Fake It Till You Make It

You know that old saying “You can’t always get what you want”? We all have an image of what our dream closet should look like. What’s yours?

Fancy wood with traditional moldings? Modern, sleek and floating? Simple classic and functional?

No matter what it may be… sometimes we just can’t have it at this moment.  Never say never.

You know what you can do?

Fake it until you make it! (Another great expression) 

When you can’t build the custom closet of your dreams, you can work with accessories and organization to “fake it”. You may not get the aesthetic you dream about, but the organization can certainly be on its way!

Here are some ideas for you to get started:

• ADD A DOUBLE ROD to give you some extra hanging space.

• HANG BY HEIGHT to make the hanging sections look uniform and neat.

• HANG LIKE WITH LIKE to keep your categories of clothes together makes them accessible and easy to find 

• MATCHING HANGERS is an easy change to make the closet look less cluttered and more consistent.

• SHOE RACKS will keep pairs of shoes together and off the floor   

• RACKS for ties and belts will keep them hanging and in good shape

• STACKABLE STORAGE DRAWER will help contain things that can’t be folded easily like bathing suits or scarves

If you have any favorite accessories, PLEASE SHARE!

Can the things you hold on to hold you back?

Do you hold onto objects just to try to hold on to the feelings and memories you associate with those things? And are these objects creating clutter in your life?

Things are just objects. WE attach emotion and meaning to them.

If you toss out the object…do you believe the memories will go with it?

If this thing made you so happy during a certain period of time…are you still using it or is it shoved into a closet somewhere?

Let’s take a look at some common objects people hold on to and find some clutter free solutions for them:

• Photo albums: This one is easy breezy if you have the time.  Scan (or even take a photo) of the page of old photographs and create a file for them in your computer.  If that just seems like too much work, at least, empty the albums and put the important photos in a box. While you sort the photos, be discerning and keep only the photos that hold some meaning for you. If you can’t see someone’s face or you don’t remember who they are…say goodbye! 

• Old sweatshirts/jeans from boyfriends: First question is - are you still with this boyfriend? Second question is - do you wear the items?  If you do, OK, it’s a pass…go ahead and keep them as long as it’s the item you are coveting and no longer the person. If the items have you stuck in the past. Give Them Back.

• Stuffed animals: If you’re an adult holding on to a stuffed animal, there’s something in your past that is associated with it. See if you can find that source and move forward. Take a photo, maybe include a note with a memory or two and then say a sweet goodbye.

• Skinny jeans: OH YEAH! We all have these (or something equivalent). This is a tough one because getting rid of these feels like you’re giving up the fight. But, let’s face it, after a certain time in our lives, we may never fit into our “skinny” anything. Embrace who you are and find a new favorite thing to wear.

• Love letters: These are tough. Many people will say that if the letters are not from the person you’re with currently, then letters be gone! Well, sometimes that is easier said than done. But, if you insist on revisiting the past, you don’t need a physical copy taking up space. You can do the same thing as with your photos and scan them into your computer. 

• Wedding dresses: As a closet designer I see so many wedding dresses taking up way too much space in a Master Closet. It makes sense that you may want to keep it for your daughter, but does it have to be taking up prominent real estate? Either box it yourself or have it done professionally and put it out of the way until the future wedding.

May seem harsh, but the more we hold on to physically does affect what we hold on to mentally. It may be objects, memories or emotions.

I’m curious, what are some of the things you can’t let go of? 

Hamburger Hot Dog

I’m sure I’m not the only one reorganizing everything in their home!

The other day I was folding towels and getting very frustrated.

When my husband came in the room, I asked how he folded the towels so nicely and compactly that they fit perfectly on the narrow shelves.

His response: Hamburger hot dog.

Well, you could imagine my reaction: WHAT IN THE WORLD are you talking about?

Check it out!

Have you ever heard of this? I bet you’ll try it now!

Let me know.

The Best Pick for Your Pants

I notice that all my people have different kinds of pants.  Casual pants, work pants and of course fancy pants! HA! I also see them struggle with how to store each of those.

Truth be told, there is no right or wrong answer for this! So, here is what I see most often and some tricks to help you decide to make the best use of the space you have!

Pants hanging long on a hanger: I see this mostly with dress/fancy/suit pants.  You can hang from the cuff or the waist.  The trick here is to get the right hangers. Some of the metal hangers have “teeth” and will leave marks in fabric. An easy way around this is to fold a thick piece of paper towel under the clip. Problem solves! There are hangers available with soft rubber clips that will avoid this issue all together.

Pants Folded over a Hanger:  I see this more with casual pants. If you have double hanging sections in your closet then this is the best way to make the most of your space but the hanger choice is again very important. If you choose a changer where the bar you fold over is too thin, you will see a fold mark when you take the pants off the hanger…and that just leads to ironing! No one wants that!

The easy choice here is to choose a hanger with a thicker cross bar or again create some padding for it with paper towel or felt.

Pants Folded in Piles:  I see this most often with jeans or leggings. If you have more shelving/drawer space than hanging this is an easy solution for your most casual pants.  The trick here is to make sure that you WEAR all of your folded pieces because the longer they sit folded, the more wrinkled they will get!

No matter what your choice is you can’t go wrong! Which is your favorite?

Sweaters: To Hang or Not to Hang

Sweaters: To hang or not to hang?

I think this question is the easiest one to answer.

Sweater should be folded. Period.

Why you may ask?  I can’t tell you how many times I have watched a sweater be put on a hanger and the weight of the material stretches the sweater until it’s deformed!

Another thing I have seen happen is that people use a thin hanger and when they go to wear the piece it has little bump in the shoulder which is very hard to get rid of.

Solution. Fold your sweater and knits to keep them in the best shape.

Has this ever happened to you?

Make Clothing Exchanges Fun and FAIR!

Clothing exchanges are a great thing to do with your friends when you have good pieces you don't like or can't wear any more. But, they can also be very frustrating.

I have been to a few where some people bring beautiful pieces and others bring old ratty ones. When everything is just thrown in a pile on the floor.....the outcome can be quite unfair.

Of course my professional organizer mind takes over and begs me to 

Here's the plan I came up with for an organized clothing exchange:

1. Ask everyone to bring only good quality used pieces. Nothing with stains, frays or tears.
2. Organize the items by category so people will easily find what they might be looking for.  
3. Have 3 rounds timed how ever long you like.  Leave enough time for people to look around and try things on.  Whatever they don't choose goes back in the piles. 
4. In the first round, people can choose the same amount of items that they brought with them to exchange. In the second round, decide how many more pieces everyone is allowed to choose. 
5. Before the final round, people can decide whether they want to give away what is left over or take it back.

It may sound complicated but it's not!  It is organized and fair!

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.  My friends have all thanked me for it! 

5 Choices When Spring Cleaning Your Closet

If you are someone who avoids cleaning out your closet because you can't decide what to keep and what to get rid of,(and what I mean by get rid of is to donate or hand down unless it's unwearable)....here's are 5 tips to help make your choices easier.

1. To Wear or Not To Wear:  You know what I am talking about! We all have those pieces of clothing that we start at time and time again thinking we will wear it, we should wear it and of course we never wear it. Those pieces need to go! Yes, you may have paid a lot of money for it, but your money will be better spent if someone else is wearing it, than if it's sitting in your closet!  
2. Ouch it Hurts: Ugh my feet are killing me! Is that another blister? If these things sound familiar...you have some shoes that need to go! Life is too short to have sore feet!
3. Did That Ever Fit?:  Are you standing in front of the mirror wondering how you ever fit into a piece of clothing? If it doesn't fit properly, send it on it's way. Yes, you may lose/gain the weight again but then treat yourself to new clothes. Live in the present and enjoy!
4. Never Again!: Say goodbye to the pink taffeta bridesmaid dress or your wedding dress from 15 years ago! If you know you will never wear something again, give it to someone who will!
5.  Tugging at the Heart Strings: High school is over. Your camp days are in the past. IF you are wearing some old comfy pieces that are torn and ragged but simply make you happy: BRAVO! But, If you are saving clothing in a box just for sentimental value, take a photo and move on.

I hope these helped and if you have any other ideas please share with us!

Closet Resolutions

It's that time again! The time where we pressure ourselves to make tough changes to "better" our lives or ourselves. Personally, I think it's all to much pressure! How about we play a game instead?

The game can be considered a "resolution" but you can have some NO PRESSURE fun while being productive. So, here's how it works: 

STEP 1:  Make sure all of hangers the hangers in your closet are facing in the same direction,  Then make sure all of the piles of clothing that you have (whether in drawers or on shelves) and neatly folded.

STEP 2: Once you wear a piece of clothing, turn the hanger backwards or put the folded piece back at the bottom of the pile.

STEP 3:  Commit to only wearing new things until you have turned all your hangers or rotated all your piles.

Now, we all know what will happen along the way.......you will get to a piece and not "feel like" wearing it, or it doesn't "feel right" etc. Take note of those pieces and if it happens more then once....it's time to let it go!

Who's with me on this? It's a pretty easy resolution to make and you can weed through your wardrobe at the same time. 

Remember: Someone else will probably love to wear whatever you choose to give away!  

The Corner Rules

Many of my clients ask me "How do you use the corners in a closet". Well, in my experience there is only one EFFECTIVE way to use corners but there are many options out there. 

Take a look: 

#1 - The Angled Corner Unit: With that small an opening....how will you ever know what is back there..never mind how you get to it! Once you hang clothes on the rods they will cover the opening even further and will make that access even more difficult!  

#2- Curved or Corner Shelves: Are not terrible when there is no hanging beside them but again, you will have items stuck far back in a corner which will probably never get used.

#3- Curved Rods: You can see for yourself in this photo that they are not a great use of space. Items can not hang the full range of the rod.

#4- The Lazy Susan: This works, sure...but again if you have anything hanging next to it, it will rub and hinder the spin of the shelves. Clothing folded in rectangles do not fit easily on a round shelf. This is a decent solution for shoes or purses.  

#5- Rods in 2 Directions: This is the most common use of corners and it does not work at all. It is physically impossible to hang the length of both rods. The shoulders of the clothing just smashes into each other.

#6- The Spiral Rod: Oh Yeah, this one is cool for sure but it takes up a ton of space. You can actually get more pieces of clothing on a regular rod then on this gadget. 

So what is my corner of choice? The Access Space:

The Access Space makes use of one wall completely and then leaves room for the clothes on the opposite wall to hang properly. When the correct amount of space is allowed, not only can you see the clothing in the corner, but you can easily reach it as well. 

I'm not saying the other ideas are wrong, just that in my 20 plus years o experience, this seems to work the best.

Do you have your favorite? Please share your thoughts!  

How do you choose?

Today I wanted to talk to you about hangers.......how boring right?  

Not really!  There are so many to choose from.....how do you decide? 

I also decided to take this opportunity to try video my hand at video UGH! 

ENJOY!

Uploaded by organizeatoz on 2016-07-27.