Organizing a Toddler's Closet

It's been an organizing whirlwind here at my house.  Last week I showed you what the floor of our utility closet looked like. It wasn't pretty, in fact it was a little scary. Well, I couldn't stop at the utility closet no, I had another thorn in my side that needed to be organized. My daughter's closet has been in chaos since the day we brought her home almost two years ago. I had it all organized and pretty before I was ready to have her but I didn't factor in all of the crap stuff you get after the baby is born. We really didn't have a lot of clothes for her because we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl. We had all of the basics covered, but like I said after we brought her home the stuff in the closet grew and grew. This past weekend, I decided it was time to get back to organized. I couldn't find anything in it anymore and it was starting to get ridiculous.     Is it just me or don't you feel out of control when all of your stuff is out of control? I just always feel so much better to open up a door and see everything in its place. I hope this post can offer some helpful tips to those of you who might be feeling your organization or lack of organization is getting out of control. 

Here is what the closet looked like BEFORE (you might want to sit down for the before shots.) 

Yikes, what happened here?

The first thing I did was take everything out of the shelves and threw it in a big pile on the floor. I then sorted out the stuff that needed to stay and the stuff that needed to go. I then created smaller piles for more specific things like shoes, blankets, hats and so on.

I bought some totes at the Dollar Tree that matched the room and then labeled them. I was able to find some free faux customizable chalkboard labels and printed them out on my ink jet printer. I cut out the labels and glued them to card stock to make them a little heavier. I then punched a hole in the top and placed ribbon in it and tied it to the totes.

I had bought these baskets from my local Dollar General before my daughter was born. I think they were around $5.00 at the time and they have really held up well. My husband made the chalkboard labels with some left over scrap wood that we had. I saved the green gingham ribbon from a baby present we received and tied it to the label.

I really wanted to utilize the shoe shelf a little better. I found these white stackable wire shelves at Dollar Tree as well. I like how I am able to slide her shoes underneath the shelves and then use the top shelves for something else. I found the green baskets sitting on the top of the stackable shelves at the Dollar Tree as well. I placed all of her headbands, barrettes, clips and bows in those baskets.

This little paint can came from Lowes. I cut out the vinyl letters on my Cricut and put them on the bucket for all of the travel sized bottles and little diaper bag stuff. 

I think the most important thing to remember when organizing is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to make it look pretty! 

Can I say what a relief it is to have this closet organized! 

I am linking to:

Debbiedoos

Fox Hollow Cottage

Savvy Southern Style

Coastal Charm

Tater Tots and Jello

House of Hepworths

Rain on a Tin Roof

Thrifty Decor Chick: It's the little things!

Serenity Now

DIY Showoff

Under the Table and Dreaming

Home Stories A to Z

Mom 4 Real

Upcycled Yardstick

 Have you ever seen the episode on Friends where Chandler finds Monica's secret closet? Monica was a clean freak and every thing had a place, but she had this one closet that nobody knew about. Well, you could say I might have a few closets like that. I am not proud of this and it drives me absolutely insane every time I open a closet door I am attacked by all of the crap stuffed in the closet. Sometimes I think I could probably qualify for the show Hoarders. My living spaces are usually clean minus the toddler finger prints and toys.  I have really tried hard to work on my hoarding, I have even purged a few things which to a hoarder can be the hardest decision they ever have to make.

One of the closets that I am working on is our utility closet. Um, I must confess you can't even see the floor.  I have lunch bags, shopping bags and aprons just thrown on the floor. The first thing I need to do is get the floor picked up. I am really into using the resources I already have because I don't think I should be spending my child's college fund on pretty baskets and hooks. So, I looked around my house and came up with the idea of using clothes pins (as hooks) glued to a yard stick.

Please note that all of the bags are empty and do not have anything in them. I don't know how well the clothespin will hold a bag filled with stuff. I just wanted to add that disclaimer. 

I think the clothespins hooks would also be cute to use in a kitchen command center or to display child's art work. Or lost socks in the laundry room.

I know you are all jealous of my Wonder Woman apron. :)

Let's take a look at what the floor looked before shall we?

Holy, HOT MESS Batman! I told you it was bad! It was such a relief to get that stuff off of the floor and get rid of the things I didn't need. I think it already looks a lot better in there.

Here is how I made the rack using the yardstick and clothespins.

I got these clothespins at the Dollar Tree awhile back. I painted (5) of them white just to make them a look a little prettier as hooks. 

I then printed out some blue and white striped paper from this blog. (On a side note: Did you know you can get almost any color of scrapbook paper you want on the internet? You just need a printer.) After I printed out the design on the paper I then cut out strips to lay on the clothespins and used Mod Podge to finish off the look of the clothespins. 

I then laid all of the clothes pins out on the yardstick so I could figure out where they would be glued

I used a little Gorilla Glue and glued the back of the clothespin onto the yardstick. I placed a rock on the clothespins to add some pressure when drying.  Once you have let it dry then you are ready to hang the yardstick. This was such an easy project. You can get yardsticks or rulers just about anywhere. I found this one for .69 cents at Lowes. Hopefully, I haven't scared you all away with my messy unorganized closet. I hope you all have a great weekend! 

I am linking to:
Debbie Doos
Fox Hollow Cottage
Coastal Charm
Under The Table and Dreaming
Savvy Southern Style

Home Office Inspiration

My home office is very boring. It is definitely not a place I enjoy and for some reason it is the only room in the house that I haven't painted. It has become the forgotten room. Here are some pictures that are inspiring to me. Maybe I'll be inspired so much that I will make some changes to this forgotten room.

This first picture is from My Home Ideas . I LOVE the green and the built-ins!

I like how this one has a warm, cottage feel to it. Look at that fabulous memo board.

Country Homes and Interiors 

 

Check out the color of this chair! This office is very simple and elegant. I would have never of thought to put the blue chair with the black and white wallpaper. It certainly makes the office more appealing. 

Southern Accents

Ok, maybe I am starting to feel a little inspired.

Mason Jars: Not Just for Canning!

I just love Mason jars (especially aqua color).  They can be used for so many things.  Here are some pictures of how I use them in my home.

I found this idea at Weeping Cheeries

I also like this idea from PoshPosh

Just in Time For Summer a Mason Jar Lantern from re-nest

If you use Mason jars in your home please leave a comment and tell me how you use them. I just love how versatile and CHEAP these jars are!!!

Organizing Your Necklaces

I always got so tired of having to de-tangle my necklaces.  I found this wooden spool rack at Wal-Mart.  Now, I can just go to my closet and pick out a necklace without having to fight with de-tangling them.  I also use it for my bracelets. It's amazing how little things like this can make your life so much easier. How do you keep your jewelry organized?