If I could ask a magic genie for one trait it would be to be more organized … well that and the ability to tan. Not really dark, just a light golden glow that would cover all my bruising, veins and make me look a little less like Sissy Spacek in Carrie and a little more like Cate Blanchett.
Anyway, amongst many other new years resolutions (that I didn’t exactly succeed at) I resolved to put my business credit card in a slot in my wallet after using it. My little sausage fingers LOVE nothing more, apparently, than shoving it in the side pocket of my purse, throwing it in the vortex that is my diaper bag, sliding it in my back pocket or even just leaving it on the counter of the store. The amount of avoidable stress it causes me is insane (it gets lost, I have to cancel and relink all of my accounts all the time), and its such a small easy thing to do – just put it back! You have your wallet out, just put it back!!!!
Point being organizing isn’t my thing so any sort of elaborate organizing system would be lost on me. It would be like a fast food eating child all of a sudden being asked to go paleo; It might last a day or two but ultimately its not the right fit. I’m actually WAY more organized when it comes to business stuff (well, I have Ginny and Brady to help) then with home stuff (like paying bills, dealing with mail, parking tickets, etc) so clients out there, don’t worry. I got you. I just need help on the home front.
So, when 3m showed me their new Home Collection (by Post-it® Brand, Scotch® Brand and Command™ Brands) I was interested but skeptical; The design is simple, sure, including gray and blue colored products (amongst other options) which I appreciate, obviously. What I found out later was that it is based off of a ton of consumer (mostly mom) testing about what they needed and what they felt wasn’t out there. Well, I’m a mom, and kinda a messy/scattered one at that so any help I can get I’ll take.
So, I started playing with the pieces (namely the Display Rail and the Grip Board) and I was surprised how smart they were. I’ve realized that in order for me to keep my every day (and timely) paperwork (bills, invitations, parking tickets) from getting lost (and then me getting sent to collections) I need to be able to see it and access it really easily. Previously I had just piles of paperwork on my dining table but the pieces on the bottom were really never to be seen again.
For the shoot we set up this desk scenario in the living room (I actually deal with all of this stuff in the studio, but its a TOTAL disaster right now as we are shooting like 9 things down there right now).
I had been hoarding this desk for a while (for sale soon, via Chairish, probably $375) and have wanted to shoot it for the blog before I sell it – you know, so I can hoard the photo of it instead. Its an 80’s waterfall style table and we had it lacquered this awesome blue. So we set up a cute little desk scenario for the post and started playing with the Home Collection (from Post-it® Brand, Scotch® Brand and Command™ Brands).
At first I thought, “why would you use this Grip Board instead of a bulletin board?” and then I realized that a. I always put things NEAR my bulletin board, but they rarely get actually pinned to them because inevitably I don’t have any extra push pins and b. these take up way less space so you can have them in more accessible areas – while still making everything visible. The Grip Board is soooo easy, guys, you just shove any paperwork in there and it sticks, without a puncture or getting lost on your board. You could have one near your door and then put your outgoing mail or shopping lists there, or on your fridge or even a few in your office area, you could do one per kid or divide it up on subject – like one for social things (invites), kids stuff, home and bills.
The idea is to get things off of your surfaces and in view – to not pile paperwork on top of each other because everything gets lost – namely business cards, tickets, parking tickets, checks that need to be deposited, bills, dr. reminders, etc. The Post-it Grip Board and the Display Rail (again, my two favorites that I found to be extremely smart) are just so easy to throw things into and keep them visible and accessible.
Next to the Grip Board is a pad of Post-it Full Adhesive Notes that you can write things like: ‘Don’t kill your plants’ or ‘Put on eye cream!!!!!’, two things that I consistently forget to do.
You can shove things on the bottom of the Display Rail, too, so that items can be displayed on the top and the bottom. And by things I mean your vintage stamps, polaroids, Gerard postcards and perfectly collected business cards – you know, your ephemera that you’ve been hoarding for years from every flea market you go to. Duh. If you want to create a collage of a few items, you can use the Post-it® Display Cards (above) and slip them in the Scotch® Display Rail. Either option works.
And that, folks is The Home Collection by Post-it® Brand, Scotch® Brand and Command™ Brands, check out the whole collection here. May we all stay a little more organized this summer – and therefore a little more sane. xx
Photos: Zeke Ruelas, Styled by me. Thanks Amsterdam Modern for letting me borrow that amazing office chair for the day.
*This post was in partnership with 3M, but all content ideas, creation and words are mine. Thank you very much for supporting the brands/posts that keep us creating original content.
