Penelope Loves Lists » Penelope’s Favorite Websites

Penelope’s on Pinterest: get your daily dose of organization p*rn

Meredith — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:35:26 +0000

Hi all,

Just dipping in to say that I’m (finally) on Pinterest, collecting my favorite bits of Organization P*rn from around the web. Check it out here:

And, please, if you have any organization-related items or neat, tidy things being collected on Pinterest, please share links to those boards in the Comments below. Penelopes tend to be interested in similar things, so this is a great way for us to help each other waste time find cool stuff.

New obsession: Girl of All Work

Meredith — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:00:07 +0000

Very few things make my heart skip a beat faster than a new online retailer of pretty office supplies. Maybe a shirtless David Beckham. No…I’m actually more excited by this new find.

Have you seen Girl of All Work? Penelopes, you must.

Their site isn’t huge, yet. It’s focused and well-curated. It’s no See Jane Work – yet – but it’s got tremendous potential.

I love every item they’re offering. The designs are exquisitely cute and the prices are reasonable compared with similar retailers.

Here’s a glance at what went into my shopping cart at Girl of All Work today:

Classic Tiles Page Flags

Peel and Stick Tabs

More Peel and Stick Tabs

Birdie Notebook with both lined and blank pages

A Teapot Journal for jotting down recipe ideas

My only two suggestions for the awesome people at Girl of All Work? More and larger images, especially showing the inside of notebooks, tablets and pads and more inventory. I know they’ll get there soon. They’ve got so much potential here.

Have you found any great new online retailers lately to help you find pretty office products? Let us know!

Two websites to delight your Penelope eyes

Meredith — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:00:47 +0000

Whew! We’ve had a lot of words in the last two posts, so, today, just a few words and, instead, two websites that specialize in the visual.

First, I’m loving Things Organized Neatly. Really, they had me at the name, but this totally unique Tumblr feed is a daily dose of just that: photos of things organized neatly. For some strange, Penelope reason, it gives me a few seconds of orderly joy.

Second, there’s TasteSpotting, which bills itself as “a community-driven visual potluck”. Isn’t that a great description?

It’s basically fantastic pictures of food. Scroll the photos and click on any that catch your eye. The recipe follows at whatever blog submitted it. It’s simple and so yummy, and a great way to find new food blogs to follow. (Thanks, Denise, for this recommendation!)

Happy viewing, Penelopes!

Why knitting is the perfect hobby for a Penelope

Meredith — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:00:51 +0000

All through my 20’s, I searched for a hobby that fit me. I’m not super creative or artsy or terribly good with my hands, so many hobbies were out of reach to me. For others, there was too much “gear” needed. I don’t have a sewing room, or a scrapbooking corner. And I didn’t want to hassle with all the stuff.

Then, all of a sudden, knitting became all the rage and I decided to take a Learn to Knit class at my local yarn store. That was that. I was hooked.

I’ve been knitting now for 5 years now and I’ve become more and more convinced that it’s the perfect hobby for the Penelope Personality.

Here are several reasons why I think so:

It teaches you to be OK with really sucking at something when you’re first learning. And that’s a lesson I’ll bet you can use.
It’s easy to stop and start. You don’t need to get out a million things to work on it and then put them all away again.
It’s totally portable. No more wasting time doing nothing while you wait for your doctor’s appointment.
Knitting doesn’t take much physical space. It’s easy to “contain”.
I’ve met more Penelopes in the knitter community than in any other sub-group of society.
It means you can constantly multi-task. Feel lazy watching TV? How ’bout knitting a scarf for your best friend while you watch Law & Order? Now you’re not lazy, you’re a caring, productive friend.
You can be as creative, or not, as you want. You can follow a pattern exactly and choose the exact same yarn the designer did or you can make the project your own. Love that sweater, but hate the stripes? No problem. You can knit it in a gorgeous, champagne-colored yarn. Or vice versa. It’s a great way to be creative when you’re not naturally artsy.
There are so many beautiful, non-Granny things you can knit. Seriously. Here are just a few:

Cabled Scarf called "Dryad" from Brooklyn Tweed

The Austin Hoodie, knit by SixOneSeven

The Summer Icicle Tank by Monday Morning Knits

Heck, it even looks great while it’s in process:

Knitting in progress by SixOneSeven

If you think you can’t knit, you’re wrong. It’s that simple. I’m SO not crafty and yet I can knit and purl with the best of them.

Have I interested you? I hope so.

If you want to learn to knit, the very easiest way is to register for a class at your local yarn store. Just google “yarn store + your city (or metro area)” and you’ll find one.

The second best way to knit (and one that so many people have used) is to learn to knit virtually. From the comfort of your own computer screen. A great place to start is Monday Morning Knits. Knitting Guru and designer Melissa Monday has gifted us with the attached Learn to Knit PDF and you can visit her site for some great video tutorials that walk you through each step. Having trouble? Email her. Melissa is passionate about helping new Penelopes become knitters.

Click here to download the Learn to Knit PDF.

Ok. Off the soap box. Whew!

Now, tell me, what’s your hobby of choice?

Penelope’s Favorite Websites: BNeato

Meredith — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:00:11 +0000

I’m often asked what organizing blogs I read regularly. I gotta say, I don’t have the time to read as many as I’d like, but one I read every single time is BNeato. I love this blog.

BNeato is the brainchild of professional organizer Beth Zeigler, but her blog really isn’t what you’d expect from a professional organizer. It’s better. She writes short posts, but they’re always useful. From Mac Mondays (tips for Mac users – changed my life several times) to tips on cool organization tools and DIY projects, it’s forever interesting.

But by far my favorite feature Beth does is her To Do List Tuesdays. Why didn’t I think of this? Seriously, why? It’s genius.

Every Tuesday, she features somebody’s REAL To Do List. In their own handwriting, with real items on it. It’s total organization p*rn and I’m an addict.

Be sure to pop over to BNeato and subscribe while you’re there. Beth’s a true Penelope and you’ll be glad you decided to keep up with what she’s doing over there.

Fox Splitter: a useful Firefox browsing tool

Meredith — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:00:06 +0000

Recently, I installed the suggested upgrade for my Firefox internet browser and, in doing that, stumbled upon this very cool “add on”, called Fox Splitter.

Fox Splitter allows you to tile your tabs in one window. Very useful for working in two websites at one time.

For example, I like to have my live blog and my WordPress Dashboard open simultaneously as I write new posts or futz with sidebar content. The image below demonstrates one way you can do use this tool, but you have lots of options.

I’ve been using this add-on for a few weeks now and love it. It saves me time switching between tabs and having to reorient myself each time.

Tell me. Do you have any tools or add-ons that you use that make your browsing time more fun or efficient? If so, let us know!

By the way, please, please, please…if you still use Internet Explorer, switch to Firefox. I beg you. Read here why your web designer will love you forever for making the switch. But, even more, you’ll be amazed at how many fewer problems you’ll have as you travel the internet. Promise.

How This Blogger Stays Organized: Meet Benita from Chez Larsson

Meredith — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:00:39 +0000

Since I started blogging, I’ve loved Chez Larsson. It’s author, Benita, brings such a great mix of content and gives us some gorgeous photography. I especially love that she often writes about things related to organization.

Benita also interacts regularly with her readers, which makes her seem accessible and human, even though she’s a Rock Star Blogger. You don’t see this often, but it’s made me a huge fan. So, I was excited when she said she’d let me interview her for this series.

Benita’s got some great strategies for blogging and blog organization here. And, if you’re loving the photos of her workspace (you are, right?), you can read more about it in this post.

After you’ve read this, be sure to pop over to her site and dig into her archives if you’ve never been there before. I bet you’ll like Benita as much as I do.

When did you start your blog?

I started blogging in May 2008. Gosh, it’s almost two years ago, I didn’t realize!

Why did you start blogging?

I had no intention to start one, but Flickr friends and other bloggers who had been borrowing my photos kept telling me I should and in the end I decided to go for it.

Are you a “list” person? If so, what kinds of lists do you find yourself making most?

I love lists. If I look around me right now there are four lists within reach. There are two with post ideas, one with next week’s post and one to-do list. I write my lists on narrow pieces of paper with black pen, never blue… Aside from making the lists I also love when I can toss one that’s been checked off completely.

A peek at Benita's work space

What do you look for in a perfect notebook?

I’m not a notebook person. Actually I love them, there are so many nice ones available but since I don’t use them I’ve finally stopped buying them. I used to have all these notebooks with a couple of notes on the first page and then nothing. I prefer loose papers that I can recycle after I’m done with them.

Where/how do you store ideas you get for content?

Aside from the lists of posts on the notice board I also keep a list with post requests from my readers. It’s in my blog binder which also holds the rest of the paperwork such as ad info, hosting info etc. I keep a folder on my laptop with photos for future posts. As I go along, I take photos of my day and the projects I do around the house but I might not post about them immediately. I add them to folders within my blog folder. Some folders have photos in them from one occasion while others have photos from several months because they are for a project that took longer to accomplish. This way I can always find all the photos immediately when I do decide to post.

Mac or PC? PC

What application(s) do you use to organize/deal with your images?

I just use regular folders on my laptop. I usually open the images in Windows Photo Gallery where I choose which ones I want to use and immediately delete duplicates and blurred ones. I make a note (on paper) of which ones I want for a post and then open those in Photoshop to edit them. My plan is to start using Adobe Bridge to open the images in the future but I’ve just realised I have this and haven’t checked it out properly yet.

How many hours a week do you spend on your blog?

About 15 -20 hours, plus the time it takes for the projects I blog about themselves which varies depending on what they are.

There are a lot of tasks involved with successful blogging: writing content, guest blogging, commenting on other blogs. How do you organize your time?

I try to prepare at least a couple of posts over the weekend. During the dark months I also take as many photos I can on the weekend because after work it’s usually too dark. When I get home from work I usually go straight to my laptop and write or finish the post for the day after. That usually takes a couple of hours.

I always schedule my posts to be published at 7 am my time. I stick to that time because it allows me to quickly check that it published when I get to work in the morning. I also know that a lot of my readers like that they know at what time my blog is being updated.

As for reading and commenting other blogs, I do that in the morning. I’m lucky to be able to read blogs during work hours as of late because I’m involved with blogging and social media at work so it kind of falls into my tasks to keep myself updated on what’s going on and as I follow quite a few blogs for work they appear in my reader along with the ones I read for private reasons. I’m really happy about this because it saves me a lot of time at home.

Describe your work space currently.

It’s a self-built unit that sits in the hallway of our home. There was (is) no room for a proper home office so we built it in a corner. Had I known I would spend this much time there I might have reconsidered because there’s no door to close and not much elbow room but at the same time I like the location because it’s in the centre of the house and I can see Wille in his room, I can watch TV while uploading photos etc.

Describe your dream work space.

I would love a room which would have a really long desk with several seats and each seat and desk area would indicate a separate use. One seat with the laptop, one seat in front of a clean desk top for paper work, one seat in front of a sewing machine, one in front of a craft area etc. And loads of storage!

You gotta love a girl with such organized drawers

What about your blog work makes you most anxious and how do you deal with it?

The fact that I spend way too much time on it that I should probably spend on Wille. He’s sixteen now and doesn’t mind but sometimes I wish I could be cloned and one part of me could blog and the other part could watch Friends with her son. The way I deal with it is to do take time away from the laptop and play a board game or do watch Friends. I feel I don’t do it often enough though.

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a new blogger?

Find a niche for your blog. Write about something that you’re passionate about and stick to it as your core content. It doesn’t mean you can’t stray away sometimes (I know, I do) but your readers will want to feel comfortable about where they are at when they visit. Also try to update consistently. That can mean every day or once a week but if you start out updating often in the beginning your readers will expect frequent updates later on too.

What’s your favorite book (or books) of all time?

I don’t have one specific favorite, but I love crime novels.

Do you own any pets? If so, what kind?

Yes we do, two cats, Mini and Bonus.

Mimi and Bonus

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Candy and everything else that’s sweet and unhealthy for you.

What’s your favorite way to wind down after a hard day?

On a week night a cup of tea in front of the TV and on the weekend I trade the tea for some wine.

Penelope’s Favorite Websites: Paper Source for pretty office supplies

Meredith — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:00:46 +0000

I love it when I hear about another great website where you can buy pretty office supplies. My new favorite is called Paper Source and I’m absolutely loving their selection of unique things for your office and home. A big thanks to reader Tacy from HomeMaking Habits for bringing this site to my attention.

Here are just a few of the products form Paper Source that are catching my eye today. Wouldn’t these cuties add a little bit of “pretty” to your office?

Chocolate Kimono File Folder Set

Quotation Dry Erase Board

Chartreuse Dots Magazine Holder

Fabric Thumbtacks in Prairie Flora

Go ahead and hop on over to Paper Source and see what they have to offer. There’s a ton of stuff there, and not just office supplies. There’s even a mug I really have my eye on. (Have I told you that the ONLY thing I collect is mugs?) I can’t wait til they get more back in stock.

Do you have a recommendation for a great website you think other Penelopes should know about? Email me or put it into the comments. If I blog about it, I promise I’ll give you credit. We’re always on the lookout for creative ways to express our neatness, aren’t we?

Because I’m not spending a grand on patio furniture

Meredith — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:00:09 +0000

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to get a set of dining furniture for our back deck. Nothing fancy, just a table, four chairs and an umbrella in a neutral palette. For reasons I can’t explain, I’ve put this off.

This spring, however, my husband and I decided it was time to get the deck up and running and who knows? Maybe have some people over for dinner. Would be nice, right?

So, we headed on over to Target (the mecca for all things “reasonably priced”) and started looking around. Within minutes, I knew what I wanted: the stylish, yet nicely neutral “Windsor Collection”. Perfect. Let’s pack it up and go.

And then we started doing some quick mental math. Even with a “temporary price cut”, this set was going to cost us a whopping $986 plus tax!

Holy Patio Furniture, Batman! I’m not spending a grand on stuff that will sit outside and get dirty for half the year.

I turned on my high-heeled boots and quickly walked out of the store and straight to my computer. Within minutes, I had logged onto Craigslist and found a very similar set within 20 miles of our house for just $150. And, they agreed to deliver it! Woot and double woot!

Here’s a couple shots of the set on our deck. Can you spy our Boston Terrier, Cooper, standing guard by the furniture in the first shot?

Ah, I love the smell of saved money in the morning.

How This Blogger Stays Organized: meet Jules from Pancakes & French Fries

Meredith — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:00:57 +0000

I’m so excited to bring you another installment of the “How This Blogger Stays Organized” Series.

This time, we get to know Jules from Pancakes & French Fries. Jules is one of my favorite bloggers because she’s funny, adorable and, above all, very “real”. She shares her life in such a personal way and I always look forward to reading what she’s got to say. Here, she gives us an inside look into how she balances being a mom and a successful blogger.

Q. When did you start your blog?

I started on my 35th birthday. November 30, 2007.

Q. Why did you start blogging?

My friend, Nicole Balch of Making it Lovely, decided I needed one. She put one up for me and that was that. Secretly, I think she was trying to reduce the amount of emails I was sending her at the time. What can I say? I had a newborn–I spent a lot of time in my rocker with the laptop.

Q. What physical items keep your work organized? (notebooks, binders, etc.)

Notebooks. I feel better writing things down. I’m a bit particular (understatement) and have different notebooks for various ongoing projects (blog, weight loss journal, freelance writing projects, etc.) Each notebook has its own pen, too.

For example, I use a green or turquoise roller ball pen for my blogging notebook because it matches the design of the cover (I told you I’m particular). I can’t be positive, but I am pretty sure that if I were to use a different pen in my blogging notebook the world would spin off its axis and life as we know it would end. Horribly.

Jules from Pancakes & French Fries

Q. Are you a “list” person? If so, what kinds of lists do you find yourself making most?

I work better with a concrete list of things to do. Left to my own devices, I can pretty much spend the day buying books I won’t have time to open, reading blogs (thereby limiting my time to do anything else), and eating obscene amounts of salad.

Q. What do you look for in a perfect notebook?

It has to be lined and open flat.

Q. What software or online tools do you use to keep yourself organized?

I’m trying out Teux-Deux this week, thanks to a recommendation from Lori Dunbar of Fin and Roe.

Prior to that, I wrote out my lists on sheets of paper but my three year old kept taking my paper to color pictures. I’m not sure about the online list thing, but I’m willing to give it a go.

Q. Mac or PC?

Mac

Q. How many hours a week do you spend on your blog?

Well, that depends. I’m lucky in that most of what I blog about is just a retelling of my day-to-day.

On average, I would say 10-15 hours a week. Probably more if you include the hair pulling and agonizing over what to write.

Q. There are a lot of tasks involved with successful blogging: writing content, guest blogging, commenting on other blogs. How do you organize your time?

Organizing my time is a challenge as a stay at home mom with very young children. I can’t say I do a very good job, really.

The best thing I have done recently is to limit the number of blogs I read. That’s a terrible thing to say on a blog in an interview about your own blog, but it’s the truth.

Balance is key, even when it comes to things you enjoy. Actually, especially when it comes to things you enjoy.

What about your blog work makes you most anxious and how do you deal with it?

Oh, just the writing part. I agonize about what to write and if people will like it. I posted about deodorant the other day and almost lost my lunch thinking people would think I was insane posting about a hygiene product–that I MADE.

That’s my problem: I worry that people won’t find me interesting or that my life isn’t exciting enough to blog about when, really, if I just remember to write about things that excite me I will be fine. That’s the trick, I think. When you write about something that excites you, that passion and energy will carry through to your readers and excite them, too.

Q. What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a new blogger?

Post everyday in the beginning. It’s too easy to get stage fright at first, and if I didn’t commit to posting everyday at first I might have stopped blogging early on.

Q. And, finally, what’s your favorite book of all time?

It changes. For a very long time, it was One Hundred Years of Solitude (Oprah's Book Club)" target="_blank">100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Then it was The World According to Garp (Modern Library)" target="_blank">The World According to Garp, by John Irving.

Right now it’s The Bible. I’ve challenged myself to read it this year. I don’t think I ever have (in its entirety), and that bothers me.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The winner (selected using Random.org) of the Olive Manna giveaway is BROOKE, with this comment: “The classic letter writing set is so cute… but I love the neighborhood print, the jotters… it is all so adorable!” Congrats, Brooke!