“Later” is Clutter’s Best-Friend.
~Peter Walsh
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or by searching for Organize With Julie. Stalk me on twitter @juliebavi.
I am so excited about 2011 and organizing that I spent some time re-vamping my own closet today. It was a blast! Closets are often neglected because they are the clutter you can’t see. It’s easy to shut the door and have everything “out of sight, out of mind”. However, it can be really stressful to get ready in the morning when the hunt for clothes takes so much time. It doesn’t take a fortune to make over your closet. It’s time to take a deep breath and let the skeletons, or at least the clutter, out of your closet.
Where do I start?
The SORT
Make your bed. :)
Take everything out of the closet and lay it on your bed. (That’s why you have to make your bed first!)
Try to keep/put like things together if this is possible.
Separate the empty hangers from the dressed hangers.
The PURGE
This is one of those times where we can really see the 80/20 principle in action. We use 20% of our stuff 80% of the time. We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. So why do we own the other 80%? And what can we do about it? Purge.
How do I know what to purge?
If you do not LOVE it…
If it does not look good on you…
If it is old, faded, or otherwise beyond repair…
If it does not properly fit…
If it is too big or too small…
If it is from a different era of you life…
If there are multiples of the same or a very similar item…
It is time to let it go.
What do I do with the things I have purged?
TRASH - if it is worn out, needs repair, etc PLEASE do not donate it. It has live its life and served its useful purpose and now it is time to let go.
DONATE– There is a plethora of local places just waiting for your wonderful items to come along. Think about the local City Rescue Mission, Food Banks, as well as Goodwill and Salvation Army
CONSIGN– This is a great option if you have brand name clothes that no longer fit your body or your style. You will not make back your entire investment. It is a way to ease the pain of letting go. ***Make sure you know the rules of the particular shop before you choose this option.
HAND DOWN – Maybe you have a co-worker, neighbor, or friend who could benefit from some of your castoffs. Many MOPS groups have a clothing trade for children’s clothes.
OTHER OPTIONS – ONLY if you are disciplined enough to set a “good-bye” date and time - freecycle.com, craigslist.com, ebay.com, yard sale
Now that you’ve purged it is time for the…
RELOAD.
Group like things together.
T-shirts, Dress Shirts, Collared Shirts. Pants. Skirts. Dresses. Ties. Scarves.
Group like colors together.
Use baskets and bins to group smaller items together on shelves. These don’t have to be fancy. You can use shoeboxes for ties and smaller wallets. Turn a milk crate on it’s side to store purses. Purchase baskets or small canvas bins to store out of season items. The important thing is to keep LIKE with LIKE.
Stick small plastic hooks on the wall to hold caps and belts.
This is an Itso Fabric Cube from Target. They come in many colors are are super sturdy!
Things to keep in mind for organizing Kids’ Closets.
Make it accessible.
-What they cannot reach or see they will not use.
Keep it kid friendly.
- Make it easy to choose outfits and easy to put things away.
How do I know how to divide the clothing in a Kid’s Closet?
Well, a definite must in any BABY closet would be to divide by size. They grow from those 6 month to the 9 month clothes in no time! What a great way to keep track! (Note sizes aren’t always accurate, so keep a watch on lengths, etc).
For older children (just like adults) I recommend ordering the closet by type of clothing. Not only are you doing yourself a favor now, you are teaching them how to have an organized closet for their grown up life. Remove any outgrown clothing as you sort.
I keep a box in the bottom of the closet for things to donate/hand down. As my son outgrows an item I don’t hang it back up when it returns through the laundry cycle. I simply toss it into the box.
I keep a basket in the top of the closet for clothing items that my son is not yet ready to use due to size or season. When he hits a growth spurt or the weather changes, I check that basket first before I plan any shopping.
Thank you for joining me on this journey through the closet. Let me know what your tips are for keeping your clothes in check. What are your problem closet areas?
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or by searching for Organize With Julie. Stalk me on twitter @juliebavi.
Whether you’re just thinking of getting on the organization band wagon or you’ve been here a long time – Welcome! Welcome to my weekly blog and welcome to Eleven – It’s going to be a FUN year. I love that the year kicks off with National Get Organized Month. It’s like a fresh start for everything all at once! We can approach the year with wide eyes and long to-do lists knowing that there are 365 days to get everything on that list done. So where should our first stop be? For me, it’s giving you peak into my personal life with labels.
Last Fall Stuck On You, USA Labels joined the National Association of Professional Organizers as an affiliate sponsor. Having seen similar label products, I wanted to check them out and see what made these labels so different and special. After contacting the company I excitedly received my package of shoe labels, iron-on clothing labels, and sticky labels for everything else! And it all came in it’s own little zippered pouch! What could be more organized than that? To add to my excitement, the labels are adorable! Not only are they great bold colors, there is a charming little dinosaur graphic by my son’s (correctly spelled) name! Oh the joy!!! (And there are LOTS of different graphics to choose from!)
The true test for me was being able to label Allergy Boy’s containers of food with his name. These containers get micro-waved, frozen, stashed in the bottom of the backpack, shoved under the seat of the car only to be recovered weeks later… You probably get the idea. I’ve tried standard labels. They leave behind goo as they rub off – probably no thanks to my dishwasher. I’ve tried (the best marker ever) Sharpie. As much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Sharpies, they just don’t hold up after being frozen/micro-waved/dishwashered/abused, time after time. Something’s gotta give and it’s the fading of the Sharpie that gives every time. So would these Stuck On You labels leave me with messy goo or just slide off the container as the previous labels had? NO! They stayed put. No goo. Hooray!!
(Isn’t that little pouch to keep the labels in precious?!)
That test down, I decided to check out the clothing labels. I live in Florida. We do not wear coats very often. However, when you need a coat, boy, do you need a coat! I choose to “buy used and save the difference” on anything I can. This winter one of those things was my son’s winter jacket. I had to chuckle when I picked it up for just a few bucks at a consignment sale. The previous owner’s Mommy apparently did not have such sweet labels; there was tape residue across the back from the former owner’s name tagging. Nothing a good amount of wash and elbow grease didn’t fix. Did I mention it was a steal? Stuck On You Clothing label easily ironed in. No need for guesses as to which jacket is my kiddo’s at the end of the day. And no tape residue.
Shoe labels are a perfect fit for the inner heel of any shoe. I’ve even seen some crafty mamas tag the outside of a rain boot with them to make tricky boot identification oh so simple.
(This is not the aforementioned coat.)
I haven’t gone hog wild crazy with my labels. Stuffed animals are still label free as are most toys. When the weather gets a bit warmer again and we’re visiting the park more, the sports equipment is going to be brandishing my son’s name. (Who knew that ALL soccer balls and sand shovels pretty much look alike?)
If you’re looking for labels for your kiddos, spouse, yourself, a new baby gift, or even a teacher gift head on over to http://www.stuckonyou.biz/usa/ and see what they have to offer.
I was provided with labels free of charge in return for doing a review. This post contains my honest opinion about the labels with which I was provided. The opinions expressed here are purely my own.
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or by searching for Organize With Julie. Stalk me on twitter @juliebavi.
“Give careful thought to your ways.
You have planted much
but harvested little.”
Haggai 1:5b-6a
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or by searching for Organize With Julie. Stalk me on twitter @juliebavi.
1. Lose Weight
2. Get Organized
3. Get Finances in Order
4. Live an Abundant Life
5. Learn Something New
6. Quit Smoking
7. Quit Drinking
8. Fall In Love/Find “The One”
9. Spend More Time with Family
10. Help Others
Did your resolution make the Top Ten for ELEVEN?
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like help achieving your goal of getting organized in ELEVEN, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or by searching for Organize With Julie. Stalk me on twitter @juliebavi.
We don’t work BETTER under stress,
we work FASTER under stress.
~Harold Taylor
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or by searching for Organize With Julie. Stalk me on twitter @juliebavi.
Photo Credit: StockExchange.com
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