Creatively Organized Spaces
Being prepared for the unexpected means having essential documents (and copies of them) in order and easy to find. Some people call these their Vital Documents. Whatever you call them they are really important! I recently learned that 98% of all South Carolina residents have no will! If that’s your situation and you don’t know where to start, let me know and I can guide you in the right direction!
Do you have a disaster plan? Wondering if you really need a home inventory? Whether you have one started or have nothing at all read on to learn why you need a home inventory and how to protect your personal property.
Almost all of us need a home inventory, whether we are renting or own your homes or businesses. If you have insurance, you need an inventory to prove replacement value. Sadly, a lot of people think that because they have insurance they don’t need to worry about a home inventory. But unfortunately, that’s not true, having insurance doesn’t’ guarantee you will get replacement value for your property. There are so many irreplaceable things and all the little stuff really adds up. Having a home inventory will save you a huge potential headache, hours of time, or worse out of pocket expenses lost down the drain. When you’re trying to dig your way out of a disaster, that added stress is the last thing you need. 
When I became a professional organizer, I learned all about the different home inventory systems and tools available. I also helped clients with creating inventory systems both before and after disasters, mostly flooding, some theft. Trust me when I say, you don’t want to have to inventory your stuff after it’s been damaged or try to remember what’s missing! It’s not the insurance companies responsibility to take your word for all your personal belongings, and it’s not in their interest to help you with this. If you can’t prove you owned it (meaning tracking down receipts or charges, photo’s or other documentation) you may lose altogether.
What needs to be inventoried? The quick answer is everything! You are probably thinking this will take ages and depending on how much detail you want to include, it could be a significant undertaking but really not so bad if you take it step-by-step and room-by-room.
Without an inventory, you could end up with a mess on your hands and thousands of dollars in lost assets! Don’t get stuck sorting toilet plungers from kitchen utensils, holiday decor, and more. Document what you’ve got and what would need to be replaced.
I’ve worked extensively on creating inventory for insurance claims. Here’s what you need to know. Photos are your friends! Spreadsheets are super helpful and may prevent you from having to fill out additional information in the event of an insurance claim. But there are other systems out there that are super helpful and can do more for you than just a home inventory.
As the well known Sheryl Sandberg quote goes “Done is better than perfect.” So true in the case of an inventory! Just having photo’s is better than nothing!
A home inventory Checklist can help you to understand what information will be most valuable in the case of an insurance claim. Most insurance companies would like to have the following. The more info you can provide, the more accurate your claim and reimbursement will be. Remember, the more complicated your assets and estate, the more details you will need.
It may not be necessary to have all the information below. If you’re in a disaster situation and realize you don’t have anything, the short answer is to photograph every wall of every room, even opening cabinets, closets, and taking photos of contents by shelf. Take notes on contents to help jog your memory, noting location and a general description. Photograph anything specifically valuable in each room. These photos and notes will prove invaluable if you have to evacuate quickly and end up losing property.
Remember, “Done is better than perfect!” What follows is a more detailed guide of what your insurance company might request. Not having all of this does not mean you will not get reimbursed. The more you can provide, the quicker and more smoothly things will move along.
Home Zada is one of the most comprehensive home management tools out there and does everything from home maintenance reminders to home inventory. If you’re on the serious side of protecting your valuable assets, I can’t recommend a better way to manage it all in one place! This is a cloud-based option so you won’t lose it if you lose your computer!
Another great comprehensive but inexpensive system is Liberty Street Home Manage software (also cloud-based). It’s under $40 and allows you to enter all the important documentation and photo’s for all your assets (at multiple locations).
Several insurance companies have their own systems, so ask your insurance agent what they offer! It will probably be free and give them everything needed if you ever had to make a claim.
Home Contents is a UK Based app that makes home inventory a snap with your digital camera in-phone. And finally, in the app department, My Stuff has several free and paid options with great features for adding items to folders, tagging, etc for easier sorting and organizing.
If you prefer to stick with a spreadsheet-style inventory, just do a quick search for Home Inventory Checklist to find quite a few good options available for free. Most of these are templates that you can download and use on your computer/device.
Spreadsheet systems (I’ve used comprehensively with insurance agents to recover contents lost) can be clunky and it’s difficult to quickly see photos of items with their description. Another drawback is that unless you backup your computer or device, you run the risk of losing your inventory (photo’s and checklist) along with your contents in case of a disaster!
If a home inventory is something you want help setting up, let me know and I’d be glad to assist!
No matter what system you choose, I hope you will make a plan, schedule it on your calendar and start your home inventory today!
No matter where you live, it’s practically impossible to ignore and vital to prepare for natural disasters! With the change in our climate, especially if you live along the coastlines, it pays to get organized, ‘Just in Case’ there’s a natural disaster!
Do you have a plan i, know your evacuation route, and have supplies ready?
Having missed traveling over the past year I’ve needed to hone my travel organizing skills with useful Travel Tips and Tools. Some things get easier when you do them more often and a little rusty when you get out of your routine. I’ve been on the road a lot with things opening back up, visiting friends and family, and traveling regularly for business (1 week a month), so I’m sharing a few of my favorite, tried, true, and new products, tips, and tools for day to day travels and longer trips.
For more ideas check out my Pinterest board Ideas for [Travel] and here are a couple of my new favorite travel pins…
I’m sure you have your own favorite travel tips and tools and hopefully, I’ve shared a few new things to consider for your next trip. What are your favorite Travel Tips and Tools?
Our homes have become so much more for each of us over the past year! If you struggle with clutter or not able to create sanctuary spaces for yourself to retreat to please use the tips and guidance of this four-week challenge and jump in at any time. Do as much as or as little as your life needs.
This challenge focuses on clearing the spaces in our home that collect clutter. Each week or segment tackles the clutter in the corners, on the surfaces, and hiding behind closed doors.
Week 1: Sweep the surfaces
Week 2: Clear cabinets & closets
Week 3: Deep clean drawers
Week 4: Box & Bin binge
Clutter collects where items don’t have a permanent home. Horizontal surfaces can be a major source of clutter collection for so many people. They just seem to fill up moments after they are cleared. Know yourself and your family/household members. Are you “Pilers”? If so, identify what lands on those surfaces and find ways to relocate them or collect them neatly. For surfaces that collect the same clutter over and over, create containers for spare change, loose papers, hooks for keys, masks, and other everyday items. Give everything on every surface a home and get in the practice-AKA-Habit of daily, and weekly maintenance to keep things in order.
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Each day this week, pick a room or a category and systematically weed out the clutter, collecting it in bags or boxes to be donated, sold, or given away. Think about these spaces that contain kids’ clothes, your clothes, the kitchen pantry, and cabinets in the kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms! Remember that clutter collects where items don’t have a permanent home. These hidden spaces are the storage workhorses of our homes and need to be regularly maintained so that they don’t get clogged up. Remember the one-in-one-out rule to help keep a handle on the everyday items that live in these spaces.
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Most of us have drawers in almost every room with lots of space for hidden clutter.
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Each day this week, systematically weed out the clutter, collecting it in bags or boxes to be donated, sold, or given away. It’s time to tackle the kitchen drawers *including everyone’s favorite #junkdrawer, bathroom drawers, file cabinet drawers (purge those papers each year), and sock drawers to name a few.
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Like past weeks, pick a category (papers, clothing accessories, kitchen items, etc) and work through each one systematically purging. Kids and other household members can help, assign a drawer, and dive in!
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These are great places to store things that we need to keep but don’t want to see, BUT, for some people that’s out of sight is out of mind. When things get tucked away for long periods, we forget about them & which means we probably don’t need it! It’s time to tackle them! Think about where you have things in bins & decide which ones need to be sorted through. Some baskets & bins get used regularly, those might need a quick review. It’s the stuff in deep storage that can become a hidden burden. It might be the right time to let that clutter go!
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Each day this week, systematically weed out the clutter, collecting it in bags or boxes to be donated, sold, or given away.
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Like the past 3 weeks, pick a category or space (papers, clothing accessories, kitchen items, etc) and work through each systematically purging. Kids and other household members can help, assign a bin, and dive in!
Decluttering & having space to keep what you need in convenient, easy to access storage is one major step in that direction!
Any time is the best time to start! It doesn’t have to happen room by room. You can start creating sanctuary in a drawer, a closet, or a box by decluttering storage spaces all around your home.
As you find ease in these spaces & with the process of decluttering, make it a regular part of your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly home maintenance schedule.
Maintaining the clutter is a part of life! Begin the process before clutter comes into your home. I hope this will be a year with more sanctuary & less clutter in all your spaces.
What is the most frightening space in your home? I’ll bet it is a closet of some kind, the place where the detritus of modern living has accumulated and grown neglected. Whatever else might be growing there is not to be ignored either. Wallace and I don’t have a garage, which I describe as the American ultra-closet for many people. Instead of renting a storage locker, many homeowners have co-opted the “extra” space taken up by the second car and dedicated it to barbeque grills, canoes, roof racks, children’s playthings, freezers, adult playthings, infrequently used tools, unfinished projects, unpacked moving boxes, wedding presents and generally redundant or bulky items that are rarely called into service, such as the trailer for the float you build for the July fourth community parade and that you don’t want to get rusty in the driveway.
Somewhere you have probably got a closet dedicated to similar use: housing family movies or slides with their projectors, sports equipment, never used vacuum cleaner attachments, orphaned framed art and bric-a-brac including that fondue set with all the skewers still in its box. There is nothing sentimental about fondue unless you enjoyed it on your honeymoon in Quebec, a lovely city.
Your reluctance to tackle the closet cleanup is not uncommon. Everyone has it and, besides, what are you going to do with all that stuff once it is sorted out? A pile in the hall is no different than one in the closet and re-distribution is a temporary solution. You have to agree with your partner to accomplish this cleanup because there may be items precious to one of you that deserve special consideration. Woeful is the partner who sends the varsity letter jacket to the second hand store without permission. Blessed is the organizer who seeks approval before, during or after a closet purge. Hoarding is another matter altogether and there is probably no agreement available to assuage the concerns of that pathology.
Supposing that you are operating as one coordinated force on this, then there is a happy avenue for de-accessioning, as the museums call it. The yard/garage sale is by far the most satisfactory because, not only do you enjoy seeing people appreciate your stuff, they actually pay you for it. It is amazing always to see the cheery buyers sifting through the crockery, books, art and cast-off furniture, ever on the lookout for treasures overlooked by the rest of the world. It is somehow satisfying to see these burdens taken on by others as if they are financial Samaritans. And best of all, the many charitable second hand stores have liberalized their acceptance policies so you are able to load up most of the failed sales and freight them over for receipt, thereby putting many disadvantaged people to work in furthering the life of these goods. That is a win-win with a tax deduction to boot!
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!
Spring fever and the extra hour of daylight spur many of us onto spring cleaning, especially right now while we are spending more time at home! We are still in the height of Spring Cleaning frenzy so if you haven’t yet tackled the closets, there’s still plenty of time before the heat of the summer and seasonal vacations and kids summer breaks are upon us!
I absolutely love to garden and it brings me so much joy. As we go into the coldest seasons my craving for the garden moves Indoors. I garden for maintaining my well-being and that includes indoor plants. Today I’m specifically sharing tips for how indoor gardening can bring a sense of well-being into your home. Fresh air, lush greenery, beautiful flowers, and hands-on interaction with the texture and touch of the plants and soil are just some of why I love to garden and all of this can be done indoors or out.
I spend a bit of time tending towards my indoor garden each fall, bringing plants that have been outdoor for the summer in, pruning, fertilizing, and replacing any plants that need it. I “freshen up” my terrarium collection, cleaning the glass and replacing leggy or unwell plants so they can bring me joy all winter long, not to mention fresh air! In the spring, I do another freshen up, fertilizing, pruning, and preparing plants to spend the summer outdoors. When temperatures are about the same indoor and out and all chance of frost has passed (or as you get close to frost in the fall) is the perfect time to move plants in or out.
Many people don’t “think” they have a green thumb or that they can’t keep a houseplant alive. But there is no mistaking how popular indoor gardening has become again. Have you seen terrariums like the one above? I hope these tips will encourage you to try (or expand) your indoor garden which is especially nice to do after the holiday season is passed and before we open our homes again in the spring. It takes a little practice to find and maintain indoor plants in the ‘right spots’ but I hope you will keep trying. I’ve got a big leaf philodendron that’s over 20 years old! Here are some of the reasons to garden indoors.
What can you grow successfully inside? Start by observing your surroundings and lifestyle habits since these are the two most important factors for plant selection. Determine which direction your house and windows face and have this information available when you go to select plants. Your success will be much enhanced by selecting the correct plant for your conditions.
Some factors to consider are light/exposure (N, S, E, or W windows?), humidity (you can always run a humidifier if needed), the time required for maintenance needs (watering, pruning, fertilizing, re-potting, etc), design style and colors in your home. Armed with this info you will be able to make the best selections for your space. If you have pets, check out the ASPCA list of pet-safe plants here. I find that my kitties love and find irresistible anything resembling grass, so pointed narrow leaves are especially attractive to them!
Do your research before you head out to buy anything, check out a variety of reputable local garden centers or floral shops (rather than big box shops), and talk to the people who work there. They can usually make excellent suggestions if you know the direction your windows face and the size and space you want to add plants too.
If you travel often and are super busy and have minimal light you will be making many different choices than someone who can spend a bit of time each day (5-10 mins) misting, watering, etc.
The little maidenhair fern above will dry out quickly and probably end up making you feel like a failure if you can’t give it daily attention. On the other hand, the ZZ Palm or Snake plant below both require low light and very little moisture to thrive. I love the website Gardenista for great images (those below), inspiration, and practical advice on the best houseplants for different settings (low light/low/maintenance, non-poisonous, you name it!).
The ZZ Palm above is great for low light: image via James Saper
Sansevieria or snake plant image via Gardenista
The biggest mistake people make with houseplants is overwatering (I worked in the tropical greenhouse of a local garden center). Let plants dry out completely before watering again deeply (there are some exceptions, like ferns). Potted plants are more quickly depleted of nutrients, so I generally re-pot every 2 years and the potting mix I use has a slow-release fertilizer in it or sprinkle a little slow-release once or twice a year (see package for the rate of use).
There literally is an indoor plant for just about every situation. Again though taking the specific factors of your situation into account will lead you to much more success. It’s also important to buy plants from reputable sources that are knowledgeable about both the plants they stock and helping you decide what’s best for your situation. A good source will help you select things given the information you provide and should tell you the proper name (both common and botanical), maintenance requirements, and any other information you might need. Ask questions and do a little homework before you head out shopping so you can make the best choice for yourself. Hopefully, the plants that you live with will bring you joy, a sense of calm and beauty, and even a bit of cleaner air to breathe.
I want to take a moment to recognize the greatest gift of the season, in fact, any Season. Today, as we turn the corner into the darkest time of the year, I would like to celebrate the gifts that you bring and share with the world.
Wherever we are, whatever we have accomplished, the changes we have made, the relationships we have worked to improve or let go of, the projects we have started, the dreams we have released, the lessons we have learned…THESE are our greatest gifts!
The illusions of what we haven’t yet done or what we have lost are magnified when we give them our attention. So for just the next few minutes, hours, days, or weeks can you give yourself the Greatest Gift of Self-Acceptance? Thank you for being imperfectly, beautifully yourself!
I hope this little reminder will encourage you to take time to pause, reflect, illuminate, and accept yourself and all your wonderful gifts, with Gratitude for all you do and who you are!
Wishing you a peaceful holiday, whether you celebrate the darkness of solstice, the Advent and Christmas season, Hanukkah, or just taking quiet time to reflect. Celebrate your greatest gifts and celebrate the greatest gifts of those you love.
Happy Holidays with deep appreciation to you for who you are! Thank you for sharing a small part of your journey with me!
It’s been a challenging year and allowing ourselves to plan for the future still doesn’t quite feel natural. So for those of us use to planning, this state of uncertainty feels uncomfortable and possibly even scary. Yet, there are a lot of different ways to plan for the unknown. One way is to envision where you are headed. This type of planning is less rigid than sitting down with a calendar and deciding on goals, penciling in when you want to achieve them, and mapping out how to get there. A vision board is a wholly different kind of map.
Over the past five years, I’ve led quite a few vision board workshops at conferences, meetings, and art studio’s, one thing they always have in common, they are so much fun and unexpectedly powerful! Everyone from Oprah and Ellen to life coaches and artists uses vision boards as a creative tool to help gain clarity on setting intentions and goals. Have you created a vision board before?
When I create a vision board and lead a workshop I begin with helping you get clear about what you want to see happen in your life. Our imagination gets lazy and when that happens we sell our-self short of amazing possibilities! Imagine bigger, brighter, easier outcomes that are more joyful! Imagination is a muscle that requires regular exercise.
Think of making a vision board as a fun workout for your imagination!
The process of creating a vision board is a powerful tool for setting our intention and creatively visualizing that outcome. For some of us, these might be “goals.” For others, it might be an “intention” or a “feeling.” Through words and images, we can map our vision. This process helps us find clarity about what we are creating in our day-to-day lives through the choices we make. Our vision boards become a powerful touchstone to bring us back to our intentions when we feel we are off course or unclear.
When we get stuck or overwhelmed in the process of working through change in our lives, it can be refreshing to get out of our thinking mind and into our creative body. By asking ourselves what we want things to look like and how we want to feel, we embrace and tap into our creative connection with the universe, god, whatever that might mean to each of us.
So I am offering an online vision board workshop on Sunday, December 27th from 1-5 pm EST. It’s a pay what you can and I am inviting the first 12 people who sign up (here) to join me. If you can pay something (suggested $26), great but it’s not required. I want to see more powerful positivity manifested in 2021, this is my small contribution.
Even if you can’t join this time, I will offer the workshop again online soon. For those of you who want to do this on your own, the following instructions will get you going!
STEP 1: Gather : Flip through magazines and cut images and words that “speak to you”. Collect anything that delights or calls to you and have fun with the process.
STEP 2: Sort : If you run out of magazines or feel like you have “enough” begin to sort through setting things aside into three piles:
KEEP/LOVE!-These images and words feel right, bring you joy, you feel connected and they make your “heart sing”- trust your intuition.
MAYBE-These have an element that has attracted you but don’t quite excite you as others.
DISCARD- on second thought, something doesn’t feel quite right about these, it’s okay to put them away for later.
STEP 3: Arrange : Group images and words together as you begin to place them on your board. As you do this, you’ll get a sense of how the board should be laid out. You can follow a more aesthetic look or go about this in a random manner, there’s no right or wrong!
STEP 4: Attach : After you’ve arranged all the items in a way that works for you, paste everything onto the board. Take your time, attach smaller pieces to larger, think in layers.
STEP 5: Display : Hang your Vision Board in a prominent place where you’ll see it regularly, like the laundry room a closet, or inside a door.
The vision board process can help us find clarity and communicate our ideas in an effortless and creative way by tapping into our intentiohns, dreams, and envisioning them. The process doesn’t have to be exact or precise to work either! We can manifest how we want to feel, where we want to live or what we want our days to include. Vision boards can work in many areas of our life. I keep a small sketchbook that I create two-page spreads based on categories I dream about such as love relationships, home, travel (on hold for now;) and more.
Please give this a try and share your results with me if you like! Email me photo’s of your vision board or share via social media with #hkpscreativevisioning
