Posted on Thu, May 10, 2012
As I went through my closet yet another time, I clutched onto a shirt of mine and wondered to myself, "Why do I have this?"
I have this rule. Each time I get something new, something else has got to go. It keeps my wardrobe manageable and my "clothing hoarder status" down. I tend to go through my closet quite often and each time find more items that somehow snuck through the previous decluttering session. Call me crazy or call them magic. I'm not completely sure what's going on.
Each time I go through my closet, I find clothes that are simply not age appropriate, fit poorly, or are not my style. I also find shoes that are a little too large, small, or that I'm just not a fan of anymore. These sneaky items need to go. As I sort through my wardrobe, I create three different categories:
- Donate. These items are considered gently worn and can see another life with someone else. I can only hope it's a happy one.
- Consign. These tend to be trendier, high-end brands such as Banana Republic, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, etc. The best part of consigning clothes? Depending on where you take them, you can receive a percentage of the sale price back.
- Repurpose. There are so many types of clothing that can be repurposed. Whether you're turning a sweater into a pair of mittens or a dress into a skirt, the possibilities are endless. You also never run the risk of having the same piece of clothing as someone else.
What do you do with your unwanted clothing, shoes or accessories? I recently purchased a sewing machine so I'm very excited to see what repurposing projects I can do. Have you ever repurposed something? If so, what did you create?
-Adrienne
Posted on Sat, May 05, 2012
May 13 is right around the corner. Have you started planning how you are going to celebrate Mother’s Day? This year, my wish is to make the most of the day, both Saturday and Sunday. That means putting aside the house cleaning and my to-do list so I can focus on the things that matter, like spending quality time with my family.
I must confess, I’m a neat freak. My idea of the perfect Mother’s Day gift is a clean and organized home with everything in its proper place. This translates to less stress and more “me time.” Jewelry always wins me over, too. But I don’t know any mom who wouldn’t love a few extra hours in the day and a little less to-do’s. Do you?
So, if you’re not sure what to give the special woman in your life who gives her all, consider these options:
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Hire a house cleaning company. Bring in the crew for a day to deep clean the house or hire them to come in several times throughout the year for regular cleaning. A sparkling clean home is sure to make her smile.
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Give the gift of organization. Besides making a space look great, a beautiful storage system designed just for her is a wonderful way to bring her happiness every day.
There are many organizing solutions available to fit her space, style and your budget, ranging from simple accessories to stunning solutions to revitalize a room. Any one of these ideas for starters is sure to delight Mom.
Make her bedroom a beautiful refuge with a closet organizer just for her. Crisp, white finish creates a bright and clean look, while functional storage options make it easy to organize shoes, folded clothes and hanging items.
Surprise her with fun storage accessories for her closet. Pull-out racks neatly store belts, scarves and other dangly things. A personal wardrobe rod provides a temporary storage space for fresh-pressed clothes or for hanging out tomorrow’s wardrobe. Want more ideas? Browse Easy Track’s closet accessories.
This gift will get a green thumbs-up from Mom. Support her love for gardening with her very own ORG passion center complete with deep garage cabinets to organize outdoor gear, and a work surface to start seeds and pot flowers.
Not only can you make her day, you can also make shopping fast and simple for you. Consider surprising her with a gift voucher from EasyClosets.com or gift certificate from a local ORG dealer. She can pick out exactly what she wants. Or, you can pick up and wrap up an Easy Track DIY closet kit at your local retail store.
No matter what you give or how you spend the day, make the most of it.
What is your wish for Mother’s Day?
-Angela
Posted on Thu, Apr 26, 2012
It’s 6:47 in the morning and all I want is a hot shower.
My two teenagers and I live in a 950 square foot piece of heaven, which I am pretty sure could be entered in the National Registry of Historical Places since I own the last 1 bathroom dwelling in America. Yes, you read that correctly.
1 bathroom + 2 teenagers + 1 mom trying to get to work by 8:00 AM = a migraine for momma by 8:03 AM.
The good news is I have learned some fantastic time-saving tips for frantic mornings that keep the pre-caffeine crabbiness and chaos to a minimum.
- Commit to a morning schedule. As the saying goes, “you snooze, you lose.” Everyone in our home knows that getting up on time is the only way to ensure a decent shower. Each household member alternates morning wake-up shifts so that everyone has a turn to “sleep in” on occasion. Miss your time? The consequences might mean going to school un-showered or lipgloss-less; the teenaged version of cruel and unusual punishment.
- Install full length mirrors in each bedroom. Couple this with decent light and you have negated one of the biggest reasons bathrooms are in such demand in the morning; a mirror to get face time for applying mascara and inserting orthodontic rubber bands in the “good light”. If you have a closet organizer, you can even purchase a pull out mirror to be inconspicuously installed, enabling you to use it only when you need it, without taking up other wall space.
- Store only the essentials. The items I keep in our bathroom are open bottles of shampoo, conditioner, soap, as well as facial tissue and toilet paper. All other cosmetics, toothbrushes, toothpaste and toiletries are neatly kept in a linen closet located in the hall or in personal storage bins in our bedrooms. This keeps “Bathroom Time Interruption Syndrome” to a minimum and has prevented a whole host of familial arguments, unless you count the ones over the music I blast in the morning. For the life of me, I cannot understand why my kids don’t like ABBA at 7:00 AM.
So there you have it; my little morning survival guide that keeps my household clean, sane (mostly), and in an organizational mindset to tackle our busy day. Now if I can just get my kids to brew the perfect cup of coffee for me, I will have reached parenting nirvana.
-Beth
Posted on Fri, Apr 13, 2012
Often times I find myself drooling over a jaw-dropping walk-in closet that's larger than my current bedroom. But hey, I understand that not everyone has the luxury of devoting an entire room to their clothes and accessories. Le sigh.
But, I am here to offer great news. These simple tips can make your standard reach-in closet as amazing as the others.
- Maximize space with vertical storage. In closets with standard or wire shelves, it can be hard to utilize every inch of space. Find a storage solution or closet organizer that offers a devoted place for everything. You'll be amazed how much you can fit if it's designed with efficiency in mind.
- Shoe shelves work wonders. Slanted shelves or cubby shoe storage keeps the piles at bay and shoes within easy reach.
- Utilize all hanging space. Keep blouses, skirts, dresses and suits in great condition by hanging them. A closet solution that offers double or triple hanging capabilities can really maximize space and adjust as your needs change.
- Accessories are your friend. Some closet storage systems offer accessories such as baskets, drawers, valet rods, jewelry trays and more. Adding accessories gives your closet more bells and whistles, as well as other great options for storing your items.
Your closet can meet your storage needs and look great while doing so. How do you keep your reach-in closet organized and looking fabulous?
-Adrienne
Photos shown feature The Stow Company's ORG, Easy Track and EasyClosets.com brands.
Posted on Tue, Apr 03, 2012
According to the USDA, over 16 million children live in food insecure homes. That's a big number to wrap our heads around and it really hit home when we learned that 1 in 4 children in our home state, Michigan, are food insecure. To make matters worse, 36,680 children that live in our neck of the woods, Grand Rapids, are food insecure.
That is heartbreaking.
We wanted to help so that's why we partnered with Kids' Food Basket, a non-profit organization, for our second project for The Organized Give. The non-profit organization is dedicated to attacking childhood hunger in Greater Grand Rapids.
Let's rewind. Kids' Food Basket started over ten years ago when Mary K. Hoodhood, a Grand Rapids Public Schools Principal found an elementary aged student digging through the trash. The child did not have any food to eat at home and resorted to looking through garbage in search of food. After confirming with other school administrators that childhood hunger was in fact a problem in their own backyard, Hoodhood started Kids' Food Basket, serving 125 children at three schools. Now, the organization has grown immensely with the support of the Grand Rapids community. These are some amazing statistics about Kids' Food Basket:
- During the school year, they serve over 4,800 children each weekday at 35 sites
- During the summer, they serve over 2,400 children at 35 sites
- Participating schools have a student population in which 80% of students are receiving free or reduced breakfast and lunch
- Kids' Food Basket always has at least a dozen schools on their waiting list
- Over 170 volunteers donate their time at the organization each day, responsibilities ranging from making sandwiches to delivering the Sack Supper meals
- Kids' Food Basket serves more meals than any other childhood hunger relief organization in Michigan
- They do not receive State or Federal funding. The organization is funded 100% by the community
Are you wondering how you can get involved and join the fight against childhood hunger? There are so many ways that you can help.
- "Like" our Facebook page. For every new "Like" our Facebook page receives, we'll donate $1 to Kids' Food Basket. These funds will be used to purchase nutritious food, packaging supplies and more.
- Decorate sack supper bags. Here’s a simple way to bring a smile to a kid’s day: decorate sack supper bags with cheerful messages and illustrations. Get your own kids involved at home, or make it a fun group project with friends and co-workers. We’ll be posting some photos of the creative designs on our Facebook page before they’re delivered to Kid’s Food Basket, so send them our way. Please deliver or mail bags to:
The Stow Company
c/o The Organized Give
3311 Windquest Drive
Holland, MI 49424
If you are dropping off bags, please deliver them during business hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
*Please deliver/mail all bags to our facility by Friday, April 6. Also, as much as we love sparkly things, please refrain from using glitter.
- Provide healthy food items. Currently, Kids’ Food Basket is in need of sandwich bags, jars of peanut butter, fruit cups, peanut butter or cheese cracker packs, and pudding cups. You can view a complete list of their “wish list” items here.
- Donate online. Whether you are near or far, you can join the attack against childhood hunger. Donate to Kids’ Food Basket now.
Are you interested in setting up a similar organization in your community? You can learn about Kids' Food Basket's model and what items are needed to be successful here.
Now, let's attack childhood hunger!
-The Stow Company
P.S. Did you see the new storage solutions we installed in Kids' Food Basket's entryway, workroom and receiving area?
Posted on Wed, Mar 28, 2012
Over 4,800 Sack Suppers are delivered to school children in Grand Rapids, Michigan, each school day from Kids' Food Basket. Over 170 community members volunteer their time each day at the non-profit organization in an effort to attack childhood hunger. Volunteer responsibilities range from making sandwiches, packaging snack items, assembling the Sack Suppers, and delivering the meals to over 35 sites in Grand Rapids.
For The Organized Give, Kids' Food Basket received a new storage solution located in their receiving area. Volunteer drivers access this area on a daily basis as they load up their cars with Sack Suppers for delivery.
The previous receiving area had a simple table for paperwork to be completed, storage carts for paperwork and files, boxes and other miscellaneous items.
Kids' Food Basket received new, concealed storage complete with a durable work surface. The storage solution was custom-designed to accommodate multiple volunteers at a time so they can access files and complete paperwork easily. Plus, everything will be organized and easy to find.
What does Kids' Food Basket think of their new receiving area? Watch here as Molly Gold and the executive director of Kids' Food Basket, Bridget Clark Whitney, discuss the features and accommodations:
Now that you've seen the new receiving center, have you also checked out Kids' Food Basket's new storage solutions in their workroom and entryway?
Did you know that you can join the attack against childhood hunger through a simple click? From now until April 9, 2012, we're donating $1 to Kids' Food Basket for every new "Like" our Facebook page receives. So, tell your friends and head over there!
-The Stow Company
Thank you to ORG West Michigan, our Grand Rapids ORG dealer, for completing the designs and installation.
Posted on Fri, Mar 23, 2012
Over 170 volunteers donate their time at Kids' Food Basket each day, their responsibilities ranging from packing Sack Suppers with nutritious foods to delivering the meals to over 35 sites in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
When assembling Sack Suppers, groups of volunteers congregate in the workroom to make sandwiches, package snacks and get the complete meals ready to be delivered to school children the following day.
For The Organized Give, Kids' Food Basket's workroom got a makeover complete with ORG storage products. The previous storage units were simple shelves that left items unorganized and hard for volunteers to find.
The new units were installed, making items more accessible and easier to find. The staff at Kids' Food Basket especially liked how bright and airy the new units made the large workroom feel.
Molly Gold and the executive director of Kids' Food Basket, Bridget Clark Whitney, discuss the new storage solutions in greater detail:
Because snacks are often times packaged in larger bins, volunteers are also responsible for repackaging the food into smaller serving-sized bags. The bags and snack items were previously located on a basic storage unit along a wall.
The new storage solution allows for items to be more visible which makes taking inventory of snack foods and supplies much easier.
Want to hear Kids' Food Basket's thoughts on their new system for storing repackaging supplies? Watch the video:
With the help of volunteers ranging from age 5 to 95, Kids' Food Basket provides evening meals to over 4,800 children each weekday. Often times, food preparation and packing of bags take place on tables located in the middle of the workroom. The previous tables had plastic tops, making them difficult to clean. In addition, they did not adjust to accommodate the vast height difference among volunteers.
Our solution: New, durable tables complete with adjustable legs. Now, volunteers of all ages and heights can help easily.
Learn more about these special tables and how they will help accommodate volunteers of all ages and heights:
We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Kids' Food Basket. What's your favorite storage solution in their new workroom? We'll reveal their new processing and receiving area soon, too!
Did you know that you can join the attack against childhood hunger? It's easy. We'll donate $1 directly to Kids' Food Basket for every new "Like" that our Facebook page receives from now until April 9, 2012. Spread the word!
-The Stow Company
Posted on Wed, Mar 21, 2012
Assembling Sack Suppers for over 4,800 children each day calls for a lot of volunteers. With over 170 volunteers in and out of Kids' Food Basket each day - and being located in West Michigan, an area that is not shy to rain, snow and other unpredictable weather - the non-profit organization needed a better solution to store coats. So, it only made sense that we replace the standard coat rack located in the entryway of Kids' Food Basket.
The new ORG storage solution is accessible to volunteers on both sides, maximizing space and housing more coats than the previous solution could. It is also much more durable. And, the coolest part? It's on wheels!
Molly Gold and the executive director of Kids' Food Basket, Bridget Clark Whitney, discuss the new coat storage solution in greater detail:
Volunteers at Kids' Food Basket are given a T-shirt after they have volunteered at the organization twice. The current shelf system was a hand-me-down and appeared a bit tired.
A new storage unit was designed specifically for housing T-shirts, complete with concealed storage on the bottom for extra shirts and more.
Want to hear Kids' Food Basket thoughts on their new T-shirt storage solution? Watch the video:
Stay tuned for more photos and videos of the other new storage solutions installed at Kids' Food Basket! And, remember that we will donate $1 directly to Kids' Food Basket for every new "Like" that our Facebook page receives from now until April 9, 2012. You can join the attack against childhood hunger with just a simple click!
-The Stow Company
Posted on Fri, Mar 16, 2012
We've been looking forward to this day all week: Installation day! We pulled our vans into the parking lot of Kids' Food Basket this morning in a wave of excitement, our vans stocked full of the new ORG storage systems that they would be receiving for The Organized Give.
Kids' Food Basket is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to attacking childhood hunger in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The organization provides Sack Suppers to over 4,800 children and has over 170 volunteers on a daily basis. Because they have so many volunteers and supplies going in and out of the facility each day, we wanted to transform the entry way into a functional, working space. The current coat storage solution was a standard coat rack.
New volunteers are given Kids' Food Basket tee-shirts during their first Sack Supper packing experience. It was time for the previous tee-shirt shelving to get a upgrade, too.
After volunteers make their way through the entry way, they find themselves in a large, commercial kitchen. This is where the Sack Supper assembly process takes place. Sanitary gloves and cleaning supplies occupied the storage systems currently in place.
Considering the large amount of sandwiches made each day, Kids' Food Basket also has quite an extensive collection of sandwich bags.
When the Sack Suppers are ready for pick-up, volunteers pull up to the garage to load their cars and take off to deliver Sack Suppers to the 35 sites that Kids' Food Basket serves.
We made great progress today and are so excited to be helping Kids' Food Basket become more organized. Here is a sneak peek of their new storage solutions. They will be recieving new moveable coat storage, tee shirt shelving, food and supplies storage, tables that are adjustable in height, and a new processing center in the loading dock.
We will be posting the photos of the final solutions next week. Stay tuned!
-The Stow Company
P.S. Thanks to our Grand Rapids ORG dealer, ORG West Michigan, for completing the designs and installation.
Posted on Mon, Mar 12, 2012
We are excited to announce that The Organized Give is back in full-swing! This time, it is taking place in our own backyard - West Michigan - and it's for a cause so many of us care deeply about.
We are helping out Kids' Food Basket, a non-profit organization dedicated to attacking childhood hunger. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kids' Food Basket provides over 4,800 local school children with a healthy after school meal each weekday. Their Sack Supper program provides kids with the essential nutrition they need for proper brain development and ensures lunch is not their last meal of the day.
Kids' Food Basket started almost ten years ago when Mary K. Hoodhood, a school principal in Grand Rapids, noticed students digging through the dumpster in search of food. The students revealed that they had not eaten since the free hot lunch they were served earlier that day and that they had no food to eat at home. After realizing the pressing need for her students to receive adequate nutrition, she started Kids' Food Basket which has grown to now provide daily meals to children at 35 different sites. All of the schools they serve have student populations that are at or below poverty level. Kids' Food Basket always has at least a dozen schools on the waiting list, too.
You can help join the attack against childhood hunger! From now until Monday, April 9, for every new "Like" our Facebook page receives, we'll donate $1 directly to Kids' Food Basket. And, later this week, we'll be making improvements to their facility with new ORG storage products, so it will be easier for their 170+ daily volunteers to assemble Sack Suppers. Stay tuned for the progress.
Please go to www.TheOrganizedGive.com for more information and to learn the many ways that you can join the attack against childhood hunger.
-The Stow Company Team