Since I got back from Italy, all I can think about is how things are changing…FOR THE BETTER. The focus is on me and my life and making today better than it was yesterday. That means establishing new rules to fix everything in life that I let slide that happens to be hurting me.
The focus this weekend has been on my bedroom.
Last week, I talked about the new closet organizers I purchased to organize my accessories. {See… I Did What?} I spent this weekend watching a little bit of the Olympics and Pretty Little Liars while I put these items together.
For some odd reason, I thought I ordered the organizers with doors. Silly me! I should know that I would want to be able to see my purse collection instead of hide them behind closed doors! So unlike what I wrote last week, I actually purchased two of the open shelving in the top right hand corner, and two of the drawers on the bottom right corner.
Don’t let the picture fool you. These are taller and wider than I thought they would be. But the good news is that they’re much slimmer, which allows for wider foot traffic between the furniture and the bed.
For those looking to order similar organizers, I highly recommend purchasing Martha Stewart’s organization solutions. Her instructions are the best I’ve ever come across in putting together furniture. Home Decorator’s instructions had me sitting there going…’what in the hell are you trying to tell me to do?’
If I wasn’t a little seasoned in putting together furniture, I would have probably pulled my hair out. After I deciphered what was going on, it was pretty simple to put everything together. I think what took longer was trying to decipher the foreign language, bad pictures, bad examples and trying to decipher which half of the instructions were left out. {I’m not joking when I say they didn’t put in half of the instructions.}
I was able to put together 4 out of the 5 pieces I bought from Home Decorator’s Collection over the weekend. I had to stop after that because the boxes and packaging piled up to the point that the trash had to go before opening up one more box.
Here’s how this new organization project went down…
Let the Organization Begin!
I started to organize everything neatly onto the shelves. I decided to keep one open faced cabinet with my couture designer purse collection and let the other one house my non-couture collection that I can’t give up because I love them so much.
This was also a good way to start going through the masses of bags that have recently multiplied and made babies. It was also a good way to decide what has to go and what I’m keeping.
I started off by taking one bag after another from their current hiding place and putting the designer bags onto the shelves. I separated the tote bags that can lie flat and began to lie one on top of the other, while I put the more structured bags on the top two shelves.
My first couture bag…the Burberry…was placed at the top, where I could see it, followed by my Burberry clutch in Tiffany blue that I picked up at the last NHL Awards in Las Vegas. I then put my prized Rebecca Minkoff satchel along with all of my black designer bags together on the middle shelf.
On the bottom shelf, I placed all of the bags that could lay flat next to the Fendi messenger tote I picked up for around $50 at Bonanza.com. Many of the bags I could fold over three times, so I stuffed the handles in between the folds.
After I put all of the couture bags on the shelves, I took a step back and remarked to myself that I couldn’t believe how many black bags I owned…which led to…wow…I can’t believe I own so many couture bags. {Pat on the back!}
I organized the non-couture cabinet the same way, only the snakeskin group served as the black bag organization frenzy that was on the couture side. The more structured bags hit the top shelf, while all of the flat totes went on the bottom.
What determined if I kept the bag on the non-couture side? It either had to lay flat or look pretty on the shelf. If it didn’t fit either description, it hit the DONATE bin.
A New Home
There was a Tommy Hilfiger straw bag I loved when I bought it but have to find a new use for because it was pilling. It actually started pilling after day one, which is a shame because it was such a nice bag.
I plan on upcycling the bag and using it as a storage solution in another room. Like people use baskets to store stuff away, a big tote bag can serve as storage in another room. Just make sure the colors match.
I bought a cute yellow (fake) leather tote from Forever 21 a few months back. It matched the pillows in my living room, so after I carried the bag around for a week, I put it next to the couch. It’s now the place I dump magazines into when I walk into the apartment.
I have another large octopus tote that I picked up in North Carolina (yes, the bag that the Columbus Blue Jackets have tweeted about in the past…What is it about stalkerish hockey players? They follow you around while you shop…tweet what you purchase…tweet what you talk about to your friends…). I hide books in this infamous tote bag when the shelves are overflowing with literature. Not all books have to be displayed (just make sure you keep a list of your titles…I keep mine in an Excel spreadsheet on my computer along with the location).
What to Donate When You Can’t Decide
Ah, the issues of what to part with when you have a COLLECTION. It’s probably the hardest thing to do…decide what you are willing to part with when every single piece you purchased has some sort of history to it [see Burberry bags…octopus bag…etc.]
It’s difficult parting with pieces you think you love. Then there’s making the decision of what you want to carry with you as you move forward in life. One of the first conditions on whether I kept a bag or not had more to do with if it looked pretty on the shelf or not. Guess what bags got tossed first? THE NEON BAGS! They never really look good on shelves…which should say a lot about them not looking good on a person.
What followed next were the bags that I did not feel comfortable carrying. Those bags that hurt while carrying…GOODBYE! There were even a few bags that I had to do a few triple takes to try and decide if I could use them as a storage solution or change the bag into a pillow. The design had to be my kind of ‘home decor’ worthy or it went in the DONATE pile.
The most important part of all of this decision making was divorcing my ‘feelings’ towards these items. In order to make decisive solutions regarding my clutter, I had to get rid of any emotions that I could attach to my collection. That’s the reason why ‘clutter’ continues…we become emotionally involved in it, not realizing that what we claim we actually love is hurting us by making us feel overwhelmed with ‘too much’ stuff that we love. A cluttered home = bad feelings in your own home. An organized, clutter free home = simplicity and happiness.
Another ’emotion’ trigger I used in deciding what was getting donated was how I felt about the bag…that is, as far as negative emotions were concerned. Did it hurt me when I carried it? If it did…it went bye-bye. The point of this was to surround myself in the things that made me happy. If a strong emotion of distaste occurred…it meant I really had no reason to keep it.
A Loving Look at the Inventory
After all was said and done, I took one look at my couture collection and was actually surprised at how many couture bags I actually owned. I’ll be the first to admit that I believe that I don’t own that many couture bags. I buy them and then they get mixed up in the non-couture collection. I forget I even own anything couture.
Truthfully, I was a bit shocked to see the entire collection all in one spot. It was no longer mixed in with the non-designer group, so I was able to really take a look at my couture collection.
The couture collection was almost as equally big as the non-designer group. I had to pat myself on the back because it made me realize how amazing my fantasy wardrobe collection had become.
Long gone are the days that I dreamed of owning a Fendi, a Burberry, a Valentino or any of those bags sitting on those shelves. It’s a dream I made come true…all out and in the open for me to see and stop hiding away underneath the rest of the junk.
Moving Forward Towards Phase Two
I not only separated up the bags according to couture vs. non-couture, but I also applied the same methodology to my scarf collection. One shelf had all of my designer scarves filled with Valentino, Tiffany & Co. and Salvatore Ferragamo (and one day Hermes), the other had all of my non-designer scarves that have kept me warm throughout the years.
Some of the scarves I had to force myself to give up and put in either the donate bin or the upcycle bin for the quilt I’ll be piecing together. The rule was, “Can I see myself EVER wearing this?” I had a year to wear it. If I hadn’t worn it in that time frame, it was in one of the two bins.
Some people like to apply the two year rule to clothing…accessories can go into a one year rule, because you can use them more frequently than clothing.
Jewelry sorting I’m going to save for another day.
As for the dresser that used to house the accessories, almost everything was taken out of it so it could be moved into the kitchen where it will be serving a new function…it will serve as my pantry for now until I’m ready to work on the kitchen remodel (that includes a new storage solution system and getting rid of 3 pieces of temporary furniture for 1 new upgrade piece).
Now, I have to sort through more clothes that will be donated or upcycled. So far more things are being donated than upcycled. That, of course, is a good sign that the clutter is being brought under control.
The only problem right now…I can’t get to my closet until the trash men pick up all of these boxes!
After they pick them up, I can start on the final cabinet and finish moving things around into their new homes. I also need to find a new double hamper to match this grouping.
Hopefully, the new paint, etc. from Home Depot will arrive before next weekend so I can also start and finish the dresser update.
Next week, I hope to donate all of the clutter items that made the Donate bin, and get rid of the elliptical trainer & the extra metal frame wardrobe I had to buy to give me more closet space. One thing is for sure…if it’s a workout machine and I have to put it together…chances of me ever using it is about 1 time before I think I’m going to kill myself on it. I have no qualms about handing it off to someone else to take a stab at putting it together correctly.
I also have no room for it. I’ll keep the yoga mat. 🙂 It’s easier to pack up and move to a new home.
After all of this is done, it comes down to the finishing touches of reassembling artwork and the new little things I’ve found to enhance the look of the room.
This little upgrade is a little on the expensive side, but it’s worth the way I feel about this new change in my life. It only has me thinking about how I’m preparing for my new home.
