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Gift Wrap Deserves a Home Too

Containers make everything better!

Where are our container-lovin’ peeps? You all know how much we love The Container Store for all of their savvy solutions, but do you feel the same? Perhaps these holiday gift wrap storage options will sway you. We were in The Container Store just the other day and were checking out the options…pretty great stuff right here!

We chose 3 different options at 3 different price points. No surprise that they have something for everyone and every budget!

HANGING GIFT WRAP ORGANIZER

This handy-dandy organizer has pockets for greeting cards, ribbon, bows, wrapping paper, bags, supplies and accessories. Smartly-designed pouches make retrieving supplies super simple. Rolled paper is held upright by velcro straps to keep it from being crushed when it is hanging, but easily release in order to fold the bag in half.

TCS Hanging Gift Wrap Organizer
GIFT WRAP WORK STATION

This nifty a-frame stand holds up to 12 rolls of wrap plus ribbons, bows, gift bags, accessories and supplies. It is light-weight which makes it nice and mobile. A hook at the top makes storing it in a closet a cinch.

TCS Gift Wrap Work Station
WHITE ELFA MESH GIFT WRAP CART

The primo in gift-wrapping solutions, this cart can hold wrapping paper, bags, tissue, ribbon, supplies and more. It includes 3 small drawers and 2 large drawers and has a Melamine top. The fine mesh weave prevents small items from falling through. (more…)

Top Ten TIPS for a Sweet & Simple Holiday!

The best gifts are sometimes the simplest!

The holiday season is in full swing and as much as we wish that everyone could move through this time joyfully and easily, we know it will be a challenge. We are here to help simplify this time with practical & meaningful tips. See below for our GIFT to you – all our top tips for home & holidays!!

Tip for your home: Restore Time.

Give yourself the GIFT of a simple restore for your space.  Take just 5-10 minutes each day and 30 at the end of the week.  Set a timer and go around gathering the homeless items that have been dropped on the tables, chairs and floor.  Then take them to their proper homes. Yes, we know you get busy but we want your space to feel good and support you. Even the youngest can put their toys away. You can always put on Christmas music and make it FUN!

Tip for your holidays: Make your own traditions.

It’s your life and your choice. Create your own meaningful traditions based on your family’s current values and desires, not just what has “always been done.” Why not set aside an evening in front of the christmas tree – go around and ask each person in the family what would mean the most to them? Then consciously choose and deepen your traditions.

Here are a few ideas from our lives –Clear & SIMPLE, Family Sledding

  •  a sledding day
  •  reading before bed
  •  giving to a needy family
  •  a game night each week
  •  a theme for the year
  •  making home made ornaments
  •  caroling with a group of loved ones
Wishing you a magical and soulful holiday season,
Marla, Kate & Team

Get all of our TOP TEN TIPS for Home & Holidays in this eBook.

This is our GIFTClear & SIMPLE, TOP TEN Tips for Home & Holidays to you during the holidays!

Feel free to share this with others in your life.

 

What matters most?

Only YOU can say what matters most in your life!

December can be a time to slow down (rather than speed up).  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. Wouldn’t 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 now…

  • 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?

 

** Get a printable version here.

Joyfully surrendering to the slowdown,
Marla, Kate & Team

 

Our Love Affair with Wunderlist!

Love lists? Dread lists? Try this cool tool!!

We are on fire about Wunderlist and we just have to share it!! We have known about it for some time, dabbled with it a bitand then got totally hooked. Because it is available across most devices, we always have our lists with us. We are able to MAP easily. We can share lists with other people through the app or by emailing them. We can also print and carry them around when needed.

A feature that we have just begun to use, but are very excited about is Emailing to Wunderlist. You simply forward the email to Wunderlist and it becomes a To Do. The subject is the Task Name and the body of the email gets put into the Notes. Even attachments are included on the To Do. Seriously? Thank you Wunderlist for giving us a way to clean out our inboxes!!

We are now running our whole business and our personal lives using this cool tool. We loves that it reminds us what to do and when to do it,  having one place to dump everything that we need to remember, and knowing can access it everywhere we go.

You can have lists for…

  • Places to visit
  • Personal To Do’s
  • Work To Do’s
  • Personal Projects
  • Work Projects
  • Books to read
  • Groceries – with sub categories for each store she shops at.

 

Check out Wunderlist on iTunes and Google Play. Go to the Wunderlist Website to download for other devices.

Wunderlist helps millions of people around the world capture their ideas, things to do and places to see. Whether you’re sharing a grocery list with a loved one, working on a project, or planning a vacation, Wunderlist makes it easy to share your lists and collaborate with everyone in your life. Wunderlist instantly syncs between your phone, tablet and computer, so you can access your lists from anywhere. Take a look at the possibilities in the picture below! All of this possible in the FREE version, but they do offer a PAID version with even more options.

Clear & SIMPLE, Wunderlist

We hope you embrace this fun and simple way to manage your lists! Let us know what you think.

Marla

Creators of the Clear & SIMPLE Way to get & stay organized!

Clutter Clear Out Celebration!

We are FREE of stuff that was dragging us down and keeping us stuck!

We are deeply honored, humbled and inspired by everyone who joined our 30 Day Clutter Clear Out this year. Wow. Thank you for showing up, taking action and sharing your wonderful stories with us! We now want to share a little with you about how our lives were changed.

Marla’s story

Where does all the stuff come from?  How does it keep piling up?  Why do I still have that? These were some of my questions as I wandered around my home each day looking for something to release.  What surprised me was that I found old stuff in every room. I couldn’t believe it.  I have been practicing living simply for years now.

Yet, I still found stuff!  Stuff that was homeless, stuff from years ago still taking up space, stuff I had forgotten. It was little things and big things.  It was singular things that held deep meaning. The most loaded items for me were the ones that tied into my kid’s childhood.  I have been an empty nester for only 7 months now.  After 30 years of creating a home for my children and caring for their things, I am on my own. My daily life is different without my kids and their stuff. It is not simple or easy to trust this change.  It is a daily journey.  The 30 day group has been a big gift to me. I don’t want to do this alone.  Hearing others share about going through their drawers, magazines, emails and kids stuff was the strength I needed to go through mine.

Here wasClear & SIMPLE, Winnie the Pooh a story of mine from day 3. These awesome Pooh ABC foam puzzle pieces are from Jessica’s 1st birthday. She is now 20. My grandson used them but he just turned 10. Both my kids say let them go. Seems like it would be easy but I have such resistance.  I realize they came from a special friend that I miss.  Also, I want to make sure they go to someone who will really enjoy them.

I get to trust the Universe here. I get to practice what I preach.

To close, I am compelled to share that I saved the toughest stuff for the end – the digital and calendar clutter.  I am now seeing the light at the end of my email nightmare tunnel. Kate is teaching me how to use Wunderlist to handle all my to do’s and keep them organized in one place. And I have released giving time and energy to work that doesn’t serve my soul’s purpose. More coming on these insights…

Kate’s story

Since relocating to Los Angeles in June of 2013, my little family and I have been radically shifting our lives and home. What started as just wanting to greatly simplify turned into minimalism. For us that means having only things that we use and/or support us in living truly soul-inspired lives. We’ve discovered that we want to spend as much time as possible playing, loving, learning and adventuring…and we now know it is possible with less stuff taking up time, energy and money.

Through about 25 layers we have released somewhere around 75% of what we moved with. Our drawers, closets and cupboards are organized and everything has a home. Sure our day-to-day activities bring the stuff out and we end up with piles of things that sit, often longer than I would like (I even sometimes let the kitchen stay messy and play games instead of cleaning), but homeostasis is easily reinstated. It is the most liberating experience of my life. (more…)