3/27/11

Project: Simplify presents: My Wardrobe

First of all, let me just say: wow. This so needed to happen. Inspired by Simple Mom's first "hot spot" I went through every single piece of clothing I own. I mean it. Every shoe, every pair of pants, jacket, sock, and scarf was touched. Winter wear, summer wear, fancy clothes, yoga pants - all were assessed. Pre-baby clothes and post-baby clothes - all examined and classified. In total I went through 8 drawers, 7 shelves, 2 closet racks and 1 closet floor. I was merciless. I was honest. I was decisive. I was... surprised.

My bedroom closet is so very tiny that it is hard, even for me, to keep it in check. My before:



I am by nature a very organized person, so while this might not look too bad, for me, this was really a pain. I had lost any sense of order whatsoever in this closet, and since it is so very small, that really made it hard to find anything. In addition, making the switch into maternity clothes caused a real organizational avalanche. I would move clothes in (but not out) as I needed new ones, and just put them anywhere. Plus, I had lots of stuff that I would just shove back in the closet or dresser in frustration, because it didn't fit that day and I wasn't in the mood to deal with it.



Post baby, when winter came, I brought out sweaters and boots and things, but didn't clean out anything, just moved it aside because - hey! - I had a brand new baby and things like being able to find my clothes were pretty far down on the list. No pre-baby clothes fit yet anyway, so what did it matter?



I was excited to have the motivation of the Simple Mom blog to get my going on doing the much-needed wardrobe overhaul. But in the end, I was actually shocked at how much I truly needed to remove. Here is a rough calculation:

  • 2 boxes of clothes + 3 pr shoes to consign
  • 2 boxes of clothes + 3 pr shoes to give away to charity
  • 2 bags of clothes + 4 pr shoes so janky they had nowhere to go but the trash
  • 1 under-bed storage bag of clothes that were out-of-season
  • 1 under-bed storage bag of clothes that don't fit (but for baby reasons I'm keeping)



Ok, the last two bullets actually represent items that were stored, rather than removed from our home, but still. I got rid of things that I had no business still having, like a black suit that I have had since I was 18, and that hasn't fit me for at least 6 years. Or the fun halter top I wore to Mexico 5 years ago that didn't really fit then. And the orange sherbet colored sweater that I wore on my honeymoon that got an entire can of hairspray emptied onto it in the suitcase, and thus picked up a lot of weird colors in transit. The color on that sweater never was really right after that.



I also decided that now that I am a mom, I really should follow the advice of all the pros (you know, and act like the adult I'm supposed to be): I finally removed every last wire [dry cleaners] hanger from my closet. I took my heavy sweaters off of hangers and folded them. I organized my closet by item, then color. I actually removed every item that didn't fit RIGHT NOW or wasn't in the right shape to wear, for whatever reason. The result?





See the cute containers? I splurged and spent $30 to buy 5 containers (that would actually match!) to make things easier to keep tidy and organized. I moved all shoes out of boxes and off the floor. I removed all the crummy hangers. I sorted everything first by type, then color (dark to light, left to right). I swept and dusted inside the closet, and put everything in appropriately sized containers to make it easy to put away again. And I LOVE IT!



I've already gotten rid of half of the items that need to be given away or sold, and the other half will be going this week. Despite the snow on the ground, spring cleaning is under way here!



Next: the home library/office (or, the-place-all-pieces-of-paper-go-to-and-never-leave).

3/21/11

Spring Cleaning

Now that I am at home full time, taking care of my beautiful son, I have a lot more time to observe all the things in the house that don't "work" for us. Like the endlessly growing piles of paper junk that accumulates in the living room, dining room, and library. Or the never-ending stream of baby toys, clothes, shoes, hats, blankets and other debris that can be found in every room in the house. Or the closet and dresser that are never empty, even when all the laundry baskets are full. We are being taken over by stuff! In addition to feeling a bit overrun by stuff, and longing for open spaces, filled with light, fresh air, fresh flowers (you know - the stuff of magazine spreads, not real houses) we have had a bout of illness that has hit the whole family one at a time, and I am just coming back to some health myself. Therefore I feel that it is high time for some wall-to-wall cleaning to get any lingering germs out. So, without further ado... I am embarking (albeit 3 weeks late...) on the Simple Mom: Project Simplify. Five weeks to a more orderly, tidy, simplified home. Sounds like heaven to me. Stay tuned for progress...