I recently had a new logo designed for The House Therapist to give it a somewhat separate identity from my interior design & decorating business, Ceil Petrucelli Interiors. I'm launching a new website for The House Therapist in early March! That's one of the reasons for the new logo. The logo was designed by my good friend, Sandy Burr, who lives and works in Nashville, TN. In addition to graphic design, Sandy is also a great photogrpaher, and does custom framing and photo restorations through her business, Sandy Burr Photographic Arts.
Until the new website is launched, you can still find all the information on my main website. I'm also offering several Special Offers for home organizing, home staging, and interior decorating services which run through the end of February. However, I may extend the offers through March 20th, the first day of spring. Click here for more information.
I've been working on a long term project in CT for the past couple of months. It's one day a week, every week, and involves clearing & organizing the home of an 83-year old aunt who is planning to move into senior housing by this summer if all goes as planned. I wrote about this in a previous post several months back and had no idea at that point how challenging this project would be. And how long it would actually take to feel like I was making some headway! I've been fortunate that I have other family members assisting when they can (3 sisters, 1 brother, 1 nephew) -- but it's been a real test for all of us! The house was built in 1895 and is one of those Victorian Georgian Revival style homes - 14 rooms on three floors. The house used to belong to my grandparents and my aunt has been living there for more than 45 years. Anyway - the house also has a lot of memories which sometimes makes it a little emotional for some of us as we're going through things. If anything, I'm learning many valuable lessons - the main one is patience at this point. Patience and staying focused on getting the project completed. The house is literally crammed to the rafters with an accumulation of stuff that my aunt has collected for most of her life. Lots of good stuff buried under piles and piles of other stuff.
Two books that have been a huge help to me are When Organizing Isn't Enough, SHED Your Suff, Change Your Life, by Julie Morgenstern and One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, Ph.D. Both have some invaluable tips, information, and insights and I've had a few "aha!" moments as I read through both books. Links to both books can be found elsewhere on this blog.
I'll be posting more information and tips to help people who are going through similar situations - helping parents and/or elderly relatives who are downsizing and/or moving into assisted living. In the meantime, there are lots of good articles posted on my website which cover organizing, clearing clutter, the emotional attachments we have to our "stuff," and ways to help loved ones let go of stuff that is no longer relevant.
I'm also planning to add some new on-line services to my business this summer. It's a new concept, but some designers and home organizers are doing it and I'm looking into it. Stay tuned!
Until next time!
