I am obsessed with organizing! Or as some people say "OCD" (James). Tómato. Tomáto.
I can always tell which DVDs James has watched because they are the ones not in alphabetical order. One of my co-workers is afraid for James, referencing the movie "Sleeping with the Enemy." But I just love having everything in it's place. I got shot down from registering at the Container Store :(
I normally keep things very organized. However after James moved in I didn't quite get my closet the way I like it, things kept piling up & finally today I was FED UP with that MESS! It was time for the closet makeover! In addition to re-organizing I wanted to improve the closet too & make it my "wife-cave." Now I love being in there. I wish it was big enough for a chair. I would seriously hang out in there. :)
In true Kristina style I started by taking Every. Last. Thing. out of my closet & cleaning it! (No halfway projects here!) Chipped my gel manicure. Worth it.
The first step to organizing anything is to reduce. There's a reason your space isn't working ~ there's too much stuff in there. I sorted through to find out what I could donate, what belonged with my summer storage & what could find a home somewhere else.
Next I drove to Goodwill (for a drop-off) & then to Target! Normally when I re-organize I do not buy new things I just work with what I've got, but I was making a "wife-cave" it needed some pretty things :)
I purchased some of the Michael Graves collection items:
purse organizer &
three self organizer. It is not online but the collection also included a hanging bar for additional storage (see photos).
Not in the collection was a two pack of black
Cubeicals Fabric Drawers & I added to my flocked hangers (originally bought at Costco) with this kit
Huggable Hangers that included more variety (skirt hangers). I hope to have my whole closet in these hangers, they are so awesome! And create so much more room in your closet for new friends!
One of my biggest organizing philosophies is to keep items you use the most easily accessible. In the morning you should not be "digging" for clothes. If you go skiing once a year you can "dig" for ski pants. My closet was a mess because I was not prioritizing my space correctly. Valuable space was being used for old college t-shirts, etc. If you're like me, not having things at your fingertips creates piles of clothes. I got out two shirts, decided to wear green with my brown suit today, will wear blue tomorrow with my black suit, let me leave it on top of this random t-shirt pile so I won't have to look for it tomorrow. Piles = Evil.
Following are before photos (don't judge!) and after photos with my organizing tips!
Before ~ nasty piles everywhere! Before ~ crazy shoes! dry cleaning bags?
The After Photos!
After ~ Looking into my closet from the bathroom! That carpet is SO vacuumed!
After ~ Looking to the left front eye level, I hung my belts on the wall, have small space for hanging jewelry & my robe. Then the new 3 shelf organizer from Target with my lululemon collection :) and other workout gear! On the top of the organizer I keep buttons & tags for items of value I may sell on eBay later.
After ~ Looking to the left bottom, I have some shoe storage. This is for boots, tennis shoes, daily flats & sandals. In the plastic bins are (left top to bottom) Spanx/slips, panty hose/dress socks, cover-ups; (right top to bottom) sports bras/ workout headbands/ etc., workout socks, swimming suits. Again keeping to the philosophy items for work are closest, then work out, swimming items on the bottom due to lack of use (sadly!!!).
After ~ Left side above eye level, is all shoes sweetie!!! Bottom two shelves are for in-season work shoes that I wear most often. Top two shelves are for out-of season work shoes. I usually keep evening/dressy shoes in their boxes on the right side. Back in the corner are boot boxes (I will move some boots into their boxes & out of the way during the summer).
After ~ Left back side eye level, after the hanging organizer of workout clothes are blouses, jeans, winter dresses, cocktail dresses, summer dresses. To make plenty of room I removed summer blouses that I can't wear under a suit jacket to work & put them in storage. As always my clothes are in color order from sleeveless to long sleeved. I strayed a little from my strict color arrangement (ROYGBIV) & went for blacks/whites/neutrals then warm colors then cool colors. I found this made it easier to find work clothes (do I need a shift under a suit? or a shirt with sleeves?). Jeans are in order of length. Dresses arranged by seasons.
After ~ Looking straight into the closet. You can see here the black fabric bins, the purse organizer & the extra rod hung below the purse organizer.
After ~ Straight eye level, hanging on the left are my dresses I wear to work. Followed by my suit jackets in color order. Right below the jackets are the skirts on the left & pants on the right.
After ~ The Purse Organizer!!!!!!!!! Probably my favorite part of my closet :) I typically have one purse & carry it everyday for a long time. I am not a frequent purse changer. But I do enjoy keeping them in the closet instead of in an old comforter bag under the bed! This is a much prettier home for them :) The top has a nice mesh pouch for wallets, clutches & phone cases. I have three big purses I am not using, each with their own cubby. The top right has small purses/large clutches. The outside has hooks used for cross-body bags & my Lilly P market bag.
After ~ Straight above eye level. I looked EVERYWHERE in Target for a hat rack, to no avail! My hats are now balanced in my derby hat on the left. I plan to find a hat rack & put above the door. The black bins are perfect for overhead storage! The left one has t-shirts & sweatshirts. They are now out of sight & when I want one I am not pulling at the middle of a pile hoping the whole thing doesn't fall down on me! The right one has travel bags for toiletries, makeup, jewelry, hanging garment bags, etc. On the right side is closet cleaning items, Febreeze, Downy wrinkle releaser & an air freshener.
I didn't get a good picture of it (see right side of photo above) is my "inspiration wall" where I have pinned quotes or pictures that I like. I use them for inspiration for being a better lady, ideas for outfits, positive thinking. And my infamous big-gal photos! Long story short ~ due to depression & exacerbated by happy-meds I gained 30 lbs in 2009!!! When I decided to make positive changes through counseling, prayer, and being healthy (instead of masking my problems with prescriptions) I took photos of myself in a tiny bikini. I printed that bad boy out in COLOR on a WHOLE SHEET OF PAPER with the quote "Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels" along with my weight & the date. Yikes! Nothing like looking at that every day! Keeps the food out of your mouth & your booty off the couch! This was the best idea & made all those purchases of Oxygen magazine worth it!
Also not pictured are my "skinny jeans" from ACU. They are hanging on the back of my closet door (front of closet door has full length mirror, see first photo). I was not in the habit of weighing myself in college or grad school. What thin person cares about the scale? I didn't. So I am not sure what weight was my "starting weight" but I do know what my starting jeans were. It hasn't been an easy road getting back to them. Around the time of my wedding I can get them on, buttoned & zipped! I had some muffin top action & I didn't try sitting down :) But I am close!! 5-10 lbs more? I heard somewhere 10 lbs is a jean size. Maybe I can work out more now that I'm not digging in my closet for clothes so often!!!
Whew.... time for a break! I am tired, my nails are chipped & my organizing heart is happy :)
