It's a Wrap!

Gift giving is an exciting part of the holiday season, but the wrapping can sometimes be a little tricky. Here are some creative ways to add a little pizzazz to your gifts this year:

• Wrap wine bottles with dish towels
  
• Wrap a gift in plain colored paper towel and add an ornament on top
  
• Use holiday print paper table clothes for extra large packages
  
• Tie up gifts with Ponytail Holders
  
• Use plain white paper and address it as if it were a letter with the recipient's address
  
• Use a brown or white paper bag and decorate it with candy canes and a bow
  
• Place the gift in a holiday print gift bag

Holiday tips

Holiday Organization Tips:

It’s hard to believe, but the countdown to the 2009 holiday season has begun and planning is undoubtedly at the top of your mind. Here are some ideas to get you off on
the right foot this holiday season.

Make a list & check it twice. Don’t risk your meal planning or holiday list to memory. Great lists to have around this time of year are gift lists, budget lists, meal planning lists, holiday card lists, lists to remind you where you stowed your gifts.

Planning a party? Forget the stamps, send an online invitation! Websites like evite.com make it simple & time efficient. You can capture all of your replies in one section & even find out who has/hasn’t viewed your evite.

Send Holiday cards just in time for New Years! It will be a nice surprise for everyone & definitely stand out from the masses, plus it gives you more time to prepare.

Another important part of the planning process is simply finding last year’s decor. Searching for those extra lights, candles, stockings or outdoor decorations can be time-consuming & frustrating. An organizational system that identifies a place for everything can help relieve this added stress.

Scarey!

Are you feeling like your house fits more into a Halloween scene than a Norman Rockwell paining? As a space designer, I see more situations where the space is not utilized correctly in a home and as a result, there is no organization. Add some kids into the mix and you have a recipe for chaos. But the good news is there is hope! I have worked with many clients and this the basic plan that helps them get started:
1) Pick one room or area in the home to get started
2) Designate a half a day or a whole day to finishing the space (get a babysitter - trust me it is worth the money)
3) Start in one corner and start sorting the stuff into three piles: Throw away, Give away and Organize
4) Clear the area and look at where you can best utilize the space (baskets, shelving, drawers, etc.) If you are stuck in this area then call an expert for advice.
5) Make sure that you are utilizing all space. Think vertically not only horizontally. How can you utilize the floor to ceiling in a way that represents your style and is clutter free?
6) Put everything into a home and label any bins, baskets, etc. so you know where to find everything
7) Sit back and admire your first organized, clutter free space.

Fall into a Routine

When it comes to organization, developing a routine can be the key to success.
Below are a few quick tips that if done repeatedly can lead to an everyday organized lifestyle.

1. Plan ahead - Choose your clothes for the next day the night before.

2. Go through your mail daily and divide it into separate categories* Action required
(Pay, call, RSVP)* File* Shred and toss (keep a shredder near your waste/recycle)

3. Invest in a custom organizational system complete with a built-in jewelry drawer, laundry
basket or ironing board (select from dozens of accessories!)

4. If it's dirty-throw it in the hamper! Get your family accustomed to this routine and finding
favorite pieces might get a little easier

5. Designate a space for everything. Start with the essentials (keys, ties,earrings, belts, etc).

Fall is in the air!

The fall chill is in the air. The days are getting shorter and the kids will soon be inside most of the day instead of outside. What does that mean for parents? Kids are going to be inside, toys scattered everywhere and more chaos inside the home instead of in the backyard.

One of my clients recently called me about this dilemma. Wondering what she should do about the clutter of toys and small parts that land all over the house. The solution is to find any space (an open wall, an entertainment center, a closet) that can be transformed into an organizational haven. I took an empty wall (lined with toys) and designed a wall unit that could easily be used for storage of toys. The baskets are great for the odd shaped toys that don't fit neatly into the shelves. The doors help conceal anything you don't want out and keep a neat appearance to the room. Making the unit floor to ceiling helps utilize the space to its maximum.

Messy Spouse

There are days when I feel like I live with a teenager sharing my closet. Dirty clothes are on the floor, shirts rolled into balls and funky smells coming from the dirty clothes. I imagine that I am not alone and that someone else also experiences this teenager behavior from their spouse when it comes to organization in the closet. My only advice and saving grace has been a custom closet that at least gives a space to hold the stench of dirty clothes, a shelf that rolled up shirts can land and a drawer for clothes that usually land on the floor. It is not perfect, but at least there is place for everything to land. I can't control the smell coming from the clothes but I can control where the smell ends up.

This works not only for your spouse, but also for your kids. If they have a space to throw their clothes then at least it gets it off the floor. And you would be amazed how special a custom closet makes a teenager feel about their clothes. The investment is worth one less headache and fight!

Help - I have a toy crisis!

I received a call the other day from a customer who was a having a toy crisis. Her two and four year old children's toys were taking over her house and she needed some way to control it. This is not uncommon and our designers are very familiar with this situation.

Upon arrival to the customer's house, the situation was clear. There were toys in every room, hallway and space in the house. Small parts were scattered throughout the rooms and the two year old was having a melt down because her doll's shoe was missing.

I quickly pulled out my computer and started to draw a solution to the problem. I put together a plan that would put a wall unit in the play room with pull out baskets for the large, odd shaped toys. I also added some small shelves and cubbies in an existing hall closet designated for the small loose toys. We walked into the basement to see the same situation but even more toys. I designed another wall unit with doors so that all the toys could be concealed behind closed doors.

A couple weeks later, the company installed all the ideas and quickly the toys were contained behind beautiful wall units. The customer was thrilled and felt like she had her house back. The bonus to the units was the children started cleaning up after themselves because they had a place to put all their toys! What could be better than that?

I am excited to share such a simple solution to a common problem in many homes.

Clothing Closet Organization Tips

It’s my favorite season…Spring cleaning. The time when we not only scrub our baseboards but also venture into those tombs of mass containment or should I say our closets. After months of putting multitudes of misc items in any open space, we realize it’s time to sort, toss, and reclaim our belongings.
So how do you get started???

DEFINE: What is the purpose of this closet? What do I want to store here?

CATEGORIZE: By keeping like items together, you will be able to see what you have. This not only saves time but also prevents duplicate buying.

BUY A STEP STOOL: One of the biggest mistakes that I see is people not using the full space in their closets. Top shelves can be used for items that aren’t used on a regular basis or are off season.

One of my favorite things to organize is clothing closets. Yes, this organizer is a fashionista. I have helped lots of men & women find their style and reclaim their wardrobe. Here are a couple of my favorite tips.
1. Use thin hangers to save space-huggable hangers are my personal favorite
2. Use your shelf space. Fold what you can, including sweaters, tanks, and jeans.
3. If your closet is very small, flip it seasonally-pack away your off season clothes.
4. If you are saving items that don’t fit, remove them from your closet until you can wear them again.
5. If you are a visual person, use open shelving to store items and label each shelf.
6. Organize your clothes by style and color.
7. Contain the shoes. Depending on your storage space, pick a proper shoe solution. There are built in shoe racks are great!
For more great advice contact Erin Kelly at 773 490 3760
www.arrangedbyerin.com

Office clutter suggestions

With spring in the air, it is the perfect time to reorganize your work space. Do you have a functional, beautiful work space that you want to go to everyday? Studies show that by having a space that is organized and provides ample room to work increases one's productivity.

Take a look at where you spend most of your time working? Answer these questions honestly:
- Do you have enough space to work?

- Is your work space covered in papers?

- Can you locate any folder, paper, file immediately? Could a coworker?

- Do you enjoy being in your work space?

- Can you find your computer? phone?

After you answer these questions, start to reevaluate your work space. How could you make it more functional and accessible to the important items that you need everyday? If you start to answer these questions and get overwhelmed, it is time to call in a designer to help you honestly assess the situation. The designer can offer design ideas and uncover unmet needs for your space. A professional designer will offer a complimentary consultation which will give a better idea of how to organize, file and bring a sense of peace to your space. Go to www.mydreamclosets.com for more ideas on how have a beautiful, functional work space.

Spring has sprung and so has the clutter

As the warm weather descends upon us, the clutter in the house starts to become more apparent. The following areas in the home are the most obvious places were the clutter starts to accumulate and grow:
Entryway/Mudrooms - This is where everything is thrown upon arrival to the home. The shoes are left in the middle of the floor, the coats thrown in a pile, the umbrellas opened in the corner and bags stacked on any empty space. This is the perfect area to have custom built cabinetry or lockers put in. This gives everyone in the household a space to place their stuff and eliminates time running around looking for lost items. Custom organizational systems or built in lockers also add a great amount of storage area to the home since this area is an open space with no purpose except to collect stuff.

Home Offices - Home offices are a great place for clutter to linger. Paper work in piles, kids toys, DVDs, bills, etc. It all seems to find a place in the office. This is an opportunity to build a custom system designed around the family. Pull out baskets behind cabinets are a great space for odd shaped toys. File drawers keep the paperwork organized and doors on cabinets offer a safe hiding place for DVDs, computer programs and any other odd items that tend to accumulate on desks.

Bathrooms - Most households feel there is never enough storage in bathrooms. As a designer, I can identify dead space that can be used to build a cabinet, linen closet or some other storage area that looks beautiful and at the same time is functional. The bathroom is one room in the house that could use more creativity in the storage area that will make life easier in the morning when getting ready for work, play or to start the day.

Garages - What a perfect time of the year to declutter the garage. This is the time of year that I get really busy finding ways to organize and design organizational systems for garages. This is also one of the most crucial places where the systems are needed (besides closets) to organize and gain some sanity in the home. A couple strategic cabinets, hooks, benches, etc. and the garage goes from a clutter dump to a beautiful functional room.

Now is the time to reevaluate your home and find areas where you can maximize the space. All About Closets offers a free quote with detailed drawings of your personalized organizational systems. Even if you don't feel that now is the time to invest into your home, it is worth having a designer come out and give you more ideas on how to tackle the clutter with custom systems. You can do one area at a time or all at once, but once you start you will be amazed how it transforms your family's life.

Time to work through the clutter!

Spring is here! Time to pull out the bikes, the gardening tools and the tennis rackets. If you are like most of my clients, it takes a while to find where you strategically placed all these items in preparation for winter so they would be out of the way in the garage.

Most clients call me around this time looking for help on how to best organize and utilize their garage. I have some that can't fit their second car in the garage so it has become a one car garage with a storage area next to it. And after a long winter, who wants to start rummaging through the storage depot that has accumulated over the winter. That is my job. I come into the garage, assess the space and start designing a function, beautiful space. It is amazing how adding some accessories and lifting items off the floor can increase the usable space. Plus, with minimal time and money, I can transform a storage depot into a haven for your car, gardening tools, toys, etc.

Keep posted for some exciting tips and ideas on how you can transform your garage into a space your love and want to show off to your friends and family.

Welcome Spring with an organized home!

Start one room at a time and make it a family event. A good place to start is the garage, which stores most of your gardening tools and outdoor toys. Begin by making different piles of items to keep, donate and throw away. Sorth through these at least twice and then decide what organization style works best for your family-by name, activity, similar items or a combination of things. Better yet, call All About Closets (http://www.mydreamclosets/) for a free consultation. We’ll design a system that fits your lifestyle and maximizes your space.

TODAY’S PERSPECTIVE HOME BUYER: ELEVATED EXPECTATIONS

The buyer in today’s real estate market is more discerning than ever. Their expectation level about the interior of the home they will purchase is more important than before. There have always been three factors that sell a home and in order they are: Location, Price and Condition. The condition factor is steadily elevating. The idea of having to update a home is passé. To compete in the market place you must have certain interior appointments in place. If you are thinking about marketing your home please consider the following to make the home superior to the competition:
●Living Room/Dining Room: Updated neutral carpet or hardwood floors.
●Kitchen: Solid surface or granite counter tops. New or newer cabinetry and hardware. Stainless steel appliances. Flooring other than vinyl. Neutral decorator colors.
●Baths: Soaking or jetted tub. Neo-classic lighting fixtures and hardware. Ceramic, marble or travertine floors.
●Home Office: Space design that reflects office. Technology wired for high speed, desk and organized storage area.
●Closets: Professionally designed organizer system in place reflecting maximum space for closet size.

In general the property inventory in today’s marketplace is plentiful. To become the buyer’s choice you must be competitive. To achieve a competitive edge, your home must be in updated condition to attract the diminished supply of buyers. Consider consulting a professional to assist you

For more great advice contact Barb Heinzel at 847-337-7751 or Holly Arnold at 847-508-5504.

Little by little we’re seeing hints of it everywhere….Spring! Every year I look forward to that first day of the year when I can finally bring out the sandals and pretty colors of spring.

I also love the idea of clearing the closet of those bulky coats and sweaters and making room for pretty tops and SANDALS! Did I mention sandals-yes, I love them! Having a shoe system in my closet makes it even better, because I have a lot more room for my shoes plus they’re all there for me to see. But this isn’t the best part… I greatly enjoy the clearing of the closet and sense of calm and joy that comes with it.

I read an article on about.com that discusses the correlation between stress and clutter. It’s true! Think of how you feel when you come home after a long day at work and walk in to the sight of piles and piles clutter.

Ok, so we did some research and compiled a few tips to help you organize your closet. Having a professional designer come to your home and create a custom closet design for your closet is first and foremost. Most closet companies, such as All About Closets in Chicago, offer a complimentary consultation where they will come to your home/office, measure your space and design a custom closet unit that maximizes your space (sometimes even doubles it) and fits your lifestyle.

In any case here are some useful tips to get you started on your closet spring cleaning:

• Put on some fun music, grab some garbage bags or storage bins , cleaning spray and paper towels or cleaning rags
• Go through your closet and sort it into three different piles

1. Things to throw away (does it have holes?)
2. Things to donate (have you worn it within the past two years)
3. Things to store (next season’s clothes)
4. Things to keep

• Wipe clean the rods/shelves
• Go through your “to keep” and “to store” piles and ask yourself

1. Have I worn this within the last year?
2. How many of these do I need in this color?
3. Does it fit? If not, set a goal for yourself of 6 months and put the date on the bag. If they don’t fit by this date- donate them.

• Finally, go through your final “to keep” pile and organize clothing by tops, bottoms and accessories
• From this set, you can furhter organize by color, outfit, etc

Bravo…spring cleaning has begun. Enjoy!

Favorite closets!

Closet Solutions for a Stressed Mom

Ok, so we made it out to Chicago and after consulting with my dear friend and measuring her children’s closet, we came up with a functional closet design that everyone is excited about. She loved the design and approved it on-site on our first visit. We quickly manufactured her closet and voila it was installed just a few days later. She called me late this afternoon and was excited to inform me that so far this week, they’ve made it out on time and she is even giving herself and extra 15 minutes a day to sleep in. The girls love it and promised to keep everything in place. We’re glad they’re off to a great start. We were all so excited we thought we’d share some pictures. Next, we’re working on getting designing a wall unit for her play room and maybe a locker unit for her mud room-can’t wait!

Dress up your home

We came across these helpful tips from Tara Gruber, Interior Designer, that will guide you in putting the spot light on your home. We specifically like her ideas under "Details" on the importance of utilizing your spaces to their fullest potential. Pantries, utility rooms and mudrooms are ideal spaces to have custom organizational units.


If you had the opportunity to attend the Emmy’s or the Oscars, what would you wear? Wouldn’t you love to be pampered and dressed by a professional stylist? This is when all the details matter…the stilettos, the clutch handbag, the chandelier earrings, and the fake eyelashes! When selling your home, the same rules apply. You have to present your home fully dressed and accessorized. Forget about your daily mundane responsibilities like laundry, cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc. It is all about presenting the fantasy. A well staged home presents a vision for potential buyers and photographs well for online buyers. They want to visualize living in your home!!

Why does staging provide a faster sell with a higher profit?

Staging is an important marketing tool to emphasize your homes strongest assets while minimizing the weaknesses.
Real Estate is a very competitive market and continues to produce better return rates than the stock market.
Buyers will notice all the flaws…bad paint, cracks on walls, missing light fixtures, etc.
How can I dress up my home in anticipation to sell it faster and maximize profits?

De-clutter: Open your home up as much as possible. Potential buyers need to visualize where they are going to place their things. It doesn’t mean throwing away all your precious memories, but store them. Space sells!! Avoid distracting your buyer with your personal clutter and amaze them with the details!!

Drama: Give a home personality and create a memory point. Buyers may view many homes in a given day. How is your house going to stand out? Focus on the 5 senses. Captivate them with freshly baked cookies in the kitchen.

Details: Showcase your most utilized rooms as the most efficient rooms. People lead busy lives and they require quick and easy solutions. Kitchens, pantries, utility rooms, mudrooms, and bathrooms are great selling opportunities to offer generous & tidy storage options. Consider custom cabinetry to feature organized spaces. Or add architectural interest to a room with custom molding.

You can contact Tara at or 630-773-3990 or visit her website at www.tgiinteriors.com

Tales from a stressed mom

I got a call from a much stressed mom and dear friend looking for solutions to her unorganized closets. She knew our story and love for closets, so as soon as I picked up the phone she began…
“We should be able to treat ourselves to an extra few minutes of sleep once in a while, but considering my morning experience I am not sure it can be called a treat….”
“As you know, I am not a morning person, so when my alarm went off at 5 a.m. I did the usual “oh no”, but responsibilities awaited, so like every morning I went to get up, but then I thought “just 5 more minutes” and so five more minutes turned into 20 minutes, there I was at 5:20 awakened by my internal clock screaming that kids had to be awakened, dressed and breakfast had to be served and somewhere in between I had to get dressed and ready to leave by 6:30…the rush began. I quickly woke everyone up and got the routine in motion. Finally, it was 6:30 a.m. and yea…we were all dressed and ready to go except my 6-year-old. She had searched and searched for her matching sock and just couldn’t find it… we all searched and searched because “no way” could she leave with mismatched socks. We searched in the closet, out of the closet, through drawers…I thought oh great it’s now 6:45 a.m. and no sock! So, I finally gave up and the child had to wear mismatched socks…there were tears and too much drama to discuss, but we had to go.
I realized this cannot happen again. I have to figure out a way to get some organization into our lives. A missing sock should not rob us of 15 plus minutes. If I add that up, let’s say twice a week for six months….we’ve lost 12 hours! That can’t be, but yes the numbers don’t lie. Messy closets and lack of organization can cost my family up to 12 hours of wasted time in just six months. Time is too precious for this. So help!”
As a designer, I completely understand, in fact, it’s this same realization- how much time is wasted searching and sorting through stuff- that often leads many of our clients to contact us. I immediately offered to come out and look at her space and design a closet system that maximizes her space and compliments their design style. Stay tuned…