By: Monica Peña   (@casalinda )

This year’s Clear Your Clutter Day organized by the Central Texas area chapter of National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 10:00am – 2:00pm.  One carload of items per household may be dropped off for free at Bethany United Methodist Church 10010 Anderson Mill Road East Parking Lot Austin, TX 78750 to be sent off to the various destinations:

• Up to three boxes of paper to be shredded by Central Texas Secure Shredding  
• Women’s new or gently used career clothing and accessories for Dress for Success Austin    
• New or gently used shoes (men’s/women’s/children’s) for a NAPO-Austin Soles4Souls Drive
• Discarded flattened moving boxes accepted by Ecobox
• Used cell phones and discarded computers and electronics for HeliOS Project   
• Useable unwanted items (furniture, books, clothes, rugs, art, etc.) for Settlement Home
•  Non-useable unwanted items to be disposed of by Junk Busters USA
•  Mobility assistance devices (wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, shower chairs, etc.) for Austin Groups for the Elderly

For more event details check web site of NAPO

National Association of Professional Organizers' 6th Annual Clear Your Clutter Day!

Ornament with living plants inside Via http://www.digsdigs.com

By: Monica Peña   (@casalinda )

Austin and Williamson County will host free Christmas tree recycling to residents through January 7.  Trees should have all lights, tree stands, garland, tinsel and decorations removed. Flocked trees will not be accepted.

City of Austin trash customers may place their trees on their curbs with their lawn trimmings for pickup on their regular collection days or residents can drop off trees at these locations:

Austin Community Landfill
9900 Giles Road, Austin
7 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday
7 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday & New Year’s Eve

Williamson County Landfill
600 Landfill Road, Hutto
7 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday
7 a.m.–noon Saturday
Closed on Sunday & New Year’s Eve

Round Rock
310 Deepwood Drive
9 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Mulch from the trees will be offered in mid-January.  Check with your county for details.

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree from White Elephant Gift Exchange

By: Monica Peña   (@casalinda )

In an effort to continue to reuse & recycle while reducing how much makes its way back into my house, I reflect on this month’s holiday festivities and experiences.

3 R’s for this month:

Reduce- Instead of rushing to department stores to make hasty shopping decisions, online donations to causes can make for meaningful gift giving: donations to Heart of Texas Lab Rescue  in the name of an owner devoted to the breed or American Cancer Society  in the name of a cancer survivor can be deeply touching.  Membership to help support a favorite museum like Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum while receiving free access to exhibits or to professional organizations like National Society of Hispanic MBA’s for access to career resources & continuing education are other great choices.  

Recycle- Seasonal gifts from years past can be recycled to help spruce up an area as holiday décor.  A snowman globe can add a touch of winter wonderland to an area or last year’s cookie plate used for other savory delights.

Reuse- Seems like white elephant gift exchanges are becoming increasingly popular and are so much fun.  Candles and glasses that don’t go in one home and can be perfect accessories for another homeowner.

Before you make your next purchase or decide to discard something think: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.” ~Author Unknown

It has been such a pleasure to be a member of the Texas Hill Country Chapter of the Interior Design Society (IDS),  Chair of the Charitable Event Committee for the group, and most of all an honor to have been involved with the SafePlace Space Redo Project.  It is always a blessing to be able to use our abilities & resources to make a difference in our community.  Through this professional group of space improvers, we were given the opportunity to do just that.

The year-long project,  including two fundraisers, many volunteers,  and support from generous sponsors & donors, not only allowed a chance to use our skills to better the place used for family activities/therapy, but spread awareness of  SafePlace’s work of providing safety for individuals and families affected by sexual and domestic violence. 

The room’s vision was created by designers Robin Bond, Debra Dunham, and Alyssia Chapman after an assessment of the room’s use, number of visitors in the room at one time, durability of the design to last, and color preferences.  Escobar Construction, LLC was pleased to be involved (as General Contractor, carpentry, and finish out); along with other room donor companies like ABC Blind & Drapery (with cornice and draperies), UnderBudget Kitchens, (custom cabinetry), Aquatic Features (aquarium with lifetime service), and so many more.

On “reveal day”, staff expressed their amazement of the room not only decorated with a comforting home feel but for its functionality sure to be used for many years to come.

The story including the before & after virtual  tour in The Austin Business Journal .

After Picture provided by Johnny Stevens

Unfortunately, we have received calls recently to replace door frames/doors or adding spot lights due to reported criminal activities.   A few years ago, it was suggested by our insurance agent to have the police come out to do a free home assessment for a reduction on our home insurance policy (check with your company if the same rule applies). The experience resulted in much more than a discount on our policy.  It was a real eye opener and we felt relieved to get insight from the experts on not being a target to criminals plus it gave us an opportunity to meet law enforcement in our area.  A few insights we took away from the visit:

• Use a heavy-duty, four-screw, strike plate with 3-inch screws to penetrate into the wood stud opening on the door.
• Use a secondary blocking device on all sliding glass doors and on accessible windows.
• Use interior light timers to establish a pattern of occupancy.
• Exterior lighting should allow 100- feet of visibility in the front along the pathway and at  door.
• Overgrown bushes should be trimmed down so that it does not become a place for criminals to hide.

Ultimately, knowing your neighbor can be the key to crime prevention.  Extra eyes and ears to report suspicious activity or simply helping one another by picking up newspaper and flyers while on vacation can be the answer to avoiding an unfortunate situation.

McGruff the Crime Dog via Wikipedia