One of my clients sent me an article by Becky Mansfield ~ founder of Your Modern Family about how clutter in your home and depression go hand in hand. The article mentions that clutter affects our mood and how we feel about ourselves, that essentially, clutter is weighing us down. I could not agree with this more! So why do we hold on to all of this “stuff”? 1) Sentiment 2) Fear of needing it 3) Having back-ups 4) Aesthetics Years ago, I was guilty of points 1 , 2 a

Summer is officially here and as the temperature is rising, eating heavier meals is out and eating fruits and vegetables is in! There is nothing like having a fresh salad or juicy piece of watermelon on a hot summer day. Here are some fruit and vegetable storage tips: 1) Try not to store fruits and vegetables together, many fruits have ethylene gas which can speed spoilage. 2) Hold off washing or cutting produce ahead of time, if necessary for meal prep, dry well and not

It’s been a busy two weeks with spring cleaning, clients and celebrations but now I’m back and it feels good! This week’s organizing tip is – Bookshelves . I for one love and enjoy the feel of books ( you will not convince me to switch to a kindle…ever! ) . I have learned over the years, that as much as I like books, space and the look of my bookshelves are important factors that I think of when I decide which books I really love and want to keep. Here are some tips on how y

Happy Monday! Organizing tip of the week – Paper Mail. One theme that I always see come up amongst clients, family and friends is the accumulation of paper mail in the house. This mostly consists of bills, junk mail and flyers. When I see these stacks of mail overflowing on the desk or table, I ask myself, why do people hold on to their mail? Do we really need extra pieces of paper floating around the house? I think the biggest excuse we say to ourselves is that we’ll get to

Organizing Tip of the Week – To do lists. Long, long ago, when life wasn’t as busy, I used to have mental lists of things I had to do for the day. As I got older, my jobs were more demanding, I was involved in extracurricular activities and it just felt like there was not enough time in the day to accomplish all my to do tasks, I started making lists. I thought it would be a good idea to make lists on my phone, set reminders, and use my calendar. Even with doing all these thi

Organizing tip of the week – Coffee and Tea Station ( or area ) . Two of my favorite moments of the day are when I wake up in the morning and make a fresh cup of coffee ( ah that smell! ) and in the evening when I have my green tea. Here are some tips on creating your own coffee and tea station: 1. Gather all your coffee and tea supplies ( like items go with like items ) , this includes coffee capsules and grains, tea bags and leaves, sugar, honey, French press, tea infu

Organizing tip of the week – De-wrinkle your clothes without an iron. Maybe you don’t have an iron handy or you don’t feel like taking the iron and board out to get the wrinkle that you just noticed out of your shirt. It happens to all of us and sometimes we need a de-wrinkling fix! So here are a couple of tips to de-wrinkle your clothing without an iron: 1) Use a pot to de-wrinkle clothes. 2) Hang your clothes in the shower. 3) Throw ice cubes in the dryer. 4) Use a

Tip of the week – Homemade cleaning products. Have you ever looked at the label of your store-bought cleaning products? Most likely you will see ‘ Hazardous ’ printed somewhere on the back. The biggest benefit of using homemade cleaning products is that they are healthy and safe. With simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, essential oils and lemon you can make different types of cleaners. Click on the picture for Keep of the Home’s simple homemade all-natural cleanin

Organizing Tip of the Week – Packing for a move. It doesn’t have to be that dreadful and with a little preparation, it can even be fun…okay, fun is a strong word here! Let’s begin. 1) Make sure that you decluttered your home and packing only what you need and love. 2) Consider purchasing these packing supplies: Boxes ( purchase, ask your movers or go to the local liquor store ) , sharpie marker or color-coded room stickers, packing paper ( for dishes and breakables ) ,

Organizing Tip of the Week – Pre-moving tips. At least a couple of times in our lives ( probably a lot more! ) we will move from one home to another. It is always good to prepare for the move as far in advance as possible to make the actual move and settling into your new home an easy one. Here are some pre-moving tips: 1) Declutter and get rid of everything you do not need and love. Purge, purge and then purge more! Moving into your new home is the perfect opportunity t