What Should I Carry In My Wallet?

Click here to watch this great video from DailyCandy. Alexa von Tobel from LearnVest.com tells us what you should carry in your wallet. I need to put a pic of my cat in mine....

Living Better With Less: Reuse What You're About to Throw Out To Organize Your Home

beautiful glass candles:

now as beautiful containers for office supplies or in medicine cabinet:

dry cleaner bags to help handbags keep their shape:

toilet paper rolls to keep utensil tray in place:

Candle Holders as Drawer Organizer and/or To Organize Your Medicine Cabinet

Opt for beautiful glass candles so you can reuse the glass. The smaller ones are perfect for the medicine cabinet for make-up brushes, q-tips, cotton pads, small tubes of whatever. Even in a drawer or on a desk to hold paperclips, push pins, coins, etc.... Once the candle is fully burned, use a butter knife to scrape out as much of the wax as possible. Then use the scrub side of a sponge with soapy water to get the rest of the wax out.

Dry Cleaner Bags to Help Your Bags Keep Their Shape

Your dry cleaner should take back the hangers for reuse, but they won't take the bags so you can use them to pack; click here to find out how; and use them to help care for your handbags. Tie a bag at the end and stuff as many bags as needed inside, then tie it off at the other end (so you only have 1 thing to pull out when you use your bag instead of a flurry of loose bags), and stuff in your handbag to help keep its shape.

Toilet Paper Rolls To Keep Your Drawer Organizer in Place

Toilet paper, paper towel rolls (and/or from a lint roller) keep your drawer organizer in place. Sometimes there's a inch or two left over. Shove the rolls in the back of the drawer to help keep the tray from sliding every time you open the drawer. You may have to fold up and stick one roll inside the other to make it stiff. In the pic above from my kitchen I have several stuffed back there.

Catalogs / Magazines as Boot Shapers

If you don't want to drop $10+ per pair for boot shapers, just roll up one (or a couple) magazines or catalogs that you would have otherwise recycled I hope, and place them in your boots. voilà!

Less Stuff, More Happiness

Couldn't have said it better myself....

Living Better With Less: Clothes

"Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress" - Coco Chanel

Living Better With Less: Buying What Lasts

(photo courtesy of NY Magazine.com)

Wanted to share a snidbit from NY Magazine's interview with Julie Gilhart, former women's fashion director at Barney's. I totally agree with her answer to the following question:

You're a big champion of eco-conscious fashion, but it can be really difficult to convince people to buy something eco-friendly when their top priority is looking good. How do you reconcile that?

Well, it's really about making conscious decisions that aren't wasteful. Like with Lanvin, one of my favorites, there's nothing organic about it. But Alber [Elbaz]'s clothes tend to be very well made, and they never go out of style. So in Lanvin's case, you're buying a jacket that you can wear for years. I have a jacket that I bought that's from 2001, and I'm still wearing it. It's very difficult to buy 100 percent organic or sustainable, but the number one conscious decision is to not buy more than you need, and to buy things that last. If I had a choice to buy a T-shirt that's made in New York City versus a T-shirt that's made in China, and they're very similar, I'm probably going to choose the one that's made in New York, you know? And if I choose the one that's made in China — and that would be because it has a certain look, or a certain fit, or a certain price that's appealing — then I'm going to buy it and keep it and wear it for a long time. It's just about not being wasteful.

Read the entire article here.

Readers Questions: Kicking the Shopping Habit

some pics from my inspiration file:

(paper white, unknown)

(the sartorialist)

(image unknown)

(lake credenza BDDW)

Teresa asks "How did you break your shopping habit? Did you go to Shopaholics Anonymous meetings?"

As you may know, I'm a reformed shopaholic. I spent most of my time shopping, returning, had clothes in the closet never worn or worn only once, never really happy with any of it, would just continue to shop and shop... I didn't go to meetings. Here'e what I did:

About 9 years ago, I made a list of all the things I was unhappy with and wanted to change in my life. Since my home and wardrobe were at the top, I finally had to acknowledge that all these things I was buying weren't living up to the promise of making me happy.

I stopped cold-turkey, challenging myself not to buy anything for an entire month. Instead of shopping, I started to think about what I wanted out of my things. I paid attention when I was tempted to buy to find my triggers. An important lesson was 'just because something is beautiful, doesn't mean I need to buy it'.

Breaking this habit took practice, patience, self-awareness and introspection. It forced me to figure out what I wanted out of life. But by doing that, I now see all things as tools to help me live the life I want to live.

This didn't happen overnight, and it wasn't easy. I still fall into bad habits so I prepared my rules to avoid mistakes. I'm not perfect, and I do at times buy things I shouldn't. I figure out which rule I broke when I bought it, then either return it, sell it or give it away and move on...

The Story of Stuff

I mentioned The Story of Stuff in the last post, but I really wanted to make sure you saw this. It's the back story of where all of our stuff comes from. It's the reason why the term Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is specifically in that order, not just because it sounds good that way. Many people think that recycling is the key to being 'green' but the truth is that while it is an important part of the puzzle, it's the last part:

1. Reduce your consumption is key, then

2. Reuse what you have before buying something new, and as a last resort

3. Recycle whatever you can instead of putting it in the trash

I'm not saying all consumption is bad, but when people think only buying organic, free trade, or things made from recycled materials is NOT the answer. The answer is consuming consciously; think if you really need it, like it, are actually going to use it, and if it will add value to your life. Otherwise, you're still consuming for the sake of it and whatever you buy will eventually be tossed, donated, or recycled again. Personally, I just don't want to have to 'deal' with my things that much. I want to use and enjoy them...

Reader's Questions: My Story of 'Living Better With Less'

I've been working on creating video for the blog but haven't gotten it to the point I'm happy with it so back to posting!!

Amanda asks "I would be interested in hearing more about how you saw the connection between your 'over-shopping' and the sense of order that you have found. Thanks!"

As you may know, while I'm naturally neat and organized, I'm a shopaholic. And while my over-shopping is under control, I have to work to keep it that way. Here's how I did it...

Before I became a PO, living in my first apt, there was a moment I looked around and thought "All these things I buy are supposed to make me happy, but the reality is they don't. I hate my apt; it doesn't reflect me or how I want to live and I'm embarrassed to have friends over. I hate my wardrobe; I don't have a strong sense of style and even though I have lots of clothes, I have nothing to wear. I hate my bank account; it's drained from buying all these things!"

I realized it's not the AMOUNT of things, it's about having the RIGHT things, so I stopped shopping and started thinking. If I could figure out how I want my apartment to look, feel, and function, then I should only take things into my life that help me accomplish that. That 'things' should be seen as tools to help me live the life I want, and not just stuff or buy or fill up a space.

Once I changed the way I saw the things coming into my life, I buy much less, but I also hardly ever return anything (common practice before) and have very little to give away at the end of the year when doing spring cleaning. I have less but love and use just about everything I have!

Living Better With Less... or 'Green' Living

(photo courtesy of UNIFORM natural's flickr)

Although I don't call myself an eco-organizer, eco-friendly, green, or use any other catchy, popular phrases, I promote a sustainable, 'living better with less' lifestyle which is at the heart of environmentalism. I don't think you have to say you're something to be it. I'm not into gimmicks, tricks, or one-size-fits-all answers. I help people change the way they see the things in their life; to see them as tools to help live the life they want, not just consuming for consuming's sake. The term reduce, reuse, recycle is in that order for a reason; recycling isn't the first step, it's the last resort. With my process, reduced, conscious consumption is the end result which is the first and most important step to living a more environmentally conscious life (whether you're looking for that or not).

While there are a ton of obvious ways to be more earth conscious:

• turn off electricity and water when not it's not needed like when you're not in the room!
• take your name off junk mail lists
• don't leave your chargers plugged in when not in use
• use natural cleaning products
• avoid using disposable products; silverware, razors...

Here a maybe less obvious way; watch how much plastic you consume:

• get Q-tips with cardboard stems not plastic
• tampons with cardboard applicators not plastic
• eggs in paper cartons not plastic

Example, I opted for a metal scooper for my litter box instead of plastic. If properly kept it will last a very long time and when it's done it can be recycled rather than tossed in the trash.

Designing Small Spaces

(Jesse Carrier & Mara Miller, principals. photo courtesy of carrierandcompany.com)

(Jason Wu office. photo courtesy of carrierandcompany.com)

Williams Sonoma Home has a great feature on their website, 'Designer Series' and I wanted to share what Jesse and Mara of Carrier and Company have to say about designing small spaces:

Juggle big and little. It's important to vary the scale of furniture. Just because a room is small, doesn't mean everything in it should be petite. At the very least, there needs to be one key item that's human-size. If you live in a one bedroom apartment for example, your couch has to function not just for entertaining, but for watching TV and napping, so a loveseat isn't practical. You can balance the proportions of a larger sofa with delicate, lighter pieces like armless side chairs or a glass coffee table.

Do double-duty. It's all about flexibility when you're working in a tight area. Look for furniture that can multitask, like side tables with drawers or shelving underneath that provide extra storage. We sometimes suggest skirted file cabinets to our clients that can be used as console tables, and in our own home, we have chests of drawers on either side of our couch that hold our four year-old's toys. Stools are often underutilized but so useful. They work as extra seating, or as a cocktail table, or to rest your feet; plus, they're very mobile and compact.

Air it out. Negative space is what creates a sense of serenity and spaciousness. This applies to any surface your eye moves across. If you're looking at a wall that has media center, side chair, lamp, and artwork against it, make sure each object has room to breathe—otherwise they'll start to overwhelm. The same rule applies to a furniture floorplan or even objects on a side table. It's better to create clusters or vignettes rather than spread your belongings everywhere.

Tame the clutter. Editing becomes even more crucial when you don't have a lot of room. Attractive storage is always a good thing, though it also has to be easy to access or you won't use it. We're big on baskets for organizing things like throws or magazines or toys. Covered boxes are great for taming piles of paperwork, and look nice interspersed on bookshelves.

Don't be afraid of the dark. Certain colors are better for certain types of rooms, irrespective of size, though if you're short on space, it's best to stay relatively monochromatic. Dark colors can actually expand the feel of a room, and are great in dens and bedrooms, so they're more cozy and atmospheric. For daytime areas, a lighter scheme may be more comfortable, though even in a bright space you always have to throw in a dark component to add depth and keep the room from looking washed out.

Make it shine. Light-reflecting high-gloss paint can make a room feel bigger, but it's expensive and tricky to achieve, since your surface needs to be primed and perfectly flat as not to show imperfections. Wall mirrors are an excellent substitute to get a similarly sparkly effect, especially paired with polished accessories in chrome or lacquer.

Create a glow. We tend to avoid overhead or recessed lighting, which is not only unflattering on your face but draws walls in. We like the soft, ambient pools of light you get from lamping, which also helps train your eye out to the perimeter of a room. Mix things up with shaded table lamps, metal floor lamps and picture lighting. Uplights can also give a sense of a taller ceiling, and they're discreet, since they don't register as yet another fixture.

Living Better With Less... Returns

Products I specify for clients are well thought out and researched. Since I think before I do (or WHEN I think anyway... no one's perfect) I have few second thoughts therefore very few returns. The key is there are five questions I ask before buying anything:

• Does it fit the function? (know what you're storing before buying)
• Does it fit the physical space? (always measure twice)
• Does it fit the client's aesthetic?
• Does it fit the budget?
• How easy is it to clean?

How easy something is to clean is just as important as everything else. I hate products with so many little ridges and angles that collect dust and dirt. I've mentioned a few before.

I've said this before, organizing products are tools. I don't know anyone who would go into a hardware store and buy a tool without knowing what it is and how they would specifically use it. Yet people go into places like The Container Store and do just that all the time and wonder why they still aren't organized.

Living Better With Less... Chapped Lips

I wanted to share something with you. Some may think this has nothing to do with organizing but what I do as an organizer is geared towards lifestyle rather than strictly coming up with storage solutions.

Lately I've been running into people who suffer from chronic chapped lips. My first question to them is if they use Chapstick® which they all do. My next question is if you always use Chapstick® and always have chapped lips, WHY are you still using it? I think that stuff causes chapped lips!!

I speak from experience. Back in jr high I used Chapstick® religiously until one day I asked myself the above question. I stopped cold turkey, never to touch it again and have had chapped lips once since then (we're talking 20 years)...

To prevent chapped lips:

- always have something on your lips (lip gloss or lipstick is fine)

- never lick your lips

- after brushing your teeth (and tongue), brush your lips to exfoliate

- after exfoliating, and before going to sleep, use a moisturizing lip balm. I personally swear by Burt's Bees® Beeswax Lip Balm and Kiehl's® Lip Balm SPF 15

Living Better With Less... 'All or Nothing' Attitude

Being a realist, I've never understood the idea of 'all or nothing'. The thought that if you can't do something all the way or completely perfect (whatever happens to be your definition of perfect) that you wouldn't do anything at all seems a bit extreme and rather ridiculous. Now of course there may be exceptions to this rule (there always are), but here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

• living a more environmentally conscious life; instead of thinking you can't or won't completely change your lifestyle try just changing your lightbulbs to CFL, buy more locally grown food, switch to reusable bags, or whatever you know you can do and feel good about.
• dieting; you couldn't resist a home made brownie at a party. This doesn't mean you have to throw your diet out the window. Just say oh well, enjoy the brownie and get right back to it.
• home organizing/design; you know your home will never look like a page out of Real Simple magazine, but why not tackle one closet or one area of the home like your kitchen? Just having that one thing makes most people feel so much better...

Living Better With Less... Shame

(right)

(left)

Many clients express some level of embarrassment or shame on how their space looks. Afraid of how others, even I, will judge them for the condition of their home. While I understand why someone would feel that way, the reality is I give all my clients serious props for reaching out and asking for help to make their homes and lives better.

Beyond that, one of the skills that allows me to do my job is that I don't see how things are, but rather how they could be. I see the potential, the way a client's things could be rearranged and repurposed to create a beautiful functional space that the client can enjoy. It's what get's me excited to dig in and get started!

Living Better With Less... Getting to the Root of the Problem

(nebb frames by sol moscot)

Have you ever hated everything you own? That's how I've felt for the past few weeks, more like months, about my entire wardrobe. Holding back from going on a major shopping spree (well, my wallet's been holding me back more than sheer will power) allowed me time to think about what I'm really unhappy with, and I realized it's my glasses. I had a pair that broke a year ago that were my favorite pair ever. I wore them for five years and when they broke tried to replace them with a similar pair but never love LOVED them. The 2 pairs above are the ones I just got and am crazy about them! Having them, now my wardrobe doesn't look so bad after all...

The point is we all go through periods where we hate everything we own. The key is to step back and try to identify what the main problem is before taking any drastic measures. For example, maybe you just need to replace your coffee table instead of getting all new furniture. Have you ever had a similar experience?

Living Better With Less... Reinventing the Wheel

(stefano tonchi home office courtesy of the selby)

I often tell people when organizing a space, it's not necessary to reinvent the wheel for every area or thing you're organizing. I apply the same general guidelines to everything I do with a few minor changes.

For instance, in the bathroom keep your regularly used products in the medicine cabinet for easy access and extras (or oversized everyday products) and not so often used things in the lower vanity. Apply the same logic to your home office; there's no reason to keep 50 pens and pencils and four reams of paper on your desk (unless you seriously use that much). Depending on how much storage space you have and how you work, keep a small kit near you: extra pens, pencils, eraser, stapler, and whatever else you need to function on a day to day basis, with any extras somewhere else and replenish as needed. If you find you're constantly replenishing then store more in your easy access spot. Personally I keep my extras in the kitchen cabinet...

Living Better With Less... Organizing Products

People tend to overcomplicate getting organized. They think that the more organizing products they have the better the results. I think these 'magic' products are just more stuff, and more stuff is not something most people need.

In many instances, I advise my clients to live with the changes we make for a while to see if adding something will really make a difference. For example, I generally install pull-out drawers for the lower cabinets in kitchens. For may people (especially those who own and/or cook a lot), it's a no brainer. But for those of us who rent and aren't sure how long we're staying, it's not always necessary. I've always had this attitude of only buying what's truly needed to make an improvement but I have to say with the current economic climate, people are much more receptive to it.

For the above client who doesn't have that much now that we've edited, and who's not a huge cook, I didn't think the drawer was an absolute necessity. Would it be nice to have, sure, but necessary to spend the $$ for it? We'll see. She's going to live with this for a week or so and let me know...

Living Better With Less... Dirt in the House

(come in go away mat, buy here)

It doesn't matter whether or not you wear shoes in the house, they're still coming in along with all the lovely things that have been picked up from the street. And you don't want that in your home and/or closet... Your choice; spend $3 at your local hardware store, $100 for a custom one, or any amount in between.

It's a no brainer, seriously - if you don't have one, get one now!!

Living Better With Less... Trying To Remember

A fun side effect of being neat and organized is being called a neat freak and obsessive compulsive. It used to annoy me (just a little) but the truth is I just prefer having my things work for me, not the other way around.

Take my skin care regimen. Products work best when used on a regular basis. I wash my face everyday with a gentle cleanser, use a scrub every three days, and a glycolic wash also every three days but not on the same days I use the scrub. After weeks of trying unsuccessfully to remember when to use something, I ended up either over or underusing one or the other. Simple solution; label the bottles so I don't have to remember.

My Personal Favorite Buys

I wanted to share with you a few of the first things I purchased when I moved out on my own 10 years ago that have stayed with me til this day:

10 Piece Glass Bowl Set (similar to shown)

I love these bowls. Simple yet beautiful and so many sizes you cannot run out of uses for them. Used for prep; to hold pre-measured ingredients, serving; from my morning cereal, to chips and dip, and storage; a nice way to keep eggs, fruit and or nuts in the fridge.

Pyrex Storage Set

Sooo much better than plastic containers, these can be used in the microwave and the fridge.

Canvas Storage Boxes (similar to shown)

I have yet to get a dresser (did you notice that in this or this previous apt tour?), the small boxes are perfect for bras and underwear and the large boxes (not shown) for off season clothes.