The Best Tip for De-Cluttering your Closet

Did you know you wear 20% of your clothing 80% of the time? According to my favorite organizing guru, Peter Walsh, this is a fact. So how do you know what to keep and what to purge? Here is a great tip from Peter Walsh on pairing down your wardrobe to what you really wear. Turn all of your hangers in the opposite direction (round side of the hook towards the wall) and after you wear an item put it back the right way (round side of hook out). At the end of six months all of the items still facing the opposite way need to go! Simple and very honest! You can do the same with shoes; turn them all toe out on the rack and, as you wear them, return them heel out. This is a great way to see what you really wear and what needs to head to Goodwill or the local consignment store. A great time to do this is at the change of season because you can then see at the end of each season what you truly wear and what just sits there year after year collecting dust... 

-Kari & Liz

De-cluttering Before a Move

"You should have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." William Morris

Whether you are planning on moving, or are in the process of a move, it is a good time to take stock in your stuff. Not only does a home that is clutter free sell more quickly, but releasing some of your baggage means less stuff to drag with you to your next home. Have you ever gotten ready to move and realized you still have stuff packed in the boxes from the previous move? Chances are you have clutter. Moving is a time for change and new beginnings, so why take your excess baggage with you? What exactly is clutter and how do we determine what stays and what goes? For every item in your home ask yourself the following questions: Does it celebrate you & what you are passionate about? Is it useful & functional on a regular basis? (Yes, a bread maker is useful and functional but not if it has been collecting dust for 5 years!) If it does not fit the above criteria, IT IS CLUTTER!!!! Remember physical clutter= mental clutter. So how do we start the process of creating a balanced home? De-cluttering before a move can be an intense process, so starting small and setting clear expectations is the key. Here are some tips for success: 

1. Set the timer and focus your attention on one area (a closet, drawer, cabinet, etc). 
2. Stick to the allotted time to conserve your energy and don't get sidetracked!
3. Have 5 labeled bins: Items to keep, Things to sell, Donation bin, Recycling bin, Trash. 
4. If you have not used it in the last year it needs to go! 
5. Pass on, donate or recycle before you change your mind. 
6. Have a written plan of attack and include the entire family in the process. 

Once you have slowly moved through your house de-cluttering every nook and cranny, it is time to donate the excess or have a huge yard sale. If a yard sale is the route you take, remember if it does not sell it gets donated! If you decide to share your extras with others, there are many organizations out there that specialize in making use out of consumer excess. Listed below are a few of my favorites:

www.excessaccess.org – helps you to locate local charities that need what you want to donate

www.fairygodmothersinc.com – finds prom dresses etc. for young girls

www.dressforsuccess.org – provides suits for individuals entering the work force

www.onewarmcoat.org – donates coats to those in need

www.hatsoff-to-chemo.org – provides hats to patients receiving chemotherapy

www.suitcasesforkids.org – provides foster children with suitcases

www.solesforsouls.com – donates shoes to disaster victims

Recycle all paper, plastic, and glass through your curbside recycler if you cannot find a home for it. Other items may also be recycled at www.earth911.org and they will tell you where and how. If the process is overwhelming and too much for you to conquer on your own, seek the help of a professional organizer. Allow this move to be a new beginning for you and your family.

Simple Pantry Makeover

One way to save on extra trips to the grocery store, because you have run out of an item, or eliminate disappointment when grabbing a box of cereal, that was put back on the shelf empty, is to store your pantry goods in jars or other clear containers. This way, you know when you are running low on an item. No matter how many members are in your household, this is a tried and true way of keeping your grocery list accurate. There are lots of different sized jars available for cereals, crackers, rice, pastas, and more. Instead of looking at a bunch of boxes when you open your pantry door, you'll be looking at smart and simple jars. Try it and see if this method works for you and your family!  ~Liz

jars for tea

easy to locate items that you need

Family Planner

As the school year approaches, it's time to get the calendar out and dust it off. The time is near for coordinating carpools, soccer schedules, and other after school activities. Although we like using Google calendar, we are actually pretty "old school" at heart. Over the years, we have played around with different options, but this is what seems to work-a binder complete with all the things needed to keep us organized. Utilizing tabs is a great way to separate your categories. Here are a few ideas:
1. the actual calendar
2. meal planning and grocery lists
3. folders for each family member to include field trip forms, school and activity notes
4. an emergency form ready for the sitter
5. holiday notes and reminders
6. a place to take notes and write down reminders

tabs keep you organized

grocery lists are great for keeping track of what you are running low on 

use a different colored pencil for each family member to keep track of their activities

a folder for each child's special projects and papers

Simple Mom is a great website to visit for planning forms and other great organizing lists.

How do you keep track of your family's activities? Please share what works for you!

~Liz & Kari

Ideas for Organizing your Jewelry

Recently a friend asked for ideas on ways to organize her everyday jewelry. I thought I would share a few options. If you are short on space, your best bet is to use a wall hanging organizer.

I found this old screen at the Six MIle Antique Mall for $9.00, added a few S hooks, and for ten bucks I had a great jewelry organizer.

I put is next to my sink as a reminder to spice it up each day.

If you have a spot on your dresser or countertop you can use a jewelry tree. I have one made by a local artist, Doug James. He is a master recycler, turning shipping pallets into chairs and old nails into jewelry trees. Click here to see more of his work. Here is one of his jewelry trees, perfect for organizing necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. 

Another option, perfect to hang in a closet and takes up virtually no space. A good way to keep the princess of the house's bling somewhat orderly.

-Kari


Six MIle Antique Mall
2171 Highway 17 North
Mount Pleasant, SC 29466
843.884.7900

Organizing your Household Manuals

Here is a great way to organize household manuals so you always have them nice and handy. Purchase a file box big enough to hold all your manuals. Pull out your trusty label maker and start filing. Here are some sample categories: small kitchen appliances, small electronic devices, washer/dryer, ovens, home fixtures, just to name a few. While you are at it, get rid of any manuals you no longer have an appliance for. Most importantly, send in those registration cards! Happy Filing!

Kari

Corral Your Chaos

You can manage to keep pretty organized by utilizing boxes, bins, and wonderful vintage finds to corral the little things in your home. By keeping like items together, it cuts down on clutter and creates a less chaotic environment. You will be amazed at how much time you will save, not to mention MAJOR stress reduction, when you know where to find all the important items in your home. Below are some pictures from our homes on ways we keep the mayhem to a minimum. 

frequently used kitchen tools in antique crocks

knitting supplies kept in a basket by the couch ready for use

vintage lockers house the kids backpacks and school supplies

bedtime potions and supplies

wine boxes for snacks and water bottles in the pantry

antique bowl for ipod or remotes

vintage wire baskets for scarves & pashminas

more vintage baskets for hats and gloves

 Send us your ideas for keeping chaos at bay!

Cheers,
Liz & Kari

Sorting & Organizing the Laundry

Go from this...

To this in a jiffy!

 Laundry can be a daunting chore, especially when you have several kids. Just when you have broken ground and made some progress it piles up again. Setting a schedule for doing the laundry helps to keep you from getting overwhelmed. Another benefit of a schedule is that you can pick days that work for your family. As a person who limits the amount of television I watch, but have a few shows I love, I decided this would be a good time to do laundry. I wash and dry the laundry earlier in the day so it is ready to fold by the time I sit down to watch a show. The chore goes by faster and does not take you away from time with family and spouse. Once the baskets are full they can be carried to the right rooms to be put away. This simple trick was life changing for our household!

Materials Needed:
1 Laundry Basket for each member in your family 

1 Laundry Basket for towels & misc.

How To:
1. Use lingerie bags to keep small items together such as socks and underwear.
2. As you fold your clean and finished laundry, sort each item into the assigned basket for each family member (See Scout's basket above).
3. Each person is responsible for picking up their basket and putting away their clothing items.
4. Help the little ones be independent by putting pictures of clothing items on their drawers so they know where to put the clothes when they are clean.
5. Keep a bin in the laundry room or mud room for icky stuff you don't want in the hamper like dirty soccer clothes and kitchen rags.

Organizing for a Trip

As the wife of a pilot, I have been fortunate to do a great deal of traveling over the years. I have also learned to take the good with the bad in terms of the “perks” of employee travel. We used to fly standby frequently and have often gotten stuck in airports for excessive amounts of time. One can imagine that with three kids, that is not a day at the park. I also have learned to be a “master packer” since my husband feels strongly about carrying on our luggage. “You never know”, he always says and he is often right (wait did I just say that?). So over the years, I have learned to consolidate, prioritize, and stick to the essentials. As a home organizer, I provide this service for several clients-especially when a long and exotic holiday is planned. I thought I would share some of my favorite tips for getting organized for travel.

Planning and Packing:

1. Small suitcases with lots of compartments are essential (if your suitcase is black like mine, tie a bright scarf or bow around the handle so you can easily spot yours at the baggage carousel).

2. Have a designated spot for packing. Have piles for each family member so you can make sure you have everything you need before you put it in the suitcase.

3. Stick to neutrals! Add splashes of color with scarves or inexpensive jewelry.

4. Use the drawstring bags that bed-sheets come in for storing shoes.

5. Plan on wearing your most comfortable heavy shoes and pack only versatile shoes. Leave the purple stilettos at home!

6. Lay out your family’s clothes for the day of travel so they don’t rummage through the suitcase to find something to wear.

7. I am not a fan of Ziploc bags for single time use but I love them for travel. The ones you can label with a marker are great for staying organized and you can reuse them. Keep one for each of the below:

Chargers and electronics

Important paperwork (passports, plane tickets, maps, etc)

Medications

Swim goggles

Snacks

Activities for the kids

Toothbrushes, floss, and paste

Sun-block

Teabags (nothing like having a nice cup of tea on the plane)

8. Hanging cosmetic cases are great for makeup and other essential. They keep you organized once you get to your destination as well.

9. Make sure you pack your liquids in a small quart sized bag and have them ready at security unless you are checking luggage. One of the perks of checking your bags is you have no restriction on the volume of liquid per container. I believe when carrying on, you can have one quart sized bag per person and all liquids must be no more than 3.4 oz each.

10. Another wise tip is to pack a collapsible bag in your suitcase for items purchased on your trip-you can always check this bag if need be.

11. Pack clothes you can layer to be prepared for temperature variances.

To check or not to check your baggage:

Pros to checking bags –

1. You don’t need to worry about liquid regulations and can bring a full bottle of shampoo or sun-block if you choose.

2. You don’t have to lug your bags through the airport.

Cons –

1. Cost, they usually charge $25 per bag.

2. If you have a tight connection there is a chance your bag might not make it.

3. You usually end up bringing more than you need.

We usually carry our bags on the plane. A few small rolling bags to share and a back pack each. This way you have a free hand. Remember, most airlines charge per bag so if you are on a budget or have a tight connection it is wise to keep your bags with you.

A few other tips to making your trip easy:

1. Wear your biggest heaviest shoes on the plane but make sure they are easy to get on and off at the security check point.

2. Bring a empty filtered water bottle so you don’t spend an arm and a leg staying hydrated.

3. Don’t wear anything with a belt or metal so you can quickly move through the security line.

4. Be prepared, they don’t usually feed you on the plane so you either have to purchase a premade meal on the plane or get something in the airport. Your best bet is packing a lunch, but be sure to leave the liquids at home.

5. Always bring a scarf or pashmina to avoid the questionable airline blankets.

6. And last but not least, sit back relax and enjoy the trip!

Here are a few of my favorite essentials:

Stainless Steel water bottles from The Water Geeks

Baggallini Messenger Bag, I have used this for years and found it at Out of Hand in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant.



Great for Hydrating on the Plane! Place some Fresh Rosewater in a small spray bottle.

Don't forget a travel neti pot to clear out your sinuses after being on the plane for several hours. Find one at your local yoga studio.

If Doors Could Talk

On a mission to become more organized in my own house, I decided to paint our pantry door in black chalkboard paint. The benefits have been amazing! The kids, and their friends, have had a ball writing notes on the door, decorating it for a party or special occasion, and playing tic tac toe. But mostly, they know they can go to the door for answers. The kids know where to look to find the dog schedule (a constant battle in our house), what time their doctor's appointment is that day, where to list an item that they may need from the grocery store, and where to go to write and find notes from the family.

Chalkboard paint can be found at the local hardware store in green or black. You can also make your own chalkboard paint in any color you want! Here's how:

Chalkboard Paint

3 teaspoons acrylic paint (color of choice)

 1 1/2 teaspoons glazing medium (water based)

1/2 teaspoon powder tile grout 


Mix all ingredients in air tight container. Shelf life is short, so make just enough for your current project.

 Chalkboard paint does not need to stop with the door! Look at these great storage boxes that Kari has used to organize some of her children's toys:

 All you need for this project is a crate or box, wooden boards for the label (found at your local craft store), and strong double-sided tape. Paint the wooden label with chalkboard paint, let dry, then using the double-sided tape, adhere label to box or crate. Because the label is erasable, you can change the title on the box as your needs change! Genius!

Liz

A Place for Everything

Having a “place” for everything in your home is difficult to achieve without systems in place to keep the chaos at bay. Besides de-cluttering and minimizing the amount of “stuff” in your home, the next, and most important task, is finding a home for every item that will be easily recognizable to everyone in the household. It is not enough for you to know where the summer hats go, but everyone else needs to be in the know to make it successful. It may appear a bit excessive, or some might say "type A", but whatever your thoughts, it works and the benefits for the family are tremendous! Nothing is worse then already being late for the soccer game and then not being able to find the water bottles! When things have a “home", ease and peace of mind follow. Our favorite way to label bins and baskets in the house are with alphabet stamps, found at your local craft store. You can make custom labels on any sticker, fabric, or tag. Here are some pictures of the way we have used them in our homes.

This is our favorite! What a great way to keep track of all those socks that somehow lose their mate.

Do you think we have gone too far? Maybe... 

Physical Clutter = Mental Clutter

When we arrive home, shouldn’t we feel a sense of peace wash over us? Home should be the foundation for every other aspect of our lives. If our home is a place of tranquility and order, it will spill over into the rest of our life. If our home is full of clutter, we will not function with the same sense of ease and calm. Do you ever feel overwhelmed or stressed by the clutter that surrounds you? Is clutter taking over you home? If so, it is time for a change!

WHAT IS CLUTTER? 


How do we determine what stays and what goes? Wouldn't it be nice if everything in your home served a purpose and/or was important to you? Start by asking yourself the following questions to determine what to keep and what to purge: 

1. Does it celebrate you and what you are passionate about? 
2. Is it useful and functional on a regular basis? (yes, a bread maker is useful and functional but not if it has been collecting dust for 5 years) 

If it does not fit the above criteria, IT IS CLUTTER!!!! Remember physical clutter = mental clutter. So how do we start the process of creating a balanced home? 


STEPS TO CLEAR THE CLUTTER: Here are some tips for success.... 

1. Set the timer and focus your attention on one area (a closet, drawer, cabinet, etc). 
2. Stick to the allotted time to conserve your energy and don't get sidetracked! 
3. Have 5 labeled bins 1. Keep  2. Consign  3. Donate  4. Recycle  5.Trash
4. Remember, if you have not used it in the last year it needs to go! 
5. Pass on, donate, or recycle before you change your mind. 
6. Have a written plan of attack and include the entire family in the process. 
7. Ask yourself the above questions to determine if the item promotes ease and balance or promotes chaos. 
8. Enlist help! Children benefit from learning the importance of sharing material possessions. Every Christmas and birthday, when my children are going to receive gifts, they pick items to donate. With everything that comes in, something should go out! This emphasizes non-attachment to material goods and promotes charity. 
9. Store like items together. If everything has a home, then you will easily maintain order. 

Remember to be patient with yourself during this process. This not only benefits you, but the items that you give away will serve someone else as well.

 A little Karma Yoga anyone?


- Kari