Teacher Tote Series: Part II

Tools of the Trade Tuesday

Thirty-One Gifts Teacher Totes

The next 31 Bag I want to share with you is the lunch tote. 

Lunch Bag

This company has a few different designs for lunch boxes, picnic totes, or cooler bags. 

Front Pocket

The one I chose has a large zipper interior pocket as well as a smaller front pocket. It is roomy enough for a water bottle, sandwich, and plenty of sides or snacks. 

The one thing I have to say I'm not thrilled about, is that the interior is too narrow to hold a large flat tupperware container for salads and leftovers. If I put my salad or leftovers in a mason jar though- it would fit perfectly. 

And of course, just like most of their products- the embroidery is only $7 dollars. 

If you are interested in checking out my previous post in this series- I share my thoughts and some photos on the pocket tote bag. 

Also, if you are interested in perusing their catalog or finding a consultant near your area just check it out at Thirty-One Gifts. 

Hope you find some things you really enjoy!

Closet Organizing

Management Monday

Skirt Hanger

One area of housekeeping I am constantly working on is organization. My closets tend to get out of control on a regular basis whether they are for linens, clothing, or just storage. Even our front coat closet has  jackets hanging in it that are for summer and here it is the middle of January. 

Knowing this about myself, I am constantly on the lookout for items and tools that will help me become and stay more organized. 

This in mind, I was out running errands today and went down the isle at our local Dollar General that contains laundry and cleaning items. I've gone down this isle a ba-zillion times before, but this was the first time I considered some specialized hangers for the closet. 

They had two types, one that had multiple swing arms for slacks and one that had multiple clips for skirts. They are both chrome and both had rubberized coatings on the areas that would actually come in contact with the fabric. 

I decided to try out the skirt rack- and see how I liked them. 

Chrome Skirt Rack

•  Chrome and rubber elements
• 4 hangers attached to rack
• Only 3$ each!

Rubber Coated Clips

One of the best elements of this product is that the metal clips are thickly coated with rubber. I usually have hanger imprints from the ones you get from the store- so that issue should be eliminated. 

Skirts Hanging Individually

Here are the skirts hanging in my closet with the hangers that come with them in the store. As you can see- they take up a lot of space. 

Space Saver

And now...... Takes up half the space!

Skirt Rack

I might have to pick up one or maybe two more 'cause I have quite a few skirts. I'm thinking these might be great for capris in the summer too.

I've seen so many pricy tools for organizing closets and love that I only spent 3$ each on these. 

Do you have an organizing tool you found for a reasonable price and would like to share- just comment below!

Teacher Tote Series

Tools of The Trade Tuesday

Teacher Tote Series

31 Bags make the best teacher totes around! In the next few posts, I will review the 31 Bags products I currently use. 

As many of my friends and colleagues know, 31 bags are a new trend in the world of teaching and the sales parties modeled after Mary Kay, Avon, and Tupperware offer opportunities for socializing and shopping.

Teachers are always toting items back and forth from home to school and while there are many products available for just that purpose, what could be better than stylish, durable, and affordable totes teachers can customize to fit their needs? 

This past summer one of my good friends invited me to her house for a 31 Bags party. She explained that it was something new that she had seen a few teachers carrying around and had a friend that sold them. So-always interested in hanging out with friends and finding good deals on pretty things- I went and was immediately blown away by what I discovered. 

31 bags are perfect for teachers! They have so many styles and products to choose from and the most important part- they are so well made. After looking at the samples, going through the catalog and listening to the representative's sales pitch, I was pretty impressed.

Another great aspect of this line is the opportunity to get customized embroidery done for only $7 bucks! They have a huge selection of prints and embroidery thread colors so everyone can get something that suits them perfectly.  

Teacher Tote:

 Tote Bag

• Seven outer pockets

• Two in front  and three in back

• Two net pockets on each side of bag (great for holding an umbrella)

• One large interior space

3 Back Pockets

Net Side Pockets on both Sides

Plenty of Interior Space

Straps

• Heavyweight straps and reinforced sewing helps keep it strong for heavy loads
• The interior is plenty roomy for multiple binders, files, and all the other little teacher junk I end up carrying around. 
• Really cute embroidery- like dot writing. I chose my initials in a great turquoise color that complements the fabric perfectly. 
• Oh Yeah- the inside of the fabric is pretty smooth and easy to wipe out with a damp cloth in case of ink markings or spills- another plus!

I have been using this bag for about 6 months now and there is no visible wear and tear. 

Check back next Tuesday and I'll review another of 31's great bags. 

I would love to know if you own any 31 bags and if so what your opinion is. Go ahead and comment below if you have some thoughts to share. 

Household Management Binder

Management Monday

I figured I would start my management section with a post about my system for managing all the things related to our home. I have read a lot of information on organizing websites and blogs about different techniques for keeping thing organized including tray systems, folders, and binders. I have always used binders as a way or organize my study materials for college classes as well as lesson plans and curriculum materials for my classroom.

So… I decided to make a household management binder to keep organized at home.

Binder Management: Household, Blog, & Christmas

I found many ideas on how to categorize and create a binder on websites and personal blogs, but my favorite has to be found on Organized Home.

I really like that they created downloadable forms for free. I love anything for free of course and the fact that hers are color coordinated and kinda cute really grabbed my interest. When I first saw how many categories and lists and forms they had created I was a little overwhelmed, but just had to remind myself that I didn’t have to use them all if they didn’t work for me. SO that’s what I did. I selected a few categories and downloaded the forms that I needed and created my own for any that were not available.

The categories I use are as follows:

Address Book: Includes birthdays and anniversaries as well as addresses

Cleaning: A weekly cleaning schedule and detailed cleaning list for each area of the home

Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Finances:

Calendar of when bills are due
Login information for bill     payment websites

Balance book-I found mine at Staples, just took the cover and binding off since it was already three hole punched and ready for this section of my binder

Keeping Track of Finances

Menu:

                Weekly Menu Planner

                Monthly Menu Planner

                Recipes

Vehicles:             

                Car Insurance Information

                Maintenance record

Websites:

                Login information for all the websites I subscribe to ( not bill related)

Medical:

                Order forms for mail order prescriptions

                Contact information for our doctors

Miscellaneous:

Right now- this section only has the list of books my book club selected for the month, as well as the list of books I own/want to own. (The titles highlighted in orange I already have).

Book Inventory

I am working on a section that will be used to organize my photographs. As soon as I got a digital camera I ended up with tons of files on my computer, and very few printed out. I want to print all my photos and put them in boxes to view, as well as put them on an external hard drive so I can store it in my “Emergency Box” (which I have yet to create) to grab in case of a fire or other disaster.

Future Project: Photo Checklist

This is a system that has really worked for me. I created this binder over a year ago and it has really streamlined how I manage my finances, paperwork, and other tidbits that go along with keeping house. What system do you use and how has it helped you become more organized?

In the Beginning...

In the beginning...

Of my blog I figured I'd tell you a little about  my interests, my reasons for creating a blog, and what I will be blogging about. In this post I will focus on my Interests and hobbies.

If you want  a quick rundown about me- go ahead and visit my page Pearls About Me.

My Hobbies and Interests:

READING- I love doing this every day, minute, or hour that I can. My dream is to have a room in my future home dedicated to nothing but books and reading. What?! you say. Yes. A Library in my own home.

Sewing- mostly items for the house

Crochet- something my mom taught me to do when I was a little girl

Painting- I haven't painted in a few years, but thinking about it and looking at my work still brings me butterflies. I prefer oil, can work with watercolor, and use acrylic when I want easy clean up.

Drawing- still life is my favorite- but also landscapes and fairies

Baking-yum

Cuddling -with my cats Gus and Ellie Mae (oh, yeah- and Mark)

Housekeeping- Yes, I enjoy cleaning, organizing, and decorating my house. It takes me to a quiet place.

Gardening- Something Mark really loves-and I love doing with him.

Fashion and Beauty- I love clothes, accessories, shoes, makeup and fingernails.

Of course there are many more things I really enjoy doing so I'll have to mention them in future posts.

Feel free to comment and share some of you favorite hobbies or interests below!