Room Solutions by Paula

01/01/2026

One year I did this with four themes and it was quite interesting. My categories were: inspirational/reflection/challenge/humorous. Count our blessings 2026🫶🏼

12/20/2025

A number of items invade our space each December and it takes some effort to keep them from taking over. Here’s a few tips to keep the holidays a little more tidy and organized.📦🎁🎄🕎

04/17/2025

A poignant essay on how one woman keeps a few cherished family items. I understand the emotions that come into play by looking and reminiscing about a family member’s “story”. I say that as I look at my father‘s pipe. (All my siblings and each of my sons have just one.)😊What do you think of this article?

Annie Midori Atherton doesn’t love the look of mismatched junk, but the mess satisfies a deeper emotional need, she wrote in 2023. https://theatln.tc/IJchcKN3⁠
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“Cramming our spaces with painful tokens from the past can seem wrong,” Atherton continues. But “when I reflect on the most memorable periods of my life, they’re not completely devoid of sadness; sorrow and disappointment often linger close by joy and belonging, giving the latter their weight. I want my home to reflect this nuance … Not only is clearing our spaces of all signs of grief impossible to sustain, but if every room is scrubbed of all suffering, it will also be scrubbed of its depth.”⁠
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During one of Atherton’s last visits to her father, he gave her an antique wooden high chair from his childhood home. “The thought that my dad, who looked taller than usual reclined in bed, had once sat in this tiny chair was baffling. We took it home for my daughter, who had just started eating solid foods. Several days later, my dad was gone. The high chair was still there,” Atherton continues.

“Most of my relations, my father included, did not lead particularly big lives. Their names are not carved into buildings or attached to scholarships. Only a handful of people think of them still, and one of those people is me. But their personal possessions remain and say: Someone was here. As I go about my day, folding laundry, or thinking through what needs to be done, my clutter reminds me of the people who have filled my life and, now, my apartment.”⁠

Read more: https://theatln.tc/IJchcKN3
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📸: Meron Menghistab for The Atlantic

12/22/2024

How often does a relative stand in front of an opened fridge and just look 👀? Quick snack ideas for all.

12/15/2024

This is one of my most favorite topics. ... I urge grandparents rarely to give just THINGS but to give EXPERIENCES. Pay for art, sports or music lessons; take the grandchildren on a trip to some place locally and spend the entire day; go to lunch and a movie or a performance at a theatre or concert; travel with them more extensively if you have the means--there are trips set up for just grandparents with their grandchildren; pay for summer camp; take the kids for a weekend so the parents can get away; make a contribution to a library in the child's honor so that children who have no books can know that someone wants them to have a chance to read as well (and take the opportunity to talk about how some people are not as fortunate). Give the grandchildren reasons to remember you as the grandparent, not because you bought their 10th Lego set with the thousand pieces, but because you DID something with them that they will always remember. My parents took my teen boys to Australia in 2006 and they vividly cherish these memories.
May your holidays be filled with abundance without all the clutter.

11/27/2024

Love this old post for maximizing space during the holidays. My son just brought his mini fridge home from his office too. I’ve appreciated all your trust in me over the years. Happy Thanksgiving. 🍁🍽 🦃

This acrylic book/magazine holder is great when you need to create extra space & shelving. Comes in handy when fridge space is at a premium. I like the jumbo ones.

12/20/2023

During this holiday season, be mindful that the dazzle may frazzle you, only if you let it. Find ways to reduce the holiday havoc. Above all, remember that embracing the joy that family and friends can provide, and creating sustainable memories, will endure long after the holiday lights are dimmed.

If you are overwhelmed with the toys, clothes and other items that have accumulated in your home, don't hesitate to contact me. I will help you bring balance back into your home so you can enjoy time spent with your family instead of stressing over the clutter.

Hints: Remember to label, label label your tubs/boxes. Pare down what hasn't been used in a few years. Use a discerning eye before packing things up in January. Try to find a drawer/space to "house" all your ribbons and wrapping materials to easily get to them. Keep all your cute gift boxes in one place. I use 2 small dresser drawers for year-round gift materials (as shown).
Wishing you the abundance of the season...without all the clutter:)

10/19/2023

Revisiting some of my favorite closet transformations. And the clients have been able to maintain the systems quite well they report. 💕💪🏼Why… because we created spaces the way their brains could translate the changes and make retrieval and putting items back easy peasy.

09/16/2023

Is this your Saturday?🥴And so it begins… Courtesy of my professional organizing association.

06/17/2023

Yes, dad has too much stuff. Happy Father’s Day weekend to all our dads and those in the role of dad. What would we do without them and all their stuff? 😂

05/12/2023

Happy Mother’s Day weekend to all you beautiful role models. Speaking of beauty, I redid this old, ugly, tired, unused vintage bench I had, and painted her and the metal wall planter in a nice dark gray to work with my new townhouse. 🏡💐

01/28/2023

Thinking outside of the typical “box”, get creative. Repurposing an old jewelry box is a beautiful and perfect storage container for my downsized Valentine month decor. Labeled nicely, it sits on the top shelf of my closet. A new unused, pink skin care/make up bag holds little fun gifts my boys gave or made me over the years. Keep the most meaningful and cherished items from your kids/sweetheart. Displaying a few warms the 💞 when not tucked away in a box.