Calendar and Creativity Week

Welcome to Calendar and Creativity Week!

This week, the Houseworks Holiday Plan lays down the bones for efficient holiday planning: calendars. We'll focus on time management and scheduling this week, as we put holiday prep chores on the fast track.

Our Houseworks focus: creative spaces. 'Deck the halls' is easier when you have an efficient work area for crafts and creativity. What's the state of your creative space?

Whether a sewing corner or a quilting room, a rolling crafts cart or dedicated arts-and-crafts closet, spend this week decluttering, organizing and cleaning out the creative spaces in your home.

This Week's Houseworks Focus: Creativity Spaces, Storage and Supplies
Reading Assignments from Houseworks:

• Housekeeping Skill Set: Organize - pages 37-48
  How does your house work? Learn the basics of efficient home organization.
• Declutter Crafts and Hobbies - page 220
  Crafters know the problem: they can drown in a sea of inspiration--and yarn, fabric, paper and supplies. Get tips for decluttering and organizing the creative space in your home.

Inspiration from the Web:

• Declutter and Organize Sewing, Hobby and Craft Spaces
• Secret for Stress-Free Holidays: Create A Holiday Calendar
• Planning Tips for Holiday Season Travel
• Smart Scheduling for Stress-Free Holidays
• Christmas Organizing Secret: Try A Tear File!
• No More UFOs! Get-Em-Done Strategies for Homemade Gifts

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist:

• Create a seasonal calendar. Take control of your time with a simple family calendar for the holiday months ... or beyond!
• Plan holiday travel.
• Hold a scheduling session. Little things mean a lot--and never more than during the holidays--so schedule furnace checks, carpet cleaning, a family photo session and chimney inspection now.
• Start a set of tear files. As you read holiday magazines or browse gift catalogs, tear our articles with recipes, decor ideas, gift suggestions or holiday traditions. Staple article pages together and place in labeled file folders ("Decor", "Holiday Recipes", "Gift Ideas") or page protectors in the Christmas notebook.
• Start--and use--a shopping list.
• Inventory crafts supplies and unfinished projects. Remember the Rule of Four: if you have more than four unfinished crafts projects, or if any single project is more than four years old, don't schedule any new crafts! Finish the old ones this year--you've already got a head start on the process.
• Begin a "Gifts to Make" list.

This Week's Forms to Print:

• Gift Ideas Planner
• Undated Monthly Calendar
• Weekly Plan Checklists
• Weekly Planner Page One
• Weekly Planner Page Two
• Shopping List
• Gifts to Make
• Houseworks Holiday Plan Forms Library

This Week On the Message Boards:<

Calendars and creativity are this week's focus--so jumpstart yours with friends and fun.

Join us on the Houseworks Holiday Plan message boards!