Let’s Get our Party On!

You have the menu, drinks & decorations. You’ve shopped, assembled, sliced, chopped and mixed.  You’re ready but… your house is…. not!  Don’t panic, we have 8 shortcuts to get your home party-ready quick.

1. Recalibrate and let go of your inner perfectionist.  You’re home doesn’t need to be completely spick and span when guests arrive. If they’re any fun at all, they’re going to make a bit of a mess, right? That said, go ahead and push that unpacked suitcase under the bed and out of the way for now.

2. Replace dishtowels in the kitchen and hand towels in the bathroom with clean ones.  Bonus Points: Spray them with starch and hand smooth so it looks like you ironed them.

3. If the rugs look a little matted and show spots a quick broom sweep will lift fibers and freshen. Run a Swiffer over hardwood floors.  A wet Swiffer works fine in the bathroom.  As for food bits on the Kitchen floor…well, I bet your dog would love that job!

4. Clear and wipe down surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom with something that smells clean, but not like a cleaning product. I adore Mrs. Meyer’s basil scent. An old washcloth or hand towel works well to finish the job and wipe away streaks and stubborn smears.  For extra shine pledge, yes pledge, gives a great shine to mirrors in a pinch (I don’t recommend this method every time as you will get a build up).

5. Keep nice smelling hand soap in your bathroom. Wash your hands to infuse the bathroom with a lovely scent. Bonus: You will know which guests are hand washers by the smell when they exit the bathroom. But… all your friends are hand washers, right? Right.

6. Designate a room or out of the way closet your hold all for errant clothes, shoes, stuff you haven’t had time to organize.  Close the door.

7. If you are a stacker — you know who you are, because there are books strewn on the ottoman, bills tossed on the counter and unopened mail piled by the front door.  Collect the bills, papers and piles in a basket.  Place the basket in the holding room (see 6) for now and bring it back out tomorrow.  As for books, look at any fancy catalog and you’ll find artfully stacked piles. Channel your inner stylist and put a rock and a shell, or a bowl of nuts on that stack. It will look purposeful and chic.

8. Place and hang your decorations, add a few candles, turn the lights down slightly and enjoy your friends, food and drinks.  No one will even suspect or care that you have a suitcase full of dirty clothes cleverly concealed under your bed.  And besides, they probably have one too!

Party on my friend!

 (Then call me in the morning.  You’re going to need me.)

Attacking a closet can be overwhelming, so proceed with caution. It’s hard to find the time to clean and more importantly keep your closet clean and organized. But once you do, you will be thrilled with how much easier it is to treat your closet like your own designated shopping area.

A few tips:

Recycle: Too many clothes? Living in an episode of Hoarders—not a cute look. Take a weekend to evaluate and play “when’s the last time you wore that?” A fun game that goes even better with champagne (cut to cheesy scene in Sex and the City 2, et al). Donate clothes to Goodwill, sell them at your local neighborhood Crossroads, or better yet–sell clothing pieces online at Etsy, Copious or Poshmark and make some extra $$$.

Sort: Sort through each section of your closet, head to toe, and make piles. If you have containers to separate each specific item or theme (hats, bags, etc.) then do so. The Container Store can be your best friend, with example custom closets built on display, it is easy to gain inspiration from walking around and finding pieces that you need to build your dream closet. Try to color coordinate, it will make finding things a breeze! Remember: Organization is an essential part of a functioning closet.

Make the Most of it: Always look for ways to maximize your space. Even a small closet has great potential to be great. Use bins, and under-bed storage for shoes, door racks and other special conscious organizational tools. Get creative, it is your space to make your own!

The New Year is all about re-invention. New haircut? Do it! New raw food cleanse? Go for it! I am an advocate for anything that produces positivity within yourself and gives you a reason to look forward to the future. Sure there are the typical New Year’s Resolutions; diet, exercise, quit smoking, cook more, etc. Most of which don’t last very long after the ball drops and the champagne falls flat. So this year, try to make the New Year about a slow and steady re-definition of yourself. You want to be able to feel good about your resolution, not guilty for breaking a promise to yourself. Here are some good examples:

• Watch less TV: This can be done in increments, or with a buddy or partner. Trust me, after a while you’re not going to miss Fear Factor or Jersey Shore re-runs. Snooki and Joe Rogan aren’t going anywhere.
• Join the Cause: volunteering and committing your time to something or someone can make all the difference in the world. Look up organizations that are doing something you are interested in, be it Breast Cancer 12k marathon, or a community garden, taking time out each week to help a non-profit or a philanthropic cause will show progressive change in yourself and your community.
• Work out…your left-brain: Learning something creative takes time and patience but is often rewarding in the end. Picking up a guitar, taking a pottery or sketching class exercises the left side of your brain, and can open up a whole new side of yourself that may be virtually untapped.  You may discover a newfound passion for poetry or knitting that provides balance to your daily hectic routine.

This year, just remember slow and steady wins the race. Take it one day at a time you will be feeling fab in 2012!

Some people hate V-Day…but how can you hate L-O-V-E?  Sure it’s probably a bit blown out of proportion, thanks to Hallmark, but in the end what’s so bad about celebrating something so positive?  I happen to like Valentine’s Day.  Maybe it’s because I was raised by a mom who loved it too – she enjoyed her classroom full of kids who did nothing but give her hugs and paper hearts and tell her how much they loved her.  Gifts aren’t required, just kindness and an appreciation for someone that means something to you.  I’m all for V-Day…whether you have a family member, a significant other, a pet or a pretty garden plan to love…just show them that you do!  Tell them that you do!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

Well, noting the date of our last blog post, it is clear that we at OYP have not been taking our own advice. Our sincerest apologies…life even gets busy for us sometimes! Nonetheless, we are back in action for our busiest season of the year…the holidays! Yes, besides their intrinsic joy, the holidays tend to make us all crazed/ broke/ tired/ stressed/ fat. We’re here to help you avoid, or at least minimize, these effects this holiday season. To tackle to “broke” and “stressed” components of this joyous season, here are some tips for Cheap and Easy Holiday Gift Giving.

Magazine Subscriptions: Great idea for kids (think “Highlights,” “Seventeen,” “Teen Vogue”) and adults (anything from “Sports Illustrated” to “Real Simple”). This gift takes only a few minutes to purchase online, and most magazines will deliver a card that acknowledges the gift to the recipient. If you don’t want to appear “empty handed” by this gift-to-come, wrap up the current month’s issue of the magazine you purchased with a card of your own!

Photo Calendars: A simple internet search for “photo calendars” will bring up dozens of websites where you can turn your years of photos into a cheap yet great gift that will last all year long. Invited to a holiday party along with eight of your girlfriends and can’t get a gift for each? Give them each a photo calendar filled with pictures of you and them throughout the years. Or, get some family photos together and use as stocking stuffers/ third-night-of-Hanukkah gifts!

Themed Baskets: This may sound like it requires a lot of effort, but with a basket, some creative wrapping, and a store like Target or Bed Bath and Beyond, this can be a simple, affordable, and creative gift. First, choose a genre, like “muffins” or “bath time.” Next, get some kind of a basket or whatever is appropriate for your genre (for example, if you choose “gardening,” you might choose a pail). Next, pick an aisle or section of your store of choice, and load up with inexpensive gifts. Lets say you choose “baking,” you can fill your basket with a rolling pin, muffin pan, muffin mix, a cookbook (Amazon.com is a great place to get affordable ones) some measuring cups and spoons.Put some cellophane around, tie with a bow, and you have an affordable present that shows lots of care and effort. Bonus idea: Know a college student or someone who’s just moved into an apartment? Load up with those goodies that no one want to buy: cleaning supplies, dishtowels,

Digital Photo Frames: Stores like BestBuy, Target, and Hannspree have great deals on these, and these can be a very thoughtful yet inexpensive gift that you can easily order online. If you have some time, and  want to make this gift even more personal and thoughtful, load one of these up with pictures before gifting it. This can be quite simple with digital albums and/ or social networking sites like Facebook…grab some photos off of these sites, download them onto your computer, and add them to your frame.

So get out there and get creative!!  Or better yet, ask Off Your Plate to get creative for you!