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!

Going off to college is an exciting time however organizing and maximizing the space in a college dorm room can be a bit challenging. Most likely you won’t be stepping foot in your room until the day you’re moving in with your belongings in tow. This means planning has to take place without dimensions and feel for the room. Room size also adds to the challenge. Your room will probably (and hopefully) be the smallest space that you ever have to live in. To ease the burden of dorm room planning and organization, I shared tips and tricks on WFMZ-TV’s Sunrise Show. (Click here for TV segment.)

This year while completing my annual “dorm room” shopping trip (I have been staging dorm rooms for the past 8 years) I was pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of innovative and reasonably priced products on the market. Shopping was fun and quick with a large selection of colors and styles to choose from.
My goal was one-stop shopping, saving time and stress. I found all the products below at the local Bed Bath & Beyond store with the exception of the refrigerator stand. The refrigerator stand is from our local and online store All Bright Ideas.

During my dorm room shopping spree the following items caught my eye:

Grommet Totes –Totes are great for storing smaller items. Toss items in and store more vertically. The sides of the tote enable you to maximize vertical storage space. The grommet on the front of the bin provides the ability to easily “grab and go.”

Bedside Caddy – This caddy keeps all your bedside needs (water bottle, iPod, tissues, eyeglasses, remote, etc.) within reach. It secures under the mattress. The bedside caddy is a must for a loft or bunk bed dweller.

Backpack Laundry Bag – This laundry bag allows you to easily transport laundry to and from the laundry room. Just slip your arms through the backpack straps. A large compartment holds laundry detergent.

Mesh Shower Tote – Finally a shower tote for the college guys out there. This masculine style tote stores and transports shower needs.

Day/Night Shower Caddy – This innovative caddy includes an insert which can be used separately allowing you to decide how much you need to tote to the bathroom. The middle section pulls out reducing the size of your tote – ideal when you don’t need to take all of your showering items with you.

Bed in a Crate – Similar to Bed in a Bag, this 11-piece crate set was created for residence hall living. You get 11 color coordinating essential items including an XL twin comforter.

Rise n’ Store – Create more storage under you bed by adding bed risers. These unique bed risers have storage compartments built in for your iPod, remote, tissues, etc. Check with your college or university to find out if bed risers are permitted in your residence hall.

Slimline Hangers – The ultra-slim design of these hangers maximize closet space so you can fit more in less space. These hangers are flocked so they hold clothing in place. Hang sweaters and other knits without getting shoulder bumps.

Desk Lamp Organizer – Organize your workspace while illuminating your desktop. The lamp base has built in compartments to store office supplies or items you would like compartmentalized.

Dorm Space Saver Shelving – Make the most out of your small space. Add freestanding shelving to your room with this behind-the-bed unit.

Refrigerator Stand – Add convenience and storage by placing your refrigerator or Microfridge on a refrigerator stand. Gain storage space underneath and you’ll no longer need to kneel to see what’s in the frig.

Large Plastic Drawers (available in store-in at Bed Bath & Beyond) – Maximize the space under your bed by adding drawers or a wire basket system. Store sweaters, sports gear, blankets or off-season clothing.

Command Hooks (available at office supply, grocery, hardware, and craft stores) – These hooks and poster strips are a must for college bound students. Command provides damage-free organizing and decorating. Easily hang a curtain rod with Command hooks. Get a Command coupon.

Most colleges and universities provide a checklist of recommended items to bring. Check your college’s website to see if they offer a checklist. Here’s a packing list for college to get you well on your way.

Wishing you a wonderful college experience,

]]> http://www.dianealbright.com/blog/2011/08/dorm-room-organizing/feed/ http://www.dianealbright.com/blog/2011/07/how-to-find-perfect-college-roommate/ http://www.dianealbright.com/blog/2011/07/how-to-find-perfect-college-roommate/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:37:59 +0000 Diane Albright CPO, Organizing Expert and Speaker http://www.dianealbright.com/blog/?p=681 ShareThis

Muhlenberg College, Allentown PA

If you are an incoming college freshman, the thought of not knowing who you will be sharing a room with for the next 8 months can be daunting. Let’s face it, a dorm room is a small space and sharing it with a stranger can be a bit frightful. A compatible roommate is out there, but finding this person may seem like finding a needle in a haystack. First, check with your college to see if they permit freshmen to select  roommates on their own. If so, the following tips should help make the process easier.

A great way to find other incoming freshmen looking for a roommate at your college or university is by “liking” the Facebook page that is dedicated to the year your class will graduate from the college. For example, you would search for and “like” Penn State University Park Class of 2015 if you were entering college in 2011 at Penn State. Then, in the spring before you enter college other incoming freshman will start posting about themselves and the happenings in their lives, and many will also make posts regarding what they are looking for in a roommate.

Another roommate search technique comes in the form of a website. This site, specifically designed to help you find a roommate, is www.roomsurf.com. Roomsurf allows you to communicate with other incoming freshman at your chosen college or university. You can also find the Facebook page for your college and graduation year here.

But, before you start searching for that perfect roommate, take the time to contemplate what “the perfect roommate” is for you. Start by writing down qualities or habits that are most important to you when thinking about who you would like to live with (i.e. organization and neatness or balance between academics and socializing). Make one column for attributes you would “like” and one for attributes you would “dislike.” List as many attributes as you want. When you are finished creating “the perfect roommate list,” circle the three most important attributes in the “like” column and any attributes in your “dislike” column that you just simply couldn’t tolerate.

Then, when sharing information with other incoming freshman on your college’s Facebook page or RoomSurf, look to see if anyone mentions the attributes that are most important to you. If you find someone mentioning two of your three “likes” make a note of that person. Begin communicating with the person or people you think might be a match and omit any people that have characteristics ranking high in your “dislikes” column. Perhaps talking on the telephone or “friending” the person on Facebook will help you to get to know the person a little better and aid you further in making a roommate decision.

Once you agree to room with someone, continue getting to know each other so any differences are recognized and worked out ahead of time. Perhaps if you live within driving distance of each other you can spend time in each other’s hometown or attend each other’s high school graduation party. This way you’ll get to see how your new roommate treats his or her friends.

And, before college begins discuss what is and isn’t acceptable while both of you live together. Some colleges suggest drafting a mutual roommate contract or guidelines that explains acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The contract or guideline may include how often you or your roommate can have overnight guests or significant others visiting or how many people are allowed in your room at one time.
After you and your roommate begin living together, continue to keep the lines of communication open. A successful roommate relationship is like a marriage. It takes effort and understanding on both ends to keep a happy and healthy environment.

Wishing you a successful college life,

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Whether you are packing for a business trip or family vacation, remembering what you need to pack can be daunting.  If you forget to pack an essential item, a great summer vacation or superb business trip may turn into a trip with obstacles.

Whether you pack well in advance or are always up late the night before a trip packing, the key to packing quickly and efficiently is having a packing checklist to refer to. Relying on memory alone can be risky. A “what to pack list” will keep you focused and provide you with confidence during the packing process. 

You’ll want to create a packing list that can be used trip after trip. Start by creating a comprehensive list that includes all the items you’ll want for travel in the summer and non-summer months as well as items for business and non-business trips.

As I mentioned, I can’t provide you a magical Disney wand but I can provide you a comprehensive packing checklist so you won’t need to create one from scratch. Feel free to download Diane Albright’s Free Packing Checklist by going to www.DianeAlbright.com/free_packing_checklist.

The next time you are preparing for a trip, print a copy and cross-off the items you won’t need this time around. As you begin gathering items, keep the list at hand as you walk around your house or apartment. As you collect the items, place them along side of your luggage and check off the items on your list. Once you have all of your items collected as well as the clothing you need, you are ready to begin packing your suitcase.

If you want to fine tune your packing list a bit further, place your list in your suitcase on your next trip. If you find yourself in need of an item while you are away, add the item to your list. When you return home from your trip, update your comprehensive list with any added items. With this tweaked list, you’ll have the perfect packing checklist and be well prepared for upcoming travel.

Here are additional tips and tricks that may be helpful in planning your next trip:

Luggage to Love

Suitcase Packing Made Easy

How to Find Low Air Fare

Save Money on Hotel Stays

Car Rentals for Less

Preventing Travel Mishaps

Wishing you fabulous vacations and travel,

Image Courtesy BrotherUSA.com

Today on WFMZ-TV’s morning news show Diane shared with viewers tips and tricks on how to regain control after the holidays. She showed how labeling your cords and cables can save you time and stress. The Simply Stylish PT-1090 Label Maker has a special cable labeling feature to make labeling quick and simple.

Diane demonstrated how to keep cords at bay or tucked against a wall or desk buy using Command cord clips by 3M. Command allows you to place the clips where you need without the worry of damaging walls or other surfaces.

Diane showed how to eliminate the cords required to recharge your electronic devices.  Powermat simplifies charging by allowing you to charge over a thousand devices with one Powemat.

Are you struggling to remove price stickers off or have you accidentally put a postage stamp or label in the wrong place? Diane showed viewers how Un-du can quickly solve your dilemma. Un-du is a temporary adhesive neutralizer for non-water based adhesive. Water based adhesives are the type you moisten to stick such as an envelope.

To receive more tips and tricks on getting organized and staying organized, sign up for our free online newsletter, Organizing Made Easy and become a fan on Facebook.

If you live in close proximity to Allentown, Pennsylvania consider attending our free SOAR (Socialize, Organize, Accessorize, and Revitalize) Event on Sunday January 9, 2011 and helps us celebrate “GO Month” (Get Organized Month). This event is free to the public, but we highly recommend registering. Click, for more information.

Wishing you a happy GO Month,