The Shoe Switcheroo

First of all, I can't believe how long it's been since my last post.  Well... actually I can.  Still trying to get a handle on this whole blogging thing, as silly as it sounds.

For someone who is a creative head, I should have no problem finding things to write about, right?  Easier said than done when writing is not something you're used to so I'll try again.

Having a background in Fashion, Beauty and Design, I thought instead of creating multiple blogs, I would just use this one site to share information and let you know what I'm up to with regards to the aforementioned.

So with the weather being a little warmer these days, I decided to do the shoe flip!  I love the summer, which would probably explain why I have way more high heel sandals than I do closed toe shoes.  They are much prettier and there are more options.  In the fall/winter, I pretty much just wear boots.  In fact, I don't think I wore any of my closed toe heels at all last season with the exception of a pair of black platform pumps I wore on New Years Eve and for a date I had recently.  Let me tell you, those shoes are NOT made for walking but I got a few compliments so it was worth the agony of de-feet!

Since I have the standard reach-in closet, I don't have the room to display all of my shoes so I only keep out the ones for the current season.  The off season shoes are kept in clear shoe boxes that are labelled.  One end has the description of a fall shoe and the other end a summer shoe.  Whenever I do the switch, I know exactly which shoes go in which box.

This time around, I decided to display them differently.  Usually, I have 2 pairs of shoes on each shelf both facing forward, despite the fact it's a bit of a tight squeeze.  For the first time in probably 8 years (that's how long I've had my closet organizing system), I have conformed to the one shoe facing front and the other facing back ( see below).  I was never a fan of that look for some reason but I thought...hey, let's try something new.  I must admit, my shoes do fit better on the shelves but I still have to get used to putting them back the new way.

As I was putting out my summer shoes, I was thinking about the story behind each pair.  How much I paid (my best bargain are my gold Halston Heritage shoes that were regular $355 which I got $35 taxes in!), where I bought them, which ones are super comfortable because not all of them are! I guess that's where fashion before comfort comes into play.

Though I can't compete with the likes of Carey Bradshaw when it comes to the number of shoes I own, one things for sure... just like her, I loooove my shoes!

To the shoe lovers out there, I'm curious to know, which shoes are your favourite and why and how do you display them?

Magazine Mayhem!

Good grief, Charlie Brown! How times flies! It's been quite a while but I'm back.

So what have I been up to?  On the biz front, I staged a condo, wrote my first article for my new column launching in November in an online magazine and this month in addition to my own business, I start work as a Design Consultant/Space Stylist for Manny Machado Designs.

On the home front, I just went through my magazine collection.  You see, currently I have 4 magazine subscriptions.  All design.  House and Home, Style At Home, House Beautiful and Elle Decor.  Oh wait...I forgot about Lou Lou magazine.  I know that's all about fashion but maybe one day they will come out with an interior decorating/design edition.  Hey, for only $1 an issue, who am I to say no. One of the "perks" of being with Rogers... I think.

You can imagine how much real estate 3 or 4 years worth of 5 magazine subscriptions take up so last year I made the tough decision to keep only one years worth of each publication at a time.  I painstakingly went through each one and tore out the pages that I liked with the idea of creating an inspiration/reference binder for myself and future Interior Styling clients.  The magazines I was keeping (which include all of my small space editions and the odd O mag that I purchased) would live in a vintage suitcase in the bottom of my bedroom closet.  Through this process I amassed quite a collection of tear sheets and though it will be ongoing, I'm very happy with the end result so far.  My own "look book" that I can refer to whenever I'm about to embark on a new creative project.  After I finished going through the magazines, I donated a huge pile to my doctor's office so there'd at least be something interesting to read while in the waiting room.  They were more than happy to take them. In fact, I have a hunch some of them went home the receptionists.

So the plan going forward was that whenever I  received a new issue, I would get rid of the one from the previous year after ripping out what I wanted to keep.  Yeah right! Things went well for the first couple of months but I gotta be honest...I fell behind! This little thing called life got in the way and month after month, it was open suitcase, insert magazine. I finally decided I'd better get a handle on this before it gets out of control and becomes a fire hazard. When I pulled out old issues I was pleasantly surprised to see that I only had to go through 9 magazines, which I started last night and completed this morning. Takes a little longer when you're watching tv at the same time!

No matter what type of magazines you read, ask yourself if you really need to hang on to every single issue. My decision to keep the ones that were specific to small spaces was a no-brainer but at the end of the day, the chances of me looking back at the other past issues was slim to none.  I suggest keeping your favourites editions, articles or pictures that inspire you and before you toss the rest into the recycling bin, try gifting them to a place that you think could benefit from them.  Just be sure to blank out your name and address if it's on the front.   If you do insist on keeping them invest in some magazine holders.  You can find them at the dollar store or Ikea or anywhere that sells storage products.


Do you Toss, Recycle or Keep your old magazines.


If you have an organizing question send an email to info@theurbanorganizer.ca

Something Comes In, Something Goes Out!

As the self professed, Queen of the Bargoons, last week I bought a pair of gold Halston platform sandals for...wait for it... $33.  Regular $355! Thanks of course to a markdown plus an extra 50% off ,plus some money left on a gift card.  Who doesn't love a good bargain?

When I got them home I had to go through the painful task of figuring out which shoes I was gonna have to let go of. You see, I live by the rule that when something comes in, something goes out.  It helps me keep my home very streamlined and organized and when you live in a small space, that's crucial!  These days, I'm very conscious of what I spend my money on and what I have in my closet.   I have to love it, look and feel good in it and most importantly, wear it or else it has to go.  That's why every month, I go through my closet to see what I can donate. Anything that's taking up valuable real estate gets put in a bag and out it goes.

They say we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.  If that's the case, do you really need a closet crammed full of stuff that you can't even see, let alone barely wear?  Do you really need 6 pairs of black pants?  Well... in my case yes, because they are all different styles.  Yes, I wear them all!  How many pair of jeans does one really need?  I have one pair of jeans in every cut.  Boot cut, straight leg, wide leg, trouser cut and a "skinny" jean.  That's all I need...umm...except for a white pair of jeans which I have not been able to find this season!  I did say I have a pair in every cut, not colour!

Ask yourself this:
Have you worn everything in your closet in the last 12 months? 
Do you know what's in your closet?

If you answered no to either or both of these questions, then perhaps it time for a closet intervention.
If you take the time to build a wardrobe of the basics (yes, you're allowed to spend good money on these items since you'll have them for a long time), you can just fill in the blanks every season with some trendy items.  Of course though, why would you want to pay full price if you don't have to? As the Queen of The Bargoons, I've been able to find many quality pieces at bargain prices because that's just how I roll! My friends will tell you!

When you have the essentials, with the help of some key accessories, shoes and bags, you should end up with a well curated closet full of clothes.  No more multiples, no more buyers remorse and no more of the forgotten (unless they are hidden gems)

Some rules that I live by that you might find helpful:
1. Before you buy anything, ask yourself what 3 things could you wear with the item? And NO, buying something to go with it does NOT count.
2. You should have 3 tops for every bottom you  have in your closet.
3. Try to avoid buying anything that is FINAL SALE.  You need to go home and play dress up and if for some reason it doesn't work out, at least you still have the option to return it.

So if you have a closet full of clothes and feel like you have nothing to wear, ask a friend to help you clear it out and organize it.  A pile for donate, toss,  alter and keep.  Make it fun with music and maybe a little vino but be ruthless.  Actually, on second thought, forget the wine as it might cloud your judgement!  Once everything is back in your closet, remember the golden rule when shopping...something comes in, something goes out (this should be your mantra for your entire home!)

If you'd like to know what essentials I think should be in every women's wardrobe, email me to find out!

info@theurbanorganizer.ca


Cheers,

Marie

The Secret To An Organized Underwear Drawer

As a professional organizer, I'm always looking for ways to keep my home organized.  Here's another tip that continues to serve me well.

Everyone has a drawer with their underthings in it but in most cases, when you open the drawer it looks like a bomb when off in it.  There's no rhyme or reason to anything.  All the goods are just tossed in there and you have to dig around to find stuff.  If you're lucky, you can dedicate 2 drawers to storing your skivvies but when space is at a premium, you have to think outside the box.  Or in this case, think inside the drawer.

I was helping a client with her closets and ended up with a couple of extra drawer organizers so I decided to make use of them.

This "gadget" works wonders for keeping your underwear and socks neatly organized so much so that your days of having to resort to wearing the "bad underwear" will be gone because you'll be able to see when it's time to do laundry.

It can be cut to fit your drawer and has plenty of compartments to store all your unmentionables.  Depending on the size of your items, you may even be able to fit more than one in a compartment.

No need to show you a before picture as I'm sure you can get your own visual but here is what your drawer can look like after making use of this lovely gem.

You can find them at Home Outfitters and Solutions for under $20.


Feel free to send your comments and questions!

Happy organizing!

The Proverbial Junk Drawer

Almost everyone has one of these in their homes. It's the place where we seem to keep the "I don't know where to put this" or " I don't what to do with this" stuff so I'll just put it in here for now.  For now, ends up being months later and before you know it, you can barely open the drawer.  Why do we call it the junk drawer anyway?  Even though it gets crammed full of stuff, is the stuff really junk?  Or is the junk drawer just a safe haven for those things that we don't want to throw out because we think might need it someday.  We've all used that line one time or another.

Today I decided to tackle the junk drawer in my kitchen.  It's the one and only junk drawer I have in my apartment.  Although, truth be told, I'd probably have another one around the place if it wasn't for the fact that I can't afford to devote any other prime real estate to "junk".   When you live in a one bedroom apartment without a storage locker, every inch counts!

When I pulled it out to sort it, I was surprised at how much stuff had amassed in it.  I found some mystery cables (I have no clue what they're), phone extension cords, regular extension cords (the cheap ones that are only good for two pronged cords so they're not even worthwhile).  I also found a number of packets of flower food.  You know, the ones that you get whenever you buy a bouquet of flowers.  Quite clearly, it's been a while since I've had fresh flowers since some of the packets have hardened! I even found these little rubber balls that I had used probably only once to put in the dryer with my down coat to help it dry evenly.  They say to use tennis balls but since I didn't have any, I found the next best thing!  I bought them at the dollar store and I actually think they are cat toys!

Anyhow, after some ruthless editing, I proud to say that my junk drawer only contains some hooks for hanging purses, the cords (although, I think those will be going in the very near future) and a little glass dish which holds the good flower food and the spare key for my bike lock)  Oh, I also have a few 3M stickers to hang pictures.  If you've never used them, you need to give them a try.  No more holes in the walls!  Surprisingly it didn't even take that long which makes me wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

So the lesson here folks,  try to limit yourself to one junk drawer for those odds and ends and go through it regularly.  Once a month, if you can. You can buy drawer inserts with compartments to keep things organized but the goal is to not let it get out of control.

If you have an organizing question, send me an email.

info@theurbanorganizer.ca


Cheers!

Marie

Some of My Air Travel and Packing Tips

Last week, after taking a client shopping for clothes with my designer friend Manny Machado, I helped her select her wardrobe for an upcoming trip to Europe.  I was very conscious of the amount of items that would go into her suitcase and did my best to give her great options.  

This wasn't the first time I have picked and packed clothes for friends.  I'm known to travel light and my philosophy is, if I don't wear everything that I brought, I over packed.  

More on my clothing selection thought process later but for now, here are a few tips that have helped me along the way.

Packing:

1. Put your shoes in plastic bags (you can use produce bags, if  you have any) and place them at the end of the suitcase where the wheels are.
2. Roll your clothes and "stack" them tightly next to your shoes and keep working your way to the top of the suitcase ( this is to prevent your clothes from shifting when you stand your suitcase up)
3. If you're bringing a beach towel, lay it on top of your clothes, tuck in the side and fasten the straps.  This is another way to keep your clothes in place.
4. ALWAYS keep your toiletry bag stocked and ready to go with travel sizes of the products you use.  Pack this in your carry on and keep it in your suitcase when you return.
5. Take a plastic bag for dirty laundry
6. Separate jewelry by type and pack in ziploc bags and place in any evening bags your bring.

Travel:

1. Photocopy the id page in your passport and pack it separately in your suitcase
2. Email your itinerary to a friend (just in case)
3. If you're flying business class, you won't have to worry about snacks but avoid drinking alcohol as this will dehydrate you. Drink plenty of water instead!
4. If you are not flying business class, bring munchies such as dried fruit and unsalted nuts, granola bars etc.
5. Avoid wearing foundation as this too can dehydrate your skin. Apply a good moisturizer and lip balm.  If you can't bare to go au natural, just do your eyes and lips.
6. I always try to avoid jetlag by getting into the time zone of my destination asap.  Calculate what your destination time zone is when you depart and act accordingly.  i.e. if it's in the middle of the night in the U.K. when you're leaving Toronto, you'll want to try and sleep.

Hopefully these tips will make your travels much easier.

If you have any tips you'd like to share, please do!

Happy Travel!

My Secret To Streak Free Windows!

I'd been procrastinating cleaning my living room windows for weeks because I hadn't found a method that really works and is easy! I face west which means tons of afternoon sunshine so I knew I'd have to confront my fears or resolve to looking at the spotty mess my windows have become from the torrential down pours we've had this year.

I have tried washing them with a vinegar and water solution and drying them with paper towels because this was supposed alleviate the streaks and lint. All I ended up with was shredded newspaper! Then there was the soapy water and squeegee. Honestly, I don't know how those window washers do it. Clearly the squeegee I used was not of the same caliber because it didn't even make complete contact with the window leaving wet spots.
One night recently, I was flipping through a magazine or watching the tube when I saw an ad for new Windex product. It looked just like a Swiffer so I guess you don't have to ask what I did next. Yep, you guessed it. I grabbed a wet Swiffer from under my kitchen sink and rigged up that bad boy and headed out onto the balcony. My upright mop was working like a charm, lifting the dirt off of my window until I realized something. What in the world was I going to use to dry them. Before the windows had time to dry and ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a dry Swiffer but that was a bad idea. It wasn't absorbing a darn thing! My next thought was a paper towel...put that on and ended up with a shredded mess though it did absorb some of the water. Next, I thought, how about 2 paper towels so I doubled up to no avail. Hmmm...then it came to me! I always dry my wine glasses with a microfiber cloth and also use them to clean the glass surfaces and mirrors in my home. Yes, people, that's right... I put the microfiber cloth onto the Swiffer pole ( no , not stripper pole) and proceeded to dry my windows to a streak free finish!

Though it sounds like a long drawn out process, I was done in a matter of minutes!
So long squeegee! I got streak free windows with a wet Swiffer and a microfiber cloth!


If you have a window cleaning method that works like a charm, I wanna hear about it!

Cheers!

Marie