The Ultimate Organizing Giveaway

This is big people. This is really big. In the spirit of spring cleaning, it's time for Très Chic to clear out old organizing product inventory, and guess who is the beneficiary? YOU!:)

Our loss is your gain! We've got lots and lots to clear out of here, but here are some of the highlights:

Grand Prize Winner

(will receive the following plus whatever else we decide to throw in:)

• hanging shoe organizer


• hanging sweater organizer


• floor shoe rack


• leather pda/cell phone/ipod charging caddy


• square corner shelf


• alphabetical binder dividers


• Avery mailing labels


• 2 under-the-shelf baskets for the kitchen


• *bonus** - the first 3 issues of Life+Dog Magazine
  

2nd place - a Purseket and Real Simple Grocery Checklist
3rd place - Post-it Pockets

So how do you enter?
1. Leave a comment below telling us why you need to win our Ultimate Organizing Giveaway!
2. Show us some Facebook & Twitter love.
3. Pretty please follow Houston's Weekly Chic


Want additional entries?

• Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post (3 additional entries)


• Tweet about this giveaway (1 additional entry)

Contest ends: Tuesday May 10th at 12 a.m.

**add your own additional entries. For example: if you blog about this giveaway, leave 3 separate comments that say "I blogged it" or something similar so that it will be counted in our drawing. Thank you!! Beth:)

Donations for Doxies

The holidays are finally in our rear view, Christmas trees are down (hopefully), and it's time to get ready for spring! So why not get a jump on that spring cleaning? Where to start? How about deculttering your doggie drawer, and donating the excess to needy puppies?

Très Chic has teamed up with the Dachshund Rescue of Houston, for a full out “Doxie Drive”. We are currently collecting donation items such as dog food, blankets, leashes, crates, collars, etc. to go directly to the Dachshund Rescue.

As an extra bonus, if you schedule a decorating, organizing, or style consultation during the month of January, Très Chic will donate 10% of the proceeds to the Dachshund Rescue of Houston. That’s a lot of dachshund squeaky toys!

For a full list of needed puppy supplies you can visit the DROH website(dachshundrescueofhouston.org), or to arrange a pick up, please send requests to mailto:info@tcdhouston.com

Handmade Organization

Etsy just had a little contest for the best handmade items to organize for the New Year. I love the three above. Which are your favorites? See them here.

What do you think I'm made of money??

Ha! Got a kick out of this little piggy this morning (Iloveuma.com) I'm hitting the ground running after my SC trip. Lots of amazing people being featured this week so don't forget to check back!

Magic Ottoman

So a friend of mine contacted me a couple of weeks ago with a storage dilemma. She and her husband have papers to file, and they didn't want to buy an ugly filing cabinet, or just some old file box. She wanted a truly "hidden" filing solution. So this is what we found. A basic storage ottoman, with hanging file capacity. Yes! Genius!

So that got me thinking. What other kinds of magical ottomans exist? How about one with an instant side table... (click on the photos for sources)

Or one that hides those shoes you like to keep by the door

My personal favorite! This one hides away your Rock Band instruments when your kids ::cough:: or you ::cough:: aren't using them. Why didn't I think of this?
Or..a smarter take on your run-of-the-mill ottoman: One that is actually sectioned off so you can stay organized within the ottoman.

Got a Disorganized Daddy?

Does your Pop have a tangled spider web of techno cords? He needs this. It's the Sanctuary Power Charging Station and Desk Valet. It has 12 built in connections that are comptable with 1500 types of devices. All 12 connections lead to one little, discreet A/C adapter. Ahhh an organizers heaven.

Vaughan Christopher Gallery

(pictured above from the left: Andrew McNevin, Holly Vogt Wilkison, Me, and Houston Hayes)

One of my absolute favorite things from this past year, was the opening of the Vaughan Christopher Gallery. It was perfectly orchestrated by A Fare Extraordinaire down to every last electric green Warhol Cocktail (I was on Warholtini #4 in the picture above...don't judge me). The gallery was filled with dozens of seasonal white flowers, to-die-for delicious catering, and brilliant orange accents sprinkled throughout (the servers even wore skinny orange ties..so mod!). Lucky for Houston's Weekly Chic, Ginger Wright, one of the gallery owners agreed to give us a very quick Q&A. Enjoy...

Why did you choose to open a gallery in Houston, as opposed to a different city?
It is where I/we live and have established my/our lives.

What is your favorite piece that you own?
My favorite piece that the gallery owns is by Matisse, Dancers. However, my favorite art piece changes on a daily basis, so that would be today's answer!

Pick one artist that you love.
That would be impossible for me.

Pick one artist that you hate.
I do not hate any artist.

What do you enjoy doing outside of spending every last minute of your day running a gallery?
Spending time with friends and family

What would you like the average Houstonian to know about Vaughan Christoper Gallery?
We have a fabulous collection of Master works that the average person can find and afford.

Houston New Year's 2009: Murder Mystery

If you are tired of the same old boring New Year's Eve (screw you Ryan Seacrest!!), why not spice it up with a little live death? Dave and Buster's is hosting a wild New Year's murder mystery dinner with champagne, a DJ, and a power card so you can play games afterward.

The Murder Mystery Players are a group of highly trained comedic improv actors that always make the audience the star of the show. Their antics will keep you rolling in the aisles with or without your champagne. Ticket info. is below. See you there!

$65.00 PER PERSON!

(Does not include tax and gratuity. )
Dave& Buster's

6010 Richmond Ave

7620 Katy Frwy #100

Call: 713-952-2233 (Richmond) or

713-263-9693 (Katy Frwy) for prices and info

Oh Deer...so much wrapping!

Instead of buying 20 different colors/patterns of wrapping paper this year like I normally do (with at least 30 different types of ribbon), I decided to pare down and simplify. After aimlessly wandering Michaels for 20 minutes, I bought:

• white craft paper
• brown craft paper
• raffia -just plain old naturally colored raffia

Still a little bit plain for my taste, so I bought some totally adorable gift tags from Dallas and VOILA...presents that look like they came out of a magazine. My friends and family are out of luck because I'm thinking about keeping them. I don't want the gifts inside, I just want to save them to decorate my house next year.

Crap-Free Christmas

"He recycled this gift! He's a regifter!" -Elaine Benes

As you conquer your Christmas list, give your favorite people gifts that won't be just another piece of crap laying around cluttering up their home (the aramotherapy alarm clock zen rock fountain seemed like a great gift at the time...). Here are some of my favorite crap-free ideas:

Yummy "of-the-month" clubs - Fruit of the month, Wine of the month, beer, cheese, ham, farm animals...whatever makes the receiver happy.

Gift wrap an experience - instead buying the newest high price electronic item, put that money toward a getaway vacation. That new iMac will be obsolete in a few years, but those vacation memories will never die.

Give the gift of culture - tickets to a movie, theatre, art gallery, opera, museum OR any sporting event

Consumable Gift Certificates - Dinner date for 2, Starbucks, Smoothie Shops, or favorite restaurants...not to be confused with actually eating the certificate.

Adopt an animal from the Houston Zoo or a beautiful Florida Manatee

Donate to a charity that the receiver is passionate about

Monthly Bill Relief - if they are a really good friend, take on one of their annoying monthly bills, or give them a monthly luxury (lawn moving services, housekeeping, babysitting, gas, dry-cleaning, car wash, gym membership, or grocery gift cards)

Cyperspace - gift card to iTunes, Netflix, or an online magazine

Spa Treatments - massage, facial, mani/pedi. ATTENTION ALL MEN: you can never go wrong with this one.

Invest - Savings Bonds, stocks, etc.

Hire a professional organizer...ya know..to help them get rid of the crap they get from other people

Everything I (should) Know About Being a Hostess, I (could have easily) Learned From my Mom

No matter when I visit my parent's home in Maryland, it always feels like I'm on a weekend getaway at a resort, or a cozy bed and breakfast. I realized this past Thanksgiving, that flying home gives me the warm fuzzies because of my Mother's impeccable skills as a hostess. So this past visit, I took notes. Here are 8 ways my Mom (and Dad too) taught me to be a hostess with the mostess to overnight guests any time of year.

1. Fresh flowers on their bedside table - beautiful, simple, and because they have to be purchased or picked recently, they show your guest how important they are to you.

2. Lots of healthy snacks that the guests can help themselves to without asking. Mom always has this amazing black bean salsa, cheese and crackers, and a variety of veggies in the fridge.

3. Workout facility - This is a major luxury, but a simple treadmill or directions to the nearest park will do. My husband's Texan blood can't handle running outside in weather below 70 degrees, so my parents treadmill is much appreciated.

4. An assortment of spa worthy toiletries in the guest's water closet make them feel especially pampered.

5. Provide bulky necessities - It's super helpful to have items such as a hair dryer, flat iron, bathrobe or a fresh pair of slippers that may be too awkward to pack. Just be sure to give your guest the heads up several days before their visit.

6. Guest room entertainment - Magazines, catalogs, popular novels, TV, anything that gives them private entertainment. It also gives them unspoken permission to enjoy some alone time on their vacation.

7. An assortment of breakfast choices - one morning we woke up to the options of Dad's amazing egg muffins, fruit, Cinnabons, blue berry muffins, and cereal. Though my Mom always has a ridiculous amount of food, a couple of low-maintenance choices are helpful for your guest.

8. Small gift or sentiment in their room - My mom often leaves newspaper clippings that she knows might interest me, a box of chocolates, or favors from a recent wedding or baby shower that I might have missed. An ex-boyfriend's Mom once left a bath and body set on my bed presented on a silver platter. I felt so special!

What are some of the fantastic ways that you pamper your guests?

Take Your Clothes Off For the Holidays

Just found out about this luxurious "underthings" party at Muse Boutique, previewing Déshabillé Lingerie by Houstonian Kathryn Hull. It's nice to finally see some clean, modern, high-end lingerie that doesn't make you look like a street walker. Thank you Kathryn! Muse will be serving wine (insert joke about me being a wino here) and tea for you as you shop. Wine and lingerie...what a perfect combination.

Muse Holiday Fete
Love the holidays and preview Déshabillé Lingerie by Kathryn

Date:December 11th, 2008, 12pm - 7pm
Location:Muse
Address:2411 West Alabama (next to Flemming's) Déshabillé - French for "to take off your clothes"

The Search for the Great White

My quest was so simple. A 4ft white Christmas tree to adorn my office window. White trees are everywhere. How hard could it be? Little did I know that I had been cursed. Everywhere I looked, had conveniently sold out. Sure, they will probably get more in, but I didn't want to wait! I wanted my white tree NOW! I covered most of the common cheap Christmas decor avenues: Target, Kohls, and not one, not two, but THREE Garden Ridge stores all to find that the white tree shelf was bare. The search went on for weeks. Then, on a 1 a.m. run for dog food, the heavens opened up, and there it was. A beautiful pre-lit white wonder for $19.99 at the one and only Wally World. The evil empire conquers once again.

**Above you can see Ophelia enjoying our new beauty