Can't keep up with sending out your holiday cards, birthday cards or sharing photos? Check out Smilebox.com from Hallmark. I think its the best site for creating and sharing your memorable moments. It has templates for every occasion, just upload pics and send. Not finished with your card? Just save it and Hallmark reminds you about your project. So start your Christmas letter now and add throughout the year! Its fun, its easy and a great way to keep your pictures organized. Of course my favorite part about Smilebox...its free!

After helping your house guests get settled be sure to give them a tour of your home so they know where to find things like extra blankets and towels. Find their favorite T.V programs and show them how to navigate your TV remote controls. Finally give your guests a coffee maker demonstration and show them where you keep the coffee, cream, sugar and cups. This is extremely helpful if they wake before you or you are not home and it will make your guest feel more at home.

Winter is almost over. Even though it still gets cold here in Chicago its time to start packing up those heavier clothes and start looking into spring. Soon you will be wearing shorts and flip flops!
It can be difficult to determine what you should put away until next year and what to keep out. If the temperature drops you want to be prepared.
Here are a few items that you can put away that will jump start your closet organizing.
Heavy wools
Heavy coats
Velvets
Bulky sweaters
Winter sports gear-hats, gloves scarves or ski pants
Winter boots
Organizing your heavy winter clothes now will make the change of seasons a little easier next year. Also, by opening up space in your closet you can start adding a few of your warmer weather clothes like rain jackets, lightweight materials and cottons.

When organizing your china cabinet, its common to have several different patterns of china, odd number of stemware or even a few broken figurines. The problem with all of these extra pieces is you cant have a dinner party for 8 if you only have 7 plates. One way to work with the odd number of dishes is to add another pattern that will compliment your current set. Or go to Replacements,Ltd a China, Crystal, Silver and Collectibles supplier to replace those hard to find patterns! If you are ready to let go of your current set of dishes to make room for a new set you can even sell your pieces to Replacement, Ltd!

You could help other women achieve the success they deserve by interviewing for a new career in a new suit. How will you do this? By organizing your closet and getting rid of suits, separates and accessories you no longer wear.
Donate your suits and accessories to Dress for Success so women can interview in style. Dress for success is a not-for-profit organization that helps women finds jobs, remain employed and give support. Women must have an interview scheduled to receive a suit and once they get the job can come back for a second suit and additional outfits for her new job!

Having a iPod makes Organizing and storing your music so much easier. But sometimes the battery dies or you just want the latest and greatest. Instead of dumping it in the trash where it will never decompose send it back to the Apple store and get 10% off a your upgrade.

If getting money back on your cellphone wasn't enough, how about getting money for your old computer! Check out myboneyard.com an electronics recycling company where they recycle old electronics the eco-friendly way. Follow their simple steps by entering your computer information to find out how much your computer is worth. Send it in with free shipping and keep track of your submission status online.

It pays to recycle! Isn't that just music to your ears! A company called Greenphone will pay you for your used phone! Go to their website at www.greenphone.com and check the list for your phone. If its on the list it will also tell you how much money you can expect for selling. The next step is sending in your phone (free of charge) and they will check to make sure it is in working condition. If so they will send you payment. If the phone is not in working order they will recycle it safely. No more cell phones in the trash!!!

If you went through your closet recently looking for empty hangers you may have found a few extra plastic bags that contain clothes cleaned and pressed by the dry cleaner. Or you found empty hangers with a plastic bag hanging over it. This is a huge waste of space.
I recommend taking the plastic off of all of your clothes as soon as they come in from the dry cleaner so they can breath and you can see what you have to wear. I don't recommend using the plastic dry cleaner bags as a dust preventive. Add a garment bag to your closet for special occasion clothing for protection.
Hopefully by removing the extra plastic bags and hangers and adding a garment bag you can not only gain space but protect your clothing and start categorizing your wardrobe.

Save a little space in your closet by getting rid of used hangers. Go through your closet and pull all of the empty hangers. Now take a look at the pile. What do you have? A lot of wire hangers, trouser hangers or clip hangers that you got with your last department store purchase? If you are not using these in your wardrobe let them go. Wire hangers from the dry cleaner can be recycled so bring them back on your next trip. Those small trouser hangers are of no use to you if you fold your pants over a hanger. Finally those freebie plastic hangers from the department store should never come home with you if you are not using.

Tip* If you have some items in your closet like a silky blouse that falls off the hanger, get a specialty hanger with a non slip surface that keeps clothes on the hanger.

Here are a few more tips for your Spring Organizing.

• Freshen up for spring. Dump the cinnamon sticks and potpourri and replace with spring flowers like a potted Hyacinth.

• Don’t forget to replace the filters in your air conditioning units

• If you didn't change the batteries in your smoke detector at daylight savings time, do it now.

Here are a few tips on organizing your home office and other papers for spring.

• Spring also means tax returns, so it's a good time to set up your 2008 tax file. After completing your 2007 taxes, make a list of the documents you submitted. Include a copy of this list for your 2008 taxes as a guide.
  

• Lighten your paper load in other areas. Toss magazines and catalogs, old newspapers from the fall and winter. Rule of thumb: only keep magazines from the current season.

I have 10 nieces and nephews ranging from 7 – 22 years old. I can remember only 1 year that I gave them Christmas presents they actually enjoyed. I usually fall into the trap of getting the wrong gifts and I can tell they are really not interested. I don’t buy the coolest or the latest for them because I just don’t know what to buy. So this year they are all getting gift cards to Starbucks and Mcdonalds. I figure its just like money and they will actually use them. It took me all of about 30 minutes to buy for ten people. That was easy for me and I’m sure they will all be happy.
I will keep you posted on the Christmas gift reactions!

I love the festivities the holidays bring. The lights, parties, seeing friends, family and of course the gifts! But sometimes during all the excitement we forget to play it safe especially while shopping for all of those gifts. This year clear out your wallet of any unnecessary credit cards and personal information just in case you loose your wallet. You will have piece of mind knowing you only need to cancel one lost card instead of 10. By removing additional cards your holiday purchases will be easier to calculate post holiday.

Professional Organizers are becoming more popular as evidenced by the growth in membership to NAPO; the National Association of Professional Organizers which currently boasts over 4,000 members. In the Chicago land area alone I have witnessed larger numbers of professional organizers attending the monthly Chicago NAPO meetings and more companies and professional organizing contractors setting up shop here in the Midwest. I believe this shows that the industry as a whole is gaining credibility do to the professional attitude many of these new businesses in a relatively new industry bring to the profession of organizing. In Chicago I have experienced a number of positive relationships with other professional organizers, providing valuable feedback to each other on how to improve our services to our clients. This professional exchange in information is helping to establish professional organizing as a valuable service to home owners and businesses in the Chicago land area. And I believe the market place is responding by showing a higher demand for professional organizing services. Chicago businesses are inquiring and hiring more professional organizers to help them increase both productivity and employee moral, and more home owners are hiring professional organizers to help them clear the clutter and create a relaxing, efficient and pleasing home environment.

As the demand for services grows, NAPO and the industry as a whole is responding by working to to solidify the integrity and value of professional organizing services. Certification programs, lectures and learning materials are being generated to help organizers hone our craft. And business advice in regards to marketing, accounting and legal is being sought out to better help professional organizers build reputable businesses.

I am encouraged that the industry is moving in a positive direction, because I truly believe that our services are valuable and that our hard work not only helps our clients increase their productivity or satisfaction with their spaces, but that we ultimately improve the overall quality of life for our clients.