Post Prom Dress Problems

Hi, Christel here from Space to Love! I was organizing recently and found myself in a bit of a dilemma—one that so many of my clients can relate to. It all started when I came across a piece of my past that I’d completely forgotten about: my prom dress.

Now, I’m a little older, and let’s just say the dress doesn’t fit anymore. It’s a lovely reminder of a special time, though. My mother made it for me, which gives it a lot of sentimental value. But what’s funny is that, as an organizer, I’ve learned how sentimental attachments can lead us to hold onto things we might not actually need or use.

When I first decided I didn't want to keep the dress, I passed it on to my best friend. I didn’t want to donate it because of the sentimental attachment, but I also wasn’t sure what to do with it. So, I thought, Hey, why not let her daughter use it for dress-up? That way, the dress could have another life. Little did I know, my friend was thinking, “It’s too nice for that; I’ll just hold onto it for her.”

Fast forward a few decades, and when I visited New York to pick up some winter clothes, my friend handed me a surprise—my prom dress! She never got rid of it after all. Suddenly, I was faced with the very dilemma that many of my clients face: the attachment is now stronger than before, and I still don’t know what to do with it!

So, here I am, a professional organizer who coaches people through letting go, but now holding onto my prom dress because it feels even more special. My friend cared for it for all these years, and it’s now a little piece of our shared history. But realistically, I know I’ll never wear it again, and it's taking up space that I could use for something more practical.

This experience made me realize that even as organizers, we’re not immune to the emotional pull of items with personal history. So now, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Should I donate it and let it start a new chapter in someone else’s life, or should I keep it as a memento of my youth and friendship?

Let me know in the comments below. And remember, whether you’re holding onto an item or letting it go, what matters is that it reflects the life you want now, not the memories of the past.

3 Ways to Label Your Shoe Boxes

Hi, Christel here from Space to Love, and it’s been a while since I have written a blog on organizing and decorating. I’m glad to be here today and share a quick tip on 3 ways to label your shoe boxes.

My closet is pretty organized, but I wanted to take it one step further by adding pictures of the shoes to the boxes.

I used to live in New York, the East Village, in a really, really small apartment. My bedroom was only 6’ x 9’; it’s all about the location and not the space when living in Manhattan. Anyway, for my shoe organization, I bought white shoe boxes from Uline, then I used my roommate’s Polaroid camera to take pictures and double-sided tape to attach them to the boxes.

Fast forward to today, and living in Los Angeles, my room is a little bigger, and I actually have space in my closet for my shoes. Yay!

I have clear bins from the Container Store and am no longer using the white Uline boxes. However, I find it hard to see exactly what shoes are in what box when looking down in front of my closet, trying to get dressed. So, I thought I would recreate the NY shoe system here in LA.

Watch the video below, or keep on reading.

I don’t have a Polaroid camera or a roommate anymore, but I do have a mini photo printer with 2” label tape that prints sticker photos. I went ahead and took pictures of all my shoes, printed them out, and adhered them to the clear shoe boxes.

Space to Love - Before Clear Shoe Bins

Space to Love - After Clear Shoe Bins

Another way to achieve a similar look is to use a regular printer and then laminate them. I uploaded all my pictures to my computer, put them in a Word doc, made each photo 2”x3”, and then printed them out. I used a laminator and paper cutter from Amazon and double-sided tape.

Space to Love

The 3rd way is by using the old favorite, a label maker. This will make sure you know which pair of shoes go back into which box. I would print a label that says the designer’s name and then another to go underneath with the style of the shoe, i.e., Calvin Klein, Gold Wedge. This will make it clear, and you know exactly what’s in the box. Now, your shoes will always go back to where they belong, and this will help you stay organized.

No matter which way you go, make sure your labels are nice and straight:)

Keeping them in bins helps you stay organized, but also, putting them in categories in the closet will help you find what you’re looking for faster. It’s all about saving time. So instead of just randomly putting them back, put them back in categories, i.e., sandals, flats, work heels, dressy heels, boots, sneakers, and so on. Create categories that work best for you.

When I'm looking for my sandals, I know what row to look in and find them quickly. I don’t have that many shoes, so it's not crazy necessary, but when you have triple the amount of shoes or more, it's really great to make your categories and organize your shoes that way. You will thank yourself for it.

Some people ask me, “How many shoes do you have?” or “What do you think the perfect amount of shoes is?” and I think that you want to live within the means of your space. I started this project with 30 pairs of shoes. With that amount, I don't feel like I'm overflowing at all, and I think I'm living within the means of my space. I’m also not overwhelmed by having too many choices when it comes to what shoes to wear; this can be very time-consuming. There are only so many decisions you can make in a day, don’t waste them on what shoes.

All the shoes I do have, I wear and love them. However, I will never pass up an opportunity to go through and do a little decluttering if I can. As I take the pictures of the shoes, I will ask myself these questions…

1- When was the last time I wore them? If longer than six months, Do I plan on wearing them again? If not, donate.

2- Do they hurt my feet? Is it worth it…probably not, donate.

3- Are they in style and still represent who I am? If not, donate.

4- Are they too worn out and can’t be fixed? If yes, trash.

While asking yourself the questions above…feel free to try on all your shoes and walk around; this will make it easier to make those decisions.

I did get rid of two pairs of shoes. I actually liked both of them, but I wore them out too much, so they have definitely seen better days, and I had to let them go. I'm now down to 28 pairs of shoes. I just made some room for new things to come into my life:)

I hope you found this helpful and inspiring. Do you have any shoe-organizing tips that you'd like to share with us at the Space to Love community? Please comment below; we would love to hear from you. Happy organizing!!

Client Video Testimonial for Space to Love

April fools day:) You thought you were going to get another quick tip from Space to Love....sorry, no organizing tips today but all kidding aside....

Instead, I had the rare privilege of interviewing one of my long time clients and that is no joke! It’s a fact, most people don’t want others to know that they hired a professional organizer let alone talk about it on camera.

Sofia is amazing and one of the first to find and hire me on Yelp. While we had lunch in this beautiful park, we got to talking about all things organized and what we had accomplished over the past 6 years.

I’m so grateful for the time she took out to do this and that she could answer some questions that a lot of potential clients would always ask. Here are some of the things we talk about in the video.

*Once we are organized do you have to keep coming back?

*What is your method?

*Do I have to get rid of everything?

*Are all organizers alike?

*Can I maintain the organization on my own when we are done?

*What about memorabilia?

*Will I feel judged?

*What is the best thing about hiring a professional organizer?

I hope you enjoy this video of us going down memory lane.

Life is a journey, and as you can see from this video, that journey is so much better when organized.

How to Organize Your Gift Wrapping Supplies

It’s January and that means it is the official Get Organized Month! Do you have any organizing goals you would like to accomplish this month? If yes, start small with a junk drawer, spice cabinet or a coat closet….

I had so much fun working with this client in New York organizing her coat closet that was also part gift wrapping closet. You never know what you are going to find or what is the best organizing solution until you get in their closets and see what’s going on. However, it didn’t take any time at all with this closet because when I saw all those rolls of wrapping paper and ribbons and bows I knew right away what organizing system this closet needed.

As you watch the video below you will see how we used the Space to Love® 5 Step Method to get this coat/wrapping closet whipped in shape. Then we added the Elfa Gift Wrap over the door rack to help my client get and stay organized.

I hope you found this useful and feel free to share your organizing goals with us. We are here to help:)

Happy Get Organized Month!!!

Tween to Teen Bedroom Makeover

While working here in New York I had the privilege to makeover my friend’s daughter’s room. She turned 13 last year and wanted her room to reflect her more grownup self. They grow up so fast! However, at any age, using the Space to Love® 5 step method: Setup, Sort, Select, Sanitize, Stylize™ is easy to help anyone achieve their goals to create the room they visualized and to stay organized.

We started with step 1, Setup. I made sure we had room to work and spread out. You need space to organize. We agreed on using the bed and the top of the dresser to sort items. If this wasn’t an option I always have a folding table on hand. I also have ready in my organizing kit: garbage bags, post-its, markers, scissors, box cutters, and cleaning supplies. Keep these items ready whenever you are taking on any organizing challenge. Continuing with the setup process we established specific areas of the room where items would be placed. Donations in one area and other areas for what she’s keeping, maybes (what she’s not sure of), recyclables, and trash. These are the common categories to start with and you may come up with other categories in step 2, Sort, so have your post-its and marker ready. We then customized categories that tailored to her specific needs, ie, blankets, memorabilia, family games, and products for her soap-making business. I was thankful they had a newly renovated basement with extra storage for these items because she doesn’t need access to them on a daily basis.

Once we had our Setup in place we moved on to step 2, Sort. When starting this step it is so important to remove or take out all the items from the closets, drawers or bins you are working on. Here we began with her makeup drawers and started sorting like items together. This may seem like a tedious step but it was so much easier for her to make a decision on which lipsticks/glosses to keep when they were separated from her eyeliners and blushes. We also sorted the cosmetics by color. Know that as you break the clutter down from a big pile into smaller ones, it streamlines the decision-making process when like items are grouped together.

Which brings us right into step 3, Select. Now that items were sorted she could make decisions with ease by seeing everything separated. At first, she felt overwhelmed until she started seeing like items grouped together. This made it clear to her that she had many duplicate items. At that point, she knew she only wanted to keep two light pink lip glosses instead of five. As we moved on to other areas she could easily tell me which hair products she wanted to keep and what stuffed animals she wanted to donate. By the time we got to her closet,  she was really getting the hang of it by keeping the best and getting rid of the rest. Her old t-shirts didn’t stand a chance.

Before we put anything back we completed step 4, Sanitize. We wiped all surfaces down including the inside of all the drawers. We swept the floor and cleaned inside the closet. The sanitizing process is so important, not only because of the current COVID situation but the idea that you are clearing out the old and negative energy. By sanitizing, you’re not only purifying your space but you’re allowing good things to come into your life. For these reasons it’s important to follow through with sanitizing before moving on to step 5, Stylize.

Step 5, Stylize. This is probably one of my favorite steps. We had so much fun making her ideas come into fruition. She wanted a celestial theme with gold stars and dark blues. We started with paint swatches and simple drawings to figure out the wall layout. Then we moved on to furniture ideas which lead to changing up the floorplan to maximize her space.

For inside the closet we fell in love with the dark blue wallpaper with gold stars. This was peel and stick wallpaper that made it easy for application. That segued into spray painting all the closet shelves and brackets gold.

To keep costs down we purchased the furniture and accessories from Ikea, Homegoods, and Amazon. What also helped with the budget was hanging the wallpaper, painting, and assembling all the furniture ourselves.

Overall I’m thrilled with the way the project came together. More importantly, my friend and her daughter are so happy with their new space.

4 Guilt Traps to Avoid While Decluttering Your Closet

Over the years while working with organizing clients, I’ve realized what impedes the decluttering process the most, and it is the guilt traps. The traps I’m referring to are items that you don’t like or don’t even want but you can’t let go of because of the guilt you feel. I want to point these guilt items out to you so when you start decluttering your closet you can recognize them as they show up and know how to navigate past them quickly.

1 - It was a gift.

“I can’t donate that, my best friend gave it to me for my birthday and she will know if I got rid of it.” In a situation like this one the chances that she’ll remember are highly unlikely. If she did, what would be the worst thing that would happen? I actually have a personal story about this one: A few years back I bought this beautiful amethyst bracelet with gold trim for a friend of mine. About a year later she was showing me some of her new jewelry and I didn’t see the bracelet I got her. I asked her what happened to it and she told me that she appreciated the gift but she only wears silver. I was initially bummed that she didn’t keep it, but then I realized it was more my style than hers. I had forgotten that she didn’t wear gold, oops! At the end of the day I was glad that she got rid of it since she wasn’t going to wear it…and yes, I’m still really good friends with her. I say go ahead and donate those unwanted gifts. I don’t want my friends or family to keep things they don’t like just because it came from me.

2 - It was expensive.

“I paid so much for that dress and it never fit quite right, I know I will never wear it again but I feel bad just donating it” Some of my clients have trouble letting an item go because of the monetary value. If you are having negative thoughts about something in your space, you are still paying the price for it. Think of your energy as a commodity and what that is worth to you? That Badgley Mischka dress will find a new home where it will be worn and loved. For high-end items that you’d like to resell, check out TheRealReal.

3 - It still has the tag on it.

Here’s a good one, you find it on the sale rack, you buy it with excitement for getting such a good deal (even though you know it’s not great but can’t pass it up for the price) and then you never end up wearing it. Sometimes the fun of it is getting things for a bargain. It made you feel good at the time and that was all it was meant for. You really thought you were going to wear it when you left the store but then it just never left your closet. So, you made a mistake with the purchase, don’t make another mistake by keeping it. Every time you look at that unused garment you are being brought down with guilt and your energy is coming down with it. Check out ThredUP. It’s time to let it go.

4 - I’m going to lose the weight.

You are your best self today no matter what you think. Holding on to clothes that you will fit into “one day” when the weight comes may not be the best way to go about it. Perhaps by the time you lose the weight, those items will be out of style or you will be so excited that you want to buy new clothes. I’ve even had former clients that wanted to keep clothes because they were afraid they might put the weight back on. This is a roller coaster ride you want to get off of. Again, we are talking about our feelings and how they affect our energy. I’ve heard time and time again about people who finally lose the weight right after they got rid of the “old skinny jeans”. Weird, but when you hold on to the past you can never have a new and better future.

I can’t say it enough how important it is to only keep the clothes that make you feel amazing. When you look your best you, will feel your best and people will notice. Keep what you love, everything else can go.

There are so many places to donate clothes and household items The Salvation Army, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and Vietnam Veterans of America, check to see who is taking donations at this time during COVID.

Happy decluttering:)

3 Steps to Creating the Dressing Room of Your Dreams

As a professional organizer in Los Angeles, I get to work with some amazing people and spaces. I couldn’t wait to design this dressing room for my client. I’ve been working with her for years and she was moving into a bigger home and we were able to use one of the rooms as a dressing room. At first, we were initially thinking of a stand-alone vanity and armoire but, as I thought it over, I had a vision of a kind of walk-in closet. I was familiar with all of her stuff and knew she would need more space for her accessories and shoes.

Here are the 3 steps I used to create the dressing room of her dreams.

First, you want to declutter. I sound like a broken record because I say this all the time but it is so important to have only what you need, use, and love. Everything else will get in the way of your vision. Start by sorting like with like and then pick the best and get rid of the rest.

Second, you want to take inventory of your items. It’s important to know what you have so that you can create the space that you need. How many shoes, scarves, purses, belts and hats do you have? Also, ask yourself, do I want to hang my t-shirts and jeans or fold them? And, if I fold them, will they be in a drawer or on shelves? Think about the socks, underwear, intimates and pj’s you have. How many drawers will that take up?  How many feet of hanging space do you need? Double-hanging in the closet is a better use of the vertical space if you don’t have too many long hanging items. I also took into consideration all the jewelry she owned. There were many necklaces that needed a home. She also had an ample supply of makeup and a vanity so plenty of drawer space was imperative. This brings us right into the next step.

Third, you want to design the space now that you know what you need. I designed the space and then we hired Inspired Closets to build it out for us. Of course, if you don’t want to do the design part they will do it for you. It was easier for me because I already knew what my client needed. So we looked at the layout of the room and picked the wall that would best be suited for the unit. I drew a sketch of what the unit would potentially look like. Starting with the vanity in the middle and then adding shelves for the shoes and purses to the left. On the right side, I added the drawers. The top one was for her jewelry and the rest for socks, pj’s, workout, etc. I wanted to include these cool pull-outs for hanging jewelry that Inspired Closets had, I added those above the drawers. I added double hanging bars in the closet for all her blouses and she also wanted to hang her jeans. Then I gave the sketch to Inspired Closets and they came out and took the final measurements. My client went down to the showroom and picked the finishes and hardware that she liked. All we were waiting for was the vanity mirror with lights to come. We ordered that separately. Inspired Closets really are a dream to work with.

If you are looking to create a space that makes you want to get up and get dressed in the morning, use these three steps. No matter what size space you have you can create a dressing room or area of your dreams.

Time to Digitize

For years I have been helping clients around the Los Angeles area get rid of the clutter and belongings that no longer serve them. But what about personal keepsakes that could still bring joy but are inaccessible and unusable, specifically, the videos and photos rendered obsolete by our fast-moving technology?

Some of you may know that my sister is not well. Her battle with cancer has been devastating, and she will never be the same again. I don’t want to live in the past, but I desperately want to watch the home video of us from when we went to Hawaii. Of course, it is a VHS tape and I don’t own a VCR anymore. I know why I’m keeping it, even though I cannot watch it, and that is the spark for this blog post.

This is where Jeremy Suede from I.O.Solutions comes in. I know Jeremy from NAPO so it was a no-brainer to use his services. Here’s what he did for me:

1 - Converted all VHS tapes into iMovies on my external hard drive.

2 - Transferred all CDs (old photos and headshots) and DVDs (old short films from my acting days) onto my external hard drive.

3 - Transferred all items on my big, old, heavy hard drive to my sleek, new, mega-memory G Drive, then cleared the antiquated device so it could be donated.

I now have all my “stuff” in/on a 4.33” x 3.23” x 0.43” box/hard drive and can access it anytime I want.

Jeremy and I at NAPO-LA’s Monthly Meeting.

Jeremy and I at NAPO-LA’s Monthly Meeting.

How it works…I called Jeremy and he met me at a Starbucks in the Valley, (which was closer to me then his office), where I handed over my precious items. I have to say, when he was walking away with all my memorabilia I had a pit in my stomach thinking, what if he never comes back?!

To put my ‘fear of lack’ to bed, Jeremy did in fact return 2 weeks later with all my “stuff” on my G Drive. I paid him a very reasonable fee through Venmo and we parted ways.

As soon as I got home I plugged my hard drive into my computer and cried like a baby watching the video of my sister and I from over 20 years ago. I couldn’t have been happier.

My sister and I in Hawaii, early 90’s.

My sister and I in Hawaii, early 90’s.

Cautionary tale: Jeremy told me that had I waited any longer, the tapes could have deteriorated and the footage would have been lost forever. I am so grateful I have a physical reminder of a magical memory with my sister.

If you have memories that brings you joy, I urge you to digitize. Whether via hard drive or uploading to your cloud, you can keep more stuff in less space, and have it in a vastly more accessible way. Less clutter, more joy. Win-Win!

I’m thinking this would be a great gift this holiday season: a gift certificate to I.O.Solutions!

Don’t let the past clutter up your present.

I hope you create new wonderful memories this holiday season with your family and friends.

Happy Holidays!

4 Piles to Pitch: Win Back Your Storage Closet

Yes! Clean out that storage closet once and for all. I just helped a client do this, and I want to share a few things that might be useful for the closet you have been ignoring... and the skeletons inside.

My client had recently moved, and didn't have time to purge or organize before transitioning from old place to new.  As a result, her storage closet was riddled with random items (because it had a door to close and hide it all behind). Sound familiar?  Well, it happens all the time. Time to reclaim your space!

To get started, take everything out of the closet. As you remove items, sort them into piles with similar types of items - put like items with like items.

With my client, as with most clients, the piles looked something like this: the first pile was composed of packing supplies, including empty boxes, bubble wrap, tubes for posters, etc.  A second pile contained decor items that worked in her old place but didn't work in her new home, including items that needed to be returned. Off to the side, we had a pile of stuff that was to be sold on eBay and Craigslist, and finally, my favorite pile, the bag of bags. Over 90% of my clients have at least one of these piles:)

We also had piles of old makeup to go through, bedding to make decisions on, and office supplies to sort. However, the 4 piles I want to focus on are the four piles mentioned above: packing supplies, things that aren't working, stuff to sell, and the bag of bags. By just dealing with the items in these four piles, you will reduce clutter by half.  So, in no particular order, give yourself permission to let go of ---

1 - Items that are not working in the new (or current) space. This is often a frustrating endeavor, but it's time to realize that even alternative facts won't make your drawer organizers from your last residence fit your new space, and those pictures that looked great on your former living room wall don't catch the light in the same way in your new (or now) house. Yet, these items get tucked away in the storage closet in hopes you will find someone to give it to or eventually sell it. A big crutch in the letting go process is the "waiting to give it to someone who will need it" crutch. We always want to help someone out (or in some cases, pass the obligation of the item onto someone else), but then the unwanted item ends up chewing up valuable real estate in your space for way too long. So go ahead, give yourself permission. Donate it. And those things that need to be returned that didn't work for the new space that got shoved in the storage closet to collect dust and be forgotten? Put them in your car with the receipt and make sure it gets returned before it's too late.  Or donate them. 

2 - The eBay and Craigslist pile. My client had fancy and pricey dresses; some still had the tags on them, plus other items she thought could be worth selling. Of course, I'm all for donating it. Too often the ideal amount you think you can get for a given item is a lot more then what you can actually get for it. With my client, we started looking up how much similar dresses were selling for online and found that they were going for $20 or $30, and some were being stolen at $10. So I ask, how much is your time worth? $10/hr? $20/hr?  Because the time you use listing the item, the time spent in sale limbo/haggling with a stranger, the time and energy physically exerted in shipping the item... is the sale really worth the trouble and your time?  I suggest establishing a minimum listing item price of $50 or more to make the listing worthy of your time. If you can get at least $50 for an item, then list it.  If not, donate it.

3 - The pile of packing supplies. It will be easier to let these items go when you realize you are donating most of the stuff you thought you were going to sell. The act of breaking down empty boxes from deliveries alone (ahem...amazon) will reclaim a significant amount of space.

4 - The bag of bags, or should I say the whole closet, considering how they seem to fill up space like some magic growing jello. Like many people, my client was keeping every bag that was ever given to her, and all the ones she paid for like the ones from Ikea, etc. We looked through them all, and kept a select few that were in good shape.  We used some to bag donation items, and, get ready, donated the rest.

How many shopping bags does one household need? If you go shopping and use about 5 recycled bags, then keep that amount in your car, and get rid of the remainder.  Rest assured, more reusable bags will come into your life; someone is always giving away a free bag. Oh! And if you get paper and plastic bags every time you go to the grocer's and keep them for trash, then take one bag and fill it up with other bags; whatever doesn't fit in that one bag, you recycle. You will keep getting more every time you go shopping; have faith that you will not run out.

By focusing on items in these 4 piles, and not worrying about the organizing part yet, we saw a huge difference in reclaimed closet space. My client even had drawers in the closet that (I didn't know she had) she could never get to, now ready to be filled with items worthy of storing. 

So, what can you donate today to win back your storage closet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Tools to Organize the Kids' Craft Closet

With the summer just around the corner and school letting out, it's a perfect time to get the kids' craft closet/area in order. There is nothing worse than knowing you have projects to entertain the kids for the afternoon, but can't find the things that go together: you located the paint but not the brushes, you have the glitter but no glue, you have all-the-beads-in-the-world but no string. 

I was helping a client get organized in Malibu this week, and came up with some tools to get organized that will work for any child's craft closet:  

  • Plastic Bins, with or without lids
  • Modular Drawers with inserts
  • Stackable Paper Drawers
  • White Dry Erase Clingboard

I'm always at The Container Store where there is a plethora of plastic bins. I picked these basketweave bins in white because the size and style worked for this project, and I needed vertical clearance in order to store larger craft items. I used the 6.5 qt bins with lids to house the sidewalk chalk and other outdoor toys. Bonus with these bins: if you leave them outside it's okay; they're waterproof...as long as the lid is put back on;)

The second tool, modular drawers, are fab because they are sturdy, they come in many different sizes, and can be arrange in a variety of ways. I added small and medium inserts to these drawers to better organize brushes, scissors, sticks etc. 

Stackable paper drawers make the list because they are perfect for craft paper, tape, glue, stamps and stickers. I like that the drawers easily come all the way out; you can take the whole drawer with you to the craft area! When crafting is complete, everything goes back in the drawer for easy clean-up. Another stackable version that click and stack are great for pens, pencils, crayon and markers.

The fourth item I added for fun...well maybe fun for me, because I like making lists.  How often, when it comes to craft time, you're not sure what you have?  You forgot what you bought and now the babysitter is here, and you need to rush off to an afternoon appointment, but can't remember what to tell the sitter? With the dry eraser board, you write down the fun craft projects as you buy them, before storing them. Creativity can be more impulsive when you know what you have and where to find it!

To finish up the Malibu craft area, I labeled all the drawers with a p-touch label maker...I'll talk about how to make labeling fun in my next blog.

Did you find this helpful? 

I'm passionate about organization! I'm always interested in new ideas; what do you do to keep the craft area in order?

 

 

3 Ways to Organize Baby Clothes

For new and expecting moms, it can be overwhelming with all the baby items that come into the home. Many of the items are baby clothes. You see cute outfits at the store, or there was a great sale and maybe they're four sizes too big, but you get them anyway because they'll eventually fit, right?! And it's not just you, friends and family give baby clothes as gifts or bags of hand-me-downs that can range from all different ages. But what do you do with the clothes in the meanwhile? For this blog we are going to concentrate on clothing storage solutions for newborn to two year olds. 

I've found the best way to get started is to make piles of clothes by size. We know the first two years are broken down into newborn and/or 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months and then 18-24 months. First we separate, then we decide what we want to keep. Even if that skull-and-crossbones onesie was a gift for your darling Penelope, or the threadbare hand-me-down was given by a cousin you don't see enough, it doesn't mean you have to keep it. Focus on what serves you, and what will be right for your child.

Now that we have our "keep" piles, separated by size, we can decide how we want to organize the clothes. You can use one or a combination of these ideas, but I like incorporating all three.

  • Baskets with chalkboard labels.

  • Dividers for hanging clothes.

  • Clear airtight plastic storage bins with labels.

The baskets with chalkboard label method is great if you have a lot of shelf space; I encourage storing the baskets on the shelves in a closet or bookshelf. Pro Tip: Don't forget to measure your shelves before buying any baskets to make sure they will fit properly. Adhere chalkboard labels on them if they don't already come with them.

This method is great because as your child grows, you can easily swap the sizes. The baskets in the picture below did not come with labels, so I purchased chalkboard gift tags from The Container Store, trimmed them to the shape I wanted, and used this double sided tape to attach them. Personalize it: there are oodles of baskets and labels to choose from, so you can add your own style to your organization endeavors.

The hanging clothes with dividers method is terrific if you have lots of hanging space. You can use clothes dividers, pre-labeled by month/size, or use plain ones. With the latter of the two, using a label maker or chalkboard labels for each divider, allowing an easy change of the sizes as your child gets older.

The third method works for the months to come. The labeled, airtight storage allows for long term keeping, and knowing your baby's clothes are staying clean, and bug and dust free, is especially great if you are storing in an attic, basement or shed. This is also wonderful if you plan on having more children. When you are done with one size, replace it with the next size up, and the first size goes into storage.

 

The picture of the shed is from a client that has four boys. We wanted to keep all the hand-me-downs organized, so when she is ready for the next size up, she knows exactly where everything is. We also did bins for shoes for the kids by size. 

Did you find this helpful? Comment below with your thoughts, and I would love to hear how you organized your children's clothes! For more useful tips check out Momlovesbest

 

A Few Ways to Store Your Purses

Living in Los Angeles, I get to work with a lot of opened minded clients, that let me try different organizing ideas to discover what works best for them. After I finished organizing this client's closet, the last thing to consider was her many purses and bags. 

It would have been fine to keep the bags neatly on the top shelf of her closet, but I was concerned about the dust and not being able to see the purses that were in the duster bags.  For me, out of site, out of mind; I forget I have, and I feel this is the same with my clients. 

So, off to The Container Store I went, in search of a solution to the problem of dust, seeing all the bags, and time ... I don't want to spend the time looking through duster bags to find a purse for the evening.

I don't know why I find such joy out of using an organizing tool for something that was actually designed for something else ... anyway, I found sweater storage bags, small PEVA Chest Clear 12" x 9" x 6", just big enough for one or two purses, and the storage bags can be stacked; I love it when you can use more vertical space. 

Ok, that works, right? Well ... now you can see the bags but all the black and brown ones look the same. So, I went back to the old picture trick. It works great for shoes, and now I will be using this for purses as well. I don't have a polaroid camera anymore, but I did have 8168 shipping labels. I took pictures of all the purses on a white background, printed them out on the labels and cut them with a paper cutter for a straight edge. They stick on really well, so no peeling corners over time.

What I also like about the pictures, is if you want to store the purse in the duster bag that it came with, you can and still know what is what in your closet. 

Of course, there's not only one way to organized purses. Here are some other tools to use. I like these Cubbies that are made for shoes and purses, as well as Hanging Canvas Shelves; these are great for clutches.

Like these tips or have a great one to share? Let us know in a comment below. 

If you have a storage dilemma, I can help! Email me at info@spacetolove.com.