Clear Out/Clean Out

Today’s project was pretty simple and straightforward and I just had to share my success with you! My client was a (my) very independent 3 year old. She needed to be able to reach her every day essential articles of clothing and I needed to get rid of a lot of the junk I was hoarding since she was born. Head over to my instagram page @easily_organized to check out my closet organization highlights to see the progress report!

Lets start with my tip of the day…

Tip 12: Start decluttering by completely emptying and cleaning out the space. I threw every single thing out of the closet. Sure, it may have made the bedroom look extremely scary and the project kind of daunting but I find it’s good to get a glimpse of everything that’s taking up space in there. Also, when you do this, it’s so much easier to get a good deep clean. So grab your swiffer and collect all the dust! Just so you know, I didn’t throw everything onto the floor without order… I kept the dresses together, the shoes in a pile…etc. I’m not totally crazy.

Tip 13: Frequently re-evaluate the items in your closets/cabinets. I only found about 3 or 4 articles of clothing that didn’t fit June anymore because of how often I purge. Donate anything you don’t use. This may seem cliché but I’ll add a slight spin and recommend you let others borrow these items until you may need them again. Maybe make an arrangement with a friend that you’ll pass on your child’s clothes if they promise to do the same when/if you decide to have another one. Stop holding onto things you do not need! Fine… I may not be as sentimental as most people but I really enjoy knowing someone else is making good use of something we used to love.

Tip 14: Categorize the pieces in your space. If it’s clothes then sort by season first and then by color. Closets like this with a lot of hanging space can accomodate for holding your seasonal gear year-round. I had previously kept the sweaters all together when, in fact, a few sweaters were only for winter weather or snow and most were meant for SOCAL mild weather. Now I have snow gear and cold weather items together and out of the way since we hardly use them.

Tip 15: Maximize the use of your current storage baskets. I was so proud of the fact that I didn’t have to go shopping to create this look! It really just took me dumping out the baskets I had and finding a proper home for everything in them. For example, I had bathing suits jammed into a basket when they should have been easier to find since we use them all year. Now, the basket on that shelf holds goggles, small pool toys, and her floatie. I strongly believe in a common sense organization method. You don’t need to add every bin or basket to a space to make it easier to navigate. Make sure you’re using the bins you currently have before buying any new ones! That might just create new clutter.

Check out the before photo below! What a simple yet pleasing transformation! What do you think?

Playroom Finds

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My home decor is mostly neutral so I wanted to create a space for my children to play that was full of color and fun. Luckily for us, our home has a large closet under the stairs that I immediately had a plan for!

My Aunt set up a playroom very similar when we were younger. It was a cozy space with a play kitchen in it. I recreated it with my own colorful spin!

Below are a few items I have either purchased or have been gifted and greatly enjoyed by my children. Clockwise from top:

  • My rug is a vintage heirloom from Iran but this Navajo Diamond Southwestern Area Rug is just as colorful and so much fun!
  • These fruits and veggies can be used in neutral playrooms as well because of the cute bins they come in. Great for sorting exercises!
  • Instruments like this are easy to mount on the wall with velcro command strips!
  • Ikea has some great Montessori themed play toys. This kitchen is no exception and very reasonably priced!
  • We bought this booster seat for my son to eat snacks in while I did housework but we used it for so much more! In fact, it’s currently strapped to our dining chair because he’s still using it at 18 months old.
  • When June was a baby, she would play with every nesting doll-type toy she could find. This was a gift from my brother and I’m happy to say my son is now playing with is 2 years after we got it! Great activity for them.
  • The letters I used are unfortunately sold out but I found a very close match!

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