Heather K Powers

Clutter::magically transformed by some arcane formula

March 27, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Organize

Guest post from the desk of Celeste B.

Math Number and Symbols

Wallace says tax season is not so bad but then he is treasurer of a multinational corporation and has a staff of over 100 accountants. He also likes to begin our tax returns January 1 with the close of the year. He has a shoebox of sorts into which all sorts of bits and bobs are tossed during the year and which become magically transformed by some arcane formula involving geometric progressions and quantum mechanics, of which I have no familiarity, into a sensible spreadsheet of numbers. My bookkeeping system is similar except that I hand over my shoebox to him, with helpful annotations on lined paper or stationery from fine hotels.

Since this is National Recognize Clutter Week it might be good to stress some practices for yourself to use in pursuit of orderliness. I can recognize clutter as well as the next person when it begins to slide like a glacier into the hallway or down the steps but perhaps the idea is to pause and to use one’s eyes before things reach that stage. This tactic will help avoid well-meaning interventions by family members. If psychiatric professionals enter the picture you may as well admit defeat. Until then you might start by stepping back from that kitchen drawer of plastic lids and containers and examine what is really going on there. This is one example of personal chaos that many people endure.

Tell yourself that every sturdy Chinese dinner container, yogurt tub and olive selection container does not have to be given a second chance. Recycle it, for Pete’s sake! It will have another life as an LL Bean jacket or something equally as useful so you need not feel like a wastrel for having pitched it. Unless you are packaging leftovers for a family of 10, you might want to save the space and time spent matching odd lids to odd shapes by limiting to 4 each of the basic shapes and lids. I suggest soup, personal portion size, two person portion size and flatter baked goods caddies as the ideal start. This also helps control bacterial contamination which may lurk in difficult to clean lid crevices.

Step back and examine your laundry area. Do you have multiple half-used products? It is fine to have backup supplies but don’t go overboard. The store is not far away and they will probably have what you need in stock. Check your drawers. Utensil drawers, that is. Use drawer dividers to sort every day and specialized tools. Inventory those and find homes for tools you never use, whether they were given to you by your mother or not. Put those in a wall display if you want. Eliminating clutter is about practical space saving and convenience for you in the long run. These are some of the wicked places where clutter congregates and which deserve a fresh spring appraisal. Redd up, as they say in Pennsylvania!
Kisses,
Celeste

Thank you Celeste! Your practical tips and lighthearted attitude will help us all laugh at our clutter conundrums no doubt!

*If you would like to hear more from Celeste please contact me. I’m sure she would be delighted to learn of your enthusiasm and I’m happy to pass your message along as well as ask her to join us again with more fun and lighthearted posts!

All the Luck you Seek is Within!

March 17, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education

We each have the opportunity to find the luck we seek within our choices, our intentions, our thoughts and actions.

Sometimes we need a little reminder of this. This is not to say there are no miracles, that magic and mystery do not exist, but you must believe in your heart, find it within first. Let today be a day to reflect on the Pot of Gold available to each of us and let’s reflect it towards one another. Do you believe in luck, miracles and mystery? Gratefully, I do and that’s all I need to find myself the luckiest woman!

My Big Inspiration Wall

March 9, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Home, In the Studio, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques

I am blessed with a spectacular studio that overlooks the marsh with windows on 3 sides…lots of natural light, palm trees, Spanish moss and resurrection ferns dripping and hanging from live oak branches.

I’m not short on inspiration but what I am short on is wall space (because of said windows). This has been a challenge for me since we moved in and the one wall I do have is brick which is difficult to attach anything to. After researching several options, I finally made a request of my handy husband to help me solve this challenge.

Design wall’s that quilters use involve a lot of fleece and I’m not a quilter (although I dabble in quilting techniques) so I felt the expense and effort of all that were un-necessary. I also considered cork, again, a resource I didn’t want to waste especially since I planned to paint the wall to blend in…Finally I settled on inexpensive Fiberboard after realizing this is what is used in many schools (my studio at SCAD included) and it would be just the thing to help me go vertical…Here my handyman Mr. B puts the finishing touches on the painted fiberboard before handing it over for me to “play” with.

This piece of fiber board is 4′ x 6′ (cut down from 4′ x 8′) and was only $9. It sucks up paint like crazy so you might want to use a primer-sealer (like Kilz) so you don’t have to apply a million coats). We attached it to the wall with Washers (painted) and screws (into the morter-this brick was so hard it destroyed 2 of my husbands masonry bits).

What a delight it is to have a space to hang both design pieces I’m working on and inspiration for future work! Above and below are details of what’s now currently hanging on my wall. I’ve got quilt blocks I’m kind of stuck on (not knowing what to use them for or if I need to make more), indigo shibori, yarns, mixed media, photography and other bits of inspiration and work in various stages of finished/unfinished.

I’m by no means a minimalist but I don’t love it when my space is too visually cluttered. With this new wall hung I can corrall all sorts of things that have been floating around my studio into one space to feed my inspiration and allow me to step back and see the pieces that I’m stuck on from a different perspective. Do you have the luxury of a inspiration or design wall in your art or office space?

How I found my Superpower Gifts

February 27, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Wellness & Mindset

I recently attended a 3 day Business Retreat called “Click” in Asheville with my coach and mentor, Christine Kane. I had never thought about what my superpower gifts were before then! At this event, I met about 150 of the most inspiring, intelligent, purposeful, smart, talented entrepreneurs I’ve ever been with in one place…Christine rocked us out of our comfort zones and called us to Become more of who we are called to be and to get out and share our SUPERPOWER Gifts with the world!

By the time I left I realized my Superpowers are “Visioning” what a space can become, guiding clients through that process and making them cry with tears of joy when the space has been transformed;)

my superpower gifts

Photo Courtesy Christine Kane-Click live retreat, Asheville, NC 2015

In 2011 I went through Christine’s Uplevel Your Life program and it was a trans formative process of awakening and being called to live my dreams. That 7 week program helped me realize so many things! I was being called to BECOME both the Artist I’ve always known I am and a Professional Organizer.

That was a BIG year! I launched my business, went to Penland to explore my art and my husband and I packed up and left family and friends in DC to move to Charleston, SC without jobs lined up or much $$ left in the bank…it was the biggest leap of Faith I’ve taken so far and it’s been an amazing and rewarding ride.

What track are you on? Where will it lead you?

This is what it means to take imperfect action with intention and faith and it is the most rewarding action that will ALWAYS move you towards your truth.

I knew that Christine’s way of working with Soul and Strategy got me results and I continued to follow her over the past few years. Towards the end of last year, after losing a big client, I realized I was being called-pulled to once again UP my game again (because we always will be called and it’s our JOB to respond!) so I enrolled in another Christine program called Becoming 360.

Sometimes we have to uncover and make our roots visible to feel grounded!

This program helped me root into my current and future direction for my business and since then I’ve been working behind the scenes to make some BIG changes such as Re-launching my website, launching a newsletter for the first time and adding Virtual Organizing to my services…All of these changes and additions will be revealed at the first of next week and I can’t wait to share them with you!

I’m standing at the summit, envisioning all the future has to offer! Can you see it too?

So…this weekend my site might be down for a bit here and there as we work to migrate everything over to the new site. I am so excited about this and have been working with a fantastic web designer, Sarah of Dodeline Designs to make this transformation happen exactly as I envision it! I’ll see you on the new site very soon, have a wonderful weekend!

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Trend Tuesday::Organizing the closets

February 17, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Closets, Home, Inspiration & Education, Organize

Lately, I’ve noticed a few closet organizing trends for design and organization that are fun, functional, and stylish. For some they may be a little over the top but for fun let’s take a peek into some of these closets. A few are more like Boudoirs of the old days than any closet I have encountered! Below are a few trends and the takeaways I think are helpful from each of these examples.

Monochromatic; using colors that are “signature” such as this palette of purple, grey and neutral. This makes the whole look less distracting and easier on the eye. It’s a great way to incorporating clothing into an “open closet” wall of a room.

Above and below; jewelry displayed in the closet. Whether it’s in the closet or on a wall in your room this trend is a lovely way to better see what you have and decorate empty wall space!

Above (Lonny Closets) and below; fun, funky and stylish furniture in the closet. I love how both of these pieces are being used for functional storage but also bring a sense of style and sophistication to these spaces. The closet becomes stylistically a part of the larger spaces.

Below; most of us probably don’t have this many jeans and yes this photo was probably taken from a shop display but I using S-Hooks in all sort of unconventional ways is a brilliant idea for the closet and lots of other spaces!

Give some of these fun closet organizing trends a try in your own space and let me know if you find any other fun ideas! If you want to see more Inspiring Organization check out my Pinterest Board here where you will also find links to all the photo’s above (hover over images for credits). For more closet inspration, check out this post.