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Since I have been left with taking care of my Mom’s bills, mail and other personal accounts, I have been buried in a paper mound that rivals the largest of the Great Pyramids of Giza. This has left me thinking about getting more organized and teaching my kid to do the same. Kids may be too young for bills and important papers now (other than homework), but they will learn by watching us. Here are some tips:

• If you write down a phone number or address on a piece of paper, don’t assume you’ll remember who that number or address belongs to. Write down the name. And also, put that note in a file immediately which you may want to label “Tiny Pieces of Scrap with Important #’s I Don’t Want to Lose”.
• This theory applies to check writing as well. Don’t assume you’ll remember to whom you wrote a check and the amount of the check. RECORD IT the minute you write it.
• Have a file for everything, including one labeled Misc., for those items which do not fit into any other category. Of course, have a cabinet for the files as well.
• Print out important emails that confirm anything you may need proof of later. Put those into an appropriate file.
• Keep a spiral bound notebook with you on the go to write some important things of all sorts. That way you’ll have all the info readily available later when you need it in one place.
• Every couple of weeks go through your papers laying around and toss what you do not need.
• Handle mail one time only. Stand over the trash can or recycling bin and toss out junk as soon as you pick the mail up in your hands. Then walk over to your file cabinet and put the remaining items into your “Bills to Be Paid” file. I promise you will never lose anything again if you do this, and your house will not be filled with scraps all over the place.
• If you have a business and keep business papers at home, KEEP THEM SEPARATE from your personal files. Never mix the 2 unless you enjoy freaking out and the heartburn that goes along with it. (This rule applies to me as well as keeping my Mom’s files in a separate place.)
• Get a small shredder and shred what you need to as you go. There are also companies that will come to your house to shred stacks of papers in a specially equipped truck.
• Keep a safe at home or use a bank’s safe deposit box to keep all your original important papers.
• As you prepare for taxes, look through your files to toss papers you will not need to keep. Trust me, there are many that can be tossed.
• Forget trying to get off junk mailing lists. The mail will slow down for a short while and then pick back up to full speed a few months later. It is just not worth all that work only to have it reversed.

Happy paper trails everybody! Send me your paper tips please.

This little doll is all stitched up and ready to play. I've been wanting to try something different lately. This illo is mostly watercolor with a little color pencil on top. The best part about it was the speed in finishing it. I used to paint watercolor on hot press then completely cover it with pencil. I have switched to color pencil on toned paper. I like the flexibility and softness of this technique--I can change things as I go along. Not so, with the watercolor work.

This is a 2'x3' kids' floor puzzle done in my old watercolor/color pencil style.

I don't know about you, but I can't always remember how I came up with a color or section of a past artwork. I finally realized that since I test them out on a scrap of paper, that I could write the colors I use next to the sample and save it for the future. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to repeat something and couldn't figure out how I did it. Well, no more. I now carefully label and save my scraps. Here's an example of one. This really helps! I sometimes use 10 different color pencils to create one little section. Now I have to start recording what order they are laid down in. Now that I am creating lots of PixieBears.com, I really need to recreate their fur exactly. This technique helps.

I just bought not one but two sets at ebay of brand new 120 color pencil sets! Seems I was a little too enthusiastic and tried to cover all my bases so I bidded on a few sets at the same time. I'm too good at manifesting. Anyhow, these babies sell for over $130 in most catalogs and stores. I am selling one PRISMACOLOR 120 COLOR PENCIL SETS. Great if you will be taking a class for the fall semester. My listing is at EBAY. Go check it out and make a bid! click here to see listing.