Happy Spring! 

While we are all (hopefully) practicing social distancing, it's the perfect opportunity for some spring cleaning.  If you are like me, you are thinking about getting organized- between Netflix, kids and laundry. Here are some tips to go from thinking about it to actually getting it done:

Easy tips to make spring cleaning manageable

1. START SMALL. The thought of organizing my kitchen cabinets or dresser is overwhelming so I started with JUST ONE DRAWER or cabinet a day. It worked! Just one each day is enough. We are all home for at least the next two weeks so that's 14 drawers or cabinets! One junk drawer, one sock drawer, one section of the closet... That's it. Then go back to Netflix. So far I only have one drawer done but it's a start.

2. SET A TIME LIMIT. Similar to starting small, limit your time. Since you are only taking on small projects, don't take too much time so you don't get bored and not finish. BUT be sure to finish and not leave it everywhere when time is up. Then back to the couch.

3. SORT, SORT, SORT. Dump everything out and separate them into 4 piles: trash, save, donate AND the "maybe" pile. This is the pile most professional organizers don't realize we need. It's always my biggest pile. Once you have all 4 piles separated, toss the trash. Put away the "Save" and bag the "Donate". Now have a heart-to-heart with your "Maybe" pile and toss out half of it. You didn't really don't need to save that earring with no pair, the markers with no ink.  

4. SCHEDULE A DONATION PICKUP. Even if you haven't started yet, schedule a pickup for next week. Then you can have a nice batch of your "Donate" piles to leave out. We have a local charity that picks up or check out PICK UP PLEASE  to see if they service your area. 

5. ABOUT THAT "MAYBE" PILE... What about the clothes in your "Maybe" pile that you don't wear but can't toss or donate? Or the ones in the "Save" pile that are too sentimental to give up. Why not turn them into something new? The Patchwork Bear turns favorite clothes into keepsake memory bears, pillows, bags and for those with a big pile of clothes...memory quilts. Upcycled and sentimental. Good for the environment and good for you.

For the rest of March, you can get a FREE MEMORY BIRD at The Patchwork Bear with your purchase of $50 or more with code SPRING2020 at checkout. Take a look at all the things we can turn your clothes into HERE

 Happy organizing! Be well, stay healthy and let's all take care of each other.