{Closet Series} Jen from Iheart Organizing

Can you believe that we're already in the last week of October?! This month has seriously flown by me. It's been a good month so far, busy with lots of things at home. I'm looking forward to cooler temps here in AZ, and the birth of some beautiful babies from some of my girl friends! What could be more of a blessing than new life!

Today, I am excited to have with us on the blog Jen from Iheart Organizing! She's been a fave of mine ever since I saw her awesome office makeover on Young House Love over a year ago! I've been following her blog ever since, and she's truly the guru and authority on everything organization! {in my opinion!}

Join me in welcoming her to the blog as she shares apart of her closet with us today!

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I am beyond excited for the opportunity to guest post and share my little closet obsession as part of The Worley House Closet Series!

Over the last year, I began a mission in our home.  That mission is to stop treating our closets as typical stash and go storage and to begin treating them as another room in our home.   Closets are looked in every day, they are used to organize and contain our belongings and many have endless amounts of untapped potential.

The number one way that I start any closet transformation, is with color.  I LOVE to paint or wallpaper the inside of any closet.   That change alone really keeps me excited to keep the contents of the closet in order.

The first closet I transformed was in our guest room {temporary Master Bedroom while our actual Master Bedroom was being renovated}.  It started out as a craft storage closet…

We painted it out, added wallpaper, shelving, a built in desk and boatloads of wall storage with bins, bulletin boards, pencil cups and more! 

It became a sanctuary of a work zone just for me.  The perfect place to craft, blog and journal.  The closet is still being utilized to house all of my crafts, however, now, it’s a place I can work in and enjoy and keep wide open as an extension of the bedroom!

Because my oldest son was so smitten with my new work zone, and had a hardly utilized closet himself, we did it again… Taking this:

To this!

Now, he has a homework nook that he loves to spend time using not only for homework, but also for building legos and puzzles and even finishing up a craft project or two!  It has oodles of storage with more installed shelving, a desk, peg and cork board and even a towel bar for his giant craft paper roll.  By painting it out, it feels like it is part of the overall room he loves it because it’s his very own personal place.

Next closet on my list was in our boys shared bedroom.  It really wasn’t functioning well at all!

We made some changes to their bedroom space that took away their dresser storage, so it was time to really make the closet work harder. 

We painted it, popped in a narrow bookcase that holds labeled canvas “drawers” along with some inexpensive wooden dowels and a melamine shelf along the top.  Wowzers, that closet quadrupled in the function department!

When it came to the kitchen coat closet, it just needed a little prettying up, which was again completed with paint and wallpaper!

Such a difference, I never worry about leaving the door to the closet open any longer!

With all of these closets under my belt, imagine how excited I was to begin taking on my biggest closet challenge yet.  Our newly remodeled Master Bedroom closet!  It once was a standard walk-in:

It was crowded and I am claustrophobic so I really didn’t like going in there for any reason, especially to put away laundry.  The hubs and I couldn’t seem to agree on our closet “zoning” either.  Not anymore!

We tore out a wall and made a GIANT dressing room instead!   And you all get to take a never seen before peek at the most recent updates that have been made!

I started out by painting the dressing room in Behr’s Frozen Pond, which matches the adjoining Master Bedroom.  From there, I added an entire stenciled wall and an armoire for each of us.  It’s amazing how much storage each armoire actually contains, especially after we popped some standard shoe racks in the bottom of each!

The dresser in-between the armoires will be great for holding accessories and undergarments, while the armoires themselves will be responsible for all of our every day and formal wear. 

By creating an entire room vs. the walk in, we have a ton of space, our Master Bedroom feels twice as big, we each have our own designated storage space and I was even able to pop in a vanity and treadmill!  Wahoo!

We are about to move back into our newly renovated space, so I started filling up vases and decorative bowls and dishes with my personal belongings!

We have all sorts of plans to make this place great like adding some pops of yellow, a bench for seating and changing and a larger built in vanity.  But for now, it’s already eons better than the crowded closet we had prior.  I feel like a pretty princess every time I enter the space, and I hope that never wears off!

It’s amazing to me to see what a difference a little love can make to any closet space.  Thank you so much to Andrea for having me here today so share some examples of why I love a little “wow” in a closet space.  It makes me so closet proud and itching to conquer another one soon!

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Aren't all those ideas just amazing, functional and leave you inspired to start making over your own closets! See, I told you Jen really has a knack for organization and style! Jump on over to Jen's blog and leave her some love today! 

Happy Wednesday Friends! 

{Closet Series} Cori from La Vie Petite

Happy Friday Everyone! Welcome back to our Closet Series! Today I'm excited to share with you one very fashionable lady! I first found Cori's blog through another blog and qucikly found myself coming back for more each week. She's got some great style sense. She's currently doing a series called Dressing on A Dime that I'm loving.

And she was right about straight legged jeans. Nuff said.

I'm excited to have her sharing with us today.

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Hey guys!  I'm Cori from La Vie Petite.  

I blog about my family often, life sometimes, and what I wear mostly.  I like to sew my own clothes.





I know there are a lot of people who think that caring about how you dress is shallow, but the way I see it, if you're getting dressed anyway you might as well love what you're wearing, right?
I didn't always know how to dress myself.  Especially since I'm under 4'11" and they don't generally make adult clothing in my size.  It took me years to overcome my resigned state of kid's section shopping and learn how to dress for my body.

Dressing well is work, I'm not going to lie.  Especially when finding clothes doesn't come easy.  One of the most important things about getting dressed well, is organization.  If you don't know where your stuff is, you don't know what you have, and it's hard to use what you're not aware of.Plus, I find I'm more creative in a clean and organized space.
And yes getting dressed requires creativity sometimes. (always)
So I'd like to invite you to go boldly where few have gone before.
Into the innards of my closet.
brace yourself.

I hang my clothes my the color.  That way I always know where stuff is, and it helps in pairing colors.

You can't really tell, but my skirts are organized by type (pencil, pleated, etc) and my dresses by color.

The staging area.  The key to getting ready efficiently in the mornings (especially since I have 5 people to get out the door) is being prepared.  I like to pick out several outfits in advance and hang them in my "staging area."  That way, when it's Tuesday morning and we're in a hurry I don't have to ask myself that all important question, "What am I going to wear today?"

I just go right in the closet and there are 4-5 options waiting for me.

I dream of built in shoe shelves.  But until then, these racks do the trick magically and they cost about $3 a pop at Walmart.

Like most married women, I share my closet with a boy.  My boy happens to not be much of a clothes horse though, (the man hates shopping) so most of the space is mine, all mine! 

(Mwah haha.)

I keep my accessories in my dresser.  I find that's where they stay the most organized.  I also find that I have an obsession with colorful skinny belts.

But I'm okay with this.

There you have it.  It's not fancy, but it works.  And that's what's most important.

Come stop by La Vie Petite and say hi! *******  

Isn't that awesome! I love the idea of a "staging area" considering how I hate getting dressed in the morning and agonzize over how "I have nothing to wear" on most days! I really like that tip, maybe it'll start helping me get dressed better in the mornings by using some of her tips!

Make sure you visit La Vie Petite today, and give her some love! I promise you'll be hooked!


What was your favorite part?!! Tell me in the comments below.  

{Closet Series} Megan's Amazingly Organized Closet

Happy Friday Everyone! 

I'm excited to have Megan from the blog Honey We're Home sharing with us today for the series! Megan has a great blog where she shares about her life as a new mom, decorating their gorgeous new home, recipes and organizational tips! When you see Megan's closet you'll know exactly why I asked her to be apart of this series, it's pretty amazing! 

I'm excited to have her sharing today on how she organizes her closet space and what works for her. Join me in welcoming Megan to the blog today. When you're done reading jump on over to Megan's blog Honey We're Home and give her some love today! 

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What a fun idea to get to peek inside other people's closets!  I'm happy to share mine with you because I'm thrilled with how it turned out, and it really meets all of my organizational needs.



I worked with our builder to design a closet that measures 9’4 x 13’2.  It includes an island with cubbies in the middle, a shoe rack, built-in dresser, adjustable hanging shelves, and shelves for purses.

One of the keys to organizing my closet is editing.  I am constantly reviewing what I have and donating or giving away what I’m not wearing or doesn’t fit.  Even though post-baby, not everything fits yet (but almost:), and my “work” clothes are patiently waiting to see the light of day, I feel that displaying them in a nice way honors them and keeps them happy. 

Lightweight sweaters are hung using children’s white plastic hangers from Target.  I like folding them over the hanger versus hanging them because it keeps the shoulders from getting annoying points.    The Tory Burch bags are empty, I just like the pattern and pop of color.

Pants are hung on wire hangers from Bed, Bath and Beyond and jeans are on small felt hangers that won’t bow in the middle. 

Before the shoe rack was built, I counted my shoes to see how much space I’d need.  Then I had the top shelf taken out so I could put boots there. 

On the right side of the island, I keep my tank tops, casual long sleeve shirts, and shorts/capri pants. 

On the left, storage bins from Target hold belts, bikinis, and scarves.  The zebra ottoman is from Hobby Lobby.

The flower vase and candy jar are from Home Goods, the runner from World Market, and the clear bin holding my makeup is from The Container Store. 

The pretty make up holders are from Anthropology.

  

Inside the dresser drawers are jewelry, undies, gym clothes, and sleepwear.  The full-length mirror to the left of the dresser is where I plop down and do my makeup each day.

I created the necklace holder behind the door using Command hooks.  Purses are stored on shelves.
The clothes hamper is from Crate & Barrel, and the monogrammed liner is from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.

The light fixture we chose is from Lighting, Inc. in Houston, Texas and called "Lucia".

And in case you're wondering where most the clothes in my closet come from, here goes: 

Nordstrom

  If I only have time to find something fast, I head to Nordstrom.  They have everything there and their customer service is always top notch.  I’m particularly fond of my “shoe guy.”  I find that now that I’m older, I’m willing to spend more for quality pieces that I know I’ll keep and wear for a long time and save on things like tank tops that I can stock up on at Target or Old Navy.   I still want the best value for my money, and I feel like Nordstrom delivers.  I like their selection and even shop their junior department for fun finds at lower prices.  I also shop online because their website is really user friendly with good quality pictures.  I can always find great work dresses at Nordstrom.

Accessory heaven.  I love to just browse their jewelry, even if I don’t end up buying anything.  Again, online is great for this.  They have a huge variety and many pieces under $50.  A few key pieces are all you really need to add some wow to your daily look.  

Their shoe department is first rate. 

I got hooked on MAC eye shadow, eye liner, and brow pencil years ago and am a creature of habit. 

Ann Taylor Loft  

I always found suits at Ann Taylor Loft and they have petite sizes, so I never had to alter anything.  My most comfy capris (mommy uniform) are from Loft.  Also, everything goes on sale there and they have coupons galore. 

Banana Republic

Banana is another place where I always have a coupon and everything goes on sale.  I head straight to the sale rack.    Their accessories, including belts, are really great too. 

Express

My “go-to” place for button up shirts (long, short, and sleeveless in the summer-it’s HOT in Houston!) is Express.  They are fitted, which is nice, and I would buy them in lots of different colors, patterns and styles for work. 

Target

No matter what’s on my “list” when I head to Target, I always see something sooooo cute in their clothing department.  And let’s face it, how easy is it to just pick up a cute top at Target when we’re there every other week anyway?  I live in their tank tops and flip flops in the spring and summer.  Because they are fairly inexpensive, I don’t feel that bad if they only last one or two seasons.  And almost all of my maternity clothes were from Target.

Occasionally, if I want something more edgy, I’ll pop into Arden B or Bebe.   Macy’s “Inc.” and Michael Kors departments are nice too.  Other clothing stores I like, but don’t shop at much, are Anthropology and J Crew.  

Thanks for having me Andrea!

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Isn't that amazing!!?!! See I told you it was awesome! Thanks Megan for sharing with my readers today your awesome space!! 

Besides being an absolutely gorgeous space, I really love that everything has a place in her closet. I dream of having a closet like that one day. Clothing, shoes, and bags all have a nice space and fit well. 

Now, tell me what was your fave part? 

Have a great weekend everyone, we're celebrating my birthday this weekend which is on Tuesday! Can't wait to have some family time celebrating!