wardrobe experiment...

Today I tackled a new project for the new year.  I have been inspired to cut down drastically on the amount of clothes I own.  I only wear 3/4ths of my clothes anyway, so it's just a matter of clearing the rest out.  It's hard to bring myself to get rid of clothes sometimes, so I am trying a different approach.  I took out all the clothes from my closet, and sorted the ones I'd really like to wear for the next few months, trying to keep the amount at a minimum.  I put those back into my closet in somewhat of an organized order. (Note: Landon's tshirts are on the bottom shelf of the closet, I only took up half the hang up space and the top shelf!)  Then, I got rid of a couple things I knew for sure I won't wear again, and the rest went into a big pile.  I put those into a bin and will keep them, but after 2 or 3 months, I'll open it up again and then get rid of as much as I can.

After this round, I am really wanting to try the Project 333 to get an even better perspective on my wardrobe and it's impact on my life.  For now, I'm getting a little more strict with myself, but allowing for learning room.  I will try to keep clothes buying down to a minimum, but also keep an eye out for high quality pieces my wardrobe could use.

And you know what?  It feels so great to look at my cleaned up closet!

xoxo

Project Simplify: Kid's Room

Well I finished organizing and decluttering Finn's room today and I feel so much better!  Everything is clean and in it's own place, and I got to get rid of a few things too.  If you remember, I am participating in this challenge over at Simple Mom.  It was nice knowing hundreds of others were cleaning and organizing this week just like I was.

I was a dunce and forgot that my card was in the card reader when I took before pictures of Finn's room.  Believe me, things were in disarray and it didn't look good. :)

But here are the after pictures.  We don't like a lot of things in our home, so Finn's room was pretty simple to start with.  It's funny how fast things get out of order, even with few things.  Baby clothes are ridiculously hard to keep organized I think!

This can get really messy, so I went through and sorted all his clothes he's grown out of *sniffle* and organized these by outfit type.  All the clothes are on the right and all the "other" things are on the left, like extra diaper inserts, burp cloths, and bibs.

The top of this organizer was out of control.  I took out all the toys and teethers, cleaned it up and left the items I use every day on the left and all his socks and hats on the right.

His "changing" table is a repurposed shelving unit, but it works great for us.  I store all his folded and ready fuzzibunz on the front top shelf, with the disposables in the back, and extra wipes and rarely used items on the bottom.

The bookshelf is small, but gets out of order quickly.  I went through and decided to keep all of these since they all are meaningful and we'll use them a lot.  We don't have a ton of space in our home, so the closet in Finn's room is for our extra storage.  I keep my craft bins in there, so the sewing machine stays in his room as it's the most practical place right now.

I added all the toys Finn didn't have on his play mat into the basket with his stuffed friends.  I use an old crate from college for his dirty clothes.  A fabric liner for the crate is on my to-do list.

And there you have it!  I pulled all the furniture out from the walls, vacuumed the floors, and dusted.  It feels great to walk in and see everything so neat and orderly!  I can actually find the outfits I need for Finn now instead of digging through and messing it all up.

I'm pumped up and ready for next week's challenge - kitchen and pantry.  That one needs it bad!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Tonight, Landon and I are going to see The Head and The Heart in concert!  Can't wait!

Project: Simplify

One of my favorite blogs to read is Simple Mom.  I love all the practical and wise advice over there.  Tsh is doing a Project: Simplify again this year, and I've decided to join in with everyone!  It's amazing how soon your home can get cluttered and out of order, and I'm really excited to tackle some major clutter spots in our little home.  Here's a great post that gives a good view on decluttering.

We are going to start on Monday and work on one area each week for four weeks.  We'll get to link up with Tsh and share before and after photos.

I don't know what it is about working in a group, but knowing hundreds of other people will be decluttering their homes at the same time is so encouraging!

So, if you want to join in, you can.  Just click on the button and head over to Simple Mom to get all the info.

Landon and I will be staying home this weekend and relaxing.  Tomorrow, I am going to try to get a haircut as my poor locks are looking pretty sad post-baby.  I haven't gotten a trim since last November! :)

I hope you all have a great weekend, whatever you decide to do!

leah vs. the organizationator

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One of my goals this new year is to get super organized and have in our home only the things that we really need.  A problem with this is that I tend to buy things on a whim and don't stop to think if it will really come in useful in our small space.  My dream is to have a simple, functional, small home, with thoughtfully placed decor and belongings.

My in-laws got me the book Organized Simplicity for Christmas, and it is already proving a worthy read with tons of wonderful examples of how to get organized.  I think it's going to be more of a lifestyle change rather than a bunch of items on a list I need to check through.

I also found this great article on Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest section which gives some good advice on how to buy only what you need.  (It's pretty much like a motivational speech to a soldier before heading off into the battle of the materialistic war-zone....ok maybe not that drastic, but it's a real pump up!)

What are your favorite tricks to staying organized, or how do you determine what to get rid of?
That's the hardest part for me....getting rid of stuff.  I am such a clinger.

Here's to hoping I can get organized and breathe a little easier.

xo