S.O. S. – Send One Suit – and make a difference! Kingwood, TX Drive on March 8, 2011

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Kingwood professional organizer Ellen Delap and her company Professional – Organizer.com will be participating in this year’s Dress For Success Houston’s S.O.S. (Send One Suit) Drive.  The effort, formerly known as Clean Out Your Closet Week, provides interview suits, confidence boosts and career development to more than 45,000 women in over 75 cities each year.  Dress for Success is a not-for-profit organization that helps low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and a second suit when she gets the job.

 If you would like to contribute, please bring your interview appropriate suit in excellent condition, cleaned, pressed and on a hanger to Kingwood Country Club on March 8, 2011 from 5:00  – 6:30 p.m.  Don’t have suit to donate?  Dress For Success Houston suggests donating $75 toward the cost of a suit for clients over size 14. Receipts for donations will be sent directly by Dress For Success Houston.  For more information call 281-360-3928 or email edelap@professional-organizer.com.    

 I have my suit already chosen to donate! Do you?

Weekend Warriors: Taking Care of your Car: My Vehicle’s Glove Box is Full of Paper! Help!

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This is the fourth in a series about “Weekend Warrior: Organizing and Taking Care of your Home and Car.”  This guest post is by  Lynn Beckwith, owner of Beckwith’s Car Care, sharing ideas on what papers to keep in your glove box.  

Our glove boxes become miniature filing cabinets over the years as we continue to add copies of vehicle registration, inspection forms, maintenance receipts, repair receipts, and miscellaneous purchases.  Just like any filing cabinet, they frequently need to be purged.

So, what should be kept?

Keep your owner’s manual.  It is a handy guide to understanding everything from the type of oil you should use to what that crazy little light on your dash means. 

Keep only the current vehicle registration and insurance card.  Many of us tend to put the new one in and leave the old copy too, just in case we ever need it, loose the new one, or some other reason.  Guess what, they are expired, no good . .  . chunk them!

When it comes to your maintenance receipts, you have two choices.  The first option is to keep all of them. When it comes time to sell your vehicle this proof of maintenance goes a long way towards comforting the buyer that they are making a good decision.  Proving that proper maintenance has been performed can also be important when dealing with factory and extended warranties.  Of course, I am assuming that you have maintained your vehicle on schedule.  If you have not maintained your car properly, then toss them.  Proof of lax maintenance is not going to help you out.  If you are keeping your car forever, these records can help you stay on top of your scheduled maintenance.

The second and best option is to utilize a repair facility that will keep all of these records for you, even better if you can access them on-line when needed.  Whether you have a fleet of one vehicle or many, a quality independent automotive repair shop should keep your records and help remind you when maintenance is due. 

The repair receipts should be kept at least until the warranty on the repair runs out.  This applies to everything from alternators and batteries to tires and water pumps. Even if your repair shop keeps these on file for you it is a great idea to keep them in your glove box in case you are traveling.  High quality independent repair shops offer a nationwide warranty and your receipt should have the contact information listed on it.   Theses receipts can also be helpful when selling your vehicle because some components tend to fail in cycles. A recently replaced part could help assure that it will not be needed for a while. 

So, whether you are selling your car or keeping it forever it is a great idea to keep your paperwork in order.  If nothing else you won’t have to fumble for your registration the next time you are pulled over.

In general:

  1. Look for a shop that will help you develop a customized maintenance plan that takes into account your vehicle specifications, your driving style and your budget.  Find one that will help you stay on schedule with reminders and maintain your records for both warranty and re-sale purposes.

 

The staff at Beckwith’s Car Care specializes in developing customized maintenance plans that have kept their customer’s vehicles safe and dependable for over 20 years.  The Better Business Bureau has selected Beckwith’s as not only the best repair facility in the Houston metropolitan area, but also as the recipient of their Ethics award.  The award winning staff includes one of the 2011 Top 20 automotive technicians in the nation.

 Lynn Beckwith is committed to the automotive industry.  Watch for her features on Fox 26 and visit the archived videos on-line.  She can be reached at 281-540-2000 or you can email your automotive questions to help@thatcarlady.com. Please visit her blog at www.thatcarlady.com or on facebook at www.facebook.com/thatcarlady.

 

 

Weekend Warrior: It’s all about you! Defining Your Own Decorating Style

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This is the second in a series about “Weekend Warrior: Organizing and Taking Care of your Home and Car.”  This guest post is by Leslie Sarmiento, owner of Decorating Den Interiors, sharing ideas on updating, decorating and more for your home. 

 

Whether you are thinking about a decorating project for your home, or you already have one underway, it is always a good idea to stop and ask yourself the following questions:

•    Does the project – and the products you have chosen for it – reflect your lifestyle?

•    What kind of statement would the finished project or room make about you?

As an interior decorator, I truly believe that your home should say something about you and the kind of life that you enjoy. It should showcase your personal interests, the area in which you live, your culture, your talents, whatever it is that you love. In other words, your home should not look like a showroom in a furniture store. Your home should have signs of life – your life!

I also encourage you to keep up with the current trends and fashions in home décor. However, try not to follow the trends to the extent that you leave out any imprint of your own individuality from the design.

It is a decorating myth that good decorating must be limited only to one specific design style. That seems quite absurd if you consider that as an individual, you have many facets to your personality, and that an average household has two or more people living within the same rooms!

So if you are starting a project, give serious thought to your personal preferences, your lifestyle, and then set a budget. Prioritize your needs, and consider that upholstered pieces, floor coverings and window treatments will be with you for a long time. Buy the best quality that you can afford when it comes to these pieces. Accessories, such as pillows and decorative accents, can be trendier, as they do not have to be quite as expensive. As your style evolves, your accessories may be the first elements to reflect any change. And if you’re just not sure what style you prefer at this point, consider consulting with a professional decorator. He or she can start you on your way to finding your own personal sense of style.

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Leslie Sarmiento, owner of Decorating Den Interiors, is a speaker, author and interior decorator. Her business is 5 years old, but her love for design spans a lifetime. Her clientele includes homeowners who know the value of timeless, classic design, and appreciate fresh ideas for accessories and custom home furnishings.

She has been featured on numerous television talk shows, such as Fox 26 News and ABC 13 Houston, and is the author of the “Come on Over – Design Series,” which is a series of decorating guides. Loving to write, she is an ongoing writer for the Yahoo! Contributor’s Network. Her product line includes “The Decorating Dreambook,” a project planner designed to simplify the decorating process, which can be found online at www.DecoratingDreambook.com.

Leslie’s design philosophy is to keep it simple, easy and fun! As a full service interior decorator, she directs her creative energies toward taking care of every detail from inspiration to installation! She can be reached at (281) 686-9293 or online at www.LeslieSarmiento.com. Also be sure to visit her blog at www.MyUnfinishedRoom.com or her Facebook Page at www.Facebook.com/DesignIdeas.

Elegant Holiday Decorating Made Easy

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Thank you to Leslie Sarmiento for this guest post on making your home merry and bright! 

 Holiday decorating is an American tradition. No matter what kind of year you’ve had, the holidays always seem to conjure up images and memories of a magical time. Holiday decorating allows you to capture some of that magic and bring it home.

With the huge selection of holiday décor to choose from, deciding which items to buy can be overwhelming. With all the sparkle, glitter, bells, and music, all beautiful and magical, reminding us of a warm holiday moment or two. The biggest mistake most people make with their decorations is thinking all holiday accessories coordinate and work well together. Not true! As the selection for decorations grow larger each year, holiday décor now goes way beyond Santa, the angels, and Christmas trees.

So how do you know which items will work well for you?

As with any decorating project, before you go out and make your selections, you need to do some careful planning. Ask yourself these questions:

 ~ What decorations do you already have, and which ones do you want to use again this year? (There is no rule that says you have to bring out every single holiday item you own).

~ Do you want to decorate around a specific theme? Examples would be winter themes, Santa’s toyshop, nature themes, or gingerbread houses.

~ What color palette do you want to use this year? Do you want to stay with the traditional red, green, gold and white? Or maybe pair your favorite color with gold or silver for a trendy metallic look. For contemporary designs, combine jewel tones, such as turquoise, purple, magenta and apple green. Red, white and blue can make a big statement, too.

So now that you’ve made your overall design decisions, you are ready to shop. You need to prioritize your budget so that you spend most of your money on basic accessories like holiday linens, table runners, and throw pillows, and spend less on novelty items such as your fireplace mantle or a new centerpiece for your table.

 Don’t feel like you have to fill up every nook and cranny. Decorating with elegance means less is always more, even during the holidays.

From my house to yours, have a colorful holiday season!

Leslie Sarmiento, author, speaker, interior decorator

Website: www.LeslieSarmiento.com

Oversizing and Rightsizing

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In a world where we are always “super sizing” our life,  I like to reflect about our stuff.  What is “enough”  in our world of consumption, media saturation, and bigger is better.  Here is a story to add awareness about upsizing and over buying.

A friend recently renovated her kitchen. She moved the old (meaning 4 years old) refrigerator to her office, which is a renovated 1950’s bungalow.  Once at the location, the refrigerator would not fit through the door!  In order to take it in, the doors were removed.  The refrigerator is very out of proportion with the rest of the kitchen.  What does this say about our homes now and then?

My friend said,  “The very moment they were taking off the hinges to the refrigerator door, I thought this is bigger than what the family used here 50 years ago and now I have two refrigerators at my house and a freezer. What’s wrong with this picture?”

 As we think through our choices in homes and lifestyle, are we aware that we have added “more” to everything in our lives? This not only includes appliances! Homes on the average are double the size now as in the 1950’s.  During the last 30 years, the self-storage industry has been the fastest growing sector of the U.S. commercial real estate industry, based upon the number of new companies, new facilities and amount of total square footage added.  Our stuff is outgrowing our oversized homes too.

This year I have chosen to purchase only items when needed, not when wanted.  It is really not hard, but I must be mindful of the choice.  I avoid places that make for easy over consumption or items that are not necessities.  I can already see the difference in my budget. 

So with this cautionary tale, start an awareness of less is more.  Begin your uncluttered journey in saying no to more stuff.   A client recently told me, “I used to think that having more stuff made me a better person.”  Your stuff is not who you are, it really is just stuff.   How will you know when is “enough” for you?

Want more information about our oversized homes?   Read The Ever Expanding Dream House    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5525283

Shoe Organizer: More than just organizing shoes!

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One of the most versatile and effective tools for organizing is the over the door shoe organizer.  There is a long list of uses, so here are just a few

– In the art room, with crafts, colors, and paints

-In the scrapbooking area, with stickers, paper, scissors and stencils

-In the kitchen, for spices, kids snacks, craft supplies, or office supplies

-In the toy room, for Barbies and Matchbox cars

-At the back door, for bug spray, car keys, kids shoes, or sunscreen

-In your kids rooms, for hair bows, belts, or accessories

-In the office, for pencils, pens, ink cartridges, and scissors

Be sure it fits safely over the door and the door can close.  The clear shoe holders are great to see what is in the pocket.  Some are longer, some shorter. If you want your kids to access the items, be sure to use the longer one.  This item is available at Target, WalMart, Bed Bath and Beyond and more at a very reasonable cost.

The list is endless! How are you using the shoe organizer?

Working with Hoarding Clients

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hoarding

 

Hoarders have become a national fascination!  Not only we do all know families struggling with this challenge, we know how tragic these situations are with respect to finances, emotions, safety and sometimes legal aspects.

Work with a hoarding situation begins with the client.

Who is the client? It is the hoarder, even though  the family, friends or other community members want the home decluttered.  An assessment of client readiness for change makes the difference.  Is the client ready to begin the process of letting go, creating a new way of life, and working toward maintenance and balance of acquisition ?  As a professional organizer, the first phone conversation with the hoarder tells me so much about our work together.

A successful approach for hoarding includes a team.

The team members are the client, the therapist and related professionals, the professional organizer, assistants to the organizer, skilled labor or other trade professionals as needed, and possibly haulers.  Collaborative therapy, where the client works with both a therapist for inner change and a professional organizer for outer change, makes for the best possible work arrangement.  As a professional organizer, I also find my hoarding clients work best with additional team members.  The energy that more people bring, the additional hauling off capability, and the resources that all the other team members bring to the project, neutralizes the shame and perfectionism the client is feeling.  In our work we usually find several home repair projects as we progress.  The project moves forward more quickly by having a handy man, electrician, and other trade people to call in as needed.

 

Work with hoarders proceeds at their pace.

With my own clients and their cases, we work on a regular basis, working in most difficult areas together.  Together we establish guidelines for donating through coaching.  Clients are encouraged and affirmed in good decision making.  Trust is the most important aspect of our relationship.  Clients see me as a motivator to change.    Every situation with hoarders is different in terms of how quickly progress occurs.

 

 

Hoarding resources

John Hart, PhD                       anxiety.depression.treatment@gmail.com

 

Tolin, Frost and Sketetee      Buried in Treasures

 

Tomkins and Hartl               Digging Out: Helping your loved one manage clutter, hoarding and compulsive acquiring

Fall Classes 2010

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Fall means back to school! The sunny days of summer are over and fall is a great time to tackle those home projects.    Join me in learning more about organizing strategies at these upcoming events! 

Fall Refresh on September 14

Fall Refresh is an engaging afternoon program about organizing and interior design.  Certified Professional Organizer Ellen Delap will present Out with the Old .  Interior Decorator Leslie Sarmiento will present Company’s coming!  Refresh your home by decluttering and adding the latest in decorating trends.    Bring at friend and join us at this free presentation at Kingwood Public Library at 1 pm. 

 Organizing for Academic Success on September 20

Struggling to help your child with school success?  Join me in sharing techniques and tools to help your student get into the groove of school again.  Class is offered by phone at 7 pm central time.  Fee of $29. http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/organizingclasses/back-to-schoolwork/organizing-for-academic-success/ 

Organizing for Academic Success  for the AD/HD Student on September 21 

Join me for strategies to help your student with AD/HD achieve the success she/he deserves.  Class is free at Kingwood Public Library at 1 pm.

 Clutter Support Group beginning September 21

Have you had a life long struggle with being organized?  Need support from a community of people who are equally overwhelmed?  Join me in learning from others in the Clutter Support Group. This membership based group is the starting point for your journey in transforming your life, helping you define, establish and maintain an uncluttered lifestyle.  Group meets for 6 weeks, starting September 21.  Fee of $120.  Contact Ellen for details. 

Organizing for the Busy Mom and Dad  starting October 5

Take a fresh perspective to improve your and your family’s quality of life!   The Family Manager™system transfers management skills and strategies  from the business arena to running your home and personal life.  Family Manager skills help you reduce daily stress, create a smoothly running home, and have time for self care and recreation. Four weekly one hour teleclasses on  October 5, 12, 19, and 26.  Fee of $49.  Contact Ellen for details. 

Conscious Donation and Goodwill Industries

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Many thanks to industy leader Lorie Marrerro as a cheerleader, educator and spokesperson for Goodwill.  Not only does Lorie challenge us to join her in a new movement of Conscious Donation, Lorie also shares with us information on what to donate.  My clients often ask me how to determine what to “bless others with”.  I encourage reuse of most items, except in the case of damaged or broken items. But even the smallest of items can be used by others.  

Lorie wants to “create a culture of Conscious Donation, and have people consider where they are making their donations of belongings as carefully as they would consider where they are making a financial donation.”  Going beyond an aweness, we want to be mindful of how our donations can make a huge difference locally.   For Goodwill, your donations create jobs.   Goodwill’s Job Connection Centers serve individuals who are unemployed or underemployed and are ready, willing and able to be productive citizens in meaningful, self-fulfilling jobs.

 In this post by Lorie, she shares what Goodwill takes.  These also apply to other donation resources. 

http://www.clutterdietblog.com/2010/07/donating-dos-and-donts.html

Another part of the Goodwill donation site is the donation calculator.  See what your donations do for people!

http://donate.goodwill.org/

So won’t you join us in conscious donation?  I am committed to it!

Favorite Organizing Products

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These are a few of my favorite things!

Love label makers! These make everyone’s life easier!  You can find where it is, where it goes and everyone in the family can put things away.  Dymo Letra Tag and Brother P Touch are my faves.

Desktop paper sorters come in lots of styles. My favorites open from the top and have hanging files in them. The hanging file categories include action, pay, file and other every day paper slots. Choose one that matches the decor of your room.

One of my favorite “outside the box” ideas is to use the hanging shoe organizer in lots of different places. These are great at the back door for bug spray and sunscreen, great in the craft room for all the small tools, glues and attachments, great in the toy room for Barbie or hot wheels and great in the kids room for hair bows.   You can see everything, you can reach most things and it is an unused space that provides for storage.

What are your favorite things?