Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Everyone on Your List!

It's that time of year when we start to collect all sorts of fun things for our family's stockings! My husband and I have so much fun with this every Christmas Season! We try to get more creative for each other and for our kids. It's truly the biggest "Suprise Factor" we enjoy every year.

I remember one year we surprised the kids with tickets to Polar Express up at the Grand Canyon! It's a train ride with Santa on board with hot chocolate and everything. It's truly a magical experience with little ones. At the time, our exchange student was with us from Japan, so she enjoyed it so much too.

I've been looking at Pinterest for some "Gift Giving" ideas and I found a whole section just on Stocking Stuffers. So here are my top favorites for all the people in your life!

Before and After: A Cozy Modern Airbnb Makeover

One of the things I love the most about running my personal assisting company, is the opportunity to help people by facilitating dramatic transformations. My team and I receive so much joy from completing projects that bring space, ease, organization and relaxation into the homes of our clients. It is incredible how even small aesthetic changes in a home can positively affect your sense of well being and mood. Last year, I was hired to do an entire home remodeling design and wanted to share with you a bit about the process and also feature some of the before and after images from the project!

Kitchen and Dining Room: BEFORE

Kitchen and Dining Room: AFTER Back Story:

A couple of years ago, I worked with an elderly widowed man to move him into a smaller home and within 6 months, he passed away. Last year, his daughter in Texas reached out to me, considering her options of what to do with her deceased father's new home In Oro Valley, AZ. She decided to keep the home and hired us to completely revamp the entire outdated house so she could rent it out on Airbnb and also keep it as a family vacation home.

Living Room: BEFORE

Living Room: AFTER

Client Consultation:

My team and I then began the initial process of discussing the aesthetics and styling preferences the client had for the house. She described to me that she really wanted the home to give off a homey vibe, but with a fresh modern feel. She wanted the house to appeal to renters on Airbnb, but to also reflect her personal style. We decided on a cool color palette of whites, greens, greys, black and a hint of tan to ground each space. 

Bathroom #1: BEFORE

Bathroom #1: AFTER Design Planning:

Whew! This was a BIG job! We lined up donation trucks to come and pick up unwanted items from the home, set up contractors, bought new furniture, selected new paint colors, new kitchen counter tops, light fixtures and various other accessories for each of the rooms. We picked out sweet earthy details for the bedrooms and bathrooms and chose items with clean, simple lines to give each space a sense of paired-down elegance. I really love the challenge of shopping for my clients and staying within their budgets! 

Bedroom: BEFORE

Bedroom: AFTER Final outcome:

I absolutely love how the house turned out and so did my client! One of my team members worked on this project for me since I was in Australia with my family. She got to know the client very well and continued to manage this project after my return. She even had a sleepover at the house once it was finished with her mom and sisters to see how it felt to make sure new guests would love it too! Since the remodel, my team has been hired to manage the property for this Airbnb and now this house is constantly rented out! Success! 

Office: BEFORE

Office: AFTER Whether you’re in the market for a major interior overhaul or you’re simply looking to give your home a quick and easy update, chances are you've spent some time online hunting for ideas and inspiration. It can be overwhelming doing price comparisons at different stores and trying to find the perfect items within your budget. 

Bathroom #2: BEFORE

Bathroom #2: AFTER If you have ever hired contractors before, you know how upsetting it can be when the quality of work they promised is not achieved. My team with Felicia's Best Personal Assisting can take all of that stress away and help guide you in the direction of your perfect interior design look with the best possible contractors for the job! We pride ourselves in maintaining very high standards and we will make sure your vision comes to life! If you would like to see more before and after projects click here or to check out what other services I offer, click here. 

How to Control the Paper Madness!

Organized Desk

Recently I've been asked to share my tips on keeping up with the daily "Paper Madness" that comes into every household. Here are my best tips to share with you...

1. Each day when you go to your mailbox, sift through the mail and decide what needs to go straight to the trash, what needs addressing, and what needs to be shredded. I use the trash in the garage to dump the unwanted mail into before I even enter my home.

2. Keep a tray on your desk with important papers and go through them once a week. If you mail in bills, then have a spot to keep your bills on your desk so when you make time to pay them, they are all in one place and you are not searching around the house for them. This will keep your desk nice and tidy so you can focus on your work.

3. My "Rule of Thumb" with paper is to touch it once! Take care of it until it's gone...filed, mailed, shredded, whatever it needs done to it. Don't just move paper from one pile to the next.

4. Use one notepad on your desk to make your lists and any notes you need to function throughout your day or week. Do not use a million "Post It Notes" and place them everywhere, it causes too much distraction, and you could miss important tasks.

5. Use a working file drawer for things that need to be kept up on a regular basis. Such items maybe:

~receipts for taxes

~monthly bills

~things you reference often

Everything else can go into a file cabinet that is not as easily accessible or needed. My huge black file cabinet is kept in our garage. It takes up too much room. I have 1 drawer dedicated just for taxes filed by the year (most recent in the front). You never know when you may need those things.

6. One of my best tips I have for you to keep up on your "Paper Madness" is to have your bills set up on paperless statements so you can cut down on filing. If you itemize on your taxes, and have these payments set up automatically from your account, you can go online to your bank and under the "Search" bar, type in the name and date range and it will pull up the year's worth. This has been a HUGE game changer for me when preparing for my taxes.

7. If you have school age children with important papers coming home, create a hub in the kitchen. I always used a large magnet on the fridge with any "date" type things. The rest I keep together to reference often in the kitchen. I put it in a drawer when we entertain, then bring it back out when I need it.

I hope these tips help you to get things somewhat under control. If you need help getting caught up and this system created don't hesitate to call me. This is one of my favorite services that I offer.