Linen Closet Reveal

I know I was MIA for the last half of the month of July and I wish I could say that I had spent ALL of my time working on my linen closet, but that would be a little white lie!

I did however, spend some time reorganizing completely redoing my linen closet and I'm excited to share it with you today.

I know..... you are probably saying "Linen closet?  Where were the linens before?"

They were spread out all over the house..

A blanket here.... a pillow there....

And, I actually had some linens in this closet here.... remember Boring!!

After some serious purging, I was able to switch the two closets.  The linens that remained were moved to the "New" linen closet and the glass and decor was moved to the other closet.  Confused you yet?

I will spend more time on this closet with of course, labels, labels, labels.

I used to have a bunch of other towels that I needed when all of the kids were home.  They were happy to take them off my hands.  Now I have a  nice supply of white ones for guests.   

The sheets are kept in the wicker baskets that are labeled "King" "Queen" and "Twin".  I kept one extra set of sheets for each size.  

I find that closets tend to have a stale odor to them....not sure why....maybe because they are closed up most of the time.  Whatever the reason, I added some really wonderful scented potpourri from Z Gallery.  Now when the door is opened, it smells like the ocean.

In the bottom of the closet is a foldable basket that I got on sale at World Market for $39!  It holds all of my blankets.

The new linen closet makes me feel calm and relaxed, definitely not bored!

How did your linen closet turn out?  Please send me your photos so I can share them with my blogging family!

Who's ready for the challenge for August?

Let's stick with closets and work on our:

Master Bedroom Closets

Happy Organizing!

Kim

Linking up to Uncommon Designs, A Bowlful of Lemons, I Heart Organizing, the diy dreamer

Gone too Long

Every time I finish a post on my blog, I assume that I will be back the following day.  

and then...

for one reason or another...

I'm gone...

                  just like that....

                                              for a while.

Seriously,

I miss all of you every day that I'm away.

Speaking of being away....my daughter, Katie will be heading out of town in the near future and asked me for some help in finding a great makeup bag for traveling.

As a matter of fact, she suggested that I should blog about it. So, for those of you who might get some ideas from this post today, you can thank her!

There are a lot of choices for make up/cosmetic bags on the market that range in price, size, shape and design.

But before you rush out the door to purchase a make up bag, there are a few tips to keeping that new bag organized and your make up essentials looking like new.  The last thing you want to do is put dirty make up and brushes in your new bag, right?


CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES

• Run the bristles only under lukewarm water to remove make up residue.
• Fill a shallow bowl with warm water and a small amount of a mild shampoo and swirl the brush tips in the water.
• Rinse the bristles and repeat until the water runs clear.
• Wipe the brushes with a clean cloth and reshape the bristles.
• Lay flat to dry.

MAKE UP

• Purge old items that you no longer use or are expired.   Here's a cheat sheet that I found here to help you with that.

Liquid Foundation/Concealer = 6 - 12 months

Powder Foundation, Blush, Eye Shadow = 2 years

Mascara = 2 - 3 months

Lipstick/Gloss = 2 years/1 year

Lotion = 2 years

Nail Polish = 1 - 2 years

Perfume = 8 - 10 years 

(who knew!)

• Discard dirty sponges and make up pads and replace with new ones.  They carry lots of bacteria that causes breakouts!
• Clean the outside containers/compartments well with soap and water to remove any residue.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT BAG

• Review all of your remaining cosmetic items and determine which ones are essential for your travels.  If you know you are only going to be using a summer palate while on your trip, don't pack fall and winter colors of lipsticks and eyeshadows.  Chances are you won't need them.
• Make sure you consider items you always use when applying your makeup.  For example, cotton balls, q-tips, tweezers, etc.  
• Organize them into like categories, eye shadows, foundation/concealer/powder, lipsticks/glosses/ liners, etc.
• Decide on how you want to store them in a bag.  Do you like your brushes to have individual slots?  Maybe you like your cotton balls/pads with foundation and concealer.
• You might like separate pouches for storing each category.  Look for bags that have clear pouches and zip.  It's always nice to be able to see what you have stored without having to open it up.

Now you are ready to purchase your new bag.  Target has a ton of selections that I find to be very reasonably priced, ranging from $6 - $30 and provide lots of great storage space.

Here are a few of my favorites:

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My personal favorite is Stephanie Johnson's line of travel bags that I stumbled across when I was on vacation a couple of years ago.  Her line is a bit pricier than Target but I have found them to be sturdy and they look just like they did the day I bought them.

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Whatever bag you decide on, just make sure it's right for you.  

Have fun on your trip but please don't stay gone too long!  I'm gonna miss you!

Happy Organizing!

Kim

P.S. This was my personal opinion and I was not compensated by Target or Stephanie Johnson in any way.

Linen Closet Storage Ideas

While you are organizing your linen closets or storage space for July's Monthly Challenge, you may be considering using some type of baskets or containers for things like sheets, towels, table linens, etc.

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There are so many styles and colors available.

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You might even want to look around the house for unconventional items that could be used.  I think that adds so much character to an area.  

When I was a little girl, I remember my mom teaching attempting to teach me how to fold a fitted sheet.    She always made it look so easy but when I would try to imitate her, mine never came out quite the same as hers.

I'm a lot bigger girl now and I still can't get it to look "just like Mom's" but they do come out a little better than they used to.

The last thing I want to have to do is open them up to see what size sheets they are and that's where  labels come in handy.

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I came across these labels from one of my favorite bloggers that can be downloaded for free.

Here are a few others that I really liked as well.

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I found these on Amazaon for under $3.00.

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How are you going to store your linen closet items?  Let's get busy organizing!

We are already at the halfway point for this month's challenge and I can't wait to see your transformations.

Enjoy!

Happy Organizing!

Kim

A Little Mani/Pedi Organizing Project

Sometimes I go to a nail salon and enjoy the luxury of having my nails done for me.  


And then there are times that I like to do it myself.  

Seriously.

Okay. Not very often.

I have a few supplies and nail colors that I typically use and thought I would share with you how I keep everything organized.

I previously picked up these stackable cabinet drawers from Bed Bath & Beyond for another project but ended up having them left over and thought they would work perfectly for my nail stuff!  I try to use things that I already have around the house so that I don't have to spend any moolah!

I used the top three sections for polish, nail tools, and scrubs and stones. 

The bottom two sections hold cotton balls, polish removers, lotions and oils.

Once I had everything in place, I made labels for each section.  I can't wait to park this in it's new space in my linen closet!

Happy Organizing!

Kim

I was not compensated in any way from Bed Bath & Beyond.  

July's Challenge

Linen Closets/Storage Space

Can we say boring?

That would be the best way I know to describe MY linen closet.  If you are feeling the same way about your's, this challenge is for you too!!

It's one of those spaces that always ends up on the back burner I guess because it's behind closed doors!!  That can be a scary thing - what goes on behind closed doors!!


I have two closets in my hallway, one houses my linens and the other I use to store glassware and table decorations.  The latter one is actually just outside my guest bathroom and divides the two guest rooms. I'm going to switch these two closets because it just makes a lot more sense. 


Here is my game plan to makeover my space and hopefully, it will be helpful to you.

Remove everything.

Purge old items for Goodwill.

Paint/Wallpaper walls.

Utilize door space.

Lighting.

"Pretty up" the shelves.

Baskets/Containers for odds & ends

Labels

Here's some great spaces I found for inspiration.

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I love what she did with her shelf edges.

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Great use of space with wire shelves.

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This closet is neat AND pretty!  The fabric on the baskets adds a nice touch as well as the crowns on the darker baskets.

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Love the use of an armoire or free standing piece of furniture for this linen space.

This challenge should be fun and I'm hoping to see lots and lots of linen closet makeovers the first week of August!

Let's get started!!