Happy Spaces Blog

One of the biggest lessons I carried with me from the classroom into my organizing work is this: people are far more successful when they have ownership over the ideas and the process. When I was teaching, I saw this play out every day. If a child helped come up with their own strategy to learn math facts or spelling words, they were much more likely to remember and use it. If we did it the way I thought was best, it might work for a while, but it rarely stuck. The same was t

As a professional organizer, I take donations at the end of many of my sessions. Sometimes it’s a single bag. Sometimes it’s an entire car full. And sometimes, there’s nothing to donate at all. One thing I often reassure clients about is there is no “right” place to donate. Donating anywhere is worthwhile. What matters most is that the item leaves your home and has the opportunity to be used again. People often get stuck because they want their items to go to the perfect plac

We all have them and if you're short like me even more shelves fall in the hard to reach category. They are great in theory (extra storage!) but in reality, this space is inconvenient and underused. As a professional organizer, I see this all the time and with the holidays coming up, it’s the perfect moment to put that space to good use. 1. Store once-a-year holiday items. Those upper cabinets are prime real estate for things you only need seasonally, Thanksgiving serving p

This week, I had the privilege of helping one of my senior clients downsize for the second time this year. Each move has meant adjusting to a smaller space and this one came with a unique challenge right at the front door. When I arrived at his new apartment, I immediately noticed that his dining table took up nearly the entire entranceway. It was a beautiful, well-loved piece, but far too large for the layout. Every time he came or went, he had to squeeze by. It wasn’t safe

As a professional organizer, everyone wants to see the before-and-after photos. It makes sense, people want to see transformation. And...

With Halloween decorations going up all around us, it is a good time to talk about one of the scariest places in our homes, mine...

Just as my talk on creating a functional space was coming to a close, a hand went up and someone asked, “How do I get motivated to...

As a home organizer, I help clients let go of things they no longer use. Letting go doesn’t always mean throwing away or dropping items...

I’ve had the privilege of working with individuals and families to tackle clutter and create systems that bring more time, peace, and...