Organizing Gift Certificates ... for the person who has everything ... really

Finding a fun, creative and appreciative gift this holiday season can be quite challenging.  With the craziness of life, many times just a little bit of extra help to ease the stress and strain of an overwhelmed world is amazingly refreshing.

An Organized Solutions gift certificate may be that perfect fit for your favorite loved one who has been dreaming of getting organized.  Available directly at our website (upper right corner).

If you are thinking of purchasing a gift certificate, I encourage you to contact me to make sure your gift will be happily received. Nothing worse than getting a gift like that ugly sweater your Aunt Bonnie gave you when you were 16 year old.

After all, we all give with best intentions, though making sure your gift is perfect is priceless.

Major home clearing and organizing project

When a loved one passes away, their lifetime can be left in their home.

This is a case of extreme nature in this project.

Clearing this home took 3.5 days and the following supplies and resources:
- 2 professional organizers
- 400+ black bags
-  (3) 15 cubic yard dumpsters
- 3 pick-ups of donations by Goodwill of Northwest Ohio: 40, 50, 200 bags
- 80 lbs of new toiletries and unopened foil/baggies/plastic wrap donated to Cherry St Mission
- 3 bankers boxes of new office supplies, along with several plastic bins/drawer systems donated to local elementary school

To view all 24 before and after pictures please visit our Facebook page 

If you know of a loved one who needs help, please contact me and I will work to find a local organizer to help.

I know it is here somewhere ....

IKEA has some great commercials showing a few reasons why being organized is beneficial. Watch and enjoy!



Here's the post from the past for more laughs (click here).

Enjoy the day!

What have you searched for in your home?

From Cluttered to Clean

It's a new year and time for a new you!

One of the best ways to begin becoming more organized is to let go of things.  Items that are no longer serving a positive function in your life should be sent on their way:  donate, recycle, sell or trash.  

Here's a fabulous little article from the Monroe News to give you a few little ideas to get started:

I truly believe that if you can live with less, you will have more time, energy and freedom to accomplish anything.

You can do it!  I believe in you.

What did you let go of from your home?

Honoring Your Loved Ones Memory

This is one of my favorite organizing project stories ever. Love this story, and so appropriate for this time of year. Enjoy.


"Terry" admits she get overwhelmed in attempting to stay organized. Like many of us, the dramas of life can take over and the last thing on your list of things to care for is yourself.

Terry had been hanging on to a gift certificate for my services for 11 months. The certificate made her feel good when she received it and if she used it, Terry felt it would be gone. Finally, she broke down and we met.

We talked a bit about her goals. I gave her some ideas about managing tasks to get and stay organized. Then she told me about a craft box in her attic.

This craft box was her mother's. Terry cherished this box of craft supplies. The thing is, Terry's mother passed away 11 years ago. Yes, 11 years this box sat in her attic collecting dust and funk.

She finally decided that the time had come to part with it. Terry told me she believed,

"If you release what is holding you back, good will come back."

A woman came to Terry's home from Freecycle to pick up her mother's craft box. The next week, there was a knock on Terry's front door.

The woman had returned to give Terry this Christmas display for her home. Made only from the items found in the gifted box. Terry immediately recognized certain parts of the arrangement that her mother decorated with. Needless to say, Terry was beside herself with joy and happiness. I got the chills when she told me the story.

Memories of a past loved one are good. They should be honored since they played a loving role in your life. Though if you have them cramped in a dusty, funky smelling old box in your attic, is that really a positive way to remember them?

If you are not enjoying them, perhaps it is time to part with them.
Another person will find joy in the items you give.
........ And good will come back to you.

What's in your attic?

Let It Go and Enjoy!

Want to truly enjoy your new  Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Festivus gifts  that you will be receiving soon?
... Take this weekend to "Let Go" of items in your home
that no longer make you smile & feel wonderful
(or that you are tired of dusting)
What did you "let go" in your home?

Spring Organizing Tips

Guest blogger, Stephanie Hanson is the Community Manager for George's Gorgeous Garages. George's provides custom garage storage and organization solutions for homeowners in the Lansing area. For more tips on organization visit their corporate blog.

The harsh cold and snow of winter is almost over. In just a few short months we will be transitioning to the new warmth and flowers that suggest that spring is in the air.

This time of year, many of us decide to let go of unwanted things and start new by participating in spring cleaning. With so much to do, sometimes spring cleaning takes longer than we would like it to.

Here are a list of tips you can use to make your spring cleaning more efficient:

Make A List: It’s called Spring cleaning for a reason. Realize that Spring cleaning means that you are going to be cleaning all those things that you’ve put off the rest of the year. Make a list or spreadsheet of every room of your house and all the things that need done in that room. Remember to include tasks that you don’t usually do like cleaning the baseboards, window treatments, and cleaning furniture. This list may be long, don’t let that scare you.

Give Yourself A Deadline: With so many things to do it’s easy to never actually get them done. Next to each project on your list write down a realistic deadline. If you’ll easily forget about when you are supposed to get something done, place the list somewhere you’ll see if frequently, like the fridge. If that’s still not enough, use reminders on your phone or through apps.

Get Help: It’s okay to say, “I can’t do this on my own.” Enlist the help of your children, spouse, friends, or professionals. Some of these people may be hesitant to help, especially children, but that’s okay. Realize that a big difference can be made between one person doing something and two people working together on it. 

Keep Track: Make sure that you mark off a project when it is completed. In addition, be sure to judge your progress to see how much more you have to do. Reward yourself when you have completed something.

Sit Back And Relax: When you’re done with your list make sure that you take it all in. Sit down and relax for a while. Realize this is a little victory. Celebrate.

Thanks Stephanie for these great Spring organizing tips.

Our crazy winter is finally coming to an end ... I hope!

What are you looking forward to doing this spring?

The Gift of Organizing Magic

Finding a fun, creative and appreciative gift this holiday season can be quite challenging.  With the craziness of life, many times just a little bit of extra help to ease the stress and strain of an overwhelmed world is amazingly refreshing.

An Organized Solutions gift certificate may be that perfect fit for your favorite loved one who has been dreaming of getting organized. Paypal is a fantastic feature and we are very excited to offer this element to you (See below or the top right side bar on this blog.)  Bonus:  You can use your any of your favorite credit cards, too.

Organizing Magic Holiday Special

1 hour $75.00 USD 2 hours (save $10) $140.00 USD 3 hours (save $15) $210.00 USD 4 hours (save $20) $280.00 USD 5 hours (save $30) $345.00 USD 6 hours (save $40) $410.00 USD 7 hours (save $50) $475.00 USD 8 hours (save $75) $525.00 USD

If you are thinking of purchasing a gift certificate, I encourage you to contact me to make sure your gift will be happily received. Nothing worse than getting a gift like that ugly sweater your Aunt Bonnie gave you when you were 16 year old.

After all, we all give with best intentions, though making sure your gift is perfect is priceless.

What was the best gift you ever received?

It's Spring ... Time for your organizing plan

Your house is filled, stacked with stuff.
You'd like to smile, but it's kinda tough.

Finding the time to clear this mess,
is making you feel like you're in distress.

Have no fear, help is here.
My help for you is true and dear.

Let's break it down one box, one room.
Then you'll feel like you're starting to zoom!

OK....that's my attempt at rapping (I know don't give up my day job).

Welcome to Spring!!
You have been cooped up in your home for many months now and things aren't looking like you wish them to be. The overwhelming sense of hopelessness may be setting in. You have got to SNAP out of it!

Give this a shot:
Grab a pad of paper and your favorite writing instrument (mine is a bright red crayon because it's fun). Walk through each room and write down what you done. Any little thought that comes into your head ... write it down.

BEDROOM
-hang clothes
-dust
-remove kid toys
OFFICE
-clear desk
-shred old papers
-hang pictures

Now don't be alarmed if you end up with 3-4 pages of stuff. It's OK, really it's perfect. You now have a plan. It may be a lengthy one though you can't be successful until you have a plan.

Look through the list and decide which room to start. If you just don't know, choose your bedroom. Nothing beats a tidy bedroom to aid in a great night's sleep. Second biggest hurdle is accomplished: Deciding where to begin.

Pick an task and knock it off your list. Even cross it off as you go. This will feel like you are making progress. As you make progress, you gain a sense of accomplishment. Which in turn encourages you to continue the project toward completion.

Very important point: Do not look at the entire list and begin to think, "Oh I am never going to get this done." Stay positive in your thoughts and see the progress you are making.

Little by little your home will feel better and better

What's your favorite writing instrument?

Organizing Trick for Your Drawers

Many times the clothing items you grab out of your drawers are always on the top, leaving the ones under everything lost and unused. Then if you do want an item from this lower layer you have to send out an expedition team to discover it. Likely ending with a big ball of unorganized clothing ready to cram back into the drawer.

There is a little organizing trick to avoid this requiring a minor change in your folding method, though the results will save you time and hassle:

Organizing your drawers: foxtoledo.com

How cool is that?
Remember: Vertical is Visible, Horizontal is Hidden.

Now run to your drawer and try out this little trick, maybe you will find a long lost tshirt or favorite yoga pants.

What did you unearth in your drawer?

"Rock the Boat" Not Your Hairspray

Wire shelving is a fabulous way to create organization in your home, though sometimes the spacing of the wires cause your items to rock, roll and tumble about ... which is frustrating defeating the calm & peacefulness of being organized.

Sure you could replace with solid shelving, but it is really not necessary with this slick little trick:

An organized shelf: foxtoledo.com

You can find corrugated plastic sheets at most craft and home improvement stores. "Zip ties" or garbage bag ties can be used to secure the shelving into place.

If you have the song "Rock the Boat" running through your head now, my apologies.

How do you get songs out of your head?

Honoring Your Loved Ones Memory

This is one of my favorite organizing project stories ever. Love this story, and so appropriate for this time of year. Enjoy.


"Terry" admits she get overwhelmed in attempting to stay organized. Like many of us, the dramas of life can take over and the last thing on your list of things to care for is yourself.

Terry had been hanging on to a gift certificate for my services for 11 months. The certificate made her feel good when she received it and if she used it, Terry felt it would be gone. Finally, she broke down and we met.

We talked a bit about her goals. I gave her some ideas about managing tasks to get and stay organized. Then she told me about a craft box in her attic.

This craft box was her mother's. Terry cherished this box of craft supplies. The thing is, Terry's mother passed away 11 years ago. Yes, 11 years this box sat in her attic collecting dust and funk.

She finally decided that the time had come to part with it. Terry told me she believed,

"If you release what is holding you back, good will come back."

A woman came to Terry's home from Freecycle to pick up her mother's craft box. The next week, there was a knock on Terry's front door.

The woman had returned to give Terry this Christmas display for her home. Made only from the items found in the gifted box. Terry immediately recognized certain parts of the arrangement that her mother decorated with. Needless to say, Terry was beside herself with joy and happiness. I got the chills when she told me the story.

Memories of a past loved one are good. They should be honored since they played a loving role in your life. Though if you have them cramped in a dusty, funky smelling old box in your attic, is that really a positive way to remember them?

If you are not enjoying them, perhaps it is time to part with them.
Another person will find joy in the items you give.
........ And good will come back to you.

What's in your attic?

Is Your Linen Closet Throwing Up on You?

As you open up your linen closet to grab a fresh towel for your luxurious, relaxing batch, items just begin to tumble out onto you.

 UGH!

... So much for relaxation and calm.


No need for this to happen any longer to you. Here's a great clip from Your Rocket Organizer on how you can get your linens under control and organized:

Organizing out of control linen closet: foxtoledo.com

Take a hard look at the items in your linen closet:
Do you really need 15 washcloths for 4 people?
You no longer have a double bed, so why do you have the sheets?
Ah, you found a long lost shirt jammed in the towel.

Bag, bundle, box up all your linens that have lost their fluffiness or happy purpose in your life and take them to your favorite animal shelter for donation.

A puppy or kitten would love to cuddle up in a those items.

OK ... how many bath towels do you have?

Conquering Your Closet Clutter

With the changing seasons, comes a change in your wardrobe.Leading to a perfect time to get your closets, dressers and drawers sorted and purged.

So put on some comfy clothes, turn on some music tunes and grab a few (alright several) bags to begin loading them up with donations.

BIG THANKS to The Courier out of Findlay, Ohio for putting together this awesome article below filled with tips and tricks for getting organized. You can read the article below (which is a bit fuzzy hard to read) or you can go directly to the nice big, easy to read article here.

Remember, to give your items a hard look. Just because it is your favorite shirt EVER, doesn't mean that 4+ years later it loves you. You want clothing that looks great on you and makes you feel good.

What is your favorite shirt EVER?
(yes that top picture is me from 3rd grade.  That was a favorite shirt)

Grab Your Toilet Paper and Get Organized

It's your home.
You have lived there for years and become accustom to how things are.

Look around your home
and pick a room.
What do you see?



One BIG, HUGE mess with no hope of EVER getting organized. Why even bother? You've lived this long with it. Yeah, you feel overwhelmed and cranky about it, though there is nothing you can really do. It's just too much.

You have a problem. And, yeah, it may be a pretty big one, too. The thing is that all BIG problems are made of up smaller problems. Those smaller problems are made up of tiny problems. Solving these tiny problems, is exactly what you need to accomplish to love your home again.



How do you find these tiny problems to solve?
Reduce your vision.



Here's a clip from FOX Toledo news showing you this little trick:

Focusing in on a project: foxtoledo.com

So, grab a roll of toilet paper and look through the hole.
What do you see? Tiny problems.

By reduce your vision of the entire area, you can focus on smaller tasks. As you conquer these smaller tasks, the bigger problem begins to dwindle away. You begin to breathe easier in your home. Everything seems lighter and brighter.

Pretty slick, uh?
Get out there and enjoy the day!

What did your toilet paper roll show you?

Organizing your closet, No More Waterfalls!

You've been out have a fantastic day.

As you get home, you just want to jump into your jammies, enjoy your favorite beverage and watch some TV.

Though as you open up your closet to hang your jacket ...
SMASH, CRASH, BOOM!

Stuff comes tumbling out on top of you!

Well, check out this latest video for a great organizing tip on optimizing your closets:


What item has tumbled out on you?

Time to Get Organized: Challenge #9

"One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?"

Aaaahh, the classic Sesame Street song.

Who knew you could use something you learned on Sesame Street to get organized?

Today's organizing project:

A Scavenger Hunt.
Walk around your home and pick up items that do not belong.Reward: Schedule an appointment for yourself, a lunch date,
doctor visit, hair or nails, something you need to do for YOU.

This is a GREAT little organizing project because everyone in your home can play along.

Grab a bag, box or basket and simply walk around an area in your home and pick up items that do not belong. After you have gathered your stuff, then take and put the items back where they belong.

You may have many items that no longer even belong in your home. Those need to leave your home, either donate or trash. Your challenge should be to grab 27 items to stimulate good Feng Shui energy in your home.

Who's your favorite Sesame street character?

Making Your Closet Work for You

Oh, we all can get sooooo frustrated about things in life.
Your home should not be one of those areas.

"Molly" loved her room, alas her closets were quite annoying because they did not seem to work for her.  Lots of space, yet no idea how to make all the fabulous space work better for her.

She even went out and bought a closet kit to install herself, though as all the pieces came tumbling out, Molly soon realized this closet organizing project was a bit out of her comfort zone.

Her first closet was a blank canvas of organizing possibilities.  Hanging space was not a priority so we discussed shelving options.  Looking at the closet kit she purchased, we talked about installing some fixed shelving instead.  Molly's purchased kit was pricey and not going to be a perfect fit for her needs.

For about half the price of Molly's original closet shelving purchase, we installed 3 fixed shelves.  Here she could place all her sweatshirts, jeans, shirts and other personal items.  Easy to select an item and, more importantly, easy to put away when done.

On the floor, we assembled two Closetmaid Cubeicals and laid them on their side.  These would be perfect for handbags, purses and all those little things that seem to tumble about at the bottom of a closet.

Molly was delighted!

In Molly's other closet, she was pretty happy with the long hanging space. To keep her shoes from piling up on the floor in a heap, we assembled two Closetmaid Horizontal Organizers. These long open shelving units are wonderful for organizing shoes.

All these products used to help organize Molly's closets ended up saving her money because they were about half the total cost of the original closet organizing system she purchased.  PLUS, now she feels like her closets are exactly the way she wants them to be.

No more frustration = Happy Molly

... and that makes me happy too!

What area of your home is frustrating to you?

Time to Get Organized: Challenge #7

Sitting in your closet for months, years, waiting to be used. Yet, nope ... just doesn't happen. Your old towels and sheets are "too good" to throw out and you just cannot part with them.

So they sit ... and sit ...
in your linen closet waiting for the day you will need 6 blue bath towels sets, even though your bathroom is now green. Then there are the double size sheet sets you still have, alas now you have a queen size bed. Yet there is nothing wrong with the double sheet set except they do not fit your bed.

Today's organizing project:
Your Linen Closet.

Remove towels or sheets that are not being used
Reward: Kick back, enjoy your favorite beverage
and think about the last time you laughed REALLY hard
(if its been too long, go rent "The Hangover.")

My favorite place to donate linens to are your local animal shelter. They are always in need of towels, sheets, blankets, rugs ... heck anything to wipe up a mess or let the animals cuddle up into for a nap.

By organizing your linen closet, you are going to end up with a TON more room. Instead of blankets tumbling out everytime you open the door to grab a fresh towel, everything will stay in place. Plus, you'll only have your freshest and softest towels for available for use.

One week left in National Get Organized month and hopefully you are beginning to feel a bit lighter around your home, the air seems easier to breathe and you are able to relax and enjoy yourself more.

What made you laugh REALLY hard?

Your Black Hole Room

It's that one area of your home that just seems to suck the happiness out of you.

You know where it is.
You try not to look at it.
You believe that it will
go away on its own.


.....It doesn't, in fact it may even begin to grow.


This was the "Energy Blackhole" for "Mary".



Her home is full of creativity with handpainted walls, floorboards and pictures everywhere. However, Marya's office was bringing her down. I worked with her to get her desktop area under control, then she had me come back for.....(bum, bum, bahm)

....the supply closet.






You could feel the area brighten as I started boxing up old business literature and binders from conferences long past. Supplies were found hidden behind bags and under books. A small pile of items were left for her to sort through...hopefully, "toss."



I was a bit nervous leaving Mary's home. I felt wonderful about her office, but wasn't sure how she would like it.

The next morning Mary called me: "I LOVE IT!"

She feels energized when she goes into her office. Her son made a comment...yes, I said her son...that he was amazed at the difference in how the room felt.

Mary, it was my pleasure helping you conquer your energy drain.

Now, What area of your home is sucking the life out of you?

Get a garbage bag and fill it up....YOU WILL FEEL BETTER!!