Happy Friday, friends!
Welcome to the first post of the Style Me Bloggers link up. So glad you are here.
Today we are doing a show-n-tell about the organizational tips we have used to manage the clothes and accessories in our closets. I have to be honest here, I don’t really have a whole lot of method to my madness. And it is very possible that some of the great ideas that my blogger sisters are sharing will inspire me to take a new look at my closet.
I think I tackled the clothes in my closet kind of like the librarian I was in my past life. I grouped my similar clothes together and then sorted those clothes by color. I used the rainbow acronym ROY G. BIV to create my color order. If you are a teacher or mom with school-aged children you probably know my friend ROY. But for those you who haven’t made his acquaintance, the letters of his name correspond to the order of the colors in a prism. ROY G. BIV = red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. And then I group my neutrals after the violets. White, creams, browns, grays and blacks.
I have grouped all of my denims pants together in one area of the closet. I have the white, pale mint and apricot on one trouser hanger and could probably move them into the closet in the spare bedroom until spring. Maybe I will do that. I did move my shorts and summer dresses into the guest room so I guess it only makes sense to do that with my summery pants. Okay, doing that now.
Hmmmm, it appears that with the summery denim removed I now have room for more skirts, blue jeans and colored denim.
Need to remedy that ASAP.
I am not happy with the way I have to store? my shoes. Display my shoes? I wish I had little shoe box sized cubbies against the back wall of my closet for my shoes. Maybe I will get some (inexpensive) ideas about shoes from my blogger sisters. Or perhaps you have a great way to organize and store your shoes that you can share with me? Here’s what I am doing in the meantime.
Something I just started doing this summer, is hanging my lingerie and foundation undergarments on hangers. In the past, I always had everything in a lingerie drawer in my dresser. But no matter how hard I tried, a week after organizing said drawer, my bras and foundation wear and panties would be in a big spaghetti with bra straps strangling the life out of my shape wear. So I bought some children’s hangers and hung my bras and sports bras on them. I used regular hangers and hangers with the clips on my shapewear = butt smoothers, thigh slimmers, waist cinchers, stomach flatterners. When it was scrambled in my lingerie drawer wrestling for space with my panties and bras, it was easy to forget. Out of sight, out of mind. But seeing my foundation wear hanging works as a gentle reminder to PUT IT ON!
Paul and I have begun going to church on Saturday evening. What, you might ask, does that have to do with my closet? Well, the Saturday late afternoon service at Abundant Living Faith Center is the same message as the one on Sunday morning but delivered in a less formal format. Pastor Nieman often preaches in blue jeans and a nice button down shirt and his congregation follows suit…pardon the pun. So, I really don’t have a lot of dresses any more and definitely not any new dresses. Paul and I don’t go anywhere that requires that I wear a dress, although I really like feeling feminine and wearing dresses and skirts.
All of this to say, I don’t have a lot of dresses in my closet. And the few that I have are hanging with my leggings. Kind of polar opposites. And my jackets and coats. Here they are.
And finally, my accessories. Purses, belts, scarves and statement jewelry. I have recently bought two new Miche purses. I really like the Miche system for simplifying the hassle of changing from one purse to another by using a system of base bags and interchangeable shells. I was doing something similar using a canvas tote inside my purse to hold all of my purse essentials (lip gloss, wallet, credit card wallet, manicure kit, Kleenex, photographs). I would just move the tote from one bag to the next, making it easier and faster to change out purses. Here is the little tote I bought on eBay and used for this purpose.
But I discovered Miche purses through my friend Davette Weick. They are a classier, fancier and even better way to achieve the same thing…a speedy purse change. Check out the Miche purses here. And check out my accessories below.
My belts are hanging on shower curtain rings and my scarves are hanging on $3 scarf organizers on clearance at Target. You can buy something similar here.
When I started Pinterest-ing (is that a verb?), one of my first projects was a statement necklace hanger made from an old rake. You can see it here. But I quickly outgrew my one rake rack…say that fast five times. My daughter Lauren came to my rescue last Christmas with clever, cute statement necklace holders she created by adding door pulls to little mirrored wall plaques. They are so precious that I hated to hang them in the closet but wasn’t sure how Paul would feel about having all my bling hanging on a wall in our bedroom.
So that’s the nickel tour of my closet. For another nickel you can have a peek in my drawers. Not my DRAWERS as in underwear, get your mind out of the gutter! My dresser drawers. Maybe that will be a linkup series blog post down the road.
Hugs and sticky kisses!
Leslie
I love your necklace holders! So cute! Thanks for the tour!
Thank you. I love that my daughter made such cute necklace holders for me. She is a doll.
Love all your hanging organizers and jewelry storage!! Laughed at the TMI caption!!!
Yeah, probably the only Style Me Blogger who posted pics of my foundation pieces!!! It does remind me to wear them when I see them hanging there!!
Great idea on hanging the lingerie, and I love your jewelry storage! Have a great weekend!
It really helps the bras keep their shape rather than being in a tangle with unmated socks and my panties in a dresser drawer. Thank you!
Love it! You made me laugh. I really like the idea of hanging up things so that they are not “out of sight, out of mind.” I think I will be hanging up some items I always stuffed in a drawer and quickly forgot. Thanks for sharing.
Glad I made you laugh!!! I really hate the fuss of wearing Spanx or similar foundation pieces but sure like the way they help smooth out my “issues”. Having them hanging in the closet makes them harder to ignore. 🙂
You know I’m OCD but recently watched professional people reorganize Katie Courics closet and I had to smile as I watched the people use pretty boxes to store things that took up space in her closet! I did that years ago and don’t have to look at stuff that drives me crazy looking at like scarfs and purses. I am not a purse person so I think I have 4 in canvas storing bags laying flat in a box. Apparently Katie loves sunglasses and they used a clear jewelry type hanging deal to hang one “arm” of the glasses over. She had shelving so her shoes were placed together with one shoe heading backwards to allow more space. Also one thing they did that I did years ago is use the felt covered hangers. They are available everywhere and not that expensive but it gives the closet more space and looks uniform. I think I sent you a picture of my jewelry organizing a month ago but I love my jewelry cabinet (Target find) and I hung a little rack similar to your over it for my few necklaces I wear. I’m constantly looking for ways to organize closets. As you know, I don’t have a lot of clothes or shoes etc but I do color code by sleeveless to long sleeved.
Loved your blog today!
I just discovered those felt hangers. I am going to try to start switching over to them a little at a time. Do they really make more room? I like that it seems that the felt fabric will keep things from slipping off the hangers. I think you inspired me to color code. I started with me tees and tanks and then just recently color coded the long sleeved shirts/blouses and sweaters. I bet your great closet was where I got that idea.
you’re too funny!! l ove the TMI!
Also I’m loving all your super cute shoes!! You little fashionista
AND those necklace holders are adorable
Thank you, sweet gal! I love shoes. Love shoes. My husband even points out cute shoes to me now. I appreciate your sweet words.
Those are great necklace holdy things! For shoes, because you’re a librarian and all, I would suggest a book shelf turned shoe rack. With the odd book here and there.
A book shelf is a great, great idea for my shoes. I need something longish and low. Will have to start looking. That would be so cute. Maybe painted pretty? Thanks for the idea, Deena.
I also arrange my closet in rainbow order! Great necklace organization! I did the same thing because when it’s out of sight it’s out of mind. If you need an idea for shoes, here’s what I did with mine: http://www.theblondissima.com/2013/12/step-into-my-shoe-closet.html
Anna,thanks for sharing your great shoe shelves. I could probably do something similar across the back of my closet. Deena suggested a book shelf (since I am a former librarian) for my shoes. Going to look for a low, long book shelf and if I can’t find one, I will see about just some long single shelves. Thank you!!!
What a cute idea Deena!
The book shelf idea is adorable. Will try to find a long, low shelf.
Leslie – wow, I never thought about hanging my bras nor did I think about the usefulness of shower rings. 🙂
Carrie, my bras seem to be holding their shape better now that I am hanging them on the little hangers. I used to throw them into my lingerie drawer and close it before they could jump out. This is working better for them and for me!