tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24386652253262453122024-11-01T04:42:57.590-07:00All Things Home™ blog includes insights, photos and tips from professional organizer and expert Gayle Grace. Your home. Organized.™ Your move. Easier.™ Serving the entire San Francisco Bay Area. 510-654-7983Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.comBlogger266125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-45103940657001940012011-07-22T12:07:00.000-07:002011-07-22T12:08:42.634-07:00

I thank all of you, my friends and blog readers.  The All Things Home™ blog can now be found on my website at http://allthingshome.com/blog/ .  I hope you will all continue reading and commenting.  Please say hello when you get there...

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-62279171148634408512011-07-20T07:30:00.000-07:002011-07-20T07:30:02.493-07:00

I've been working with an east bay Realtor, organizing and filing masses of paper that got tossed into boxes during a recent move.  Needless to say, most of the stuff in the boxes was pitched when she really got to look at it.  She's amazed at how much useless paper had accumulated. Of the paper that is left, a great deal of it is projects.  The business cards to scan into the

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-40500122987080965862011-07-13T07:30:00.000-07:002011-07-13T07:30:04.396-07:00

Passwords have been around for a long time.  Every kid who has a "box fort", tree house or other such secret meeting space, knows that you needed a password to enter.  Even the boy wizard at Hogwarts needed a password to get passed the "fat lady" portraits in the house of Gryffindor. Last week I wrote about my dear friend Beverly, who passed away unexpectedly.  While Beverly

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-45451293098270101802011-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:002011-07-06T07:00:00.313-07:00

As a professional organizer, I've had the privilege of working with many, many wonderful people through the years.  But every so often a client comes along who becomes a good and trusted friend.  Such was the case with Beverly Wunderlich, a fantastic woman I moved into a senior community a number of years ago.  Beverly has just left us, and I will dearly miss her. Beverly had a "

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-54028493716811679292011-06-29T16:07:00.000-07:002011-06-29T16:07:07.657-07:00

My little condo has a little balcony, which I love.  Sitting outside on a Sunday afternoon, with a cookbook, and a cat on my lap is my idea of a good day. Recently, I decided it was time to upgrade my balcony decor. I have a nice small set of teak chairs and table, and a baker's stand that I keep my plants on.  As you know, all my plants are fakes, so this stand is actually full of

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-22084851077039710842011-06-23T07:30:00.000-07:002011-06-27T14:55:19.337-07:00

Earlier this month, All Things Home Organizing™ had the assignment of moving a family in the east bay.  What was special about this move, was that the clients handed us the keys to their old house AND their new house, and then they left town for 10 days.  ATH handled the entire project from planning the move, supervising the packing, moving and then doing the unpacking, all on our own.

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-48505002830600568562011-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:002011-06-15T08:00:10.976-07:00

We're moving a wonderful family in the east bay, and during the pre-move preparations, I went through their kitchen cabinets to see what would be packed and what would be tossed.  In the toss pile went a half dozen bottles of various oils that have gone rancid, along with dozens of bottles of herbs and spices that are several years (if not decades) old.  And bags of opened crackers,

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-12516829952454829602011-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:002011-06-08T08:00:07.685-07:00

I just did an organizing consultation with a wonderful woman here in the East Bay.  While the upstairs portion of her house, what I call the "public" spaces - the living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. - are neat, tidy and very attractively arranged, it's another story in the downstairs area of the house.  "Downstairs" is where things she no longer wants, but can't seem to bear to get

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-89509049344187407282011-06-01T13:57:00.000-07:002011-06-01T13:59:43.197-07:00

What do you do with a house or apartment full of furniture, collections of things, kitchen items, bedding, books, art and a garage full of tools?  The family has taken out those items that they want, and now there are rooms full of the left overs.  Some things are valuable, most things are not, and a lot of it is just plain junk... In the bay area, I suggest my clients call a Rick

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-12427004477979353212011-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-25T08:39:20.626-07:00

Today is the last Oprah Winfrey show, and I'll be waving goodbye along with everyone else.  Oprah did a lot for the profession of professional organizing.  She featured organizers on her show, in her magazines, and has even given them shows of their own. I believe that she is single handedly responsible for bringing professional organizers into the consciousness of our everyday life.

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-48662812836719361422011-05-18T11:21:00.000-07:002011-05-31T09:37:44.617-07:00

On Sunday, May 15th, I celebrated my birthday with friends at The French Laundry.  I've been wanting to go for ages, and finally the stars aligned so that it was possible. It's an experience, sort of a trip to Disneyland for grownups.  Everything was perfect, the weather was lovely, it's before the season starts in wine country so it wasn't too crowded, all the roses are in bloom

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-67811892699559128262011-05-10T21:39:00.000-07:002011-05-10T21:39:44.310-07:00

There's a lot for an organizer to blog about in May...however, all I can think about is food. My birthday is coming up, and I've finally whined and begged enough to get my one big wish...The French Laundry. I'm counting down the days and I'll share everything with you in next weeks post.

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-41682135302082612052011-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-04T08:01:51.872-07:00

Just a week ago we moved a friend's 80 year old mother out of her Santa Rosa double wide trailer home, and into a lovely one bedroom apartment, in a beautiful senior community, in Marin.  The move went smoothly and we settled her into her new home in one day.   Packing up the old livingroom... My assistant, Michelle, helping our client choose which clothes to take... The new bedroom.

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-10941547967518042142011-04-27T07:57:00.000-07:002011-04-27T07:57:23.952-07:00

I've been getting a lot of questions about TLC's Extreme Couponing show.  What's the story on this?  Are these people hoarders?  How many bottles of shampoo and boxes of pasta does one need? I finally watched an episode, and while I am not Dr. Phil, I can see some obsessive/compulsive tendencies at work here:  The couponer's excessive attention to the search and finding

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-60312195489732887402011-04-20T09:00:00.000-07:002011-04-20T09:41:24.380-07:00

Watch an episode of House Hunters on HGTV, and you'll see how much we Americans love closets. We simply can not get enough closet space.  But, it's not just how many closets you have, it's how efficiently organized they are that makes them highly usable and functional. The first thing to look at is how well designed the closet is.  Most every closet can benefit from some kind of

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-53160179193882134082011-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:002011-04-11T12:14:45.228-07:00

Last week we had the privilege of packing, unpacking and organizing a new home for a Berkeley Rabbi and his family.  Our challenge was keeping their kitchen kosher - the separation of dairy cookery from meat.  I met with them in their new kitchen the week before the move and we laid out plans for where things would go. Fortunately, their new kitchen has lots of cupboards and drawers. &

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-4077126500937173942011-04-06T09:00:00.000-07:002011-04-06T10:10:35.942-07:00

As you know, I have 2 cats.  One of them thinks it's her job to take any real flower arrangement I bring into the house apart.  She stays up all night ripping the petals out and pulling leaves off the stems until she finally knocks the whole thing over and leaves me to clean up the mess at 4am.  But I don't let that stop me from enjoying beautiful flower arrangements, and 

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-35031238976519156832011-03-30T10:00:00.000-07:002011-03-30T10:17:02.426-07:00

Recently one of my ATH facebook followers posed this question:  "Can everyone be organized?  My husband seems like a lost cause to me..." I've been pondering that question, because I use to think that everyone could be organized.  After 20 years as a professional organizer, I now understand that while every space can be organized and made more efficient, and certainly everyone can

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-4822837398802142832011-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:002011-03-23T08:00:08.274-07:00

Last week I was organizing a chef's newly renovated kitchen.  We spent a lot of time trying to find the most efficient way to store all her foods and cooking utensils, especially the mountains of bulk food products for baking. Her bulk food containers are all restaurant sized and round.  It was painfully obvious that all the new storage shelving that had been added to this kitchen

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-91660073101839526842011-03-16T08:00:00.000-07:002011-03-16T08:00:01.968-07:00

The Great Spring Cleaning of 2011 is DONE.  This event was as much about taking stock of what I have as it was about cleaning.  When you clean EVERYTHING you own, you come to realize how much you have.  I never want to have more than I can keep clean in a reasonable time. I admit that the majority of time was spent getting up and down on a ladder to wash the walls and to touch up

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-80046221517344956462011-03-09T08:00:00.000-08:002011-03-09T08:00:23.758-08:00

It started with a leak from the upstairs neighbor's bathroom into mine... I pondered having to fix this for a couple of weeks. Then when an opening in my calendar appeared, I decided the only way to handle this was to tear the entire condo apart, clean every inch of it and repair the damage from the leak. Day 1 - the bedroom and closet - everything comes out, gets evaluated, cleaned and put

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-1011049392256912822011-03-02T08:30:00.000-08:002011-03-02T08:30:05.024-08:00

I am a true believer in shaking things up in my home to change the energy in my life.  I have been know to rearrange the furniture in the middle of the night when the urge strikes. I especially believe that my business shifts every time I rework my office... A couple of years ago, I thought I wanted to calm things down with a very neutral palette. Boring... Then I spiced things up by

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-49574698559920947232011-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:002011-02-23T08:00:02.046-08:00

I absolutely love this post by Lorie Marreno of Clutter Diet. National Geographic Collections: Golden Shelves of Glory?One of the most humorous things I notice in my work as a Professional Organizer is how many people collect National Geographic magazines.I think of them as the "Golden Shelves of Glory" when I walk into a room and see them.Here's a photo of some in a basement, but

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-27452773083926676522011-02-16T09:42:00.000-08:002011-02-16T09:42:11.650-08:00

As a bay area professional organizer, I get to work on a lot of kitchen pantries.  It's one of my favorite things.  Every kitchen has its challenges and it's the opportunity to solve those issues for a family that is so exciting. Pantries often suffer from over crowding, lack of organizing supplies, misplacement of type of item, failure to discard the old items, too many people

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438665225326245312.post-9528327581937356842011-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:002011-02-09T07:00:11.761-08:00

Yes, I know...lots of kitchens don't come with a formal pantry.  Organizing my client's homes, I've had to create many a pantry area.   Sometimes a closet or laundry area near the kitchen can be organized into a shared space to include a food pantry.  Once in while, even part of a garage can be designated for food, using proper storage cabinetry. In apartments with small kitchens

Gayle Grace, Professional Organizerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551037991677928239noreply@blogger.com1