Hello friends, welcome to the weekly update again. This week I worked on getting organized and some other items, so let’s dive in.
While a lot of work was getting done on the outside of the house (new trim, windows, and new gutters) I was focusing on getting organized.
The funeral was Tuesday and I just let that soak in, and took that day off. But I really don’t have the luxury of being idle too long, and I needed to make a bit of headway. Doing some organization projects seemed like a task my brain could handle.
Done is better than perfect
In our master closet, which is a pass through from the bedroom to the bathroom, I had some boxes to unpack and (for heaven’s sake!) let’s get some stuff off of the floor.
If you have been here awhile, you may have remembered my closet in the last house. I created this from some wasted space in a neighboring room. This blog post outlines how I did it. I loved this window in it, but some clothing on the shelves did end up getting faded a bit.
This new space is one that hubby and I share, so I am creating a ‘dressing room’ of sorts for the both of us. This week, I needed to get my stuff out of the way and out of boxes. So I painted the walls and some trim (still have more to do, as you can see the blue color needs some touch up) but enough that I could get some hanging rods up.
I like using these industrial pipes for extra clothes hanging. They remind me of many retail shops I have been to down in Texas, and these suit my style for the stuff I have. Getting organized this week was mainly about sorting and installing hooks everywhere! These ones you see below are in the old closet I left behind, but I added them again in this house too. If it works, why not?
When you see it, you use it, right?
Let’s just start off admitting that I have too much stuff. Especially jewelry, as I used to sell Silpada Jewelry many moons ago. But I do still love it, so it is staying for the moment. I also just like to look at it.
Frankly, I like to see my stuff. I enjoy eyeing these great leather boots that I have placed atop an armoire in our bedroom. They look cool up there and it creates a great view from the bed when I am sitting up reading magazines at night. It’s like a bit of art. I also can’t wait until those walls are wallpapered! Layers, layers, and more!
Don’t be afraid to let the stylish stuff stay out and become “art”. Plus, I generally subscribe to that thought of “I just do what I want” so nothing is “not right”. If it makes you happy, you do you, boo.
Hubby also has to see his stuff, because being a dude, if he doesn’t know where his favorite belt is and it doesn’t bite him as he walks by, he might just go to Costco and needlessly buy another one. So let’s avoid that, shall we? So everything is out in the open.
I hung up a million of these hooks this week. Even had to order more from Amazon. If you think you are short on space, hang hooks everywhere, and like magic, they produce places to put things!
I literally opened the closets and cupboards in every room (this is in the laundry room) and added more hooks. Now I have options as I find stuff and think about where it should go.
Using every square inch
When organizing, look up and around, and use all the space! Since we have a lot of stuff and are living in a smaller (but not really small) empty nest house, I use all the areas. (Yes, that hideous door trim will soon be replaced and painted.)
The backs of doors are another favorite place I like to place stuff. We each have a closet in the front hallway, and it has become great storage for coats, luggage, extra shoes and purses, and more.
And no, this all has not been painted yet, that’s why the hardware isn’t on and we are just using blue tape at this point. But in a few weeks, this will be done and feel different. I did add extra hooks inside the door for small purses I might want to grab and use on the run.
Samesies and color code everything
When organizing, I love to color code everything! It makes it way easier to find stuff. In the closet, I will group sleeveless, short sleeve, then long sleeve. Then things are color grouped within that area. You can see, I basically only where white shirts, blue, and a tiny bit of tan or green.
I also keep things together like shirts, vests, jackets, and skirts. Pants and stuff are folded. I have more stashed in the armoire where all my sweatshirts and t-shirts live.
The other thing, I think it is important to obsess about is the right hangers. I am a total snob about having the same slim ones, along with nice wood skirt and coat hangers. I only use tube style hangers to hang items to dry in the laundry room, never in the closet.
I do like when the closet feels ‘like a store’. After all, everything in there, was in fact, in a store at one point. Might as well keep the retail therapy vibe going!
How can you make your closet feel more exciting to you? More organized?
You would be proud of me, I make regular drops at Goodwill, especially after I have been pulling stuff out of the storage unit. UGH!
Life lessons for the week
With the reminder of losing these sweet children in the community, I feel like being a better me. That’s a tall order, but when life gets raw, you can’t help but feel something, right?
I’m driving slower, taking life each day as it comes and doing what I can (instead of obsessing and beating myself up for NOT getting 47 things accomplished every day), becoming more intentional in my spiritual growth, and just feeling grateful for all the beauty around me.
In this crazy world we live in (and I do mean SUPER CRAY), staying close to home and leaning into loved ones feels good right now. We are definitely rolling into that cozier time of year (it is actually a bit chilly at night this week) and I want to experience all the feels of the season.
Don’t you find yourself just moving too fast sometimes? Do you want to slow down and exhale? I certainly do.
Think of 3 things that you can do this week to make life seem more INTENTIONAL sprinkled in with a bit of gratefulness.
More organization next time
Next week, I will show you how I have been working on organizing all my ribbon. Dude! There is way too much, and I am getting rid of stuff too!
But color coding stuff has never been so fun! It’s a good thing when I am tired later in the evening, and I can still get things done. Stay tuned.
Kiss yourself for me! See you next time.
