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House in Order by Angela Hoxsey
Angela Hoxsey is a professional organizer living in the Napa Valley. For information on her services, e-mail angela@houseinorder.biz
November 14th, 2009
The well-ordered bathroomThe changing of the seasons is a great time to clean out the bathroom cupboards and medicine cabinet. Hair and skin products change with the weather as do allergy and other medicinal needs, so a rainy day is a great time to sort and organize this sometimes overlooked area.
October 31st, 2009
The well-ordered, clean kitchenIt’s the perfect time to organize the kitchen. With all the big holiday meals coming up, a clean, well-ordered cooking space will be a great gift to yourself.
October 10th, 2009
Trick or Treat: It's time to plan for the holidaysI used to roll my eyes at women who shop for Christmas gifts all year long. Such a woman starts with the January sales until by December, her lucky friends and family have stockings and packages full-to-bursting with interesting little finds from travels, quirky boutiques and estate sales. This is the type of woman who uses vintage wrapping paper and makes nifty gift tags with buttons and tiny glassine envelopes. She has a repertoire of cookie recipes. Garlands, wreaths and studded citrus are no strangers to her mantle. She knows how to brine a turkey. It’s worse if she’s your sister (the domestic goddess, not the turkey).
September 26th, 2009
Visualizing the outcomeThe first question I like to ask a client after we tour their home or office is, “If you had a magic wand, how would you want it to look?”
September 5th, 2009
Top 10 organizing itemsIt’s nearly impossible to get seriously organized without a little capital outlay. Beyond the absolutely necessary, like manila file folders, an in-basket and a trash receptacle, here are 10 items that are this organizer’s delight.
August 22nd, 2009
Interview: Handyman Michael ClarkI began working with Michael Clark, expert home repair guy, a few years ago. We hit it off right away because his conscientious, organized work style and his reliability and honesty are exactly what I was looking for in a handyman.
August 8th, 2009
Surfing the seven C’s of organizingOne of the most important talents to have in surfing is balance. And it’s the same for organizing your physical environment, your time and your life in general. At one extreme you can be too organized and anal and spend all your time maintaining and tweaking your systems and never produce anything or move forward. You may never get in the water because you’re waiting for conditions to be perfect.
July 25th, 2009
The in-boxOne of the most important tools for maintaining organization is also inexpensive and low tech: the in-box. It is also, however, one of the most misunderstood items in an office. Typically, things come in and stay in. They pile up. And a lot of times we think the answer is a bigger box. Sure, that may contain the paper mountain, but it ends up adding to the underlying problem.
July 11th, 2009
Organizing the garageWhen I was a kid, there was a garage in the neighborhood that blew my tidy little mind. There was nothing in it except a car and a water heater and both were reflected in the painted and polished surface of the floor. I used to ride my bike past the house just to ogle the garage. I’ve yet to come across another garage as freakishly clean and empty.
June 27th, 2009
Pets and the organized lifeWe organizers see collections of all kinds, and sometimes clients end up with an overwhelming collection of living creatures. It’s not hard to see why. Children beg for dogs, cats, parakeets and komodo dragons. Cats have a litter of kittens just before their neutering appointment with the veterinarian. Or we collect strays, thinking we can give them the home they need. Sometimes it’s a wonderful thing and all beings thrive. But sometimes even a single goldfish is one pet too many.
May 30th, 2009
House in OrderToo often, we all find ourselves with spare moments or unplanned days off work and have no idea how best to use today’s most valuable commodity — free time. But with a little advanced thought and organization, you can use your down time to really advance your career, house projects and personal goals.
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