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!

Our New Home : The Hive

The past couple weeks have been quite a whirlwind for our little Knoxville business. For the past year and a half, we have been so grateful for the incredible clients we've met, the beautiful homes we've had the chance to work in, and the opportunities and relationships that have come our way. We've enjoyed all our meetings and markets in our 'mobile offices' all over town including KBrew, Three Rivers Market, The Smith home on Coker Ave, Remedy Coffee, The McLean home on Maplewood Dr, Old City Java, Olibea, MidMod Collective, and Nostalgia.

This week, however, we are over the moon to announce that Help You Dwell has a place to call home! It's called The Hive.

HYD now has a place to spend time preparing, planning, learning, and growing as a company. The Hive is a place for us to better serve you, our client. It's a place for us to be inspired, connected, and to collaborate with creative and innovative minds of other small business owners.

Photo by Emilee Stanley

The space is in the former KnoxTenn Rental building at 854 N Central St 37917 located right next door to Magpies Bakery. (We're also pretty pumped about having them as neighbors : ) Rebecca Ridner, a local stylist of all things lovely, is the visionary of the building and has created a beautiful space for women entrepreneurs. HYD shares a studio with one of Knoxville's most talented wedding photographers, Carrie Jo Pinckard of Texture Photography. Other women currently working at The Hive are Katie Roach, florist of The Katelier, Ali Daugherty, blogger and graphic designer of Freedom Crown, and Rebecca Ridner, prop, wedding and interior stylist.

The Katelier

One of the aspects of this space we love the most is the common area that we all share for hosting pop-ups, workshops, or photography sessions. The light is fantastic, the atmosphere is peaceful and inviting, and the location is in one of our favorite areas of the city. We look forward to hosting our first event, which we mentioned last week, HYD's first Boutique Clothing Pop-up on August 23 from 2-5pm. We'd love to show you around a bit as you peruse Colette's Closet of top of the line clothing at consignment prices.

Keep an eye out for announcements about workshops
and other events this fall at The Hive.

And come by to see us anytime you're in the neighborhood!

A Community Shopping Event

Help You Dwell cordially invites you to join us for a boutique clothing pop up shop from 2-5pm on Sunday August 23rd at 854 North Central Street! For all of the details check out the facebook event page. We are partnering with Angie Hamstead, curator of Colettes Closet for a unique (one day only) shopping experience. Bring your friends and come out for an afternoon of light refreshments and top of the line brands of clothing at consignment prices.

You can expect to find the following brands: Parker, Joie, Elizabeth & James, Anthropologie, Rebecca Taylor, BCBGMaxazaria and more. The images below are a few of the items available to purchase at the pop up.

Angie has an eye for clothing and for styling outfits. We are so excited to offer an exclusive shopping experience. Colette's Closet includes a wide range of styles including "not your typical" orange clothing for the stylish vol fan, stylish work attire, fun casual pieces, funky jewelry, and unique dresses.

A note from Angie...

"Colette's Closet began two years ago as a way to honor my mom. I am blessed to be the daughter of Mary Colette Thompson Scott. She is a beautiful person with a nurturing, caring soul and loving spirit. As her only daughter, we have logged many hours of shopping together over the years. Over the past decade we have grown a special love for consignment shopping. We have so much fun "treasure shopping" for great finds at awesome prices. We have always had champagne taste on a beer budget! In February, 2013 my mom had an unexpected heart attack that resulted in a six bypass surgery. We are so blessed that she came through the surgery and recovery with flying colors. The inspiration for Colette's Closet came to me while sitting in the ICU waiting room the day after her surgery. Colette's Closet has proved to be a great avenue for spreading the love for consignment shopping and the thrill of finding designer clothing at affordable prices. Last year I had the privilege of hearing the Dalai Lama speak in Birmingham, Alabama. He told the audience that "when one has, one shares." In that spirit and in honor of my mom, I donate 10% of all proceeds to an organization that benefits women or children. Smile Train was my charity of focus last year. I am proud to support Thistle Farms this year."

If you aren't familiar with Thistle Farms, it is "A community of women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction. They believe that in the end, love is the strongest force in the world for change."

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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!

Downtown Knoxville's "Elvis Artist" Dwelling : Home Tour with Mark Burns

If you have ever taken a walk down Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, you have probably noticed the larger than life mural of Elvis. We had the opportunity to sit down with the artist, Mark Burns, and his wife Lorraine to talk with them about downtown dwelling and what home means to them.

Mark and Lorraine always told themselves that once the kids grew up and the dog moved along, they would make the move to downtown living. Three years ago they jumped on the opportunity and haven’t looked back. Lorraine says they have never regretted the move.
When we walked into the Burns home we immediately felt at ease. No doubt a combination of easy going personalities and a tasteful yet casual atmosphere create that feeling.

We began our conversation wondering what their decorating process looks like. We so appreciated Lorraine’s practicality when she started off talking about making wise purchases and not jumping on the trends. Lorraine describes their style as more traditional. With Mark’s art thrown into the mix, the space takes on a personality of it’s own. The Burns’ loft has tons of beautiful exposed brick with large windows giving them a great eastern view. Lorraine pointed out several pieces in their home that have been passed down from multiple generations of family. “Changing up your accessories and rearranging furniture makes it easier to feel like you have freshened up your space without going out and spending tons of money on new things.”

One of the things the Burns love most about downtown living is the community they have found. They love being able to walk out the door and run into friends. The Burns specifically love the diverse group of people that live in their building: The Phoenix. Mark and Lorraine spoke of spontaneous “porch parties” where residents congregate on the patio right outside the lobby on Gay Street. Mark describes downtown living as a different kind of social opportunity. “Lorraine and I will take a few drinks down to the patio and before you know it, 8 more people have joined us.”

The original Elvis Eyes

“My art has always been about “speaking community. There has always been debate about the purpose of art. Many people think art is about making a statement but to me, I just love hearing the conversation that art sparks. I don’t care about making a statement, I just paint what I like and watch how it impacts people differently.”

— Mark Burns

Mark uses the patio space as more than a social gathering spot, he frequently sets up shop to paint or sketch on the patio in the open air. In late high school, Mark was offered both a football and an art scholarship to the University of Tennessee. Mark accepted the football scholarship and majored in art. After an illustrating job in Atlanta and some freelance work, Mark found that he preferred the freedom of making art on his own time and picking his own subjects. He has made art for his own enjoyment rather than as his full time job for the past several years. Mark has gravitated towards pop art for as long as he can remember. He commented that he started out airbrushing t shirts the night before the Worlds Fair opened in Knoxville and over the next several weeks and months became quite accomplished. After putting art away for many years, he has, in more recent years been enjoying creating art for the public. “The Elvis mural really seemed to connect with people. I love seeing people stop to take pictures with the mural. Outside art is communal, it brings people together. My art has always been about “speaking community”. There has always been a debate about the purpose of art. Many people think art is about making a statement but to me, I just love hearing the conversation that art sparks. I don’t care about making a statement, I just paint what I like and watch how it impacts people differently.”

Mark painting out on the patio in front of the original Elvis mural

In the same way that Mark creates art, we love the idea of creating a home that you like,  and not being concerned with making some kind of statement. If you love the space you live in every day, you’ve created a home that is rightfully a work of art.

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.

How to Hang a Gallery Wall

In my dining room lives a sad wall. It's sad because it's windowless, goes on for days, and is screaming for attention. Currently it is stark white and has nothing on it but that's all about to change. If you follow us on facebook or instagram you know what I'm talking about.

I came home from Home Depot with approximately 4,000 paint color cards and finally landed on one over the weekend. The ol' sad wall is getting a coat of Behr's Vintage Coral Paint from their Marquee Odyssey Collection. The lighting in the two pictures is kind of wonky but the one I picked is the bottom option in the first picture.

But that's not all. I have big plans for this wall. It's going to be adorned with an array of art. If you have never installed a gallery wall it's pretty simple. Follow these steps to create one of your own.

1. Search your house, garage, parents attic, thrift stores etc and collect a group of wall hangings. Think outside of the box and get varying shapes, sizes, frames, etc. Consider hanging actual objects as part of this gallery as well. Don't be afraid to mix wood frames with metal etc. Some people prefer a color theme but it's not necessary.

2. Gallery Walls work best at eye level. You don't want things too high or too low. If your wall is shared by furniture, make sure you leave several inches between the top of the furniture piece and the bottom of your lowest hung art. You don't want your gallery to look crammed onto the wall. Smaller pieces need to be hung lower or at eye level while your larger pieces can be hung higher.

3. Arrange all of your art on the floor in front of your wall to figure out the order and spacing before you hang. Don't get too hung up on perfectly re-creating your floor arrangement but use it as a guide. I usually snap a picture of the arrangement on the floor just to refer back to as I'm hanging.

4. This will make some people cringe but I hardly ever measure before hanging things. If you are fine with a few imperfections I highly recommend eyeballing it. It helps if you have someone helping you so you can have them hold each piece up while you step back and evaluate before nailing it in. 

5. Hang the big stuff first. Smaller pictures or paintings can be moved around more easily. The larger pieces will inform the whole collage.

6. Step back and enjoy your work and the awesome art you have collected and can now display in your home.

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

A Home That Serves: Home Tour with Travetta Johnson

We sat down this week to chat with our friend Travetta Johnson about the concept of making a home and her ideology on decorating. Travetta and her husband own a beautiful Victorian home in a downtown Knoxville neighborhood. 

When you walk into the Johnson's home you immediately feel like you can breathe a little easier. I've always loved Travetta's ability to create beautiful spaces that somehow feel like home to everyone that comes through the door. Walking through their house is almost like reading a book. Travetta loves art, objects and pieces of furniture that tell a story.

I asked Travetta to tell me about how she decorated and chose the pieces in her home.

I love mixing old and new styles. I'm drawn to items that have history. There is something really sweet about your grandchildren being able to use the highchair that you used as a child or reading the same books over the span of generations. Pairing the older more antique items with more modern, clean lined pieces creates a really nice contrast. One concept that I have found really helpful when decorating an eclectic home is to mix things from different time periods keeping in mind that pieces that were made at least 50 years apart tend to be more cohesive. In general I focus on simple beauty by using things that invite people in, like flowers from the garden, a bowl of fruit, a photograph. To keep things interesting, I consider contrasting texture, color and shape when I curate a space. Establishing a natural flow between our home and the outdoors helps create a comfortable feel throughout the house. There is something nostalgic about porches, open windows and the hum of house fans.

Tell me about what roles your home has taken on in various stages of your life.

I read a book when I was in my 20's that changed the way I thought about my home. The book focused on the difference between entertaining versus hospitality. I want my home to be less about making impressions and more about making people feel welcome. Home is a place for people.

I've found that the role of my home has changed in different seasons of life. In early marriage our home was based around that concept of hospitality. We often hosted potlucks, game nights, and bible studies. When we had young children, home evolved into more of a place of retreat and nurturing. As our kids got older the hospitality theme resurfaced and now with grown children, grandchildren, and aging parents our house has served as more of a care-taking and provisional refuge again.

How do you find the balance of creating beautiful spaces without becoming obsessed with the appearance of your home?

The phrase "Man was not created for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was created for man." comes to mind. In this same way, we are not created to serve our homes but rather our homes are created to serve us. Homes feel ordered when they revolve around people and not vice versa. I've found that my taste and style has developed over time. I no longer feel the pressure to constantly redecorate in order to stay on top of the trends. There is a really sweet balance of creating beauty and comfort in your home and yet being content with it once it is settled.

Organize with Style - Our Recent Finds

This week we're sharing some of our finds in the organizing world
to help clear up a little clutter while looking fabulous too.
Hope they inspire you as much as they did us!

West Elm

These baskets by West Elm have endless uses while brightening up any space. Use them for towels, a hamper, toys, or as an entryway catchall.

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TopHome

We love this 8-pocket bag that can be used for any small items like cosmetics, cell phone, keys, or any small personal items you need a home for.

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Bliss Home

Find a home for all the little notes scattered around with this magnet board from Bliss Home.

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World Market

The cutest metal picnic basket for a delightful outdoor summer meal! Such a delightful way to pack up your picnic.

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West Elm

Drop your spare change, your keys or any other little treasures into the Heritage Catchall.

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After The Leaves Fall

Using reclaimed barn wood, After The Leaves Fall, creates beautiful storage for your earrings, bracelets, & necklaces with this lovely jewelry organizer.

Father's Day Gift Guide

On June 21, we celebrate the dads in our lives. HYD's gift guide gives you a head start on your hunt for the perfect thing. Some finds are local, some regional, others just straight from the heart. Let us know if you've got any to add to our list!

“A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall but instead picks you up, brushes you off, and lets you try again”

Go Forth Goods

1. The Traveler Mug by Go Forth Goods is one of our favorite handmade gifts for dad this year. Great for a mason jar full of coffee or sweet tea on the go!

Nothing Too Fancy

2. A vintage-inspired, super soft T-shirt from Nothing Too Fancy located near Knoxville's Market Square on Union Ave. They have an amazing selection of T-shirts with all kind of Tennessee goodness.

Mast General Store

3. Give dad a basket full of his favorite treats while you let him eat it guilt-free! HYD recommends checking out Mast General Store on Gay St. for a selection that never ends.

4. My husband's favorite accessory, his Patagonia Tech Web Belt. This guy is multi-purpose keeping dad looking handsome, his pants up and opening a bottle if the need arises. Find it in Knoxville at River Sports Outfitters or Uncle Lem's Outfitters.

Wildsam

5. Wildsam Field Guides not only navigate you through a city but tell the story of the place as well. Part documentary, part map, part oral history, these guides give the dad in your life just the adventure he's been looking for.

6. A gift card to one of these fine coffee establishments is great way to thank dad & to get his engine revving in the morning. Find them at Old City Java, KBrew, or Remedy Coffee.

7. If none of those strike your fancy, give dad a gift he will always cherish. A photo of the people that gave him his title. (Choosing a pic that includes the time he caught that really big fish is just a suggestion.)

Real Life Capsule Wardrobe

Before: Disregard the top half of the closet in both pictures. It belongs to my honey and he isn't quite sold on the idea of a capsule wardrobe.

After

Yall.....things got really real over here last week.

Let me begin by saying that I probably purge more than 80% of the population and thought a capsule wardrobe would be a cinch for me. It was wayyyy harder than I imagined.

Through the process I realized several things.

1. It's somewhat easy to purge your own closet of things that you don't like anymore, never liked and kept out of guilt, or things that are (let's face it) NEVER GOING TO FIT again. I did this kind of purging before I brought out the big guns.

2. An extra set of eyes is super helpful. I called in reinforcements and tried on almost every article of clothing I had (an embarrassing number) and said "fire away" to two amazing humans who said "please don't wear that in public" or "you should definitely keep that" to each item I tried on.

3. I realized that I was keeping several things that I loved and wore almost the entire summer (4 years ago) and just hadn't stopped to realize that I don't love anymore.

4. I filled up 3 laundry baskets of clothing/shoes to get rid of or sell and don't regret any of it. I was honestly shocked that was able to let them go so easily after I had a second party agree they were past their prime or unflattering.

5. I might have a shoe and shirt problem. You guys... it's bad.

Here are a few pictures during the process. My room was totally clean pre-capsule making and this is what it looked like after about 30 minutes. YIKES!

The hardest part was the final narrowing down to the smallest amount of clothing I could manage --we are talking a total number of 40 items including pants, shorts, skirts, dresses (not fancy ones--just everyday ones), shoes, and shirts. NOT EASY YALL!

My capsule broken down contains 5 pairs of pants, 2 shorts, 3 skirts, 1 dress, 2 vests, 19 shirts, and 8 pairs of shoes.

The only purchases I made were two pairs of shoes for my summer capsule. Both from Target. I've been wanting a pair of more stylish tennis shoes to wear for the summer and I spotted these and couldn't resist.

I'm only a few days in but I'm totally sold already! My mornings are drastically less chaotic because I have so much less to weed through. I love how open my closet feels now. I even went out and treated myself to some new wooden hangers.

We would love to hear from you! Would you ever try doing a capsule wardrobe for a season? Have you done it before? We want to hear about it!

Organizing Your Summer with Your Kids

It's been officially one week since my kiddos had their last day of school before summer. So far, they've enjoyed sleeping in, lounging around the house in PJs, some crafts they've been wanting to get to, and taking a road trip to visit old buddies in Asheville. Thankfully, we're off to a pretty good start.

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.”

— George R.R. Martin

With that said, summer with school-age kids home can be a bit overwhelming without a plan. It can also be a wonderful time for kids to explore, relax, create, and enjoy the freedom of days without the time restraints of the school year. All you need is your time, a little rhythm in your day and a brainstorming session with you kids to make the most out your family's summer.
Here are 7 tips to get you started:

1. Make time each day to play or connect with your child.

Take the time to play a board game, make a milkshake or catch fireflies. It doesn't have to be an elaborate project or outing, just a few minutes of your attention can make simple moments last forever.

2. find the balance for structure

After the long school year, kids need time to unwind, relax and let their brains and emotions take it easy. Kids also need a routine so that they know what to expect. Come up with a loose plan for each day, like hang at the house in the morning doing a small job or working in the garden, afternoons are spent running errands, at the pool or splash pad, or visiting a friend. The summer is a great time to teach kids how to do certain chores well so that during the school months, they can continue contributing to helping the house stay in order.

3. help kids develop a healthy relationship with time

"I'm bored" is a phrase we can all remember using at some point and one I'm sure you've heard from your child as well. Use the summer as a time to help your kids be comfortable with themselves, without technology. This may be hard to commit to at first, but don't lose heart. Here is more on why being bored can be a good thing and ideas for kids when they are.

4. Strictly limit screens

Give your kids certain times of the day for technology. Kids are less likely to bug you about it and more inclined to use their imagination if the option of being on a screen is off the table until a certain time.

5. establish daily reading / quiet time

Setting up this time during each day keeps your child's mind engaged and growing as well as gives you time to yourself. Here is a great list of summer reading ideas.

6. plan memory making activities

Get the kids involved in this brainstorming activity. Here's a list to get you started...
- Play an outdoor movie in your backyard
- Have a lemonade stand
- Make a firepit in your yard and enjoy s'mores together
- Have a water party with sprinklers, water balloons, water guns, slip-n-slide, etc
- Plan a bike ride and pack snacks for a picnic along the way
- Go berry picking
- Make your kids breakfast in bed (or encourage siblings to do it for one another)
- Surprise Dad (or Mom) at work with lunch
- Go hiking, camping, kayaking or canoeing
- Plant a small garden or even just a couple of pots of plants
- Host a pot-luck outdoor party, let your kids help with the guest list

7. capture the summer in a photo album

My kids love to look back at photos from previous summers. As you embark on this summer's activities, grab your camera to snap shots along the way. The week before school starts, have your kids help put an album together as a way to celebrate the priceless memories you've made. It will be time very well spent.

Capsule Wardrobe: A Help You Dwell Challenge

I'm taking the plunge and I'm inviting you to join me.

If you aren't familiar with the concept of a capsule wardrobe, essentially, it is a simplified wardrobe of versatile pieces that you love wearing. In other words, for each season, you pick a certain number of items and wear only those. For the Summer season, I will be picking 37 items (including tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, and shoes) and donating, or packing away the rest.

I have a closet and a dresser full of clothes that don't often get worn. I gravitate towards a handful of clothes that are my favorites. I love clothes but I hate my tendency to try on 85 different outfits only to go back to those favorite pieces that make me feel awesome. In an effort to practice what I preach when it comes to an organized and decluttered life style, I am committing to a capsule wardrobe plan for my summer.

One of my 2 closets currently

Why am I doing this?

1. I want to buy less but buy better quality.

2. I want my mornings to be more simplified

3. I'm interested to see whether I get bored wearing the same items in various combinations or whether it's freeing to have less to choose from.

4.My closet space is limited and not designed well. I want to be able to see clearly what I have and currently I have too many clothes for my space.

So, over the course of the next week I"ll be narrowing down my wardrobe and will report back in 2 weeks to let you know what items I chose for my Summer Capsule and how it's all going.

For more information about what a capsule wardrobe is, check out this description. Want to know how to build one? Here is a guide.

Yard Sale 101

Help You Dwell has been busy lately clearing the excess from houses, garages and basements.  Springtime is a great time for this!  And working alongside our clients as they let go of all kinds of items to go to new homes is so satisfying both for us and our clients.  One way several clients have decided to go about the purge is with a yard sale.  A yard sale is a great choice if you have the time, energy and neighborhood to pull one off.

HYD recently had the opportunity to help a client from almost start to finish in preparing for a huge sale.  We thought you could benefit from some of the planning tips we used to make her sale a success.  If a sale is right for you, read on for a timeline of how to go about hosting your own successful sale.  This is a great time of year to hold one!

SALE PREP

PLAN A DATE, GET A BUDDY (OR A FEW)

- Yard sales are always more successful, less work, and more fun with friends &/or neighbors

- Saturdays always get the most traffic and Spring or Fall are the best times to hold one

- Check your local weekend planner guide for other events you may have to compete with

- Set time. Sales usually start at 8am and we suggest an end time as well, that way you can do an "everything's half off" when you're about to close up shop

2-4 WEEKS OUT

- Gather items and place in one space in your home

- Store sale items in trash bags or boxes so you're not tempted to extract an item once you've tagged it a sale item (Stay Strong - Let it Go!)

- Plan an exit strategy, either schedule the charity pick up (Habitat for Humanity ReStore or KARM Store) or the vehicle you will load to donate the items that don't sell

- Begin pricing.  Think to yourself, "How much would I pay for this item at a yard sale?" or check online for suggestions if you're not an avid yard saler. This site is helpful.

1 WEEK OUT

- Place Craigslist advertisement.  Read other ads first to get ideas of how to grab shoppers' attention and make sure to be clear on location, date, and time.  Also, adding lists and photos of items helps draw more to your sale.  Lastly, if you're not interested in "early birds," use a phrase like "early birds pay double" or "no early birds please."

- Use social media. Facebook is an easy place to just post your Craigslist ad.

- Make signs. Think less is more. Your sign should be on bright poster board, backed with cardboard and write with a thick black marker. Just write "Yard Sale" plus location, date, time. Arrows are great too especially for neighborhood sales.

THE WEEK OF

- Gather tables, tarps, tents, tablecloths to display and protect items

- Visit bank to obtain change

- Finalize pricing

- Get drinks and snacks for sale workers

DAY BEFORE

- Set up sale area

- Get items as close to prepared sale area as possible

- Gather grocery bags, boxes, and packing materials for customers to use

- Have apron with pockets, fanny pack or cash box ready

- Keep pricing materials close in case you missed any and need to add a quick price

SALE DAY

- Post signs

- Move all items to sale area

- Sell it all!

Mothers Day Gift Guide

Mothers Day is this Sunday and we wanted to offer a few last minute suggestions if you are looking for gift ideas. We picked items that are usable and won't take up long term residence on a counter or a shelf. Keeping in mind that we are trying not to add clutter, we have come up with 5 items that any mom would love to receive.

1. K. Hall Peony Candle : This candle looks and smells like Spring and has a 130 hour burn time. Extra bonus: the tin is definitely worth repurposing once the candle is used up. We would use it to store tea. 

2. Seed Packet Notecard Set: These vintage seed packet note cards are to die for. 20 come in each set.

3. Blue Chair Tomato Jam & 7 Citrus Marmalade: Summer in a jar. Enough said.

4. A potted plant. Perfect pick me up inside or could be replanted in the yard!

5. Yoga classes: Or any other kind of class or event. We love giving gifts that include an experience.

Salvage & Homewares Sale THIS SUNDAY

We're now three days away from our Spring Pop-up with the lovely folks at Mid Mod Collective. It's going to be a gorgeous day to be out and about so we hope you can come. Details here.

HYD is so pleased to introduce to you our artists and craftsmen joining us on Sunday. Some are linked to their web pages, some don't have pages. You'll want to meet them all.

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Ashley Addair - visual artist

Daniel Aisenbrey - heritage furnishings

Rebekah Campbell - textiles

Adam Henry - wood burning

Rob Laliberte - woodwork, vintage items, design

Sarah Musgrave - photography prints, handmade & vintage items

Ericka Ryba - pottery

Eric Savage - reclaimed wood furnishings

Thress Nursery - plants, handmade items

Blair Wright - architectural salvage

Jordan Wright - mason jar lamps

The Slow Life : Home Tour with Ashley Addair

Help You Dwell sat down with Ashley Addair this week to talk about simple living. Ashley is an established artist living in Knoxville with her husband, two children, the occasional dog, and sporadic out of town guests. To give you a bit of background, Ashley and family have spent the last year or so living a bit nomadic-ally while her husband gutted and rebuilt their home. (Which incidentally used to be a neighborhood grocery store) Their newly finished home is truly a work of art in itself. Ashley is a wonderful thinker and writer and one of her recent blog entries about her entry way inspired us to ask her about her approach to her home and lifestyle.

Tell me a little bit about what simple living means to you.

A: In this season I'm learning a lot about letting things be as they are. I'm trying to live out the tension of facilitating change and evolving but at the same time, accepting things as they are; not fighting the chaos of life. I'm trying to posture myself in a way that allows for finding beauty in that chaos and letting that be enough. 

That is such a refreshing answer. On a practical level, do you have any habits or routines that help you accomplish and maintain that simple posture?

A: I recently read a haiku that said "To make a home, start in one corner- Make that yours. Work outwards, slowly." I'm trying to take that and practice "looking smaller". I'm picking little things, small corners that I can work on and letting the rest go. I'm endeavoring to let things evolve without me and it's helping me notice natural rhythms and the beauty of observing from a distance. Basically, I'm working on becoming increasingly slow: on letting life wash over me and recognizing that slow is the gift of this season. I'm becoming more okay with embracing limitations. In a very literal sense, I've picked one corner of the yard and one corner of the kitchen to focus on and I'm venturing to let the rest go. 

One of the hardest parts of simplifying is letting go of all the "stuff". You seem to have a really healthy detachment to "things". Tell me about that.

A: I have moved around a lot over the course of my life. I've found that there is a gift in traveling light. Honestly, at this point having kids has forced me to recon with the fact that things will get messed up and broken. In general, I try to let things be meaningful without being attached to them.

You can meet Ashley and purchase her art at our pop up market on May 3rd from 11-6. We hope to see you there!

Caroline & Taryn

Kickin' Collaboration

The event page is live.
The vendor list is packed.
The garage bays are full.

And YOU are invited!

MId Mod Collective

For Help You Dwell's second Pop-up Market we are so pleased to be collaborating with one of Knoxville's coolest new shops, Mid Mod Collective. We are fortunate to co-host this spring's market at their fantastic venue on N. Central St. just north of Happy Holler in Old North Knoxville on Sunday, May 3 from 11-6.

MId Mod Collective

HYD loves Mid Mod's eye for style and their unique finds from all over the US. The 10 vendors that make up the collective have created a showroom that inspires no matter what your taste in furniture or decor.  Not only have they, along with Dewhirst Properties, brought a wonderful old building back to life, they have given local mid-century modern fans a place to find all their design needs whether you're looking for that rare high end piece or need to design on a budget.

MId Mod Collective

MId Mod Collective

MId Mod Collective

We hope you can join us for this fantastic event. Along with all the great home wares Mid Mod Collective and Help You Dwell will be offering, The Sweet and Savory Food Truck, Old City Java, Wild Love Bakehouse, The Vagabond Roaming Boutique, and Cruze Farm will also be there for the event. So mark your calendars, grab a buddy & come make a day of it!

'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' Quick Guide

www.tidyingup.com

If you receive our weekly emails, you may remember us mentioning that we recently read "the life-changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing" by marie kondo. We highly recommend the book if you need to psych yourself up to get organized. Marie offers so many great tips that we couldn't possibly cover them all in one blog post but we wanted to give you the "Help You Dwell Quick Guide" to the book if you don't have time to read it yourself.

1. Many organizing books and experts suggest tidying or decluttering a little bit a day over the span of one's life. The fact of the matter is, a little at a time is usually not a dramatic enough change to motivate you to purge the way most of us need to.  "A dramatic reorganization of the [entire] home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective."

2. Always begin with thoroughly eliminating clutter. "If you can see the dramatic results, you will be empowered to keep your space in order ever after."

3. "Storage methods do not solve the problem of clutter." Hence the reason that tip #2 is so very important. You can have a house busting at the seams of very organized things but organization alone doesn't make your home a peaceful, welcoming place.

4. Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free space. Next, identify why you want to live life that. Why do you want to tidy? Finally, examine what you own.

5. When going through your items ask yourself, "does this item give me joy?" If it doesn't.... away it goes! Think of the process as deciding what to keep rather than deciding what to give/throw away. Imagine your home with only things that you love.

6. When you start the decluttering process, start with things that do not tend to hold sentimental value like clothing, books/media, papers etc.

7. If you are having a hard time making a decision about an item try to cut out the rational circular thinking ex: "I might need this later, or it's a waste to get rid of this". Try instead, to ask yourself why you have the item- when did you get it and what meaning did it have for you when you got it. "To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose."

8. "Letting go is even more important than adding." "When we really delve into the reasons for why we can't let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future." "The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don't."

9. There are three approaches we can take toward our possessions: face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them until the day we die.

10. "Tidying ought to be the act of restoring balance among people, their possessions, and the house they live in."