Jerry Seinfeld on Organizing...

"Your home is a garbage processing center where new things are purchased and slowly demoted through various stages of trashification until you're done."

--Comedian Jerry Seinfeld

NAPO-NY at IKEA Brooklyn

Live near Brooklyn, New York? Need some post-summer organizing tips?

If you answered 'Yes,' grab a notepad and head on over to the free 'Get Organized for Fall' event at IKEA-Brooklyn on Saturday, August 27th. Professional Organizers from NAPO-NY will be available from 1pm-2:30pm to answer your questions on clutter, organizing challenges, and maximizing your space.

Here's the schedule:

1:00-1:30         Office & Home Office Organizing Tips
1:30-2:00         Back to School Organizing Tips
2:00-2:30         Home Organizing Tips

You can get there by subway, car, water taxi or bus--here are directions. 

Why not make a day of it? Have lunch at the IKEA cafeteria and then be on the lookout for a NAPO-NY professional organizer. Bring your questions, ideas, photos--they're a knowledgeable bunch!

I'm a Guest Blogger!

Babies are so little.

Babies are so cute.

Babies are so disorganized!

OK--so they don't have the upper body strength to sort and purge and they certainly can't address their own birth announcement envelopes. But, their parents can...

Know anyone having a baby soon? Good--I'm guest blogging at DepositaGift.com this week with a helpful post called Get Organized For Your New Baby!. Feel free to share my post with those who have a bundle of joy on the way. I have two little ones and take it from me--being organized enabled me to find what I needed when I needed it on very little sleep...

Back-to-School Organizing Tips

During the month of August I've been posting weekly organizing tips to my Organized Artistry Facebook page. The topic: back-to-school organizing.

This past week I talked about how to avoid the age old question, 'What should I make my kids for lunch?'  But, lunch is not the only thing that can go in a lunch box. How about including a note or surprise in that lunchbox that shows your kid that you're thinking of them during the day? Need some good note/surprise ideas? How about 51 of them? Read...

51 Smile-Inducing Lunch Box Notes and Surprises

Keep it organized by determining when you'll include a note or surprise with your child's lunch--every Monday, the day of a big test, or when you want to give them a little extra lovin' are a few good ideas. Mark it on your calendar as an extra reminder.

My son starts kindergarten this Fall--I've bookmarked the site so I can refer to it during the year. He's going to love some of these notes and surprises. I like #19 and #25 best.

Which one will your child like?

Helpful Organizing Tip - Master Shopping List

Between raising a family and being a business owner, there's a lot going on in my brain. If I need to remember something, I have to write it down or else it's as good as gone. I'm a visual person so I like post-its and pads of paper for quickly jotting down ideas, to-do's and lists.

With four people in our household, we go through a lot of food. When we run out of something, I add it to my shopping list (my main supermarket is ShopRite). But, I shop in four or five different markets depending where I'm driving past that day and what food item I've run out of. I needed a central place to keep track of all our food needs. That's when I came up with the Master Shopping List.

My Master Shopping List

I went to Michaels and purchaed a magnetic pad with lines and stuck it on the side of my fridge. I wrote in the names of stores I shop in often--ShopRite, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Fairway, and Costco and left room underneath to write what I've run out of. When I buy the item, I cross it off my list. Sometimes I'll circle an item if I need to purchase it later or at another store.

Keeping this list close to the fridge or pantry makes jotting down items a quick and easy task. If you don't like to or can't hang items on your fridge, store your Master Shopping List near your refrigerator. Don't like the note pad? Create something similar to this on your computer.

The master list is not just for food. Use it for drugstores, big box stores--wherever you shop often.

This master list has made my life much easier. If I notice we are running low on an item from a particular store, I grab my pen and write it under the appropriate store name. If I know I'll be passing by a certain store after working with a client, I'll jot down from the master list (onto a separate piece of paper) the things  I need and cross items off them off the list when I return home.

I guarantee--creating a Master Shopping List for your family will work as well for you as it has worked for me. Give it a try. It's all about making our lives easier and having what we need when we need it.

Get Organized for Dorm Life

Going away to college? These tips are for you!

It’s no secret--dorm rooms are notoriously small. In order to embrace your itty-bitty home-away-from-home, it’s important to arrive organized and create an organized space for yourself.

Here are some organizing tips for the college-bound student:

De-clutter Before Leaving Home
Mom and Dad are having a tough time watching you ‘leave the nest.’ It won’t help matters if you leave that nest a mess before you leave. Sort through your belongings and decide what you’d like to take with you to college and what you’d like to leave at home. Purge out unwanted items and create a neat and organized space for yourself. You’ll want to come back to an uncluttered room at vacation time.

Ask for Information - Call Residential Life
Give the Residential Life office a call to ask about furniture, size of room and storage options so you’ll know what to bring and what to keep at home. Another good question to ask is what’s NOT allowed in a dorm room. Many colleges and universities prohibit microwave ovens, coffee makers, hot pots. and candles. 

Make Decisions - Call Prospective Roommate(s)
Once you find out who you’re roommate is, contact them—not only to introduce you’re self but more importantly to discuss who will bring what! You don’t want to stuff two DVD players, two TV’s and two fridges in your small, shared space. You need all the square footage you can get!

Shop at Home
Don’t wait to get all of your stuff at a store down the road from campus. Everyone else had the same idea and already bought out the coolest looking comforter sets and memo boards. Now that you’ve spoken to Residential Life and your roomie-to-be, start looking online and in brick & mortar stores for dorm room organizers and other needed items. Involve Mom and Dad in the process and let them help out. They want to know you’ll be OK  (and organized) when you’re away...

How will you know which products you’ll need to set up an organized dorm room? Start by asking older friends and relatives what they used to maximize space in their dorm rooms. Refer to college checklists offered by many stores. Before you start shopping, here’s a list of some popular and functional storage products to turn your dorm room into an organized oasis:

Bed Risers
 Bed Risers elevate a bed to provide more storage space underneath. It’s a great place for storing off-season clothes and rarely used items.

Under Bed Boxes w/Wheels
 This is the perfect container for storing those off-season clothes and rarely used items discussed above. Wheels make it easier to pull out from under the bed.

Bed Organizer
 A Bed Organizer or ‘bed pocket’ tucks under a mattress, hangs over the side, and contains multiple pockets that organize the little things that can create clutter in a small space. Perfect for holding whatever a college student needs by their bedside.

Hanging Hamper
 No room for a laundry basket? Use a Hanging Hamper! This type of hamper is equipped with a hanger at the top--hang it from a doorknob or closet rod. Some models have a carry strap—great if the laundry room isn’t close to your own room.

Closet Organizers
 Consider using a Canvas Hanging Sweater Organizer and/or Shoe Organizer. These items have mini shelves that are designed to store sweaters, shoes and much more.

Folding Bookcase
 A folding bookcase is the perfect solution to a shelf-less dorm room. It can be used as a freestanding bookshelf or as a hutch on a desk. Often, there is no assembly required and it folds for easy moving and storage during vacation time.

With a few phone calls, some shopping, and a bunch of cool products, you’re on your way to getting an A+ in Organized Dorm Living 101!

Back-to-School Time!

If it's August, it must be Back-to-School shopping time!

In honor of the tradition, I'll be posting weekly organizing tips on Organized Artistry's Facebook Fan Page on the topic of Back-to-School organizing. Check back every week in August for a new way to get your kids (and yourself) organized for the upcoming school year.

Until then, I leave you with one of my favorite commercials...

I'd better practice my singing--my five year old starts kindergarten this year and he needs supplies!