Friday, April 8, 2011

23 IHeart: An Apartment Therapy Feature!!

Yeah... I can't believe it either... I mean seriously, pinch me!

I promise that you read it right... my little home office haven was featured on Apartment Therapy's Unplggd site!





You can click HERE to head on over and check out the amazing feature!  My weekend has been made. 


5 How Are "Shoe" Doing?

Alrighty peeps!

This week I announced an incredible opportunity to snag up some uber chic and stylish shoes courtesy of Report Footwear!



Seriously girls!  Free Shoes!  Who doesn't love shoes?  And who doesn't love free shoes even more?  And they are gorgeous Whether you adore flats or heals or wedges, they have them all!  And you can enter to win yourself a free pair of your choice {up to a $100 smackaroo value}, just by picking a pair and leaving a comment over on the giveaway page!  And a second entry to checking them out on Facebook!  And another for following them on Twitter.  Easy peasy!  Two individuals will be selected to win and add the ultimate accessory to their closet! 

Another individual will also be selected to win TWO pairs of shoes of their choice for participating the in Shoe Organizing challenge {up to $450!}

And WOW, we have an awesome start!  Check out some of the shoe organizing happening {found via the link up here}




Bookcases make great shoe organizers – and fit great in entries!













And WOW!  Look at all the “Purged” shoes!  Round of applause please!


We are off to a great start!  Only 4 days to hop on over to Report Footwear, pick out your dream shoes and head to the giveaway post to enter to WIN!  And I look forward to seeing more of your shoe organizing stories!  You have made me SO proud thus far!


A special THANK YOU goes out to Report Footwear for sponsoring this FANTASTIC giveaway!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

449 You are the "Key" to my Blog: GIVEAWAY!

 **  Attention:  This Giveaway has since ended.  Thanks everyone for participating!!  The winner selected was #69, Shelley {wahoo!}, and has been contacted via email!  **  

It's no secret that I adore you!  I seriously LOVE each of you and virtually hug you more than you know!  You are my support, my daily drive and my blogger bff's!  THANK YOU!

So, it was a no brainer that when I shared my living room purge story, and so many of you became interested in my extra set of Pottery Barn Vintage Skeleton keys, that I would give them away to one of you!



I shared this morning how I am trying to sell of my purges to gain a few smackaroos.  However, I also heart to give.  Nothing beats that feeling.  So I am today!

But first, let's back up a bit.  I was planning on sharing my love for keys in a future post anyway, so you get a two for one.

Something about the word, "key" gets me giddy.  Maybe it's from that saying, "Key to my Heart".  Not sure.  They just represent HOME.  And FAMILY.  My favorite things.

So I wanted to display some of my love of keys in my living room.  Since it's the heart of our home.

I started out by taking a picture of our house key with my "love" keychain {I just placed it on a piece of pretty scrapbook paper}:


It was the perfect personal art for above our shoe cabinet:


And as I mentioned, I had two sets of 7 vintage keys.  I snagged three of them, gave them a fresh coat of white spray paint {I love the cleaner look it provided for this particular project}, and matted them on some pretty wrapping paper which I tucked inside a frame:


I just placed the glass in the back of the frame {so I can always switch it out later if I choose}, and used dabs of hot glue to affix the keys right to the paper:


And it was the perfect filler piece of art in our new built in bookcases:




That means I still have 4 more keys from my first set, to find a home and display for...

And since I really don't need 14 total keys, I am going to GIVE A SET OF 7 TO YOU!




"Displayed on a wall or used as paperweights, our vintage-inspired gate keys create instant character."



  • Sizes range from 4" high to 7" high.





  • Rustic and Patina finish will vary on each key.





  • Set of 7, one of each.






  • And the details to enter:


    1} Become a follower of iHeart Organizing over on the sidebar, and leave a comment that you are.  Also let me know how you would use the keys if you win them!



    2}  For a second chance to win, also follow my Facebook Page and leave a second comment that you do.

    Anyone in the US is eligible and you will need to ensure you leave your email or blog address so I have a way to contact you when you win!

    Giveaway will run through Sunday, April10th and will be announced right here on Monday!

    Many "Thanks" again to all of your for your endless support of IHeart Organizing!



    16 April Challenge: Project "Purge" {Selling the Living Room Purge}



    Ok, things didn't go exactly as planned.....

    Does that ever happen to you or am I the only one?

    It's kinda like when my eyes are bigger than my stomach... only this time my ambition was bigger than reality.  I do that sometimes.  I try to be an over-achiever and this time I threw in the towel...

    I shared with you here my living room purging plans.  I placed all my items into a giant utility tub and sat down last night to list them on Craigslist and eBay.  I hadn't done this in awhile and forgot the time investment that goes along with it.  And then I started to looking at some of my items and if they weren't going to be a quick and easy listing, they didn't make the cut.  That's right, I nixed some of the items.... and I am OK with that, because I never feel guilty donating anything.  In fact, it's a great feeling each and every time.

    I had picked out a couple pairs of Steve Madden heals that were in really great condition, but I had zero information about the shoe, style or even what size they were... so I decided to cut my losses.

    I thought I might be able to sell an old VHS video cam.  Yeah, again, the more I thought about it, who would really want it?  And how much could I really get for it?  Totally not worth the time investment.  It will be taken to my local Best Buy store with my old digital camera and disc man to be recycled.

    I also made sure to research selling prices on most items before listing them, to make that yes or no decision.  I looked up a Playstation 2 video game... it was selling for a couple of dollars on eBay, thinking about the time to list, the time to package and ship... again, not worth it.

    Only the best of the best made my list.

    Not only does the purging process reap HUGE benefits for the home and our lifestyle and encourage us to live more simply and eliminate duplicate and unnecessary clutter and items... it also gives you a chance to make a little money as well.  I decided that I am adding a side challenge for myself personally, to my original purge 30 items in 30 days challenge.

    I have been saving for and dreaming and wishing of adding a couple of supplies to my iHeart Organizing business plan.  2 GIANT items in fact...

    First, I have been oogling one of these Silhouette machines for quite some time:





    Imagine the labels I could create with that amazing machine!  My Etsy shop could totally ROCK and expand and become so much more inclusive!  I am such a dreamer!


    Secondly, I also have been pinching pennies for this little guy:



    I think that a flip cam would be a great way to add additional content to this here blog.  Things like a home tour and video organizing tutorials and more interaction with all of you fabulous friends.... Oh it could be grand! 

    Of course I know they would be great tools for expanding this blog and business, however, it takes time to tuck away a penny here and a penny there... 

    The good news?  The hubs and I agreed that any moola I make from selling my goodies this month during my "30 items in 30 days" project purge... I get to put back into iHeart Organizing!  So wish me luck!  And if you ever wanna help this gal out {because you just love iHeart Organizing so much}, you can go here to do so. 

    So if you are wondering the "whys" behind the items I am selling, well, now you know!

    I chose to sell items on both eBay and Craigslist.  eBay offers a larger audience since you can ship to pretty much anywhere, where Craigslist is great for local pals.  However, I also live in the middle of nowhere, so I feel slightly at a Craigslist disadvantage from that perspective.  So, larger items that would cost oodles to ship go on Craigslist, smaller items hit eBay.


    I started out with my Jacobean Area Rug:  http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/hsh/2310150682.html


    That is totally a pick up only type of listing {due to it's size and the fact that because it's 100% wool it weighs quite a bit} - Craigslist it is!  And you can see the information provided and how I linked to the actual website selling the item as a brand new product, within the listing.  I do that so customers can see the original price and any additional details regarding the product.  It could be a good or bad thing, just trying it out!

    I also listed a DVD Cam that we had:  http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/ele/2310143227.html


    We wavered on this, however, since I am looking to snag up a Flip Cam as a replacement, it doesn't make sense to keep something we have used twice in two years.  A flip cam will be much easier for me to take quick videos with and move them straight to the blog.  If you asked me how to use the DVD cam and then get a video from the DVD to the computer.... I wouldn't have a clue in the world how to do that...  Although the image quality is probably superior in the DVD Camcorder than the smaller digital versions, it isn't fitting into my current lifestyle and taking up space in a drawer. 

    And that was the extent of my Craigslist posts for the Living Room purge.  However, I browsed Craigslist just for smaller random things {since I typically just head straight for used furniture}, and I was in awe how many random things are sold on there.  It got me wondering if I am really using Craigslist to it's fullest potential.

    Off to eBay I went.... I thought I would show you how easy it was to list my "Lot" of Sims 2 PC games.  A "lot" of items is exactly as it sounds, multiples/many of the same type of thing grouped into one single listing.



    When I first logged into eBay and clicked the "Sell" link, I received this screen:


    What's it worth?  Yes please, tell me!!


    That was such a quick and easy tool!  LOVED it!  I knew that the average lot of Sims 2 games would sell at around $42.  All I had to do was decide if that was enough for me.  Since I am making nothing off of them just sitting here wasting space and going unused... it was a no brainer.

    Another new thing I noticed {since I haven't sold anything on eBay in eons}, is that they no longer charge you to list {unless you sell}, for your first 100 items if you follow some simple rules:


    You can also put in a barcode {or search by product name} in to pull up the exact product information which will almost create the listing for you!

    However, since I was selling more than just the main game, I opted to input all of my own details...

    To do this, I found the item{s} on places like Amazon.com or their actual websites, and used their product descriptions and benefits, as an aid to use in my own listing!  I also used the stock photos of the products as well!  Here is a snapshot from Amazon.



    Because eBay will charge for additional pictures above and beyond the first photo, I decided to combine all of the stock images of the individual games into one image to reduce the number being uploaded...


    And when determining starting prices, that was the hardest part.  I wanted to go low enough to sell them, however, high enough to make it worth my time... that's always such a gamble...

    Here is a link to my listing:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160569983370&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT


    Then, I just followed the same steps for the rest of my "purged" items:


    Doc Martens Listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160569795201&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT



    The O.C. Season 1 DVD Box Set Listing:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160569800057&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT



    Becky Higgins Project Life Album Listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160569987116&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

    Total time investment in selling 6 purged Living Room items:  3 hours.  Ewe.  But the good news is that I got faster as I went! 


    My eBay/Craigslist selling tips:
    • Decide if the item is worth your time to sell.  Do you research to determine what the item value was, is, and how much it is selling for.
    • Take pictures in natural light.  They offer the best and most realistic visual of the object you are trying to sell.  Flash can wash out colors or create glare.
    • If selling multiple items, take all your photos as once and list all at once, you will get faster as you go!
    • List with the expectation that you may not sell the item.  I am OK if some of my items don't sell, because I ultimately know what a good feeling it is to donate and be gone of the excess in my life.

    Alrighty pros, what am I missing?  What other selling tips do you have for inexperienced listers like myself?  Anyone else hoping to save up some dough this month for something new?  Kind of like a reward for all of your hard work?   How are your purges going thus far?  Any surprises?

    Oh, and is something missing?  A set of popular vintage inspired skeleton keys?  Stay tuned... more on those later today!



    I decided a little challenge would be fun! This month we are spending the next thirty days saying goodbye to thirty things!  Wanna Join in?  Take photos and blog about your awesomeness as you go!  I am hoping to do a giant, "We did it!" celebratory post where we can all link up our purging success stories at the end of the month!

    Wednesday, April 6, 2011

    9 Reader Space: Tami's Totally Organized Tools!

    Some of you are lucky.  Lucky like you won the lottery lucky.  And you don't probably even know how lucky you are....

    I am talking to all of you that live in a climate where it remains above the 40's for majority of the year, and you don't have 18 feet of snowfall in a given week..and you can leave your homes on a given day without putting on 5 shirts, tights, pants, 3 pairs of socks, boots, 2 pairs of mittens, a parka and a bomber hat, just to stay alive... I may or may not be exaggerating our snowfall....

    Don't get me wrong, I am all about embracing where you live.  And I REALLY have to embrace my home since in the winter months since I try not to leave it much.  It's absolutely no secret that I am not a fan of freezing fingers and toes and driving in blizzards and that weird feeling of my nose hairs freezing... and I dream of the days when I can move to a climate of pure "dry heat" or "extreme humidity" or "year round bliss".  Yes please.  One of the hardest parts is that my DIY options are much more limited in the winter months, since you can't get outside to a well ventilated area.  Urg.

    So you can imagine how my heart is racing with pure joy and happiness now that spring is trying to make it's way to the state of Wisconsin.  The sun has been out, the snow is almost all gone, the birds are coming back, I can drive without turning the radio off and clenching the steering wheal with a death grip, the boys' baseball season is starting and I am all stocked up on spray paint!  I AM FREE!!

    I know what you are thinking, "Ok Jen, get to the point already!  Where are you going with this?  Isn't the Wednesday Reader Space post supposed to focus on someone other than you for a day?"

    I am getting there.

    You see, I am always weeks behind on Reader's Spaces since there is so much awesomeness in all of you, so when Tami sent me her story, it was still below freezing temps here in Wisconsin.  But what she shared with me left me feeling so inspired!  She organized her tools.  In her garage.  And did it by adding style.  My kind of girl.  My kind of project.  And I so badly wanted to imitate her awesomeness, but I was stuck in cold weather jail.

    Not any longer, you can bet that what you are about to see by the fabulous Tami, will be repeated by me in the near future!

    Tami wrote:

    Hi Jen! 

    I've been an avid follower of your blog for a while now. Nothing quite makes me happier than organizing the things in my life. For me, it's relaxing. However, I've probably spent time on your blog that I *should* have been spending our new 'fixer upper' by the beach. :)  

    I recently finished a small DIY project in our garage. Instead of investing in another toolbox {that makes finding tools much more difficult and frustrating than it should be} I thought I might follow in my dad's footsteps and create a pegboard system in our garage. Although...  I added a pop of color to mine. It ended up being much less expensive than a fancy-shmancy metal toolbox anyway. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out and there is plenty of room for growth as I collect even more tools. 

    Just thought I'd share it with you as another idea to add to the never-ending ways to keep our lives more organized. Here is a link to my post: http://tami-licious-life.blogspot.com/2011/03/tool-time-tami.html

    Big love, 
    Tami


    Ok, I get that this isn't probably the first time you have seen pegboard used for tools and won't be the last, but it's that "pop of color" that Tami added that really brought the whole project to life!  Ready to see another example or Organization + Paint = LOVE?


    Tami blogged: "Growing up, I'd always admired my dad's pegboard organization system down in his workshop. All his tools were always so easy to find {I should know, I was his project-errand-girl}. All orderly and clean looking. Mmmmm. Now, that's what I wanted! Since we have our own private garage at the Beach Pad {a rarity 'round these parts}, I certainly had a place to hang it. So, I wandered off to the pegboard aisle, you know, just to check out the situation. 

    Turns out, pegboards are way cheaper than fancy red toolboxes. Too bad they only came in a gross brown color. Or... did they?! I quickly scooted over to the paint aisle."



    "Bingo! I found some fancy red toolbox Apple Red spray paint by Rust-Oleum. The wheels were seriously turning at this point. I picked up some peg hooks, brackets, and a few short boards and headed to the register. Total came in under $30.00 which was less than 1/2 of what that stupid ugly toolbox would have cost me."

    {source}

    It took a few applications of paint {3 to be exact} but the color came out perfect. 


    See that old hammer? My dad used that to build the house I grew up in. Pretty sweet, huh?


    A few chicken noodle soup cans with some Mod-Podged labels completed my screw organizing system.


    And finally, without further ado... my new, fancy red tool-board in all her glory!  And the bright pop of color in the garage? Fabulous dah'ling. Just fabulous. 


    These three pegboards actually hold *all* my tools [minus the power tools] plus an assortment of hardware. And the little shelves I installed at the base of each board, are just big enough to hold odds and ends but small enough to not interfere when a car is parked next to it. And it's red. I love that. 


    I love that too!  That she painted it red!  Seriously, instant artwork in the garage that also doubles as storage!  Tami proves yet again, you don't need to "make it fancy" to make it functional.  Her pegboard system would work just the same if she wouldn't have added the red spray paint.  But taking it that step further...  Takes it to a new level.  And it gives you that extra sense of proud.  And I find that I am more strict with myself on maintaining my systems and home when I love how it makes me feel to use those systems and to be in my home.

    Let's not lose sight though, of the functionality of peg board systems.  They are very cost effective.  They hold just about anything you want them too.  They are perfect in the garage for tools {clearly}, yet they also work wonderfully in craft spaces for all of those crafting tools and containers, and in laundry room's for sewing and laundry essentials.  Why not in a pantry to hold kitchen tools and utensils?  Really they are so incredibly versatile and clearly can be made into beautiful creations!  And not only are they great for storing nearly anything, but they keep those things at your finger tips and you always can see it all at a glance.  WIN WIN WIN!




    And a button for you:



    IHeart Organizing






    Thank you Tami for kicking my booty in gear to get out in my garage and give it some much needed color splash!  And for sharing your inspiring story with us!

    So who else had a severe case of cabin fever this winter?  Who has been getting their DIY on now that the weather is becoming more accommodating?  How about a fun spray painting project you have done lately that left you feeling in love?  And tips for tools? {and I mean the DIY equipment, keep it nice}


    Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please send your story and photos to iheartorganizing@gmail.com and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and un-editted.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!  More Info HERE.