Things That Work Notebook

Tuesday, September 23, 2008, by Leigh Anne

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I know for some of you the thought of decorating for Christmas can bring on enough stress and anxiety all on its own without the thought of decorating for a holiday like Halloween! I must admit as much as I enjoy holiday decorating it can be just “one more thing” to add to the already long list during a busy holiday season.

Years ago, eleven years to be exact, I found a trick that has help to take a lot of the stress and anxiety out of my holiday decorating and planning. In fact, it has made it quite pain free and mindless and dare I even say - FUN!!

My trick is my Things That Work Notebook!

I purchased this great little spiral bound notebook with blank pages from a wonderful Oregon artist - Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey. She even personalized it for me. Any notebook with blank pages will do but I figure if you have to have a notebook you mine as well have a pretty one!

In 1997 I began keeping track of certain things -

-the menus I served at parties and the guest list

- photos of the table setting from the party and sometimes even the guests! (And since I started blogging I now take pictures of the food!)

- the cookies and candy I made each holiday season and who I took plate of goodies to.

- and pictures of my holiday decorating

By taking pictures of how I decorate each year all I need to do the next year is pull out my Things That Work Notebook along with the holiday decorations. I don’t have to start from scratch each year wondering where I’m going to put everything and tying to remember what I did last year.

It works for party planning too -each year I just check my list from last year’s Holiday Brunch. If I am feeling pressed for time and uninspired I can just repeat the same menu or I can add in a few new recipes if I want.

With my decorating, some years I do it exactly the way I did it the year before but some years, like this year, I tweak things a bit. I added a few new Halloween decorations this year so I changed some things around but at least I had a starting point.

Do you have a trick of the trade that helps make your holiday decorating and party planning a little easier? Please share!!

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8 Responses to “Things That Work Notebook”

I LOVE your blog and all your creative ideas! Your seasonal decorating is gorgeous and I’m getting lots of inspiration!
Thank you for sharing this great notebook idea today. It makes me in the mood to start planning some holiday activities for my family. I wonder if you will share your “Candy Making Day” recipes on your blog? That sounds like a fun thing to do with my daughters.

knmkendall »
Thanks for your sweet comment and yes I will be sharing some of my candy recipes for the holidays!!

i love this idea! oh leigh anne, you’re the best! why o why don’t we live closer?
your girls are going to be fighting over this binder in a few years!

love it!

This is a great idea. So many times I am sifting through recipes to find that “great dish I made a year ago.” A great way to keep track of family traditions.
I make up so many of my own recipes — I often don’t write them down — this type of journal would be great to pull out each time I am “creating a dish.”
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!!!!!!

I did something similar last year during our first Christmas in this home. I especially didn’t want to try to remember just how I got all the outdoor lights situated. What a chore!

What basic tips could you share regarding plating of and photographing of food? My pics look so one dimensional and rarely look as appetizing as they truly are. You do a phenomenal job with your photography. I have Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and am still learning it. Thank you! Your blog is truly inspirational and I look to it for ideas!!!

Connie »
I think the most important part of the process is your lighting. I try to always take my pictures in natural light - no flash and no artifical light in the room. I have found the perfect spot in my kitchen where the lighting is great and I take all my pictures there. With fall/winter coming and getting darker sooner it is more of a challenge to get pictures of dinner in good lighting. I do use a Nikkon D40x camera which I love. I do not use PhotoShop - way too complicated for me! I really don’t do any touch up to my photos - I use them as is. I do have a scrapbooking program I use to add the text etc. It is Storybook Creator Plus. Hope this helps!

Thank you for your response. I welcome ideas and mentoring:-)!!!

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My number one priority
has been and will always be
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I love working with women and helping to inspire them to achieve their goals and dreams while still maintaining motherhood and family as
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Things That Work Notebook

8 Responses to “Things That Work Notebook”

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