Charlie Tamara Piper

Sundays are the last day of the weekend and a perfect opportunity to position yourself for the work week ahead. I've put together a Sunday routine that helps me to enjoy my last day of relaxing and unwinding while also teeing myself up for the week ahead by simplifying the tasks ahead of me and reducing stress by having planned ahead. Practicing self-care is important and taking one day a week to keep yourself organized but relaxed is a great way to make sure you're entering the busy week in the best frame of mind. Survey your weekly calendar and take note of relevant information I spend about 20 minutes with my calendar for the upcoming week and charting out what needs to get done. From there, I create a tickler list of everything that I anticipate needing to be able to finish my weekly tasks and keep it all within my planner so everything I need can be found in one place. So, for instance, I make sure to put aside my dry cleaning ticket and the money to pay for the servi...

My apartment is currently under construction with my landlord repairing my bathroom. And while the finished product is going to be amazing, I’m stuck living with the complications of home renovations - the dirt, the debris, and figuring out how to clean it all up. This week’s blog post is all about how to clean any room in your apartment. From large to small cleaning jobs, if you simplify the process you’ll be able to clean your home in no time - and keep it that way. Pretreat if necessary Before you get started with your cleaning project, make sure to pretreat any surface or item that needs that attention. Cleaning products perform at their best when they’re given the time to penetrate the stain they’re meant to clean up. Be sure to follow care instructions when using your pretreating tools. Put everything back in its place Before you can properly clean a room, you have to make sure you’re cleaning and organizing the things that belong in that room in the first place. We multi...

I'm back from a long break with my latest post all about backpacks! I made the switch from shoulder bags to backpacks a few years ago and have been in love ever since. I love being completely hands-free and my shoulders don't hurt in the way they used to when I lugged around a shoulder bag.  There are a ton of great backpack options on the market these days as backpacks have gone from school kid style to working professional chic. Here are my fave four backpacks for carrying my items in style no matter where I'm going: My floral Eldi backpack by Vince Camuto is my newest addition to my backpack collection but it's earned a spot in the favorites already. It's the largest one that I own but it still manages to retain a slim enough profile to not be too overwhelming. It's got plenty of storage pockets and even a zipped back pocket for storing a laptop or iPad. Plus, the design is colorful and playful enough to make it a really fun accessory on top...

In an earlier blog post, I revealed my revamped home office and the work that went into redesigning it and purchasing all of the pieces I needed to bring the vision to life. I absolutely love how it's come together and it's now an even more functional space to fit all of the needs I have to pull out of the space. The hardest part of any organization project is figuring out what to do with all of the stuff that you currently have, and trickier still is figuring out what to do when you have too much stuff. Downsizing can be difficult and this post is all about how to part with what you need to part with to bring in the things you need to bring in. Assess and shop your possessions The first thing I do when I begin any organizing project is assess and shop my possessions. Assess your possessions by asking yourself the following questions: Does the item hold sentimental or significant monetary value? Is the item in poor condition? Do I use the item on a regular basis? ...

I have a few business trips coming up soon so packing and organizing my luggage is definitely on my mind. Here are some of my travel essentials to help me bring everything I need to take with me on my travels and keep me super organized. A hard-side suitcase is really ideal. While soft-side suitcases have extra give when packing a suitcase, they don't put up with knocks and bumps too well - which can be chaos once you open up your suitcase at your destination. My upcoming trips are going to be pretty hectic and that's the last thing I want to worry about. I picked up this Samsonite suitcase on sale and I'm looking forward to traveling with it - it's durable, light and moves like a dream so far. Packing cubes are the greatest thing ever! I've used Ziploc bags to keep my luggage stored but packing cubes take it to the next level. They do a fantastic job of allowing you to neatly store and compress everything you need to take with you on the road and keeps ever...

Planners are a fantastic way to stay organized - whether it's electronic or paper, they keep you on track by making sure you've got a good list of everything you need to do and that you've budgeted the time to accomplish your goals. I've bounced between electronic and paper planning over the years but I have to confess: I'm a paper girl at heart. There's just something about being able to write down my tasks that helps me remember everything I need to get done and when. It's the one area of my life where I just can't make the electronic switch. There's a whole community of people who swear by paper planners who are members of the planning community. I've caught myself going down the YouTube wormhole and watching countless videos that review various planners and share how each planner sets up their weekly calendar or bullet journal. Those videos helped me figure out that paper was my best option and which planner would best fit my needs. ...

I'm so excited to reveal my revamped home office! This room turned out exactly as I'd hoped it would. I'm lucky enough to not only have a home office but one that's immediately next to my bedroom with a simple doorway separating the two spaces. I wanted to create a really pretty, functional room that would serve as its own space but still look consistent with my bedroom since they're essentially one large space. My home office also helps me to store my shoes and outwear since my bedroom closet is so small.  But first, here's a shot of my office while I was moving furniture around to make room for the armoire that's the focal point of the space: My office felt like it was in disarray for about a week until my armoire came! My first act was to downsize my desk from a U-shape to an L-shape, and I held onto some wonderful bookcases to store my possessions until the armoire arrived. I had a dingy rug that got stained in the process of moving...