Organizational Advice for Your Move
Greetings from Shorter Designs! My husband and I just moved, which is nothing new for us. We have moved nine times in our seven years of marriage, so we have it down to a science. Relocating is a great...
View ArticleDo More Fun Things
Greetings from Shorter Designs! As you know, summer is here which for most people means—vacation! I always loved vacations growing up and looked forward to them for months in advance. My family would...
View ArticleNurture Your Friendships
Greetings from Shorter Designs! What are your plans for the Fourth of July? I hope that you are going to celebrate with some of our time-honored Independence Day traditions: fireworks, family and...
View ArticleLet Them Know You Care
Greetings from Shorter Designs! Later this month, my husband will be the best man in a wedding. So many people get married in the summer; this time of year is perfect for reflecting on marriage and my...
View ArticleLearn from Athletes
Greetings from Shorter Designs! Over the last two weeks I have watched countless hours of the Olympics. What a joy to watch so many athletes from around the world compete! I continued to be amazed at...
View ArticleGain a Fresh Perspective
Greetings from Shorter Designs! I am so excited that October is here because I love the changes that autumn brings. I enjoy the colorful trees and the crispness in the air, the fall flowers and...
View ArticleHoliday Planning – Part 1
Greetings from Shorter Designs! This is the first part of a two-part newsletter. The rest of it will appear in December. I was talking with a friend the other day, and she stated, “The conversation I...
View ArticleHoliday Planning – Part 2
Greetings from Shorter Designs! This is the second part of a two-part holiday newsletter. After doing the ideas from November’s newsletter, consider what type of ambiance you would like to have at your...
View ArticleGet Organized
Greetings from Shorter Designs! As we all know, New Year’s is a popular time to make resolutions. Many people resolve to “get organized” in the coming year. How many times have you made that...
View ArticleUnshackle the Romance at Home
Greetings from Shorter Designs! Since most of you who subscribe to this newsletter are young mothers, this month, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we are going to focus on your romantic relationship and...
View Article7 Steps to Cut the Clutter
Greetings from Shorter Designs! March is a wonderful time to finish up projects in the house before the weather gets nice and you want to spend more time outside. With this in mind, let’s cut the...
View ArticleOrganize Your Lawn Supplies
Greetings from Shorter Designs! As we all know, spring is nearly here. I am really excited for the warmer weather and the opportunity to get outside after being trapped in the house over the winter...
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Get a Handle on Your Finances
image courtesy of s_falkow Greetings from Shorter Designs! I strive in my newsletters to hit a wide range of topics, and this month I want to write about an issue that has come up a lot with my...
View ArticleColor Code Your Way to Organization
Greetings from Shorter Designs! With flowers blooming all around bursting with color, I was inspired to write this month about how color-coding just about anything can help you get, and stay,...
View ArticlePrioritize What’s Important
Greetings from Shorter Designs! As you may have noticed from the brief newsletter in July, my husband and I had a beautiful baby girl, Rachel Leah Shorter, on June 13. She and I are doing well, and my...
View ArticleAdjust for the Gas Hike
Greetings from Shorter Designs! I hope you are doing well and that your kids are enjoying being back in school. Normally I try to write about something helpful to you for the season of the year, and...
View ArticleAiring Your Dirty Laundry
Greetings from Shorter Designs! The other day I was thinking back over several of my clients, and one common theme they all shared was not being able to keep a handle on laundry. There were piles of...
View ArticleCompiling Organizational Ideas
Greetings from Shorter Designs! This month I wanted to try something different. Every month, you get to hear from me, so this month I want to hear from you! I know many of you personally from helping...
View ArticleOrganizational Help From Readers
Thanks everyone for thinking about how to help each other this holiday season with your tips! Here are the wonderful ideas you came up with. Merry Christmas!! Cookie Swap: To maximize production of...
View ArticleFree Organizational Help
Greetings from Shorter Designs! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed spending time with family and friends. This year was fun for us as it was our first Christmas as parents. Rachel is...
View ArticleNavigate Your Computer
Greetings from Shorter Designs! February is a wonderful time to stay inside and keep warm. While you are cooped up take advantage of organizing items on your computer. We often forget that email, desk...
View ArticleAdjust Your System
Greetings from Shorter Designs! As some of you know, I am from Winston-Salem originally. My husband and I moved back about 2 years ago after being gone for 11 years. One thing I have noticed since...
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How to Prepare for a Successful Yard Sale
Greetings from Shorter Designs! Spring is here and if you are like many people, you see this as a good time of year to do a little spring cleaning, get a fresh start, and do some purging. Yard sales...
View ArticleTackling Papers
Greetings from Shorter Designs! How many of you have at least one area in your home where papers are out of control? I would venture to say each one of my clients has that one hot spot, whether it is...
View ArticleOrganization for Your Baby
Greetings from Shorter Designs! This month my daughter, Rachel, turns one year old. I can’t believe it! It truly seems like it was just a few weeks ago I looked into her eyes for the first time....
View ArticleMake Space in Your Car
Greetings from Shorter Designs! If you are like most people, you will be taking a vacation at some point this summer and toting your kids all around town while they are not in school. This means you...
View ArticleTake Advantage of Life’s Opportunities
Greetings from Shorter Designs! My husband and I are in the midst of packing to move in three weeks. Oh, what fun… especially with a 13 month old daughter! Our new house is in Advance, so we will...
View ArticleYou Are Only Responsible for Yourself
Greetings from Shorter Designs! Please accept my apologies for not writing a newsletter last month. We had a curve ball thrown our way regarding our move, and we had to live in Charlotte last month. We...
View ArticlePrioritize What Is Important
Greetings from Shorter Designs! It’s hard to believe November is already here! Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner… where has the year gone? It seems like the older my daughter gets,...
View ArticleMinimize Holiday Clutter
Greetings from Shorter Designs! Like so many things in life, it is easy to overdo the holidays. You buy turkey platters, Thanksgiving serving dishes, Christmas plates and over-the-top decorations....
View ArticleCommunicate Your Love
Greetings from Shorter Designs! February is the month of love in many ways. Every store you go in has heart decorations and cupids floating from the ceiling. If you are blessed to have a romantic love...
View ArticleGaining Control of Your Mail
Greetings from Shorter Designs! I hope you are each enjoying the nice Spring weather we have been having. My daughter is old enough now to really like playgrounds, so we have been having fun playing...
View ArticleInfant Travel Checklist
Greetings from Shorter Designs! This month I am celebrating 10 years of marriage to my wonderful husband with a cruise to Alaska. Together we agreed that we wanted to take our two year old daughter...
View ArticleFixing Bathroom Clutter
Greetings from Shorter Designs! When you open your bathroom cabinets, do things fall out? When you open a bathroom drawer, do makeup, Q-Tips, and toothpaste roll around together? Are there unsightly...
View ArticleCloset Organizational Excuses
Excuse vs. Truth Excuse: “I need more space and bigger closets before I can get organized.” Truth: By organizing your existing space, you automatically gain the extra room you need. It’s not how much...
View ArticleCloset Organizational Tips
A Little Planning Goes a Long Way The first thing you need to do is commit yourself to having the closet you really want. Think about what it’s like now, then dream about what it could be. Think about...
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Kitchen Organizational Excuses
Excuse vs. Truth Excuse: “My kitchen is just such a mess. It would take days to clean it out!” Truth: This sounds like an unhealthy statement! Your kitchen should be one of the most organized and...
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Kitchen Organizational Tips
Work Smarter-Not Harder Establishing systems to simplify your life only work if they’re easy to adopt and truly make a difference in your daily life. Here are some tips to make your kitchen easier–and...
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Best Time of Year to Buy Christmas Trees
It is the best time of the year to buy artificial Christmas trees that is. Everywhere has deep discounts to unload the Christmas merchandise. I usually get all my Christmas lights this time of year,...
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4 Ways to Save on a Gym Membership
image courtesy of hessnatur Oh how the holiday treats were so tempting! Now as we all come off their sugary daze, many of us think about how to get the weight off. Here are four quick ways to reduce...
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How to Gain Simplicity in Life
Most people have trouble getting organized because there is always a fear that they will need those items cluttering their home. To battle this fear, people need to gain commitment to live simply....
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