Year of No Clutter | Giveaway

I am trying to whittle down my genetic predisposition to stacking and collecting, which leads into early onset hoarding. Will 2017 be my year of no clutter? I'm hoping so!

Everyone eats. Everyone sleeps. Everyone accumulates stuff.

The hilarious author of Year of No Sugar, Eve Schaub, returns with her new memoir, Year of No Clutter, to tackle the issue of “things.” Specifically, the 576-square-foot room in her house that is overflowing with stuff she can’t bring herself to throw away, like her fifth grade report card and pieces of plaster wall stuffed in a box.

Year of No Clutter is more than the tale of how one woman organized an entire room in her house that had been filled with pointless items, it’s a deeply inspiring, and frequently hilarious, examination of why we keep stuff in the first place, and how to let it all go.

Available March 7 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound and Books-A-Million.

Sign up now to receive a daily e-newsletter with tips, advice and videos from Eve Schaub on how to start conquering clutter this spring during the Week of No Clutter, March 7-14. BONUS: Learn how you can target your clutter zones for a chance to win a $100 gift card to help you get out from under the clutter!

Enter to win one of five copies of Year of No Clutter!

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Home Office Redux with Glidden Testers

Remember those Glidden Testers I was contemplating? Who thought I would pick the Spanish Olive?

Me, too! Green is my favorite color, particularly pea soup green. Since my challenge was to break the color rules, however, I opted to forego the obvious. I loved the darker swatches but my office is pretty small with just one small window and I didn't want it to feel even smaller. In the end, I decided to go with the yellow: Glidden Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I thought the sunny color would open up the room and maybe even perk me up a little.

By far, the worst part of the repainting project was emptying my office. I knew I come from a long line of hoarders but pulling everything out of the room made me face up to just how much junk I've been keeping around for no reason. Cardboard boxes for example. How many of those do I really need to keep on hand instead of recycling them? Gee whiz! Look at how all of my detritus filled our living room:

Okay, so I forgot to take any photos of my "before" space before I cleared everything out. Trust me, it was bad. Like papers piled six inches high on my entire desk bad. This really needed to happen. Here's some proof of the stark whiteness of my office (the black dropcloth is covering my desk and computer):

You can see my sample paint swatches on the wall to the left:

I was really pleased with how easily the Glidden Brilliance Collection 2n1 formula cleaned off of the moulding since I am too lazy to tape before painting. It was also not very smelly and has low VOCs, which was great because it's been well over 100º so there was no way I was opening the window. Painting was pretty straightforward, although it did take about three coats to get the opacity I wanted– possibly because I am not the most uniform painter in the world and tend to leave big streaks. Really, though, the biggest payoff was seeing how great the color looks with my stuff moved back in. Here's a picture from the same vantage as the first white walls photo:

It's a pretty drastic change, right?! I absolutely LOVE it. The color is a bit hard to photograph- I tried to take a photo of the full-screen paint selector from Glidden.com but the color is so bright that it throws off the digital camera's light metering. Heh.

I love how it looks with my Russel Wright vintage folding chairs and thrift store paintings. I need to hang them and get a bunch more out of storage.

The new color is making me giddy about decorating again. Check it out, I even put up some whimsical birdie decals!

Here's the view from the other door:

And my computer nook, where all the magic happens. Kind of.

I am really enjoying how non-neutral my walls are and how the color makes everything pop.

It makes a fun backdrop for all the little trinkets I've picked up here and there throughout my life. Time to break them out of their boxes and put them on display…

Wondering how the other Social Fabric community members took on the Glidden challenge? See everyone's results on the Glidden Testers website or search the hashtag #GliddenTesters on Twitter.



In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that this project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Glidden Testers/Paint #collectivebias. All opinions are, as usual, strictly my own.

Simple Fix

I wish I could tell you that I'm an organizational diva. I'm not. In fact, the office repainting project I'm undertaking is giving me hives. I love a beautiful room and design in all its myriad forms but, in reality, I'm kind of a toss it there and hope for the best kind of girl. Sad but true.

It's especially sad because I have lots of lovely things that are underutilized simply because I can't find them when I need them. Jewelry and shoes are two of my favorite things and also two of my biggest problems to sort/display. My friend Tonya made a gorgeous jewelry organizer out of an old press type drawer but she's a craft genius and I'm… not. Besides which, the 105º-plus temperatures have made me rather disinclined to do anything much that would require leaving the miracle of air conditioning.

So here's my compromise: I found magnets shaped like aluminum pushpins in the office supplies section at Walmart. I stuck them to my trusty ÄTRAN medicine cabinet and then hung my pretties up.

Not too shabby for a minute or two of sorting. My kind of DIY project!

Pretty Neat Giveaway

***WINNER PICKED 3/31 WITH RANDOM.ORG***

***CONGRATULATIONS, susanlanai!!!***

her comment...
Our pantry is pretty stressful!

Pretty Neat is a book about organization that is unlike any other I've read. Instead of extolling the virtues of spreadsheets and matching desk accessories (although it very well could, being written by the women behind the Buttoned-Up line of organizational products), it asks the reader to do some soul-searching to discover what your own individual organizational style should look like so you can focus on conquering your clutter demons amidst expectations of the unrealistic portrayal of "Org Porn"– that perfectly manicured world that doesn't really seem to exist, except for in magazines.

Pretty Neat offers plenty of tips and advice from experts and "ordinary women" alike. The most compelling are based on Buttoned-Up's Three Cardinal Rules: 1) stop chasing perfection, 2) focus on the 20% of tasks that are critical and 3) learn to delegate effectively. My personal favorite tidbit is from Chapter 5 Eliminate Excuses: "Just like an oversized derriere will slow you down physically, an oversized organizational but will hold you back, too." I'm often guilty of overanalyzing whether or not I can do something before I try, stalling progress. This book reminded me that to accomplish my goals, all I need to do is be realistic, take responsibility, and then just do it, already. Stop procrastinating and making excuses for why something won't work. Focusing on the possible and the plausible is my new modus operandi.


To enter and win a copy of Pretty Neat, please comment about the area of your home or life that has become the biggest source of organizational stress. Additionally, one winner will be chosen at random from across all blogs participating in this Global Influence Network campaign to receive a $200 gift card (same as cash such as Visa or AmEx) plus a selection of Buttoned Up products (ARV: $50) to be used towards her own reasonable organizational goals for her life.


Entries will be accepted through March 21st and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US readers are eligible.


For additional entries: 
- Post my button on your blog (see code on sidebar) 
- Follow my blog 
- Follow @superdumb on Twitter 
- Like Superdumb Supervillain on Facebook 
- Fave me on Technorati 
- Subscribe via email 
- Subscribe via reader 
Leave an extra comment letting me know what you did for each additional entry.

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win!

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that we received a copy of the book to facilitate this review as a part of a Global Influence Network campaign and will be entered in a drawing to win a prize but all opinions are strictly my own.


***Click Giveaways on my sidebar to see what else you could win!***

Picture Keeper- A Must Have!

***WINNER PICKED 8/7 WITH RANDOM.ORG***

***CONGRATULATIONS, Carol EL!!!***

her comment...
I like that I don't need software to use it.


I'm not so great at organizing photos. It's embarrassing to admit but I haven't backed up or done anything with my photo library on my computer since before Jasper was born. He turns two tomorrow and I have 3000+ photos slowing down my hard drive. Yes, I am a bad techno mommy. Anyway, being lazy as sin led me to discover something new and totally awesome! The Picture Keeper looks like an ordinary USB flash drive stick but it is pre-loaded with software that will automatically detect photos on your computer and copy them for safekeeping. How cool is that?


Unlike so many nifty gadgets I read about, this one is actually compatible with all Windows XP and Vista systems AND, more importantly to me, Mac. Too often we Mac users get shafted on solid, inexpensive technology like this but the Picture Keeper even provides a screen-by-screen tutorial on setting up automatic backup from iPhoto files that was much, much less complicated than I expected. I think it took me two minutes, maximum. And then the Picture Keeper promptly located 5600 photos on my hard drive. Eeek! I already need to upgrade from the 8 GB model I received to try out…

The Picture Keeper is available in several versions, depending on your archiving needs: 4 GB (saves up to 4000 pictures), 8 GB (saves up to 8000 pictures), or 16 GB (saves up to 16,000 pictures). The company also recently introduced the 160 GB PK Pro external hard drive which connects via a USB cable and stores a whopping 160,000 photos! Additionally, you can choose to build your own Picture Keeper by purchasing their proprietary software and using it to format your own drive.

What I find especially useful about the Picture Keeper– aside from its obvious use as a safety net in backing up your important memories– is that it is truly cross-platform and can share information between PC and Mac computers easily, which would be great for sending a zillion trillion grandkid pictures to my Apple-deprived in-laws in West Virginia or my dad in Hawaii. You can also plug the Picture Keeper into any USB-ready digital picture frame for immediate viewing. It really doesn't get any easier, as far as I know. As a matter of fact, it was recently named one of Dr. Toy's Best Vacation Products for Summer 2009 and I would heartily agree.

To enter and win your 4 or 8 GB Picture Keeper, please comment on this post with your favorite thing about the Picture Keeper– is it the ease of use or the low cost or the easy-to-carry-anywhere size that appeals to you most?


Entries will be accepted through August 5th and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US readers are eligible. Only one entry/comment per person, please.


For an additional entry, post my button on your blog (see code on sidebar), follow my blog, follow me on Twitter, fave me on Technorati or subscribe via email or subscribe via reader. You can also post the picture you'd most want to back up with the Picture Keeper on your blog and link back to this contest! Leave an extra comment letting me know what you did for each additional entry.



Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win!

***Click Giveaways on my sidebar to see what else you could win!***

Join the Qlubb

Qlubb is an online utility that allows multiple members of a group to share information, connect with each other and get tasks accomplished all in one place. Some of its handy features include event calendars, member rosters, reminder services, bulletin boards, and sign-up sheets.

Best of all, Qlubb is easy to use and very intuitive, even for novice computer users. (Like my mom, who belongs to many social and charitable organizations but insists on having her email messages sent to me for some reason.) You can start your own Qlubb with two simple clicks and join a Qlubb with only one click! Your Qlubb can include public and private web pages, shared to-do lists, photo sharing, online RSVP, and group emailing.

Qlubb would be useful for classroom groups, church organizations, sports teams, families (especially reunions!), playgroups and social clubs– anything that involves getting more than one person onto the same agenda. No user registration is required, try Qlubb and see what it can do for you!

Cozi Fan

It's hard enough to keep yourself organized, much less your whole family. I usually have great intentions at the start of a new year to keep an agenda and get my act together, but I must admit that it doesn't tend to last past March or so. It's really difficult for me to keep track of appointments and school functions and playgroups when everything is written on different calendars and sticky notes throughout the house. That's why I was excited when Mom Central asked me to check out Cozi, a new online destination that seeks to simplify family life.



Cozi is essentially a FREE online family calendar. It can help you track appointments and juggle busy schedules, make up personalized lists (for groceries, to-do, gift-giving, etc.), organize chores, and even create a family journal blog. Cozi's reminder and message service lets you keep in touch, even on the go: you can send instant messages to all of your family members via email or cell phone. You can even send text messages, all from your Cozi homepage. For fun, you can have Cozi automatically create screensavers from your digital photo library. And if you use Outlook at home or at work, you will be thrilled to learn that it will automatically sync with Cozi to transfer your information! I wish everything worked so seamlessly online…



If you're on the go a lot, Cozi can help you stay connected, even if you don't have mobile internet access. Simply dial their toll-free number from your cell phone and Cozi can read your lists to you or transmit your info via text message. You can even add driving directions to your lists and have that information sent to your phone while you're out and about. Super cool. Of course, if you have a fancy schmancy smart phone, Cozi has a specially-designed mobile version for iPhone and Windows Mobile. It lets you use all of your favorite Cozi features with an interface that is easier to use on teeny tiny screens.

If all of Cozi's myriad features aren't enough to entice you to sign up (remember, it's FREE!), they are running a special contest: if you sign up to try Cozi before February 4th, you're automatically entered to win a 2-day in-home organization makeover with Laura Leist, one of the country's top organization pros and author of Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home and Life.

Join the Qlubb

Qlubb is an online utility that allows multiple members of a group to share information, connect with each other and get tasks accomplished all in one place. Some of its handy features include event calendars, member rosters, reminder services, bulletin boards, and sign-up sheets.

Best of all, Qlubb is easy to use and very intuitive, even for novice computer users. (Like my mom, who belongs to many social and charitable organizations but insists on having her email messages sent to me for some reason.) You can start your own Qlubb with two simple clicks and join a Qlubb with only one click! Your Qlubb can include public and private web pages, shared to-do lists, photo sharing, online RSVP, and group emailing.

Qlubb would be useful for classroom groups, church organizations, sports teams, families (especially reunions!), playgroups and social clubs– anything that involves getting more than one person onto the same agenda. No user registration is required, try Qlubb and see what it can do for you!

Mommies United

Mommies United! is a new online hangout for mommy bloggers, founded by Christine, Kristin, Amanda, and Shanda. All four of these women have great blogs where they write about their kids and their lives and host giveaways, but they're joining forces to create what I envision will become a massive online playgroup… fun!

Right now, Mommies United are hosting their Mega Launch Party, with a huge list of prizes. There's even a scavenger hunt! Go check it out right now!!!

Here are the prizes I'd most love to win:

19. Natural Pod house play pack
3. Baby and me Boutique $100 gift certificate
20. See Me Read 1 kit
18. Rockin Kid Shop 1 Rockin' Baby Pouch
21. Olive Kids 5 pack of placemats

2008, The Year I Will Get Organized

***WINNER PICKED 1/21 WITH RANDOM.ORG*** ***CONGRATULATIONS, #3- Brooke!!!***
her winning comment:
I would use the What to Do When pad with my husband after the kids are asleep. That would TOTALLY help us not fight.

This is what's going to help me on my quest to become a better, more organized Naomi in 2008:

Isn't it pretty? It's the Whomi Hidden Agenda, a compact planner that features a system so ingenious, I think even I will be able to use it for more than a couple of weeks. I have a bad habit of being all gung-ho around New Year's and then falling off the wagon come springtime, but I do believe the Whomi system has the potential to make an anal-retentive supermommy out of me. It basically consists of two booklets, housed in a checkbook-like fashion. The first booklet features a monthly grid, so you look at two months worth at a time when it's open. It gives you the requisite places to keep track of contacts alphabetically but also, smartly, places to list birthdays by month and jot down "things to remember" like movies, books, restaurants, etc., which I am sure would be fantastic at the library or video store.



The bottom booklet, the Whomi weekly grid, is divided into two sections also. The upper half is for your personal schedule and the bottom half has three color-coded sections that you can attribute however you like. Moms can track all the kids, bosses can track different employees, salespeople can track different accounts, students can track classes or activities, etc. For me, it would probably be Bob/Roo/Jasper, although at this point Jasper's schedule consists mainly of breastfeed, sleep, spit-up, poop so I don't think his section will get much action.



The Clarity Agenda features the same ingenious booklet system as the Hidden Agenda, just housed in a clear vinyl case that closes with a snap instead of the flashy metallic pink pleather zipper clutch. I like to think it makes people wonder if I have a secret nightlife when I pull it out. Of the diaper bag. Umm, probably not, but if it makes me feel frisky, that's cool, right? Whomi also makes a family wall calendar I'd love to try that uses the same color-coded system as the agendas. It looks superbly useful, much better than the kitty cat one I opted for that was half off at the pet food store.



By some fickle twist of fate, I actually won a Clarity Agenda from Chief Family Officer that almost collided in the mail with my Hidden Agenda. So, in the interest of Blogger karma, I am going to pass it on.

To enter and win a Whomi Clarity Agenda ( worth $30 in hard cash but priceless in time-saving value), visit their website and comment on this post with your favorite Whomi item and how how you would use the agenda.

Entries will be accepted through January 20th and winner will be picked with random.org. US readers only, please, unless you are willing to pay for International shipping.

Make sure you leave an email address or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! If I can't find your email, I will pick a new winner. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR BLOG PROFILE IS SET TO PUBLIC AND THAT THERE IS AN EMAIL AVAILABLE ON YOUR BLOG OR LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS ALONG WITH YOUR COMMENT!!! Only one entry/comment per person, please.

ACT NOW!
Whomi is offering a $5 rebate to Superdumb Supervillain readers on purchases of $25 or more.