Tips to Declutter Your Closet

Have you ever that day when you absolutely hated what you were wearing and wondered "why in the world do I keep this thing in my closet"?  I had that day yesterday.  There is this lovely white blouse I own with the most delicate silver stitching horizontally throughout and a lace collar.  It really is a beautiful shirt, but not on me.  It's the tiniest bit small which makes the back scrunch up my back whenever I sit.  It just simply doesn't fit me well.  So, I decided to get rid of it.  Below are a few tips to help you clear out your own closet.

10 Closet Declutter Tips:

1. If you have that day when you hated what you were wearing, keep that feeling with you and as soon as you get home, donate it!
2. It's been said a million times, but I fully agree with this tip.  If you haven't worn it in the past year, there is a reason why and it shouldn't take up valuable space in your closet.  Donate it!
3. If it doesn't fit.  Donate it!
4. If it has a small hole that you think no one will notice.  They will.  Trash it!
5. If it's stained.  Trash it!
6. If it hurts when you wear it.  Donate it!
7. If you think "I'm not sure, is this ugly?".  It's probably ugly.  Donate it!
8. If there is absolutely nothing else in your closet that goes with it.  Donate it!
9. Don't second guess what you put in the donate or trash bin.  There was a reason you put it there in the first place.  Even if you can't remember why, just know that you must of had a good reason!
10. Take the items to donation as soon as you can.  Getting rid of the items right away prevents you from dipping back into the pile.

IHeart Organizing: You Asked: Wrapping Paper Wrap Up

I found this post from IHeart Organizing, about lining drawers with different papers and where to find them.  After my decoupage experience a few weeks back I found the post inspiring as to the different papers that can be used and where to find them.  Of course, it's my goal to find these gorgeous papers at second hand stores.  Goodwill is having a 50% the entire store sale this weekend.  I'll see what I can find and keep you updated.

IHeart Organizing: You Asked: Wrapping Paper Wrap Up: When I recently revealed my newly painted dresser in my in-progress studio space, people were equally as excited about the inside {if not m...

Birthday Ideas

Tomorrow is Khal's 12th birthday.  She has been into scrapbooking since she joined a scrapbooking after school club last year.  Lucky for me, scrapbooking supplies are pretty easy to find when you're out thrifting.  Except for the elusive scrapbook itself.  I had picked one up on clearance at Michaels for $13.99.  But happily on one of my recent trips to Goodwill I was able to find a scrapbook in fantastic condition for only $5.99. 

Original Price $19.99

Example of inside page

Instead of expensive wrapping paper I like to try to use butcher paper or brown packing paper.  We can decorate it however we like and it adds a wonderful person touch.

Happy Birthday Khal!



Just a Little Wood Glue

I finally got around to fixing up the broken shoe rack turned pot holder I thrifted at Goodwill.

One slat was broken

Nothing a little wood glue won't fix

I was originally going to paint it a fantastic rusty orange color, but I decided I liked the natural wood instead.

Now I just need to stain the deck to make everything else look better!

The Grandfather Clock

Finally, I made it out for a little thrifting.  I started out Saturday morning at Goodwill. Check out my amazing finds:

I have an affection for birds, branches and leaves.  So you can imagine my delight when I found
 this little number for $1.99.

If you loved my lion you should dig my hand carved stone owl! $2.99

This pillow just happened to match my newly reupholstered bench.  Also, the cover unzips for easy washing and is also the perfect size for Ikea pillow covers, which I love! $3.99

Lovely light blue centerpiece tray.  $5.99

Mom missed this trip, but by mid-day she was ready to get out there too.  I went to pick her up and there just happened to be a neighborhood wide garage sale in her neighborhood.  Oh, happy day.  This is where I found the ultimate thrift. 

Just how much would you expect to pay for this hand painted grandfather clock at a garage sale.  $150?  Maybe you could talk them down to $75?

I took it home for only $20!

The lovely couple selling the clock had a wonderful story behind it as well, which made it even more valuable.  The woman hugged my mom as we loaded into my van thankful that it was loved and going to a good home.  They were the nicest people and I'll smile and think of them every time I sit back and admire my find. 

There were more finds that I'll save for next time.  The clock just sucks up all the fascination on this post!



Truths About Me

A few things I've learned about myself since I turned 30:

I am a non-smoker
I am a runner, just like my mother
I am an athlete
I purge more than I save
I love to watch the Olympics from start to finish
I LOVE to cook, I just needed to right tools
My favorite sport is beach volleyball
Misty Mae and Kerri Walsh are my friggin' heros

Sunday Funday

Sunday Morning...

I'm pretty sure I didn't get out of my jammies until well after 2pm.  First thing Sunday morning I hit the girls rooms.  Khal's was as easy as I'd expected it to be.  We went through her clothes she picked up at Plato's Closet and donated everything that she'd worn out. 

It was The B's room that held my attention the majority of the day.

 I forgot to take a before picture, because I always forget to take a before picture, but here's how B's room looked a good 20 minutes in.

I had to completely gut the closet. 

Why do we keep so many hangers?  Are we afraid someday the world will run out and our precious supply will be all that's left?  I decided to chance it and got rid of a crap ton of cheap plastic hangers. 

After hours upon hours of sorting, purging and donating her room was clean and organized.

This is B's "To Go Bag".  She must be entertained at all times so we packed her this bag full of crayons and dolls to grab on our way out the door.

Isn't if funny how kids want to play in their room more after you've spent half the day cleaning it out?

Sunday Afternoon...

I finally showered, threw on my kicks and headed out to check the remaining school supply items of my list.  Oh, how desperately I regret waiting until the last minute to do this.  Not a single #2 pencil was to be found in all of Target or Walmart.  Hello Office Max! 

By the time I got home and finished cooking dinner I was fried.  I had so hoped to make it out thrifting, but alas I couldn't even finish my to do list.  Oh well. 

This weekend I hope to find a few items for the loft as well as some fabric for the kitchen curtains.  Mom has made a special request to tag along this weekend.  She's an amazing thrifter and taught me everything I know.  I can't wait to see what she can find! 

What We Did and Did Not Get Done Saturday

Saturday Morning...

I'm that person that shows up at places unusually early in order to secure the BEST POSSIBLE SEAT.  And here we are, 7:45 am Saturday morning, just waiting for everyone else to show up.

Khal won her first game against the ever feared "Grey Team".  They have a pair of sisters that tower well above my head and have the energy of an extra large size Red Bull x 10.  Somehow, my teenie weenie and her team beat the Grey Amazons!  That sent her team to finals where they would compete for first place.  I'm pretty sure one of the Grey Amazons cried at one point and J overheard their mother tell our coach that they didn't win because they didn't sleep enough the night before. 

Her team went on to win the entire tournament and took home first place.  Not a bad Saturday morning.

The B lost her first game which was good and bad.  Because she lost she didn't make it to the final round which meant we didn't have to decide between the two girls whose game we'd watch.  That would've been painful.  And it put her team in third place for the tournament.  Good job B!

Saturday Afternoon...

Immediately after the tournament we headed home to get cracking on what remained of our weekend to do list.  Except J and I seemed to have different ideas of what remained on that list. 

Instead of working on anything that had anything to do with back to school, we worked on finishing the loft for Khal's upcoming birthday party.

Oh, the horror.

Did you catch the house size television in the back?  That had to go!

We ended up getting rid of the chaise, the television and the filing cabinet the television sat on.  That required some heavy duty lifting and some relocating of a heap of files. 

Most of those files were bills from 2003-2005.  Too bad I missed the community Shred-a-thon today.

The loft was finally cleared out and ready for some new furniture.

Remember the highly coveted t.v. stand?  It finally made it's way upstairs.

I hope to add a small table and two chairs under the window here.

New window curtains are called for here but I'm still unsure what will find itself in this space.

I can't wait to hit Goodwill and see what will work in this space.

We finally finished around 5pm and decided to take the rest of the evening off. 

 Alone. 

Like, without kids.  Like, out for dinner and drinks.  Yay us!

We'll wrap up the weekend on tomorrow's post.

Friday's Accomplishments

Okay.  So maybe I put a little too much on my plate for the weekend.  I definitely didn't get it all done.  Here's what I actually completed.

Friday Afternoon:

Knowing I had a full schedule ahead of me, Khal and I heading out to Plato's Closet Friday night.  She found some fantastic items.

Here's what she found:

American Eagle Top $10, Ugg Boots $40

Add the bag, $10

PacSun Top $8

American Eagle Top, $10

Mossimo Jacket, $8

Sweater, $10

Friday Night:

Somehow, I was still able to fix a quick dinner and get started on the Tupperware project.

Tupperware Cabinet Before

Lunchbox Drawer Before

I found that I keep:

• Lids from restaurant kiddie cups
• Disposable lunch meat containers
• Disposable yogurt containers
• Plastic straws from water bottles we no longer own
• Tupperware lids to Tupperware we no longer own
• Doubles and triples of Tupperware sizes I never use

Notice the disposable lunch meat containers, yogurt container and kiddie cup lids.  Why do I keep these things?

In the end, here's what I ended up getting rid of:

No wonder I could never find anything behind all these items I never use.

And how the cupboards and drawers looked after:

 

Tupperware Cabinet After



Lunchbox Drawer After

 Ahh, so much better.  Saturday and Sunday we packed just as full.  Look for Saturday tomorrow...



Back to School

Wait, what?  The kids go back to school in 2 weeks?  How’d that happen? 

So here’s what’s on my list of things to get done this weekend for back to school.

My List	J’s List
Organize Tupperware & lunch packing supplies.  Replace any necessary items.	Khal’s bike inner tube needs to be replaced so she can ride her bike to school.
Finish already started backpack nook.
Go through the supplies we already have and make a list of what we still need.
Clean out both girls’ closets and drawers.
Reorganize girls’ closets and drawers.
Take Khal shopping for new shoes and clothes.

Huh, it’s funny when you put it all down in list form how my list is sooo much longer than J’s. 

Let’s break the list down further:

Organize Tupperware and lunch packing supplies 
          

               I must come up with something to keep this area organized this year.  The problem may be that I keep too many pieces of Tupperware on hand.  So here’s what I’d like to do to alleviate the inevitable early morning search for lunch packing supplies.

1.       The #1 item on anyone’s list beginning a Tupperware drawer reorganization project is to match the lid with Tupperware.

2.       Anything that can’t be matched will go to the “unmatched area” outside of the kitchen.

3.       I will separate lunch box Tupperware from left-over Tupperware. 

4.       Lunchbox Tupperware will be stored in a separate drawer.

5.       Anything that has an odd shape, i.e. too big to fit in a normal size lunch box or to store in the fridge will be donated or moved to the “unmatched area” outside of the kitchen.

6.       Verify that we have a supply of all other lunch packing necessities including:

·         Brown Lunch Sacks

·         Sharpie to write names on water bottles, lunch sacks, etc.

·         Snack and sandwich size Ziploc bags

·         Ice packs

·         Plastic silverware

Finish backpack nook

                I began this project about a month ago.  We really needed somewhere the kids can hang their bags, drop off their lunch boxes and kick off their shoes.

 Here’s what I have so far:

·         I’ve added a chalkboard above the area to leave messages and reminders

·         I’ve added a small bench that holds several baskets and is just the right size for shoe storage underneath

All I have left to do is add some hooks for their bags and jackets.

Go through supplies

                We’ve purchased a few supplies so far, but we need to do a thorough run through of all the items they need.  First we’ll see if we have left over items from last year.  Whatever’s left will be added to our shopping list.

Clean out and organize closets and drawers

                There are two very different issues going on with respect to the girls; closets and drawers.  The B has too much and Khal has too little.

Here what we need to do to B’s:

·         Empty out all toys and non-clothing items

·         Remove any clothing that doesn’t fit

o   We have a problem with both too small as well as too big because she gets clothes handed down from Khal.

And Khal:

·         Uh, fill them.

I love this next one!

Take Khal shopping for new clothes and shoes

                The problem is that Khal isn’t much of a shopper.  She’s very indifferent to picking out and trying on new clothes.  She’s quite happy with the two pairs of pants, three t-shirts and single pair of tennis shoes she currently owns.  Oh well, I’ll have the fun for her.  This is the first year she’ll be able to extend her shopping into junior sizes so maybe she’ll find items she’s more interested in.  Because of this, the store I’m most excited about going to is Plato’s Closet!

We have to get through the girls' soccer tournament tomorrow first.  Khal's team is currently in third place and B's is in 4th.  Good luck girls!  See ya on the field at 8:15am.

The tournament will be over about 1:30.  Then I'll head to the city's annual shred-a-thon and electronics recycling to get rid of some unwanted items. 

Then can I go shopping?!?!?!

I'll have lots of updates and photos throughout the weekend.  Stay tuned...

The Lion and the Watering Can

Ooh, did I have fun today.  I popped into Goodwill to see what I could find.  We're still in white tag week so everything with a white tag was 50% off.

See the cart?  Full of stuff?  And the t.v. stand next to it?  All mine!

 Let me break it down for you.

Strange but wonderful gold rubber place mat.  Something pulled me to it.  Not sure what I'll do with it yet. 
White tag = $.50 

T.V. stand for the kids media area in the loft.  Someone else was eyeing it pretty good.  I consider myself lucky to have snagged it.  The fact that I had my husband there to pick it up and carry it away immediately really helped!  Thanks J!  The plan is to paint it white or some shade of white. 
 Purple tag = $14.99

 

The Rock was quite interested in this little piece.  I couldn't get him out of the picture!  I orginally intended to use it for shoes.  After giving it some thought I realized my kids will never use it that way, no matter what line of persuasion I use.  I decided to put it on the porch with some potted plants.
Purple tag = $5.99

This fabric is supposed to be 6 dinner napkins.  I found them to be the perfect size for throw pillows.  At $2.99 for 6 I'm sure I'll figure something out.  Purple tag.

Christmas picture frame and rope.  Rope was green tagged = $.99.  Frame was white tagged =$2.00

See Emily A. Clark's post on things you can do with rope here.

Here's how I plan to use mine in a few short months:

 A single 84" window panel from Pier 1 Imports.  Purple tag = $3.99
I plan to use the fabric for several projects.  The first of which is to cover our entryway bench.

Entryway bench before



A few years with kids and pets make a bench seat look a little like this. Eww.



Entryway bench with new fabric

Are you ready for my absolute favorite find of the day?

The Lion and the Watering Can

Love them!

Lion Purple Tag = $5.99 ( and worth so much more)
Watering Can Yellow Tag = $1.99

My last find of the day was this lovely white dessert server.  It'll look great with some lemons (or ornaments come Christmas).  Yellow tag = $1.99

There were a few other items I purchased which I can't mention quite yet.  I'll share eventually. 

Total spent on this trip: $54.41

 I'll keep you updated on the other projects, i.e. the small shoe storage turned porch pot holder and the t.v. stand for the loft.

What's your all-time favorite thrift store find?  Drop me a line and let me know.