Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!! Have a fun and safe day.

Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash

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Eco Modern Concierge Contributed Sustainable Halloween Ideas on Forbes.com

Are you looking for some eco and sustainable Halloween ideas? I contributed to this article on Forbes.com with Capital One. Take a look back at this article I wrote on the blog 6 years ago. What are some of your eco Halloween tips?

Photo by Bekir Dönmez on Unsplash

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3 Holiday Helpers Part 1 | Houston Professional Organizer & Concierge

As a professional organizer and concierge business owner I feel like I always need to be prepared. I have a toolkit that I bring to most projects, but during the holidays there are specific things I make sure to have on hand. From now until Christmas I will be featuring 3 holiday helpers each week that are helpful always, but especially during the holidays. Here is part 1 that was supposed to be posted last week, but what can I say. Watch the YouTube video above where I explain why I like these holiday helpers. The Holiday Shopping Card ends on November 3rd. 

All items are linked in the Eco Modern Concierge Shop.

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10 Things that Make Me Happy September 2019

September flew by. I think I finally caught up on all of these 10 Things That Make Me Happy posts from the last few months. What makes you happy?

1. Things slowing down just a little bit at work. In turn, got lots of things in motion and I got back to doing a lot of what I love. 
2. FINALLY getting a good chunk of my website updated. There are still things that need to be done. 
3. Going to the Astros game with Bryan and my dad.
4. Going out to dinner with my in-laws at One Fifth. 
5. Decorating for Halloween!
6. Spending Labor Day in Galveston with Bryan, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend.
7. Planning lots of parties for clients. 
8. Setting up and refining lots of new systems for Eco Modern Concierge.
9. Random happy hours with Bryan. This is a rarity for sure. Goodnight Charlie's has been a favorite recently.
10. Getting part of our garage organized!

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10 Things that Make Me Happy August 2019

August just flew by and a lot was happening with work, but here here are 10 things that made me happy.

1. Celebrating Bryan's birthday. 
2. Going to Corpus Christi with friends.
3. Happy hour with neighbors.
4. Astros game with WISE Houston.
5. Texans game with my mother-in-law.
6. Being a finalist for Volunteer of the Year at the National Concierge Association Conference.
7. Submitting everything for my trademark. 
8. Donating to school drives.
9. Getting some pool time in. 
10. Lots of fun personal assistant projects. 

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Napo Houston Professional Organizers' #1 Tips & Tricks to Get Organized for Fall

I asked my NAPO Houston organizing colleagues to weigh in on what some of their #1 or top organizing tips for the fall were and here is what they had to say! What is your top fall organizing tip? 

Amy Vance of Eco Modern Concierge: " start thinking about the holidays now and get your family calendar under control"

Adonna Braly of Clutter Roundup: "Get your calendar out now and start writing in all the events you will be attending through the New Year. There’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, with all the parties and events in between. Pick and choose which events you can attend and those you can’t. Don’t fill up your calendar with so many obligations that you don’t have time to rest and rejuvenate. If bringing a food item get the ingredients together so it’s easy to make ahead of time. If bringing a hostess gift, find it now and keep in a gift area to grab as you’re going out the door. Keep it simple and you’ll enjoy the events you do attend so much more."

Ximena Lopez Owen of Zensible Organizing: "Before decorating for the Holidays, I open up all my holiday decor bins and give them a good purge. I trash any damaged items, and give away those that don't go with my current style and decor, or that just don't make me happy. I keep a "maybe" pile for those items I still like, but don't want to use this year. I review all my "keep" items and decide if I need to buy something new or what I have is what I need and love!"

Kerry Spencer of Vibrantly Organized: "Toys-We make it a habit to purge toys every month or two. It doesn’t have to be lots of toys all at once. Sometimes, it is only a few. But toys that never get out of the bottom of the bin definitely go out the door. With holidays year round, birthdays right after Christmas and lots of family nearby, we have to constantly get rid of toys. They can pile up quickly. If you can’t evaluate toys that often, try to declutter toys in September and then again in November to get ready for the holidays.

Delegate responsibility- My husband and children have sweet tooth habits. Candy is also collected year round. This isn’t really about the candy. It’s about delegating the responsibility to the person it’s important to. Candy is the sole responsibility of the sweet tooth parent and that parent makes the rules for receiving the candy. I know the rules, but storing, organizing and rule making have been delegated. I loathe the amount of candy we collect and it takes up so much space. Now it takes up space for the person it is important to and is no longer a headache for me. Mommy, can I have a piece of candy? Please ask Daddy."

Melody VonFeldt of Finding Joy in Enough: "Start discussing what part gifting will play in the holidays. If you’re wanting people to get you or your kids experiences instead of items, start having the conversation now instead of waiting until the week before the holiday (a lot of people have already finished shopping for you by then). It’s also good to start thinking about who you need to plan gifts for so you can start thinking about it and watching for the right thing instead of rushing around last minute."

Laura Gunn of Strategic Hourglass Solutions: "I start reviewing my coupons so I can get good deals on items I need for holiday baking. I make sure my spices are fresh. And make sure I have room in freezer to accommodate items I can make ahead of time!" 

Ann Zanon of A2Z Organizing Solutions: "Make flight plans for the holidays so you don't pay too much for last minute flights!" 

Donna Matthews of Slay the Chaos: "Make your list and check it twice! Decide now who and what you’ll spend on each person. Write it down and commit to staying within your budget."

Meredith Brister of Sorted & Styled: "Start gift planning now. Make a spreadsheet with columns: Person, Gift, Purchased, Wrapped, Sent. Use check marks to keep track once things have been purchased, wrapped, and sent. MAKE SURE you include upcoming birthdays. There's nothing worse for late November/December babies than to overlook their birthday."

Ellen Delap of Professional-organizer.com: "Ask your family the most meaningful holiday events. Be sure to calendar these and make it happen. Go through your gift closet and designate gifts specifically you already have. Spend extra time on self care. Holidays are busy and we get worn out. Gather a team to help you!"

Tammy Atchison of The Busy Corner: "As you decorate for the holidays, take this time to clear out old and unused decor from years past." 👻🍁🌲

Liz Tucker of Serenity Organizing Solutions: "Get your holiday letter and/or card photos together early! There’s always more than enough to do between Thanksgiving and New Years without that as an added stressor!"

Mary Jo Contello of Organized by MJ: "Really mine is simple - plan. Get your list together for gifts and start shopping now. If your a baker start planning when you can bake. Possibly freeze items to allow for more time. Get your holiday card list together, schedule photos and get out early. Get all events on the calendar."

Exact Mats a NAPO Houston Business Partner: " When Thanksgiving comes around, you probably want a beautiful table. Well, ExactMats are an excellent way to up your Thanksgiving table-setting game while protecting the surface beneath! They even work as table runners. 

And Christmas, for those of you who use, or have customers who use live trees, you know the clean up can be quite the ordeal. Especially if you have a cat 😻. So, we’ve created something special - a circular (or any shape you need) floor protector to go right under your tree!

When Christmas is over and you’re ready to clean up, simply lift the mat, fold it in half like a taco, and dump the remnants of Christmas trees past into your trashcan. Easy!" 

Melony Davis of All About Space Organizing: "Plan menus for meals and parties taking place in your home, and don’t forget guests with special dietary needs. Don’t forget to plan for the accessories too! 

If you’re attending several events, think about what you’re going to wear. Make sure everything fits and that it’s clean and ready to go. This includes shoes and jewelry as well. If buying gifts for adults, it’s okay to ask for gift ideas. It’s always better to give a gift that’s needed, than wasting money on something that’s not."

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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Made in the USA: Anthropologie Pumpkin Clove Candle

I know candles are not the most eco friendly things to use, but after what I feel like was 5 million people recommending this Anthropologie Capri Blue Pumpkin Clove candle, I gave in and bought it because I had a discount with Anthro. I have to say it does really put off a great scent and is perfect for fall. I turned it over and saw it was made in the USA! Have you tried this candle? What are your thoughts?

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10 Things that Make Me Happy July 2019

Still catching up on all of these from the summer of blog neglect. Here are some things that made me happy in July:

1. Family vacation with my mom's side of the family. Loved spending time with my grandparents, mom, brother, aunts, uncles and cousins. 
2. The mountains and no humidity in The Berkshires!
3. A little river getaway with Bryan's family.
4. We started and finished and semi finished (because of renovations) several projects. 
5. Watching tennis with my grandpa. 
6. Getting to meet up with our friends and their kiddos at The Natural Science Museum. 
7. Going to see The Rolling Stones with family.
8. Speaking engagement for a downtown Houston office building. 
9. Helping my grandma organize her shoes to make it more efficient for her. 
10. Intentionally taking some weekends off. 

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A week in the life of a Houston Concierge & Professional Organizer

As a Houston concierge and professional organizer every day and week is completely different than the next. I know I have showed you a day in the life on here before, but I thought I would give you a look into my day - to - day life for one week. This particular week last week was personal assistant heavy. All photos below are unedited and I took them as I was working.

Monday

Worked with a regular client that I work with a couple of times a month. I help maintain their organization, go through mail, pack because she travels a lot for work, etc.

Headed to a house I manage while my clients are away they have a house in Sedona & a house in West U. I check on the house make sure all is good, etc.

Then off to a closet refresh for a client I have helped with various projects in their home. Maintaining is key.

Then a night time appointment. This client moved into a new apartment and we are slowly, but surely getting things together. 

Tuesday

Non- profit project working on their filing system - I work with one non-profit a month on a free 2-3 hour organization project. Let me know of any non-profits that could use some help. 

Then I headed downtown to a client’s new high rise apartment. They sold their 4 story house and now live downtown. 

I went to a clients home in Montrose and met someone at their house to change a car battery. They have a home in Montrose & Boston so I go weekly and make sure things are good, do various projects, meet contractors, etc.

Wednesday 

Worked on lots of admin stuff. There is so much behind the scenes no one ever sees like endless emails, contracts, back and forth with various service people, scheduling, Container Store runs, errands, etc. 

Then headed to a client’s home that I have been working on and we are going room to room. She lives on a farm and we’ve made SO much progress so far. Her daughter gave her a gift certificate for my services and she continued to use my services. 

Thursday 

Headed to a clients house in the morning to drop off groceries before they get back in town. I manage their house while they are away. 

Dropped off some necklaces to a client's house after the items got repaired and untangled. 

Met a client at her work, took her car in to get serviced with oil change, filters, general maintenance, dropped her car back off at her office.

Then headed to a client’s Brenham house to look at a toilet that is not working and just checking on the house.

Then off to Austin 

Friday

Took a personal day and am in Austin, TX for the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL).

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Tip Tuesday: Eco Halloween DIY Bats || Use What You Have

In talking with some of my organizing clients we are constantly trying to think of ways to DIY decorations or use what they have in order to be more eco and still make the house look good for whatever holiday it may be. I saw an article in the Martha Stewart magazine last month and wanted to try it out. It can be made using all products that you already have. Some of my clients have done similar versions as well. Above you will see a quick time lapse video of what we did.

What you need:

• A bat template
• Black paper
• A white pencil or any writing utensil for that matter
• Glue Dots
• Scissors

Here is what I did:

1. Download a template or you can make your own.
2. Cut out the template.
3. Get 2 sheets of black paper and fold them in half. 
4. Trace the bat template along the folded crease.
5. Cut your tracings.
6. Flip the bats over so you can't see your trace lines.
7. Add a glue dot. 
8. Stick them where you want them. 

Here is some inspiration on Pinterest as well. 

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Fall 2019 Bucket List

It is finally starting to feel more like fall here in Houston today (still hot though) and I noticed I hadn't put up my fall bucket list yet. Being a professional organizer and concierge, the holidays become insane for us, so I have to be diligent about carving out some time to do the things I love. Here are some things that are on my bucket list this year. What is on your fall bucket list?

• Do more speaking engagements.
• Finish our sunroom. Remember this was my bucket list 2 years ago (eek!) Hopefully this year is my year. 
• Have every bit of my holiday presents planned for by Nov. 25th.
• Try new recipes using seasonal ingredients.
• Go to a Halloween party. I haven't been in years.
• Decorate more for Thanksgiving. This is my husband's favorite holiday. 
• Carve a pumpkin. We haven't done this in years.
• Attend a fall festival. I haven't been to one in years. 
• Order business holiday cards early. 

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Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

Austin City Limits Roundup

Anyone headed to Austin Limits Music Festival (ACL)  this year? Here are some past articles to get you prepared if you are going.

ACL Essentials
ACL Insider Tips
ACL The Eco Way

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