New Years Resolutions

Many of us make grand resolutions as we prepare for the ball to drop in Times Square.  These resolutions include eating better, exercising more, reading more books or keeping in better touch with family and friends.  These are all admirable resolutions… I would like to add an additional idea for this year’s list, getting your closet in order, for who wouldn’t want a closet that looks like this:

(Vivre CEO Eva Jeanbart Lorenzotti as seen in www.thefrisky.com)

The first step is always the hardest, making the decision to clean out your closet.  The second step is almost as hard, motivating to actually begin and of course complete the project.  Take a deep breath and come to terms that this will be a project that has a few phases and is going to take some time.  So put on some comfy clothes, turn on some tunes and get ready to turn your closet into a thing of beauty.

The tools you are going to need to get started: trash bags, a vacuum with attachments, paper towels and your cleaning agent of choice and of course some will power!

Step One: Sorting

If this is the first time you’ve cleaned your closet in a few years start by pulling all your clothes and shoes (and whatever else you have in your closet out) and toss it all on top your bed.  Next make a series of piles; pants, skirts, dresses, sweaters, blouses, shoes, workout clothes…  Next sort your piles into smaller piles.  I like to start with winter/fall and summer/spring piles.

Step Two: Purging

You will now want to go through each of your piles and pull out any items that are beyond repair and say goodbye for good.  Next sort through the piles and pull out all those items that no longer fit or you have not worn for at least two years.  These items you will want to either donate or bring to a local consignment store.  You will then want to store any items that you still love but you don’t see yourself wearing very often.  I strongly believe that unless you have an extremely spacious closet you should never have more than two adjacent seasons of clothes in your closet.  This will allow your clothes to have room to hang without getting wrinkled with the added benefit of the ease of seeing and selecting your clothes every morning.

Lastly take this time to pull aside any items that need dry-cleaning or alterations.  There is no point in keeping clothes hanging in your closet that you can not currently wear.

Step Three: Cleaning

Now that everything is out of your closet take this opportunity to vacuum and wipe down all the surfaces in your closet.  No matter how clean your clothes may be there is always dust and dirt hiding where you can’t see it.  If you’re taking the time to get all your clothes in order you might as well return them to a clean space.  If you are feeling truly motivated I always find that a fresh coat of paint makes a space sing.  A simple interior white color in an eggshell finish should get the job done.

Step Four: Organizing

Now it is time to put your wardrobe back together.  My advice would be to group items together based on the piles listed above and sub-organize those by color.  A few items that I find to be very helpful are the following hangers, bins and racks (click on image for further information).

 

3 Comments »   

  Being Secure Doesn’t Mean Boring

I love magnets.  I think they are one of the greatest ways to keep your space organized and the things you want where you want them.  My office has a great overhead storage unit that both styling and functional, it’s half bookshelf and half magnet board.  In order to maximize my desk potential I have purchased quite a few magnetic items.

Where might you ask have I found these great magnetic items.  Well, as I have mentioned in a previous post I’m a big fan of The Container Store, and lucky for me that have a ton of great magnetic items.  Here are a few of my favorite magnetic offerings from my favorite store (click on the image for more information):

I’m always looking for new ideas for making my work space more functional and fun.  During one of my Google searchers for creative office supplies I came across what is now one of my favorite Blogs that I read almost daily is The Office Stylist.  She always has a ton of creative ideas for making your office needs fun and colorful.  So head on over and check her out!

1 Comment »   

  No More Indoor Puddles!

New England officially had their first blizzard of the season this weekend. It started on Saturday night and snowed almost all day Sunday. I think we got upwards of 12 inches in the city and even more outside of Boston. Had I been smart enough in my weekend planning I would have done my grocery shopping for the week on Saturday, but alas I was lazy and waited until Sunday. What a debacle! Trudging through un-plowed streets all bundled up. It was quite the adventure. What happened when we got back to the apartment loaded down with groceries and about 3 inches of snow stuck to our boots… well it wasn’t lots of little puddles all over the hardwood floors. Luckily I had prepared us with a easily cleanable sisal doormat and a boot tray. These are two household items that anyone that lives where it snows or rains can’t be without. In my book that includes pretty much everyone.

Boot trays can’t be a bit on the ugly side but if you look hard enough you can find a simple and functional tray that you can keep out in your vestibule or entryway.  This one is from Gardeners.com.

Don’t forget your walk-off mat, Pottery Barn has a great selection of reasonably priced mats that are easy to clean and match with almost any decor.  I also have one one of these in my kitchen.  It’s easy to quickly vacume up any crumbs.

Bundle up and stay warm this winter!

Comments Off   

  Oh Laundry

 I don’t know about all of you out there but I absolutely abhor doing laundry.  It seems to haunt me.  No matter how often I seem to do it I always seems to have a large pile of dirty clothes looming in the background.  Plus I live in an apartment that doesn’t have laundry in the building so I have to pack it all up and lug it three blocks to the local laundromat and sit with all the other angry folks that are in the same machine-less boat as me. 

Two items have slightly changed my negative attitude towards laundry.  One is a recent find at the Container Store, the Rhombus Hamper, it holds a huge amount of laundry since it can expand on all four sides and it’s not too unseemly like some of the wire units with mesh bags.  This way I don’t have to constantly look at all our dirty clothes every time I’m in the bedroom (I have the white one):

The other find is the Rolser Shopping Trolly.  This guy is an all terrain trolley that I use to transport my laundry to the laundromat.  You can stuff a ton of clothes in here and it is durable in all weather.  And why not be wild and fashionable during such a boring chore!

Comments Off   

  The Bermuda Triangle- Nope My Purse

Have you ever noticed that whenever you need to find anything in your purse you have to dig around for what seems like hours to find your lipstick, keys, cell phone… or even your wallet?  It doesn’t seem to matter if you’re carrying a slouchy or structured bag, infuriating, right!?!

I know that it drives me a bit bonkers.  I’m currently a resident of Boston and I both live and work in the city which means I don’t need a car, I walk everywhere.  Typically when I head out the door in the morning I’ll carry a purse, or a purse and a gym bag, or a purse, a gym bag and lunch bag… or any crazy combinations of strapped items hanging off my shoulders.    Since I’m never sure where the day will take me I like to be prepared with all of life’s little necessities.  But how to do this without forever struggling elbow deep in your bag of the day, month of year.

I struggled for a while trying to figure how to get myself organized and find sanity.  I tried a number of mini-bags, Ziploc, clutches inside of large purses…  finally the frustration reached it’s peak but luckily I stumbled upon an organizational gem, and I owe a big thank you to a design genius  Kate Spade.

Kate’s line of cosmetic bags have literally revolutionized the inside of my handbag.  Her Small Henrietta is the perfect sized mini-bag to store all your loose purse items.  Currently I’m the proud owner of one pink on pink polka dotted Henrietta.  I’ve filled mine to the brim with a variety of lipsticks, lip balms, travel perfumes, nail file and a travel pack of Q-Tips (you never know when your mascara will run).   One of the great perks is the plastic coated exterior for durability and the interior zipped pocket for super small items.  I’m looking forward to expanding my collection and dedicating one of these cuties for all my gym needs- iPod, hair ties, blister band-aids… I think I could even squeeze a Luna Bar in there.

I loved these little life-savers so much that I filled them up with all my favorite goodies and gave them to each of my bridesmaids as a gift for sharing in my special day.  I like to think that they have a small reminder of our friendship every day… but more importantly I’m sure they all have a slightly easier time finding their lipstick.  You never know when you’re going to need an emergency application.

If you act quick their is a sassy print currently on sale!

Comments Off   

  Contain Yourself

There are many things I love in life- good friends and good conversation, sleeping with the windows open in the fall, my family and of course my husband.  And then there are places that I love and as silly as this may sound The Container Store is one of those places.  I could spend hours walking the aisles of this store imagining all the possibilities to organize and contain all my household and office items.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

For those of you still renting or who haven’t built their dream kitchen yet, sometimes you need a bit of extra storage and counter space.  Their Elfa Butcher Block with White Mesh Drawers is the perfect solution.  I already set up one friend who was severely lacking counter space with this piece and I think I’ve convinced another friend of his necessity for this item.

An oldie but a goody these air-tight storage jars are something I remember from my Grandmother and Mother’s kitchen.  They are the perfect jar for storing flour, sugars and tea.  They have kept my baking goods fresh for many months and they are pretty enough to display, especially if you are creative enough to store brightly colored teas and spices in them.

You must not forget your closets storage needs, especially my lady friends, and a few men I know, have quite the extensive shoe collection.  The best way to keep them organized and easily viewable is to store them in plastic bins and stack them on an available shelf.  They even have bins large enough for boots. I hope one day to add a label maker to my collection of organizational tools and it’s first job will be to label my shoe boxes (feel free to judge)!

I’m sure my great finds from here will pop up in many of my future posts, but it is safe to assume that for any project large or small this is my first stop, and the best part is they welcome you over the threshold of their store with a mat that says “Contain Yourself”… I haven’t been able to yet!

2 Comments »   

  Keep it Clean

One of my little personality quirks that goes hand in hand with my passion for organizing is my love for cleaning.  There are very few things I gain more sense of accomplishment from than a top-to-bottom Spring or Fall cleaning.  Sure I do the nightly kitchen clean up or the weekly running of the vacuum cleaner and dust cloth, but every so often I like to put on my scrubby clothes, toss my hair into a bun and scrub my apartment top to bottom.  One of the less than joyful side effects to a day of cleaning is a burning in my lungs and red and irritated hands.  I remember one of my high school teachers saying in passing that he felt like he was one step away from creating a chemical weapon every time he scrubbed his shower.  I felt the same way!  There has to be a more aroma-gentle yet effective cleaner out there… well I think this weekend I found it… or them:

Better Life cleaning products not only get the job done, most of them are scent free and their logo says it all “You shouldn’t have to wear a mask in order to scrub”.  Agreed!  This weekend I tried out the I can See Clearly WOW glass cleaner and the what-Ever all purpose cleaner that comes in both scentless and Clary Sage and Citrus scent and I give them both a double thumbs up!  As I finish up my other cleaners I am looking forward to trying out the Simply Floored and Even the Kitchen Sink.  I purchased my products at this charming store in Porter Square Cambridge, MA but the website gives you links to all the places you can buy their products.  Let’s all do the environment and ourselves a favor and starting cleaning green!

1 Comment »   

« Older Entries     Newer Entries »