Spring Cleaning Tips

Image via Terrain

For a few days there it felt like Summer and then I had to pull the ice scraper back out for my windshield in the mornings. Thankfully, I think we've had our last frost now and we couldn't be more ready for some sunshine and warm weather. I find myself more motivated when Spring comes to put a little extra effort into things. We've found a few links from around the web to inspire you for the season.

1. Three looks for Spring

2. Spring Cleaning Decluttering Inspiration

3. The prettiest cleaning tools you've ever seen

4. Prepping your garden for spring

5. Dogwood Arts event calendar: If you are looking for things to do around Knoxville. Dogwood Arts hosts a wide variety of events celebrating spring and gardens all over Knoxville.

Thoughts on Labels

Image from LiaGriffith.com

We've experimented with a number of different labeling techniques when organizing for folks and have found that it really boils down to personal preference and category of items.

Obviously, pretty labels make a space look nice but we've found that different kinds of spaces, for different ages of people work best.

For pantrys, home offices, and general areas that are either out in the open or used mostly by adults, we love finding nice looking labels that help create uniformity and cohesiveness rather than adding distraction and chaos to your belongings.

Image from A Cultivated Nest

For labeling files or purely functional items (think office supply rooms for commercial properties or basic garages) label makers are the way to go. Everything is uniform in type and size and the labels are very readable. We recommend "Brother" brand label makers for this type of thing.

Image from pinterest- original source unknown

We've found that for young kids, it's often helpful to label toy bins, craft storage, or kid closets with pictures along with words. We like having both because it encourages word association, reading, and spelling while it makes it easy for pre-reading age kids to take charge of the clean up & put away process.

Here are a few websites where you can find free printable labels to use in your own home.

General Labels

Bath and Body Labels

 Pantry Labels

Clothing Closet Labels

What kind of labels do you use in your home?

Happy 2nd Birthday To Us!

HYD is officially 2 years old!

Image by Texture Photo

We've done a lot of organizing, staging, planning, selling, and moving since we started. 122 individual spaces or projects are represented in the graph below which is CRAZY to think about! It's been two years full of wonderful people and amazing homes and we couldn't be more excited about where our third year will take us.

Thank you for encouraging us, hiring us, welcoming us into your homes, and joining us in the journey to bring peace and order to homes all over Knoxville. Cheers!

Today, grace.

It's Thursday.
HYD would love to share a tidbit of organizing wonder or a story filled with real life goodness.

View fullsize

Image by: Watercolor Devo

But, instead... you're getting a confession. It's too-late o'clock and my body and brain are ready to call it quits. I started to dig down deep and pull together something worth reading, but my dear husband suggested I give our readers the truth instead. He's real smart like that.

First of all, my season is one I wouldn't trade for the world. I've got a three school-age, active, healthy, fun-loving, tree climbing, soccer ball kickin', musical, gymnastic-ing, fort-building, craft making, treasure collecting, sleepover having kids. My minivan tears up the K-town roads like you wouldn't believe. Many days it's full of kids until 8am, then discarded items from clients until 3pm, then kids again until the last lesson, practice, meeting, or carpool drop-off has finished.

I mean that too about not wanting to trade this season for anything. I truly do love watching these kiddos grow into their own unique individuals. I thank God I get to be present for so much of it. And with that, I say thank you for the grace to let this be HYD's post for the week. The last couple of weeks have been so full of kids and clients, that my time at my computer just didn't happen.

I also want to extend that same grace to you today. You're off the hook. Real life happens. And the good news is, there's always tomorrow. 

The Dreaded Paper Piles

If you have paper piles everywhere, feel overwhelmed with starting a filing system, or feel like your current filing system isn't working, we have a few ideas for you...

1. Create an active set of files that are easily accessible (not in your file cabinet). Use this to keep track of the paper that come in regularly. Think school, sports, events, and other family/kid related paperwork.

2. Each year, go through your file cabinet top to bottom and shred the things that are no longer relevant or needed. If you're not sure, check this list to see what's safe to toss and what you need to keep.

3. Move things online- many services offer the option of going paperless. Take the time to switch your regular service bills to online billing methods to save paper and save space in your file cabinet.

Image from Space for Living Blog

4. Start with an efficient and organized set of tabs. Half of the battle of paper organization is figuring out how specific to be when creating labels and tabs to keep things in order.

5. Figure out what system works best for your stage in life, time, and personality. Maybe simple is best for you- try this 4 file system. There isn't an end-all-be-all best way to file, so finding a system that works for you is really important and will make all the difference in being able to stay organized.
 

Lastly, If you can't imagine facing the paper on your own, give us a call and we will work through it with you!

Home Organization Projects | Before & After

Recent Home Organization Projects by Help You Dwell

January has been full of fun for HYD. We've had the privilege of organizing two home office areas, several closets, a couple of kitchen pantries, creating a playroom, overhauling a sunroom, and we're in the middle of helping organize, pack, and remove items from a mother-in-law's former condominium.

Every job has had it's own challenges and each homeowner had their own ideas and plans for the space we worked in. This is the part of our job that calls us to be good listeners and creative problem-solvers. We want to invite you to join us through our journey with some of January's clients thus far & let you see some of the photos and the reviews & quotes we received along the way. Because maybe you'll see yourself or a loved one who could truly benefit from a helping hand like the one HYD can give.

HOME OFFICE

Our first stop is a home office redo of a working mom of three school age kids. She's got a great space to work with, a tight budget, and an eagerness to get a system. Our goal was to not only create the space, but put in place routines that will help keep it ordered and functional while not breaking the bank on all kinds of new gadgets, storage containers, etc.

Before - Home Office

In the before, you'll see lots of extras lying around that aren't related to the office. With a little clean-up, purging, and rearranging (plus finding a fantastic donated shelving unit) we were able put together a much more functional area for the whole family to utilize.

Home Office - After

The only purchased items to finish off the space were the woven file box on the bottom shelf of the shelf unit and the wire tray on the desk for active bills, school papers, and to do items. All the other baskets, frames/photos, etc the homeowner already had. We look forward to checking back in with her to see how things are going.

“I actually sat in here and worked this week!”

“Money well spent!! So great to have these ladies help organize my space and take control of my domain again!!”

SUNROOM

First of all, what a wonderful space to work in! This client was overjoyed to get to cash in her gift certificate she won in our December giveaway by asking for our help in creating a sunroom for reading, thinking, snuggling, and just enjoying. We were more than happy to help. Having just moved into her new home with her husband and two littles, she was very open to suggestions and ideas of how to make the space work best. She had lots of family furniture pieces to work with along with a wonderful selection of plants given to her by her late grandmother.

Sunroom - Before

Again, such a fabulous room to work with but it can also be a challenge when you have so much room to want to fill it up with furniture, plants, and accessories just because you have the space. If we're going a peaceful getaway type room, cozy and comfortable are part of the goal but order and simplicity must be included as well. The plants also bring great color and life to the room but too many can cause the room to feel messy. We took great care to find the right plants for the right spaces throughout the house so that each one can be enjoyed and properly cared for.

Sunroom - After

Once we walked through the house and basement to see what furniture pieces we had to work with and where some of the extra plants could be enjoyed in the house, we then started the great rearrange! Creating a breakfast nook for quiet mornings, a desk near the windows for thoughtful contemplation, a couch and seating area for great conversation, and added a much needed bookshelf (located on the left wall) to house all the books for snuggling up and reading.

“HYD was SUCH a gift to my house! They created space where there was only plants and stuff mashed together. They created atmosphere by giving important items a perfect place to fit in the sunroom. HYD also gave me “permission” (you know how you cling to things that should be let go of?) to get rid of. Now I can’t help but to walk into the room and just look around in awe, loving my new space, and enjoying sharing it with whoever drops by. Thank you SO very much HYD! I will be recommending you many times over (and asking you to come again for sure!)”

PANTRY

The last leg of our journey today takes us to a home of a family with two little ones and twins on the way! Lots to prepare for here. As mom and dad plan ahead, they know systems will be one of their greatest allies in surviving four little ones. HYD took on the kitchen pantries. With limited cabinet space, these homeowners need to make their two pantries work well. Our job was to make sure everything had a home, it was easy to access, and the littles had kid-friendly items down low so they could get their own snacks, etc. Below are the before shots of each pantry.

Once we got a good look at all the items in each pantry, we realized that we needed to consolidate, purge, and regroup many of the items. We designated the pantry on the right as the snack and non-cooking pantry. It's full of the grab-n-go items like snack bars, juice boxes, dried fruit, crackers, nut spreads, etc. Easy for the babysitter to find what he or she needs to feed hungry preschoolers.

The pantry on the left is now the designated appliance and cooking pantry filled with appliances, canned goods, pasta, root vegetables, cookbooks, and other small appliance-type accessories like batteries and light bulbs now contained in clear storage bins for easy access.

Adding the storage containers to the grab-n-go pantry was key. It's much easier to access the items, see what you have, and if labeling is your thing, the blue area on the front of each container is a dry erase area for easy labeling. 

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This is just a glimpse of what we've been up to this month. We hope you've gotten inspired to find that space in your home to tackle and bring new life to. Creating order where there was once none can be such a springboard for freedom in other areas of your life as well. Don't wait, make room in your schedule today to purge, reorder, and create the space you've always longed for. If you need help, we'd be glad to give it, whether it's a little or a lot. 

New Years Resolutions vs. Life Changes

Drawing by RabbitWifePen&Ink

Do you make resolutions each year? If you are like me, I usually make a few but rarely keep them. What's interesting is that I often find myself making the same resolutions that I tried to keep the year before. Change takes time, especially big changes. Here are a few tips on how to make changes for life rather than new years resolutions.

1. Involve your people. Whether your tell your friends, family, or co workers, make sure that your community knows what you are working on. Feeling a sense of accountability often helps keep you on track.

2. Be realistic. Think about what your current "normal" is and take that into account. Don't set your self up to fail. For example: I have a goal of walking 10,000 steps daily but in general my daily average is more like 4,000. My life goal will be to be active for 1 hour (aka 10,000 steps) 3 times a week. Once I get to a place where that is my normal, then I can adjust to make it more of a challenge and say maybe 5 days a week until I work up to 10,000 steps daily. Focus on small steps to create a change of lifestyle over time that's sustainable.

3. Figure out your motives. If I have a goal of losing weight or of eating differently, it's important that I understand why I have that goal. Do I believe that I will be more loved or admired if I attain this? Am I doing this because I feel pressured by someone else or by a physical problem? Am I searching for happiness or fulfillment? I've found that my motives usually make or break a change.

4. Come up with reminders for the life changes that are hard to remember on a daily basis. One of mine is to drink at least 64oz of water every day. I am doing a few things as reminders or as motivation. I bought a water bottle that has measurements on the outside, I track my intake through an app on my phone, and I must always accept when someone offers me water. These little things help me stay on track.

Purchase here

5. Schedule a monthly check in with yourself. Make a list of your daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly commitments and re evaluate whether or not you are able to fully commit in a way that is meaningful. If not, start eliminating. When your schedule is maxed out you are less likely to be able to add new changes into your routine.

image by allaboutami

6. Make a plan for how you will accomplish your life goals. For example, if I want to begin the habit of storing my clothes in my closet or dresser rather than all over my bedroom floor/furniture, then I first have to purge my closet and storage space until all of my clothing fits into the designated area in a manageable and comfortable way. Once I have a spot for my clothes I'm much more likely to hang them back up or fold them to store in my dresser. Often times our bad habits make sense. If my closet is jam packed and has no room or order, then I'm likely to leave my clothes on a chair where I can easily find them BUT if my closet it organized, I'm much more likely to make use of it.

Did you make resolutions this year? How are they going? Any tips or ideas you would like to share?

Old North Knoxville Home Tour

Image from Victorian Holiday Home Tour 505 East Scott Ave.

Each month we try to feature a home tour on our blog. We love being able to hear about what "home" means to different people and we treasure the relational aspect of being invited into someones house. This month we offer you something a little different. If you have never attended the Old North Knoxville Home Tour, we highly recommend it. We attended this past weekend and have pictures and ideas to share with you. Although each of these homes was built around the same time period, in the same Victorian style, it was neat to see how each homeowner's personal taste and style came out in the decor.

303 Oklahoma Ave

302 E. Scott Ave

We asked each home owner two questions,  "What do you love about your home?" and "What makes your home unique?". We got a wide variety of answers and loved hearing about the many renovation experiences and processes of restoring historic homes. Below are a few of our favorite responses. Enjoy!

"What we love most about our home is that we were able to take something neglected and dirty that most people would turn away from and rehab it into the gorgeous home it was intended to be. " (Leslie M.)

Photo by Alan Sims : Inside Knoxville 204 E. Oklahoma St.

"Our home is unique because it has a distinct juxtaposition of modern and traditional features. We kept the rooms in our house segmented (vs. an hgtv-esque open concept) because each room in our house serves a specific purpose. All of our doorways are very tall and wide, so our rooms still feel open without sacrificing purpose. We believe that old homes should be maintained to serve their original purpose, and at the time of construction, our home would have been very modern and featured the best of the best. We tried to echo this in our renovations and do a modern interpretation of a Victorian home- we put new light fixtures where original light fixtures were placed, moved walls and doorways to original locations, and designed the home so that the purpose of each room was consistent with the original design. Maintaining historical features was very important to us, and we kept this in mind as we gave modern interpretations and new life to our home." (Leslie M.)

"We rarely ever turn a light on during the day. The huge windows let natural light abound and breathe such life into these old walls and hardwoods. That's what I love most." (Jenna V.)

302 E. Scott Ave

302 E. Scott Ave

302 E. Scott Ave.

"The thing we love most about our home is the neighborhood! Old North, with its gracious front porches and proximity to Happy Holler businesses means that you are always meeting a friend or neighbor as you walk down the street. Everyone here is so friendly and we love having impromptu dinner and drinks on our front porch with friends.  (Cat S.)

221 E. Oklahoma

221 E Oklahoma

221 E. Oklahoma

"Our house is filled with art and antiques, made by and gifted by family and friends. We also have many souvenirs of our travels together as a family. We think that these personal touches bring warmth to the space, and remind us of our favorite people and places every day. Our house is unique in that it hasn't been "remuddled" like some Victorians--we enjoy the original fireplaces and woodwork of the home and all of its original bones. We are also lucky to have an unusually wide front porch, which means that it can function as an extra room in our home--we have a "living room" with a sectional and a dining area out there that we use all the time when the weather is nice!" (Cat S.)

225 E. Oklahoma St

225 E. Oklahoma St

225 E. Oklahoma St.

We loved seeing how creative people were able to get with their space. Some of our favorite ideas were using old mantels to create faux fireplaces, making great use out of porches and outdoor areas to extend living spaces, using a ladder as vertical (and pretty) storage to hang blankets, and utilizing architectural salvage as art and decor.

If you would like a home by home review of the tour, check out Inside of Knoxville's blog. Pt. 1 &  Pt.2

These 5 Things : November 2015

Image by Sarah Musgrave

 1. Check out this excellent guide to styling your shelves. If you don't follow Emily Henderson's blog, it's a good one!

2. 6 Ways to Speed Clean to a Clean Enough House. A few time- saving storage pieces and ideas for getting the whole family involved in cleaning habits.

3. This list of 15 Holiday Hosting Shortcuts is chock full of good ideas to keep stress low and let the good times roll.

4. Instead of decorating for the seasons, try layering to build warmth in your home.

5. It can be a major challenge to incorporate a TV into your decor. Check out this blog entry for a few ideas. 

Thanksgiving Prep Time

Three Thursdays from today is Thanksgiving and HYD wants to help you get ready!

We know that spending time with all the people you share this meal with can bring great joy or may have it's own challenges. Either way, being prepared will make Thanksgiving more enjoyable for everyone! Today we're focusing on the main event of the day, the meal . Getting a game plan for the meal in place now; finding recipes, cleaning linens, inviting any extra guests, and then finally scheduling when to shop and cook are all things that can be done ahead of time and you can have control over.

As always, HYD likes to help make your planning pretty. We found this cute downloadable Thanksgiving checklist designed by Jessica Reed Designs for Kristen Duke at Capturing Joy. It's a great place to start your meal planning and starting now let's you be a bit more creative with your food choices. Grab a few magazines off the shelf this week or search around on Pinterest to see what's new for the Thanksgiving table this year that might be a new tradition for your family.

While cooking is not really HYD's specialty, we do know the great benefits of getting it done ahead of time. If cooking is your specialty, but preparing your home is not - that's where we really shine. Let us know if you need any help!  

865.245.9080 -- info@helpyoudwell.com

Chair Rehab

I've noticed something interesting lately....

A lot of people have a chair problem. What I mean by chair problem is that a lot of people can't pass up a good deal on chairs, have too many chairs, dream about chairs etc. Confession... I'm a chair addict. There have been seasons of life where my chair problem is in check but I realized a few days ago that I've bought 8 chairs in the last month. Hear me out, it was two sets of 4 and I have a place for all of them :)

We recently remodeled our porch ceiling and I'm so excited to finally make our porch an extension of our living space (I know, I know, I should have done this in the spring but it just didn't happen).

Before -this was hiding under a layer of vinyl siding

After

Our porch runs across the front of our house and around one side and I have a plan for the space. The front will be living and hanging out space and the side will host a table for 4. I'm working on a fairly tight budget so I'm trying to get creative and I've got a furniture rehab project up my sleeve.

Last year I bought an amazing table at Mid Mod Collective's Salvage Sale for a steal. I've been using it inside but happened upon an amazing little vintage 4 seater for $30 at a garage sale last week that I'm going to put in its place. The round table is making it's way to the porch but I needed chairs.

 The Salvage Shop posted this lovely set on facebook last week and I ran over to buy them before they got snagged.

Image by The Salvage Shop (Chairs purchased from them as well)

Now I know what you are thinking, "Won't bamboo get destroyed outside?" and as a friend put it "they kinda remind me of old ladies playing bridge" (haha) but a little DIY makeover will fix all of that. I'm going to treat the wood with an outdoor sealant to protect it and I'm going to recover the seats and chair backs with oil cloth.

Here is where YOU come in... I would love to get everyone's opinion. There are so many great options. I know I want something kind of vintage inspired and I'm thinking I want something pretty colorful. Which one would you pick?

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

Option 6

P.S.  We highly recommend both The Salvage Shop & Mid Mod Collective for one of a kind, vintage, and eclectic treasures.

October Organizing Look Book

We spent some time hunting down a few of our favorite Fall/Winter organizing tools to help you enjoy this season. Whether you're taking on the garage or just need some order at the front door, this list has what you need to get started.

Order at the Door

Fall weather means tracking in more of the outdoors. Drop your shoes or boots onto one of these snazzy trays to cut back on the cleaning.

Antiqued Copper Boot Tray from Garnet Hill

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Cooler weather means more layers. Need a quick place to stash extra jackets this season? Add a seasonal coat rack near your entrance for easy access & quicker tidying up. So many looks out there, we had to give you a few choices for the tall & pint-sized folk as well.

Vintage Factory Coat Stand by Restoration Hardware

IKEA PS 2014 Hat & Coat Stand

Utility Coat Racks in Colors by Room & Board

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Getting the Garage in Gear

The pleasant temperatures make it a great time to tidy up the garage, garden shed, or attic space. Here a some storage ideas that can make those spaces work for you. We love these overhead storage shelves that give you more floor space plus the option of hanging bicycles is fantastic.

Overhead Ceiling Racks available on Amazon.com

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This next storage option is genius. Yard tools can often be a bugger to store well. Unused filing cabinets can be a pain to get rid of. Solve both problems by losing the filing cabinet drawers, lying it on it's side, add a splash of cute paint, & viola! you've got yourself some sturdy storage! Click the link below to find out details on this very doable DIY project.

DIY Tool Stash from Gardenista.com

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Organize your flower pots, smaller garden tools, & watering can onto a potting bench. Just a little investment can go a long way to bring order to your gardening space. The link will take you to lots of styles available on Ebay.com.

Ebay.com

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As always, we LOVE to hear from you! Have any tips or ideas to share? Let us know in the comment box.

Need some help organizing your extra spaces? Call us at 865.245.9080 & we'd love to help!

Fall Capsule Wardrobe (With a Twist)

Well it's officially getting cool enough to pull out some long sleeves. I won't lie, I've enjoyed the lingering warm weather but I'm really excited about sweaters and boots.

http://adiaryoflovely.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/weekend-wear.html

My summer capsule worked really well for me. My mornings are so much simpler and I don't spend nearly as much time getting ready. I did notice that there were a handful of things that I really didn't wear more than once or twice and that I want more variety in my next capsule.

A new idea I'm trying out this time is having two capsules: A work capsule and a weekend/not working capsule (focusing on nicer items). Towards the end of the summer I noticed that a lot of my clothing was looking worn out and realized I don't have many articles of clothing that are a step up from the everyday. I'm hoping that having these two separate capsules will motivate me to wear the grungier stuff for working (because organizing and helping people move tends to wear on clothes) and invest in some nicer options for nights and weekends. This could also work if you have a career that requires a nicer dress code. I think having the two separate capsules makes it easier for me to by pass the items that don't make since for the activity. I keep mine in separate places for the convenience. My work clothes are stored in drawers and my nicer clothes are hung up (sans sweaters that just do better folded)

Mid clothing tornado

Excuse this extremely unflattering picture of me but it had to be included. This is proof that I do understand what it's like for all of you amazing clients who give up things that you have sentimental attachments to but just don't make sense anymore. I've had this plaid shirt since high school. It doesn't button. It hasn't buttoned for 5years. I let it go this week. It was hard but I'm not regretting it.

I pulled out all my cool weather clothing from storage and tried on everything earlier this week. The quick try on eliminated about 15 items. Onto the hard part; narrowing down the things that I still like and wear. Again, it always helps to have a second opinion so I called in my trusty business partner. With Taryn's help I was able to narrow down even further and came up with 40 items. (The technical number is supposed to be 37 but I'm extending grace for myself-I'm also not including work wear in this number) I also know that there are a number of items that I would like to replace but don't want to get rid of until I have replacements. My mindset going into the fall is that if I purchase items, I have to trade them out for items in my current capsule. If you need incentive to purge, we are hosting a pretty amazing Fall/Winter Clothing Boutique and you will want to make room I assure you!

I know my closet's not pretty, but this is real life people. You work with what you've got :)

Sweaters and knit shirts

Sidenote: When I packed up my summer items to store I filled only one large tub instead of the two I filled last year. This is great news because we have fairly limited storage at our house.

Below is a run down on what I kept...

Fall Capsule Nights and Weekends: 40 items

3 sweaters, 14 shirts, 1 vest, 2 pairs of corduroys, 1 pair of black pants, 5 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of booties, 3 pairs of boots, and 8 pairs of other shoes. (Self diagnosed shoe addict over here)

Fall Capsule Working wear: 16 items

2 pairs of Jeans, I pair of black jeggings (I'm kind of embarrassed that I have these but they are so comfortable), 9 shirts, 2 sweaters, and 2 pairs of shoes (that look terrible but I still love to wear them)

Have any of you tried out capsule wardrobing? What do you think? If not, what's holding you back? I'm super curious to know if some people just don't like the concept or if it seems daunting etc.

Fall To-Do List

Source

Do you ever get to the end of a season and realize that there were so many things you planned to do but never got to? Us too.
There are so many fall festivals, holidays, and events going on and we've made a to do list of sorts to help get the ball rolling for your harvest plans. We love the idea of having seasonal bucket lists as well; things that aren't necessarily all planned out but a list of ideas for the occasional Saturday when you find yourself with no plans.

Source

We suggest carving out an hour with your calendar ASAP to get things on your schedule.

Festivals: Click on the links for more info

• Happy Hollerpalooza (This Saturday- Sept 26)

• Tennessee Fall Home Coming Folk Festival (Oct 9-11)

• Open Streets (Oct 25)

• Foothills Craft Guild (Nov 20-22)

Activities/Holidays:

Photo by Sarah Musgrave

• Host a bonfire

• Take a hike in the Smokies (not sure when trail to choose? Check out the Top 10) If you are looking for a family friendly hike with young kids, "Andrew's Bald" is perfect.

• Plan and purchase or make Halloween costumes for your kids (Need some ideas? Here are a few)

• Seasonal decorating (Southern Living's Fall Decorating Ideas)

• Tailgate with friends before a football game

• Finalize Thanksgiving plans

What kinds of things are on your to do list for this Fall?

Why not just leave all that stuff in the attic?

People often take action on spaces or rooms that guests or family see and utilize but what about the spaces that most people don't see; the ones that internally weigh you down? Most of us have a stash hidden in our closets, attics, or basements. Why not leave it there?

Image from Sundaytimes.co.uk

The problem with accumulating things and then hiding them away is that one day they have to be dealt with by you or by the family you leave behind. Often times we carry around subconcious guilt or anxiety about those spaces. We form attachments to our stuff or maybe attachments to the idea of having access to stuff. There is a process that one must go through to mentally prepare to let go of things. Part of the decluttering process begins with a good look at how you think about your things. For many of us, holding on to things is a way to feel safe about a future need that may or may not ever occur. We encourage you to think about what it would be like to only keep items that truly give you joy? Sometimes it's simply a matter of stopping to think about the purpose you originally had behind a purchase. You may find that it's served it's purpose and can be passed along. We've found that decluttering doesn't come naturally to many people. Organizing and decluttering your home can be really overwhelming, even scary at times. On top of those things, letting go is HARD! It usually takes an outsider to help you not get stuck in your head when trying to make decisions on what to keep. It's only natural to begin thinking of all the reasons to not get rid of things when the real question (and way less time consuming question) is whether keeping it will bring you joy. Being ready to declutter doesn't happen over night, it's a personal journey that doesn't work if you've reluctantly agreed after being coerced by a friend of family member. The decluttering and ultimately the organizing process only works when you truly want to be free of your stuff.

Image by Texture Photo

Our goal is never to convince anyone to do anything they don't want to do but rather for you to be so convinced that you need freedom from your things that you make the move to call us. We want you to be the hero of your clutter problem and we are here, ready to guide you along the way.

"I'm not a professional organizer..."

 OK, well maybe my profession is organizing, but I've never been too comfortable with the title "professional organizer." It continues to be more about the person than the organizing. I think of myself as a "personal organizer." 

Photo by Texture Photo

As Caroline and I talked about this earlier in the week, we both agreed that we love bringing the order and peace to someone's home or work space. It truly gives us such satisfaction to create living and working spaces for clients to move from that "stuck" place into a place where they can live more fully.

Image courtesy of Christina Rosalie

At the same time, letting our clients off the hook a little, showing grace as they share their story, and celebrating the victories as we finish spaces is by far the highlight of what we do.

 

Getting to hear the story that brought clients to where they are, whether they need HYD a little or a lot, and then getting to see hope rise as the clutter begins to clear is why we show up.

That's all we ask of our clients too. Just show up. It might be that the idea of letting go of sentimental or valuable items seems daunting, your budget is limited, or you just don't know where to start. HYD gets all that. To be practical, that's why our initial consultation is free. We want to hear what's going on, give you tools to help, and show up to work alongside you in the way you need us too.

And finally, I can't finish this quick post without thanking those folks that have allowed us into their homes and offices thus far. We have so loved this journey and wait eagerly to be part of yours.

How to Organize Your Car

Let's be real...most of us do not have a car that looks immaculate all the time. While I wish mine did, on a very practical level.. I just really will never be vacuuming my car weekly or have a file folder with color coordinated tabs for each car service I ever receive. I've read blogs with crazy long check lists and others with some really helpful tips but here we want to give you the basics.

I'm learning with you so in the spirit of transparency, here are some pictures of my car in it's typical state.

I recently moved from a two door to a four door car and I'm LOVING it! However, I've found that it's easy to just keep piling things in because I have more room now.

I've come up with a plan to keep my car more organized and I'm excited to share a few tips with you.

1. The center console is your friend! Having never had a center console before, I'm super pumped about making good use of it. The lower compartment is ideal for chargers, wet ones, and umbrellas. The upper compartment is the perfect place to keep a few pens, spare change and business cards. Living in a downtown neighborhood, I park on meters frequently and the change slots are super handy so I don't have to fish through my purse to find quarters. Am I the only person that actually uses this feature? Maybe, but I love it!

2. Door pockets and seat pockets: I try to keep these empty other than an umbrella. I never think to check seat pockets so anything that goes in will probably never come out.

3. The trunk is tricky-- it's out of sight which is good, but can also turn into a dark pit. My goal is to only keep car trouble necessities (ex. jumper cables, tire pump) a yoga mat, and a picnic blanket in it. A crate or basket works well to contain those items so they aren't rolling around when you drive. One other idea I had was to keep another box in the trunk to collect items I don't need that are thrift store bound. If I can get the items into my car, I'm way more likely to drop them off in passing instead of letting them sit in the corner of my kitchen for months.

4. Rule of Thumb: I've been trying to create the habit of taking everything in to the house at the end of the day rather than telling myself I'll do it later. So far it's been working fairly well. My trending exception is when it's raining. I don't have a garage so it's not practical to lug things through the rain rather than taking them inside the next day.

Practical things to keep in the car:

• Umbrella

• Bobby pins and hair ties

• hand sanitizer

• chap stick

• wet ones

• miniture accordian file for coupons

• reusable shopping bags

Check out The Container Store if you are looking for containers specifically for cars and travel. Their foldable boxes look pretty handy!

The Quick List for Back-to-School Organization

Here in Knoxville, the start of school is just over a week away for most of us. It's time to plan, shop, and prepare for another year of learning and growing. To start off the school year right, HYD wanted to share a few tips that can help make the transition more simple and efficient.

1. School Supplies

• Obtain your child's class supply list from his/her school as soon as possible.

• Take advantage of Tennessee's tax-free weekend August 7-9

• Wait for discounts on items like clothing, electronics, and shoes that typically drop in price around mid-August

• For eco-friendly options, check out MightyNest and earn money for your school while you shop.

2. Ease into School Routine

• These last weekdays before school begins, begin waking late sleepers up a bit earlier and re-introduce school year bedtime.

• Keep snacks readily available for kids throughout afternoon as meal times during school may differ from summer eating routines. Real Simple has a great list of snack options.

• Remind your kids what you expect from them in their morning routine and after-school routine so they know what they're responsible for. Here is a checklist HYD likes.

3. Calendar Prep

• Find your school's or your school system's calendar for the year and place all important dates including holidays, in-services, half-days, and report card days on your personal calendar now.

• Create a central calendar the whole family can see with school and after school activities using a paper or whiteboard so it's easy to read and adjust like this one.

4. Prepare for Paper Piles

• Make an effort from day one of school to fill out each form as you get them, place them back in your child's folder, and back to school before it gets lost in a pile.

• Create a system for keeping art or school work that allows you to discard all other items the day they enter your home. In other words, go through folders each afternoon/evening, look at each piece of work, if it is an original that you would've liked to have seen as you looked back to that age and you have no other like it, keep it. Otherwise, recycle it.

5. Teacher(s) Support

• Try not to miss any opportunity to meet your child's teacher or teachers. If you're not able to meet in person, reach out with an email to introduce yourself and offer help to make the school year successful. This is invaluable to both your child and his/her teacher. Teachers need our support, encouragement, and helpful knowledge that only we can give them about our child.

Help You Dwell wishes you and your family a safe and successful 2015-2016 school year!

Digital Photo Organizing Idea

Today when I checked my photo software on my computer, I had 29,083 photos. The first problem here is that I need to get many of them off my computer & onto a hard drive so my computer doesn't go kaput on me, but that's a post for another day. The second deal here is,

"How in the world will I ever organize that many photos?!?"

Well, I'll be honest here, I don't plan to go back & organize all 29,083. Thankfully my software does organize them by date so that helps. Over the years, the digital photo world has made gift ideas, especially for grandparents, much easier. I can always go back, by date, & find just the photos I need for a calendar, a mug, a mouse pad, a photo book or a framed photo. Just to be able to do that has been great. But so many times I was just making gifts for other households & not my own. How was I to get these photos into books in my own house?

Many years ago, I took a scrapbooking class from a friend who talked about the importance of our handwriting in a photo book. Now the online books are great, don't get me wrong. They're quicker than making a scrapbook, colorful, & fairly easy to make. However, you don't get to write in them like you do scrapbook that you place photos in by hand.

About 8 years ago, when my oldest turned 5, I had an idea. (Of course, this is before Pinterest when I still had my own ideas.) I had my son make his own scrapbook of the his favorite photos from his first 5 years. I had him write captions in it, add stickers he liked at that age & just let go of any expectations I had for how it would look. It turned out great! At that point, I decided that I would encourage each of my kids to create their own book every 5 years. So far, we've gotten 4 books done & my middle child turns 10 in a couple weeks & we're already gathering photos on a file with her name on it to get printed to make the 5th book.

So, no there are not thousands of photos printed in dozens of books or frames. In fact, we've missed a bunch, but there are these treasures that will be with them forever. And my kids each have books that remind them who they are. They see their own handwriting at 5, 10 & eventually 15. They have looked at those books more than any other book in our house. They show them to their friends, laugh out loud, tell stories about the photos & enjoy them thoroughly. It wouldn't be the same if I had made them or had them done online.

This would also work for us big people too. Take the pressure off yourself of trying to organize all of them. The next time you're inspired, pick a year or three or five or maybe one event & start a file labeled "photos for book," start pulling in your favorites, get them printed & have at it. It doesn't have to be fancy with all the stickers & such, just your photos, your handwriting, your story. Trust me, that's the best one to tell.

Celebrate your Independence from Clutter!

That's right. We want you to get free from the clutter. HYD is celebrating our great nation's independence by offering 1 hour of free organizing or staging.  No matter how big or small the project, we want to give you some of our time to get you closer to freedom from your extra stuff & bring some peace & order to the spaces that need it most.  Details below...

How do you get this free hour?
Call or email us by July 18 to schedule your free consultation.

All you need to do is:
Email us at info@helpyoudwell.com or call us at 865.245.9080 to set up your free consultation today!

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HYD can help you with all kinds of organizing & staging needs.
We can help with:

- Organizing Home or Workspace, including every room in your house as well as your place of business
- Organizing your Home or Workspace before a move & assist with organized packing
- Staging your home to sell using items in your home to make it look it's best
- Create space for a new inhabitant:  baby, parent, roommate, etc
- Refresh your existing space using items in your home &/or workspace