The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Who knew food storage could be so inspired? Photo credit: www.pexels.com One of the areas we use the most gets the least design love. It's a missed opportunity! There are always ways to step up your design game even in highly functional spaces. Here are a few ways to upgrade your pantry in a hurry. 1. Assess the Mess The first part of any organization project is assessing what you have. In this case, go through your pantry to get rid of foods that are expired, unappetizing or unrecognizable. There's no point wasting valuable shelf space if your food isn't being eaten. Give away what you no longer want and make room for some goodies. 2. Wipe Away Pantries are rarely empty so take advantage of the chance to wipe down surfaces. Check corners for dust, crumbs or other gunk and clean out what needs to go. It's fine to clean quickly—just hit all the major areas before redoing your pantry. 3. Band Together Now it's time to try out a new look. Buy multiples for a more unified design and consider various sizes for different uses. It's okay to mix and match a few colors or container styles. To the extent possible, use colors or materials that go together nicely for a more beautiful end effect. 4. Sort by Type Starting fresh means organizing by type for convenience. Sort out your cans to pair like with like or separate sauces and salsa from baking products. The more organized your zones, the more efficient your pantry. 5. Add Layers Finding a can on a shelf is like spotting your friend in a crowd: everything starts to blend together. Add layers to your pantry by getting stepped shelves, wire racks or using other organizational tools. Using stackable containers is another way to capitalize on unused vertical space. 6. Go Label Crazy With all the things you need to remember, container ingredients don't always make the list. Give yourself a break and label your foods for easy identification. Use paint pens, homemade labels or printable stickers for lovely lettering. No more second guessing ingredients! 7. Create Priority Areas Is chocolate your thing? Or are chips your guilty pleasure? No matter your snack, you know what you love. There are things we use on the regular so why not give them a special place in our pantries? Create priority areas so you'll know exactly where to look to find whatever your heart desires. 8. Step Back Once you've redone your pantry, take a step back. Fix anything that needs fixing and rearrange as needed. Know that you can continue to change things around as often as you'd like. Creating spaces you like and enjoy is the ultimate goal of any design project. Final Thoughts Making your pantry more user-friendly is always a good choice. Now you'll know exactly what you have and where to find it at a moment's notice. Are you eager to conquer other spaces in your house or impressed by your knack for organization? Let your design momentum fuel your creative fire. In the meantime, congrats on a job well done and enjoy! All the chocolate in a row!
Photo credit: www.pexels.com
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Photo credit: www.pexels.com Covid DetoxWhen I started thinking about this topic, a lot of ideas popped up. There are classic design genres of tile, wall art, glass ornamentation or nature as a timeless source of inspiration. The beauty of the mind is living in the midst of this permaswirl of ideas and never quite knowing which one will surface at any given moment.
However, it's hard to deny the impact of Covid even though everyone has gone numb. The world will never be the same. I'm offended every time someone suggests we're making a bigger deal out of it than it really is since problems rarely overshadow a pandemic. Denying our way out of reality doesn't strike me as the answer, either. Still, we don't yet appreciate the good that's going to eventually come of it. Yes, that may take years and we're not even out of the woods. I also get how perverse that may sound to people who have faced real hardship or major life changes and in no way mean to diminish their reality. What I'm getting at instead is the growth that will certainly be born out of this chaos. Reaching our lowest lows is often the impetus for powerful change. Let's finally stare ugliness in the face so we can move in a completely different direction. Using these words is one way to stop a conversation in its tracks. Photo credit: www.pexels.com Working as a writer means coming face to face with many of the same mistakes time and again. Some of them aren't technically wrong; they're just really cringey. In case you want to stop sounding so basic, here's your go-to list of vocab to avoid like the plague. Amazing Unless Covid has kept you out of touch with the world entirely, you've probably heard your fair share of this overused and underwhelming word. Do yourself a favor and stop calling everything amazing. It's probably not and using it makes you sound as uninspired as a box of cornflakes. Awesome This one, too: you'd have to live under a rock to dodge all the awesomes thrown your way. I must admit I'm guilty of using some of these words myself including the dreaded awesome. Enough is enough. Let's stop the boring train and kick this one to the curb. Compelling Do you know what's not compelling? Using this word in front of content because they both start with c. Normally, I'm a fan of alliteration but this one is widely overused among copywriters and content writers alike. It's time to stop the madness and come up with an alternative. Game changer Do you remember when former President Obama first used this? Suddenly, it was in every conversation and every sound bite. The problem is what started as a trend never went away. It needs to. I'm a fan of his and have a soft spot in my heart for language that catches fire but let's drop this like a bad habit. Incredible Again, not incredible. Most of the words to make this list aren't worthy of any emotion other than irritation or aversion. Using this word makes you extra basic since it often describes mildly pithy situations instead of, say, a rocket launch. Be done. Interesting Yes, we all use this word and yes, it's often applicable. However, just because something is true doesn't mean you should verbalize it. My floor is brown. So is my hair. So are brownies, in fact. The problem is none of that MATTERS. Start using words that do. If nothing else, limit your use. Literally This word literally makes you sound like a teenager and literally carries no weight because of how rampant it's become in popular culture. I literally can't even. Let's just not with this one, capisce? Remarkable Most things deemed remarkable fall short every time. If someone tells me a show or book is remarkable, I'll make a mental note to skip it. You might as well suggest reading the fine print for funsies. The other thing is talk is cheap. How often do you hear meaningless conversations or office drivel? Being comment-worthy sets a low standard. In the meantime, let's drop this one from our popular lexicon. Utilize There are a lot of words people use to sound smart. Utilize is definitely one of them. Merriam Webster defines it as "to make use of" instead of "to diminish your opinion of the person using it." If brainy is what you're after, capitalizing on dime-a-dozen vocab will take you nowhere fast. Next. Wordsmith Wordsmith isn't common in everyday language but it is if you're a writer. We often read bios which allude to other writers' skillful use of language. Guess what? Calling yourself a wordsmith is anything but unique. In fact, it's about as basic as bleach, if you catch my drift. Final Thoughts I'm sure more words will come to mind after writing this post but getting these out into the blogosphere has been cathartic. Got any others to add to the list? I'd be happy to consider them. In the meantime, watch your language (for boring vocab, that is) and keep it up! The world needs more coveted language. Don't be a bummer. Up your language game!
Photo credit: www.pexels.com All Things FranNo one is more deserving of my love or admiration than Fran Lebowitz at least as far as acerbic wit is concerned. Her style is biting, her opinions divisive and her observations shrewd. Fran is a singular talent whose contributions to literature, social commentary and the underappreciated art of Pilgrim drawing know no bounds.
Part of my fascination with Fran is her mastery of the transition. By that, I mean she's discovered how to eliminate them entirely. It's not that her writing lacks flow or connection; au contraire. She just trims every ounce of excess to deliver potent punches out of left field. To my mind, Fran should be heralded as a feminist icon based on her disregard of social norms. She was chastised for dressing in sweaters on talk shows and belittled for taking legal action against a violent male perpetrator. She was criticized for being so candid as if women weren't allowed to air thoughts of their own. It's women like her who have guided us to new heights as far as gender is concerned. Above all else, Fran Lebowitz should be recognized for her unwavering convictions. She's the filterless friend who insults you in your own home only to stay for coffee. The cigarette-adoring, (sophisticated) trash-talking, book-hoarding intellectual is so savagely herself you can't help but be absolutely taken. |
AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
April 2022
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