Are your folded clothes a visual delight or fright?!

One of the scariest sights in any disorganized closet are the stacks of clothes that look like they are rejects from sale day at the local dollar store.  You can't find anything and when you do it's too wrinkled to wear.  What's a budding Zen Organizer to do?  The gizmo you see here is called a Flip Fold Laundry Folder. Using something like this handy and inexpensive tool gives you an opportunity to create visual peace, balance and calm in your world.  And guess what?  With a bit of practice you can whip out perfectly folded items without it. I get mine for clients at The Container Store.

No time to fold?  Steal some time from Social Media, texting, reading novels or chatting with your best friend to give yourself a gift that will calm you, save money and time, preserve your clothing and build your self-esteem.  And if you want to bump it up a notch keep your stacks of shirts, tees and other items in the same color order. When you take the time to do positive things for yourself you automatically replenish your inner reserves and that in turn gives you more energy to give to those who need you most.

Teach your child to be organized

Here are three different containers that would work well in a child's room to help him or her learn how to be organized. And that means having the toy you wish to play with at your finger tips.  The key here is color.  Even a child you hasn't learned to read yet can understand that Barbies or GI Joes go in the red drawer or that loose puzzle pieces go into the orange drawer.  

Categories are a powerful tool in getting and staying organized.  Here the lesson is taught without making a big speech about how powerful, helpful and convenient they are.  Containers like these are sturdy and yet you won't invest a fortune. Later they can be used in the family room to house media or in the garage to keep household items handy like batteries and picture hooks.

A word to the wise: a child's first organizing lesson may be about categories but the second is equally important.  After you finish with a toy it must be returned to the designated container.  This fosters a desire for 'completion.'  In other words everything you start has a formal end.  It's a wonderful lesson to learn early in life and will remove a great deal of struggle.

Fido's Fresh Food

If I had a dollar for every time it happens I'd be a rich woman.  I enter a new client's home and meet a wonderful dog.  As I organize the kitchen I ask where Fido's food is kept.  I'm directed to the garage and find a huge bag of kibble sitting open with the top folded down.  It's a gourmet meal for critters of all types who might find their way into the garage.  The above containers will keep your kibble fresh and safe.  You can store them under a counter and just pull them out at meal time.  I get them for clients at The Container Store. I'm not a fan of kibble but if you're going that route at least keep it safe and fresh.

Good quality organizing tools can be used around the home in ways that are beyond their original purpose. For example a shelf creator is designed to make canned human food accessible on a cabinet shelf.  I like to dedicate one for canned dog and cat food. They're family members too, right? You can see what you have and grab it quickly.  Moving cans around on a shelf in order to find what's hidden in the back is a waste of time and energy.  Gain a minute here and one there and they'll add up by day's end. What will you do with that precious time?  A bubble bath, reading a new book or calling my best friend come to mine. 

Organizing Day Pick Me Up!

By now you realize that I am a huge fan of smoothies.  A meal in a glass is just about the best invention ever as far as I am concerned.  When I am organizing I need to keep my energy up and my focus sharp.  I don't have time to stop and whip up a hot meal.   This week I'm sharing a smoothie I found in a newsletter from Animal Place, one of my favorite farm sanctuary rescue groups. In fact I plan to visit them this Fall.  Here's a link so you can read more about them and perhaps sign up for their weekly vegan recipe: www.AnimalPlace.org. Doughy Morning Coffee Smoothie Breakfast Serves 1 Ingredients: cup cooked oatmeal (cooled is best - otherwise, just double the ice)  1 tbsp instant espresso powder 1 cup ice 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice (I used vanilla soy) 1 tsp vanilla/hazelnut/almond extract, whatever you like! (recommended- half vanilla, half hazelnut) 1 tbsp ground flax seed 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 3 deglet noor dates (about 1 big medjool) Optional: cocoa powder for a morning mocha! Preparation: Blend.　 Pour in a cup, and you're ready to start your morning :) Photo and recipe credit to Leslie Kolafa, founder of the blog Flora Foodie. http://www.florafoodie.com/2012/07/doughy-morning-coffee-smoothie.html

Volunteer Benefits

A few weeks ago I decided to volunteer at a local pet rescue.  I was asked if I had any time to cuddle some sick puppies who had just been brought in to their facility.  What dog lover would say no to being part of a puppy pile?  I did not plan to fall in love with one of them.  But that's how love works, isn't it? It comes in when you least expect it.  The young man pictured above is Carson.  Isn't he a handsome dude?  He's whip smart, sweet and living at the vet's office while recovering from his illness.  On the days I don't have a client I drive over and play with him for an hour.  Wherever Carson goes in life I hope my words ring in his ears: 'You are so smart!'  'What a good boy you are!'  How did you get to be so handsome?' Some volunteers come by for a few minutes just to get him out of his hospital cage so he can pee and poop on grass.  We're all in love with this special guy.

In your neighborhood there are dogs just like Carson in need of love, kind words, cuddling and a good walk.  If you cut down on social media, reading time, exercise, phone time with friends or whatever way you fritter away time each day in oder to relax, could you help out a local rescue?  I'm not suggesting you eliminate any of these activities!  I am suggesting you curtail them a bit so that you have a few minutes to give to a being in need.  You might prefer a different kind of volunteer work and I believe that all are vital and needed.  On Fridays I like to 'go to the dogs' so that's my focus. The watch words for this weekend are: Open your heart.  The best thing about giving your time is that what you receive in return is greater than any sacrifice you have made to be at the rescue, the shelter, the farm sanctuary, the hospital  or the library.  And the animal, child or adult who benefits from your love will take that with them for Eternity.  It's the best win/win game in town. Are you playing?

Closet Design Tips

I have to admit that a professionally designed closet is expensive.  However it adds to the value of your home which you will appreciate when it comes time to sell.  It also makes your life easier saving invaluable commodities like time and money.  I think it's one of the best investments you can make. 

Have you been pouring over magazines and visiting show rooms to get ideas?  You want to have some ideas before you engage the help of a professional.  Have you engaged a closet designer/space planner?  Companies like The Closet Factory will give you a free estimate and a basic design.  You can also take your measurements to the free space planners at The Container Store.  Each entity offers a different type of solution.  The latter being a better choice if you're renting and don't want to provide your landlord with an upgrade on his property.

Remember to weed out your wardrobe and know exactly what you have before you engage a pro.  What you literally need to store in that closet will impact the design.  And if your designer never asks to see your wardrobe find someone else!  I've seen exquisitely designed closets that did not serve the client's needs but they were beautiful to behold.

As you might imagine when I look at a closet I see it differently than the average person does.  I selected the above design because it appealed to me and thought I'd share my thoughts with you.  Learn to think like a professional organizer.

·      This closet has elegant, clean lines and makes great use of every square inch of space.  Clearly the woman using this closet has more clothes to hang than she does items to fold. She's got areas she can designate for different types of clothing (casual, work, business) and she can adjust or remove the hanging rods.  If her 'long hang' suddenly needs more space than her 'short hang' she can remove a rod and be good to go.  

·      Be sure you have holes pre drilled the length of the section so that moving the rod up or down is easy.  I had a client who had a custom built closet and didn't want too many holes drilled in the exotic wood she used.  Every time her wardrobe called for a bit of 'noodling' she had to call out the carpenter. 

·      I like the fact this design has an open area that serves as a dresser top.  I'd be sure that was both beautiful and functional when I organized it.  I'd place some decorative items there that had sentimental value to my client. Little touches allow us to enjoy the experience of getting dressed.  After all that's why we get organized, isn't it?  We want to enjoy every square inch of our home. Clutter and poor design make that very difficult. 

·      I'd add a small mirror in the dresser top area as well as a full-length mirror on the back of the closet door.  I want my clients to see their outfits from every angle.

·      I like the fact there are no shelves above the hanging rods but some people love to see them.  It’s the illusion of ‘more bang for the buck.’ Unless you are very tiny and your clothes are short in length you won't be able to make use of such a shelf.  Don't be fooled! 

·      ·While it isn't visible I'm sure there's a telescope rod in this design.  You pull it out when you want to plan an outfit or need to pop the dry cleaning somewhere until you have time to remove the plastic and transfer the garment to its waiting hangar.  It's an indispensable tool!

·       As gorgeous and useful as those built-in shoe shelves are there is one thing I would add:  a cover of some sort like a glass door so my shoes would stay clean. (See my recent post on shoe storage).

I’d be curious to know what you saw when you looked at this closet. This design is from The Closet Factory.

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Store Stuff in Style

What does the average person do after a special trip?  He or she will gather receipts like airline tickets, museum entry stubs, city maps etc  and toss them into a bag or box and shove them to the back of a closet.  We are convinced that one day we will indeed make an incredibly special album.  Or maybe we'll take out our special box and share the contents with our children and friends.  Or maybe in our dotage we'll take out the spoils of fun times and pour over them lest we forget our adventure. What's a professional organizer to do when confronted by these bags and cardboard boxes?  Why suggest a better way of course!

The boxes seen above are a great idea because the labeled contents call out to us and beg to be handled. When we look up on a dreary day we're forced to smile at the happy memories that flood our mind just looking at words like 'Japan' or 'London.' These boxes are from the Martha Stewart Collection but you can get similar project boxes at places like The Container Store. If you're a 'crafty person' you might want to jazz up some old shoe boxes and create your own memory box. Just be careful you don't go crazy with design and size.  Try and have a consistent theme and size/shape box.

What I also admire about these shelves and it's something you'll find I mention frequently is the creative way the shelves themselves have been put together.  Items weren't just slapped up to get them out of the way.  Everything has been artfully arranged so that it's pleasing to the eye and yet logical and organized at the same time.  There is never any reason that beauty and function can't be married! Now that you're inspired, what projects will you schedule on your calendar? Until things are planned they remain wishes and dreams.  That's a great place to start but it will never get you over the finish line.