Browsing Tag

DIY

Cable Spool Porch Table

Hi guys! Thanks for stopping by! I’m so glad you did! It means so much to me that you would take a moment of your day to stop by my little corner of the internet. Anyway, enough of the sappy stuff. Is it getting warmer where you are? I hope so! Here in Texas we’re reaching some pretty high temperatures which have me itching for two things: summer break and outdoor life!

We have about six weeks left of school, but who’s counting!? 😉 We have a large front porch on our house, which is one of the only positive things about our sad little rental. I mean, for real you guys. Over summer break, I like to spend as much time on the porch as possible! Give me some magazines, some lemonade, and I’m good to go for hours!

Recently, I’ve been looking for a cable spool, but I really haven’t wanted to spend a lot on it. I know that the cable spool as an outdoor table is totally not my original idea, but stick with me. I know everyone and their next door neighbor is doing this, but I still wanted to share. The table we had on our front porch previously was a small glass top one, maybe only 18 inches across. It wasn’t really large enough to place a lot of stuff on it, which is why I was looking for a cable spool to use as a table.

For the past few months I’ve been looking, but I’ve only been able to find them for about $60, which was more than I wanted to spend on a piece like this. So imagine my delight when I found one on the side of the road for free?! Ethan was driving, and I totally made him do a real quick turn around to scoop that bad boy up. It was actually a little scary looking because there was some additional wood attached to the top, and several pieces of wire wrapped around various parts on the spool. I just cut off the wire and pried off the pieces of wood that were nailed to the top. Ain’t no thing.

So, without further ado, here’s what our front porch looks like now:

You might notice that the bottom piece it not a full circle. I actually found it this way, and was a little disappointed at first until I realized how much better this actually is. Since we have rocking chairs, the narrow bottom actually allows the chairs to fully rock while still being close to the tabletop.

There’s so much more room on the surface than there was on the old table, I’m loving it! I can just imagine some plates out here, maybe a little pie….I don’t know where pie came from. I’m just really ready for summer, okay?!

If you have your own cable spool, I would reccomend cutting the bottom to be more narrow.

I case you were wondering, the rug is from Hobby Lobby, the chairs are from Cracker Barrel, the pillows are from Target, and the serving tray is from Walmart. This little outdoor area is fresh and cheery, and I cannot wait to get out here and enjoy myself. Especially since I’m so close to endless lounging during my carefree summer break. Ahhhh, summer. Alright, I’ll stop now y’all, I promise.

So what do you think of the cable spool as an outdoor table? Is this a trend you’re willing to go along with? I will say that even Ethan loves it! I am sensing some meals eaten out here together, and I cannot be more excited about that! That’s all for today, friends. Have a fabulous day!

April 12, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

Home Decor

How to Make Grocery Store Flowers Look Expensive

Hi you guys! I’m so glad you stopped by today! I feel like I haven’t been able to consistently post for a while, but I have a ton of ideas for some upcoming posts that I’m super excited about! I was thinking about it the other day, and I realized that it was almost exactly one year ago today that I started this little blog and posted my very first post! Since then I have shared some really fun projects that I’m proud of, as well as a few personal pieces. In the next year, I want to continue to add more things here on the blog that encompass more things that I love, branching out a little bit from my main focus which has been DIY projects. I hope you don’t mind!

So today I wanted to share with you a recent hobby that I’ve taken on (which if you can’t tell by the title, is all about flower!). I’ve always loved florals, and when I grocery shop, I usually pick up an inexpensive bunch of flowers and stick them in a vase. For my wedding, I did my own flowers (which were admittedly pretty simple), and since then, I’ve been a little obsessed with floral design. Now, I am in absolutely no way any type of professional, nor do I even really know what I’m doing. All I know is that when I buy a four dollar bunch of flowers from the grocery store, it doesn’t look the same as the pretty floral arrangements I find on Pinterest.

With a little bit of fun experimentation, I’ve been able to figure out how to make the florals I buy at the grocery store a little bit more expensive looking (without the high florists’ price tag). Here’s what I do:

I purchased a few hydrangeas, a bunch of mini pink roses, and a bunch of greenery. I like the mini roses simply because they are much cheaper than the large ones. Most bunches of individual types of flowers at my grocery store are just a few dollars. I tend to stay away from the pre-made bouquets, because they can get procey pretty quickly.

I like to make a floral arrangement from one basic large flower type, one smaller flower type, and some greenery. This is just my personal opinion, and I’m sure someone who has some actual floral knowledge might cringe reading this, but it’s just what works for me.

So here’s what I came up with:

Like I said before, I have no experience with arranging florals other than just for fun, but boy is it fun! Keeping flowers in the house is a simple way to brighten the room, and I love the way this arrangement looks! For this arrangement, I placed the hydrangeas in the vase first, and then added small bunches of roses, followed by the sprigs of greenery. I usually just mess around with arranging it in different ways until I loke the way it looks. I don’t follow any proportion rules, but I think it looks pretty good (if I do say so myself, 😉 ).

How about you? Have you ever played around with florals? It sure is fun! I’d love to hear all about it! That’s all for today friends, have a fabulous day!

April 2, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

DIY Projects

Antique Window Project

Hi you guys! I’m so glad you stopped by today! This week is flying by, and it’s hard to believe that Easter is just a few days away! Despite the weird highs and lows that we’ve seen in the tempurature the last few weeks, I’m so glad that spring is officially here!

I wanted to share with you guys a fun project I completed this week, which I think is in perfect timing for the upcoming Easter holiday. A few weeks back, I was roaming around my favorite flea market (why does it seem like half of my posts start with that sentence?), and I found this super old, really pretty hymnal. It was way older than me, but it was still super nostalgic, because I grew up singing hymns from a hymnal. I grabbed it for five dollars, and I immediately had this project in mind.

I went through the book and found some familiar songs and cut those pages out. I know you may say that by doing that, I’m not respecting the integrity of the hymnal, but I think that I will enjoy what I’ve done with it far more than anyone else was going to use the hymnal for. If that even makes sense. I carefully sliced the pages I wanted with an X-Acto knife to be sure I had a clean cut.

Then I used scotch tape (very teeny tiny pieces) to tape the pages I had cut out onto the panes of an antique window I had. The window was something I already had, it was hanging on the wall previously with nothing on it. So here’s what I came up with:

Each hymn is a title that I’m familiar with, and each one is a sweet reminder of His love and all that He has done thoughout our lives. If you look super closely, you can see the tape, but I didn’t want to use another method that would either damage the pages or make it so that I was unable to recreate something using these materials.

I placed it above our bed, and I absolutely adore it.

I really think it just adds a thoughtful touch to the decor in here. Really, what’s the point in putting together a home if it isn not meaningful? I’m already thinking of other projects I can do with the rest of the hymnal pages, seeing as how I’ve barely used a few.

There are Chrsitmas carols and classic American choruses, so the seasonal possibilities with this little hymnal are pretty endless. Plus, there’s just something about the yellowed pages of sheet music that is just beautiful. I seriously can’t get enough. Can you tell I’m excited about this one?

What do you think of this project? It’s such an easy thing, I don’t know if it can actually be considered a a project! I hope you enjoyed this little project, and that it insires you to do something meaningful with the decor in your own home! That’s all for today, friends. Have a fabulous day!

March 22, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

Organization

DIY Laundry Soap

Hello friends! I hope this week has been treating you well! Spring Break is winding down for me, and I am silently crying tears of regret after not having accomplished everything that I had planned. Just kidding. Sort of.

We did have a super fun and relaxing week of camping for a few nights, which was wonderful! Even though we were only about twenty minutes from home, it felt as though we were truly out of town. And it just feels good to get away! Coming home from camping, everything in our bags smelled like campfire smoke. Which is wonderful while you’re actually out, but once you come home, it’s not so great (in my opinion anyway). I had a bunch of laundry to do, and I realized it would be a great idea to share my homemade laundry detergent recipe with y’all.

I’ve been making my own laundry soap for about three years now, and I have not had to re-buy supplies since I first started. Talk about thrifty.

So here’s what you’ll need:

3 Tablespoons of Washing Soda

3 Tablespoons of Borax

2 Tablespoons of Original Dawn Dish Soap

Any scent of essential oils (this part is totally optional)

Here are the (super simple) steps:

First, you’ll mix your washing soda, borax, and dish soap together in a gallon size container, adding about one cup of hot water. No need to boil the water, I just use the hottest water I can get out of my faucet. This amount of water is just enough to dissolve the power into the water. You’ll need to shake well until everything is dissolved.

Next (and you will need to do this in your sink), you’ll fill your container with the cold water. I just use the tap water from my faucet. This process will create a mess load of bubbles, so I cannot tell you how important it is to do this in a sink! Once the container is filled, I close it up and shake again. This will allow any particles that didn’t disolve before to fully dissolve.

Last, and this step is optional, I like to add a few drops of essential oil. No need for the expensive stuff, I just bought one bottle of lemongrass oil from my local grocery store, which may have cost about five bucks. The oil will make the laundry soap scented, which I prefer in a laundry soap. It is totally optional though. The cool thing is that you can make it any scent you want. After adding a few drops, I close it up and shake thoroughly.

That’s it! It really is that easy. like I mentioned before, I have been making this laundry soap for about three years, and I have yet to buy new supplies. I would estimate the total cost at about fifteen dollars, but for three plus years of laundry soap, I would say that’s a pretty good deal! Now, I use this recipe mainly for economical reasons, and not necessarily for all-natural health reasons, so if you’re looking for an organic or suchandsuch-free product, this is probably not for you.

Personally, I love it. It takes just a few minutes to make, and my clothes and linens smell and feel just as fresh as with any other laundry soap I have purchased. I use about a cup of the soap per load, and one “batch” will last me a few weeks. I would definitely recommend making your own laundry soap!

Have you tried making your own laundry soap before? If so, I’d love to hear about it! That’s all for today, friends. Have a fabulous day!

March 18, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

DIY Projects, Home Decor, Tutorials

DIY Boxwood Topiary

Hi you guys! I’m so glad you stopped by today! I don’t know if it’s feeling spring like where you are, but here in North Texas it definitely is! I was coming into the house after work the other day and I noticed little green buds popping up in the tree in the front yard. There’s no better sight! Not to mention that the weather has been warming up, which means it’s closer to time for front porch and grilling! I think it’s safe to say that spring is my favorite season (and it’s not just because I have a spring birthday…)!

Today I want to share with you guys a super fun super cheap DIY that totally has me ready for spring. I’ve been adding pops of greenery in the house everywhere, whether it be fresh flowers, or faux greenery I’ve collected from Ikea. I’ve been eyeing some of those adorable boxwood topiaries that seem to be everywhere (okay, maybe just Target and HomeGoods, but everywhere important!), but with my monthly free spending allowance, it didn’t seem worth it to pay for them. I’ve seen some at multiple places, usually anywhere from $20 – $30. Which isn’t a ton of money, I know. I’m just Cheapster McGee, as you all already know.

So I did what I do best, which is set out to make my own DIY version. So here’s what I came up with:

This is a very basic little craft that cost me just a few bucks.

I purchased all of my supplies at Hobby Lobby. The pots were under two dollars, and the boxwood balls (I’m fairly certain that’s not an actual phrase) were about five dollars for both, as they were seasonal clearance.

The rest of the supplies I had on hand. First, I put a coat of wax on the pots, mainly because I had never used strictly wax on something before, and I wanted to see how it would turn out. Since it was clear wax, it didn’t change the color at all. Duh, I should have known. However, I then immediately did a quick drybrush over the wax coat. Because the wax was not yet dry, it allowed me to wipe the whole thing with a rag, giving me the unfinished look I was going for.

I used sticks (the free kind from the front yard) and hot glued them to the bottom of my pot. The pots had a small hole in the bottom, which I covered with a small piece of duct tape so that the glue wouldn’t come out the bottom. After a few minutes, I filled in the pot with Spanish moss, something I had on hand already.

The boxwood balls have sort or a net texture under the leaves, which was perfect to just wedge them onto the stick. I did add a dab of hot glue just to keep them in place. Including paint and dry time (they dried incredibly fast, since I used my drybrushing technique), this project took me about fifteen minutes.

The cost of supplies I had to purchase was about seven dollars, making these cute little topiaries about $3.50 each. As opposed to the $20-$30 range. So I consider this little DIY a definite win.

I love how the fresh, springlike vibe they have. Even Ethan commented on how cool they looked, so I’m pretty pleased with how this one turned out. I think the best part is how well they’ll transition into summer as well. I do hope you try this one! It was definitely a fun project for me, and just about anyone can do this!

I hope you have something awesome planned for today! That’s all for today! Have a fabulous day, friends!

February 29, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

DIY Projects

DIY Magnolia Market Inspired Wreath

Hey y’all! I hope you had a fabulous Valentine’s weekend! We had a low key weekend that was just perfect. Now that Valentine’s Day is over, I’d be lying if I said that I don’t have spring on my mind. Since Christmas, our front door has been bare, and I knew I needed something fresh for the door. Today I want to show you guys what I did for my front door on the cheap. Because if it wasn’t cheap, it wouldn’t be for me!

It’s no secret how much I adore Magnolia Market in Waco, TX. I’ve been several times, and each time I come home feeling refreshed and inspired. A few weeks ago, we drove down to visit their Scratch and Dent sale. I was able to snag a few things, but there was one thing I’ve really been wanting that I wasn’t able to find on sale. I’ve been eyeing their signature Magnolia wreaths for a while, but with the $95 pricetag, I couldn’t quite get on board.

While I was there, I realized, duh! Why don’t I just make my own wreath? So that’s exactly what I did.

All I did was hot glue some leaves onto a wreath form. Not even worth the explanation.

The wreath was something I had already at home, and just took off what was on the wreath previously. So the cost of that was free. The florals came on a stem from Hobby Lobby that were priced at $4.99. Since Hobby Lobby rotates their inventory to be 50% off every few weeks, I was able to snag two stems for the price of one. To make this wreath, it took exactly two stems, making the grand total $4.99.

The leaves were all the darker green, but I turned some of them around to make it more dimensional.

I am simply in love with this little DIY! It took me maybe ten minutes to glue everything on, and the total cost to me was five dollars. Can’t beat that!

And sure, the quality of the leaves isn’t quite the same you would get from the original wreath. I’ll be the first to admit that. However, this was about 5% of the cost of the original. And that’s good enough for me.

Have you ever made a knock-off version of home decor? Us budget conscious girls gotta do what we gotta o!

I hope you have a wonderful Monday! Thanks for stopping by! That’s all for today, have a fabulous day friends!

February 15, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

Home Decor

Valentine’s Day Styling and a Free Printable

Hey you guys! I hope you’re doing well! Can you believe how quickly we’ve flown through the month of January?! I’m not going to lie, but springtime is already on my mind. Obviously I’m a bit premature, but the tempuratures have been in the seventies the past few days, and the birds have been chirping in the mornings when I’m waking up. It’s a beautiful feeling y’all. I’m sure it’ll turn cold again, but for now I’m enjoying the hint of spring. Anyway, now that January is coming to an end, Valntine’s Day is just around the corner!

Now, I’ll be the first to say that Valentine’s Day decorating is not really my thing. I”m just not into the bright colors and seasonally distinctive decor, especially right after all the Christmas decor has come down. I did however, want to give a little nod to the upcoming holiday in the most neutral way possible. I hand lettered this print you see here one evening.

Although it’s not technically Valentines-y, I do think it gives a little nod to the theme of the holiday, and it doesn’t hurt that it comes from a favorite passage of scripture.

I’m definitely going to leave this up after Vaentine’s Day though, because I think it works well in all seasons. Which, in my opinion, makes the best decor. The less stuff I have to change out after each holiday, the better.

I wanted to share with you guys this little print that I made. I’ve never done this (or anything like this before), but I wanted a way to share my new hobby with y’all. My writing is totally imperfect, and this print IS handmade, but if there’s someone out there who doesn’t mind the imperfections, then I think it’s worth sharing. I’m always looking for cheap ways to decorate my home, and hand lettered notes have become my go-to accessory.

If you’d like your own downloadable copy, you can click here. Mine is printed in an 8×10 format, but it will look great as a 5×7 print too. Thanks for letting me share my little hobby with y’all. I’d love to know how you’d use this little print in your own home.

Well, I’m off to run some errands, I hope you have some fun things planned today! That’s all for today friends, have a fabulous day!

February 2, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

DIY Projects, Home Decor

How to Hide the Ugly Media Stuff

I am so so so excited to show you today’s project. This one has me absolutely giddy. Y’all know this has been the year of the trash bag, aka I’m getting rid of everything and despising clutter. I’ve been thinking long and hard about what “clutter” even is, and sometimes I think it can be anything that isn’t pleasing to the eye. Even if it’s necessary. So then the dillema becomes how do I get rid of the clutter if it’s necessary? Today I want to share with you some simple things I did in my living room that make everything look SO MUCH neater and cleaner and just all around better.

So Ethan is a media guy. He loves sound, and “equipment” is important to him. If it were up to me, I’d be listening to the TV sound from the speakers that are built into the TV. But apparently, my poor untrained ears don’t even know how awful that is. Needless to say, the large speakers and subwoofer weren’t going anywhere. Don’t know what a subwoofer is? You’re not alone. I didn’t either until I met my husband. Marriage is compromise people. But you can at least make the compromise pretty. First, let me show you what sort of equipment we were dealing with here.

See how I tried to make it pretty with a vase on top? I wasn’t fooling anyone.

The media dresser was a project I completed a long time ago, pre-blog, when we first got married. It’s helping the situation, but in about the same way that a bandaid helps a broken arm.

This side is the worst of all. (That on the left is the subwoofer, by the way. It’s the bass of speaker sound. Or something like that.) The power strip, the X-box controlers, all of it.

We tossed around the idea of building a completely new unit that would fit the speakers into it, but ultimately decided against it for two reasons. First, it would end up being extremely long were it long enough to keep the storage we currently had in the drawers and hold the excess equipment. Knowing this house is not our permanent home (thankfully), we didn’t want something so long that its use would be limited in another house. Second, the cost would be higher to build something new entirely than to fix what we already had. So, you know me. I was on a mission to DIY the heck out of this thing.

Here’s a closeup of one of the speakers when I finished it. Using the old coverings for the speakers (they were not pictured in the original photo, but luckily we had them stored in a closet), I tore off the old black material. I recovered the frames with a cream colored muslin. With my 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby, it cost me under two dollars. I then added chicken wire over that just to add some texture. The chicken wire cost about six dollars at Home Depot, bringing my project up to a grand total of eight dollars.

The sides of the speakers got a coat of gray chalk paint. The paint was a new-to-me brand from a local shop, and I really liked the way it turned out. Goodbye dark wood veneer!

The last and most important (in my opinion) part was the basket on the far left. It took me a couple of weeks to find a basket big enough, but I finally found one large enough to fit the subwoofer, power strip, and X-box controllers. I painted the bottom half of it the same color as the speakers just to break up so much of the tan color on the front. On the backside of the basket I used wirecutters to cut just enough of the weaving to push power cords through. Topped with a blanket, you cannot even see all the necessary uglies inside!

My goal was to make the speakers look more like a piece of furniture that belongs in the room, rather than an eyesore that I have to crop out of photos.

Ethan even agrees that they look better, and luckily for me, it doesn’t affect the sound quality having the chicken wire over the speakers. Also note the printer’s drawer? That conveniently covers the cord that hangs from the TV.

Maybe I’m crazy for thinking this, but technology is just ugly. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have any of this stuff in the house at all. What a beautiful sight that would be! But alas, this is the life we live. The remaining visible pieces are the few that I don’t mind having out. The record player on top is where I play my Julie Andrews and Johnny Cash, and the other stuff needs to be accessible for the remote. Overall, I am so happy with the way this area looks.

It only took a year and a half, but I do love how this turned out.

And just for fun and a good laugh, here’s a throwback to what this area looked like when I first moved in after we got married. (Ethan lived here alone before we were married and I moved into his turf.)

YIKES. I know. I may not know much about design, or have a beautifully furnished house that I’m completely in love with, but at least I can sit back and be proud of the fact that we’re not living like this anymore.

Okay, enough of my ranting. I hope you’ve gained some ideas for yourself. I am so much happier with our new setup! How do you organize your media area? I’d love to hear about it! That’s all for today, friends. Have a fabulous day!

January 25, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

DIY Projects, Home Decor

DIY Gallery Wall Update

Hello there friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful Monday! It’s a three day weekend for me, so you know I’m having a great Monday! This past weekend has been really really awesome. I’ve gotten SO MUCH done, and I’ve been inspired to do several new projects. On Saturday, Ethan and I took the trip down to Magnolia Market (Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper, fabulous home decor, my idol, you get the point). It’s only about an hour drive for us, but it was the first time we had been since they’ve opened their larger store.

I bought two small items while I was there, and it inspired me to update a little gallery wall we have in the corner of our bedroom. Now, since I had spent all my money at Magnolia Market, I didn’t have any more money to buy anything new. So, I had to get creative.

This is what this little corner of the room looked like before. I made/put together most of these pieces immediately after moving into the house when we got married. Let’s not talk about the multicolored canvas with washi tape all over it. Just, don’t even mention it. Obviously, this isn’t really my style. So when I brought home something new, I knew I needed to update this whole little corner. Here’s how it looks now:

The entire theme is a bit more neutral and monochromatic, which fits in this room SO MUCH BETTER. As you can see, some of the pieces stayed the same, but the overall look is something I’m much happier with. So let’s talk about how I got my creative on without any money.

This is what I purchased from Magnolia Market this weekend (pardon this blurry picture, I don’t really know what was going on). The frame and the wreath came separately, but I attached the wreath with some thin black ribbon to the back of the frame.

The hand lettered sign on the top right was something I whipped up with a Sharpie. Nothing fancy at all. The frame was something I had in storage with something else inside. I had never hung it because I wasn’t a fan of what was previously in the frame, but with a little art swap, I was good to go. I also moved the burlap arrow frame to the other side of the wall and painted the frame from a metallic silver to a matte gray. Just another way to go a bit more neutral.

This piece is the biggest statement on the wall, and my personal favorite. It took Ethan a bit to figure out what “all those numbers mean,” but it’s our anniversary date. I used the same canvas from the first photo, peeled off the washi tape, and painted white over the cringe-worthy painting. I used stencils and a Sharpie to create the numbers, which was so easy anyone could do it! I believe this canvas was originally a picture of Audrey Hepburn I had in my college dorm room. It has now lived many lives! No one will be able to say that I didn’t recycle!

The other pieces from the original wall got trashed, as they had been reused one to many times, with the exception of our wedding photo, which will be relocated.

This little corner may not look totally different to everyone, but to me, the entire mood has changed now that it’s underwent its little makeover. It look me maybe an hour to update and make the three pieces, and aside from the new mirrored frame, it didn’t cost me anything.

Bringing new life to old gallery walls doesn’t have to be expensive! Look at the pieces you have already, and imagine new ways to rework them. Canvas can always be painted over, frames and always be painted. I’ve been known to hang wrapping paper in frames as cheap art, or free printables found online. Handwritten notes or drawings can also make great (free) additions to gallery walls. If you’re strapped for cash, look around your home and see what you can come up with! You might be surprised at what you find you already have.

What’s your go-to piece for artwork? Have you ever made a gallery wall mistake like I have? I’d love to hear about it! That’s all for today, friends. Have a fabulous day!

January 18, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

Organization

Tips on Loving Your Closet

Do you have the perfect vision of what your dream closet is? I know I do. Cue soft playing music and a warm bright spot. My dream closet is ultra feminine, with a full window for natural light, and a vanity for doing makeup. My dream closet is obviously larger than my childhood bedroom. There’s room in there for a soft armchair where I can drink my tea, a freestanding full length mirror for trying on clothing, and perhaps a vintage mannequin. My wedding dress is displayed, and the whole thing is light and airy. Have I even mentioned the perfectly organized rows of clothing and shoes? My collection is expansive, yet impeccably organized just like a magazine. Can you tell I’ve thought about this? Just a little bit.

Raise your hand if you have something pictured in your head similar to what I just described. Yes, I’m talking to you. I know most of us have unrealistic dreams like this and that’s okay!

Cue reality though (we’ll use my closet for an example): my closet is a 2×3 foot box with one awkwardly placed pole (not even tall enough to hang a knee length dress from) and two measly shelves on the top (one of which I can barely reach). Like the rest of our house, it’s the color of a camel’s behind, and a carpet that hasn’t been touched since the 1960’s. Living the rental dream.

Here’s the deal. It would be so easy for me to be discouraged by the size of my closet, or frustrated that I don’t have things as nice as others. Today I want to share with you some tips I’ve found on how to love the closet you have (that don’t include getting a new closet).

This year, my mission has been to organize everything and purge the excess. The closet was the first place to start! I started off the new year by reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I am not kidding when I say thing book will change your life! It’s a pretty short book, but I had read the whole thing in a day. I finished feeling energized and ready to tackle my house! There are specific sections of the book designated specifically for clothing, and so I took some of the tips listed there and reorganized my closet. I can now tell you that when I walk over to my little closet, I feel refreshed and calm! And I don’t even have an armchair where I can drink my tea. Can you imagine?

Step One:

Get rid of everything. I’m not joking. I took every. single. piece. of clothing out of my closet and laid them on my bed. From there I looked at each item one by one and asked myself when the last time I had worn the item was. I had to be harsh with my answers about what to keep and what to get rid of. The things I love but wear infrequently because I’m too lazy to iron – those things went to the donate pile. The things I’ve been meaning to mend but secretly know I won’t get around to – donate. The things that are near duplicates of other items – donate. Because of the awkward height of the bar in this closet, my dresses are hung in Ethan’s closet. So all I have here are my tops (both blouses and sweaters). I wanted to keep only the things I have in my closet are the things I will actually wear on any given day.

Step Two:

Organize by color. One of the things that makes my teeny-tiny-barely-even-there closet bearable now is that the order of things is aesthetically pleasing. I kept my shirts and sweaters separate, each category moving from the darkest on the left to the lightest on the right. There is a whole psychology behind this method that I don’t really understand, but I will say that it does make things look intentionally placed. Each piece has a perfect spot, and the color scheming actually helps me plan my outfits with ease. All my black tops are in the same place, and I know exactly where the hanger is when I’m putting something away.

Step Three:

It’s all about the hangers. This step is definitely not necessary, but I would recommend it. Until this point, I still had the multi-colored plastic hangers I acquired in bulk in college. They were cheap, and I was broke. I’ve wanted to buy coordinating black velvet hangers for a long time, but could never justify the expense. The only reason I bought these is because I had extra Christmas money. Ethan was not really thrilled with the thought of me spending my Christmas money on hangers, but I assured him it’s what I really wanted. He’s the one who married this organizational freak, so he can’t really complain too much. Anyway, I bought two of these packs, and used Bed Bath and Beyond’s 20% off coupon. I will eventually need to get another pack or two to finish Ethan’s closet and the coat closet, but my wallet says it’ll have to wait.

Step Four:

Tidy up all the non-hanging items. On the top shelf, I have a few pairs of shoes, a handbag filled with other handbags, pants stacked standing straight up, and a basket with scarves and important jewelry boxes. I also have a small hanging shelf unit with a few folded skirts hanging from the rod. Notice how I have extra room on these shelves? Before I purged and organized, I could barely cram anything else in this closet, and finding what I needed was never simple. Now everything has a location, everything has a purpose, and it all looks generally appealing.

I feel like I should mention a few disclaimers. The floor if this closet hosts the majority of my shoes, which aren’t perfectly organized yet. Additionally, this is not the entirety of my wardrobe. My dresses are stored in Ethan’s closet, and coats and special occasion outfits are stored in the coat closet. I also have casual wear that is stored in Ethan and my shared dresser.

My overall point is this: this is no way near the dream closet I described at the beginning of this post. However, it makes me feel refreshed and at ease when I open the door. I will likely never have this fantasy closet, but I’m willing to love the closet that I have now. I know that later in life, I’ll move up in closet. Right now though, I’m learning to love the closet I have. Right now, this is my dream closet. Purged, organized, and accessible. Do you have your dream closet or do you have something you have to learn to love like me? How do you organize? I’d love to hear all about it! That’s all for today, friends. Have a fabulous day!

January 12, 2016 by Fawn Rumfield

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