It’s that time again! Empty your closet and make room for your spring wardrobe additions by bringing all your gently worn accessories and clothing to our popular clothes swap event. There will be racks and tables to display items, and you’ll be able to “shop and swap” with other attendees. Merchandise will be sorted by type and season, so feel free to bring winter coats, business suits, shoes, and other pieces that you feel others could re-use or re-wear!

Also at this event, you’ll have the opportunity to bring all your old cosmetics and skin care products and exchange them for a discount on fresh, new MARY KAY® products!  There will be an official MARY KAY® beauty consultant at the event to help you figure out your colors and product needs. There will also be fun prizes and a raffle!

(1st Floor Community Room)

Hosted by Innovatively Organized & MARY KAY®
RSVP to 206-494-9822 or email [email protected].

For more information about events, click here.

A clean and organized home doesn’t just boost productivity and save time, it actually makes you feel better and decreases stress. In a recent announcement from HealthNet, a managed health care company out of California, they stress the importance of harmony between an organized and uncluttered home and your mental and physical health. See the article below:

LOS ANGELES, Mar 08, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) The month of March brings with it the official start of spring — a season associated with renewal and romance, and, on a less lyrical level — with dusting, scrubbing, and otherwise engaging in the roll-up-your-sleeves ritual known as spring cleaning. While heavy-duty housework hardly sounds inviting, Health Net, Inc. wants to spread the word that spring cleaning not only results in a tidy abode, but also brings with it mental health benefits.

Studies have shown that a dirty, disorganized home can harbor health threats in the form of mold, bacteria and clutter-caused injuries, but such an environment also can negatively impact mental health, explains Ian Shaffer, M.D., chief medical officer of MHN, Health Net’s behavioral health subsidiary. “A thorough spring cleaning definitely brings with it a feel-good sense of satisfaction,” he adds, “and the physical exertion of dusting, vacuuming and scrubbing has been found to reduce stress and anxiety.”

You may have seen my recent newsletter where I answer a question about one of my favorite closet organizing products. If you missed it, I talked about the slimline hanger - a must-have for any client who is organizing their closet space. As its name suggests, it has a slim profile and takes up much less room than wooden or tube hangers. They’re flocked which allow them to hold thinner fabrics in place and also have convenient notches for clothes with straps. Also, they have hooks so you can cascade multiple hangers together to save even more space.

With so much technology, it’s ironic how much paper we still receive in the mail and have piled up on our desks. It’s important to shred anything with sensitive information like financial statements or credit card applications. A lot of clients ask me what to look for when they go out to buy a shredder. Here’s what I tell them:

1. Cross-Cut - This type of shredder cuts paper into smaller bits and is much more secure than a strip-cut paper shredder.
2. Able to shred plastic like credit cards, DVDs and CDs
3. Shouldn’t have a problem shredding the sticky part of envelopes
4. Large capacity - The container or basket should hold at least two weeks worth of shredding.

Is your email inbox full? Are you overwhelmed by the number of messages you receive every day? Do you spend hours just trying to catch up with all that email? This is the right seminar for you!

EMAIL MANAGEMENT 101

Friday, March 12th, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Bellevue Chamber

302 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA 98004

This event has passed, but check out our events page for upcoming events!

The weekend was a flurry of activity for Innovatively Organized!

Our booth at the NW Women’s Show was extremely busy with hundreds of visitors stopping to find out more on organizing their homes and businesses. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, it’s the largest expo of its kind in the country, featuring a multitude of exhibitors aimed at the needs of women. There were vendors showcasing fashion, health and wellness, home decor, money matters, workplace leadership, food, travel and beauty. One of the most popular organizing questions we heard from guests was about paper management. Despite our addiction to communicating online and with electronic gadgets, everyone still needs to conquer the paper pile!

Also over the weekend was the first annual Vendor Fair & Ask the Organizer Panel sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Attendees were able to meet local organizers and get questions about organization answered by a panel of experts.

Keep checking my blog and your email inbox for more news on upcoming events from Innovatively Organized!

Has the pending tax season motivated you to organize all of your important documents along with the financial ones?  This is the perfect opportunity to start some new filing habits and protect or replace any missing papers, credentials and forms.  Can you easily find your passport? What about your birth certificate?  Are you sure you know where you put that lease agreement?  I recently found an article in Real Simple magazine that gives great advice on how to get copies of critical documents.

Also, refer to my previous blog post Multiple Ways to File Paper for more organizing tips.