You've Got Mail!

This month the Jewel Box® Home is focusing on storage - one of the biggest and most frustrating challenges of small home living. Amber and I have both faced the frustrations of creating storage in tiny spaces and know that this aspect of living smaller can never truly be solved. But there are ways to cope!

For me, finding a way to organize mail, bills, children's school information and everyday finances is a never ending problem. Here is my system. This is the cabinet next to the back door of my kitchen.

Photo Jewel Box® Home

Photo Jewel Box® Home

In this cabinet I store three bins:

• A mail bin where all mail is stored until sorted into the correct file folders
  
• A bin for bills/finances with folders for mortgage, utilities, cars, credit cards, insurance, etc...
  
• A bin for family with folders for each family member labeled for school, work, etc...

Bins for mail, bills/finances and family stored in cabinet.


Cabinet drawer holding invitations and flashlights.

Close-up of bins for mail, bills/finances and family

I'd love to hear your tips for corralling papers and bills!

On a completely different note, this past Saturday I was interviewed by Mindful Metropolis about Jewel Box® Home and decorating, entertaining and living in a smaller house. The interview came up very suddenly and I found myself without time to buy fresh flowers. Take a look at my 'spur of the moment' solution.

These are branches from my serviceberry tree and pomegranates from the Christmas fruit bowl. I was going for elegant simplicity. Not great, but in a pinch I think it works.

This is the house on the morning of the interview. If you look closely, you can see my dog 'Buddy' waiting patiently for the reporter to arrive.

And if you are interested in custom furniture, Small Room Decorating Magazine was kind enough to include my decorating advice in When to go Custom from their Winter 2010 issue.

Genevieve