Fancy That!

It was a tiny bit insulting to overhear some aunts whispering during a family gathering at my place, "Why does she make everything so FANCY?" It's not like I've decorated my home Liberace style. In fact, my taste runs more to midcentury minimalism. As it turns out, they were referring to my habit of replacing ordinary household items with finer versions of themselves. It never occurred to me that I was being fancy (or that fancy was BAD); spiffing things up seemed as basic as brushing my teeth. Why not make the items you use and look at every day as beautiful as possible?

For example, who wants to see a jumble of vitamin bottles? It may seem like a bother to transfer vitamins from their original plastic containers to apothecary jars—preferably made of dark glass to best preserve nutrients (as you can see, I'm still looking for the perfect ones)—but, in return, for a moment's effort, you're rewarded with something lovely. And don't cotton balls look great in a big covered jar instead of their original plastic bag?

Organizing Children's Artwork

The wood shop teacher's message on my voicemail was cheery and brief: "Your son Reed's project is ready to be picked up." Picked up? I called Tim back to ask, “Can't my son just bring it home on the bus?” After a short pause, he said gently, "I'm afraid you'll need a van." We did, and now the bench, shown left, lives in my kitchen until we figure out a better spot for it in our small apartment.

Fortunately, most of my children's art projects aren't this large, but they do have a way of accumulating to the point of threatening to bury the entire family. Some can be winnowed out (yes, I admit it; sometimes I throw them away), but favorite pieces deserve a better fate.

Clamshell boxes are great for storing small drawings, booklets, three-dimensional pieces, seashell art, etc. I made a set of boxes for each child. As each box fills up, I just add another one to the set. The art is protected from light and dust, and can be easily retrieved and enjoyed.