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Wednesday, April 30 2008
I was networking recently at the Women's Business Expo at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown and met two women who have begun a website called Busy Bee Lifestyle. They post inspiring ideas for entertaining, decorating, shopping and more.
This week's Quick Tip For A Better Space is an exerpt from an article they posted on their site www.busybeelifestyle.com which I believe will be very helpful to you. With their permission, I am submitting to you the following:
CREATING A FIVE STAR GUEST ROOM
Whether you have one bedroom designated as a guest room or you bunk guests in one of your kid's bedrooms, it is important to create a welcoming space!
If you have a separate guest room, make sure the sheets and blankets are freshly laundered. Stack towels along with extra pillows and blankets, purge the closet of your own clutter and add lots of attractive hangers, fill a basket with all of those mini toiletries from hotel stays and set out a few fun magazines and good books, making sure there is adequate light for reading. Why not add a few finishing touches such as fresh flowers, a scented candle, a carafe for water and a small dish of candy or mints?
When a child's room serves double duty for guests, consider putting together a "guest room kit". Use a large wicker basket to hold linens, towels, toiletries and the additional items listed above. Keep this basket stocked at all times and dedicate the contents for guest use only. This way, your lucky guests won't end up sleeping on those Disney sheets!
If you are interested in creating a more elaborate guest room, check back next week for some more ideas!
So, why not undertake that guest room makeover today and be ready for visitors tomorrow!
For more information and assistance on any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and create A Better Space for you.
Have a great week!
Thursday, April 24 2008
It is so beautiful and warm out today it reminds me that Summer is just around the corner and we will all begin spending more time outside, whether we're swimming, having picnics, barbecuing.
Coincidentally, I received this helpful tip which I would like to pass onto you to make those times outside more enjoyable.
It's from someone who was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared.
The next year this person filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around his seat whenever he saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well.
It worked at a picnic where they sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby.
During the summer, he doesn't leave home without it.....Pass it on.
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Someone else tried this on their deck and around all of their doors. It worked - in fact, it killed the mosquitos instantly. They bought a bottle. It doesn't cost a lot. It also doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle, too; so it is not as expensive to use as the can of spray you buy that doesn't last 30 minutes.
The Listerine spray will last a couple of days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames, and even inside the dog house.
WHAT A GREAT TIP! If you have any you'd like to share, send me an email and I will post it on this blog for all to see!
I think we can all agree that Listerine can make your place A BETTER SPACE.
For more information and assistance on any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and create A Better Space for you.
Have a great week!
Monday, April 14 2008
Enough about taxes already! Hopefully you can put them behind you until next year at this point and move on to more important things. However, keeping in the same vein, a few Quick Tips for A Better Space when it comes to storing Appliances Warranties is worth mentioning.
When you purchase something that is covered by a warranty, tape or staple the receipt to the inside cover of the owner's manual, and write the date the warranty will expire on the cover, preferably in red.
For example, your mixer might have a 5 year warranty, so just add 5 years to the date of purchase and write that in red on the cover. Then, if something breaks, you can quickly see (without trying to read the fine print and the faded receipt) if the item is still covered.
In addition, I suggest storing the owner's manuals in a 3 ring binder with plastic pockets, near the point of the product's use.
For example, all kitchen appliances, such as the coffee maker, microwave, etc., can be put into a binder in the kitchen near your cookbooks. Another binder in the garage can have the manuals for the lawnmower, the leaf blower, and other garden and yard tools.
For major appliances that will stay with the house if and when you sell, can be filed in a folder in your file cabinet, so you can pass them onto the new owners.
The new owners will be so thankful to know when the furnace, water heater, alarm system, etc., were installed, and who did it. It can make it much easier to know where to get the right replacement parts, who to get for service, and so on.
Hope these Quick Tips help! Let me know what you think!
If you have any suggestions of your own, send them to me and I might use them in future blogs to share with others.
For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.
Have a great week!
Wednesday, April 02 2008
I know I don't usually blog about anything other than organizing, but, today I couldn't resist sharing this with you. I received it from a friend:
"A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, 'Who would like this $20 bill?'
Hands started going up.
He said, 'I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.
He then asked, 'Who still wants it?'
Still the hands were up in the air.
Well, he replied, 'What if I do this?'
And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.
'Now, who still wants it?'
Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.
It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special - Don't EVER forget it."
I hope you find inspiration in this, as I did.
Wishing you an organized and productive day!
Tuesday, April 01 2008
Starting today, April 1st, for 7 days straight, I plan to do a spring organizing and/or spring cleaning project each day. Here's what's on my agenda...
DAY 1 Begin outside clean up, including getting rid of any leftover winter brush, snipping dead branches from plants to get them ready for the warmer weather ahead and sweeping the walkway and driveway.
DAY 2 Put away any winter clothing for the season that is still in our closets, and bring out our spring and summer wardrobes. Iron anything that requires it.
DAY 3 Begin sorting through the outdoor toys (including sports equipment, skate boards, bicycle, etc.) from last year and determine what my son has outgrown and will no longer be using. I will create a list of a few items to supplement to provide him with items that are more age appropriate for this year.
DAY 4 Clean areas in our house that get neglected most of the year, such as the tops of our high cabinets, under the fridge and the bookcase shelves (empty, dust, and return all books again).
DAY 5 Begin to plan our family’s summer vacation for the end of August. By reviewing our budget and discussing ideas with the family, we will formulate a vacation plan so we will be ready when the end of summer comes around. (It arrives before you know it!)
DAY 6 Empty the fridge and freezer and clean them out before returning our perishables back inside. Also, defrost the freezer we keep in our garage.
DAY 7 Although I belong to a homeowners association, I suggest making arrangements for your summer help, including the lawn mowing service, and grass, tree and plant service. Check the outdoor furniture that was left out over the winter to see if it needs any repair (mine is made of wrought iron and might need to be repainted). It’s also a good time of year to make an appointment to have the car detailed.
By the end of these 7 days, I know we'll feel great and a lot will be complete and we can enjoy the Spring!
For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.
Have a great week!
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