Another Day, Another Project!

If you're anything like me, you constantly think about what you could get done at home if only you had more time to spend there. Well, it's now day two of Atlanta's winter wonderland. I spent yesterday morning organizing my closet and have a pile to take with me to the store when we re-open (hopefully tomorrow). Afterwards my husband and I took to the couch like two potatoes and spent the evening watching movies, scrapbooking, and eating way too much junk food. So now this morning my living room looks like a bomb went off. I stared at it in fury and dismay for a few seconds, and then thought: silly me, I have plenty of time to get this back together - and to get it back together better! HGTV.com had some great tips to keep a family/living room neat and tidy. These are a few of my favorites:


1. Welcome the Waste Basket: Few family rooms actually have a wastebasket in them; they're not attractive and they can smell. Counteract this by choosing a can that fits your room's decor.

2. Keep Flat Surfaces Clutter-Free: Make a quick sweep of all flat surfaces by piling papers in a bin, then sorting and purging as necessary. Take a vow, and get your family to follow it, to put papers in files rather than on the coffee table.

3. Curb Your Collectible Enthusiasm: Large collections display best when bits and pieces are shown at a time (think shadow boxes) and rotated to keep the decor fresh.

Read the whole article at: http://www.hgtv.com/organizing/quick-tips-for-organizing-living-rooms/index.html

Finders Keepers Stores will stay closed again today. We hope to open tomorrow. Until then, stay safe and warm!

What a great day for a treasure hunt!

Stuck Inside? We are too. In order to keep our staff safe, all Finders Keepers Stores will be closed today, January 10th. Are you stuck at home? If so, it's a great day to clean out your closet! Get rid of clutter and make money off of things you no longer love. Already organized your wardrobe? Rearrange a room to refresh the energy and see if there's a piece or two you no longer have use for.

NAPO... GO... what??

In a world of ever-increasing acronyms, these may not be so familiar: GO or NAPO. Allow me to translate! GO is the abbreviation for Get Organized, and January is officially "Get Organized" month. This is where NAPO comes in: the National Association of Professional Organizers. Whether you need someone to light a fire under your organization goals or want to tackle it yourself, it's likely you can make some money off of things you're ready to part with. Check out this video that a NAPO member and Bonnie Kallenberg, owner of Finders Keepers Consignment Stores made to tell you about consignment:

Finders Keepers Saturday Workshops are Back!

It can plague any home - and it probably followed you into 2011: stuff. Knick-knacks, clothing, clutter, papers, receipts. We stash away an old jumbled pile - out of sight, out of mind - only to have to face it again in the future. Stop making more work for yourself and G.O. this January, which is Get Organized month. Finders Keepers Saturday Workshops are back to help you jumpstart your goals, and we're bringing you four of Atlanta's savviest organizational professionals who will teach you how to make the process easier and more effective.

January 8th: Creative Order
Suellen Germani, certified Life Coach and Organizer, will help you clear the road to your goals by helping you identify and eliminate your "Life Clutter," which often claims the time, space, and energy that could instead be used to pursue your passions. Her workshop will outline four key elements to developing an organized lifestyle, which includes exploring the important emotional aspect surrounding our "stuff." Learn more on her website: http://www.creativeorder.com/

January 15th: Chaos to Comfort
Susan Fox is a true warrior of stuff and can help you declare battle on the piles of I'll-get-to-it-when-I-can-or-when-I-figure-out-where-to-stick-it clutter taking over your house. Learn how to reclaim every inch of your home and make the space you have work harder for you. Susan's service, Chaos 2 Comfort, has been written up in the Wall Street Journal for her organizational know-how. Learn more on her website: http://www.chaos2comfort.net/

January 22nd: Creating your own Sanctuary
Carey Lynn Quinn practices what she preaches: our mental states mirror our external environments. Maintaining tranquility and order within is easier when your surroundings work towards that sanctuary instead of creating more stress. With a desire to share the secrets of serenity, she began OrganizeAtlanta in 2005. Carey Lynn will (neatly) spill the beans on a few critical steps to turn your own home into a place to truly recharge, regroup, and relax.

January 29th: The Magic Suitcase
Professional organizer and author Jonda Beattie knows that there's nothing small about downsizing. Whether you're facing this major life decision now or considering it for the future, this workshop will help outline how to make this transition a successful time in your life by exploring how to get started, pitfalls to avoid, and rewards that can be achieved at the end of that long - and often intimidating - road. Learn more on her website: http://www.timespaceorg.com/

Workshops will begin at 9:30am each Saturday in January and are hosted by our Furnishings location: 2753 E. College Ave., Decatur GA 30030. Call with questions: 404-377-1944.

p.s.
Finders Keepers Consignment Inc. is a proud member of NAPO - the National Association of Professional Organizers!

Did You Know?

We know - your inbox is full of spam and the idea of giving a perfect stranger your email address may not seem so super. So here's our promise to you: First, we will never give anyone else your information. Period. Second, we'll only send you emails if we've got cool news to share with you, such as: awesome inventory, sales/events that we're hosting, exclusive coupons, or need-to-know info like if we close for a holiday. And if you ever find that you don't want to get our emails anymore, all you have to do is click "unsubscribe" on any email we send you and you're instantly removed from the database.

Want to sign up? Just email us at subscribe@fkconsign.com from the email address that you'd like to add.

Finders Keepers named City's Best by Aol.com!

Finders Keepers Consignment Stores were just named the 2010 Winners of Aol.com's City's Best Search! We had some amazing competition and were honored to be named alongside them as a nominee - and we're thrilled that we won! Check out the City's Best website to learn what else people voted Atlanta's best:

http://www.citysbest.com/atlanta/winners/

Live Mannequin Event

Standing still is hard work! I thought it was be a piece of cake - a breather, even - to stand perfectly still and not talk to a single person for 30 minutes at a time. But it's not easy at all! Especially when a customer didn't realize that the girl I was "mannequinning" with was, in fact, a real live person and tried to take her jacket off. Once she realized that she was derobing a person she jumped back like the mannequin was not only alive but also electric - and to my coworkers credit, she never even batted an eye! Here are a few pictures from the event: