#1 | ultra adorable printable letters to Santa and gift wish lists

#2 | super cute and positively gorgeous gift tags

#3 | generous sources (from whence these goodies came)

Save yourself some time, energy, and frustration by planning out your holiday shopping before you hit the stores. These printable goodies will help you keep track of your recipient list, gift ideas, and final purchases—the positively gorgeous holiday gift tracker from Time Too, the ultra-sensible gift worksheet from the project girl, and the automatically-calculated holiday gift shopping list from Adam Arthur Design Group.

Finally, the shopping-made-easy planner from All Bright Ideas includes space for planning which stores you’ll visit (and in what order) on your holiday shopping trip. Enjoy!

TIP : If you have already finished all your holiday shopping, take a moment to jot down a few notes. Include a list of those for whom you bought gifts, how much you spent, and ideas for upcoming occasions (i.e., birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baby showers). Keep this information handy and refer to it when you fill in your calendar and prepare your gift-giving budget for the new year.

Woohoo! The Lilybugs Children’s Consignment Sale was a great success! I’m looking forward to picking up my cheque on Wednesday. I made a net profit of $128.80… enough to cover what I spent on Amanda’s summer wardrobe, birthday presents, and advertising (i.e., my [ real neat ] business cards and checklists for the goody bags that were handed out to shoppers)!

My little 2-bedroom apartment is breathing a sigh of relief now that I have eliminated several bins of outgrown clothing and toys. Now, I should be able to find adequate storage space for the belongings that Amanda and I actually use (i.e., camping equipment, art supplies, bicycles).

So, if you haven’t done so already, set aside an hour or two to sort and purge your excess clothing as the seasons change and the weather gets warmer.

THE RULES:

• Grab your calendar now, and schedule an appointment with your wardrobe within the next 2 weeks.
• Invite a trusted friend to join you in weeding out your ‘old’ clothes. She’ll help you remain objective.
• Hold a private fashion show, and
  • TOSS any clothing items that have holes (or if, like me, you’ll never realistically repair or pay someone to repair these items).
  • KEEP only items that actually FLATTER your body type. Get picky and brutal. Rid yourself of all ‘skinny’ clothes; at the moment, they are simply taunting you every time you see them, reminding you that you’re fat, you’re lazy, and you’re not good enough. Nothing is ever worth all that negative self-talk. Besides, when you finally do lose the weight, you can reward yourself with a new wardrobe!
  • DONATE anything that is still in decent shape but that doesn’t make the cut (or you never really wear). I hate to burst your bubble, but honestly… if you haven’t worn an item in the last year, you’re never going to end up wearing it. Schedule an appointment on your calendar to take these items to friends or local charities.
• Put away whatever items you keep (in an organized manner, of course). Need ideas? Sort by color, by length, by clothing type, or even by complete outfits.
• Take inventory of the clothing that you kept.
• Make a shopping list of items that you need to replace in order to fill out your wardrobe for the upcoming season.
• Block off some time on your calendar for a shopping date; and, when the time comes, shop with confidence and a discerning eye.

So, what about you? How do you sort and purge your wardrobe? Please share your tips in the comments below.

* * * Update: Mamasource.com is now Mamapedia™ * * *

…a safe and easy way to connect with other moms in your local area where you can find the advice, referrals, and insight you need in a supportive community of moms helping moms.

As a Mamasource member, you can:

• Ask other local moms any question you need help with.
• Read the questions other moms have asked—and see what answers they have received.
• Share your own advice and practical referrals with other moms who need your help.
• Promote your business to other moms who could use your products or services.

Shortly after our family moved to Kentucky in June of 2006, I stumbled upon Mamasource.com while “surfing the ‘Net” one evening. I was able to touch base with other moms in the area for referrals to hair stylists, moms groups, pediatricians, and more.

The following year, once my professional organizing business was officially up and running, I added my [ real neat ] listing to Mamasource.com and shortly thereafter received an inquiry from a local mom interested in learning more about my services! Needless to say, Mamasource has been a wonderful repository of information and a great source of referrals!

Sign up today (for free!), then be sure to check out the listings and reviews for [ real neat ] and GCC MOPS. In fact, feel free to add your own review!

As a fairly new small business owner, I have quickly learned that managing client information, marketing campaigns, and general business administrative tasks can easily become extremely overwhelming. Any suggestions?

Pen and paper aside, I’m in the market for an online hosted CRM solution. I’d love to integrate my website directly into the CRM application in order to manage my newsletter mailing lists with greater efficiency. At this point, though, it’s beginning to seem as though my head is in the clouds…

My professional organizing business is currently 95% service-based. At some point in the future, I do plan to expand into selling organizing-related products. I know, I know… there are definitely solutions out there that meet all my “requirements,” but I simply can’t afford to use them! I need some guidance!

My current CRM wish list:

• visually-appealing interface
• web-based & hosted
• lead, prospect, and customer tracking
• sales process management
• marketing campaign management
• automated drip marketing
• customizable reporting
• at-a-glance daily task list
• inexpensive (if not free)!

If you currently own a small business (or have owned a small business in the past), how do you manage your client information and marketing campaigns? I’d love to hear from you!