Haiti Shoe Donation

As a Certified Professional I know all too well that people have too much stuff and have asked the businesses in Emmaus, Pennsylvania and the Emmaus Main Street Partners to join me in the Soles4Souls movement.

The Soles4Souls charity distributes shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has delivered over 16 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. The shoes have been distributed in over 127 countries.

Donating gently worn shoes is humanitarian and a green way to clean out your closet. Soles4Souls accepts all types of shoes: athletic, running, dress, sandals, pumps, heels, work boots, cleats, dance, flip flops, just as long as they are new or gently worn. Any and all shoes, even those without a mate, are accepted with the exception of muddy and moldy ones. Tying pairs of shoes together with their laces or placing a strongrubber band around pairs is requested.

Downtown Emmaus businesses are partnering together to encourage communities to clean out their closets and donate gently worn footwear to a good cause. You can help by donating shoes, donating money, or both. Our store, All Bright Ideas, is a drop off location for Soles4Souls. As a drop off location we are also responsible for shipping the shoes at our cost to the Soles4Souls warehouse. Monetary donations can be made on our behalf on the Soles4Souls website. Money donated will go directly to shipping the shoes from Emmaus, PA to the Soles4Souls warehouse.

Drop off your shoes 24 hours a day at All Bright Ideas 328 Main Street, Emmaus PA (across the street from Wells Fargo Bank). All Bright Ideas is located 3 blocks from Allentown, PA and conveniently located just 2 miles off of Routes 78 and 309 (Lehigh Street Exit).

Whether you live near or far, you may participate in the Soles4Souls movement by sending us your gently worn shoes or donating money. Ship your gently worn shoes to us at the address above.

Thank you for supporting Soles4Souls!

I recommend keeping an ongoing “give away” box or bag in your coat closet or garage. This way every time you come across something you don’t wear or want, you can toss it in the box or bag. Once it is full you can donate the items to someone in need or a charity.

If you are in search of place to donate clothing, you can go to 1800recycling.com to find locations in your area or consider some of these non-profit groups.

Dress for Success

The Perfect Fit (Lehigh Valley, PA)

Good Will

The Salvation Army

Local Churches

Illicks Mill Recycling Center (City of Bethlehem)

I wish you organizing success!

All Bright Ideas
is pleased to announce
the opening of our newest location
in
The Villages, Florida!

We proudly offer our professional organizing services in the Sunshine State to anyone living within an hour radius of The Villages including, but not limited to, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa. Our services in Florida will be provided by our experienced Professional Organizers who travel back and forth between Pennsylvania and Florida and include, but are not limited to, de-cluttering, space maximization, organizing, paper management, time management, and unpack and setup of homes.

If you are a Floridian and are in need of organization, please email us or give us a call at 866 NEAT 911. 

Don’t stress the next time you or your child gets a pen mark on clothing or other fabric. As long as the item has not been laundered the ink stain is easy to remove. You may already have this “magical” ink stain remover on hand.

The best ink stain remover is hairspray! Just spray the hairspray directly on the pen mark and let the hairspray soak in a minute or two. Next, rub the fabric together and rinse under cold water. You should then see the ink disappear like magic.

Hairspray that comes in the form of a liquid (with a pump application) works better than hairspray sold in an aerosol can. Be sure to first test the hairspray on an unnoticeable area of the fabric.

When my kids come home from school with pen marks on their clothes it doesn’t matter when I spray the hairspray as long as I spray it before I launder. I can spray it immediately when I notice the ink mark or the following Monday when I am preparing to launder clothes. The key is remembering to use the hairspray before your launder.

If you find ink stains often on your family’s clothing, consider keeping a bottle of hairspray alongside ofyour bottle of laundry detergent.

Hope this tip helps with your laundry dilemmas!

If you want to maximize space in your closet consider switching the type of hanger you are currently using to the new slim line of hangers. You may have caught a glimpse of these hangers while out shopping. These hangers are much thinner than plastic or wood hangers, so you truly can fit more clothes in your closet as they occupy less space. It is an easy way to gain space with little investment of money and time.

Not only do these hangers save space but they prevent garments from sliding down on the hanger or falling to the floor. The hangers are covered in a velvet-like material which makes the clothing grip to it. This gripping action also eliminates the bumps you sometimes get in the shoulders of clothing from the hanger protruding out on each shoulder end. These features make this line of hanger ideal for polo shirts, sweaters, and knit fabrics.

The hangers are available in different colors form sleek black to various trendy colors. I recommend choosing a color that will still be available five years from now leaving you with the option to later add more hangers in the same color. Lines of these slimmer hangers can be found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target, and on home shopping channels.

One of the most comfortable and fun shoes you will ever wear are Onesoles®. Invented by a pharmacist who stood on her feet 12 hours a day, this incredibly comfortable and fun shoe is almost too good to be true. When I first tried on Onesoles®, the immediate thought that came rushing to my mind was, “Oh, my gosh! I don’t ever want to take these shoes off!”

Not only is this shoe fabulous because of its comfort, the top (or strap) of the shoe is actually interchangeable. With a wide variety of strap styles, colors and designs to choose from, you can easily make it look like you have hundreds of different pairs of shoes. And while all your friends are assuming you have mountains of shoes, secretly you’ll know that your closet is really occupied by just “one sole.” Imagine being able to honestly reply, “Just one.” when your husband asks, “Honey, how many new pairs of shoes did you buy?”

Like the straps, the shoe itself comes in different styles, heel heights, and colors. So you start by picking the heel style, height, and shoe color that’s right for you, and you finish by selecting the extra interchangeable tops (straps) that you like. And, if you travel, is this ever the shoe for you! Being able to pack one pair of shoes with multiple interchangeable straps is sure to help you win the battle to keep your suitcase from exceeding the airlines’ 50 lb weight limit.

Knowing the value, style, and comfort of these shoes, we’ve added Onesoles® to our local store and are now in the process of adding them to our online store. You can also visit the Onesole® website to check out the different shoe styles and over 600 tops (straps) as well as locate a store carrying Onesoles® in your area.

Wishing you happy feet!