Interview - Sweeten

We spend a lot of time in people's homes and during the process of getting them organized the topic of other home projects come up. We spoke with Randi at Sweeten to learn more about major home renovations. 

How would you explain Sweeten to a busy homeowner?

We are a free service for major renovations, connecting renovators to the best vetted general contractors (GCs) AND staying involved until the project is done. Since the phrase "busy homeowner" was used, I'll also add we're a one-stop source for multiple estimates from excellent GCs.

Why is it called Sweeten?

Founder & CEO Jean Brownhill named the company Sweeten after "home, sweet home." She's a trained architect from Connecticut who made it her mission to help people "sweeten" their homes after a challenging renovation of her own. Sweeten launched in NYC in 2011; it was named "Best Contractor Locator" by New York magazine in 2012, and projects came pouring in. We expanded into Westchester and Fairfield counties in Spring 2017, and have a great base of GCs in those markets.

What are your project requirements, can I find a handyman?

We do transformative renovations that involve a general contractor--our minimum is $20k and jobs range into the millions. Our average project is in the low six figures. 

How do you select the contractors for your service?

From the start, the founders screened 15,000+ general contractors to find professionals who met their standards, and we still put GCs through a rigorous process to work with Sweeten. Up-to-date licenses and insurance, quality and guarantee of work, personal conversations with past clients and the caliber of their customer service skills all factor in. GCs are growing their businesses with us; they want to keep that deal flow going, so they are very responsive and accountable to Sweeten. (Vetting info: https://sweeten.com/vetted-general-contractors)

How do you help a client during a renovation project?

We're as involved as you'd like us to be. When you post a project on Sweeten.com, our matchmakers connect you to 3-5 GCs based on location, budget, scope and timeline. We can recommend architects if needed, too. You'll check profile pages for the suggested GCs (including reviews from past clients) and choose which to meet with. From that point, we can  help you evaluate the estimates, answer any questions and will check in at key points in the process. We stay in touch with the GC as well. In the off chance things go off-track, we'll step in. We also offer constant inspiration in the form of "before & afters" and education through detailed cost guides on our blog.

What types of people can use Sweeten?

Homeowners or business owners. We attract a lot of clients from finance (we think it's because of the efficiency of our process), technology and creative fields looking to create a space they love. Renovation is a big investment, and we are a wingman to make sure things go smoothly.

I know it is hard to choose, but what are some of the coolest projects you have worked on?

That's an impossible question to answer! The real-life reno stories are all so interesting, and our posts are often written by the homeowners themselves. We've seen an outbuilding become a "Diva Den," a computer coder use elaborate data to find his dream home (with a factored-in renovation), and lots of projects sparked by a baby on the way. Many architects and designers are using Sweeten for their personal homes (which we consider a compliment): http://blog.sweeten.com/before-after/entire-homes/color-and-charm-in-a-designers-tudor-townhouse/. Two recent stories that come to mind are a Westchester renovation which created a modern, open kitchen in a stucco residence: http://blog.sweeten.com/before-after/kitchens/1920s-westchester-home-gets-a-modern-makeover/, and a "before & after" of a hallway-alcove-turned-bathroom of a country house in this week's newsletter that garnered more than 5,600 likes on Instagram within a few days.

Interview - Connecticut Cookie Company

A recurring theme at House to Home Organizing is a desire to move away from stuff and towards experiences. One can hardly think of a more enjoyable experience than eating a warm cookie. We spoke with Andrea of the Connecticut Cookie Company to learn more these local sweet treats.

What is your background, how did you get started?

Well, I've been designing in the fashion industry for over twenty years.  Baking was my "therapy" when I designed for Abercrombie a.k.a. "Aberzombie" when I was there a while ago.  Growing up (in Cincinnati, Ohio), my mom baked a lot using the vanilla extract from my grandma's hometown in Indiana. I was more interested in decorating cookies rather than baking when I was a kid. 

Cookies are in the title, what kinds and do you have non-cookie items?

Sure! First off, the foundation of the business is our pure vanilla extract. A 75+ year old recipe.  We also have: cake pops, edible cookie dough, coffee, tea, espresso, cupcakes, GIANT chocolate chip cookies, cakes and our signature "Quick fix brittle" (almond toffee britlle with Belgian Dark Chocolate Sea salt with graham cracker). Also, around Thanksgiving we have pies. Everything is made from scratch using our CT Cookie vanilla extract. 

You are based in Fairfield, where can people buy your cookies?

Our cookie shop is location at 2385 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield. We're across the street from Trader Joe's and next to Lenox Jewelers. Two miles off the Merritt Parkway; five miles off 95. Our cookies can also be ordered on our web site:  CTCOCO.com.  You can see what we're up to on instagram.

Does anyone ever ask about custom orders?

Oh yes, we do A LOT of custom cookie orders for showers, weddings, graduations, corporate - you name it! We've done custom cakes and cupcakes for a few catering events. I would say the best custom order we've had to date was (sad story) one of our customers was dying from cancer. She loved our oatmeal raisin cookies (she even said they were to die for! ha.) she planned her funeral gathering around our cookies and had cookies and milk in her memory. Which we all thought was amazing! 

What do you suggest for someone with special dietary restrictions?

We do bake gluten free cookies, cake pops, brownies and edible dough.  Our facility does contain nuts.

I'm sure people are jealous that you get to work with cookies all day, what is it really like?

Ha, people do say that. We work nonstop and when customers come into the shop saying "it smells so great in here!" that makes it all worthwhile. 

What are some of your most popular items?

Chocolate chip cookies, our pure vanilla extract, edible cookie dough, quick fix brittle, cake pops and sugar cookies. 

Interview - Genius Scan

We have a lot of clients who ask us about going paperless and we have a system for that process. However, deciding what specific tools to use going forward can be challenging so we spoke with Bruno with Genius Scan about some options. 

For the busy working parent, what is the easiest way to explain what Genius Scan is?

We like to describe Genius Scan as a real scanner in your pocket. But in practice, it's more powerful than that: with a real scanner, you get a clean document. Then you need to get it somewhere. Genius Scan packs everything in the same app: in a couple taps you will get a clean document and export it wherever you need it.

More concretely, Genius Scan is super helpful to digitize a lot of everyday-life documents. For instance, you can scan documents for the school teachers, doctor's prescriptions … a lot of parents use Genius Scan to archive the family's important paperwork and have it at hand at all times.

Can I take a photo with anything besides my phone and does the physical size of my original paper document matter?

Genius Scan is available on iOS and Android, and is designed for both phones and tablets. The closer your can be to the document, the higher the resolution will be. So you will get super-high resolution scans if you scan a receipt or a Letter-size paper. If you scan a very large blueprint, the results might be less good. In all cases, it's very important to have a good lighting environment.

When I scan a piece of paper, where does it live?

The documents you scan are stored on your phone. Then, you can decide to send them somewhere. The most common option is to send it by email. But Genius Scan integrates with all the major cloud storage services, so it's very easy to archive your documents in, say, Dropbox.

Just recently, we also launched an optional service called Genius Cloud, which let you sync your documents between your devices and back them up. We recommend using it if your documents are important as it protects you in case you lose your phone, break it or accidentally delete a document.

How do I find what I'm looking for in my scanned paper?

Genius Scan lets you easily organize your documents with tags and Smart Document Names (you can name a document based on the city you scan it in, or based on a client's name). In the future, we plan to offer OCR services to let you search your documents.

What are the different types of Genius Scan and the fees, is there a space limit?

Genius Scan is free and fully functional. Just try it! You can unlock Genius Scan+ for a one-time fee of $7.99. This unlocks premium features such as the export to Box, Dropbox etc., Smart Document Names, automatic background export, Touch ID security. Last, you can opt for Genius Cloud. It's a subscription ($2.99/month or $29.99/year) which offers unlimited and automatic backup and synchronization for your documents, plus all the features of Genius Scan+.

Interview - LEC Massage & Wellness

As one can imagine many of our clients are busy with work and children and therefore they experience a certain amount of stress in their daily lives. As organizers, we can help them take back control of their space, but we look to experts with different backgrounds for other kinds of relief. We spoke with Lourdez Castro, HHC, LMT with LEC Massage & Wellness about other ways to reduce stress. 

How did you get started as a massage therapist; what is your background?
My first real experience with massage was back in 2004.  I've gotten massage before that but only a few times and it was years in between each until 2004 when I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. The cancer center I went to had an integrated program that offered massage and reflexology.  I had a few sessions during treatments and it made a difference for me.  I was less stressed about my treatments. When I was diagnosed again in 2007, I took full advantage of the program and had weekly massages during treatments and noticed that I was able to tolerate chemo sessions better and I was more relaxed and less tense. I realized that massage therapy was an organic, natural way to feel better.  It wasn't till 3 1/2 years later that I realized I wanted to help people feel better and enrolled in massage school, while still working full time. I graduated and was licensed in 2013. I finally quit my corporate job in 2014 to dedicate my time to massage therapy full time.  I started my own private practice in the middle of 2014 not really knowing much about starting a business but I wanted to massage as many people as I can.  I eventually started at a new spa, Ciel Eau, in New Canaan in 2015 as a massage therapist.  I still have my private business that I am growing  (for now it's a mobile business) and future plans to open an office space in the Norwalk/Rowayton area. 

What types of massages do you offer and why?

I offer different modalities, such as Swedish Massage (for relaxation), Deep Tissue Massage (relieve muscle tension & pain), Sports Massage (stretching & flexibility), Integrated Massage (specifically designed for you), Chair Massage (Corporate and Individual), Prenatal (relieve tension and relaxation for mom and baby) and Oncology Massage (soothing touch before, during and after cancer treatments).  All these modalities help you relax, relieve tension, help reduce pain, and helps bring your body back to balance.

Do you have a location or do you travel?

For now, I travel to my clients within lower Fairfield county.  I do plan on opening an office space in the near future. 

You must see people with a lot of stress, what is that like?
Most of my clients are people who work in front of a computer and busy parents with kids.  That is a lot of stress on a daily basis.  Technology has provided us with applications that make our lives easier but it also has provided bad habits that take its toll on our body, such as "tech neck", forward head posture from looking down on our phones all the time, which causes neck and shoulder pain to rounded shoulders and strain on our low backs from our monitors not being at eye level and slouching in our chair in front of our computers and sitting for longer periods of time. New parents also deal with low back pain from picking up the kids the wrong way and carrying heavy car seats and strollers. These are the major stress complaints I see in my clients. I love working on them and relieving most if not all of their stress after a few sessions and educating them on ways to keep the stress away.    

What are some things people can do to take care of themselves in between massages?
Being more aware of your posture during the day can help lessen muscle-tension build up. This way you can adjust yourself and align your spine, take a deep breathe and release tension.  Stretching your body, especially neck and extremities, helps keep you loose and flexible in between massage sessions. Having a clean healthy diet can regulate your blood sugar, fuel your muscles properly and give you more energy. Exercise helps build muscles and burn fat and keeps you lean.  Of course, the best compliment to all this is scheduling regular massage sessions with me.