by Marla Dee
Travel goods make travel easy!
You know that organizers can be obsessed with containers and bags. Â But when it comes to travel, having the right containers makes a huge difference. Â I want to share some of my favorite items and places to shop for the best selection of travel bags and more.
Note â Make sure to check out The Container Storeâs short tips & videos for ideas to help you stay organized for travel.
1 â The Perfect Bag makes all the difference. You will need your roll on case but back packs are becoming very popular now for shorter travel. Check out this blog on Travel & Leisure for the best checked luggage.
I really like the Eagle Creek luggage. It is equipped with the 4 wheels for easy moving and great compartments and extra features. Eagle Creek has been around for a long time. The quality and warranty are excellent.
Iâve also come across a new line of luggage called Biaggi. Biaggi has travel bags that have zippers to enlarge or condense the size and can easily pack up into a small cube for storage. Â You can find both brands at The Container Store.
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And, of course, there are the classic bags which cost more but they are fabulous! Since, I am traveling a lot more these days, I just updated my bags to a gorgeous Tumi set. I also recommend Briggs & Riley for high quality.
2 â Create your body care set with all your body essentials. By having these all ready to go, you will save time and have less stress both before and on your trip. Then, take 3 minutes when you get home to refill the containers so you are ready for the next trip.
Here is a link to the page full of containers. Â Clear & Simpleâs favorite are the GoToobs.
3 â Another of my all-time favorites is the Eagle Creek Pack-it Folders. These cubes make it easy to pack your items, keep everything neatly together. Then I love how easy it is to lay them out (in a drawer or on a shelf) wherever I am staying so I have easy access.
4 â Donât forget about your technology! Â You spent money on your tech stuff so you want to protect it. You also want easy access. You can find some great options here. Â A couple of my favorites are:
I hope these items and tips help you have a fun-filled and easy summer of travel! Stay tuned for a blog & video coming up where I will be showing all my travel gear.
Marla Dee â your guide to an organized and simpler life.
www.clearsimple.com/marladeeÂ
by Kate Fehr
Would you love to have your kitchen feel fresh and beautiful to gather in? Itâs in the kitchen where the warmth of shared memories, laughter and life create a recipe that spans generations. â Yuvraj Kakodiya The kitchen is the heart of the home. Yet, sadly it can...
by Kate Fehr
Get realistic and honest about how you wholeheartedly desire to live your life. âThe purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.â Eleanor Roosevelt Despite our modern world...
by CS Team
Your VISION is waiting for youâŚ
There is a big difference between having goals and having a Vision! A vision is inspiring and calls you to action. This is different from a list of goals which can feel dry, heavy and stressful. Why not choose now what you want most for 2014 and make it easy for the Universe to support you.
To keep this simple I will offer three ideas that can be done in mere minutes!
1 â Choose a word for the year. My word for 2014 is OPEN.
2 â Write an I AM statement for the year. Mine is âI am helping 10,000 families clear their clutter and create beauty and order.â
3 â Just answer the following 3 questions and trust what comes to you easily. I am sharing some of my personal answers below.
(moreâŚ)
by Marla Dee
What if you could walk into your office tomorrow excited and energized?! Regardless of the size of your business, it is essential to have a personalized and organized workspace. It helps refresh your mind, improves your productivity and deepens the joy in your work....
by Kate Fehr
Passwords are the locks on the doors in your digital world. How strong are your locks?! I changed all my passwords to âincorrect.â That way when I forget, the system reminds me, âYour password is incorrect.â Â â Unknown All joking aside, the average person now has 100...
by Kate Fehr
Isnât it time for clarity that really matters, that will make a meaningful difference in your life?
With so many failed New Yearâs Resolutions, even with the most determined attempts, people are starting to look at different approaches to makes changes in the new year. After all, itâs not really that we donât have what it takes to create real change or even that what we so desire to change isnât attainable. We simply need a new way.
We ran across an article by Parker J. Palmer about how the New Yearâs energy feels like so much hoopla, but that we truly do desire a significant ritual and that âmaybe weâre on the threshold of something new and better.â After reading an inspiring poem, some questions arose in him that he is using as his guiding force throughout the new year.
We just had to share these beautiful questions with youâŚ
⢠âHow can I let go of my need for fixed answers in favor of aliveness?
⢠What is my next challenge in daring to be human?
⢠How can I open myself to the beauty of nature and human nature?
⢠Who or what do I need to learn to love next? And next? And next?
⢠What is the new creation that wants to be born in and through me?â
Wow! Â Powerful. Meaningful. I know these are going to support me in creating some brilliant things in this new year. How about you? If youâd like more, read his whole post.
Many blessing to you in this new year!
.kate
by CS Team
Fall is the time to let go of what is dead, dying or done!
Tip 2. Follow the wisdom of mother nature. Â Every Fall she releases the dead, dying and old stuff back to the earth to be recycled and used differently. Â We can do the same. Â Commit to taking the month of October to clear the clutter that has built up over the busy summer (or maybe even many years). Trust that by letting it go you will create open space for new things to come in.
To get help with this and make it easy â check out our C&S 30-Day Clutter Clear Out and get started. The idea is to let go of ONE thing each day for 30 days.  You will experience a break through, we promise.
Get the rest of our top tips from Marla this weekend at the Home Show in Salt Lake!
If you cannot make it to the Home Show you can purchase our TOP TEN TIPS for Home & Holidays, 20 super supportive tips in one sweet little eBook for only $10.
Friday, October 9th: 3 pm
Saturday, October 10th: 2 pm
Sunday, October 11th: 12 pm, 2 pm**
**Special presentation Clutter Clearing Made Simple!
Visit our Booth #239b near the Design Stage to enter our drawing and receive special offers!
Click below to purchase discount tickets! Use promo code: CLEAR
Show Information:
Friday October 9th @ 2:00 p.m. through Sunday October 11th @ 6:00 p.m.
South Towne Expo Center
9575 S. State Street
Sandy, Utah 84070
Go Here for additional information and directions.
by CS Team
Only YOU can say what matters most in your life!
December can be a time to slow down (rather than speed up). Â As the sun sets earlier we now have long evenings to sit, read, write and share with loved ones. Before technology came, we sat around a roaring fire or the big, wood dining room table and we talked. Wouldnât it be sweet to give yourself this softer way of being?
So before you get too busy with the holidays and start bringing more stuff in, we invite you to take an honest, deep look at your life. By simply getting still and reflecting back over the year, we can open to what matters most!
We invite you to set aside an evening or a morning to ask and answer the following queries. Then share with your loved ones and ask what matters to them.
What means the most to me right nowâŚ
- in relationship with myself?
- in my intimate relationship?
- in my family?
- in my home?
- In my friendships?
- in my work or creations?
- in the next steps of my path?
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** Get a printable version here.
Joyfully surrendering to the slowdown,
Marla, Kate & Team
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by CS Team
Magic happens when you choose presence over presents!
We want to celebrate this Christmas by sharing our family storiesâŚ
Marlaâs Story
The older I get (I am now 55) the more I am drawn back to my childhood Christmas. Just imagine 10 kids â the noise, the chaos, the hugs, and yes â the presents! But with ten children, there wasnât much money, time or energy. So we got creative about sharing experiences rather than stuff.
My daughter Jessica & her sweet kitty Izzy! We are honoring their sacred connection right now as Izzyâs life came to a close on 12/16. We love and miss her.
My parents led the way. My mom kept her eyes and heart open all year long for precious little things to give her children. Â I was always amazed at the treasures she found. It was her âknowingâ of each of us that felt magical. My dad often made gifts for us â like the super cool hobby horse that my son played with and I just passed on to my sweet nephew. My parents showed us how to celebrate simply and deeply. It was all we knew and it felt rich! Here are some fun memories that still live in me today â
- My favorite memory was coloring together. We could do it for hours. My daughter Jessica and I just spent an evening coloring by candle light!
- Then there was singing around the piano and caroling for friends. Music was the glue that kept us connected.
- I will never forget sledding for hours until we were frozen and then warming up with yummy hot chocolate.
- Our favorite part of gifts was getting creative with the wrapping. We would spend hours joyfully with paper, ribbons, bows and other things.
- We turned big refrigerator boxes (that my dad dragged home) to little elf homes that we could sleep in to catch Santa Claus. We always stayed up as late as we could but never caught him.
So this year I feel like I have gone full circle. I care most about getting precious time with my family. This is my first Christmas without my kids in my home. And we lost my daughterâs two kitties last week that she had grown up with. So my heart is heavy and also sweetly full. I am now with my wonderful man, our dog and kitty. My son David, daughter Jessica, daughter-in-law Isabel and family will come visit us on Christmas Day to play games, sing songs, color, and just be together.
We are not doing stuff. We are taking in the very sweetest of all gifts â each other.
Kateâs Story
In Clutter Clear Out Celebration I shared that my little family has spent the last 2+ years clearing our possessions and ultimately becoming minimalists. This way of living with less stuff has given us more time, energy and money to experience day-to-day life in ways we had not even imagined possible.
My 12-year-old son, Trace, is one of the most kind, patient and compassionate people I know. Here he is with his 3-year-old cousin.
This has also shifted the way we approach Christmas. Last year we decided that instead of GETTING we wanted to focus on DOING. We would continue to set aside our monthly âChristmas Savingsâ, but if something came up that we wanted to experience, like meeting friends at Disneyland or in San Diego; doing extra fun things when loved ones visit; or going out on an extra family date night, we would spend some of our Christmas Savings to do them. Throughout 2015 that is exactly what we have done and it has been awesome!
As we neared this holiday season we talked about taking the âDoingâ to a deeper level, âServingâ. This lead my son to serving Thanksgiving Dinner to people in need with the Youth Group he belongs to. During the evening he had a personal and powerful interaction with a woman in which he felt a deep sympathy for her scenario and a strong gratitude for his own. He came home and told me that he was planning on donating half of all of the money he received for his December birthday and Christmas. My heart burst with pride for his kindness and selflessness.
In addition we decided that we would spend half (give or take) of our remaining Christmas Savings on a family struggling to make ends meet. As we purchased things they NEED, like towels, sheets, a first aid kit, we all felt most grateful for all that we have and for all that we can do for others.
Although it is still a daily practice, we are deeply in love with simple living and are ecstatic to see what we get to DO and how we get to SERVE in 2016.
Our wish for you is a simple & sweet holiday!
Marla, Kate & Team
