Simply Peaceful Solutions

02/28/2024

To all my scrapbooking friends and Close to My Heart customers: It was announced today from the company founder that CTMH will be ending their business with all operations to be completed by June 30, 2024. I am very sad as I have loved this company’s products and have been enjoying being a Maker with the company. If you are interested in ordering anything, please let me know. I can probably combine some orders to help save a few dollars on shipping costs. But be aware that some items will sell out soon. There is some talk about a rival company buying out part of the business, but I will no longer be an active consultant after June.

11/09/2018

More photos of our first purge session. The job was far from done, but we accomplished a lot in one day.

11/09/2018

The purging continued. We were able to organize this bookshelf for storage of scrapbook supplies.

11/09/2018

After 3 years of not being able to access her coat closet, I was able to help my client purge a mountain of clutter and store the remaining needed items in containers in only our first session.

11/09/2018

Before and after of front entry and coat closet. My client was unable to use this entry and access her coat closet for three years. We were able to change that in our first session.

05/06/2017

If your clutter is getting you down, give me a call at Simply Peaceful Solutions. I'd be happy to help you declutter and de-stress.

Clutter is weighing me down -help decluttering my home Walking you through how to go about decluttering your home and keeping it that way. Clutter is…

04/18/2017

Plastic wrap is a great tool to help with moving. You can use it to keep drawers closed, to cover an open box to keep its contents secure, and to wrap around glass containers to keep the top from falling off and getting broken.

03/23/2017

We're Moving!

My husband and I have been married for 22 years and have lived in our current home for 21 of those years. That is longer than I have ever lived in any one location. In less than one month, we will be moving to our new home – hopefully the last one before Heaven (or until we retire to Florida)! While I am a professional organizer and pride myself on being somewhat of a minimalist, I am finding that even I have WAY TOO MUCH STUFF! Just packing up my dining room, I have filled up seven boxes!

I already know that many of our furniture pieces and knick knacks will not fit into our new home, so I am selling or giving away as much as I can before the move. While I find it easy to let go of some things, other items are not so easily discarded.

The process that I am implementing is to go room by room and pack up everything that is non-essential to our everyday life for the next month. At this point, it's mostly my china, serving pieces, framed photos, and knick-knacks. As I come across items that I haven't used in the past year or things that no longer hold any sentimental value, I'm placing them on top of my dining room table to be sold or donated. The good news is - my table is filling up fast!

One item that I have held onto for several years which I am letting go of is a wall-hung clock that my dad gave me one year for Christmas. The clock has a swinging pendulum and it chimes every hour, or it does when you wind it. I haven't wound it in at least ten years! The chimes kept me awake at night. The only reason I have held onto it is because my dad gave it to me, and he passed away 15 years ago. It's hard to let go of gifts from our loved ones who have died. But I can assuage the guilt by acknowledging all the other material possessions that I have that either belonged to my dad or that my dad gave me, and by also acknowledging my memories of my dad are not completely tied up in material things.

The best way to honor the memory of a loved one through inherited possessions is to actually use those possessions. My dad left me a desk, a side table, and an antique secretary that I use every day. These items are integral parts of our home, unlike the wall clock. So, I'm not letting the guilt of parting with a gift keep me tied to something I don't really cherish. And that's my best piece of advice to anyone who has a hard time letting go because of guilt. Only own items that are integral to your life or which you truly cherish.

Dining room down – only 10 more rooms and 26 days to go!

Evette Ownby
Simply Peaceful Solutions
3/23/2017

03/22/2017

I have followed many of these principles for a long time. And it has really helped me let go of unneeded items that clutter up our home and my time.

I have learned that understanding just a few key principles can help anyone clear their clutter. Consider the 10 most important decluttering principles to help anyone clear clutter.

02/23/2017

2/23/2017 You know the old adage, “There's always room for improvement”? Well, today I have the perfect example - my broom closet. For years I have stored my broom and mop and vacuum in the closet under my stairs, along with a blanket chest, my camera bags, and a card table and chairs. I thought I was pretty organized. But to be completely honest, I never paid too much attention to how I stored the my mop and broom and dust mop. While I had one hook in the wall which I normally hung my broom from, most of the time everything else was just leaned up against the wall - not a problem. Until I went to grab the mop, or I would pull out the vacuum and cause a crap-alanche because it got tangled up with the broom and mop. And recently I purchased a steam mop which added to the chaos. So the other day I noticed that all my cleaning devices (not just the broom) had a hole or loop on the end of the handle that could be hung from a hook or nail. Solution – Command Hooks by . I had plenty on hand because I use them on my windows at Christmas to hang wreaths. I commandeered them for my closet and, WHA-LA!! Now everything hangs neatly and I can grab just the exact appliance I need with no jumbled mess of mop heads. See, even a professed organizer can find room for improvement!