Rid your closets of unwanted items, update your wardrobe, donate for a good cause, save money. . .all while keeping the same balance of items in your closet.

Now through March 14th, donate any brand of jeans to The GAP and receive 30% off on a new pair.  The GAP has partnered with Cotton: From Blue to Green to recycle your jeans into insulation for communities in need.

Kenneth Cole has partnered with Soles4Souls for a shoe drive to provide relief in Haiti.  Now through March 31st, drop off a gently worn pair of shoes and receive 20% off your entire purchase.

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Operation Prom Dress Drop

What:  Comb your closet for fancy, unused frocks and bridesmaids gowns to donate to underprivileged students throughout NYC.

Why: Make it a night for someone else to remember.

When:  Tuesday, March 9, 2010 – Saturday, March 13, 2010

Where: 57 Grand Showroom, 250 W. 39th St. (between 7th & 8th Aves.), 8th Floor.  (646-863-3896)

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We know it may sound obvious, but the obvious is often overlooked.  One of our favorite products are Ziploc® bags in all shapes and sizes!  The variety makes it easy to use for storage in the office, kitchen, garage, closet, to store arts and crafts, and so much more.  We really love the XL Flexible Totes which fits conveniently in the trunk of your car.  What a quick and easy storage solution!

Mobi Designer Storage Bags

A groovy new spin on the Ziploc® bag.  Choose from a variety of fun patterns including special edition Todd Oldham designer bags!

$3.50

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Once you’ve uploaded all your digital photos and set up your computer filing system, you should consider turning all your hardcopy photos in digital files.  Even with all the proper photo storage techniques in place, accidents still happen.  But, scanning each individual photo from your home can be extremely time consuming.  Why not leave it to the professionals?  For a reasonable fee, companies such as iPreserve and ScanDigital will convert your photos and slides into digital files.  Your photos will now be just a click away!

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Now that you’ve got your old photos sorted into boxes and albums, we want to move you into the digital world.  If you haven’t already done so, we suggest upgrading to a digital camera.  The benefits are endless!  By going digital, you can store and save your photos with just one click.

Check back friday for some great resources.

The same rules for organizing your regular photo albums should apply to your digital albums as well.  Just substitute a digital file for each of your containers or albums.

It is extremely important to remember to backup your files.  If something should happen to your computer, you could lose your photos forever.

• If you are storing albums on your computer, plug in an external hard drive and copy files directly to the hard drive.  Store the hard drive away from your computer. 
• Use an online backup such as photobucket or snapfish.  You can store an unlimited amount of photos and access your account from any computer.

A fun way to display your photos is to create a rotating screen saver of your photo albums; that way you can enjoy a montage of memories!

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As you get closer to end of the sorting proceess, it’s time to start thinking about storage options:  albums, boxes, frames.  Remember, you want to store and preserve your photos properly, so you can enjoy them for years to come.

Store Photos:

• DO store in archivally safe albums and containers (archival plastic and acid-free & lignin-free paper).  We suggest Exposures or Light Impressions for all your photo storage needs.
• DO store your negatives in a separate location for safekeeping, i.e. safety deposit box, at a relatives home
• Do not store in cardboard boxes
• Do not store in magnetic albums
• Do not display in direct sunlight
• Do not store photos in attic or basement

For more tips on storing photos, check out the Fine Living and Star Ledger articles Ann Sullivan contributed to.

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As you continue the sorting process, we hope that you are enjoying the trip down memory lane.  We know it’s a long process, but the outcome will be worth it and you can make it fun along the way:  put on music, involve the kids, share stories.  Stay on task by scheduling  a time once a week to spend a few hours working on this project.  Keep at it, you’re doing great!

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