November 7, 2018

What To Do With Your Wedding Dress When Your Children Don’t Want It!

In my profession I have come across many boxed wedding dresses when purging and the same question is often asked from clients “what do I do with my wedding dress my children don’t want it.” I can totally relate to this question because as a woman who will be married 30 years in just a few days that has become my dilemma.

In 1981 Princess Diana married Prince Charles in one of the most elaborate weddings watched by millions on TV. Every girl thought it was the perfect fairy tale wedding and wanted to emulate it, including the famous dress! For the next few years every wedding you went to the bride wore what we called the Princess Di dress. When it came time for me to get married I also wanted that fairy tale wedding dress. The long train, sparkle and of course lots of lace. I know this sounds corny but it was the first dress I tried on and I knew it was THE dress. I tried on others but kept going back to that dress.

Now lets talk about those sleeves! Back in 1988 there were no cell phones, internet or social media so everything you saw was in magazines or on TV which leads me to the puffy sleeves. They were everywhere the bigger the better. You didn’t own something that didn’t have shoulder pads they even sold them separately so you can put them in your clothes!
As my 30th anniversary was approaching I decided to open the box mainly for nostalgia reasons. Was it really that dated? The answer to be honest is yes! The sleeves are still huge and its anything but simple. Then I started doing what most people do I talked about how we can rework the dress if my daughters choose to wear it. We can take the sleeves off remove the extremely large bow off the back and so on. I have a photo of my wedding day in the living room (see below) and many times I gave my  daughters the speech on how we could redesign the dress and they both gave me a look like no were good, but thanks. I even tried to sell them on the veil but no takers. My feelings were not hurt because I realized my daughters will do what I did because times change, fashions change and your taste change.

If your ready to let go of your dress here are some suggestons that might make it easier for you.

Consignment
Do your homework and find out what the dress is really worth. Is it vintage or just dated? Don’t overprice it if you really want to let it go. This site gives you many options if want to consign.

Make Something New Out of Something Old
As the saying goes something old something new and these ideas are perfect to use as something old. Make a sash for the dress the bride chooses, have a piece made to add around the bouquet, make a hankie to tuck in a garter or sew a piece of your dress into the underside of their dress. If you are interested in more ideas check out this link on Pinterest .

Take a Whimsical Photo
I have seen so many great photos of people in their old wedding gowns. Be creative and it will be a lasting keepsake.

Turn Your Memory Into an Heirloom
Fabric from your dress can make a Christening gown for your grandchildren and can be shared for generations.

Donate
I saved this for last because I can here the gasps as I’m writing this. Donating to someone less fortunate will not only make you feel good but it will help someone in need. This site has great information if donation is an option for you. Just think you will be bringing new life back to your old dress and making someone as happy on their day as you were on yours.

Would love to hear any ideas you have to share!

November 5, 2018

How To Organize Toys for Preschoolers

One of the most important things you can teach your children early in life if you take something out when you are finished you put it back. This one lesson taught early can help avoid clutter and battles for you and your children as they grow.

One of my favorite ways to organize kids that are young and can’t read yet is to have pictures for them to identify where things go. As a mom of grown children I love organizing children’s books and toys because it brings back so many fond memories.

If you are ready to tackle the kids playroom follow these simple tips.

Purge items you don’t need or use. The most important step when beginning any organizing project is to purge. We started with the toys and books he had outgrown or doesn’t play with and put away some toys she could bring out later. We also set aside baby items to save if she decided to have another baby.

Sort before you organize. Sorting the toys was the next step to getting organized. We put like things together so I could make a list of what containers I would use and how many I would need.

Measure the space. Measuring although sometimes a forgotten step is crucial to getting the right products to fit a space. This project was all shelving and had great vertical space that we wanted to utilize for stacking containers.

Contain your items. I used these containers from IKEA because they are not only perfect for the space but inexpensive too!

Label the containers. My favorite part are these labels from The Container Store. I have used them before in several homes and garages but I have to say this was so fun and different using pictures as labels. They are self adhesive and come with the paper that slides right into the label holder. This is one item I buy in bulk!

This project was so rewarding especially when my client told me how much her son loved looking at the pictures and knew exactly where everything went.

How do you organize your kids toys?

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October 12, 2018

What Qualifies As Junk And How To Remove It

One question I’m frequently asked is “how do you know what should be donated and what is junk?” I have been a professional organizer for years and I know this can be a real struggle for many people. Part of my job is to help in the decision making process.

These are my five reasons on what makes something junk. Do any of these sound familiar?

Broken Items
Even though you have the best intentions of fixing a broken item it usually never happens and it becomes just another thing taking up space. If you have not fixed something within a reasonable amount of time, its junk!

Outdated Items
One good example of this is outdated electronics. It doesn’t work, can’t be fixed, and is taking up space, its junk.

Too costly to repair
If you want to repair something but it costs as much or more to repair than to replace it, its junk!

Items Ruined by The Elements
If you have boxes in your garage or attic that have been ruined by insects or mildew its junk!

No One Will Take It
Last but definitely not least, if no one and I mean no one wants the item, its junk! If you can’t sell it, donate it, swip swap it, or ebay it I think you see where I’m going with this, its junk!

Now that we determined what is junk the next step, which is very important, is getting rid of the junk. The company I use and recommend is 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. They offer full service junk removal which includes same day service if needed and they will work arond your schedule as an added convenience. They pick up from basement to attic and when everything is gone you get instant clutter free results. All you have to do is point, and the junk disappears! A huge value proposition of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is that the company will also donate items whenever possible, if they are in good condition.

1-800-GOT-JUNK? is also a great alternative to an unsitely dumpster when renovating a home. You will be amazed at how helpful they are in removing outdated items from the areas you are remodeling. You can also avoid all the inconveniences that come with a dumpster removal, as 1-800-GOT-JUNK? will remove all the junk so it doesn’t need to sit in a bin on your property and the team will also take care of all the heavy lifting!

If you are ready to clear the clutter before the holidays now is the perfect time to get started. Use the code SIMPLYNEAT20 for $20 off  junk removal service at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
For complete information on how the magic happens, visit their website.