HOW I KEEP MY BUILDER-GRADE CLOSET ORGANIZED...

I am a stickler for organization - especially when it comes to my closet. Especially! Having an organized closet allows me to sleep an extra 5-10 minutes in the morning (since I don't have to spend that time searching for an outfit or a piece of one) and being organized in general just keeps me sane. While I don't have a Pinterest-worthy closet, I do have a nice, but no-frills builder-grade master bedroom closet that comfortably stores all of my clothes and shoes with extra space left over! There are no plans in the near future to get the closet of my dreams, so I've had to figure out how to get the most use out of what I have. It was a challenge at first, but I've figured it out by following four simple rules that I'll share with you today! Here goes: 

1. Color coordinate everything!: The #1 thing I love about having an organized closet is that I ALWAYS know what I have. Knowing what I have prevents me from buying things that I don't need and it makes it easier to shop in my closet. Color-coordinating everything in the space is one of the best ways to always know what you have. It also makes shopping in your closet super easy. I love to wear black, so on days when I want to wear black, I just head to the black sections of my closet to shop for an outfit. That saves so much time!

2. Implement the One-In One-Out Rule: I have about the same about of empty space in my closet now as I did when I first moved into the closet - which was over 7 years ago. Other than my coat closet, all of my hung clothes are stored in my closet in my bedroom - all because of this one rule. The rule simply works like this: When something comes into the closet, something comes out of the closet a goes into the Goodwill bag. So when I buy something new, I go through my closet and search for items that haven't been worn in a year and/or those items that I just don't LOVE anymore. It's hard sometimes, but I keep looking until I find something - and I always find something. In addition to keeping my closet paired down to just those things I love and have worn in the past year, this rule helps me to always have an updated picture in my mind of what I have so I can make better decisions when I'm shopping. I apply this rule in my small kitchen as well and it works beautifully!

3. Use thicker hangers and only buy a certain amount of them: I know that thin hangers are the thing to have these days - especially when you have a really small closet or a larger one that you have to share with someone else. But hear me out... I used to use the thin hangers - even when I had a smaller closet - and it was really hard to keep up with what I had. The clothing was so scrunched up together that it was just so hard to see everything! So I went and bought a few boxes of the thicker wooden hangers. While I do have less space in my closet, I can really see what I have. The hangers make the aesthetic of the closet much nicer, too... Anything to make a builder-grade closet look better! 

And guess what else?? My goal is to never buy a box of hangers again. I have about 5-10 empty hangers at any given time. Once those hangers start dwindling down, that's my signal to find something to get rid of so that I can free up a hanger and keep my closet paired down. Trust me, there is always something to get rid of. You just have to enforce concepts that make you find those items on a regular basis!

Note that this concept still works even if you use thin hangers. Start by pairing down your closet to only the things that you love and have worn in the past year. Save a few of the extra hangers and donate the rest. This along with using the One-In One-Out rule should be helpful!

4. Ditch the shoeboxes: Shoeboxes irritate me. They tear up easily and you can't see what's in them. Plus a whole bunch of them together isn't visually appealing. Since I don't have the luxury of shoe shelves, I invested in these AMAZING clear, stackable shoe and boot boxes from The Container Store. I can see what I have, my good shoes are very well protected, and I save a little space. I treat these boxes just like I treat the hangers. I bought so many shoe boxes and boot boxes and I'm not planning to buy any more. So once the boxes start running low, I find a pair to get rid of. I love shoes, so the search for that one pair to get rid of is often SO hard, but I do always find a pair that I haven't worn in a while or a pair that I know someone would love to have. Note that I have a small basket in my closet that holds flip flops, slippers, sandals, etc., that don't need to be protected (see bottom of first pic). I only use the boxes for my good quality shoes that need protection. 

If you don't have space in your closet for clear boxes, invest in a hanging bag or something that fits in your closet that will allow you to see what shoes you have. You will be amazed at how much time, space, and money you save! 

What are your methods of keeping your closet organized?? I'd love to hear!

**Suede pumps in last pic are here... **

Images by me

What Day Is It??

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 

I love office-y stuff, cute office-y stuff that is, so I always look forward to finding a cute little calendar for my office at the beginning of each year. I look at a calendar every day, so for me it has to be stylish, funny, motivating or remind me of something I love. These are a few of my faves for 2013...

Weekend In Five Pics

Two of my favorite things: Rainier cherries and InStyle mags | My nail salon | Blue lamp section at HomeGoods | A little closet organization | Me and my glasses

So how was your weekend? I hope it was lovely!! It's been a while since I've shared Instagram photos, so I thought I would share a few today. One of the photos highlights a little weekend project, which was reorganizing my closet. I organize and edit my closet often, but here is why I did it on Saturday... I haven't purchased one article of clothing since this post. That was almost two months ago! I am on a little "shopping for clothes diet." I am buying some new things for my home, so I gave up shopping for clothes. I have to give up one thing for another. That's just how me and my budget roll.  It's been tough with all of the good sales lately, but it's happening! I reorganized so that I could recall appreciate what I already have and put some new looks together- with things I already have. We will see how much longer I can stand it...

And yep, I wear these glasses almost everyday... I don't like to take photos in them, but I thought I would fill you in on the everyday me. Simply put, my eyes like glasses more than contacts and I'm cool with that. :)

Anyway, I hope your week is off to a great start! If only I could start my day off in that nail salon instead of my office!

An Organized Life: In The Kitchen

I had a day off this week and I spent most of it organizing. Organizing makes me happy. Period. 

I'm definitely no Martha Stewart, but I like to stalk the Organization section of her website to get new ideas. I love being in the kitchen, so I particularly love her suggestions for kitchen organization...

I never thought to use a cake stand for something other than displaying cakes or cupcakes. This would be a great (and stylish) way to organize ingredients for a recipe.

This is probably the drawer of a professional chef, which I am totally not, but it still makes me super happy. It makes me want to take a quick trip to The Container Store. 

I adore this idea! I often find it easy to find the pot I want, but have to turn over and move around 10 other pots to get the lid I need. That causes all kinds of noise that makes my cat think the world is coming to an end. 

I love to bake, so I store my flour and sugars in jars like these, sans the cute labels. My suggestion for storing flour and sugar is to store them in containers that have openings large enough for a cup measure. That makes it so much easier when you are measuring them for recipes. I really love those labels...

Do you have any good ideas for kitchen organization? I'd love to hear! 

An Organized Life: Beau Lifestyle

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! Well I am going to get this week off to a great start with something beautiful and something organized! Chantal of Beau Lifestyle recently shared pics of her gorgeous closet and I just have to share it with you. She is a lover of vintage jewelry and has found some creative ways to display it and keep it organized. It's like she has created her own little jewelry store...

Isn't it the worst when you are all dressed and ready to go- then you go for the perfect necklace only to find that it's tangled up with several other necklaces? This DIY frame would certainly solve that problem...

LOVE! I thought my jewelry was organized but apparently not!

And if you think her closet is amazing, you should see the rest of her home! Click here to see it! While you are checking out her place, I'll be untangling some of my necklaces...

xo, 

Happy At Work

I was recently promoted at work and along with that comes something very special... AN OFFICE!! After many years of cube life, this will be my first office ever and I'm thrilled! Four walls and a door! Of course I am excited about decorating it and making it my own. I think that it's a lot easier to work in a space that is personal, warm and organized. So that is exactly what I plan to do with my new office that has four walls and a door! Can you tell I'm excited about the walls and the door??

My office has a builder beige accent wall. The rest of the walls are white. The desk is a large wood u-shaped desk. Traditional. Boring. But it's all good because I plan to accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! The environment of the office is conservative, so no hot pink or anything like that. Here are a few things that I am definitely going to incorporate...

*Sidenote: This is a time when I wish I had Photoshop, so bear with me.*

 I'm a lamp hoarder, so I can't imagine not having lamps in my office. The lighting in my office is the typical florescent ceiling lighting, so I think lamps would be great for warming up the space. These lamps caught my eye because they aren't too overwhelming. I like the modern touch, too.

I think books look so much more appealing when they are stacked and styled. I love how the bookends are placed here. I'll definitely be stacking and styling my "work" books.

I LOVE this vintage letter holder. I heart organization, so this would keep my letters, notes, Post-Its and stationary in its place!

Most people in my profession hang one painting on a wall or hang their degrees, but I need a little more excitement. Gallery walls are certainly not front page news, but I think a gallery wall would be perfect for the beige accent wall. I think this wall is particularly interesting because of the mixture of the sizes and types of the frames and prints. That = excitement to me.

Do you have flowers on your desk? If not, go buy some- like today. My office will definitely have flowers, maybe even some good fake ones just so they will always be there. One glance at a beautiful arrangement of flowers makes a stressful project a little more doable. I highly recommend them. 

There is so much more I want to do to personalize the space, but I will spare you from more scrolling. I haven't moved into my office yet, but I wanted to get a post down to use as a roadmap. I will keep you posted on my progress!

Images 2/4/5

An Organized Life: Shoe Storage

Let me just be honest and real. The shoe section of my closet looks zero like this...

I don't have tons and tons of shoes (at least I think I don't) on special shelves that were constructed by California Closets or by my handy man hubby. I wish I did and I'm praying for a handy man hubby. My closet may not be the most glamorous, but it is organized- and that makes me happy! If you read my blog you know that I have a strict requirement for organization- especially when it comes to my closet. I'd rather sleep an extra five minutes in the morning than spend it looking for that one shoe. So one thing I wanted to share about "builder" closet is my cheap solution to organizing my shoes. 

Here is how most of my shoes are stored...

I adore these space saving shoe boxes that are sold at The Container Store. They are clear, so you don't have to take Polaroids of the shoes and they fit just about every kind of shoe...

from heels (these KILL my feet, but I love em')...

to wedges. I'm loving my TOMS that I first mentioned here.

Even these $15 sandals from Target have their own box...

If those little sandals didn't have their own box, then they would get lost in my "miscellaneous" shoe basket. These are shoes that I don't wear that often and can sustain a scratch or two from other shoes...

Yep, those are M&M slippers and I love those, too...

You may have already known about these lovely little stackable shoe boxes from The Container Store. If you didn't, you can purchase them here for only $1.79 a box! Or you can buy a case of 20 for $29.80, which is the cheaper deal- especially if you have lots of shoes. They also have special boxes for boots and men's shoes.

Do you have a special way of organizing your shoes?

Organized Style: Veranda Interiors

I hope you all had a good weekend! I wanted to start this week off in an organized fashion. I have mentioned a few times that I am a bit OCD, which means that I "adore" organized spaces. So I was in awe when I ran across Mel's new and highly organized pantry. She just moved into a gorgeous custom-built home that she designed along with her hubby. The pantry was the first finished space that she revealed on her beautiful blog, Veranda Interiors. I loved it so much that I had to share it with you!

I've never really thought of pantries as being "stylish," but this dreamland of organized cookbooks is quite amazing. The books not only add specks of color, but lots of style. The thick molding also adds style and height.

I'm loving these pull out baskets. They contribute warmth to the space and are perfect for organizing snacks and the "not-so-decorative" vegetables like onions and potatoes.

Everything has it's "place" in the pantry, including the microwave. I never pictured a microwave being in the pantry, but I LOVE the idea! A microwave in the pantry allows space for more important things in the kitchen like storage or more attractive appliances. The counter space in the space are perfect for food prep and for storing the "cool-looking" appliances, fruit, and serving platters. 

The final touch to this space will be new lighting. She's got this stunner of a light fixture by Visual Comfort on order...

Gosh, if all of these lovely things are in the pantry, can you imagine what the rest of her house will look like? You must check out her blog to see more of her amazing work!

Is Your Closet Organized?

It's the beginning of year and if you are like me, you are working on getting healthy, getting focused, and getting organized. Speaking of getting organized, I ran across these amazing closets via Canadian House and Home that are the epitome organization.

My closet certainly doesn't mirror any of these. However, they do motivate me to work with what I have! So if you would excuse me, I have some organizing to do. :)