On the Move

In the What’s New and Cool category, check out Wall Candy Arts patented peel-and-stick Chalkboard Decals and Dry Erase Decals that turn any wall into a writeable surface. They are removable, reusable and repositionable. Use a regular eraser or a paper towel to start fresh. Peel, stick and remove without a trace. Great in home offices and children’s playrooms!

The Chalkboard Decals come in fun shapes such as stars, hearts, circles, cupcakes, elephants and rococo. The Dry Erase panel decals are like a regular whiteboard; easy to use and clean.

The wall decal kits contain enough removable, reusable peel and sticks to transform a plain space into a sophisticated haven without making a mess. They are as simple to install as a sticky note and can be easily rearranged numerous times.

Find them at WallCandy Arts (affiliate link).

What would you use yours for?

You’ve heard this tip before: When in the clutter-banishing mode, pack things you want to let go of into boxes. Label the box with the date and put the box in the basement or garage. One year later, if haven’t unpacked it, let it go immediately-WITHOUT OPENING IT! If you open it you will have to start all over. If you haven’t missed whatever is in the box for a year, you don’t need it.

Unfortunately, many people refuse to believe that they won’t need their “put aside” things later. We blame the evil Clutter Fairy*. What can you do if you get a case of the “might need it laters”? Here are a few tips:

1.  “I’m saving it for a special occasion” (candles, “good” china, perfume, etc.). We can’t tell you how many senior move clients we’ve worked with who have had to give away these lovely items because they are not ABLE to use them any more. LIFE IS NOW! Enjoy your things while you can.

2. “It just needs a small repair.” Call an upholster, handyman or glass repair shop and see if the fix you had in mind will cost more than you are willing to pay. If so, let the item go. If you intend to repair it yourself, put an appointment on your calendar for this weekend to do the project.

3. “It might be worth something someday.” Call an appraiser or estate sale professional today and find out! We regularly check on items our downsizing clients have been saving for many years, only to find the amount the items are worth may not have been worth the space (and sometimes cost) to store them.

4. “My dear departed aunt gave it to me.” That’s so sweet. If you love it, keep it and use it! If it is hidden away in a box or closet, how well is it reminding you of her? We recommend taking a photo of the item as a keepsake, then offering it to a family member who can use and enjoy it.

Let’s defeat the evil Clutter Fairy at her own game!

* Cartoon used with permission of www.clangnuts.com.

It really has no limit to what you can use it for.

1. Bathroom supplies

2. Cleaning supplies

3. Mittens, gloves, socks, belts (and of course) shoes.

4. Craft supplies

5. Children’s toys

6. Office supplies. Use a plastic over  the door shoe organizer to sort and store home office supplies. The pockets are great for pens, glue, stapler and staples, CD’s and paper clips.

What do you use yours for?

After dinner with guests is over, I love to do the dishes with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day brand dish soap which smells SO GOOD! They call it aroma therapeutic, which is an understatement; the dish soap is just the sneakiest way to add some holiday aromatherapy to your evening.

The holiday scent this year is Orange Clove and it’s a great way to clean up before or after entertaining and make the house smell delicious at the same time. Whenever possible, they use materials from renewable plant resources such as palm, coconut, corn, soy, and olives and all their liquid products are biodegradable. I also recommend their candles and hand soaps, which would make great holiday and hostess gifts!

Lindsay Loeffler, Seamless Moves Team Member

Ed. Note: We are not an affiliate seller of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day and have not received any free products. {But we’d be happy to give out our mailing address should anyone want to send some over }

As the holiday cooking season begins, I do an inventory of my herbs and spice jars to see if all are filled and fresh. Frustration can set in and crash the party mood as you reach for that key ingredient, usually a spice or herb, and it is down to the nubbin. Freshness is also paramount. Why buy fresh ingredients for our cooking, then add a year-old spice or herb to the recipe?

Purchase good quality dried herbs and spices at affordable prices from stores that sell in bulk like Whole Foods, PCC Natural Markets or Fred Meyer. Using the small bags provided, filling up is easy and you may enjoy a few moments of aroma therapy. Returning home, I replace the old seasonings in my jars . . . and all of a sudden, with a twitch of my nose and a twinkle in my eye, the kitchen is a holiday wonderland!

Happy Holidays,

Cecilia Sullivan, Seamless Moves Team Member

"That does it; I'm calling Seamless Moves!"

Looking out our office window at this beautiful Indian summer day, it’s hard to imagine that in a couple of months we could be scraping snow and ice off our cars and driveways. However, that’s just what the National Weather Service is predicting for this winter in the Pacific Northwest. They describe the outlook for Nov/Dec/Jan 2010-2011 through Mar/Apr/May 2011 as having a high probability of below normal temperatures, coupled with above-median precipitation.

Seattle’s KOMO news says “The paralyzing cold snap of 2008 was during a moderate La Niña. Forecasters are calling this year’s La Niña moderate to strong.” More predictions and preparations may be found on the Mt. Baker Snow Report.

What does this mean to you, fellow Pacific NW dweller? That depends on where you typically park your car. If the answer is, “not in my out-of-control garage” then Seamless Moves has a deal for you! Just imagine getting into a warm, dry car to make the drive to work or take your kids to school. Park in your newly-organized garage with our La Niña Buster Service (you can’t scare us—
I guarantee we’ve seen worse). Call or email us today* to set up your free consultation and never scrape snow and ice off your windshield with your debit card again!

*Past/current clients ask about your returning-client discount.

Craft Room Before (left side)

Craft Room After (left side)

Here are some great Before and After pictures of our client Nancy’s craft room. As Nancy describes it, with the help of her Seamless Moves team, she transformed a room that was so crowded she could only use it as a ‘dumping ground’ into a beautiful, practical workspace.

Craft Room Before (right side)

Craft Room After (right side)

Nancy’s favorite parts of her organizing day (actually 4.5 hours) were:

1) Knowing what she could do to prepare for organizing day; 2) we took away items she wished to donate to charity and gave her an itemized tax receipt from the non-profit recipient; and 3) “They hung my child’s art!”

Closet Before

Closet After

We really enjoyed helping Nancy reclaim her craft room and learning about knitting (she has a yarn category called “Yummy”).

Nancy said her team was, “competent, courteous, thorough and smart about what they do. Hire Them!”

photo courtesy of Mike Nakamura Photography

Laurie Lamoureux, Founder and Chief Box Opener of Seamless Moves, will present a Downsizing Seminar Saturday, June 12, 2010 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm in the Lakeview Dining Room at The Lakeshore, an ERA Living community located at 11448 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98178 (near the Renton airport). The information presented will be helpful to people moving right away, those who want to be ready for a future move as well as individuals helping friends or family with their moves.

• Learn how to begin the downsizing process
• Hear tips on how to find and interview movers
• Learn more about organizing, packing and more
• Dessert, coffee and lots of useful information about beginning the process for a seamless move

Feel free to invite a friend! No cost to attend, but please RSVP to The Lakeshore 206.772.1200 by June 10th.

Printable flyer (.pdf) here: LKS Downsizing Seminar_061210

T-Shirts Before

Do or your children you have a disorganized T-shirt drawer? Maybe your t-shirts are well-folded but stacked on top of each other in the drawer, making it difficult to see which one is which.  Here is Seamless Moves’ super-secret “Out of the Box” professional organizing tip so that you will quickly be able to find just the right t-shirt to fit the occasion.

As you may know, there are many ways to fold a t-shirt. For this tip, you will need to fold your t-shirts “store display” style, in other words you lay it on its front, fold both sides in to about the 1/3 mark, then fold the t-shirt in half. Depending upon the depth of your dresser drawer, you will either need to fold it in half again, or fold it in thirds instead of half. Make sure you can see some of the writing and/or picture on the top third and fold of the shirt.

Note: For a really fun, easy way to fold t-shirts, see videos on YouTube such as How to fold a Shirt in 2 Seconds or you can buy a plastic shirt-folder thingie from just about any garage sale in town.

Now here’s the big secret—ready? Don’t lay the t-shirts on top of each other in your drawer, stand them up on end with the neck opening facing down like this:

T-shirts After

What? Aunt Millie is on her way over? Where is that cutsie cat t-shirt she gave me? (Open drawer, look, grab = 3 seconds), “Hi, Aunt Millie. What? Oh yes, I wear this all the time; such a thoughtful gift!” And just think how quickly your kids will get dressed for school.

Enjoy!