3 gifts on Thursday

There's something about a new year which must inspire us to want a fresh start...clean, simplified, spacious. Which is probably why January is named "Get Organized Month." If you're in the mood for a little organization, here are a few gifts for you to unwrap.

For previous 3 Gifts installments, click here. If you would like to have a "gift" featured in this series, please see the bottom of this post for details.


1. the gift of great handmade tools

In preparing for this post, I created two treasuries on etsy each featuring 16 items to help you tame the clutter.

The first treasury features upcycled items: The Up(cycled) Side of Organizing.Here are a few samples from that list:


The second is an assortment of items featuring new materials: GO (Get Organized). Although some of the items are sold on this one, if you click on the shop name, you can see other comparable items available from those shops.


2. the gift of small bites
I heard about One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider on Courtney's blog last year as she shared the dent she made in her list of simplifying life. Though I haven't read it yet, it's on my "to read" list when I feel the nod from God that the time is right. If this book might be an answer to prayer Tsh is giving away 10 free copies of her e-book through the Bloom Book Club on (in)courage - no end date/time for the giveaway was listed, but the winners will be announced tomorrow. If you're reading this after the entries are closed, you can get get $1off the book until this Tuesday, January 10 (type in the code HAPPYNEWYEAR) .

3. the gift of simple, cheap organizing
A few years ago, after losing track of food staples stored in bags in my cupboards, having them fall out of the cupboard as I dug for the bottom bag and spilling their contents in the cupboards and on my counter from small tears, I knew I needed a better system. The solution? Mason jars.

Easy to keep organized. Perfect for tracking when I get low on an item. Budget friendly. And they provide an excellent cover for items and appliances tucked behind them. ;) The only thing they can't do is prevent random items from appearing where they should not be - like on the bottom shelf. Ahem

If you have a "gift" you'd like me to consider wrapping into a 3 Gifts on Thursday package, please email me the details. It can be anything you are hosting or have heard about: from a giveaways to service projects, household/parenting tips, resources, promotions/coupon codes, items such as books, music, movies, etc (ones available for purchase online). If I choose to incorporate your gift suggestion into a 3 Gifts post, I will email you to let you know when it will be featured.