Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I am so thankful for your support of my small business. It is a blessing to do what I’m passionate about; helping people make the most of their homes.

This year my family is celebrating thanksgiving at the beach, which is a relaxing change of pace and scenery. I am prone to travel anxiety, and one thing that helps me feel calm is (you guessed it), being organized. So, I wanted to share a few of my travel tips with you. 

The first step is putting together my packing list. I love the AnyList app on my phone for creating lists for everything from the grocery store to packing. The app allows you to customize list categories, so over the years I’ve created different versions for road trips verses plane trips, warm weather verses cold.

The best part is that you can look at what you packed on your last trip, and simply tap an item to add it to your current list. I start putting it together ahead of time, and see if I need to replenish or purchase anything. 

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

I love using packing cubes (the compression version is my favorite). When we toured Maine last year, moving from town to town, I used one cube for each day. It was easy to pull out that day’s cube, and then put the dirty clothes right back into the cube. For this week’s beach trip, I packed by activity, making it easy to set up my dresser and closet when I arrived. 

Once the list is in order and the clothes are clean, I fill and label each cube. I roll sleepwear and active wear. If it makes more sense to fold something, I use a bigger cube.

On the way home from a trip, I edit the list based on what worked and what didn’t, so that the list is even better next time. On one trip I wished I’d had a Spare fold up tote, so it got added to the list for next time.

I love my toiletries, and they can be cumbersome. A few tips here:

-Make sure that your toiletry bag is big enough, or consider separating your toiletries into smaller bags based on where you’ll use them; one for shower, one for sink, and another for the nightstand. 

-Choose multi purpose skincare and cosmetic products (I packed a Serum/Foundation/Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, which checks a couple of boxes).

Lastly, the oh-so important carryon. My favorite is backpack style (hands free!), with a small zipper compartment for quick access to travel documents. The carryon holds essentials that I don’t want to be separated from, like:

-glasses and spare contacts

-pill case filled for the trip

-multipurpose charger (and its charger!)

-headphones/AirPods 

-Lip balm + hand sanitizer

-laptop and e-reader

-car keys

-electrolyte packets

-gluten free/dairy free snacks (so I don’t have to hunt!). 

Also, get your phone organized before you go:

-create a note for at-a-glance details like:

• Flight, Hotel, Car rental info (add the hotel address to your navigation app)

• If I’m traveling in another country, I add a translated note with food allergies to show restaurant servers.

• Screenshots of QR codes (offline access!)

And be sure to build in self care to your travel plans (even just a walk in nature helps me feel restored). 

If you’re traveling during the upcoming holidays, I hope one of these tips help you feel in control.  And wherever you are celebrating the holidays, I hope you find a little calm.

The Fall Refresh

Fall is in the air, and now is the perfect time for a home refresh.

So, grab your calendar and let’s schedule a few things before the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

CLOSET

First up, schedule a closet refresh. Whether you move your summer clothes to the back of your closet, or to another closet in your home, as you are rearranging:

□ create a pile of anything that you didn’t wear (or rarely wore) this summer. If you don’t love the way you look or feel in it, or it doesn’t fit your lifestyle, let it go. 

□ If it needs repair/alteration, put it in your errand bag. 

□ Do you have something similar in your closet that you gravitate towards? Keep the one you wear and toss the other in the donate bin (it could be someone else’s go-to top!). 

Often clients tell me that they feel guilty about letting go of clothes and accessories because of how much money they spent. But holding onto those things won’t bring the money back. 

Donating allows you to quickly get the excess out of your house and into the hands of someone who wants it. 

□ Keep a donation bin in the closet for tossing in things that you put on and take offbecause they just don’t work.

□ If you need to replace what you’re donating, make a note on your phone.

□ Be sure the donations are clean and in good condition so that they aren’t a burden for the charity.

□ Here is a list of donation spots in Roswell, Georgia.

http://hollysinthehouse.com/where-to-donate-roswell-ga

I caution against selling items because of the time it takes for little ROI. If selling is your thing, then give yourself a deadline so that it doesn’t become a pile of clutter. 

As you move fall clothes front and center, separate them into categories. You haven’t seen these clothes in a while, so take advantage of seeing them with fresh eyes. Most people wear a small percentage of their clothes. Pick your favorite jeans, favorite sweaters, favorite of each category. It feels great to walk into a closet filled with your favorites. 

GUESTS

Next up is setting aside time on your calendar to refresh guest areas. If you’ll be hosting overnight guests during the holidays, walk through the spaces they’ll use. 

□ Do any towels, bathmats, shower curtains, or bedding need replacing? Hop online or add it to your shopping list.

□ Schedule any needed carpet cleaning or home repairs. 

Serving a large holiday meal? 

□ Take inventory of placemats, baking sheets, parchment paper, roasting pan, even the turkey baster, and see if anything needs replacing.  

□ Check the expiration dates on flours and spices that you may not have used since last holiday season.

□ Stock up on paper plates for busy days when you don’t want to deal with dishes.

DÉCOR+GIFTS

Do you like to have Christmas decorations up before or after Thanksgiving? Schedule it on the calendar and plan around it (order take out for dinner that night?). When you decorate, keep a donation box handy for items that no longer bring you holiday joy.

Reverse engineer your schedule of gift shopping, wrapping, and delivering. The cutest gift wrap sells quickly, so check your inventory and restock.

As you look at November and December, be intentional about where you place self-care appointments. Salons book up around the holidays, so calculate when you want your services done and get them scheduled.

You have enough to do in November and December. Doing a fall refresh now will make your home a little lighter.

-Holly

At Home with Holly

Welcome to At Home with Holly!

I created this space to talk about all things home. As the months and holidays go by, life (and home!) can be stressful. My hope is that we can explore ways to navigate it and create spaces where we thrive.

Organizing isn’t about perfection. It’s about being intentional with your space, time, and routine so that you have room for what matters. It’s about creating a home that you love walking into. Homes are meant to be lived in and life is meant to be celebrated, so if you’re doing it right, your home will get out of order. Being organized makes it easy to restore order.

The best organization starts with decluttering. There is no substitute for taking everything out of a space (drawer/cabinet/closet/room). That’s how you achieve impactful sorting and decluttering. When you see your things in a new light, you can identify what you don’t need so you have more room for what you want. Then the magic of organizing can happen!

Identify categories of what you are keeping and where to best put it. It helps to think through your daily routine. Let’s look at the bathroom vanity. Take everything out of it, spread it out (you could do this on a towel on your bed), and pick out what you actually use every morning. Not on special occasions, just on a normal day. Depending on how much it is, could you create a dedicated morning drawer or bin? Do the same thing with whatever you use every evening before bed. When you open a drawer or pull out a bin that only contains what you actually use, it feels great. No digging around past things that you don’t need. For products you use weekly or on special occasions, you can put them in a lower drawer or bins that aren’t front and center.

Buying bins and baskets should be the last thing you do. They will only help you if you get the right ones for the job (otherwise they become more clutter). To help maintain your order, label bins and put things back where they belong.

Stuff piles up when we think we don’t have time to put it away. But it only takes a few minutes to do a reset (listening to a podcast or book makes it more fun).

What are your biggest hurdles to an organized home?