Serving Eastern Pennsylvania, Central and Southern New Jersey, and Delaware
Serving Eastern Pennsylvania, Central and Southern New Jersey, and Delaware
Whether you follow basketball or not, college ball is an exciting sport and March Madness is the be-all, end-all competition among collegiate teams. I am always inspired by the players’ drive, athleticism, and winning attitude. Borrow this enthusiasm and plan your own decluttering plays for a Spring-ready closet.
March Madness has become an annual springboard for me to declutter. I love the NCAA’s single-elimination process as a framework for purging my wardrobe.
The tournament always starts in March and concludes in April — as we warm up to Spring. I appreciate the build-up to the ultimate winner; each week there are winners (and losers). Borrow this approach and discover the winners and banish the losers in your closet.
• winners – clothes that are versatile, stylish, and flattering
• losers – anything stained, ill-fitting, or in need of repair
If you like following play-lists, here’s some quantifiable advice to help you keep score on your efforts:
• Trim 16 (Sweet Sixteen) bulky sweaters and jackets from your closet to make room for Spring styles. Scarves are typical accessories that you can rotate each season. Footwear is another category that deserves attention: pack up your heavy, weatherproof boots.
• Remove at least 8 items from your hanging space to create room for bolder colors and lighter-weight outfits. What you remove may end up in off-season storage, or may need to find a new home. Can you find an Elite Eight to donate, thrift, or E-bay?
• Final Four Here’s where the tournament makes its biggest splash and reminds me to focus on the basics. Make sure you have what you need to enter Spring, well dressed in the appropriate clothes that suit your life and lifestyle. This may mean creating a short shopping list for your foundation pieces, or a to-do list for the winners before they go on court.
• shine your shoes to clean and preserve their leather
• alter any investment pieces so you continue to enjoy them
• dry-clean items that you have enjoyed all season but are packing away until next year
The hardest lesson March Madness teaches is one-and-done. The Final Four teams play two games over three days to determine a national champion. Culling collections down to a single winner is unrealistic (I couldn’t survive with only one pair of black slacks!) Selecting winners — of a reasonable quantity — based on proven criteria is a good play.
Did you know that February, aside from being one month closer to Spring (hooray!), is “Pull Your Sofa off the Wall” month? This is the ideal time to shake things up a bit in your living room, especially since this is the time of year when people hibernate in their homes. This time of year is also known for the winter blues, no doubt in part from taking down cheery holiday lights and decorations.
So…what can you do? Aside from becoming a snowbird and heading to Florida, you can add some inexpensive and space saving items to brighten up your space, awaken your senses, and put a smile on your face. Take a look at my own living room to see how I have incorporated some of the following items:
Welcome Mat – For an instant mood booster, find a bright and cheery welcome mat to come home to after a long day at work. Look for inexpensive options at Target or Kohl’s. Also, consider lighting up the pathway to your welcome mat with solar lights that will soak up any sun that may have been out during the day.
Full Spectrum Light Bulbs – I wholeheartedly recommend sun lamps that are used to mimic the natural light from the sun, which is often in short supply in the winter. I have one next to my sofa that I use while I eat breakfast. Another inexpensive approach is to switch out the bulbs in your main reading lights for full spectrum bulbs, which can give off the same effect as sun lamps.
Mirrors – When the sun does appear, take note of where the sunlight streams onto the wall and if feasible, put a mirror there. Note the mirror art above my sofa, which is directly across from a window. This will reflect the sun and naturally make it seem like more sunlight is in the room. Plus, mirrors give off the feeling of a roomier space.
Candles – Find a signature scent that makes you feel calm and relaxed and light it every time you come to stay in the room for a while. Personally, I love the Cashmere Woods scent by Glade. It has a nice and light musky/woodsy smell, perfect for this time of year. Mine is centered in the room on my coffee table to let the scent spread evenly throughout the room.
Pillow Covers – Find decorative throw pillow covers to update and transform your atmosphere. I purposefully chose a neutral sofa and chair for that reason. Pillow covers are also much easier to store than several accent pillows from each season, and they can be freshened in the laundry. Try Bed, Bath and Beyond for a large selection and don’t forget your 20% off coupons! As you can see, I have chosen a turquoise theme; however, if I ever decide to change my accent color, it would be fairly easy.
Throw Blankets – Find throws that are comfy, soft and most importantly, will keep you warm on a cold winter’s night! When not in use, fold them up and place them on the back of your sofa.
Artwork – New prints on the wall along with a few knick knacks on your mantle will give your room a fresh perspective. Incorporate your accent color, as I have done here in turquoise.
I hope these ideas will give you something to think about while you are curled up on your sofa…and by the way, you don’t need to pull it off of the wall if you don’t want to.
Here’s to a warm, cozy and colorful season!
One of the barriers to getting organized is too much CRAP (Clutter that Robs Anyone of Pleasure). It’s work for your brain to filter out distractions in order to get organized, so less clutter— less distractions! To celebrate my 9th year in business, here are Ten More Myths for Not Unloading CRAP for people who truly want to rightsize their belongings. Let’s break it down:
1. “You can never have too many <your item here>.”
This only applies to blessings. Bending over a huge pile of shoes to dig through every day is no way to choose the pair you want, especially if you end up wearing the same five pair.
2. “I have a terrible memory, so I keep my stuff to remind me.”
Memories aren’t in things. And if your memories are packed away in the attic, that’s not honoring them. Also, are your old memories taking up space for new memories?
3. “My <your item here> is going to be worth a lot of money someday.”
Things are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. The word ‘collectible’ has been overused to the point of preposterous. Look on ebay to see if your item is for sale and at what price. More importantly, has anyone sold an item like yours?
4. “I can’t trust my judgment so I’m afraid to get rid of anything.”
If your knee jerk reaction is to keep something because it’s easier, trust your instincts. If you are 40 years or older, you can trust your instincts about whether you will need something or not.
5. “I’m going to fix that someday.”
Just because you can fix something, doesn’t mean you’ll have time. If a project has been laying around for two years or more, let it go, or pay someone else to fix it!
6. “I can’t trust an auctioneer to pay me what my item is worth.”
There are plenty of reputable auctioneers in our region. On the other hand, you can’t expect to get back what you paid for an item. Call an auctioneer so you can sell many items at once, but don’t expect to get rich.
7. “I have a friend I want to give that to.”
Call that friend to see if he or she wants or needs it before you give it to them. How do you feel when someone drops their stuff on your door step without asking first?
8. “I want to read that someday.”
Set a time limit for reading magazines, clippings and newspapers. Cancel subscriptions if you don’t have the time to read magazines and recycle back issues.
9. “I’m keeping that to sell at a yard sale.”
If you’ve kept items for over two years and haven’t had a yard sale, donate the items. When summer ends, donate any unsold yard sale items and begin collecting for next year’s sale.
10. “My husband won’t get rid of his stuff, so why should I?”
I work with many couples who don’t agree on how and when to let go of clutter. You can only control your belongings so get started! When the CRAP starts to fall away and your spouse sees your relief, he or she may get on board.
Clutter Quote: “Not everything that can be counted, counts. And not everything that counts, can be counted.” -Albert Einstein
Everyone has a different threshold for what it takes to go from manageable to maniacally crazed. In honor of National Clean Out Your Computer Day, celebrated the second Monday in February, I offer advice on four hot spots for digital clutter:
My advice: focus your efforts on one of the four electronic clutter hot spots OR do a little purging in each category to get yourself calm and collected — literally.
When you approach winnowing your documents, photos, desktop or email, get ready for a trip down memory lane. You will be reminded of things you’ve completely forgotten — and some should remain forever forgotten, but some should be resurrected…or completed. It’s helpful to have a notepad next to you to jot down the name of a particular file that you want to compare to others and select the best version. You may want to start a to-do list for future decluttering projects. Clearing out your computer can get addictive…
EMAIL: Without getting into specifics about which apps work best on which platforms, the principles of email management are consistent:
YOUR DESKTOP: Go for Zen on your desktop and completely clear it! Apart from straining your computer to refresh icons continually, desktops are there to provide the calm visual space your brain craves while processing data. While your desktop may seem like an infinite holding basket for what’s important at the moment, or a safe place to store what might get lost, left unchecked it will become a graveyard of expired photos, files, and reminders. A final caution: desktop items are typically not included in routine back-ups.
PHOTO MANAGEMENT: When there is no monetary cost involved in taking photos there is little motivation to weed out bad shots and duplicates: except photos take up a LOT of memory. So rather than pay for upgrades, take a look at your stockpile of digital pics and decide on your keepers. Trash the rest. Do not attempt to manage your photos in a day; a few hours a week is a good goal until you have controlled your collection to date, and then a half-hour a week to maintain going forward. If that seems too daunting…just deal with the photos from January 1, 2015 and tackle your larger collection with a pro.
DOCUMENTS: The two biggest categories to tackle are:
YOU have to decide what maintenance schedule will work for your lifestyle…but National Clean Out Your Computer Day aside, once a year is not enough.
Look around everywhere you turn is clothing
It’s everywhere that you go [look around] You try everything you can to escape
The pain of piles that you know [piles that you know]
When all else fails and you long to be
Something better than you are today
I know a place where you can get away
It’s called The Container Store, and here’s what it’s for, so…
Come on, vogue
Let your body shop to the muzak [shop to the muzak]
Hey, hey, hey
Come on, vogue
Let your body go with the flow [go with the flow]
You know you can do it!
-By Madonna, and slightly tweaked by me! ☺
So…the holidays are over now. You’ve probably returned some clothes that you received (perhaps an ugly holiday sweater) but still kept some as well. Problem though…your closet is packed and there’s no room for even one more thing!
No worries, let’s take it step by step, so you don’t get overwhelmed! Do one step a day if you need.
Step 1 – Grab a trash bag and skim through the shelves and rods, and look for any items you obviously know that you don’t like to wear anymore, even if they fit fine. Put all the items in the bag(s), which you can take to consign (if you have expensive pieces) or donate. Immediately put the bag(s) in the trunk of your car. If they stay nearby, the level of temptation to put things back will be high. That’s why many Professional Organizers will offer to take your bags for you! Well that, plus we are just nice people who like helping others!
Step 2 – Shelf by shelf and with sections of hanging, bring the clothes out and set them on your bed. You are now going to look for items that are stained or ripped and beyond cleaning or repair. Again, if you have some expensive pieces, try your hand at a dry cleaner and a tailor. Otherwise, break out another trash bag and let those items go. Temptation isn’t nearly as high for this bag, right?!
Step 3 – Aside from the clothes that you like to wear left in the closet, there are bound to be many that you still hold onto for nostalgia’s sake or because you want them for when you can fit into them again. Perhaps you’ve heard the statistic that people wear only 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. Don’t worry…I’m not going to be too hard on you here! Purchase some clear bins (perhaps at The Container Store!) that can sit on the top shelves of your closet. Those clothes will be going in there for now. You’ll still be aware that those items are there, but they won’t be taking up your valuable space. Every few months, or at least in another year, pull the bins down to gauge your feelings about the clothing inside.
Step 4 – Now’s the time for some fun! Put those new clothes on and dance around (perhaps doing the Vogue!) as if it is your own small fashion show, and celebrate the fact that you now have room for these new pieces!
Step 5 – After regaining your composure and your breath (ha ha) you can put your clothing on the many empty hangers that you have made available.
Here’s to you and a happy and clutter-free New Year!
Happy New Year! Organizing ranks as the second most popular New Year’s resolution – second only to losing weight and getting in shape. Follow my simple suggestion to open up some space in your house for all the new items that came into your life during the holidays; organize your flower vases.
Start by deciding how many flower vases you actually need in your life and where you use them. It’s nice to have one casual vase for those bouquets you pick up at the grocery store (especially during the winter when we yearn for something bright). A beautiful crystal vase is wonderful on the dining room table and another in the family room where you spend so much time during the cold weather. A pretty vase for the guest bedroom is a lovely touch when you have company. And let’s use one in the master bedroom. A vase of flowers in your foyer is always a perk. Or, keep it simple and just put a vase in every room of your house. Sound extravagant? For a 4 bedroom house that’s probably about 7 or 8 vases.
Now gather all the vases you have all around your house (several of my clients found over 20!)Place them on the dining room table – now count. Surprised? Now sort them – beautiful crystal vase/s you received as wedding gifts, glass vases from florist shops you are holding on to, old vases that belonged to a relative, seasonal vases, etc. Select the best or favorite vase for each room you counted. Take a hard look at what’s left. I’m betting there are many more than you said you needed. There are so many ways you can use these other than having them take up valuable space in your storage areas where they go unloved and unused.
Arrange fresh flowers from the market or from your garden during the various seasons and give them to:
• a friend celebrating a birthday or anniversary
• a new neighbor
• a neighbor who has collected your mail while you were away
• someone who has just lost a loved one
• the host of the party you are attending
• someone who just had a baby
• someone whose feelings you (unintentionally, of course) bruised
The vases you’ve stored away, sometimes for years, could now bring people smiles and spread happiness. All it cost was a little time and a few flowers! Now you have a beautiful touch in each of your rooms and space to store things you really need to keep. Happy New Year!
