Client Busy Mama: Kid Closet Organization Before & After

                 

I am not sure if you remember this and this post from a while ago, but I got called back to switch rooms. The playroom was now becoming the baby's room. 

Here is what I did:

• Take everything out of the closet
• Switch everything from the one closet to another
• Organized in both closets
• Diapers accessible on bottom shelf
• Swaddle blankets all together on one shelf 
• Clothing organized by age of baby 0-3 months, 6-9 months, etc.

Before:

After:

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Made in the USA + Eco: Sunscreen

What are some of your favorite sunscreens? I have tried so many different ones through the years. I hate the super sunscreeny feeling, I hate when it doesn't rub in properly and I hate having that sticky feeling all day. These are some of the more eco options and they are made in the USA that I have tried and liked:

• Supergoop
• Suntegrity
• Coola
• Bare Republic by Coola

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How to Green Your 4th of July

Do you have any plans for the 4th of July? We still are not sure what we will be doing. I've always wanted to go to Willie Nelson's 4th of July picnic in Austin.

I wanted to highlight some ways to green and choose eco options during the holiday.

• Use reusable plates, utensils, cups, etc. If you can't use reusable ones choose ones made of bamboo or that is compostable.
• Sustainable food. Choose healthy and sustainable food options. 
• Carpool. Carpool if you are traveling out of town or going somewhere near where you live with friends or family.
• Ride your bike or use mass transit.
• Fireworks. Watch fireworks in a large group rather than setting them off by yourself. 
• Dispose of fireworks properly. Dips of them by hosing them off with water and putting in a metal trashcan. Even some fire stations and police stations will take fireworks and dispose of them properly.
• Use electric grill or propane when grilling. 
• Reuse decorations. Reuse decorations from previous years or get from a resale shop. 
• Use kegs. Use kegs instead of cans if you plan on buying a lot of beer. 
• Recycle. Recycle what you can!

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Client Power Couple: Garage Organization

I did this garage organization project several months ago for a long time client before it got too hot outside which was perfect. This is a longtime client and they had built ins put into their garage to store golf equipment, tools, recycling, etc. A company in Houston called Ideal Garage did the build out. I think it turned out great! I just love using pegboards in garages they keep everything nice and neat. 

Here is what I did in the garage:

• They had a tool chest that tools needed be transferred to the new drawers
• Golf equipment placed in cabinets and organized.
• Outdoor equipment placed in cabinets and organized.
• Tools hung on the pegboards.
• Got clear containers to hold tools / accessories.

Before:

After:

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Get Organized: Hurricane Preparedness

Hurricane season is here and doesn't end until November 30th. Here in Houston we are definitely susceptible to hurricanes and have had some pretty bad ones through the years. Within the past few months there have been many of rain storms and flooding here. Are you prepared for hurricanes that could be in the future?

I suggest keeping much of these items in a bin that is easily accessible and that you can go to at a moments notice. Here is a list of items that you may want to keep on hand. This is not a full list, but is definitely one with a few must haves:

• Water
• Non perishable food for at least 3 days
• Plates, utensils, cups, etc.
• Can opener
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Multi-purpose tool
• Extra car and house keys
• Whistle
• Documents with important information on it like birth certificates, emergency contact info, insurance info, medical cards, etc.
• First aid kit
• Cash
• Pet supplies
• Child supplies
• Medication
• Hand crank radio
• Pen, pencil & paper
• Solar charger for electronics
• Rain gear
• Blankets
• Extra clothing

Here are some websites that have various checklists here, here, and here.

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Made in the USA: Brahms Mount Blanket

A couple of years ago I was visiting friends in Dallas and wandered into Steve Alan to see what all the rage was about. I loved that they sold Clare Vivier items because I love her bags. Then I happened upon this Brahms Mount blanket shown in the pictures in the sale section. I am always a sucker for a good sale. I love the blanket because it is made in the USA and is light weight enough to curl up with in the summer. It may be weird, but sometimes if I get the rare chance to take nap and the bed is already made I just get this blanket to put over me because 1. I don't want to unmake the bed 2. I like to have some type of sheet/blanket or something on me when I sleep. 

Here is another Brahms Mount blanket I really like, but it is way more than I paid for mine. 

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Concierge Must Have Item: Planner + Notepad

Concierge Must Have Item series has some and will have some pretty obvious things in it like this post. A must have for me is a paper planner, notebook, as well as, pens & pencils. I am a totally visual person and remember so much more if I write things down myself and can go back and look at it, make notes, cross things off, etc. I have to constantly write down notes from clients, notes from consultations, take notes at networking events and conferences, write down my schedule, blog ideas, etc. etc.

Don't get me wrong, I love electronic devices to keep track of things as well, but there is just something about pen and paper and writing things down yourself. I usually retain so much more that way and remember a lot more. Below are some of the brands that are my favorite and all of which I have talked about on here before.

• This year I tried out a new planner the Simplified Planner, which I like because I can write so much down on it, but don't know if it is the planner for me. 
• Le Pens are some of my favorite pens because they write so smooth. I very rarely like free pens and promotional item things, but I really like this Visit Houston pen I got when joing GHCVB, it writes so smooth as well. 
• Every since a client introduced me to Blackwing pencils years ago I have been obsessed and really prefer them over other pencils. 
• Russell + Hazel products have been a go to of mine for many year as I love their mini binders, all the inserts and products you can add to them.

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Organization Tips // Client Fun, Busy Family: Desk Drawer Organization

I was bummed I didn't have any before pictures of this desk drawer. What I loved about this desk drawer is that the divided compartments fit absolutely perfectly into the space, which is always a dream. This particular client already had the dividers so we used what they had. Since these photos were taken they had built ins put in the office and the dividers got moved.

Tips for keeping a desk drawer organized:

• Empty everything out of the drawer.
• Evaluate what you have. Get rid of things you do not use or need.
• Group like items together like paper clips, post it notes, staples, etc.
• Use containers to organize your supplies. Whether this is old boxes, drawer organizers, bowls, ice cube trays, etc.
• Put your most used items in the top desk drawer.
• If there is empty space,  don't feel like you need to fill it up completely. 

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Made in the USA: Ace Liner Stapler

Love these made in the USA Ace Liner 502 Staplers. Some that you find around on are made in Taiwan, but they don't compare to the older versions that are made in the USA. I grew up around these staplers and many of my clients use these staplers. Within the last year or so I found a mini version pictured above at an estate sale that I now have at my office. 

What I like about this stapler:

• It's durable
• Staples never jam
• Made in the USA
• Great design

Here is a fun blog post from another blog that compares Ace Liner Staplers.

Do you have one? Do you love it? 

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How to Sanitize and Clean Legos

I LOVE Legos! For the last few Christmases that is what I have had on my list. I love to give small sets as gifts as well. If you buy Legos you know they can be pricy. I got an inexpensive bucket of Legos at Goodwill a few weeks ago and wanted to make sure they got cleaned and sanitized properly before I started using them or before our family & friend's kids that come over to our house started playing with them.

Here is how I cleaned and sanitized them:

1. Fill a large bowl full of hot soapy water.
2. Add a little vinegar.
3. Insert Legos.
4. Let soak for an hour.
5. Remove Legos from the water and put on towels to dry completely.
6. Play with Legos!

Do you play with Legos or do you leave that for the kids?

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Client Fit, Fun and Fabulous: Herbalife Organization

I have a client who uses Herbalife products and has large stock of items. You can kind of see from the pictures the closet is long, but kind of awkward. If it had double doors that opened that would be much better. 

Here is what we did:

1. Added shelving. You can't see from these pictures, but before these photos were taken we put the shelving unit in to utilize more of the space.
2. Group like products / flavors together. 
3. Got inexpensive plastic shoe boxes to put teas, pill bottles, etc. in.
4. Put frequently used items towards the front of the shelving. 
5. Put frequently used products on top of the shelving unit and less used items towards the bottom.
6. The top of the closet also has shelving you can't see, but we used that space for promotional items.

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Ethically Made: Smathers and Branson

Throughout the years I have been seeing Smathers and Branson items more and more. They are very fashionable and have such a wide variety of items from belts to wallets to key chains to flasks and the list goes on. They are all ethically hand needlepointed by artisans in Vietnam. You can read more about it here. I was at a local store Biscuit Home here in Houston where I picked up this coin purse. What are some of your favorite ethically sourced and made products?

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Concierge Must Have Item: Phone & Computer + Benefits of Using Them

As a concierge or business person in general nowadays it is a given that you probably need a computer and cell phone to conduct work. For me this is definitely a need. I receive calls / texts from clients everyday and I use my computer obviously to email, write blog posts, send invoices, create / send consulting agreements, and the list goes on and on. Although I want a desktop,  I am not sure how often I would actually use it as I love to take my computer with me to my office, to coffee shops, etc. I just love that it is portable.

Benefits of a computer and cell phone:

• Organization
• Efficiency
• Business growth
• New business connections 
• Research
• Increased productivity
• Storage of information
• Networking
• Flexibility to work where ever you want
• Online shopping / business bill pay

There are days that I do want to just not use these items for the day, but that rarely happens. Sometimes a digital detox is necessary.

What are some of your favorite must have items to help you with your job?

*Rifle Paper Co. phone case. I was sad it wasn't made in the USA like their stationary. Here is another Rifle phone case I like.
The marble computer case I got off of Amazon.

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Client Hip, Fun and Fierce: Jewelry Organization

This is a jewelry organization project I did several months ago for a long time client. She had some fabulous pieces that just needed a little organization so they would be easy to find. There is a video at the bottom of the post that I had posted to my Instagram account to see how it all looked after the organization was finished.

Here is what I did:

• Took out items from the drawers that didn't belong like sunglasses, etc. 
• Added 2 acrylic necklace racks. They are some of my favorites.
• Sorted and grouped like items together. 
• Hung necklaces, so they would be easy to find.
• Earrings towards the top section and less used items like empty boxes in the bottom drawers.
• Made sure items would be easily identifiable and not too cluttered.

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