ephemerasortingI have spent the last few weeks sorting.
Sorting clutter, sorting clothes, sorting ideas,
sorting books and sorting my thoughts.

I have spent alot of time researching for the Small
Meadow Press planner I am designing and have been learning
new things about order and list-making and a clear mind….

And in a nutshell,
it does seem to all come down to sorting.
Isn’t it fortunate that I enjoy it so much then? As I think
women do, in general.

The loveliest sorting I have done is in my studio,
where I have been bringing order to (almost) every corner,
in preparation for lots of creating. And I have been determined
to stop hoarding *all* of the pretty paper ephemera I have
collected over the years (oh yes, I am like Scrooge sifting
through my vintage paper piles!) and begin
to use and share more of it.

They have been stored away in a deep archival box,
and I knew it was time to store them in a way to make them
more accessible. So I finally pulled out the old album boxes I
have been buying at our library sale corner over the months
(with just this purpose in mind). They are wide and shallow
and just the thing-when they are opened-to make it
pleasant to sift through all the little pieces.

(Be glad I am not showing you the sappy ones from the
seventies with long-haired couples and moody lighting
and titles like “Feelings” on the cover!)

So I sorted all my vintage papers and then decorated
the album box covers according to what category of scraps
and ephemera they would hold…

…and then filled them with all the beautiful pieces and pages.
This was one of my favorites as I was able to fill the sleeves
with different categories of larger pieces and all the sleeves
are attached to a spine in the box, so they can be turned
like the leaves of a book!

….and lastly tucking the boxes in my old school desk, very
near to hand. I have five more boxes to finish, but it is so
satisfying to have all those precious bits sorted and stored in a
way that they can be easily found and enjoyed.

And as I was doing this, and working out all the parts
and ingredients for my planner, it has come to me that this
is what makes life pleasant, too-to have our things, plans
and thoughts…all the little bits of life…sorted, stored and
then easily found again.