1525 IHeart: NeatDesk and a GIVEAWAY!

Oh. My. Word.

I don't think I have EVER been so excited about an organizing tool.  It's like I have entered a whole new world....

However, we could just chalk it up to the fact that I am easily impressed.  But still, I got to try out the coolest organizing gadget and I am so excited to share my love for it with you!

What is the NeatDesk?

As I have expressed endlessly on this blog, being organized to me means simplifying and living with less.  And when you think of clutter and piles, what is one of the biggest culprits that comes to mind?

Paper....

Ugh, paper piles are the worst.  And earlier this year I challenged you right here on the blog to take control of paper piles and organize those files and GO PAPERLESS.  We did that, and as much as we still recycle way more than we save, we still have paper coming out of our ears at all time.

Why?

• Receipts
• Kid's Schoolwork/Projects
• Medical Information/Documents
• Tax Documents
• Insurance Documents

Those are the items right off the top of my head that I can think of that create quick piles, and that I am sorting and filing from week to week.  And fact of the matter is, even the act of keeping old files and documents in a paper hard copy, can take up lots of space.

My personal biggest problem... Receipts...

I keep receipts for personal budgeting and to track spending, but I also keep some for tax purposes and even returns.  And over the course of an entire year, they really accumulate and can be found waiting to be filed in a giant bin.  And even when I file them in my handy receipt envelope by month, they still have minimal organization to them and tracking and trending any type of budgeting data can be a nightmare.

So I decided to test out the super handy NeatDesk on my receipt problem.

It scans right in and pops into my "Neat" inbox on the screen.  The BEST part for me?  It reads the receipt as it scans and identifies important information all on its own!

The receipt date was incorrect, and I wanted to add some additional details, so I just selected the "Review and File" button to continue to input more information:

I am able to now "categorize" my purchases!

And file each receipt in designated folders so it's always easy for me to go back and find what I am looking for.  All of the fields are searchable!

I was in awe at a couple of things.  That it READS my receipt and is able to determine and fill in so many things without me needing to add in the details myself.  It also does this with any other type of document that you wish to scan in, not just with receipts.  It inputs the amounts, including the sales tax, right into the designated fields.  It can even read the store title and have that pre-populated!  And the really cool thing is that when I scanned in another home improvement receipt down the line, it defaulted to the category of my first home improvement receipt, just because it knew to based on my history.  And all of the data can be exported so I can track and trend and sort to my little hearts desire!

I love easy peasy organizing!

And because it quickly scans so many items at one time, I was done in a jif, and scouring my purse for more receipts to play with and "organize".  What can I say, I am an addict!

Here are some other great features of the NeatDesk Scanner:

• NeatDesk is a high-speed desktop scanner and digital filing system that will quickly turn all the paper on your desk into organized, digital files.  More than just a great scanner, NeatDesk also includes patented Neat software to identify and extract key information from your paper files, then automatically organizes it in the easy to use database. 
• All-in-one scanning. NeatDesk features our award-winning ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) scanner. The patented paper input tray lets you scan different kinds of paper - from the smallest taxi receipt to two-sided legal documents - all in a single pass. Or insert up to 50 pages at once for lightning-fast batch scanning. 
• Powered by Neat software. Neat software uses patented "Intelligent Text Recognition" technology to identify and capture key information from scanned documents, then populates that data automatically in the robust digital filing system. Create exports for tax time and year-round financial management, or export data to applications like QuickBooks®, TurboTax®, and Outlook®. All scanned documents are completely keyword searchable, so you'll find your files in just a few seconds - instead of a few hours.
  

Scan in receipts to:

• Save digital copies of receipts and records of vendors, dates and totals
• Create expense reports and manage business and personal expenses
• Keep track of expenses for tax time (records accepted by the IRS)
• Export data to Excel®, Quicken®, QuickBooks®, TurboTax®

Scan in business cards to:

• Keep digital images of cards and contact information
• Capture name, address company, title, etc.
• Create your own searchable contact database
• Export data to Outlook® and more

Scan in documents to:

• Create editable PDF files
• Organize and store in your digital filing system

Love it.  It's beyond amazing!

And because I love YOU, I asked The Neat Company if they would give one away.  And they said YES!

Here are the details:

• Giveaway is for one NeatDesk Digital Filing System {a $400 value!} 
• Giveaway is open to US and Canada only
• Giveaway is open from Tuesday, November 15th through 9:00 p.m. central time, Monday, November 21st, and the winner will be announced right here on Tuesday, November 22nd.
  
• One winner will be selected using random.org.
• Please ensure I have your blog or email address so I have a way to contact you if you win.

To enter:

• "Like" The Neat Company on Facebook AND leave a comment on Neat's wall describing why you want a NeatDesk and how you would use it.  Then come back here, and leave a comment for me that you did. {required}
• Tweet/Retweet about the giveaway {The Neat Company's handle on Twitter is @NeatCompany}  Then leave a comment here that you did.

Thanks everyone and good luck!

Psssst!  I wasn't paid or swayed to write this post, I was just offered a NeatDesk to provide an open and honest review and giveaway!

103 Basement Progress: Playroom Art Display

As you know, we have been slowly working away on the basement and had recently shifted some focus onto giving the kids a happy place to play.

It's definitely coming together and the kids love that they have a shared retreat to call their own.  But it was getting time to bring in some color!


For me, I knew the best way for us to bring in bright pops of color would be through artwork created by the kids.

So I started thinking of options and ideas.  There have been SO many cute art display projects floating around the bloggy world lately {some even seen here from you fabulous readers}!

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}

And here were my requirements for our project:

• It had to be an easy way to change out to the kid's latest creations
• Gallery style to allow the kids to feel proud of their personal project
• To provide an easy way for me to photograph the kid's completed work, for archiving purposes

Picture frames look SO lovely and clean, but I don't see myself being as quick to switch out current projects if I am going to be forced to stick my fingernails under 8-10 metal frame clips each time I want to swap out their creations.  A large wire or twine display was seriously considered, but I was going for something more special to highlight each piece of art.  The wheels spun for a bit and then I realized that a cabinet door was my solution.

Huh you ask?  A cabinet door?

So the little guy and I ran back to our local Habitat ReStore {love that place} to pick up three maple cabinet doors to the tune of $5 each!

I got right to work by spraying each door with a flat white spray paint.  Just around the outer edges since I planned on painting the inside a different color.

A day later once the white had dried for 24 hours, I taped the cabinet door off with painters tape and rolled the center of the door.

I used Glidden's Blue Lagoon.  LOVE it!

While I was painting, so were the kidlets!

The next step was to measure and pre-drill some holes at the top center of each cabinet door so we could screw in some magnetic clips {we just used some that we already had at home}:

As I mentioned, I really wanted to highlight their personal art pieces, so we added some metal label holders to the bottom of the "frame" or cabinet door front, again, pre-drilling each to be sure we didn't split the wood.

I found a giant pack of the label holders from the Habitat ReStore for $1 {now do you see why I LOVE it there so much?}, but you can also find all sorts of options online, like these ones from Amazon.

Here is where we were at with the project once the clip and label holders were screwed in:

After popping some artwork into the clips....

And a label into each holder...

We were almost all done!  Last step was to add some standard picture hanging brackets to the backside of the cabinet and to hang them using some drywall anchors for added security!

I did one for each boy, so they could each have a designated space to feel "art proud".  And I love that it's easy for me to take a snapshot of their artwork so that I can ultimately make an art book or photo collage!

I decided that I wanted to fill up the empty wall under the window and add a little something unexpected to the space.  Plus, I am such a fan of it being at their level so they can switch it out and easily admire one another's work!

I still have more plans to bring in additional art and some photos of the boys, but I am totally diggin' where the room is going!

I would love to know, did any of you paint anything this weekend?  Or create some artwork of your own?

43 Freebie Friday! Weekly Routine Printable

Happy Friday bloggy friends!

It's freebie time!

I just realized that it is already November and I have had two plus months to get my booty in routine gear since the kiddos started school.  To be honest, managing my schedule hasn't been the easiest to get a handle on.  I try working at night when everyone is sleeping.  But then when do I sleep?  I have 56 daily tasks to manage, over-achiever wanna be me tries to do them all in one day, so what days should I do what?  I want to play with Parker when he is home on Fridays, does that mean I have to work way more on Monday through Thursday?  And when am I supposed to do our weekly grocery shopping?  Or run on the treadmill?  Or practice spelling with Peyton? 

Sure, I use my daily planner to manage appointments and reminders, but I needed something that was going to help me manage my time on a weekly basis.  An outline, so I could be sure to schedule out my tasks and ensure I was accomplishing all I wanted to each week.  Something to help me get the beauty zzzz's that I need and to track the consistent weekly demands that life, being a mom and work are bringing. 

So I made myself a printable!

{click here to download your FREE copy}

And it's a Friday!  And iheart Freebie Friday so if you would like, you can have one to help you as well!

I am planning on filling mine out to outline my "ideal" week and to include all of my day to day tasks spread out throughout the course of the week.  Then, I am just going to use it as my planner bookmark so that I can be sure to always have a reminder of what I should be doing and when.  The goal is to keep me on track and hopefully get me feeling a little less stressed about all of my "to do" tasks.

So enjoy!  I am off to start filling in the blanks and to take back control of my schedule!

What's your all time favorite "time management" tip?

27 You Asked: Rental Decor and Organizing

I know I have a lot of readers that rent or who are military families that are not able to make major modifications to their abodes.

And you have asked,

Hi Jen!

I want to start by saying I love your blog!  It has given me so much inspiration to organize my home!  I wanted your advice about making a "rental" feel like home. We are a military family and we are about to be moving... AGAIN but that's the way it goes, right?  Anyway, we have decided to move into base housing at my husband's new duty station.  We own our home that we are in for the next couple weeks so it's going to be a change to be living in base housing where we have limited abilities as far as decorating etc.  Also, a lot of my current organization came from things we built in so we will not be able to do that in our new place.  Base housing is very basic, white walls etc. so I will need to brighten up the place and organize very creatively!!   Please help!

Thanks so much!

Tammy

SUCH a common and fantastic question!


Although I don't live in a rental, I understand the basics of the dilemma.  White walls and no built in storage opportunities.

First, let's chat about the white walls and decor.  It may surprise some of you to know that white walls can actually be extremely stunning.  And a great excuse to bring in great pops of color throughout the space in other ways {get ready to start spray painting my friends!}

Here are some examples of amazing white wall spaces:

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For me personally, perusing the internet for white wall decorating kind of makes me want to snag a gallon of white paint and get painting!  Wow, such a great reminder of how great they can really be!

Here are my thoughts:

• Paint a piece of furniture in a fun color!  Or spray paint a great mirror or set of frames in vibrant tones!  {Remember, Command Hooks now have great picture hanging options for a no hole option, these are also great for leaving next to zero mark in a wall when hanging.}
• Rugs are a fantastic way to bring in great color and ground the room.  And these days, everyone is buying inexpensive plain options and whipping out the paint and a stencil to make them amazing!
• Throw pillows and throws are another way to bring in boatloads of room softening color.  Scour Etsy for pillow covers in great prints or sew some up from some inexpensive fabric {or even clothing} remnants!
• Hang floor to ceiling patterned curtain panels.  My heart always smiles for bold curtains.  Every. Single. Time.
• Accessorize with color.  If you can't paint the walls, bring in color though decorative storage boxes, lamp shades and artwork.  Have fun mixing and matching colors and patterns, it seems to work well in many of the rooms shown above!
• White on white works too!  White furniture with white walls looks so clean and fresh!  And any colors you bring into the room are sure to pop off of it all!

Second.  98% of the projects I do in my home, could be taken with us and used in a rental should we ever decide to move.  The other 2% may be built ins or wallpaper/paint projects, but I believe that if you to browse my project gallery, you may be amazed at how many of the projects and ideas can be adopted anywhere in some way or another.  Even our giant bookcase "built in" is just floating against the wall and could easily be moved.

Some organizing ideas:

• Built-ins can be "faked" and not actually affect the structure of the room/building at all.  Adding decorative trim to the storage piece itself is a great way to give inexpensive bookcases a built-in feeling.
• Drawer liner comes in a HUGE variety of patterns and is a great and pretty way to love organizing your household drawers.  However, it just peels away when you are done with it!
• Make your furniture do double duty.  Find pieces that can act as storage and can evolve as you move from home to home.  Dressers are so great in almost any space {media stand in the living room, hat/mitten storage in an entry, sideboard in a dining room, changing table in a nursery, etc...}.  Storage ottomans can hold linens in a bedroom or toys in a living room.  Bookcases can be shoe storage by the front door or toy storage in a playroom.  Armoires can hold entertainment pieces, office essentials or clothing!  It's all about picking items that will last and work no matter where you end up!

I believe that if you combine some of the storage ideas with the white wall color ideas above, you can make any home a happy and comfortable home!

Of course, I don't consider myself the expert on the subject since I haven't rented in over 10 years when I was just out of high school.  Not exactly understanding the decorating and organizing ropes back then...

And because I know that I have a lot of readers that currently rent or move frequently, that are in the same predicament as Tammy, it would be great for you experts out there to chime in and add some more thoughts and ideas on the subject!  I am now handing the blog over to you!

14 Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes Part 3 - Family Fun

I am always tweaking things here and there on the blog.  You may notice small graphic updates or minor layout changes from time to time, most of the major changes like the header, background and hair color, were made awhile back and all listed here.

However, when I first shared with you that I was going to be making some major changes around here, I also let you know that I was going to start including my family a bit more...

Enter that whomp whomp sound right here.  Bad Jen.

And I know some of you are OK with that because you want to come here for an organizing tip and to move on.  Others were excited to get to know me and my family more because sometimes a blog is more fun to read and more relatable when you feel like you know the writer for realz.

The matter of the fact was, that I was having a hard time figuring out the best way to incorporate our family life more into this blog.  It's so driven towards all things family, home and life with a giant emphasis on organizing, that pictures of us playing at the park last weekend seem quite out of place.  And I am a little insanely obsessed with my clan so I could easily let that obsession take over this space.  It's a fine line.

So I decided to take back our family blog.  I am popping a link up on the sidebar and will share a link with you from time to time when I update.  That way I can keep this blog the way it has been for the last couple of months years, which is more home and project related.  It seemed like the best way for me to marry the two.  That way, those that want to know what we ate for breakfast or something comical that my kids spurt out of their mouths, can know, and those that don't really care... don't have too!  Win win right?

And my favorite part is that I get to start blogging about both passions again.  I used to run my family blog but I let my time for this one take over.  I wasn't updating it anymore.  I wasn't focusing on my love for photography and capturing our daily moments.  I decided enough was enough.  I was missing it and I LOVE blogging about both and so I should!  So it got a little facelift and will be updated much more frequently.  Sweetness!

So feel free to stop by and see what's happening around casa de Jones! 

Happy Thursday!

35 Reader Space: Amanda's Organized Craft Studio

When Amanda contacted me mid-project to share with me some pictures of her "in the works" craft space, I was SO intrigued and couldn't wait to see more. 

Then, she popped over the final pictures and I was totally floored and in awe of the space she created!  And how creative she was throughout the entire process!

I know we don't all have the luxury of having our very own giant garage craft studio.  Amanda, you are a lucky lady!  However, her space offers up so many inspiring ideas that we can all use to incorporate in any space in our home! 

Just look at what she started with:

Doesn't look a thing like that now!  Amanda is here to share with us her favorite tips that worked for her and her amazing space:

"So, I know that I am crazy lucky to have my own crafting studio for all of my crafting dreams and wedding designs {I design wedding decor for a living} and although crafting spaces come in all shapes and sizes, I hope there might be one or two ideas in my space that will translate to your own.  Here are a few of my organizing ideas!

 

#1:  Don't buy new!

My favorite tool for organization is containers from the past . . . aka: mason and ball jars.  I have collected them for a while and utilize them throughout my wedding business, so it was an easy path to fill them with all of my "pretties" and display them as beautiful, useful, and recycled organization.

#2:  Out of sight, Out of mind

For me, this statement could not be more true!  Now, I know that this doesn't work for all organization, but in a craft room where I absolutely need to be inspired, I want to see what I have.  Throughout my space, you will see lots of crafting tools and trinkets in clear containers, displayed on the walls, and tacked up to a bulletin board.  Since my studio is filled with so much stuff, not everything is on display, but several of the smaller ornaments that could get lost in the shuffle are contained in plain sight.

#3:  Think out of the box

While I definitely enjoyed utilizing fantastically classic and cost-effective white storage containers from IKEA, not everything fits well in a big white box.  My ribbon collection is out of control since every bride seems to have a different shade or tone for her dream wedding.  I have seen other crafters try rain gutter ribbon storage, so I thought I would give it a try.  I found it easy to work with, inexpensive, and most importantly . . . versatile to any space.  The gutters were easily cut down to size and secured to the wall.  What a fantastic way to display my ribbon!

 

As a cost-effective solution to wedding decor, my business utilizes many wax and silk flowers.  They tend to flatten and fray when stored in boxes, so I developed two different types of storage for my flowers.  The first is a IKEA plastic bag storage solution.  Simply attached to the wall and inserting long-stemmed florals into the holes is a great way to keep flowers organized and safely stored.  For my smaller stems, I secured 1 X 4 inch wooden boards to the wall, inserted large C-hooks into the boards and then hung inexpensive bushel baskets from the hooks . . . voila, an easily accessible storage solution for small florals.

 

One of my favorite organization/storage solutions is an ornament storage box . . . you know the ones that show up immediately after Christmas to help you store all of those gorgeous ornaments your little lovelies made this year!  They are a perfect fix for storing and organizing votive candles, emergency fix-it kits for wedding days, and even organizing smalls such as punches, glitter, paint, and stamps.  These ornaments storage boxes are easy to grab up and take with you to a crafting party.

The renovated space is a free-standing two car garage on our land in Texas.  It was utilized as a storage space for my wedding decor business.  Since my business has recently expanded, it became obvious that the space needed to be better utilized.  We kept many features of the space including the concrete floor, but plan to change out things such as the garage door in the near future {hopefully to a set of french doors}.

More than anything it was important to incorporate my collection of glassware in a safe, organized, yet attractive manner.  I purchased the eight foot tall store fixtures from a Pier 1 that was closing down the road.  I got them for only $50 per unit, but had to get them home myself . . . thankfully, I live out in the country and have some wonderful neighbors with large trailers and strong backs.  Most people don't think about using store fixtures for organization, but most fixtures are built to stand the test of time between heavy merchandise, frequent moving, and tough shoppers.  Most are designed to display the product attractively as well.

 

I used to have a lovely craft room in my home, but I had out-grown the space and it was spilling out into our home in a wave of chaos.  Since I had many units in my former craft room, I used as many as possible in the new space.  I love the idea of moveable, portable organization.  I have a lovely white cart on wheels {purchased at The Container Store} that houses my scrapbooking materials.  Since I rarely find time to work on my scrapbooks, the wheels allow me to keep the unit out of the way until inspiration strikes and I can roll it out in the room for use.

Working in my craft studio surrounded by all of my baubles and beads, listening to the third season of Felicity, and creating the perfect decor for a blushing bride is a dream come true!

WOW right?  

What I love:

• She reused items she already had and loved for storage.  The Ball glass jars are so beautiful!
• She used clear storage to be sure she was utilizing all of her items and things of importance weren't being lost in the shuffle.
• Gutters for ribbon storage?  Oh my.  Now that is genius!
• Look at all the color!  Who wouldn't feel creative in that space?  The encouraging words are too perfect.  And that chandelier and painted dresser are beyond fantastic!
• She was so RESOURCEFUL!  I never would have thought to ask a store that is closing for their storage shelving.  Wow.  1,000,000,000 extra points scored for that smart move!
• Labels. Enough said!

Thank you SO much to Amanda for sharing her incredible transformation and tips today!  You can read all about the big craft studio reveal here on her blog.

Now it's your turn!  What do you heart about today's Reader Space?

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please send your story and photos to iheartorganizing@gmail.com and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!  More info HERE.