Thursday, November 13, 2008

I want a messy house too...


...but only if Peter Walsh and the Oprah Winfrey show comes to my house and gives me a FREE organizing and decorating makeover!! How awesome would that be?

Don't you just love organizing shows? I do, I do! Yesterday, Oprah aired a show featuring organizing guru Peter Walsh who launched "Oprah's Clean Up Your Messy House Tour".

So I guess Peter Walsh is leading a convoy of VW bugs around the country for the next six months looking for messy houses to organize and clean up. I've considered messing up my house to see if he'll stop by...Yes, that's a fantastic plan!

Yesterday's show had some really great results (check out Oprah.com) and some fun ideas for displaying and preserving your children's art work. As an alternative to saving every piece of paper your child ever doodles on, take digital pictures of their favorite pieces and make a snapfish book out of them! How clever is that? To entice us all to give it a try, Oprah offered a free snapfish 8x10 photo book to get you started. But you have to move quickly since you have to get your coupon by Friday and redeem it by Sunday!

Oprah's website also has a link for a 20% off coupon at The Container Store which is good for one week. This offer ends Nov. 19th so check out your wish list and see what you need to help you get organized this week. I know I'm going to!

Even better, as part of this "tour" Peter Walsh is sending out a newsletter for the next six months designed to help you declutter. Follow this link to sign up and begin helping yourself!

Now, I have to get going--I have a house to clutter up! ;)

Your Busy Bee Organizer,

Melissa

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Remembering to Recycle


In the course of any organizing project there is always a question raised about what is recyclable and what is not. I thought I would post a great one page sheet that I found on the Fairfax county website that helps you remember what is acceptable recycling material to put out on the curb come recycling day. Keep in mind that this information is for Fairfax County and your county may have different standards.


I'm going to keep my printed out cheat sheet near my trash and recycling bin as motivation to recycle more. I'm also going to go dig out the 6 metal cans I just tossed in the trash last night, clean them and put them in my recycling bin!

Projects

Take a look at some of my organizing success! (Photos and text used with permission.)

Before

Before
Cluttered Desk

After

After
Clean and Clear of Clutter

Chaotic Shelf

Neat and Tidy Home Office

Client Feedback

I work out of a home office without any administrative support. I worked with Melissa to organize both my personal and professional effects as I prepared to relocate. I wish I had done it years ago. While organizing my office and paperwork Melissa identified my natural tendencies and created an organizational structure that was easy for me to maintain. When I began looking for a personal organizer, I mostly wanted someone else to come in and take care of the mess I had allowed to build up over the years. Working with an “uninterested” party during the purging process helped me lighten my load considerably. During the process Melissa provided me with simple intuitive skills that have not only allowed me to maintain my newly found order but help friends and family organize as well. I can honestly say hiring Melissa is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Kelsi Reeves