Changing the Seasons in Style

With the start of each school year comes one of life’s busiest transitions. Going from summertime when the living is easy and clothing is optional to a wardrobe that is school appropriate. Here are some helpful hints to get the wee ones…and not so wee ones off on the right foot…or perhaps the left foot.

The Wee Ones

Children live in a whole different world…..size wise that is. Make sure that closet rods are easy to reach and drawers are accessible and easy to open. Kids like to see their stuff so keep everything at eye level for the child and use see through containers.

• For children that have a hard time choosing their outfit in the morning, perhaps make it a Sunday night tradition to plan for the week and have all the outfits as well as the special outfits for any activities ready for the whole week. 
• Store off season clothing( if you have another season, here in Eastern Canada we have Winter and waiting for winter ) in baskets at the top of the closet, take advantage of that vertical space and look way up.
• Make any closet or wardrobe labelling kid friendly with pictures for the preschoolers and replace with words once they start reading. This is a great way to reinforce their reading skills and it will help them when it is time to put things away.

Teen Time

Teens love to spend time in their rooms, it is their haven where they can read, chat on the phone (old school) chat online (new school) or just hang out with friends. Keep it teen friendly by adding extra throw pillows to the bed…it does double as a couch and some funky lighting. It really is not a bad thing that your home is the hang out….it keeps the kids close and you are in touch (sort of) with your teen and their friends.

Quick Teen Bedroom Solutions

 Teens are at that stage in life where they feel the need to express themselves and their bedroom is the one place they can call their own. Give them some bedroom organizing ground rules that are flexible enough that they can follow and will keep you happy.

• Hooks and pegs are great for the on the go teen….you can place them on the back of the door, the closet wall or in the bedroom….it just may be the only way to get the stuff off the floor…and it worked for the people in the early 1900’s for their 2 outfits, oh how times have changed!
• Taking the closet door off for the busy teen years can make the room a lot less cluttered and those doors never seem to get closed anyhow. A set of curtains hung from a rod in the closet casing will make this teen room feel like their space.

The bedroom is the first place you see when you wake up in the morning and the last place that you see before you drift off to dreamland. You know what they say about first impressions….they are lasting. A few hours in this room can make all the difference in how your child starts and ends their day. The bedroom is the haven from the stressors of life; it needs to be an oasis where you feel like you are wrapped in comfort and security.

Now, this does not mean that your children are going to have magazine perfect bedrooms. In the end what you want is a room that is perfect for the person that uses it …and with less clutter….in the bedrooms less is definitely more!

For more great Bedroom Organizing Tips and Solutions please check out these other resources to help you Simplify your organizing , check it out here.

Oh how I love the change of seasons.

Why, you ask? I get to clear out the winter and bring in the spring….unless you are in the southern hemisphere and you are transitioning from summer to fall…either way…you are  moving the last season out and the new one in.

To help you with this seasonal rite of passage we have compiled a list of resources to help you save some valuable time and create some space.

Woman in closet

First things first, you need to do the Closet Hokey Pokey….You put one thing in you take one thing out…

While you are in those closets you may want to change those awful wire hangers to something like wood..check out neatfreak and while you are there enjoy reading the blog written by our Peep Clare Kumar from  Toronto.

As a true Canuck I have enjoyed  House & Home magazine for many years. While researching I stumbled upon this timely article with some great Closet Organizing Tips, check it out.

And for anyone looking for some great organizing resources, Alltop now has an organizing section,  check it out here: Organizing Alltop 

Have a Great Weekend everyone and Happy Spring Organizing!

Elaine and Kim

The watercooler was buzzing with excitement on Monday with International Women’s Day events. I had the opportunity to attend 2 events in the Kennebecasis Valley. The guest speaker Mary Schryer is the minister responsible for the status of women in New Brunswick. Her talk was inspiring, shedding light on the sensitive issue of abuse of women in our province and the steps that are being taken to address this.

I hope that you had the opportunity to attend an event in your area.  Make sure you mark your calendar for March 8 2011, honouring 100 years of International Women’s Day.

I love a good Blog Carnival and this week I was able to participate in Janet Barclay’s professional organizers Blog Carnival. The hot topic this month is Financial Organizing . With tax season fast approaching the timing on this Carnival is perfect. Please drop by and check out my article on How To Organize your Finances and the 10 other articles written by Professional organizers who are sharing their best tips.

I can feel spring in the air…this weekend is the Atlantic National Home Show and that marks the beginning of the spring renovation season. I always love to go and chat with the vendors to see what is new and hot in the industry. From a business perspective I love to collect biz cards from the small business owners who may need my professional organizing services in the future.

I hope that you will be digging in this weekend and getting ready for the most beautiful energetic season.

For some help getting those closets organized and ready for your spring wardrobe visit our site today and check out our Bedroom Organizing How to Video that will show you;

In our “From Cluttered Nightmares to Sweet Dreams” video you’ll learn…

1. How the #1 Secret to organizing your closet can help with the whole room.

2. How you can break this mountain of a job into bite sized pieces.

3. How to do the CLOSET HOKEY POKEY….a fun way to remember how to maintain the closet organization.

4. Some end of the day strategies that will save valuable time in the morning.

5. The emotional side of organizing……..how to let go….using hangers?

Check it out now…

closet

Standard closets in most homes are equipped with a sturdy but un-functional single rod and a dust covered shelf that would be adequate if you are over         5ft 4 inches….however, if you are vertically challenged like me that shelf space is not even attainable unless you have a step stool in the closet.

Want to find some storage space…look up, look way up.

I love storage that is flexible. Rubbermaid shelving is all that and then some. It is easy to install, inexpensive, the pieces can be changed and if you have allergies in your home the open wire shelving allows the air to circulate and the dust to fall to the floor where it can be vacuumed up quite easily.

Here are some of the ways that I have used this Shelving system;

• Bedroom Closets…of course!
• Mudroom shelving
• A storage closet in a home office
• Mudroom closet
• Basement storage room
• Playroom

The options and variety of uses for this shelving are endless.

The beauty of this lightweight shelving is that you can take advantage of the unused vertical storage….by looking way up and taking advantage of that coveted space in between where you would normally stop your shelving you can add several feet to your storage options.

Now in this last week of the 28 Day organizing Challenge go and reclaim the unused vertical storage in all your closets….

Elaine AKA the Empress of Inspiration

Everyone loves a contest…and we want to celebrate the launch of our latest online product Organizing the Bedroom – From Cluttered Nightmares to Sweet Dreams Set with a contest…so we can share the product love. So here is how it goes.

What you’ll win

The Organizing Your Bedroom- From Cluttered Nightmares to Sweet Dreams Set

Set Includes:

-5 minute video SHOWING you the Basics of organizing.
-12 minute video that will empower you to Conquer the Closet and Bedroom CLUTTER.
-11 pages of worksheets giving you 4 decision making tools that will help you make quick work of purging the clothing of days gone past.
-30 tips to make your bedroom, your teen’s bedroom or the baby’s bedroom a restful haven.
-Instant access to help…this package comes as a download. No waiting for something to arrive in the mail weeks after you wanted the help

PLUS…as an added goodie…BONUSES that includes organizing help from industry experts, these are also downloads so you will have them immediately also;
Bonuses Include:

Tracey Foulkes - Get Organised Starter Pack,
Marlo Nikkila- How To Live a Clutter Free Life: Audio & Companion Guide,
Alex Fayle - Dream Factory Worksheet,
Ramona Creel -10 Easy Ways to Organize Your Home eBook,
Peggy Porter – 3 Essential Key to Mom Entrepreneur Success.

Plus Plus…..A 30 minute one-on-one Conquering Closet Clutter session with me…Elaine Shannon, The Empress of Inspiration. I will provide you with customized organizing ideas for your Bedroom or Closet. I will do this over skype so I can see your closet or through pictures that you e-mail me ahead of time….

How to Enter

Write one paragraph about your biggest Home Organizing Challenge and post it on your blog, facebook or twitter account and here on this post.

In your paragraph mention “ I just entered the Conquering Bedroom/Closet Clutter Contest with Organizing Connection” and add a link in your paragraph back to our website at www.organizingconnection.com/contest

Then add your entry to this blog post. If you do not have a blog, facebook or twitter account you may just post your entry here.

Contest Rules

The contest begins Tuesday September 29th 10:00 am EST and ends Monday October 5th at 10:00 pm EST.

You must enter comments here before the deadline to qualify for prizes.

Five winners will be chosen at random from the comments on this post.

The contest is open to EVERYONE.  Winner will be contacted by Organizing Connection to schedule your free session and to receive your prizes.

But you can’t get to the Closet?

Do you find yourself saying…“I’ll just move this ‘stuff’ so I can get to that ‘stuff ‘…and then I will put it back later.

Are you tired of playing this game of ‘Find the Closet – Lose the Floor’ ?

Can’t find anything to wear in the morning…kids can’t find anything?

Are you Ready to embark on a new mission in life – one we like to call “sweet dreams”

Today we are launching our ‘Organizing Your Bedroom’ set and to celebrate we are sharing with you the #1 SECRET to Organizing your closet…and that SECRET can be used in the whole bedroom…even the whole house.

It is a Secret that Professional Organizers use everyday with their clients. We are going to Reveal it to you Today!

Are you ready to make a change? Do you want to know the #1 SECRET TO ORGANIZING YOUR CLOSET…

Does this scene look and feel familiar?

Looking for something different for your life? Mornings that inspire Sweet Dreams…
Stay tuned…On Tuesday September 22nd the #1 SECRET to conquering the clutter in your Closet will be revealed….and you can JOIN the ORGANIZING Revolution!

Organizing The Bedroom- From Cluttered Nightmares to Sweet Dreams Video Set DOWNLOAD