Client Awesome Writer: Closet Organization Before & After

I am still trying to catch up on blogging organization projects we worked on from years ago and this is one of them. This client was located in the Boulevard Oaks / Southampton area of Houston. She is a writer and her husband is a pilot. We spent many hours organizing and she went through every single item in her closet. Here is what we did:

1. Take everything out
2. Declutter
3. Put into keep and donate piles
4. Put everything back in the closet
5. Put like items together like shirts, pants, dresses
6. Arrange by color
7. Rearrange the shelves and get rid of a lot of things on the shelves and put items from the shelves into drawers

We went through the racks, shelves and drawers and the client was really able to clear a ton of clutter. 

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2019 Holiday Gift Guide: Pet Supplies

As a professional organizer and concierge in Houston I purchase a lot of items on behalf of clients. Here are some things they are loving right now for organizing products. You can shop all items on the EMC website as well.

Dog Rain Boots: For the dogs who do not like to get their paws wet.

Modern Cat House: If you are looking for something modern to match your home decor.

Water Garden Fish Tank: A multipurpose self cleaning fish tank, plus water garden. Win Win.

Smart Dog Collar: So you know exactly what your dog is doing.

Litter Box: Prevents litter getting everywhere with a touch of style.

Dinosaur Chew Toy: Fun chew toy.

Dog DNA Test: So you can find out the breed of your dog and health information.

Interactive Toy: Fun game for cats.

Treat Puzzle: Fun game for pet to find their treats.

Memory Foam Pet Bed: Because every pet needs a little luxury, right?!

Smart Bone: Interactive toy to keep your pets entertained all day.

Bird Brew Pack: Bird seed shaped like beer.

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2019 Houston Earth Day Events

Earth Day is next month, but there are all kinds of events that are already planned all over Houston. Including events next week.

March 23 Woodlands GreenUp
March 23 Kids Market Day 2019
March 30 Earth Hour
April 1 Earth Day run/ walk Challenge
April 6 Pearland Clean & Green
April 6 Bayou Greenway Day
April 6 Earth Day Family Picnic and Festival at Hope Farms
April 7 Chefs in the Field Earth Day Supper
April 13 Sugar Land Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rock
April 11 - 14 Galveston FeatherFest
April 13 Urban Harvest Dig It Day 
April 13 Aquarium Houston Party for the Planet
April 14 Earth Day Houston
April 14 The Parish School's Earth Day Spring Fling
April 16 University of Houston Sustainability Fest
April 18-21 Earth Day at Moody Gardens
April 20 Houston Arboretum Earth Day Celebration
April 27 Pearland Earth Day Celebration
May 4 Armand Bayou Earth Day Party for the Planet
May 18 Bay Day

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok from Pexels

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CLOSED: GIVEAWAY! Houston Brew Pass

Visit Houston is kind enough to offer a 1-day Houston Brew Pass, which was featured in our Valentine's Day gift guide last week. You have from now until 12am Monday February 12, 2018. You must be 21 years of age or older to enter. Enter below thru Rafflecopter. 

The Houston Brew Pass gives locals and visitors alike a great away to explore our city as they hop from one craft brewery to another. The Brew Pass combines tasting flights and pours from 8 local breweries and also includes special coupons and perks at certain taproom locations. It is delivered directly to your smartphone and is activated upon first use at any participating brewery. After the first use, the 1-day Houston Brew Pass will expire in 24 hours.   

Here's what's offered at each brewery:
Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.: Mason jar + 2 pours on Friday OR mason jar + 3 tokens on Saturday
Eureka Heights Brew Co: Flight of five 5 oz tasters
Great Heights Brewing Company: Flight of five 4 oz tasters
Holler Brewing Company: Flight of six 5 oz tasters
Platypus Brewing: Flight of four 5oz tasters (not including Silver Spurs series)
Saint Arnold Brewing Company: Flight of five 4 oz tasters
Sigma Brewing Company: Flight of four 6 oz tasters
Town in City Brewing: Flight of four 5 oz tasters

Visit Brew Pass landing page for more good info: www.visithouston.com/brewery-experiences

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Made in the USA: 2017 World Series Pennant GO ASTROS!!!!

Well, it has been an exciting time for Houston. The Houston Astros WON the 2017 World Series on Wednesday, November 1st. We have so many excited folks all over Houston! My husband and I got this pennant last weekend at Minute Maid Stadium and love that it is made in the USA!! Now who is going to the Astros parade in downtown Houston today?

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How to Organize a National Night Out for your Neighborhood

I know I have posted this info a couple of years ago, but thought I would post again. For the past 2 years I have organized National Night Out for our neighborhood and I wanted to share with you some things that I have found helpful when planning a National Night Out event. Most states celebrate National Night Out in August, but in Texas and some other states it takes place in October when the weather is cooler. This year it is on October 3rd. I organized it for the neighborhood I grew up in over a decade ago and when we moved into our new house I decided to take this on since many of the neighbors rarely get out and go to neighborhood events. 

• Get the word out. I first get the word out about the date it will be by writing a blurb about it in our neighborhood newsletter, word of mouth, etc. I also send out an Evite to get an idea of how many people will be there. 
• Post to social media. Then I post on our Facebook site and NextDoor site (like Facebook for neighborhoods).
• Donations. Ask for donations and get neighbors to bring a side dish. We have had generous neighbors donate all the hot dogs. We also have had several local businesses donate items. 
• Ask for help. Then I start rallying the troops (other neighbors) to help with the event. This includes set up, cooking the food, etc. Unfortunately, in the past I was not able to make our neighborhood night out and have relied on others more than I normally would. Don't hesitate to ask for help from others are usually willing to help if they can.
• Call local officials. We start calling local officials to see if they will come out and greet neighbors. Call your local police department, fire station and city hall members. Usually there are requests that you can fill out online. Neighbors really like it when they can talk to someone from the city and express their concerns or express their gratitude. 
• Set up early. There will always be those people who show up early, so prepare everything about 30 minutes early. For us there isn't a lot going on and it is pretty simple, so it won't take long to set up.
• Enjoy. Mix and mingle with neighbors and enjoy hanging out with them.
• Clean up. Bring 2 bags one for trash and one for recycle. This makes clean up easy. 

Things we have prepared for the evening: 

• Local officials to stop by.
• Crafts for kids. We will have card making with the Halloween / Fall foam cutouts (picture below and I got them in the $1 bin at Target) and DIY pinecone bird feeders. 
• Our neighborhood Certified Emergency Response Team (CERT) team members to talk about emergency preparedness.
• Give away raffle items that local businesses donated. 

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Out and About in Houston: Season's Harvest

If you are out in about in the suburbs of Cypress, TX I recommend you stopping by Season's Harvest. My husband and I went here one Saturday morning and had a great breakfast. I am not a coffee drinker, but the iced coffee here was SO good. They are a farm-to-table restaurant. The food they use in local and in season. Go check them out.

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Road Trip Essentials

Since is it is summer travel time I thought I would refer back to a post I wrote almost 2 years ago called road trip essentials (I can't believe I posted this almost 2 years ago, I remember so vaguely writing it). Click on the link above to view all the photos published.

I grew up road tripping to various places and often take road trips with my husband, and wanted to share some of my essentials. I back in July from road trippin’ with family to SC. I rode with my aunt, uncle and cousin because I was able to take off early and my husband and the rest of our family flew up that weekend. We took a leisurely pace and stopped in New Orleans at one of my favorite places, Mother’s. Their jambalaya is DELICIOUS! Saw the largest rocking chair in America, then made our first stop in Destin, FL for a couple of days. I was surprised how clear the water was and it was only about a 9 hour drive. Then we finally made our way to Edisto Beach, SC outside of Charleston and stopped at the smallest church in America on the way. I rode back home with them as well, so we were in the car a loooong time. 

Here are some road trip essentials that I found helpful and like to take with me.

• Pouches / Document Holders. I use these all the time when traveling because it helps me contain my stuff.
• Notebook / Address Book. I try to always bring my address book / notebook with me on my trips because I often send letters or have thoughts I want to jot down. 
• Pens / Pencils. Because you never know when you need a pen.
• iPad. To watch movies, listen to music or play games on, but I didn’t use it this time.
• Movies. My cousin brought all kinds of movies for us to watch in the car because they have a tv in the car and we actually watched several movies. 
• Headphones. For music and movies.
• Instant Film Camera. I love using this that my husband got for me several years ago. We took pictures at the quirky places we stopped at and completely forgot to use it at other places too.
• Portable Phone Charger. This is always handy if your phone battery is running low.
• Car Games. We actually had a lot of fun with this. We played the license plate  and got all, but 6 by the time we got home. We also played a travel question game that surprisingly turned out to be fun and we learned a lot about each other. I picked up car bingo at the AAA store. I had seen them on Amazon and a local store in Houston, but it was way cheaper from AAA.
• Maps. I know most of us have a GPS or GPS on your phone, but I always like to take an actual map just in case we need and to see where we are in relation to other cities, etc.  I go to AAA and pick up the maps and almost always use them when I am on road trips.
• Coloring Books, Colored Pencils and Crayons. I’ve always liked coloring and picked up some cheap books on Amazon to take with us, they were cheaper on Amazon than at local art stores in Houston.
• Book. I know a lot of people can’t read in the car, but I actually don’t do too terribly reading in the car. I just finished My Paris Dream on the way home. I really liked it. I am always nervous about popular books like this because sometimes they turn out to be not so great.
• Toiletries. I carry a little bag with me that has all kinds of essentials like wipes, bandages, hand sanitizer, eye depuffer (just in case), essential oils (orange and lemon are so versatile), lip balm and tissues.
• National Parks Passport Book. I got this several years ago while on vacation because my aunt had one and it is a fun / free thing to get stamps at the national parks you visit.
• Things that are not pictured that I think are necessary to having a more comfortable road trip include, pillow, blanket, snacks and drinks.

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How to Start a Concierge Company

I get contacted pretty frequently from others asking to work at my company and asking to meet with me because they are interested in becoming a concierge. I thought I would write some things you need become a concierge. You can read this post on how I got started many years ago. I started my concierge company over 10 years ago when I was in college because I needed extra money. I provide services like professional organizing, personal assistance and eco consulting. I have seen many companies start similar businesses in Houston these past 10 years and it is wonderful to see so much growth because Houston is so big.

• Come up with a name. This can be changed, but I suggest sticking to something that you will use a long time. 
• File for a DBA. Go to the court house and file a DBA to make your business official. I chose to stick with a DBA / Sole Proprietorship because that is how I wanted to do it. Others can become an LLC, etc. 
• Set up a website. I have found this is a must nowadays in the concierge world because people want to see the type of services that you offer. 
• Research similar businesses in your area. Find out who your competition is and what they are up to. I view it more of community over competition because often times I need help from colleagues in the same field as me.
• Make sure you have an online prescense. Start social media sites including, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Through the years I have gained some business through social media, but not a ton.
• Spread the word about your business. Get out there and network with others and tell everyone you know about your business. You never know who will need your services. Spread the word using various tactics and sources like blog posts, social media, etc.
• Collaborate. If you are just starting out see if you can assist another concierge company on a project or shadow for a day. Like I mentioned above many people have reached out to me through the years, so I would suggest reaching out to other concierge companies.
• Find a niche. My niche is Green Concierge because I try to do things in the most eco way possible if that is what the client wants. I have many clients who are into very eco practices as well. 
• Choose your marketing carefully. I haven't done a who lot of marketing because most of my business is word of mouth. There are various marketing things that you can do. 
• Network. Go to networking events, lunches and like I said above, tell everyone you know. I don't always particularly like going to networking events, but I have gained business from it. 
• Follow up. Follow up on any leads that you may meet along the way. You never know what may come of it.
• Join organizations. Join local and national organizations that may be beneficial to your business. I am part of NAPO national and NAPO Houston. 
• Get Insurance. Insurance isn't too much a year depending on the type of coverage you get, but I think it is a wise idea to get it. Many potential new clients will ask you if you have it.
• Home office or office space. For many years I ran my business out of my home because it was easiest. Now I am in an office and I like it because I can bring clients by if need be and it helps me separate home and business life more. 
• Have fun! Starting a concierge business should be fun! There will definitely be challenges along the way, but you will overcome those pretty quickly. 

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10 Ways to Show Clients You Appreciate Them

I am absolutely so thankful for all the amazing clients that I have. Houston clients and far away clients have showed me so much love through the years and many I have built great relationships with, which I am very appreciative of. Whether I am an doing just general concierge work, professional organizing, personal assistance work, or eco consulting, I really like to show clients ways I appreciate them. I am not perfect and it doesn't always happen, but I still like to do various things for clients here and there.

1. Write a thank you note. I personally like to handwrite thank you notes because to me they are more personal. I think an email and / or text (if you are on a texting basis with your client), is sufficient as well. Something about a handwritten note seems to stand out.
2. Give away tickets to a local event. Often times I will do an email blast offering clients tickets to various things that may be in town like concerts, sporting events, etc.
3. Gift them with their favorite bottle of wine / liquor / beer. Especially during the holidays, I like to send various clients a token of my appreciation for the year of work they have provided me with and give them a bottle of Veuve Clicquot or if I know they like a particular wine or other spirit, I will often send it to them.
4. Send treats. I will randomly give clients some sort of local Houston treat, whether this is fortune cookies, cookies, macarons, donuts, etc. They are usually pretty appreciative.
5. Give a charitable gift in their honor. If you know your client supports a particular charity donate to that cause in their honor. As sad as it is, if you know a client's loved one has passed away donate to a charity in their honor.
6. Start a referral program. At Eco Modern Concierge we have a referral program and for every person that is referred to us by a current client and that person books 3 or more hours worth of work, we give the referring client a free hour of work, donate to a charity in their name or give them a $50 gift certificate to The Container Store.
7. Go above and beyond. Just provide amazing general customer service. Go above and beyond your normal tasks. If you see something that needs to be done and isn't in your realm of what you do then just do it. For example, if I am at a client's house and I see that their are newspapers in the yard I usually bring them to the front. Or if you know a client you are working for is sick or under the weather, bring them some chicken noodle soup.
8. Remember customer preferences. Remember what your customers and clients do and don't like. Since I do a lot of errands and personal assistant tasks I know products and items that my clients like. I know Houston local businesses that are prefered by certain clients and what they like from those places. In professional organizing projects I do in Houston and away I know where clients like to keep things, etc.
9. Reward customers that show you love online by leaving reviews. If a client leaves you awesome feedback by reviewing your business online, offer them a free hour or session. Maybe send them a discount code, etc. 
10. Give clients a discount on your rate just because. Randomly reward clients when they least expect it. Offer them a discount code or just take a certain amount or percentage off their next invoice just because. This is often much appreciated and unexpected. 

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5 Misconceptions About Personal Concierge Companies

There are so many misconceptions about concierges and I wanted to highlight some

• They are for rich people. This is definitely not the case. I work with such a large range a variety of individuals, whether this is teachers, lawyers, marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, stay at home moms, and the list goes on and on. I just tell others that people hire me because they need help in a specific area or that is what they want to spend their money on for the moment. Just like my husband and I like to spend money on trying new restaurants. 
• That we will purposely take our time to charge more. For me this is a big NO. I absolutely love what I do and try to go at a fast, efficient pace, but sometimes that is just not possible. There are many days that I want to get home as quickly as possible just like anyone else, but take my time to make sure things are done right.
• They don't care about the client. WHAT?!?! Personally, I try to build a relationship with all my clients whether they use my services once a week or once every 2 years. I love the relationships that I get to form with my clients and try to continue to grow it. 
• They aren't relevant because of personal assistant apps. Things are changing in the concierge world, but with that said I do think personal concierges are still very relevant. Like I said above, I try to build relationships with my clients and with app services you can't always do that because there is a different person usually each time. I do love some of the time saving apps, but do see where some people still crave that personal one on one time.
• They are competitive. I think every business is competitive to a degree, but like have I said before I view it as community over competition in the concierge world because Houston is so big and I cannot possibly handle every single need of every Houstonian. There are some companies in the concierge / professional organizing world that are competitive, but I have referred work to other companies on many occasions and vice versa. 

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Number 1 Mold Remover for Tile

I thought I would share this tidbit because this is something that I have struggled with for the past several years after we bought our house. The shower in our master bathroom is floor to ceiling tile and it is SOOOOOO hard to keep clean and from having mold grow on it. I, of course, wanted to use eco products, but then we started testing out 5 million different products because NOTHING seemed to get the grout clean from mold growing. We even tried just spraying bleach and even that barely worked. Finally we found a Clorox bathroom product that helps a lot. Since I love eco things so much I hate using it, but it is give or take and I want a mold free shower. THEN we started squeegeeing the shower after we get out and and that helps keep the mold down SOOOO much. It is a thousand times better than it used to be. I found this squeegee on Amazon and of course they are all basically the same, but I just really liked this one because we have more of modern aesthetic.

Do you have any tips for keeping the mold to a minimum on tile showers?

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Road Trip Tunes

So, I started this post back in 2014 when we were headed to Colorado and it has been almost exactly 3 years ago, so I thought I would go ahead and post. I am taking these cds with me on my road trip to Pittsburgh and you know what, I still really like most of these albums.

Since I will be road tripping soon here are some cds I decided to get on Amazon since we had not heard most of these full albums yet. Yes I know, I am a little behind on the music. I really like to buy cds as opposed to downloading the music because I can pass it along to someone who wants to listen before they buy, you usually get a little pamphlet with lyrics or info on it and sometimes something extra like a dvd. Plus, with Amazon a lot of times they have an autorip feature as well. 

I have not kept up with music like I used to. Most of these bands and performers I have seen in concert several times before and really enjoy. 

• The Black Keys: Turn Blue
• Cold Play: Ghost
• Robert Ellis: The Lights from the Chemical Plant
• Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: Give the People What They Want
• Beyonce: Beyonce
• Ingrid Michaelson: Lights Out
• Fitz and the Tantrums: More than Just a Dream
• Chromeo: White Women

What is some of your favorite music right now?

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Client Busy, Single Mama: Before and After

I did this professional organizing project last year and have worked with this person on a few projects throughout her house. She is a single mama and a foster mama and she just needed help because she wanted to spend more time with her kiddos on the weekend. As a professional organizer, not everything is about making it super pretty, it is about being functional for the families needs and I have loved working with her!

Before:

After:

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Spring Cleaning: Items You Forget to Clean Pt.2

Last year I wrote this post on items you forget to clean and thought I would just add onto it because you don't always think of things right away. I would make a check list to make sure you are cleaning all the right spots.

• Window sills
• Microwave
• Refrigerator drawers
• Dog water / food bowls
• Inside of cabinets and drawers
• Top of windows
• Inside of canister lights
• Hairbrush
• Soap dish
• Sponges
• Under couch
• Under bed

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Eco Easter Ideas and How to Green Your Easter

The last few years I have done various eco Easter posts on the blog and wanted to post about them again. Here is eco Easter egg options. Here is how to green your Easter.

There are many ways to go green during Easter. Try to buy less for the holiday if at all possible. With that said below are some eco options during Easter time.

• Reuse baskets from year to year. If you must get a new basket I always see a ton of options at places like Goodwill.
• Use shredded newspaper or magazines for Easter basket "grass".
• Dye eggs naturally using spices/vegetables. Here are some options here. Of course, there is always Pinterest with a ton of options. Also, I saw at Whole Foods that they have natural dye packets. 
• Eco, compostable eggs made from plants.
• Check out resale shops or make your own decorations.
• Use local or fair trade chocolate from places like Tejas Chocolate (spotted their chocolate at Jane and John Dough Bakery), Araya Artisan Chocolate, The Chocolate Bar and Cacao & Cardamom.
• Give plants as gifts like herbs or Easter lilies. 
• Cook an Easter meal with in season veggies. 
• Donate or give away Easter items you no longer use.
• If you are using disposable plates/utensils use bamboo or a brand that is compostable. You can find tons of options online or at places like Whole Foods.
• Buy eco toys. There are many options on Amazon. Most toy stores now have great eco plastic and wood toy options. 
• Buy items from local shops. There are great shops all over Houston that I love like Revival Market (food items), Penzy's (spices), Biscuit Home (kids, adults, home, etc), and Space Montrose (stationery, jewelry among all kinds of items). I will need to do a future post of local places in Houston that I really like.

Do you have any eco Easter options?

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Earth Day Houston Events 2017

It's another year of Houston Earth Day events. Like I have said before, I love writing this post because it is about all things eco. There are more Earth Day events in Houston than you think.

March 25 Woodlands GreenUp
April 1 Memorial Park Conservancy Brunch Run
April 1 Sugar Land Earth Day Celebration
April 1 Sugar Land Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Rock Earth Day Celebration
April 14 Baylor College of Medicine Earth Day
April 22 Urban Harvest Earth Day Workday 
April 22 Evelyn's Park Opening Day
April 22 A Healing Collective Earth Day Birthday
April 22 Exploration Green Conservancy's Earth Day Celebration
April 22 Aquarium Houston Party for the Planet
April 22 Armand Bayou Earth Day Party for the Planet
April 22 Earth Day on the Avenida
April 22 Houston Arboretum Earth Day Celebration
April 22 Earth Day Bash at Houston Children's Museum
April 29 Greenery on MainStreet
April 29 Bayou Greenway Day
April 30 Environmental Trivia Contest

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A Day in the Life of a Houston Concierge: Eco Modern Concierge During Houston Super Bowl 51

During Super Bowl 51 I rented a loft in Downtown Houston because I knew there were several things that I would need to do in the downtown area leading up to / during the Super Bowl. Having a concierge company and doing various personal assistant for clients you never know what you will get asked to do, so I wanted to stay in downtown so I didn't have to worry about parking and so I could walk or take public transportation. Besides obviously having to work, I also got to enjoy various things that I normally don't get to while in downtown like going to new stores, bars, restaurants, etc. So below is just various things I did one day while in town. It wasn't my busiest day, but one full of all kinds of things. I also forgot to take photos of the entire day, but hey what can I do. 

1st I got up early to go to yoga. I go to YMCA in downtown and love it. 

Fun surprises walking to yoga. The cool thing is you can see it from the yoga room. Love is everywhere.

I popped into the office for a bit to catch up on emails and various other things. 

View from the office. It was a gorgeous day that day and a perfect day to be outside. 

Walking in downtown.

There was a pop up shop called Launch happening during the Super Bowl near Discovery Green, so I went and loved it. I got a few small items from Stash.

I stopped in Vic & Anthony's to get a gift certificate. We ended up going there later that night and met my brother-in-law and his girlfriend there for dinner. Peyton and Eli Manning happened to be there the same night. I am not an avid football fan, but it was still cool.

Super Bowl themed treats I picked up and took to a vendor. 

Greenstreet in Downtown had various pop up shops. One being Mizzen + Main that my brother-in-law raves about, so I stopped in and picked something up for Bryan for Valentine's Day. 

View from above Discovery Green. 

Filming on the balcony of one of my client's buildings. 

I went to Discovery Green to take photos of all of the Super Bowl things with my fancy camera and the Puppy Bowl was going on. It was too cute!

I am part of Tidbits Front Row and there was a free drink voucher at Brasserie Du Parc, so after I finished up work and at Discovery Green I headed over there. 

I can't remember exactly what I had, but it was something with a little spice in it and it was super good. 

More walking Downtown.

The Metro all ready for Super Bowl.

I went to check out Tongue Cut Sparrow, which had just opened the day before. It is a cool little hidden bar in Downtown. Plus, they have Buried Hatchet, one of my favorite dark beers by Southern Star.

These were mats in front of most restaurants Downtown. Later in the evening. I went back to the loft got ready for dinner and then we had a night cap at the Craft Beer Cellar and Flying Saucer. 

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