DIY Wednesday - Organizing Your Fashion Finds

Organizing your closet may be one of the most dreaded things a woman can tackle when it comes to her home. When we moved from New York to where we are now we had to downsize drastically. First place we lost our prime real estate was in our closets. I have, out of sheer necessity, had to get creative with how I organize a lot of our spaces. In my home there is no nook or cranny that doesn't serve multiple purposes. My once sanctuary became a catch all crammed to the ceiling, literally, with WAY to many things from all over the house. Here is what I came up with to ease my closet anxiety.

• Door Space. There is some serious PRIME REAL ESTATE on the back of that door. I use both sides. The front of it has hooks for tomorrows outfit and the back, or the inside, has a pocket shoe organizer. I own about 4 of these pocket shoe organizers and only one has shoes in it but I will get into that later. 
• Seeing Rainbows. There is something to be said about everything has its place. For me I may have taken it a bit too far. My clothing is color coordinated, to the extreme. Now I'm not saying you need to do this BUT how this helps me is I don't have to stand in my closet hunting for something only to find out it was staring right back at me. Most of my clothes are hung up tops, bottoms, work out clothes, tank tops... so you can see why I might get lost in the abyss of nearly everything I own. My husband and I share one dresser... and we both have A LOT of clothing. Which brings me to my next topic. 
• GET RID OF IT. I hate just throwing stuff out and would hang on to things I had for over a decade. I have yet to run into someone who doesn't still have clothes from their college days, high school, or when they were the perfect size and swear they will return. If you are guilty raise your hand... yes my hand is raised. Purging your closet can be frightening or exhilarating, but you don't have to do it all in one blow... with this economy it is tough to just throw something out so donating it is great. Or you can do what I do, a Clothing Swap. I host a party with a few clothes friends swap clothes and anything that doesn't make the cut gets sent off. I have added some really fun new pieces to my wardrobe while getting rid of a ton that were just taking up space. 
• Shoe HAVEN. Now that fun shoe organizer I was boasting about... doesn't hold all of my shoes. I only put my sandals and flats in it. They are only meant to have one shoe per slot ... but that wasn't good enough for me. All of my thin shoes double up in one slot to maximize its purpose. I have an inexpensive shoe rack on my floor for my tennis shoes and larger shoes. High heels nestle nicely inside of each other and slip right into one pocket. I try to keep like things with other like things, too much sesame street as a child I guess. If this option doesn't work for you then getting creative with tension rods and shelving might be a better suit. 
• SO Many Purses. In my closet there is, and I have noticed this in a lot of closets, a weird spot where nothing fits. It is that awkward spot in the corner where the bars overlap... you know what I'm talking about. I hang my boots, yes I hang them with pant clip hangers, and purses in this little nook that no one can see. Would I rather them be on display like candy?! Absolutely... do I have the space... not a chance. It is another way to fill space that otherwise is a dark empty space of nothingness. 

The ideas for organizing one's closet are endless and the tough economy forced a lot of us to get creative with what we already have. Repurposing "junk" to hold your valuables has never been so trendy but if saving a few bucks here and there lets me buy that nice shiny new thing then I say bring it on! 

Keep me posted on any Organizing tips and tricks... we all have something fun to share. 

Your Glitter Girl, 

DaniD