Unnecessary Mind Clutter: Letting Go

December 29, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

With 2012 around the corner, take time to examine what you need to declutter in your mind: old loves, people who don’t treat you well, stress over things you cannot control, a job you hate, a mate that doesn’t treat you well….

After you come up with a list, start to take concrete actions that you can do to declutter these people/situations/items from your life.  Ask yourself what it is costing you to keep these people/items around.  When I finally realized how miserable I was in my last job, I started planning my business.  The job still sucked, but everyday I did something for my business which made the job more tolerable: I knew there was an end in sight and I was building my future.  Letting go helped lift my depression and make space in my mind for all the new, wonderful events coming my way.

I had also held on to some mementos from a relationship that I would hope was leading to marriage.  In my heart I knew it wasn’t, but somehow by keeping some stuff I was holding onto hope that maybe it could work. By clearing the stuff, I also decluttered my heart, allowing me to open up to someone new.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful, prosperous, filled with love & happiness year for 2012!

What changes do you need to make?  What can you do today to start letting go of unnecessary clutter?


Getting it Out, Part 2

November 7, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

With holidays right around the corner, I wanted to continue tips to remove stains.

For  NON washable fabrics:

Chocolate: Start with oil solvent for grease & rinse gently. Dab remaining with vinegar until gone. Dab with cool water.

Coffee: Dab with White vinegar till gone. Has sugar: follow up flush with water; milk follow up with oil solvent. Dab with water to rinse thoroughly.

Berry sauces: Dab with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar for remaining color then dab with dish detergent for remaining residue. Use water sparingly. Even if stain can’t be seen mark with tape for dry cleaner as sugars can caramelize when dry cleaned.

Gravy: Oil solvent for grease then dab with white vinegar until gone. Dab with cool water.

Grease: Dab with oil solvent then flush thoroughly with water. Follow with a flush of mineral spirits or denatured alcohol if necessary.

Sap: Dab with mineral spirits or oil solvent & let air dry. Rub gently with detergent then flush gently with water to rinse.

Tea: Dab with lemon juice; Contains sugar follow up flushing with water; milk follow up with an oil solvent.

Wax: Freeze by running an ice cube over. Scrape as much off as possible. Iron on low setting with a towel placed over & beneath stain. Use mineral spirits to remove residue.

Red Wine: Dab with denatured alcohol. Dab with white vinegar for remaining color and then dab with cool water to rinse.

White wine: Dab with  cool water.  ven if stain can’t be seen mark with tape for dry cleaner as sugars can caramelize when dry cleaned.

Drink Wine! Get Organized!

November 3, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

One of the things I am most passionate about is coming up with creative ways to repurpose every day items to help people get organized!  With the holidays coming up now is a great time to go through all of your ornaments and get organized. Instead of buying a specialty made plastic container for ornaments you can use an empty case of wine box.  After you have enjoyed the wine, you have a perfect carton to organize your ornaments. If the box kept glass bottles of wine undamaged your ornaments will be safe.  If you have multiple boxes, the uniform boxes will be easy to store. You can also color coordinate boxes.  Don’t drink wine? You can go to your local Wine Store where they have an area with empty boxes. What is your favorite item to repurpose?

Getting it Out

October 27, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

I am pretty well known among my friends that if I eat mustard (the old school plain yellow kind) it will end up on me!  With Halloween around the corner, chocolate stains might be an issue!  Have some of these items together to tackle some common stains:

For washable fabrics:

Chocolate: Combination solvent for grease & rinse. If needed, a digestant for protein.

Coffee: White vinegar till gone. Has sugar: follow up flush with water; milk follow up with combination solvent.

Berry sauces: Dab with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar for remaining color then dab with dish detergent for remaining residue.

Gravy: Combination solvent for grease then flush with white vinegar.

Grease: Cover with absorbent to draw out stain.  Dab with combination solvent & flush with water. If necessary, flush with mineral spirits.

Sap: Dab with mineral spirits & let air dry.  Rub with detergent before washing.

Tea: Flush with lemon juice to remove color then diluted bleach if necessary; Contains sugar follow up with water; milk follow up with combination solvent.

Wax: Freeze by running an ice cube over. Scrape as much off as possible.  Iron on low setting with a towel placed over & beneath stain. Use mineral spirits to remove residue.

Red wine: On delicate cloth soak spot with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar to remove residual stain. On sturdy fabrics, coat with salt and leave for 5 minutes. Stretch stain over heat proof bowl; secure with rubber band. Place in sink & carefully pour boiling water over stain from a height of at least a foot.

White wine: Flush with cool water.

Loving Leftovers!

October 24, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

First, some statistics:

•An average household of four throws away $590/year in food
•Wasted food may also have wasted packaging, transportation costs, agricultural costs and other secondary environmental impacts.
•Americans throw away 25% of the food we prepare
•We produce twice as much food as needed per person
Cooked leftovers stay fresh for up to seven days and some can taste better the second time around.  Declare at least one night use it up meal! Plan ahead to save time & resources. According to a 2009 study from the Bulk is Green Council you can save an average of 35% by buying just what you need!
Create tacos from leftover chicken, greens & roasted veggies; omelet with leftover greens & herbs; pesto leftover cheese, herbs & nuts; warm beet salad with leftover beet greens.
Extras: If you won’t get to leftovers soon, freeze them in individual sizes; broth & tomato paste can be frozen into ice cubes; nuts store well in the freezer.
Reorganize your fridge & put leftovers in one area.  Put the oldest first, newest in back. Label & date so you know what the item is!
What are you going to recreate this week??

Green Halloween

October 20, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

Halloween is my favorite holiday!  I love to dress up and see all the trick or treaters.    When I was little my dad made an Indian princess costume for me out of a burlap sack.  Many times I have been “static cling” where I take a blanket and pin socks, t-shirts, underwear, or whatever else is in my drawer.

Here are some suggestions on ways to bring some green along with the orange and black this Halloween!

Costumes

Check out Consignment and Thrift shops and garage sales.

Raid your own closets: what can you make with what you have?

Old costumes are often donated to Goodwill, Salvation Army.  Also look on E bay and Craigs List.

Remember, it is doubtful that that plastic costume can be recycled.  What can you make out of cardboard which can be recycled?

Candy

Buy organic apples

Check out your local health food store for organic chocolates; on line:  http://www.worldwidechocolate.com/organic_chocolate.html

Roast pumpkin seeds

Decorations

What in nature can you find to inspire you?  Leaves, pumpkins, pine cones…

Eco Friendly Trick or Treat Bags

Reuse a paper sack

Use a reusable cloth sack

Have your child decorate a reusable tote bag

Here’s a great site to check out for even more ideas:  http://www.greenhalloween.org/

What creative things are you doing to make your Halloween more green this year?

Healthy Tips Organizing Fridge & Freezer

October 17, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

Some suggestions to get your food organized for optimum health!

Put fresh food snacks (washed, cut & dried veggies & fruit; hard boiled eggs)  at eye level so that is the first thing you see! Eat stuff here within a few days.

Second shelf: Yogurt, cheese, hummus, nuts for grab & go fuel.

Middle drawer: Meats & cheeses for snacks & add on to salads.

Left Bottom Shelf: Hydration: Water, all natural juices, skim milk, seltzer water.

Right Bottom 2 Shelves: Herbs, cooked rice & quinoa for quick fiber rich meals.

Bottom Drawers: Veggies, veggies, veggies.  Fruits separately as they can increase decaying process.

The Door: Condiments like salsa & miso to add flavor to meal instead of fat!

Freezer: Store veggie & fruit at top for smoothies; meal size containers of soups, etc.; lean cuts of beef, chicken, fish.

Here’s to organizing for good health!

Unhealthy Eating & a Disorganized Kitchen: What’s the Connection?

October 3, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

1 in 10 U.S. workers report increased snaking during the day because of concerns over the current economic situation.  43% say they have gained weight during their current job.

Clutter also influences weight and cardiovascular health. People don’t eat well because their kitchen isn’t functional.  It is also a contributing factor in noncompliance with taking meds and exercising.

If your kitchen is cluttered then you are most likely eating frozen or fast food.

What one step could you take today to make a difference?

Simply Stashed

September 29, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

I had the pleasure of meeting the mompreneur Christy Gibson Hicks who invented this product.  They are stylish, eco-friendly (they meet the highest European standards for baby products), reusable, fun and they will not open doors.

Check out her line that includes mini products for seniors and children as well as a version for your garage.

This is one green organizing product you can feel good about purchasing!  To receive 10% off use the code:  Julie

http://www.christydesignsonline.com/

Easy Way to Properly Dispose of Batteries

September 26, 2011 by Julie Seibert  
Filed under Blog

How many times when decluttering do you wonder if the batteries are still good?  Or do you already have a pile that need to be properly disposed?

In Raleigh, you can drop off at any fire station.  With 28 in the area, there is likely one nearby for easy drop off.  This is an easy way to dispose of used batteries properly.

While you can use rechargeable batteries for everything (I would not recommend them for smoke detectors) they are great for many other electronics and items we use daily.

To find a fire station near you:

http://raleighnc.gov/search/content/Fire/Articles/FireStations.html

To learn more about rechargeable batteries:

http://www.greenbatteries.com/

Live outside the area?  Find out how to dispose of batteries where you live:

http://earth911.com/

Next Page »