on Little Monkey Murals, I had to find out who made it and what else they sold. So I found my way to Mila, based in Germany, and I'm very glad I did. The company's motto is design with a smile - and indeed, I had a huge smile on my face as I browsed through the company's products.




These are so many wonderful options that picking just a few to show you was difficult. But here's another of my favorites.




There are also a number of animal options - I was drawn to the poultry, including this one.




Besides the hooks, Mila sells a number of other products, including some wonderful clocks - with many of the same motifs as the hooks. Again, it's hard to pick one - but let's go with the cow this time.

Hanging the Necklaces Where You Can See Them: Wall-Mounted Racks

Want your necklaces out on display so you remember to wear them? I've written about wall-mounted jewelry racks before, but I've found some more options specifically for necklaces.

You could always use a coat rack or a tie rack, or make your own rack with cup hooks. But here are some other options.

1. Deepwater Pottery makes the copper beveled mirror necklace rack shown above.




2. Langton Studio sells this black wood rack with 16 pegs.




3. Ginny's Ear-Nest, despite the name, sells a number of necklace racks.




4. The Myrtlewood Gallery sells a necklace holder made from - you guessed it - myrtlewood (with black walnut highlights).




5. Woodwitch sells this double-decker necklace holder.

Water Hyacinth: A Pest, a Weed, a Basket

Water hyacinth is reviled as an "invasive nuisance" and "one of the worst invasive species in the world." But water hyacinth is being turned into some nice baskets - and if there was ever a renewable resource to use for making stuff, it's the water hyacinth!




It's pretty easy to find them; these baskets come from Cost Plus World Market (always a nice place to look for baskets of all sorts).




And you can also find them sold in some museum shops.




A Greater Gift sells these baskets with bamboo rims.




Moving over to Australia, OZ Design Furniture has a few water hyacinth baskets and bins.




There are lots of nice options in the UK; this one comes from Mamas & Papas.




John Lewis sells water hyacinth storage boxes, trunks, and this double linen basket.




Terracotta Spice also sells water hyacinth linen baskets - with seagrass edging and a metal frame.




Zara home has these rectangular baskets in three sizes, as well as a napkin basket.




And Ethical Superstore has these baskets made in Vietnam by Mai Handicrafts, which "aims to find work for neglected families by selling Vietnamese Handicraft products to local and export markets, to customers that care about a fair wage & working conditions."




Finally, moving on to Germany, Dekolust Geschenkartikel sells these baskets for newspapers or umbrellas, as well as laundry baskets and planter baskets.


Related posts:
Baskets made by African artisans
Tiny Little Baskets
Two Beautiful Blue Baskets
Baskets: Storage Can Be Beautiful

[Water hyacinth photo from CALFED Bay-Delta Program]

Saving Space: Storing CDs Without the Jewel Cases

While storing CDs in their original jewel cases may provide the best protection, even the guy writing about that admits he stores his in plastic sleeves.

So if you'd like to save space by eliminating all those jewel cases, here are some options.

1. Case Logic sells CD wallets and CD albums; that's one of theirs above. This is the brand I've used for my computer software - a simple 32-CD wallet - and I've been happy with it; however, my needs are pretty basic. The reviews on Amazon.com and PC World are generally favorable.




2. Slappa seems to have encouraged folks to review their CD cases, and the reviews (from Audioholics, Audioholics again, The Gadgeteer, and Gadget Madness) are all very positive.




3. When I looked at places selling archival-quality products, the Print File binders came up again and again: the Portfolio CD Binder and the CD Binder. Besides Sam Flax, you can read about these products from ArchivalUSA and Brodart.




4. I knew Targus made laptop cases, but I didn't realize they also sold a line of CD cases called CDProjects.




5. UniKeep also sells CD wallets and binders.




6. MM Design sells the DiscSox CD products - their own sleeves plus a variety of storage cases, binders, and trays.

Update on April 5, 2008: I neglected to mention what attracts people to this option - and I know people who rave about DiscSox. The sleeves allow you to save everything that came in the original jewel case: the booklet, the tray card, and 2 CDs.




7. And for something completely different, there's the 100 CD Archiving System from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Organizing Conflict: Different People Need Different Organizing Approaches

I'm currently reading Succeeding Against the Odds by Sally L. Smith. While the following quote refers to the learning disabled, it's not just the learning disabled who have this issue.

There is an eternal and largely fruitless hassle between parents and young people with learning disabilities over the messiness of their clothing and their rooms. People who can't visualize letters and numbers often can't visualize what is in bureau drawers. They don't need lectures. They need coping strategies. Shelves work better than drawers. They need to see where to put things, where to stack things, where to put things back. Their spaces need to be set up so that there is a visible place for everything.

It always helps to realize that the person who can't keep things organized your way may simply need a different way, one that fits his or her personality and skills and limitations.

March 2008 Organizing Tips and More

My March newsletter is now available.

Tip of the Month: Keep What Matters to YOU

Recycling Idea of the Month: Stuff Your Rucksack

Product of the Month: A Simple Piggy Bank

Also included: Quote of the Month and Statistic of the Month