Q: What is your name?A: Kerith (pronounced “care-eth”) Paterson Q:  Where do you live and how long have you been an Organizer?

A: I live North Vancouver, B.C. and I have been a Trained Professional Organizer since November 2007

 Q: You are also a photographer.  Can you explain how photography has helped you become a better organizer? 

A: The photography really complements the organizing.  It has trained my eyes to see what colors, what patterns, what groupings, etc. work together, and the importance of negative space.  It has also taught me how to gain the trust of my client. Q: If money were not a factor, what would be your occupation?A: I would be doing exactly this…my photography and my organizing, but on a bigger scale.Q: Have you always been organized, or is it something you’ve learned?A: My places of work have always been extremely organized.  My co-workers used to ask if all my shelves at home were labeled.  (They’re not!)  I have always loved digging into a space and making it functional and beautiful.  I joke that I am a true Gemini.  I can be a true slob as well – just ask my husband – so I understand both ends of it and the obstacles people face. Q:  Who is your ideal client?A: My ideal client is anyone who is looking for change in their environment – especially anyone in a transitional phase who feels stuck or at a loss as to where to begin. Q:  How do your sessions work?  Do you offer maintenance packages?A: I currently charge a flat fee for consultation and then an hourly rate after that.  Trust me; the results are well worth the investment. Q:  What do you find most rewarding in your organizing occupation?A: Nothing is more rewarding that the “I can do this” that comes over the client.Q: How “green” are you?A: I really believe that our job as organizers is so important to the environment in that it is often an eye-opener for clients as to how much stuff they have and how much they really don’t need.  I highly recommend watching www.storyofstuff.com as a good reminder.  I am always trying to keep things simple and earth-friendly. Q: Do you ever do public speaking on organizing?  A: In the next year I hope to join Toastmasters and learn to become a good public speaker.Q:  You are a very personable soul.  In regards to organizing, do you find your clients really open up to you, and put their trust in you?  How important do you think a trait like that is to have? A: Trust is crucial!  I am always truly honoured that my clients have opened their doors to me and have allowed me to help respect, reclaim and rejuvenate their space. Q:  All Organizers seem to have a favourite tool…what is yours?A: My trusty little red leather measuring tape!  I measure before I move items, before I buy items, and before I plan for clients. Q:  What is the best advice you have for up-an-coming Organizers?

A: Treat your business like any other customer-service-driven small business and get started!  There is also a telecourse (“Should I Become an Organizer”) offered on the POC (Professional Organizers in Canada) website that explains the ins and outs of Professional Organizing. 

Q: What’s the best advice you can give someone who is feeling overwhelmed organizationally?

A: We are only given one life on this planet.  Live it to its fullest.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, that’s your cue that it’s time for a change.  Just start!  If you need some motivation / guidance call someone.  A good Professional Organizer is never judgmental.  You have only time, space, confidence and peace of mind to gain. Q: What’s on the horizon?A: One important thing I had planned to do once I became a Professional Organizer is to volunteer in some capacity with the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind), seeing how my company name is Visual Girl Home Therapy.  I have never taken my eyesight for granted and I cannot think of anyone more organized that a person without sight.  I am humbled by the thought and I feel I have much to learn from such an experience.  Loved meeting you Kerith… I think we will be friends for a very long time!Patti   

Travel Plans

This is it! The month that I’m about to embark on my dream trip; my trip of a lifetime… the Greek Islands. As you read this, I may be touring the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis, or having lunch overlooking the Aegean sea, or basking in the sun by the pool. It is my honeymoon!When we have travel plans, it seems that little ‘to do’ items keep cropping up, stressing us out so much that by the time we leave we really ARE ready for a vacation! Here are a few tips to help you out with all that. Get your little ‘To Do’ notebook out, and don’t forget to look at your ‘Ta Dah’ list also, as you need to feel rewarded for your efforts.Plan Your Outfits in Advance. I can’t stress this one enough. If you’re on a four-day trip, review your schedule in your head and add up the number of times you estimate you’ll need to change clothes. Then, plan what you’ll wear for each change. This will keep your travel wardrobe lean and mean, and you won’t drag along any extra pieces that you end up not wearing.Choose a Color Scheme. Plan to wear pants/skirts in one dark neutral, either black or brown. Then add tops in a light neutral (grey, tan or white). Then, add a few more pieces in shades of a single bright color such as blue or red .  Throw in some accessories and jewelry and you’re all set. Get a Smaller Bag. Parkinson’s Law states that work expands according to the amount of time available. So try buying a smaller bag and you’ll force yourself to pack lighter. Use Your Shoes As Containers. If you have to pack shoes in your luggage, remember they’re hollow, so you may as well take advantage of the space inside them. Stuff them with socks, underwear, or even other shoes.Carry one on. If you’re taking an airline or other mass transit to your destination, always carry on a small carry-on bag that contains your prescription medications, some of your cosmetics, a toothbrush/toothpaste duo, your cell phone, a change of clothes, underwear and a good book. Just in case your luggage doesn’t make it when you do, you’ll have your important items with you. Bag it. If you don’t plan on washing your clothes while you’re away, be sure to pack an empty plastic bag so your dirty items can be kept separate from your clean clothes. Bring one of those Tide To Go sticks for emergency cleanups.Bring games for the kids.
It’s definitely worth it to stop by your local travel store to find some travel games for the kids, such as Travel Bingo, magnetic checkers or coloring books. Also, don’t forget some snacks and pre-frozen boxed juices as the little ones are bound to get hungry at one point or another. A portable DVD player, or a laptop computer to watch movies could be your best friend!There’s no place like home.
Before you leave for vacation, clean your house, wash all of your laundry and make your bed. When you arrive back home after your vacation, your home will be a welcome haven.

Last week I picked out kitchen cupboards and countertop for a client. It was more fun than I thought it would be! I got thinking about spring and kitchens, so that’s the topic this month.
We all look at those magazines that have beautiful kitchen ads in it, or feature kitchens. We want our kitchen to look like that!
Try to look at your kitchen as the best it can be, accepting it for what it is, but adding the right accessories to punch up your look. Of course, to add accessories, we must remove some of what we have. Why hold on to that dated little piece that you haven’t used in eons. Kitchen accessories should be both beautiful AND functional.
Start by paring down what you have, then add a new item that you love, and voila! You’ve got yourself a fresh kitchen at a fraction of the price! 
· Look at your kitchen with subjective eyes, or ask a friend who’s taste you like, to give you an honest opinion of the overall feel of the room. What little things can be done to make a big difference?
· Look in your cupboards first. Are there things that can be donated or designated to another place of storage? This can make room for the appliances taking up space on your countertop.
· Look at the movie “No Reservations” with Catherine Zeda Jones. You’ll see a functioning kitchen in a romantic chick flick. Also, on HGTV, “Restaurant Makeover” shows some small but highly functioning restaurant kitchens. This will help your awareness of how you in YOUR kitchen, and if you need to move some things around. Are your dishes near your dishwasher? Are your pots and pans near the stove? The stove utensils? The oils and spices?
· Look up. You likely have a clock up on your wall. For $10 to $30 you can get a contemporary looking one to suit your new look.
· Look down. Do you have an old worn area rug in front of your sink? Update that look and add some colour that you haven’t thought of using in a kitchen before. There are pinks, blues, and melon colours in lots of kitchen accessories these days, from ladles to peelers, to mixers. I love the white look with a  bit of chrome for accessories. Very Ikea-ish, I know.
· Look around. Can the window treatments use a bit of freshening?  Match them up with your other accessories and be cheered.
· Look at your dishes. If they are white, then you can match them up with a fresh set of cloth napkins and stainless rings for your next dinner. Who needs a special occasion? Invite friends or family over to see your new look. You can change your dishes for a season with a set of 4 trendy ones for about $20 at a department store.
· Look at your chairs. Could they use a coat of paint or a newly upholstered seat that, of course, matches your new window treatments? A trendy look is mismatched wood chairs.
If your bank account doesn’t match your kitchen dreams just yet, let these tips elevate your satisfaction level with the kitchen you do have at this moment. Tear out kitchen pictures for your goal kitchen someday, but only when that is a priority. Living in this moment with any room of your home is a Patti-principal I try to adhere to, and worth encouraging the readers of this newsletter to do! Treat each room with the respect it deserves. It’s reward for surrounding you in a safe haven of delight!

This weekend the clocks go ahead already! Twice a year, the time change is a good instigation for editing our homes for the spring clean. Here in Ontario, we are not ready to think about spring cleaning our homes. We can hold off on that till April or May. One thing we can do is edit some things to ready ourselves for the onslaught of inspiration that comes with those months. In the same way that we ‘pre-pack’ before we show our homes to sell, we can ‘pre-purge’ before we freshen our homes up for summer. We are aware clutter diminishes our clarity and occupies space, physical and mental. It interferes and distracts, and diminishes efficiency and effectiveness. It keeps us from moving ahead in our lives. We will be mentally, physically, and spiritually ready for the change of seasons when we see our home environment represented as the fresh fun free feeling of summer!

Here are a few tips to help you make your month of March your preparation month. Believe it or not, summer is indeed coming!

1. Closets: You’re looking at your winter wardrobe still, and asking yourself if you have worn everything in it. If not, then you probably won’t next year either. Pack them up in the Salvation Army bag that you always have handy at the back of your closet. What about those shoes you haven’t worn this winter?

2. Kid’s It is time to take stock of your children’s clothing, switching out seasonal items and assessing whether things fit them anymore. Go through each child’s clothing and decide whether to donate, discard, or save outgrown items for another child in your family. You can sort items to keep into clear containers by size and gender, such as “Boys Sizes 6-8.” If they have games they haven’t played in the cold winter months, try to coax them into donating to a needy child in the community, or even a friend of theirs.

3. Pantry: Go through your pantry and donate to the food bank all of the still jarred and packaged gift basket remnants from the holidays, throw out the old valentine chocolate, the stale croutons, and the mixes you’ll never bake. Organize your refrigerator to make more room for the wonderful fresh spring and summer produce. On your shelves you can also use plastic salad mix bins to contain packages of crackers, nuts, spices, etc.

4. Home Office: Since you’re finishing up your income taxes, it’s an excellent time to archive and purge old files. A rule of thumb we use is to keep things from the current year and previous year in your active filing cabinet and archive anything older to a different location, such as a file box stored in the basement or garage. Thumb through old magazines and cut out special articles or inspirational pictures. File them in page protectors in a binder.

5. Laundry and Storage: Take all your own grocery bags back to the store. Leave your recycled cloth bags in your car and you won’t have to hit yourself in the forehead the next time you walk out of your car into the parking lot. How many extra cleaning liquids do you store that you don’t need?

Unloading clutter from your home becomes synonymous with cleansing the clutter from your mind. You will know what is important to you and your family when you cleanse what is unnecessary. Living simply can open doors that you don’t even know exist!

How do you know what is important and what you can live without? Think of these questions. You get to move to Hawaii. It costs $100s of dollars per pound to move and you are limited to X number of pounds. What will you take? Your home is in an emergency situation. You have been given two hours to pack and evacuate. What will you take?You can retire/quit your job NOW if you are willing to downsize and live in a friend’s small guest house. What will you take?Good luck with your editing!

Patti Smith
Show Offs Home Staging and Organizing

 February makes me think of cozying up in the winter with your spouse. Likely it’s Valentines Day that inspires me to think about how we manage our relationships with others and how effective those relationships are. Clutter in your environment can put a strain on everyone in the household. The master bedroom is especially vulnerable to the well being of your relationship with your spouse. This month, let’s concentrate on clearing the bedroom space and watching what that can do to our love life. Seriously, the feng shui experts will verify this. We spend about one-third of our life in our bedrooms, but it’s usually the space we put the least effort into furnishing, decorating, and keeping neat - because it’s tucked away from visitors. Here are some hints to help you elevate your relationship with your lover, AND yourself, by unveiling the serenity, romance, and peace that your bedroom inherently holds.

1. Edit everything from sightexcept for a picture of the two of you, a candle, a bud vase of silk flowers or pussy willows. On your bedside table, just your lamp and clock radios are necessary. Bedside tables with drawers are a necessity. The principal bedroom is the most important room in the house for allowing the ambiance of intimacy in your life. Remember, clutter represents postponed decisions. You don’t want to look around, just to get your brain and your sensual limbic system busy with that!
2. Be a good example Once you have cleared away a hot spot or two, it’s bound to be noticed. But there has to be a system in place to prevent that area from getting cluttered up as fast as your Quaker oats boils. When you have the spouses’ attention, try a teamwork approach to maintaining the momentum. Gather together and brainstorm some ideas!
3.  Make your bed as soon as you get up. An unmade bed looks sloppy, and will drag the rest of the room down with it.
4. Put away clean clothes as soon as you come across them, and buy an attractive hamper for storing dirty clothes - no one wants to look at a cracked plastic laundry basket.
5. The one out of five rule: If your spouse has a collection of things, like books, tools, baseball caps, etc that take up valuable real estate, try editing with the one out of five rule. Pull out 5 items and ask them to donate one to a lucky recipient. If you do this once a week or so, you will notice a difference in a few years! Aren’t we sly?
6. The most common bedroom clutter is furniture. Is everything in your bedroom there because it has to do with the two of you, or are you storing other family belongings? Edit your clothes and stuff so that you can get rid of a piece of furniture. Ideally, the closets will be organized enough to accommodate all the clothes, anyway. Closet organizing is another topic.
7. Simplify with colour: Keep your colour choices for the master down to one soft neutral and one other colour. A classic black accents and sophisticates a room in the right place. Soft green is serene and can blend well with most artwork. A muted light blue can soothe the soul like a clear blue ocean. Try not to allow too much masculinity in the bedroom, as it’s always a little subliminal fun for the ‘fellow’ to be entering the feminine ‘boudoir’.

Just a quick note to let everybody know that you can now sign-up for the Show Off’s Monthly newsletter with the subscription box on the sidebar.

Simply add your email address and then look for a subscription confirmation link in your email. More details are included during the sign-up process.

I came across an interesting comparison of the word resolution and the word committment. Are you using the right word in your language to yourself this new year? Studies have shown that resolutions last approximately 3 days. Maybe this is why:

To resolve means – to loosen, release; to break up; to reduce by analysis; to clear up. To commit means – to promise devotion; to promise resources; to entrust something to somebody; to record something for the future.

Think about which one you want to include in your life this month.

Simplifying with style,

Patti

Organize “In”  The New Year

Although Jan. 1 is the customary date for making New Year’s resolutions, this maligned tradition makes sense. After weeks of stress getting ready for all the events between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, you may be feeling bloated and burned out. I’m seeing a definite increase in the population at my local gym. Many of us leap gung-ho into a life of fitness and often run screaming from it sometime before Valentine’s Day.Don’t stop at your body when it comes to your wellness level. This year, make your home environment a priority in your new years resolutions. Your home is very important to your emotional well being. How you take care of your space around you can affect your daily life in many ways. Do you spend time looking for things? Does everything in your house have it’s own home?

Do you have piles of items or papers that you mean to ‘get to ’some day soon?

Then you’re not alone. Most of us have some kind of issue around our stuff.

Clutter is anything that is unused, unloved, in disrepair, or not in it’s own home. Don’t live in CHAOS (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome). Make a goal this year to create a healthy, organized home for you and your family.Let’s face it: Goals have to be made sometime, because as Yogi Berra said:  “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” Creating the home you want doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it.

Remember — Don’t agonize, organize! And have a very Happy 2008 Year.Patti Smith   

 I found this interesting take on new years resolutions. You decide for yourself, but now is a great time to take a short look back and a big look forward. Patti

Plan for a Successful New Year by Looking BackPat Heydlauff With 2008 fast approaching have you started thinking about what’s ahead? Will your new year be better than 2007 or at least as good? Will your relationships, health and income improve or at minimum, not get worse? And, can you do anything to make it better? Or, do you find one year melting into the other and nothing changes?If nothing changes in your life for the better year after year, this article is for you. Positive change comes not only from using Feng Shui in your surroundings but also with your thinking. This year, rather than looking forward to the new year and wondering just what you should do about resolutions and changes in your life, take a look back first.Have you resolved the issues you wanted to resolve in the past twelve months such as relationships that are not working or a job that is not fulfilling or paying you what you deserve? Have you made decisions or completed things you’ve been working on that should have been done several years ago, or at least completed by the end of this year? Do you have a pattern of holding over one decision or another year after year?Resolve Unfinished Things FirstBefore you look forward to the new year, look back over the past year to see what has been left unfinished. When there are many unfinished projects, issues or decisions left at the end of the year, you will take their energy into the new year as clutter. And, that clutter will prevent you from having a new year that begins with new energy, new thinking, new ideas and new results.The first step to creating positive new energy in the new year is to eliminate as much old stagnant energy as possible. Review and evaluate the past twelve months to see what needs to be resolved – then try some of the following positive energy solutions.Positive Energy Solutions to Resolve Unfinished Issues• If you are agonizing over making a long term investment, come to a decision and get on with your life. If you don’t, you will transfer that same agonizing energy into the new year and it will reside there as clutter until you finally make your decision.• If you are in a relationship that simply is not working, make a decision today to move on and then do it. It does not serve you or the other person well to continue a relationship that is not what you want or is not going anywhere. This type of negative energy can be very suffocating and even result in poor health over a long period of time.• If you are looking for a new long-term relationship then quit talking about it but rather do something about it. If you have been unsuccessful in finding the right person to share your life with in the places you’ve been looking – find other activities to participate in that would provide you new opportunities to meet people. You will find the relationship you are looking for only when you completely focus positive energy on finding an appropriate relationship for you. • If your health is an issue and you used to feel better when you worked out or did Yoga on a weekly basis but quit because of a time crunch or an emotional setback - make a decision to get back into the habit of participating in weekly physical activity. Don’t just think about it, if physical activity makes you feel better, do it - your spirits and health will both improve.• If you hate going to work because you are underappreciated and underpaid, research what your options are. Find all the possible opportunities available that will pay you or can lead you to the income you want and will also provide you a sense of accomplishment and recognition. If you do not find many options in your field, look into other fields of work that can use your talents. Staying indefinitely at a job you hate is very stressful. Once you find all of your options take action so you can be in-control of your life, not your current employer.Plan now for a successful 2008. Eliminate as much unfinished business clutter as possible before the end of this year so new energy will be your only companion as you transition into the new year. The most successful new beginnings are ones where the old energy has been shifted out of your life making room for positive new energy that is supportive of the new future you are creating. If you plan for a better new year, you will have a better new year. © Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2007 

Quick and Dirty Decorating for the Holidays

1.       If you have a real tree, use some stray branches and gather in a big bucket, or even a round wastepaper bin decorated with stripes of last years’ holiday ribbon, or duct tape… it’s silver.

2.       Place a few candles on a Christmas plate or a ‘silver’ tray from the dollar store. When lit, you can’t beat the glow! Sprinkle sugar around the bottom on the plate… looks like snow!

3.       Place a bowl of oranges pegged with cloves in a clear glass or wooden bowl. Form the cloves as a Christmas bow, or bell, or with initials.

4.       I have 3 little red votive holders from the dollar store on display them on my white kitchen shelf, and that’s it on the shelf. It looks bright and homey. Of course the wine rack is just above it.

5.       Fill a clear glass vase, bowl, or jar with shiny Christmas tree ornaments in the same colour, or different colours. Looks good in the bathroom and kitchen too.

6.       As a place- card, string a small tag made out of old Christmas card to a Christmas ball, and let the guest take it home.

7.       Pour about ½ lb of sugar into two bowls.  Add enough red food colouring to one of the bowls and pour into vase in candy cane stripe fashion, alternating colours. Cute! And a great way to use the sugar that you thought you’d be baking with but don’t have time to bother.

8.       Replace a few light bulbs in your lamps with coloured bulbs. Red lends a cheery glow, while blue or green is very mellow.

9.       Have the youngest child tell the Christmas story.

Subject: Humorous Home Remedies

10. The holidays are about drinking: If you’re choking on an ice cube simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself.
11. The holidays are about food: Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold while you chop.
12. The holidays are about love and relationships: Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.
13. The holidays are about peace: For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
14. The holidays are about partying: A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
15. The holidays are about health: If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives; then you’ll be afraid to cough.
16. The holidays are about simplicity: You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn’t move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn’t move and does, use the duct tape.
17. The holidays are about friends: Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.