Closet Spring Cleaning 2014

Fashion.

After reading a recent blog post from Stitch Fix, I realized I desperately needed to do some spring-cleaning myself.  A few weeks ago I went through my transition with my boots to sandals phase, but still need to get working on the clothing phase.  I really like the tips they gave, but would like to add some more money saving and organization tips that have worked for me. 

Try it on!

Going through a pregnancy makes it a bit rough since this waist really isn’t my norm, but make sure you try on all of your clothes before taking them out for the season.  You know there are pants/shorts that didn’t quite fit last year and you were holding out for the “I’m going to be able to wear these one day”.  I decided to put items that didn't fit in an unreachable location because of the expanding baby waist. Let's face it, a button extender will work for only so long and many items really won't be in play until next summer.  

This rule also applies to shoes.  If they hurt, just get rid of them.  If they are looking sad and can be rejuvenated, bring them to a shoe repair shop.  You can keep the shoes without the cost of whole new pair.   I had a hard time with this rule with my shoes because looking through all my sandals, I realized I have moved out of the sky-high wedges phase and just want comfort.  I have many pairs of wedges that I love, but can’t walk around in easily.  They are in the “under consideration pile”.

Ask a question / Two year rule

These two have been combined because it just makes sense. Ask yourself if it really is your style and if it has been worn in the past two years.   They have to go together or you, like me will try to rationalize why you should keep it. There is this one sleeveless blouse that I have had for many years and I always persuade myself that I will wear it.  Well, when trying it on, I automatically realized the whole cut and style of it is not for me and even if I style it differently, there are just too many ruffles.  It has been donated to one of my friend from work already.

Hangers

I totally agree with the “Improve your Quality” rule.  Hangers area big deal and transitioning from dorm room plastic to real hangers can be expensive.  I still have a mix in my closet, but each time I go to TJ Maxx, I buy a pack of the velvet covered hangers for about $15. Sometimes I even score a pack for half that price. They honestly make a huge difference with storing your clothes and the look is so much more streamlined. I have transitioned all of my dresses over to these hangers and in time all of my clothing will be hung in the same fashion.

Color Coding

Arrange for ease, I totally agree! Jeff and I have been color-coding for years and it is not only visually appealing, but it helps getting dressed a bit easier.  It also makes your realize you might need a bit more diversity in color or patterns.  I mean, how many black shirts can one person own? Apparently about twenty-five.

See What You Wear

I cannot see a way that this rule is one I could follow.  Yeah, it would work for a little while and then life would get in the way and your closet will be back to its usual mess again.  Here is what I suggest; If you are color coding, put the most recent worn items in the end of the line for that color section.  Pretty much all the items will be lined up and you will know which one you wore most recently.  The teacher in me is coming out; I love things lined up neatly and highly organized.

This post was actually done last year, but revisited this year with a few upgrades.  I love reading that last post because I did finally get the closet I had dreamed of.   Looking at my last closet, I just can’t believe that we actually shared it.  I know, first world problems, but boy do I feel lucky right now.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

<3 mk

DIY Pantry Shelf Liners

Home.

Self adhesive shelf liner

Do you have wire shelves in your pantry or any closet in your home?  Do those wire shelves have spaces that don’t really hold all your smaller items?  Yeah, me too.

I love our pantry.  It's what I have always wanted to store all the necessary dry and canned cooking items as well as cooking appliances.  It truly was one of the many reasons I wanted this house.  The only issue I had was with the wire shelving that was through the entire closet.  The wires allowed for small items and organizers like the one below to slip through.

Before

After

A simple adhesive shelf liner was necessary, but not possible with the wire shelves.  A way to use the shelf liner was to create a base to wrap the liner.  Answer…foam board or cardboard boxes.

This self adhesive shelf liner came from amazon.  The chevron pattern had me as soon as I spotted it. There are also tons of other patterns in various colors. You can always go to your local store and purchase the average liner, but it truly won't be as cute as a popular chevron.

Cut a large box or foam board (display board) to the measured size of the space and then apply the liner after measuring so it will fold over the edges cleanly.  Two people are necessary if you want the shelf liner to adhere to the foam board/cardboard box without having wrinkles.

Super simple way to solve a little pantry problem and it looks pretty cute as well.

<3 mk

From Under Bed Shoe Storage to Gift Wrap Organizer

Home.

Under bed gift wrapping organization

Last year I showed you how to organize your scarves.  I also used the same organizer for under bed boot storage.  Well, I now am lucky enough to have a closet that is large enough to store all of my clothing, shoes and accessories in one place.

Under bed scarf organizer

I originally kept my scarves in the organizer under the bed after we moved, but in the early morning hours after almost tripping over it and almost spilling coffee all over the place I figured it was time for a change.  It turns out that I didn’t shove the scarf storage fully back under the bed after I took out my colorful accessory... blame it on pre-coffee brain!

I decided to put my scarves back on the their original holder, the IKEA Komplement that I originally bought many many many years ago.  It does what it was suited for, holds scarves, all 26 of mine. I don't see what this as a problem, do you?  Now, what to do with the organizer?

After a few days of thinking, I realized that my underbed storage for gift wrapping supplies was just overflowing and needed a little help.  It is stored in the guest rooms so it doesn’t really bother me, but I know when it is prime birthday or holiday season I always cringe when it comes time to find stuff.  

I left all of the wrapping paper and tissue paper (I didn’t realized I had so much) in the original Tupperware holder.   The other stuff; ribbon, bags, bows, stuffing, etc.  got organized into the little compartments that were intended to hold shoes.  I felt the bottom needed more structure so I cut the plastic and slid a piece of foam board to keep the bottom sturdy. You can also cut pieces of cardboard from a box.  I already had a piece of foamboard left over from another project.  I ended up cutting a few section dividers out to store all of my bags in organized piles according to occasion.  I use clips to keep them stacked together.

This couldn’t be easier to repurpose this under bed shoe storage again.  I love when a project doesn’t cost a penny, but it was worth all the effort.

Happy organizing!

<3 mk

DIY Decorative Organization with Fabric Binder

Home.

DIY Decorative fabric covered binder

Do you have a place where you keep all of your home’s files?  Until this past week I did not.  In our last home, we didn't really have any sort of system at all.  When we moved into our new house here in NC, the prior homeowner left us a bunch of paperwork that went with the house.  He was the first one to live in this house, which made it even easier to keep good records. 

We aren’t much for filing cabinets, which is probably why we have minimal records in the first place.  I am really focused on keeping house records up to date, especially because we are going to be doing a lot of work on the unfinished walkout basement in the near future.  So, I decided to get the largest binder I could and use that to organize all the files. The only thing was that the binder was unattractive and too business-like for a house so I spruced it up.

This inspiration came from my mother.  When I was growing up, she would decorate photo albums and give them to people as gifts.  She would put batting and fabric along with small fake flowers or even a cross stich on the front.  They did get pretty intricate, but I have many memories of my mom hot gluing these albums together.

I had some fabric left over from a prior project so I used that fabric.  I didn’t use any batting to maintain a flat look.  To cover the inside fabric overlap, cover a piece of slim cardboard and glue it on the inside cover.  I used simple dividers for each category (appliances, electronics, outdoor) and then whole punched the papers to fit inside.  I used a business card holder for the companies that have done the work or ones that we might use. 

Before

This was a simple and easy solution to organizing our paperwork that could be left out in the open. This can be used for  school or any type of paperwork or even a nice photo album. Use as you choose.

After

<3 mk