China (no, not China, China)

Real Simple's websiteI have a penchant for collecting china. It's a classic, Classic trait but oddly, out of all the types, we have the most trouble figuring out how to display our beautiful collections. We are also the personality most likely to collect useless china figurines (Hummels, anyone?) Real Simple has some great ideas for how to display your collections in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Click to read more ...

Misty Water Colored Memories

Darcy Miller's brilliance on display... of the way we were ... Man, is that one of my favorite Barbara Streisand songs and movies. I've never understood why she couldn't find a way to stay with Robert Redford. It's not a big surprise that I wouldn't "get it" since I'm a traditional Classic Freedom and she was likely my opposite, an Organic Freedom on a mission.

Click to read more ...

Natural Souvenirs

The types who most often pick up random souvenirs are Classic Freedoms, Fun Freedoms and Organics. But, everyone has collected bits and baubles from different trips and outings over the years. The problem for Classics and Funs arises when they don't have a spot for them and then they instinctively squirrel them away in odd spots. My husband used an old desk organizer to house his restaurant matchbook collection and then stuffed it under his desk. For Organics, it's when they don't remember where they got that random rock that they've been using as a paper weight for 15 years. 

Click to read more ...

Bibliophiles

Most Classics like me don't have a ton of books. Smart Structures are the type that most often collect (and read) a lot of books and are described as bibliophiles. As the daughter of a Smart Structure, I grew up surrounded by books, so no home seems complete to me without a lot of them around. But, books can frequently look messy and unkempt and I long for them to look like this catalog cover. Today, a couple of ways to make your bookshelves gleam no matter what your type. 

Click to read more ...

Food Tricks

So these new uses for old things from Real Simple don't excite me too much. But, it could be that I'm just not a big fan of chocolate covered strawberries. "Melt a Hershey's bar in a saucepan over low heat and dip some fresh strawberries in it to make a treat for your sweetheart."  I tend to like my chocolate with milk and my strawberries with whipped cream. I'm a purist in this way. Also, if I was going to go to the trouble of melting a chocolate bar I would rather pour it over some vanilla ice cream than strawberries.

Click to read more ...