Mission Organization: The Master Closet Edition

Elle has put forth her Organizational Orgasm Challenge for this week.

The Master Closet

First.   I must explain.  Our bedroom is upstairs and the closets are built into the eves.  This makes for little stubby spaces.  Below is my main closet.  It contains all of my work and weekend tops.  In spite of how it might look to you (two-tone paint, light rope hanging), it is actually pretty streamlined.  I bought a giant pack of those narrow hangers at Costco.  I like them but you do have to exercise more care when hanging things because they stick wherevery you put them on the hanger.  Does that make sense?

 

So I realized this closet wouldn't be much of a project.  It needs to be painted.  It needs the little lights I got installed, it needs command hooks to hang the rope lights.  It needs fabric to finish the jewelry hanging board.  None of these things are happening today.  What DID happen?  I rearranged the hanging things so cardigans are all together, long-sleeved, short-sleeved & tanks... done.  And not photographed.

So I moved on to the dresser.  Below is the bottom drawer.  Socks (trouser socks for work, athletic socks, hiking book/smartwool socks).  Tights.  Middle is panties.  Left is foundation garment oddities... slips, jog bras, control garments, long johns....  I only own two good bras.  Yes, you read that right.  They hang on the back of the bathroom door.  I alternate them daily and hand-wash on the weekends and replace them on my birthday.  This system has been working for me for a while now. 

Top drawer:  T-shirts, shorts, long underwear tops, yoga capris, painting clothes (tank & shorts), jammies.  They all get crammed in this drawer.  I got rid of a couple of things but this drawer stays full... although the long underwear tops will go in a tub in the closet in the spring.

Top drawers:  Right drawer is spare socks without mates.  This is where they go.  Don't ask me why.  Middle is jewelry.  Left is odds-n-ends... sentimental jewelry boxes, shoe thingies for my cute sandals, notebook for recording weights and measurements, love cards from spouse, travel alarm clock for days I need an extra reminder to wake up, tape measure.

Odd cabinet of sweatshirts.  I have 7 items.  Top one is a zip-neck sweater for weekends.  Next is a red woolrich sweater I can't part with... I wear it when I need to wallow about something or on really cold weekends.  Bobcats painting sweatshirt.  Red fleece sweatshirt.  Yellow Saints hoodie that doesn't fit right... will be replaced.  Bottom is two fleece sweatshirts and a pair of running tights?  How did those get in there?  Get out.  I also regularly wear my husband's fantastic collection of hoodies and, of course, the grey zip-up sweatshirt you've already seen in all the photo challenges.... I'm wearing it now.  It usually hangs in the dining room/entry way closet for quick pull on when it is cold or my inlaws show up and I'm in jammies. 

Now the other closet.... side A.  Skirts, work pants, capris, wool pants, jackets.  Paper box of clothes that don't fit right now or are sentimental.  (Yes, my holey Dolphins t-shirt is in there.)  I need some better skirt hangers.  I culled this side pretty mercilessly earlier this year and then filled it up with stuff from other parts of the house.... snow gear, all of my coats from the dining room/entry closet.  Ah... the life in a tiny house....

Side B:  Jeans & yoga pants, vests, jackets, ski gear, randomness.  (The bottom of this side stores all the things I need to give to someone else.... right now the carpet cleaner is in there....)  See the poplight on the ceiling?  Not worth a damn.

Oops.. back to the top of the dresser.  My jewelry box.  Yes, I do love big chunky rings.

And the bottom section.  Yes, there is a rubber rat in there.... I have no idea why... tradition.

And a detail of that jewelry drawer.  Those are all bracelets in that cigar box, my friends.  ALL BRACELETS.  Also... I adore the change-a-stone necklace.  Adore.

Ah... a detail of the redneck rope lighting system.  The closets are dark and I get dressed in the dark all winter and most of my clothes are dark colors.  Made me crazy.  See that scarf hanger thing on the left?  LOVE IT.  Did not pay $7.95 for it.  Still love it.  I like scarves.

So we did this.  I need command hooks to put it up correctly.  Nothing like some rope lights for ambiance.  I have two sets of three lights that screw into the wall to put in each section of closet but that involves getting out the drill and the kids keep taking the lights to play spy games.  That's why the closet is two-tone.  I slapped some white paint where I will put the lights so I don't have to take them down when I paint.  How pathetic is that?

Lovely wall of belts and necklaces.... needs fabric to cover the corkboad.  I put cup hooks across the top... I'm pretty pleased with myself about that one.

Scary area under the hanging clothes.... that purple tub is my shoes.  Minus the 2 pairs of danskos I wear to work most days.

Cowboy boots.  And two plastic tubs.  The back tub has some random gear and outdoor clothing.  The front one is swimwear and panty hose and stuff like that.  Usually my grey duffel bag is on top of the front tub but it is in the car full of swimming gear right now.

Baby with crazy hair:

Oh... NAKED baby with crazy hair.... see the two pull out bin under the clothes.... one has turtle necks and the other has the three knit dresses I own.... the closets are short for them and they stretch funny when they hang.

Crazy, scary-hair naked baby IN BOOTS:

Strike a pose.

See the cedar chest she is holding onto?  FULL of purses, backpacks and bags.  Oh my.

Hmmm... also please note beautiful dolphins blue toes and it appears SOMEONE colored on her feet.  Catch that foot-coloring stranger....

So here's the final parting shot of random cabinet-o-sweatshirts & closet of skirts/pants/randomness.  You can actually SEE the lights that should be put up on the desk in the front there.... I'll get to that.  The door is just to the left of this picture and the other closet is to the right of the desk-ish area.  See the slant of the eves?  And all that painter-grade wood...