Elfa Sale Extended

One of my favorite closet systems, elfa, rarely goes on sale. But I'm happy to report that The Container Store has put it on sale for 30% off until May 10, 2009.

According to a recent email from Melissa Reiff, President of The Container Store, they have too much inventory of elfa, their most popular closet system. There's even some elfa product on sale for as much as 50% off.

If you already have elfa in any of your closets, you know how easy it is to install and how flexible it is to change as the needs of the space change. I love to use it in childrens' closets because the shelves and bars can be installed very low when the kids are preschool age and then gradually raised as the kids grow.

Heck, it's so durable that, when the kids move out, your elfa will still be holding up and you can transform that closet for use in your new home office or guest room.

The Container Store offers complimentary elfa design in the stores, online, and by phone. Often my clients will have me or one of my Lead Organizers look at their space (closet, pantry, garage) and discuss the best layout of the space based on their organizing plan. Then the client takes their measurements to The Container Store and has TCS it design on their computerized design system. TCS pulls all the pieces for the client and then the client calls Creative Order in to handle the installation of the system. Finally, we work with the client to appropriately fill the shelves of their new system.

If you've been thinking about organizing or re-designing a closet, pantry, or garage, contact me at suellen at creativeorder dot com and I'll walk you through it step by step.

20% Off Everything in The Container Store!

My husband and I were in New York City for a long weekend last month and I finally got a chance to browse through one of the mythical New York City Container Stores. When I worked for TCS part time a few years ago, they were just opening the first NYC store. Because of the uniqueness of the New York retail world (stores with relatively small footprints) and lifestyle (very few people have cars for pickups), lots of creativity was involved in designing the NYC stores and their delivery systems. I squealed with delight when we rounded the corner on our way to the WFMU Record Fair and saw the big blue sign for The Container Store. You see, I'm married to a hardcore record collector, and I usually have to spend a few hours reading a book whenever he drags me to a record show. This time I got to play in my own little organized toy store while he flipped through thousands of vinyl LPs and 45s.

Speaking of The Container Store, this week I received my TCS email letting me know that they are extending their sale tied to Oprah's Clean Up Your Messy House Tour (with my secret boyfriend Peter Walsh). From now until November 30, 2008, you can get 20% off of everything in the store, including elfa shelving. Be sure to print out and bring the coupon on The Container Store's site if you are shopping at one their retail locations. If you don't have a store near you, you can shop online and use the code CLUTTERCREW at checkout or order by phone after downloading the coupon from The Container Store's home page.

If you're at the Perimeter TCS store in Atlanta Sunday afternoon, you're likely to run into me. But if you're too busy to do your own shopping for organizing products, remember that any of the Creative Order organizers can share their TCS discount with you year round. To schedule a personal shopper during the holidays, just call (404) 271-2111 or send me an email at suellen at creative order dot com.

Simplify Your (and Your Kid's) Wardrobe

Fellow organizer and blogger, Jeri Dansky, recently wrote in her fabulous blog about the trend toward simplifying your wardrobe by finding a uniform that works for you.

This reminded me of a conversation that I had last week with a client while we were organizing her second-grader's room. Mom told me that, after realizing that her daughter only wore about 20% of her clothes with any regularity, she decided to only buy what the daughter liked to wear. It's sounds so simple, yet so perfect! Mom donated the 80% of the clothes her daughter never wore and bought a few new core pieces (in her daughter's case, that meant more pants and cute t-shirts). Now she has tons more closet and drawer space. Plus, mom says that her daughter still gets complemented all the time on the 6 or 7 outfits that she mixes and matches.

My own wardrobe follows a similar path. I tend to invest in well-made basics with colorful tops and jackets to jazz things up. My mother-in-law taught me years ago to stick with the classics, find colors that flatter you, and invest in quality clothing. She always looks smashing, so I try and take her advice.

When it comes to developing a practical, signature look, I think Jamie Lee Curtis said it best in this May/June 2008 AARP magazine interview:

"My style is a distillation. I've etched out who I am through myriad haircut attempts, outfit attempts, beauty attempts, diet attempts. It's been an evolution. I've let my hair go gray. I wear only black and white. Every year I buy three or four black dresses that I just keep in rotation. I own one pair of blue jeans. I've given away all my jewelry, because I don't wear it."

Wow, now that's a woman who's comfortable with her uniform!

Photo from alllovelpy-2' flickr account

Closet Switch-a-Roo Time

If you saw my tiny closets, you would understand why I have to keep a whole season's worth of my clothes in the attic. Each fall when the temperature drops, I haul down three or four plastic bins of sassy sweaters and warm wools. I love pulling out what feels like a whole new wardrobe after not seeing it for six months.

Part of this ritual also involves me trying on most of the "new" fall/winter clothes to make sure they still fit and to see which pieces continue to earn the right to live in the prime real estate of my closet. To make the grade, the piece has to fit well, be comfy, and make me feel pretty. Along the way, if I realize that I need a something to complete an outfit, I write it on a list that stays in my purse. Yes, it's a time consuming process, but worth the effort and I only have to do it twice a year.

Those clothes that don't make the grade end up either being thrown away, donated, or resold at Finders Keepers consignment shop. The way I look at it, if a piece isn't working for me, I may as well put it back into circulation and make more room in my closet.

If you are an organizing client of mine and I've set up your Finders Keepers account for you, this is your reminder that Finders Keepers is now accepting fall clothing consignments. Drop offs are limited to 30 items and must be on hangers unless you are a donate. Donates may drop off 50 items. Here are the guidelines for what not to bring:

• Knock off purses
• Double breasted or big boxy blazers
• Pleated, tapered, or stirrup pants
• Too-light wash denim
• Big oversize sweaters
• Too worn or pilly sweaters
• Denim or corduroy jumpers
• Turtlenecks with embroidered necks
• Outdated or colored leather
• Altered clothing
• Anything with big shoulder pads

Now that I've taken all of my consignments in, I know that everything in my closet fits. Now if only this freakishly warm Atlanta weather would cool off, I could start wearing some of these clothes.

If you or someone you know needs help organizing closets this season, give me a call!

Container Store's Annual Shelving Sale

As subscribers of this Better Organized blog know, my favorite shelving system is elfa from The Container Store. Good news! The Container Store is holding their annual 25% off Storewide Shelving Sale until October 21st. They only put elfa on sale two times per year, during this summer sale and again at the end of the year. So you should jump at this chance to save some dough if you've been thinking about upgrading your closet, basement, garage, or other storage areas. For those of you who aren't near a store, you can still take advantage of the sale by designing and ordering the components on line.

Not only is elfa on sale right now for 25% off, but so are several other shelving products that The Container Store offers. These include:

* Metro and InterMetro modular shelving
* Freestanding Shelving
* Wall-Mounted Shelving
* Modular Steel Cubes

For more info about The Container Store as well as tons of other sources for organizing solutions, go to the affiliate links at my website at www.creativeorder.com. Look under the Products tab and click on Recommended Resources. Happy organizing!

There's Money Hidden in Your Closet

We've all got them. Those items of clothing that hang in our closets but never get worn. The reasons we don't wear these space-stealers are varied....maybe the jeans are too snug, the jacket fits weird, the sweater is scratchy, the color makes us look like death. So why do we let these clothes take up valuable real estate in our closets even though they never see the light of day? Maybe it's because they used to fit but, after weight fluctuations, not so much now. Maybe some were gifts or bought during an impulsive buying frenzy.

Regardless, I have a suggestion that will put cash in your pocket and free up room for the clothes you do love and wear. Consignment stores! As many of my hands-on organizing clients know, I'm a huge fan of consignment stores, and my favorite local shop is Finders Keepers in Avondale Estates, GA. One of the services I offer to my Organizing Makeover clients is to sign them up with an account at Finders Keepers so that they can offload those clothes and household items that they no longer use or love. The store generally accepts those clothing items that are in style and in great shape. Please be aware that Finders Keepers has really stringent quality standards, so "great" means "like new."

Right now, Finders Keepers is accepting spring consignments. Shoes and handbags are great sellers, and they sell every designer handbag they get. To find out more about their sign-up schedule for new consigners, store policies, and payback percentages, give them a call at (404) 296-0285 or go to their web site.

Just try not to come home with more than you drop off!!

Big elfa news!

Big news! My favorite organizing store, The Container Store, has extended their once-a-year 30% off elfa shelving sale until President's Day, February 19th. (Their annual elfa sale was originally scheduled to end on February 5th).

The elfa shelving system is one of the most durable and versatile systems on the market. Plus, it's a breeze to install for you do-it-yourself types. All you have to do is drill a few holes for the top track. The rest of the system then easily clicks into place. I installed elfa in all three of my bedroom closets many, many years ago and it's still going strong. Most recently, I used a wall of elfa to organize my storage shed. Heck, I even use elfa in my home office to hold my professional reference books and my gigantic color printer. Can you tell I love this stuff?

If you've been thinking about redoing your closets, garage, or home office, measure your space and hurry on down to your local Container Store where they will design a storage solution for your for free. If you don't have a Container Store nearby, you can go on my creativeorder.com site and find a link for The Container Store in my Products section. The Container Store site has a "Plan a Space" section where you can design your storage solution and then have everything shipped to you along with an easy-to-use installation guide. Plus, if you have questions while you install elfa, the Container Store customer service is top notch.

Don't wait! This stuff only goes on sale once a year and at 30% off, it's a bargain.