Gift idea: handmade, but not by you

Sometimes the best gifts are handmade, but they don't have to be handmade by you. If you have an artist, writer or crafty person in your family, support them by purchasing (or trading for) their wares and giving them to others on your gift list. They might even give you a family discount!

A taste of Six Sapphires.

I'm lucky to have a wealth of talented, productive people in my family. My sister-in-law is a hugely talented jewelry designer, and everyone in the family delights in receiving something she's made. My mother-in-law is a photographer, writer and all-around talented person, and I've already earmarked one of her pieces for someone on my Christmas list. My brother works with plants and makes succulent wreaths and pots plants for wonderfully colorful, living gifts. Who in your family has a talent for creation?

Giving items made by someone you and the person you are giving to both love makes the gift doubly special.

Get help organizing your holiday gift list.

Call Lelah at 818.269.6671

or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

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Still helping you organize!

Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of this blog. The second year absolutely flew by, and I'm really happy with the quantity and quality of the posts this past year. Here are some of this blog's stats:

• This is the 229th post.
• The most-used label is "tips," used to describe 31 posts.
• The highest post-count ever for a single month was in July 2010, with 16.
• Facebook is my number one referral source of traffic, followed by Blogger.
• My single best day of traffic was due to my post Clutter-free gifts: Services being picked up on Stumbleupon.
• My personal favorite post from the past year might be January's Keeping stuff alive in 2011. Even though I wasn't able to keep all the plants alive that I mentioned in the post, looking at the pictures still inspires me.

Looking ahead to year three of this blog, I hope to keep up the frequency and encourage more commenting. Do you have any particular topics you'd like me to write about in the year ahead?

More tips.

Creative Commons nail tips photo posted to Flickr by lisa bentley
Creative Commons cake decorating tips photo posted to Flickr by Anne Hornyak
Creative Commons felt tip photo posted to Flickr by www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com. Sign up for Lelah's News, a once-monthly newsletter.

Checking in: Lelah's plants

So, I have good news and I have bad news. In January, I wrote about my goal of keeping some new plants alive this year. Well, the succulents were as hearty as advertised and seem to be thriving. Yay!

But, my rosemary bush burned to a crisp. I didn't water it enough and it was getting too much sun. It seemed like all of a sudden it just turned crispy and I tried to move it to a more shaded area and give it more water, but it was no use. Sad.

I'm not gifted with plant insight. However, I do feel that I have learned from this experience and would do a better job of tending a rosemary plant in the future, should I get up enough nerve to try it again.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Keeping stuff alive in 2011

I love plants and gardens and flowers and all kinds of greenery. My family is blessed with an abundance of green thumbs. My grandfather's garden is a beachside paradise that I've played in since birth. My father manages roses, palms, lavender and fruit trees all in the same beautiful space. My brother not only professionally landscapes and works at a nursery, he did the flowers and plants at my wedding, for heaven's sake.

Wedding centerpiece. Photo by Attasalina Photography.

My track record with plants is not that great. I can water things when told to, but I can remember every plant I've ever been in charge of...and what happened to it. I either killed it, or gave it to someone who could give it a better home.

This year, I'm attempted to keep a few plants alive. This will require a little attention paid on my part. Fortunately, the plants I'm starting out with are hearty. I have two gorgeous succulents that will survive the summer heat of Glendale with minimal care (so I'm told), and a rosemary bush that can also tolerate the heat. I've had these three plants for just over a week, and they still look like they are thriving.

My plan is to keep them on my calendar and make a routine out of checking on them, just like I make a routine of backing up my hard drive and vacuuming my floors. And if I get worried, I can always call for help. Wish me (and the plants) luck!

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com