My favorite organizational tool

For the most part I like to use what I already have for organizing my home. Of course that statement does not apply if you let me loose in the Container Store! There is one product out there that I use for so many things and that I recommend to every client. It is the clear flat tackle boxes. They come in a variety of sizes and the inside is divided into several different spaces. Crafters all over the US already know about them and use for their supplies. I am about to give you so many uses for them you might not have thought of yet. So the most obvious would be screws and nails and other picture hanging items you have lying around in drawers and cluttering up the garage. But these wonderful storage items can be used in every room in the home. For my girls toys I use them for Barbie shoes, brushes, purses, etc as well as all of our Polly Pocket clothing items. This has eliminated the missing shoes that never stay on the dolls anyways! They are wonderful in the office for paperclips, rubberbands, staples, etc. In the bathroom you can fill them with safety pins, buttons, hair bands, nail clippers, and so much more! I also use them for all of my jewelry supplies and most of my scrapbooking stuff as well. This one box can do so much in a short amount of time and they can be found rather inexpensively at your local hobby stores.

Children's Rooms and Play Areas

My favorite area to organize and decorate are any children's spaces. I really get to express my creativity and organizational talent. Children now a days have so many toys with so many parts. We have access to so many affordable options for our kids. But take a look around your house. Do you have the space for it all? Well you might if you have the right organizational tools. Every blank space in your home should be utilized the right way. For those little girls in your home, take an empty corner in their room and create a special dress up place for them. Hang a nice curtain to block off the space and hang a rack on the wall to hang purses and hats. They will feel extremely special to have their very own dressing room and you will feel great for having an organized spot to wrangle up all of their dress up clothes and jewelry. Now for those little guys in the house. Those action figures sure can take up so much space in the home. Step on them a little less with a custom built storage headboard. They are easy to assemble in just a few hours. They don't have to be fancy and you can paint them any color combination you wish. They make great spaces for action figures and other collectibles. Be creative and use the vertical space in a room. It is often underutilized.

Our stuff is our stuff

The stuff you own reflects who you are. Take a moment to look around the room, your home. Reflect on what you see and what image it portrays. If you feel that an object no longer portrays the person you are today and who you want to become then pass it on to someone else. Every year my grandmother (who is chronically disorganized) reads us this write up titled "My Stuff". She is defending her clutter and saying it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it. I believe we all have the right to own whatever we want. Its the clutter that is created in your home that is the problem. She has collections upon collections but she has no space to display them. Take a look under every bed in her home and you will find storage containers and boxes. I don't even want to look into her attic! Everything that is special to me I display in one way or another. I use scrapbooks to showcase memories and I only have items on shelves that have a meaning to us. We work very hard for our stuff and we work very hard to buy more stuff. I find that people are not any happier with all of their stuff! Simplify your home and your life. The rewards will be amazing.

Packing for vacation

Oh how we love to go on vacation! It really doesn't matter where as long as we get away every once in awhile. I think we can all agree that packing and unpacking are the worst part of vacation. We don't want to over pack but under packing will cost you money. I just got back from a week long beach trip with the family. I have two small daughters ages 7 and 2 and then my husband and I. We have to be sure to bring enough to entertain them without the excess. Here are the steps I took packing for my family of four.

A week before the trip I began with my list. I do not write everything down on it because that is not entirely effective. I write the important things down that must be packed for each person. I then get out the luggage. The girls each have there own suitcase which are small enough for them. For this trip my husband and I each had a duffel bag. It was after all a relaxing beach vacation. Plan out the clothes before placing them in the suitcases. I packed 8 outfits for my oldest daughter and 10 for my youngest, she's the messiest! I packed shoes and underwear with each outfit so nothing extra went in. There was also a reusable shopping bag designated for each of us. They are for the extras (toys, books, DVD's, games, etc). They were only allowed to take items that they really would play with or use. I took into account that there might be a rainy day and did not want to be forced to go spend money unnecessarily. This was all that we were taking. As a family we had one small bag that contained toiletry items to take. These were all written down on the list and checked off as they were packed. Here is an idea for your toiletries. If you have any hotel shampoos, soaps, etc pack those instead of bringing full size bottles, it helps to rid clutter from your house as well. I also bring along brand new tooth brushes for everyone in the family since you have to change those every so often anyways.

With careful planning you can save yourself so much time and frustration with your packing as well as your unpacking. Everything was back into place within 2 hours of being home.

Letting Go of the Past

This is something we all struggle with as humans. We have attachments to items that hold no meaning to anyone other than ourselves. According to Feng Shui principles, we can not be who we are meant to be in the present time when we hold onto the past. I worked with a client once who saved every article of clothing her children had worn even if it had stains or tears. She wanted to be able to give all of this to her children one day. These items will be outdated and they certainly were not stored properly. I convinced her to only hold onto 5 pieces for each child that were very special to her. She would be able to pass along memories to them as well. They were then properly stored so that time would not ruin them. You should go through the old mementos that you are holding onto and make the decision to move on. If you can display items that are of great importance to you and be able to share them with others will help you to live in the present time. Memories do not come from stuff. They will not disappear if you were to get rid of them. When you are ready to make the change in your life to move on from the past, call Clearing the Clutter to help you.

The Change Your Life Weekend Experience

So much can be accomplished in just one weekend! According to the practice of Feng Shui, energy can not move through a home that is full of clutter. Don't believe me....just spend a few minutes clearing out a drawer or a closet that is bothering you and experience the energy yourself. I was skeptical until I put the tips I learned from Feng Shui to practical use. Every time I feel blocked or negative I get rid of more clutter. Then it is like magic all of the good and positive things that happen in my life. Imagine having an organizer come into your home to unblock the flow of energy and make your life more simple. Clearing the Clutter can help you put your life back together in just one weekend. 16 hours of organizing services would typically cost $540. We are offering the Change Your Life Weekend special for $329 till the end of May. Book yours now!

My favorite coupon organizer

Coupons can be a great way to save money. The problem is actually having them when you need them. I used to use those accordion style organizers but they are not practical for me when I am at the store with my two girls. I took an old 3 ring binder that I had lying around the house and filled it with photo sheet protectors. I can easily slide my coupons into each individual space. They are readily available when I need them and I can pull out any that have expired. You can use tabbed dividers to organize it into sections. Label them however works best for you. Mine are labeled cleaning products, places to go, health and beauty, girls, and store specific. Under my store specific are coupons that are just for a certain store like Target or The Childrens Place. Under girls you will find pull ups coupons or coupons for their favorite snack foods. The places to go area is for coupons for Mountasia, bowling, or Braves game coupons. This binder stays in my car so it is always available for me when I get to the store. While I am sitting in the car pool lane at Caitlin's school I go through the binder either adding more coupons or pulling expired ones. Get creative and make a designer cover for your book and you have your very own custom product.

Happy Organizing!

Using everyday items to organize

As a tribute to Earth week, I wanted to give everyone a few ideas on using recyclable items to organize. We don't always need the latest greatest organizational tool out there. Although I have to be reminded of that on every trip I take to The Container Store. I find uses for so many things that would typically end up in a landfill. Here is a list of 10 items you can use for organizing and rescue from the trash.

1. Spaghetti sauce jars are great for cotton balls and q-tips. Just be sure to wash them first :)

2. Baby food jars have so many uses; paint for art projects, safety pins, push pins, etc.

3. Oatmeal cylinder containers can be used for storing rolls of ribbon

4. Old lunch boxes can be used to store some small toys to keep in the car so you will always have something with you to entertain the kids.

5. Use old drawers from a dresser that you are about to toss as under the bed storage for clothes, purses, shoes, etc.

6. Empty cat litter containers have a variety of uses as well. It depends on which type there are buckets which can store outdoor items and keep them weather proof or the pour containers can be reused for dog food storage making it easy to pour.

7. What can you do with that empty plastic container from the snacks you purchased from Costco? They work great in the garage to store loose items like the extra wheels that come with the storage drawers that you don't need right now but maybe one day you will :)

8. Your old diaper bag can be used to keep emergency items needed in the car. Keep a flashlight, batteries, bottle of water, blanket, a set of extra clothes for the children, and any other items in the trunk of your car for those just in case times.

9. Shoe boxes can hold photos or other keepsakes safe in a cabinet for you until you can properly store them later.

10. Folders, even if they are very used, still have a purpose. Use them to clean off your pile from the kitchen counter. Label them "To Do", "To Call", "To File", "To Research", "To Recycle", etc. Then you can easily conquer that pile on folder at a time.

Be creative with your storage and be sure that whatever container you use is the right size for the job.

Happy organizing!

Spring Cleaning

So it is Spring time again. Boo to the pollen but yeah for sprucing things up and creating a newness to your space. My biggest project this season has been switching out my two girls clothing for the warmer months. This is a big challenge for me since my youngest has her big sister and 2 nieces that pass on clothing to her. The easy part though is that I started with a plan of action and easily tackled the job in just a few hours. I had 3 bins in the room with me. One was for Freecycle items, one was for any winter items that would fit her next Fall/Winter, and one was for passing on the outgrown clothes to my best friends daughter. Every project can go faster with a plan. Create it and stick to it to make your life easier.