I seem to never be able to throw out a magazine. Probably because on Page 85 there is a small photo of curtains that I like, or a recipe, or an interview with an inspiring woman who has perfected the work/life balance and has two rosy cheeked children called Freddie and Delilah and a brilliantly behaved springer spaniel. I never throw out the magazines because I'm afraid I might forget all this 'stuff'. What if one day I wake up and can't remember if that beautiful bedroom was painted with Farrow and Ball's 'Elephant's breath' or 'Mouses back'? Well I have come up with a solution. Thank God.
First go through all of your magazines and newspaper clippings. Cut out everything you like the look of. Recycle the rest. Perfect! I bought three folders and divided them into main categories that my life is neatly divided into: Make, Bake and Love. Crafty things go into the Make one. Anything food related goes into Bake and beautiful interior ideas, home stuff and general loveliness goes into Love.
The Make folder includes loads of things that I saw and thought 'I could make that' (the usual) and a brilliant article about Avoca and how it's an ever expanding family run empire! Now all I need is my parents to buy a run down weavers mill...
I had loads of articles from Sunday papers and recipes I printed from various websites for the Bake folder. Also surprisingly a good few menus from different restaurants. I don't know how I got them.Ahem.
I also came across a great article about the amazing Lewis family who founded a company called MHOR in Scotland. They really are fantastic, they have a hotel, restaurant, fish shop, tearooms, farm, bakery and more. They do everything basically and have created this incredible self sufficient world but they invite everyone else in too!
The Love folder houses many, many photos of my Dream Kitchen. The cupboards, the tiles, the crockery.
Beautiful ideas for my living room. Fabric mixes and matches. Storage ideas. Furniture. Sigh.
I know that whenever I do eventually get around to hiring an interior designer they will thank me for accumulating such valuable information as to provide them with an insight into some of my favourite things.Yup.
Lilly x
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I am doing something really similar too at the moment. I have been collecting images, ideas etc that inspire and collating them in a scrap book. I have always been a hoarder and I figured this was the best way to keep it all together. Plus it's fun to get handy with the PrittStick!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome idea. I might just steal it :P
ReplyDeleteSuch organisation soothes my soul, but I think you should do your own interior design when that time comes - you know what you want better than someone called Marissa who wants you to have pelmets on your curtains.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate and love this idea! I started my lovely file folder of home stuff when we began designing our home...and it stuck! But now, what to do with the stacks of files that are building up?? x
ReplyDeleteExcellent, wonderful, brilliant idea! Same goes for the post and your way with words. I so something similar with all my old 'Weight Watchers' magazines, organising them into 'vegetarian,' 'meat, fish, poultry' and 'desserts' folders, and then, using those see-through plastic pages, I insert the recipes into the pages within the corresponding category. Same basic idea as yours, but I love your way even more. Thanks for this, Lilly.
ReplyDeleteHi Lilly,I'm a newcomer here on your great blog.Love that mags idea-i'm always fighting the battle of the clutter here.With 2 big people and 4 little ones that's alot of paper!!!I love my cooking/baking/gardening magazines and i have a HUGE pile of recipe cuttings so you have inspired me to get organised.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have been planning to do something similiar with all the magazines I have but never seemed to find the time! Inspired againto start my folders!
ReplyDelete