Mini-Kitchen Makeover With Pink Appeal January 26, 2012

More in the kitchen series: Yes, technically a this is also a kitchen, but for very small cooks.  And very pink.

Have you ever seen two little girls play in the Pottery Barn Kids store in the kitchen section?  Let me tell you, I thought I would not be able to get my girls out of there recently.  But for $700, there better be a real stainless refrigerator in that set, right??

Pottery Barn Kids Retro Kitchen

Kitchen Remodel for a Screaming Ugly Kitchen

When I had the chance to pick up a really sturdy wood construction three-piece kitchen for just $10 at a recent consignment sale, I couldn’t pass it up.  But, boy, was it ugly.  Purple, deep pink, and a shade of blue that made my eyes hurt.

Still, I could tell this was worth remodeling.  The girls got to play with them for a couple of weeks, then down to my workshop they went.  There were some details I liked, including the foil burners on the stove…

And some details I didn’t like, as in the unfinished backs and interiors.

Even though it’s miniature, this kitchen paint job starts like any other.  With a simple step, you can avoid this mistake: properly prepare oil paint surfaces.  Use this tip to tell if you have latex or oil paint on your existing surface.

Color Choices for a Super Cute Kitchen Remodel

Then primed, lightly sanded between coats, and rolled on two coats of Sherwin Williams Impatiens Petal SW 6582.  Picking this shade might have been the hardest part of the project, but luckily, I am an expert at picking Color with No Regrets.

It always amazes me how bad the primer coat looks. I’m showing you this just in case you want to paint your real cabinets.  Remember to use a good quality roller and sand in between coats to remove any fuzzies that are left behind by the roller.

I decided not to mess with the attached kitchen faucet on my set, and I saved a few bucks by spray painting the handles a stainless steel finish. There were two different sets of hardware here, but it didn’t make sense to spring for the $20 bucks for new hardware.  Remember, the whole set only cost $10 to start.

Kitchen Remodel: The Big Reveal

I was able to finish and bring the kitchen back upstairs a week before Christmas.  The girls love it.  Last week I thought one of the clients who visits my home office was going to rush over and get caught up in kitchen play when she saw it. I originally wasn’t going to keep all three pieces, but once they were done, the girls loved it so much that the whole set ended up in our living room instead of the play room.  How could we not keep them all?

Santa (aka Nonni) did come through with the actual Pottery Barn tea kettle that makes boiling and pouring noises.  At $40, it cost more than the kitchen and all the remodel supplies together, but it is the splurge that makes our little play kitchen irresistible.

I especially love that the backs and insides of all the pieces are finished now.  Thank you, IKEA, for such cute play fruit. And I love that the kitchen is actually storage as well.  The dishes and food are always stored inside the three pieces.

All in all, for the few hours of work it took to bring this retro kitchen up to speed, I can say that it was SO worth it!  This is a kitchen set that I am happy to have in my home for the next few years.  And I’ve even happier to have “saved” $680 versus the other kitchen.  The girls seem to love it, too.

And yes, in case you are wondering, the painting process I followed here or a cabinet paint product would work just as well for your real wood cabinets, in pink or any other color.

Kitchen Remodel: What Would You Do? January 24, 2012

Thanks for hanging with me on my kitchen series.  And now a shameless plug.  If you haven’t already registered for the now famous Dump and Run Kitchen Strategies Organizing Class on February 11, please do so right now.  It’s coming up quick.  This is the yummiest organizing class you’ll ever attend.  And SOOOO practical.  I’ll show you how to keep your family fed with cheap, healthy, tasty meals that I spend about 10 minutes a day preparing in my crock-pot.  You get to come, make your own crock-pot meal, and take it home to eat that night.  We oversold last year, but I won’t do that again this year, because there are only so many chairs in my house.  Hear what one person had to say last year and sign up now.  This weekend I made sausage and peppers in about 5 minutes, and it fed us for two days. 

If you come to the class, you’ll also get to peek in my pantry, get organizing ideas for your own drawers, and see my kitchen…Ah yes, we’re back to the kitchen blog series.

What would you do if this were your kitchen remodel?

I’ve been grappling with my kitchen for some time now.  It’s a nice kitchen, but not great.  My hundred year old home was not built with today’s family or designs in mind. Here is the current footprint before the remodel.

I know this kitchen has been remodeled once, because we actually have the very cool original blueprints framed and hanging in our living room and the paperwork on the cabinet refacing that was done 15 years ago.

Galley Style

Here’s my problem.  My husband and I are super frugal people.  We weren’t always this way, but by making very frugal choices over the years, we’ve been able to enjoy some really great things, like peace of mind, and career changes without fear. So now, when we’ve been blessed to move to a great house in a fabulous location, we’ve decided to make some changes to our dated kitchen.  It’s not a horrible, completely ugly kitchen.  It’s just a little dated.  It has its problems.

• We butchered the laminate counter when we replaced the stove a few years ago.
• The eat in area is just big enough for our table, but not big enough for more than two people.
• The walk-in pantry is just steps outside the kitchen, in the dining room.
• There is a ton of wasted space above the laundry, which is in the kitchen behind the fridge, in this picture.
• The galley style is not my favorite layout.
• The laminate cabinets are a bit dated, but not completely ugly, and could be improved, perhaps, by Cabinet Transformations.
• Our “mudroom” is 6 coat hooks and a shoe-bench at the end of our counter.
• Crumbling walls behind the cabinets and a direct vent to the outside behind the microwave create a constant draft.
• But the biggest problem is the wall that separates the back staircase from the kitchen.  I can envision this wall GONE< GONE< GONE, and visually expanding the kitchen by about 8 feet.

But there is a lot of good about our kitchen, too:
The durable vinyl flooring was installed immediately before we bought the house four years ago, and wears great.

The layout is adequate, and all the cabinets are sturdy.

There is plenty of cabinet and counter space.

The taxes on our old home appear to be very low compared to newer construction in the area. A remodel would jack up the taxes. Yuck.

The Choice for Our Kitchen Remodel

So I am currently faced with some options.  A minor kitchen remodel would include the following:

New Cambria engineered stone counters.  Maybe I’ll do a post later on why granite is not the best choice for a kitchen remodel.

Stylish new backsplash

Side panel on the dishwasher, providing support for the new counter and separation from the stove

Patch behind the microwave, closing up the vent flap, and stuff insulation behind the cabinets before the new counter top goes on

New sink, disposal, and faucet

New electrical outlets and new under cabinet LED lighting.

This option would take about a week to complete, but I’d only be out of service for the day they install the new counter.

The major kitchen remodel would be a total gut.  Here’s one version of the new floor plan.  See the big mass in the middle?  That is a big honking 12′ island with no wall in the middle, that allows me to keep my laundry in the kitchen and even add cabinetry.

• The major change would be removal of the wall behind the washer/dryer, opening up the kitchen for a humongous island.
• We’ll either need to live with a bar height island or purchase a smaller washer/dryer to accommodate a standard height island.
• We will need to relocate the current powder room to the current pantry, which will allow us to have a more traditional commode AND sink.  (Woohoo!  A sink in the bathroom?  Apparently an option one hundred years ago.)
• We will have to get all new flooring, which means we may as well remove the 3 cast iron radiators and install radiant heat flooring, which means we have more room for cabinets.
• We will gain visual access to the two windows, now currently in the powder room and rear hallway.
• We will gain insulation!!!!!
• We would definitely gain the WOW factor.

We would be out of service completely for 6-8 weeks.  With toddlers.  Who eat 6 times a day.  And access to our basement is through the kitchen, which means we’ll be limited to accessing that space (where I store many of my work supplies) sparingly.

Did I mention we’ll be down a kitchen for 6-8 weeks?  With toddlers.

But, we’d end up with a dream kitchen.  Here’s my inspiration.  This kitchen is on the website of one of my favorite builders, http://ciprianiremodelingsolutions.com .

Dreamy.

What would you do?  Obviously, there is also a major price difference, but the frugal choices we’ve made up to now mean we’re not especially pressured financially.  I just have to find somewhere else to hang out for 6-8 weeks besides the kitchen.  With two tiny eating machines in the house. OK, I’ll admit, I eat constantly, too.

Do I just shelve the whole idea of a kitchen remodel for 4 more years until they are in school and out of the house much of the day?  Has anyone else lived through this?  Want to talk me into a position?  Come to the Dump and Run class on February 11, make your case, and leave with your dinner.

Do nothing for 4 years, then dream kitchen?

Minor kitchen remodel now and dream kitchen later?

Major kitchen remodel now?
Move?  (Do not give my hubby one more reason to hang out on Realtor.com!)

What would you do?  I’d love to hear.

Kitchen Remodel vs. Facelift January 19, 2012

Did you know that Remodeling Magazine produces a helpful Cost Vs Value report every year helping homeowners to determine the relative value of their home remodeling projects?  One interesting fact is that a “Minor Kitchen Remodel” has typically recouped greater (72%) return on investment (ROI) over a “Major Kitchen Remodel” at 66%.  Those numbers have been consistent for at least the years I’ve been watching them.  So when another mom friend with two children about the same ages as mine was asking my advice on updating her kitchen, I asked her to seriously consider what the advantages to complete gut would be over a cosmetic remodel.

In the end, she decided to go with a minor remodel, updating the oak cabinets and oddly added crown molding with an antique cream finish.  She used the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations product that has been getting some attention over the last year.

We both love this outcome because they saved a ton o’ money, and because their perfectly solid oak cabinets are still in use, not in the landfill.  And, check out how the paint unified the crown molding, and made it look like it belongs to the cabinets.

She’s currently working on painting the island and swapping out the island counter for something a bit more updated.  But, wow, what a great transformation!  And I love the new cabinet pulls.  Great choice, for a bit of contrast.

Here’s what she said about the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation product:  It took me about 1 week  to do, mostly while the kids were sleeping.  It isn’t hard, just very time-consuming.  The kit said it would only take 2 coats of the base coat, but it actually took me 3.  It is totally well worth it in the end.  My only minor concern is durability.  I noticed a couple of chip on the cabinet by the trash can…..it is very easy to touch up though.  I will say that I did drop a few of the cabinet doors on the garage door when I was trying to carry them in the house to reassemble.  Amazingly, they were okay!  Last night I started the island.  I was waiting to figure out what color but I ended up doing it the same color.  I didn’t feel like getting a new kit for an accent color since this is temporary.  All in all, it only took me 1 large kit to do the kitchen.

This would also be a great, economical option for staging an older home to sell.  This antique cream finish is very current.

If you have any questions about doing this kind of project, or any firsthand experience with this product, I would love to hear it.

Seven Easy Steps for an Organized Life this New Year January 18, 2012

I was asked recently what I do, as a professional organizer, at the New Year to keep my life organized.  I’m not talking about resolutions, because we know how I feel about those.  No, I mean, what kinds of things do I do to keep life running smoothly?  Do I do anything differently because I am supposedly super organized?  You’ll have to let me know if any of these happen at your house. None of these are carved in stone, but they tend to happen.

1.  I set up a tax file for the current new year.  It’s empty for a while, but it’s there.

2. I put out new tooth brushes for everyone in the family.

3. I usually start some new DIY home improvement project after the Christmas decorations come down.  This year, it looks like my office is getting a facelift.  Yeah!  More to come on that.

4.  I take a look at my car registration and inspection sticker, because one year I did go an entire month with an expired sticker, without a ticket.

5.  My dear hubby goes on a buying spree.  Very frugally, he goes and outfits himself with all new socks, undershirts, new tennis shoes, and various wardrobe staples. They aren’t fancy or expensive, and he’s definitely worth it. He uses the one in-one out rule, and turns all the old ones into dusting rags.

6.  I check my calendar (this year, it’s completely electronic) and make sure all of my monthly meetings and recurring appointments are on it.

7 . I usually skip a couple of weeks of groceries, instead eating up the staples to the back of the pantry and the bottom of the freezer.

If you are taking inventory of your pantry, please consider joining me for my organizing by Crock-Pot class on February 11.  Seats are filling, so please register now.  It’s tons of fun, and all new recipes this year.  You’ll pick your recipe starting next week, so please grab your seat before it’s sold out.

Six Signs Your Kitchen is Outdated January 17, 2012

And so it begins.  I thought it was high time I did a kitchen series.  I’ll be sharing some of mine and others.  Here’s a few easy ideas to start out with.  Stay tuned for the next couple of weeks.  If you haven’t subscribed to the blog yet, what are you waiting for?  Look over to the side here and click subscribe, and get the goods immediately.

Even if your kitchen really is “experienced,” it doesn’t have to look old.  We don’t all have a big budget for major renovations, but these six easy and affordable fixes can ensure that your kitchen functions well and looks good, too.

1. A microwave sitting on the counter is not only a dead giveaway to the time since your last upgrade, it’s also a pretty easy fix. By moving it to where it belongs, within the line of upper cabinetry, it will expand the size of your kitchen by two and a half feet, at least on the countertop.  You probably have a hood above your range that holds a fan and light, which your new microwave will also have.  For about $200, you can get a nice microwave that has features such as the all important magic popcorn button.  For a little more, you can get the wonderful convection feature, that expands your cooking range, even browning meats and cooking breads without turning them to rubber.

2. If your fridge is over ten years old, not only will a new one provide a style update, but an energy lift as well.  According to one source, an older refrigerator might be costing you from $100/year to $280/year to operate than a newer model.  Replacing it with an energy efficient model can pay for itself in just a couple of years.

Want to see the other four? Check out the full article originally published at AboutOne.com.

Photo Credits:  ©HeartWork Organizing

SMART Goals in the New Year January 10, 2012

Resolutions stink.  The new year holds so much promise, I hate to think about mucking it up with resolutions that most of us break before the New Years noisemakers are put away. Franklin Covey compares how resolutions have changed over the last ten years that they’ve been tracking them.  My goal to improve my overall health is in line with the third most popular resolution.

So here’s a shocker.  This year, I’ve got a 30-day January goal, because I know I can be succesful for 30 days without setting myself up for resolution failure. I’m going to try to tame my sweet tooth, which gets really fierce at 3 pm and 8 pm.  So, no more candy and yucky carb binges at these key times.

Thirty days.  This is do-able.

The best tool I know of to help increase the chance of success is SMART.  SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Applicable, Realistic, and Time-bound.  Instead of a vague wish to eat healthier, here is my plan:

Specific

Eliminate afternoon and evening sugar binges.  Fruit will replace the junk.  When I just need to keep my mouth busy, I’ll pop some Trident.

Measurable

This is a binary function.  I either do or don’t indulge on a daily basis.  But I’m not cutting out all sweets, just binges.  You know what I mean.  (Crud, when is Girl Scout Cookie season??? I may be in trouble already.)

Applicable

I’m not trying to lose weight, although that may happen.  I’m trying to improve my health overall, even out my energy levels through the day, and improve my oral health.  Candy can be hard on your teeth.

Realistic

I’ve loved sweets all my life, so I’ve got to have alternatives on hand, because a total swearing off just won’t work.  Did you read this month’s Getting It Together newsletter for my roasted vegetable recipe? Today’s pot of roasted veggies included:

white potatoes

carrots

onions

garlic cloves

yellow pattypan squash

broccoli

white button mushrooms

 Here’s what one of my readers had to say, just today:   I love reading your newsletter; you always have a good story and some timely advice.  This month you also had a wonderful recipe that I made and loved.!  I couldn’t believe how tasty the veggies were, and they required so little preparation.  Very healthy too!  Thank you for the recipe!

Time bound

A 30 day moratorium is reasonable.  I figure I can do anything for 30 days.

Experts agree that accountability also drastically improves the chances of succeeding in your goals.  So now that I’ve told a few of my favorite friends what I’m up to for the new year, it was really hard to give in and mess up today.  I ended up with just two small squares of chocolate and a handful of honey roasted peanuts, and that was mostly because I had a bad start to the day by accidentally skipping breakfast.

I hope you’ll let me know what you are up to this New Year, so we can support each other.  If you haven’t written it down, use SMART to guide your planning.

Get Organized. How Long and How Much Will It Take? January 5, 2012

There are three questions everyone wants to know about my projects:

How long did it take?

Did they keep it looking fabulous after you left?

How much did it cost?

It’s the New Year, and everyone wants a fresh start, so I thought you would just love to see this little project that a client and I completed between Christmas and the New Year.  His goal was to clear out the space so he could do something with it, maybe create a much needed home office office down the road.

Knowing that paper takes the longest to organize, we contracted to go through the paper and purge unwanted furniture and items.

This is a third floor bedroom/dormer space that was already finished, but being used to store tubs of paper and household cast-offs.  This picture shows just half of it.

Here’s the other half.

So how long did it take to get this organized? Remember, there are five steps to getting organized (as always, with a nod to Julie Morgenstern’s great book, Organizing From the Inside Out):

1. Sort
2. Purge
3. Arrange/Analyze remaining items
4. Containerize
5. Establish a maintenance plan

We planned on spending about 8 hours, and we spent about two hours longer than that.  And that is only because we went shopping, bought a new desk and file cabinet, and put them together. The client got way more than he bargained for!  Here they are, on day 2, the final day of the project.

And the other side of the room. You can see the new file cabinet hiding back in the corner. Yes, the client went through all the paper that you see in the before photos, and what didn’t get shredded or recycled got divvied up into the three small but sturdy drawers. There was a lot of recycling out at the curb the next day.

And to help with containerizing, we added two bookcases,

and we reset the bookcase that was already there.

Now this office really works. And we did all of this, just the two of us, in just a few hours over two days. So that answers the first question.

Will he keep it fabulous and organized now?  Probably.  He now has places to put household papers, his own personal paper retention guidelines, and a real desire to use this space for work instead of storage.  Most of all, he has systems with the file cabinet, the bookcases that store books, and the one bookcase that holds his office and teaching supplies.

And how much did it cost?  Well, in round numbers, it was around a thousand bucks for the services and the new furniture.  My organizing projects themselves start at $350.  This guy will probably deduct all of this as a business expense.  Smart move.

He said to me, “We got more done in 4 hours than I have gotten done up here in the last 5 years.”

Aw, shucks, that’s what I love to hear!

I hope this gives you some real inspiration for your winter organizing project.

What space are you ready to tackle?

Forget Resolutions: Do This One Thing and Sleep Easier January 2, 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

And, by the way, forget the resolutions.  Who ever thought up that idea, anyway?

But here is one thing you can do in three minutes or less that can make a real difference for you this year.  Not kidding.  Right now.  Read this, and then run to find your nearest file folder, oversized envelope, or empty box.  Yes, you can even repurpose a gift box if you need to.

Label this folder, oversized envelope, or gift box with a thick, dark marker:  TAXES, 2011.

Set this folder, envelope, or box aside in your home office, or near where you process your mail.  If you share your home, let your spouse know where this is and what it is for.  Start filling it with items you might need to file your taxes this year.  You’ll start gettting these items in mid-January, possibly through February.  You might already have a few receipts or pages to add right now.  But if not, you’ll find them over the next few weeks.  When you find stuff that is or might be tax related, just pop it in here without worrying about organizing it.  Get something in email that you might need?  Save your sanity today by actually printing it out and popping it in the safe spot you just created.  Do you run a small, disorganized business from home?  Start pulling all of your records together now, and you’ll have what you need come crunch time.

Important tax records include W2′s, 1099′s, receipts for charitable gifts and donations, 529 records (contributions or expenses), end of year banking statements, refinance records, energy-saving home improvement records from the past year, and, of course, any unreimbursed work expenses.  If you aren’t sure whether it might be tax-related, pull out last year’s (2010) tax return and use that as a guide.

Don’t organize this stuff until you get ready to prepare your taxes; you are weeks away from that.  Right now, you are just trying to corral the little buggers that you’ll need for your 1040.

There.  Done.  You’re all organized, and it’s only day 2 of the new year.  Good for you!

 

 

Copyright (c) <a href=’http://www.123rf.com’>123RF Stock Photos</a>

How to Remove a Hard Drive December 29, 2011

If you are about to recycle or donate a desktop or laptop computer, watch this video first and learn how to remove your hard drive.

Even if you want to donate your computer to a refurbishing organization, remove and destroy the hard drive, because sensitive personal data CAN be retrieved from a hard drive that has been erased by a magnet or a software program.

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Decorating Bookshelves December 27, 2011

Your bookshelves can say a lot about you, if you know how to decorate them.  For inspiration with your bookshelves, look no farther than your favorite accessories or favorite accessory store.  That’s right, don’t limit yourself to books on your bookshelves.   Read the full article and use these bookcase decorating principles to create a bookcase you’ll love using things you probably already own.

Go from this:

How to Decorate Bookcases- Before

Decorate Bookcases with Style- AFTER

Bookshelves Need Focal Points

Decorate Bookshelves with Room to Breathe

Play with Color

Stack and Stand

Relax

Add Lighting

Fill In Around the Edges

Whether you have a bank of built-ins, a stand-alone bookcase, or a few shelves to play with, arranging your bookcases with accessories you may already own can add miles of style to your home.  Read the full article for more on how to decorate bookcases.

Originally published in About One.

Photo Credits © HeartWork Organizing

Critter Control for Family Outings December 22, 2011

My little peanuts don’t like to leave the house without their friends.  On any given day, we might leave the house with a dog, cat, bunny, unicorn, or even Elmo.  On our recent trip to Sesame Place, I was especially worried that our escorts for the evening, Elmo and Kitty, might get lost.

Using a label maker, you can use my method to keep your critters safe. I created an extra special name tag bracelet for both animals by adding a few extra spaces before and after my cell phone number on our favorite pink label tape.  The tape overlapped on to itself and stayed on each critter’s paw for the night. See the pink bracelet on his right leg, below?

If one of the animal’s had been lost, there would have been no problem contacting us. Just be sure to clip the special bracelet off when you return home, since label tape isn’t something you want in a crib with a toddler.

I hope this little tip helps you prepare for your next outing with your entourage.

Second Chance Decorating December 21, 2011

Everyone deserves second chances, and that goes for good vintage furniture, too.  There’s something amazingly satisfying about repurposing something into a beautiful redesign.  Even if they aren’t old enough to be antiques, they are usually better quality that some items we find on the market today. When there is a chance to give a great piece a second life, and maybe save a few bucks, I’m all over it.

(If you find this post and the blog interesting, please click over on the side on the Subscribe button.  You’ll get fresh posts sent to your email or RSS feeds (your choice) as soon as they are hatched.)

This recent living room makeover is a great example.  If you didn’t see it, check out the wide shots of the room in the December 2011 newsletter.  Here are four of the items in the room, made over to be the perfect fit for the owner’s style.

We spent 6 hours hunting for the perfect sofa.  Would you believe we found it?

Are ya lovin’ it?  Trust me, despite the very, very pink exterior, the interior of this sofa is wonderful.   Full of feathers and the most comfortable sofa I’ve sat on in ages, the client got a steal at just $125.  Wanna see the after?

The beauty, of course, is that frame will likely outlast the slipcover, which can be changed in the future.  But it can also be washed, if need be.  Your regular  showroom sofa can’t pull that trick.

Then we we found a few other funky items, one of which captured my imagination.

This floor lamp has bamboo-styled legs, which is a detail that I love in small doses.  But the brass trim was beaten up and the shade was a complete wreck.  Would you look twice at this beauty?

Several coats of black enamel were all it took to restore this lovely lamp.  Did I mention she was only $20 bucks to start?  And now nestled between two gorgeous, colorful and comfy chairs, she’s the perfect lamp table for the reading nook.

Here’s another transformation waiting to happen.  When I found these two club chairs and matching ottoman for only $150, I didn’t let the little bit of surface wear and ink stains throw me off.  You know there is a color change coming, right?

With my favorite instant makeover tool, high quality stretch slipcovers, and a bit of work in the background, these “new” chairs fit right in.

The last of the second chances I’ll show you here is a bright pop of color.  With just a teensy bit of repair, we repurposed this old chest into the room’s coffee table.  If I told you I was bringing a beat up old orange trunk into this room with a grand piano, would it make sense?  But this one, which once might have been a foot locker or fishing tackle storage for all I know, looks right at home in this warm place for one of my favorite families to gather.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these items we used in this second chance decorating project.  Are there vintage items in your home or at your local thrift shop that can be fabulous with just the right touch?

7 Organizing Tips for Medical Records at Year End December 20, 2011

Near the end of the year, you may be thinking about clearing out your medical savings account, organizing medical paperwork for tax time, and scheduling year-end medical appointments.  Do you know the rules?

Read the full article on how to use these seven tips to organize medical records and expenses.

1.  Will your medical expenses be tax deductible?

2.  Do you have a medical savings account or flex-spending account (FSA)?

3.  Have you used up your medical savings account or FSA?

4.  Are you saving Explanation of Benefits (EOBs)?

5.  Have you stashed away medical articles?

6.  Still looking for receipts that might be tax-deductible?

7.  Did you develop a chronic condition this year?

Not sure of the answers?  Read the full article on organizing medical records, originally published in About One.

Have you started getting organized for tax season?

Photo Credit:  Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

How to Decorate an Office for the Holidays December 15, 2011

If you want to stick with traditional, use on hand materials to customize office decorations.

Decorating an office for the holidays can put co-workers, employees and customers in festive spirits without feeling commercialized.  You can use these same tricks to make your home decorating beautiful and personal.  I like to keep it as green as possible, as affordable as possible, customized, and classic.  Click here for the full article on how to decorate your office this year, or use these same easy principles to decorate for any holiday.

You can step outside traditional red and green to create custom decorating themes for an office.

Whatever you do to decorate your office, enjoy this opportunity to share a bit of your own style for the holidays.

This post originally published in About One.

 

 

 

Make Room by Making Charitable Donations December 13, 2011

December is the perfect time to get organized.  You may not feel like you have much time, but chances are you can find $50 or $100 or more hidden inside your home in just a matter of minutes.  Here are some ways to do good and do right by your home at the same time.

Donate Toys

Now is the best time to tackle toys.  Go through the piles of toys with your kids and see what they are willing to part with.  Even if it’s just one or two things, you’ve planted a seed with them that they don’t have to keep everything forever. My four year old and I went through our books this week and decided to part with only three books.  That’s ok for now.

Donate Clothes

Tweaking your wardrobe can be painless.  Keep an extra hamper or shopping bag in your closet for clothes that you’ve outgrown, that are hopelessly out of style, or are beyond repair.  If you have a laundry room, you might keep a donation bag there to catch items before they get put back in closets and drawers. Once a year, or more often, the bag will be ready to take to the car and a donation drop point.

Donate Household Goods

Household and decor items that you aren’t using but are still in good condition can be passed on.  Just because that lamp that you can’t stand doesn’t fit your style, doesn’t mean that a DIY-er like me can’t bring it to life again.

Donate Just a Little

If the thought of making a charitable donation run makes you think BIG ORGANIZING PROJECT, don’t sweat it.  Just set the timer for 15 minutes, grab a box,  and run around your house with an eye to remove one, two or three items from each room.  Removing just one box or bag of unwanted items frees up space in your home and cash in your tax return.

Document Donations Properly

These items can pay you back in cash when you do your taxes.  Read how charitable donations on your taxes work.  Just be sure to document your donation with an itemized list for charitable donations and a receipt from the charity you donate to.  Taking a picture of the donated items if you have an especially large haul is also a good idea to provide even more documentation.

Donate to a Good Cause

Two of my favorite donation points are Goodwill Industries, because they take nearly everything, and Impact Thrift Store, because they will often schedule a pickup to include larger items like furniture.  If you are scheduling a pickup, do it now with plenty of time to get that end-of-year tax write off.

The Skinny on Wood Blinds and Plantation Shutters December 13, 2011

Plantation Shutters in the Kitchen

Wood blinds are a hot item these days. Very trendy and durable. The more upscale trend is plantation shutters. From the street, blinds and plantation shutters can both look very similar. Both are available in real and faux wood. Plantation shutters usually don’t even require top treatments or curtains.  Don’t be afraid of the “faux”.  If you get the better quality from a major manufacturer, you won’t be able to tell the difference between wood and composite materials.

Learn more about the finer points of wood blinds and plantation shutters.  Consider the width, safety features, where to buy, installation and maintenance.  They are in a different class from other window treatments, since they tend to be considered more durable, more neutral, and less dependant on personal tastes like fabric choices are.  An investment in good quality (real or faux) wood blinds and shutters is generally a good investment for your home.

Photo Credits:  ©HeartWork Organizing

Originally published in at AboutOne.

What NOT to Get Me For Christmas December 9, 2011

In the season of gift lists, I wanted to put together a list of things not to get me.  Just for fun. But alas, I haven’t spent that much time looking at the catalogs this year.  But this one special thing caught my eye.

Just in case you are tempted to buy me a leather covered porcupine, armadillo or piglet carafe, please don’t.  I’m sure there is some underprivileged kid who needs it more than I do.

 

Merry Christmas.

Why Women Do What We Do: Praise for The Pregnant Entrepreneur December 8, 2011

Holidays are upon us.  For most people I’ve talked to, things are crazier than ever.  It’s easy to get caught up in the craziness, or to feel overwhelmed by it.  I was having drinks with some  gal pals last night, all extraordinary models of moms in action.  These are the kinds of women who keep the world running quietly in the background for the rest of us. It got me thinking about why we all, especially moms, take on so many roles and activities.

Why I Run Two Businesses

Last year at this time, I was working on the finishing touches for my first book.  The Pregnant Entrepreneur was published this year, and has been a great way for me to offer even more assistance to women and families.  If you wonder about how and why it came about, please read the Pregnant Entrepreneur book review by Nicolette Milholland, Book Bound columnist.  This book isn’t about me, but rather it’s for the next woman who needs to know how to get through nine months with her businesses, finances and dignity intact.

I’m very proud that the book was well received by professional reviewers, including Midwest Book Review, who said this about it.  “Pregnancy doesn’t mean you stop being a businesswoman. “The Pregnant Entrepreneur” is an advisory guide for the recently expecting businesswoman who realizes her endeavors aren’t going to stop for nine months while she deals with the newest entry into her life. From making it so your business runs well when you need to take your leave, to coming back after this tough endeavor, “The Pregnant Entrepreneur” is a strongly recommended business preparation guide for those expectant mothers.”

They Called Me a Mama Mogul!

And the national parenting magazine Pregnancy and Newborn mentioned it in their October issue.

Who Cares About Pregnant Entrepreneurs?

So it turns out that one of the biggest criticisms of my book is that it is marketed too narrowly.  Women who have read it say it provides a lot of good information about staying organized and running a business, even if you aren’t pregnant.  Thankfully, that’s the kind of criticism I can take more of.  If you feel like you just need more entrepreneur stuff and less pregnant, please  go right to www.PregnantEntrepreneur.com and look at the Downloads section.  I’ve published all of the appendixes in the book for everyone to grab, for free.  Yes, even the guys can use some of these tools.

Why Do You Do What You Do?

One of the best pieces of organizing advice ever given is to start with a goal in mind.  Even my hardest case ADD/ADHD clients are excellent at something.  They, and all of us, tend to excel where we feel most motivated and energized.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE to help people get organized because they can accomplish so much more when they aren’t spinning in an overwhelmed state.  I LOVE to help people beautify their homes and offices, because life truly is better when you have a safe, beautiful place to unwind and be with friends. And I love to help other women figure out how to be successful in business.  Because I truly love all these things, I love to spend my time on them, and I get a lot done.

Pay attention to when you are most energized, most animated, and most satisfied.  Chances are, if you can line up your interest, talents and energies, you have a winning combination.

Why do you do what you do?  What would you do if you didn’t have obstacles?  Or if I’ve helped you in some way, what were you able to accomplish when you stopped the “spinning”?

By the way, if there is a woman in your life you are trying to encourage, this might be a good resource for her.  There is still time to order autographed copies as a gift.  Just visit www.PregnantEntrepreneur.com today to place your order (or visit Amazon).

Merry Mail, Or 5 Ways to Organize Mail During the Holidays December 6, 2011

Seriously, if I’m annoyed by the amount of mail I got this week, you probably are, too.  I’ll show you my pile if you show me yours.

 

This pile is from just one day.  There are more than 13 catalogs, and 3 pieces of mail from Comcast alone!

Here are a few tips, good for the holiday season and all year through.

1. Wait to go through your mail until you have a few uninterrupted moments.  Glancing through a stack gives you the false impression that you’ve done something with it. It sends your brain a message that you can move on to other activities, and your unprocessed mail then becomes clutter.
2. Immediately recycle everything that doesn’t require your action.  Here’s where it gets tricky.  Go ahead and put those catalogs in the recycling bin.  WHHAATT???   If you don’t look at them between now and the next recycling day, chances are that Williams Sonoma, LL Bean and Victoria Secret will send you three more by next week.
3. If you receive a charity notice that you intend to donate to, then immediately place the donation request with your bills, since it requires nearly the same actions as bill paying.
4. Define a designated space for your bills.  Ensure that bills have a unique place in your office, on your kitchen counter, or somewhere special.  Ideally, keep your bills standing up vertically, so they aren’t easily covered by tomorrow’s mail.  Paying bills may not be on the top of your list right now, but you don’t want your gift budget to be spent on paying late fees!
5. Be ruthless.  If you aren’t sure if you need to keep something, then don’t keep it.  This is especially true if you know you can request it again from the internet or another source. There are relatively few mail items that are irreplaceable or vital records.

There is a lot to get excited about this time of year, but losing your sanity over mail overload shouldn’t make the list.

Sesame Place is the Christmas Place to Be December 1, 2011

Last week I published some forms I’m using to organize our family’s holiday activities this year. I wanted to make time for special times like our family outing to Sesame Place. We made it to Sesame Place’s a Very Furry Christmas opening night, and I’m thrilled we did.

The park, the only Sesame Street-themed park in the country, is a water park/dry ride attraction during the summer. This is the first year they’ve swapped slides and sprinklers for Christmas trees and twinkle lights. Our favorite characters are still there, and there are four adorable shows to see them in action. Be sure to catch the rock show, and you’ll be dancing along.

I really love that the attraction is unapologetically a Christmas event. I learned about Kwanza and Hanukkah through some of the shows, but there were no watered down greetings or signs saying Happy Holidays. Santa makes a few appearances, but even so the whole event captured the spirit of joy and the true meaning of Christmas

My husband told me to rave about the food. We were thrilled all summer that our season passes got us 30% off at the restaurants. The food was kid friendly but tasty, fresh, and even healthy sometimes. Meal plates are generous, so we usually shared a couple of meals and a salad for the whole family. We had a full dinner for four last Friday night for just under $20.

Saving the best for last, if you go, be sure to get the kettle corn. Yum. Lightly salty, lightly sweet, another good deal at just $6 for a bag that fed all four of us all night. It’s not to be missed. Or if you can’t make it, just order it online. Ooh, this might be a problem for me.

My kids are 2 and 4, but I could see older kids, easily up to 10 years old, enjoying the park, especially for this event. Shoot, even us big girls enjoyed it. Here are some of my mom friends from the Philly Social Media Moms group. Thanks to Sherry Aikens of www.BabyPop.com the photo. That’s me all the way to the right in the big pink scarf.

We had a wonderful time ringing in the holiday season. This might be a new tradition for us. Speaking of traditions, it was a nice place to pick up a tree ornament, something we like to do wherever we vacation throughout the year. We sharpie the date on local themed ornaments, and relive happy memories when we decorate the tree.

We’ve got our Sesame Place season passes for next year, thanks to the 25% off deal available to visitors to the Very Furry Christmas event. Hope to see you there.

Disclosure: We received discounted or free tickets to attend the opening night event, but we highly recommend the season passes, available at smoking deals for everyone.