It’s your home. Pull it together.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Blip.tv video.Happy: Austin Handmade opened a storefront. Sad: Austin Handmade closed shop not long after, in late fall of ’09. Consolation: they’ve upgraded their online store, so may the shopping live on!

While the store was open, Austin Handmade hosted some groovy handmade markets in the parking lot, leaving shoppers (some toting video cameras:) ) with plenty of inspiration for gift ideas:

• Revolutionary bathtime products
• Funky hip jewelry
• Squealably cute kid garb
• Soap that smells so good you want to eat it
• Jewelry that buys cows
• Wearable sushi
• “Earrings that make you feel good”
• Beads that inspire daydreams

Most of the artists are members of Etsy Austin, which is a great way to keep up with all things stylish and crafty in Austin. I would also like to point out the soundtrack to this video is a song called “Glitter Bomb.” And that’s awesome.

If you like this video, you can see more like it at amyhadley.com, where I post videos more often.

I scored this mirror at Goodwill about five years ago for $30. It’s one of my favorite finds, but I recently decided it needed to be modded out a bit. A can of matte white spray paint, and now I’ve got a modern take on an ornate traditional. Plus, in person the details of the mirror really pop now. I plan to put this on a modern console, next to the flat screen TV I’m hoping will magically appear soon.

Talk about an easy way to create instant outdoor charm. I spotted these glass jars on garden hooks outside Cissi’s Market on South Congress. A few plant hooks, mason jars, wire, tea lights, and voila! Hipster ambiance. I’m pretty sure something like this will find its way to my patio.

[Show as slideshow]

I have eight — count ‘em, eight — friends having babies within about four months of one other.

1. What the heck is in the water?
2. Yay for babies!
3. That’s a lot of shower presents.

So I cruised the Internet for crafty inspiration, and my new favorite things are mobiles and owls. Here are a few gems I found and made that elicited immediate and reverberating gasps from shower guests, quickly followed with, “Pass it around!”

[Show as slideshow]

This owl mobile was inspired by the background image of a picture frame project from Jo-Ann Fabric. I like it because it’s unisex, and you can pair it with a sweet handmade crinkle toy from Susan Beal at CraftStylish.

This bird mobile from Spool Sewing is sweet enough for baby, and hip enough for friends. Here is a free pattern download so you can try it yourself. Word to the wise: the original design has the birds perched atop branches, which is uh-dorable. However, the birds make the branches top-heavy and it’s tricky to keep them from falling forward. (They’re not as cute when they look dead.) So I opted to suspend mine with ribbon.

Answer the following honestly.

My junk drawer is full of:

1. everything I don’t know what to do with.
2. anything smaller than a baseball, from nail clippers to orphaned socks.
3. none of your business. It’s nailed shut… open it and I’ll rip your eyebrows off.
4. odds and ends I use in the kitchen, kept in order with bins and trays.

If you answered D, congratulations! Your junk drawer is in working order. If you answered C, call a shrink. If you answered  A or B, but are longing for D, read on.

The junk drawer is such an easy place to start: it’s one drawer, the first step is pure satisfaction, and by the time you’re done, you’ll be able to organize anything.

3 Steps to Taming the Junk Drawer

1. Sort. Dump everything out (and enjoy it) and assess. Make four piles: Trash, Donate, Relocate, and Keep. For relocating, ask yourself where you really use items. If the ear bud for your cell phone will serve you best in the car, move it to your car’s console. And please, don’t use your nail clippers in the kitchen. Store them in the bathroom cabinet.
2. Categorize. Pile like things together: twist ties & chip clips, pens & pencils, wine stoppers & bottle openers, etc. If there are duplicates, consider whether you really need all 25 pens and four wine bottle openers. It’s really easy to get disorganized when you have lots of something; you figure you can toss it anywhere because you’ll find one somewhere. If you have just one of something, you’ll put it back in it’s designated spot.
3. Compartmentalize. When it’s time to put things back, find containers to keep things in their place. This could be baskets or drawer organizers, or just use what you have: tupperware, small dishes, or – my favorite – a muffin tin, etc.

Voila! A junk drawer you’ll want to show off at your next dinner party. I haven’t even told you the best part yet: these basic steps apply to any organizing job. Which means you’re practically an expert, and now you’re ready to tackle the garage.

Puking Closet Syndrome. It’s an ugly condition with nasty symptoms.

You might have PCS if:

…you’ve had a panic attack in the past week while trying to get dressed and out the door on time.

…you’ve ever lost sleep because your clothes are taking over your bed.

…you’ve installed a deadbolt on your bedroom door to keep people from discovering your dirty little secret.

Anger. Anxiety. Panic. Shame. Put ‘em in their place. In the PCS Series I’ll show you ways to get and keep your closet organized, from showing your shoes who’s boss to using baskets as more than grandma’s kitchen decor.

PCS doesn’t have to rule your room or your wardrobe.

If you’re tensing up at the thought of taming your closet, relax. You can start small. Find one thing that’s driving you crazy, and think of a new way of doing it that would work better for you. Here are some common ones that you can do in under 2 minutes:

1. Gather all the loose and empty hangers and pick a specified place on the rod to park them.
2. Put any clothes lying around in the hamper. Even if you claim they’re clean. Commit to washing them, and put them away one load at a time.
3. Put all your shoes in one place — in a basket, in a box, on a shelf — just so they’re all together. (Not my fault if this takes more than 2 minutes because you have to go spelunking under your bed for that missing sneaker.)

Congrats. You’re on your way to taking back control of your closet.