For the past couple of months I have had the pleasure of trying out the Hecht of an Organizer. I waited to review this one because I wanted to give it a good test run to see how well it has worked for us.
First let me give you a proper introduction. The Hecht of an Organizer was created to be a portable office that could go with you. The organizer consists of two polyester covers that slide over all sides of a cardboard box. You do not see the box at all, it is completely covered. The cover is sturdy, water resistant and machine washable. The cover has 18 pockets to store all of those loose items like pens, scissors, tape, keys, etc. The organizer comes assembled with the box, you do nothing but start using it.
For portability there are two carrying handles with Velcro tabs that you can unfasten when not in use.
Personally, I did not use it for it's office on the go capabilities. I found a need for it at my house and it has worked wonders. I use it as sort of a command central. I have a file tote with hanging file folders for each family member. When the mail comes in, it gets separated into each person's file folder. (after the junk is tossed of course!) When my oldest son gets home from school we go through his papers and he "downloads" all of the keepers into his file folder.
I keep all of my son's homework needs in the organizer so he can easily find them all in one place. Right now we have paper, pencils, crayons, glue, pencil sharpener, calculator, and post-its stored in the pockets. Oh, and daughter's hair bow clipped to a pocket. The pockets are great to keep everything organized and in its place for easy access. He does not have to rummage around to find what he needs to complete his homework. We keep the organizer on our kitchen counter and when guests come over all we have to do is tuck it in a cabinet below to clear off the space.
I had intended to also try the organizer as a car caddy for the kids and their toys, books, ect. My daughter leaned on the organizer one day and I saw the box start to buckle under her. I really don't think it would have held up to my little ruffians in the car. But the good news is that if you register your organizer replacement boxes are available "for years to come."
Extra bonus here! If you are all about helping the environment, and who's not, Linda Hecht the creator of the Hecht of an Organizer received the Green Award at this years LA Organizing Awards ceremony for Most-Eco Friendly Organizing Product. Way to go Linda! Not only was the organizer designed to be super durable and very portable, it was also designed to "help support the environment by facilitating the use of recycled cardboard boxes, and the use of new boxes made from renewable material."
For $35.00 this organizer is top notch and I would definitely give it two thumbs up!
Product Review - Hecht Of An Organizer
Product Review - Decorating Assistant + Giveaway
I am so excited about this one! I am reviewing the Decorating Assistant organizer. So if you love to decorate, want to stay organized in the process and want the chance to WIN one, read on...I've had my eye on the Decorating Assistant for a while. It intrigued me. I first saw it in Skymall magazine on a flight to New York before I was even an organizer. It came into mind every once in a while mostly when I was picking through fabric samples or paint chips from past decorating projects.
I finally had the opportunity to check one out up close and I would love to share a few features with you.
The Decorating Assistant comes with three room organizing files with labels, file holder, carry bag, magnetic furniture pieces with metal sheet, directions, tips and grid paper. All of this for $99.00. After seeing it, I believe there is a tremendous amount of quality packed in to the price.
The front page of this spiral bound project file has a place to store your floor plan that you can create with the enclosed furniture pieces.
Next comes a page for your paint samples, magazine tear sheets or photos. There is a page just for business cards so you can keep up with all of your project contacts. The next two pages are envelopes that can store all your receipts and another for larger samples like fabric swatches, floor samples and larger idea pages.
I was very impressed with the quality of the file holder, very sturdy and stylish enough to leave out on the desk. The file holder keeps your room files together and slides nicely in and out of the carry bag. 
The Designer bag has a special place for your cell phone, pens, keys and water bottle. The file holder fits perfectly and there is enough room to store your tape measure and camera as well. I have to admit when I first saw this product I was unsure of the bag. As you can see from the picture the top part of the bag is a see through mesh material. After having the opportunity to examine it myself I assure you it is made with quality materials and is very durable. If this bag were made out of high quality leather the price would show and it would lose its appeal. The designers, Jayne and Amy, knew what they were doing when choosing the materials.
I can't think of anything that has been left out. This is the perfect organizer to carry with you when shopping for your decorating project. It keeps everything organized and at your fingertips. I have not found another product that compares to this and the price of $99.00 is well worth it. I look forward to getting one myself when we start decorating the next house.
I highly recommend it and give this product two thumbs up!
That's not all! If you visit The Assistant Product Group's website they provide a great resource of advice, articles and tips for your decorating projects. You must check out the budget forms, these will for sure come in handy. They even have a blog with more great tips and ideas.
Now, I'm guessing you want to know how to WIN this great Decorating Assistant. It's simple....
1. Leave a comment, any comment will do.
2. If you want to double your chances to win simply show us how you are currently keeping all your decorating samples and swatches organized. Post about it on your blog including a link to this contest. Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your post. By doing this you will have two entries doubling your chance to win.
3. You have until midnight on Thursday, March 20th to win. I will let the lucky winner know on Friday March 21st. Don't forget to leave an email address if you don't have a blog so I can contact you.
Update: A reader asked if a laptop would fit in the Decorating Assistant and if the fabric would hold up with the extra weight. Amy, one of the designers, informed me that if you do not use the file holder a laptop will fit. The bag itself passed an 80lb. hang test!
Product Review - Internet Password Organizer
A better solution found me. I was asked to try the Internet Password Organizer and I must say it is fabulous. Just what I was looking for. I have looked at many other organizers like this but the Internet Password Organizer surpasses them all. When I first opened the package I was impressed with the overall feel. It is very sturdy and built to last. It has a plain black cover and back with spiral binding. I like the fact that it is discrete, it looks more like a journal. The other organizers I have looked at scream Passwords on the front and well a password is supposed to be secret.
The organizer has A-Z tabbed dividers with two letters per tab. Each section can hold about 40 passwords. Each space has room for Webpage, Username, Password and Notes. In the back there are tabs for ISP, Home Network, License Manager and Notes. All of your important information at your finger tips and the price of $19.99 is quite reasonable.
I was so excited about this I started adding my passwords right away. It is so easy to use. No more fumbling around opening other windows to get to my passwords (or looking through my notes if it didn't make it to the computer). I keep it right next to my computer and have access to my username and password in a matter of seconds.
The Internet Password Organizer is on sale through Feb. 15th for $17.99.
I've also been given a special coupon code to pass on to my readers: GetOrganized2008 to save an additional 10% off the sale price when you buy direct at http://www.internetpasswordorganizer.com/
It just keeps getting better:
I have an extra to give away but you will have to wait until Monday to enter to win. I will be participating in the carnival at Bloggy Giveaways once again and the Internet Password Organizer will be up for grabs.
Product Review - Busy Body Book, Part 1 + Giveaway
A couple of weeks ago I posted here about my planner dilemma. I am always on the lookout for the "perfect" planner. I need something compact, but not too small and it needs plenty of room for notes and ideas.
Well, let me introduce you to the Busy Body Book Personal and Family Planner. Joan, the developer of this lovely planner sent me one to try out and she is also giving a planner away to one of my lucky readers! (Sorry , you have to read the whole post to find out more about the giveaway!)
The Busy Body Book is in a weekly grid format. When the book is open the calendar is on the right page. The dates are in the left column and the other five columns can be named whatever you like. Sounds simple but it is quite miraculous. For a family of five like myself I could give each family member their own column. Then you can view quickly at a glance who needs to be where and when. My kids are still young and don't have a lot going on so I will let them share a column for now. My husband and I will share a column and that leaves me with three columns. Since I am blogging I can have a column open for all the blog ideas that pop into my head. My clients can have there own columns as well.
The best part about the column format is that you don't have to commit to the way you have it set up. Each week you label your columns so if one system is not working for you then try something else. If something changes like getting a new client or even having another child simply rename the columns to make it all work.
Now, on the left page of the book there is tons of space for notes. There is a "TO DOODLES" side and a checklist to keep track of all those things that need to be done. Some weeks even have little reminders like "Organize and store holiday decorations." and "Test your smoke alarms."
With the space available for notes and the layout of the planner I think it has the makings for the perfect planner. No more sticky notes or scrap papers cluttering up the house. And that is not all! It also has a page to record birthdays and anniversaries, extra note pages and perforated shopping lists! Yes, shopping lists you just rip out and take with you. The planner is 7"x10" so it is the perfect size to carry around with you anywhere and it will fit into just about any bag.
I have the 2008 planner so I have not even begun to use it on a daily basis but it is ready and I have begun taking notes in it. I am already loving this planner. To be fair I will review it again in a couple of months when I have had a chance to put some real use to it. I will share some more column heading ideas as well.
Now for the Giveaway...
Product Reviews
I've decided to start a product review here on my blog so that I can test out some "tools of the trade" and give you my honest opinion. I have some wonderful products lined up and I can't wait to share them all with you.
If you have a product you would like tested and reviewed here is how it works...
You send me a sample of your product and if it is under $4o and I can use it I will, if not I will host a contest on my site to give the product away. If the product is over $40 it can be offered as a giveaway or sent back to you, the choice is yours.
If you would like to submit a product for review or have any other questions contact me.
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