Maximizing a small closet

Anyone who has seen Clueless has closet envy, but most of us are stuck with little spaces where we cram all of our stuff and complain every time something falls off a hanger. It is possible to not hate your closet!

First, you need to follow my "cleaning out your closet" instructions from my posts on Feb 13th and 14th. This will help you declutter. Remember, the key points would be to sort: keep, donate, throw away.

Another great tip is to use multipurpose furniture and space around your house, apartment, or bedroom. You can buy storage blocks that are decorative, are a great place for magazines, books, etc. and also second as extra seating.

Use your accessories (scarves, jewelry) to decorate your room. You will always know where to find them and it makes your space more unique.

Check locals stores (second-hand shops, goodwill, Wal-mart, or Target) for great buys to help you get organized.

According to websites like Freshome Interior Design and About.com, there are many easy ways to make your closet more accessable.

Analyze your closet needs: is it your primary closet, your work space, your children's toy closet?

Store out-of-season clothing and decorations in tupperware bins in your attic or basement. If you don't have extra space, use the space under your bed.

Buy boxes, bins, shelves, or a closet doubler to keep things seperated and easy to find. Label them or use clear bins.

Don't forget to use vertical space. Your closet door is great to hang bags, shoes, or jewelry. Also, store heavier items on the floor for easy access and so you won't hurt yourself!

Though most people save tasks like this for their Spring cleaning, Winter is a great time to tackle organizing your living space. You are snowed in? Pick out some great music and get to work. Good luck! I would love to see your results! Post your finished pics.

It is time to make a difference

Normally I am not one to blog about controversial topics, but I could not let this slide. I am standing on my proverbial soap box tonight. First, and foremost it is October--- Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is time to wear your pink and show your support to all the women in our lives that have dealt with this horrible disease. I realized this weekend that it touches everyone. My nephew Jaime, who is a special needs child, has a friend named Dylan. Dylan is putting on a spaghetti supper at their high school to raise money for Cancer research because one of his teacher's aids passed away from it years ago. Hearing all that he has done to put this dinner on shows the impact that one person--- any person--- can have for whatever cause that matters to them.

The other cause that I am passionate about is animal testing. I always thought I was doing the right thing by looking at packages before I bought them for the "this product was not tested on animals."  Little did I know that some companies can get away with printing this because the "final" product was not tested, not including all the steps to get there. After going to www.mediapeta.com, I realized that I was blind to a lot of the products in my own house. I am not expecting you to go into your medicine cabinet and throw everything away, or drive yourself crazy over this, because believe me, that is what I started to do.


What I am hoping for is that the next time you go buy shampoo or tooth paste you make an effort to see what company it is and pick the right product. The other thing you need to remember is just because the product itself wasn't tested on animals, who is that company owned by? For example, Toms of Maine is on the good list, but they are owned by Colgate who is on the bad list. Again, please don't freak out over this. If you have a general idea of what companies to look for you will be fine. If everyone is aware, hopefully these companies will have to stop testing on animals to keep making a profit.
Here is a list of some of the companies we should be watching out for: 3M (that is right, post-its), Procter & Gamble, Clorox, Aussie, Aveeno, Avon, Axe, Bic, Clairol, Crest, Green Works (I know, right? This is called "green washing" where a company labels itself as good for the environment. It's an advertising tactic), Nair, Neutrogena, Softsoap, Walgreens, Calgon, Chapstick, Clean & Clear, Dove, Garnier, Head & Shoulders, Mary Kay, Olay, Sauve, Woolite, Band-aid, Loreal, Colgate, Gillette, Herbal Essences, Maybelline, Oral-B, Vaseline, Iams Dog Food. Please go to www.mediapeta.com and check it for yourself. It is all about being aware and making the right decision.

Here is a list of some of the companies that DO NOT test on animals: Abercrombie & Fitch, Bare Escentuals, Almay, Aveda, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Conair, ELF cosmetics, Crabtree & Evelyn, Liz Claiborne, LUSH, MAC, OPI, Physicians Formula, Revlon, Smashbox, Seventh Generation, Stila Cosmetics, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Urban Decay. Again, please go to www.mediapeta.com for a full list of animal friendly companies. Both lists have websites and phone numbers if you want to dig a little deeper.

Thanks for reading followers, and I hope this helps. I hope everyone will take this and make that change.

October is here, is your closet ready?

As I was getting ready for dinner tonight, I realized that it was time to clean out my makeup bag again. I sorted everything and put them into zip lock bags to help the chaos. This got me thinking--- some of you might want to revisit my first few posts about cleaning out your wardrobe, cleaning out your makeup bag, and the essentials to your wardrobe. Sometimes it is good to get a refresher on things.

I also reminded myself this week about how great it is to hit clearance sales! I hit up Filene's Basement and Express while shopping and lucked out big time. I suggest that everyone check to see if you have a Filene's Basement in your area. It is very similar to TJ Maxx and requires some time, but they have some HUGE discount racks. And who doesn't love Express semi-annual box sales? I kind of lose my mind every time I see them!

I bought:
A cowl neck sweater dress (F.B.) 7.50
3 pairs of colored tights (blue, maroon, and black) (F.B.) 4.00 a pair
a Nine West black handbag (F.B.) 24.00
a maroon sweater (Express) 15.99
a red button-down fitted dress shirt (Express) 15.99
and a lacy black tank top (Express) 15.99

Grand total was less than $100--- I saved over $300!!!! It just shows that a little investigative shopping and creativity and really pay off!

Sorry for the short post, I just wanted to remind everyone that this is the time to stock up on end-of-season stuff and great new items for Fall!

Talk to you soon. :)