Seasonal Clothing Switch Done Right

Warmer days are upon us here in East Tennessee and it’s time to break out the sundresses and tank tops! For many of us, this may mean a shift in our dresser drawers or closets. As with any transition in our lives, this is a great opportunity to take the extra time to ensure you store the clothing that feels good and fits, serves your current season of life, and you actually like it.

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What to keep and what goes?

Here are some tips from one of our favorite resources, The Spruce, for how to make the decisions about what stays and what goes.

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Once you’ve made the decisions on what to keep and what someone else can now enjoy, it’s time to decide how to store the keepers and how to share items that no longer serve you.

How to Store Seasonal Clothing

1. Clean all seasonal clothing before packing.
   

2. Use the right storage. HYD recommends a weather-proof bin such as this labeled “Off-Season Clothes” so that you store one bin of clothing per member of your household.
   

3. Hang the proper items. HYD recommends hanging dress coats, winter dresses, and slacks or skirts properly with a breathable garment bag to reduce the risk of mold or mildew. Add a cedar block or sachet to deter visitors. Make sure to fold knit items and sweaters into a box to prevent stretching them on a hanger.

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How to Share Unwanted Clothing

1. Sell gently used clothing in a consignment sale.
   Here are some local options here in Knoxville:

   Statemint Consignment
   Planet Xchange
   Taylored by Maria
   Repeat Boutique
   Clothes Mentor

2. Donate professional clothing to Smokey’s Closet at UTK or Dress for Success.

3. Give clothing to local rummage sale. Check with churches, women’s shelters, or children’s groups to see who may be having a sale soon.

4. Contact local homeless shelters directly. Call first to ask what items they are taking and how best to pack them so your donation is helpful and can go directly to those in need.

5. Give away hand-me-downs to neighbors, friends, or family members. It’s fun to see your kids’ clothes or a dress that never fit you well on others who love it.

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Elfa Closet System to the Rescue!

Does your home suffer the curse of small closets? We are here to tell you that hope is not lost!

Cramped spaces make it harder to access and see what we have and keep it organized. With closets, this can be an even bigger mess because if we can’t access it, that also means it’s harder to put clothes away, which leads to us living out of the laundry basket. But there is a solution out there!

As always, we love a good product that is worth the investment, and Elfa Closets are one of those life-changing products.

Recently, we worked with a client who moved into a one bedroom apartment that only had one, relatively small, walk-in closet. The client was worried about how to access and display her clothes in both a functional and visually appealing way— and would it all fit in the small closet?

We recommended the Elfa System and she decided to give it a try.

Elfa Closet Systems are made to be designed to your needs. You can purchase items individually, or you can design a closet based on your space.

What we love most- is that it’s SUPER user friendly. On their website, click on the “Design Center” tab. This will open up with the start of your closet remodel journey. After putting in a few measurements, and asking a few questions, Elfa will generate a suggested closet model that you can then customize based on your needs.

Do you have more shoes? Add some shoe shelves. Not a lot of shoes, but have plenty to hang? Add an extra row of hanging bars. The design is sleek and customizable in colors too!

Now you might be thinking— that sounds great, but it’s probably hard to install and requires some hard labor.

That’s the absolute best part of this set up— it’s super simple to install and set up! Here’s how it works:

order your customized closet,

it ships to you with everything you need ( with the exception of a drill, and level.)

When you open the boxes, there are instructions with each wall labeled A, B, C, D.

Install the anchor rail

Following the instructions for each wall, install the anchor rail across the length of each wall. Congratulations, the hardest part is over!

hang the vertical anchor bars

Once the anchor rail is in place the vertical bars just wedge into place on the bar can slide to their needed positions on the wall. After that, it’s just a matter of hooking the shelves into the vertical anchor bars, and following the design you created.

Once it’s completed, you have an amazingly accessible closet installed and ready for you to hang your clothes, and shelve your shoes. AND if you ever decide you want to change it up, you can! If you decide you wanted your shoes on the other side of the closet, you can move them! Want to shift everything over, you can!

The client we were working with was beyond pleased with how her new closet turned out, and was amazed that everything fit, it wasn’t cramped, and it looked visually appealing too.

While this system is an investment, it makes life so much easier and keeps us from living out of the laundry basket.

Want to get started planning your dream closet? Click here to get started.

the all purpose closet.

As much as it would fulfill our perfectly designed and organized dreams of each closet having it's own category of contents, sometimes we are presented just one closet for multiple purposes. Imagine one closet that needs to contain all of your seasonal decor, gift wrapping supplies, crafting tools, and cleaning supplies. We've come up with a few tips regarding each category, to help this closet function as functionally and organized as it can. These ideas can be applied regardless of the size or shape of the closet. Let's work with what we've got & get creative... after all this is why we call it "the art of organizing". 

Seasonal Decor.

Image from Eleven Magnolia Lane.

• Snap and stack ornament storage. Or if you have your own boxes, use those! Also try- egg crates or apple cartons for round & fragile ornaments. 

• Hanging your wreaths vertically with a hanger... what?! Read more on how to.

• Use your storage tubs and bins more efficiently. Empty all of your current holiday storage to see it all at once. Let go of the things you no longer like or don't want to use this season. Reorganize the bins into: outdoor decor, christmas tree decorations & lights, serving ware & hosting dishes. 

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Gift Wrapping.

Image from I Heart Organizing. 

• Use the door for vertical storage. 

• Gift wrap station in a shower caddy. 

• Use a mail organizer for bags.

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Cleaning Stuff. 

Image from The 36th Avenue.

• Use a shoe organizer for cleaning spray bottles. 

• Choose pretty containers (clear glass or labeled clearly) to hold all of your cleaning supplies. Like this.

• Get rid of all expired or toxic cleaning chemicals. Show your kids the supplies you want them to have access to and where they are to be stored. 

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Crafting Supplies. 

Image from Mad in Crafts

• Separate and distinguish between adult and children's craft supplies. 
• Encourage the kids who will use this closet to help in deciding where things go and how they'd like to set their things up. 
• Make room by purging items that your kids may have grown out of and would like to donate to another family. 
• Use vertical storage (this is a common theme in this blog post!) like a hanging shoe container for yarn. 
• Hanging paint storage: try this DIY trick. 

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If you love the pretty door image we used for this blog post- google some creative ways to make a bland and boring closet door POP! 

Post a photo of the space, room, or nook that you love dwelling in & simply tag us (@helpyoudwell) and one lucky winner will receive a free HYD Canvas Tote! Last week to win. 

Also, we're so excited to announce the Fall Flea we're co-hosting with The Hive on November 4 & 5. Watch our Facebook & Instagram for sneak peeks of the collection we've curated coming soon! 

your favorite nook.

Last week, we launched the "HYD Fall Challenge" and our hope was to inspire you to conquer the closets in your home one at a time. However, we realize we may have been asking a lot of you to show us your perfected linen closet in just 3 short days!

So this week, we are going to keep it simple. 

We want you (our friends & followers) to post a photo of one of your favorite areas, corners, nooks or spaces in (or outside) your home that you enjoy "dwelling" in. It doesn't have to be fancy or perfect. Then tag us - @helpyoudwell ! 

One random person will be chosen to win a free HYD Canvas Tote. You've got nothing to lose & we'd love to see some of your favorite spaces. We'll still share some tips on organizing another closet, but as far as the "HYD Fall Challenge"... the pressure is off.

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Week 2: Coat Closet 

Where to start?

• Pull everything out. All the jackets, umbrellas, shoes, hats & scarves, and whatever else might have made a home here. 

• Sort into categories. Discard: don't be ashamed if you find a few things that should be thrown away. Donate: old jackets, hats and scarves that you won't wear this year. Relocate: the jackets that should go into individuals closets, items that belong in the garage, anything that might be more useful to have in the laundry room. Keep: the jackets, umbrellas, hats and boots that make the most sense in this closet for you and your family. 

• Before putting the keep items back in the coat closet, take time to imagine and visualize the coat closet of your dreams. These photos might inspire you. 

What you need? 

•  Hangers

• Bins or tubs (various sizes, whatever works for you and your items)

• Hooks for the back of the closet door (umbrellas, children's backpacks, hats) 

• Shoe organizer (rack, hanging shoe organizer, boxes on a shelf)

*Keep in mind, these are all optional. We just made a list to get you thinking of the possibilities. As always, we encourage using what you have instead of purchasing a bunch of new things.

How to maintain? 

• Let your people know. Show them the changes that have been made. Tell them what goes where and what does not go in this newly refreshed coat closet. 

• Re-visit monthly or seasonally. Put a calendar reminder on your phone to gently nudge you to spend a few minutes sprucing up the closet, or discarding unused items. This way, you are enjoying your organized coat closet all year around!

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If there are areas in your home, garage, or office that you just haven't gotten around to organizing... we'd be happy to help. Give us a call or shoot us an email to schedule your free consultation! 

join the challenge

Fall has finally arrived. Let's hope the weather follows soon! We are devoting the month of September to an often neglected and problem area of our homes. You guessed it... the closets. 

What better way to get motivated and organized than joining us in the:

#HYDFallChallenge

For 4 weeks (every Thursday in the month of September) we will pick a specific closet to focus on in your home. Our blog will feature inspiration and tips to help you conquer your closets one week at a time. We want to see your completed projects each week! Post a photo to Facebook or Instagram (by the Monday after the blog is posted) with the hashtag #HYDFallChallenge . We will pick one random winner each week to receive the prize of a lovely HYD Canvas Tote! 

Why participate?

• Because your closets need some love every now and then.

• Because you will create space in your closets for the things you need and love.

• Because you might win a beautiful HYD canvas tote. 

• Because purging and creating space in your closets will inspire you to declutter other areas.

• Because donating and giving back to your community is life giving. 

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Week 1: Linen Closet

Begin by taking everything out of the closet (or cabinets). 

Separate the contents in a way that makes sense to you.

• separate by room of use (master bedroom, children's bathroom, extra bedroom, etc.)
• separate by color (whites, colors, neutrals, etc.)
• separate by type (bedsheets, hand towels, bath towels, picnic blankets, etc.)

Sort into categories.

• Discard- the torn towels or worn out sheets that you'd rather use in the garage or to dry off the dog. These can be put in a new place- laundry room or garage.
• Occasional Use- the towels, sheets and blankets you only need when you have multiple house guests at one time or when the whole family goes on a trip. These could be better stored under a bed in a vacuum seal bag. Table cloths might fall into this category- try to find a place closer to the kitchen such as the top shelf of the pantry. 
• Necessity- the ones you use every day. These are the ones that deserve a prime spot on the shelf in your laundry room. The trick here is that you don't need excess. Only have on hand, what you need and use regularly. Let your kids pick their favorite towels and blankets and find a shelf they can easily access. 
• Donate- Challenge yourself to fill a few grocery bags or even a trash bag of linens that you can part with. Our local KARM stores would be a great place for these to end up. 

Put back the contents that are here to stay.

• Think about who is using the linens and if they can reach what they need
• Put them back in a way that is practical and aesthetically pleasing (each time you open this closet, you'll be glad you did!) 
• Show your family members or roommates the new linen closet system!
• Share your photo and hashtag #HYDFallChallenge 

Happy organizing!

#HYDFallChallenge 

Why not just leave all that stuff in the attic?

People often take action on spaces or rooms that guests or family see and utilize but what about the spaces that most people don't see; the ones that internally weigh you down? Most of us have a stash hidden in our closets, attics, or basements. Why not leave it there?

Image from Sundaytimes.co.uk

The problem with accumulating things and then hiding them away is that one day they have to be dealt with by you or by the family you leave behind. Often times we carry around subconcious guilt or anxiety about those spaces. We form attachments to our stuff or maybe attachments to the idea of having access to stuff. There is a process that one must go through to mentally prepare to let go of things. Part of the decluttering process begins with a good look at how you think about your things. For many of us, holding on to things is a way to feel safe about a future need that may or may not ever occur. We encourage you to think about what it would be like to only keep items that truly give you joy? Sometimes it's simply a matter of stopping to think about the purpose you originally had behind a purchase. You may find that it's served it's purpose and can be passed along. We've found that decluttering doesn't come naturally to many people. Organizing and decluttering your home can be really overwhelming, even scary at times. On top of those things, letting go is HARD! It usually takes an outsider to help you not get stuck in your head when trying to make decisions on what to keep. It's only natural to begin thinking of all the reasons to not get rid of things when the real question (and way less time consuming question) is whether keeping it will bring you joy. Being ready to declutter doesn't happen over night, it's a personal journey that doesn't work if you've reluctantly agreed after being coerced by a friend of family member. The decluttering and ultimately the organizing process only works when you truly want to be free of your stuff.

Image by Texture Photo

Our goal is never to convince anyone to do anything they don't want to do but rather for you to be so convinced that you need freedom from your things that you make the move to call us. We want you to be the hero of your clutter problem and we are here, ready to guide you along the way.

Real Life Capsule Wardrobe

Before: Disregard the top half of the closet in both pictures. It belongs to my honey and he isn't quite sold on the idea of a capsule wardrobe.

After

Yall.....things got really real over here last week.

Let me begin by saying that I probably purge more than 80% of the population and thought a capsule wardrobe would be a cinch for me. It was wayyyy harder than I imagined.

Through the process I realized several things.

1. It's somewhat easy to purge your own closet of things that you don't like anymore, never liked and kept out of guilt, or things that are (let's face it) NEVER GOING TO FIT again. I did this kind of purging before I brought out the big guns.

2. An extra set of eyes is super helpful. I called in reinforcements and tried on almost every article of clothing I had (an embarrassing number) and said "fire away" to two amazing humans who said "please don't wear that in public" or "you should definitely keep that" to each item I tried on.

3. I realized that I was keeping several things that I loved and wore almost the entire summer (4 years ago) and just hadn't stopped to realize that I don't love anymore.

4. I filled up 3 laundry baskets of clothing/shoes to get rid of or sell and don't regret any of it. I was honestly shocked that was able to let them go so easily after I had a second party agree they were past their prime or unflattering.

5. I might have a shoe and shirt problem. You guys... it's bad.

Here are a few pictures during the process. My room was totally clean pre-capsule making and this is what it looked like after about 30 minutes. YIKES!

The hardest part was the final narrowing down to the smallest amount of clothing I could manage --we are talking a total number of 40 items including pants, shorts, skirts, dresses (not fancy ones--just everyday ones), shoes, and shirts. NOT EASY YALL!

My capsule broken down contains 5 pairs of pants, 2 shorts, 3 skirts, 1 dress, 2 vests, 19 shirts, and 8 pairs of shoes.

The only purchases I made were two pairs of shoes for my summer capsule. Both from Target. I've been wanting a pair of more stylish tennis shoes to wear for the summer and I spotted these and couldn't resist.

I'm only a few days in but I'm totally sold already! My mornings are drastically less chaotic because I have so much less to weed through. I love how open my closet feels now. I even went out and treated myself to some new wooden hangers.

We would love to hear from you! Would you ever try doing a capsule wardrobe for a season? Have you done it before? We want to hear about it!

Capsule Wardrobe: A Help You Dwell Challenge

I'm taking the plunge and I'm inviting you to join me.

If you aren't familiar with the concept of a capsule wardrobe, essentially, it is a simplified wardrobe of versatile pieces that you love wearing. In other words, for each season, you pick a certain number of items and wear only those. For the Summer season, I will be picking 37 items (including tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, and shoes) and donating, or packing away the rest.

I have a closet and a dresser full of clothes that don't often get worn. I gravitate towards a handful of clothes that are my favorites. I love clothes but I hate my tendency to try on 85 different outfits only to go back to those favorite pieces that make me feel awesome. In an effort to practice what I preach when it comes to an organized and decluttered life style, I am committing to a capsule wardrobe plan for my summer.

One of my 2 closets currently

Why am I doing this?

1. I want to buy less but buy better quality.

2. I want my mornings to be more simplified

3. I'm interested to see whether I get bored wearing the same items in various combinations or whether it's freeing to have less to choose from.

4.My closet space is limited and not designed well. I want to be able to see clearly what I have and currently I have too many clothes for my space.

So, over the course of the next week I"ll be narrowing down my wardrobe and will report back in 2 weeks to let you know what items I chose for my Summer Capsule and how it's all going.

For more information about what a capsule wardrobe is, check out this description. Want to know how to build one? Here is a guide.

Spring Cleaning Challenge Week 4

Another beautiful East Tennessee day with birds chirping and pops of color everywhere!
Let's finish out the month of March with a couple more simple tasks to help you enjoy the rest of Spring.

Image: JollyEdition

1. Tackle the RSVPs. 

Spring is filled with wedding and baby showers, birthday parties and the like.  Take a moment to check your paper pile and your inbox to find all the RSVPs and give yourself just 15-20 little minutes to knock them all out and make sure to add the events you plan to attend to your calendar now!

image: Martha Stewart

2. Love your linens. 

Nothing is better for sleeping than a fresh, clean set of sheets.  Make it easier on yourself to grab that clean set by matching all your sheet sets and placing them inside the coordinating pillow case.  While you're at it, discard any unmatched or stained pieces you no longer need.

Spring Cleaning Challenge Week 2

Source Unknown

“Do a little something today that your future self will thank you for.”

It's week two in our Spring Cleaning campaign.  The warm weather is creeping in, daffodils & crocus are popping up and step-by-step you're moving to more order and peace in your home.

Last week we focused on ordering our bathroom closet & tidying up our email inbox.  Keeping it simple and achievable, this week we move to our bedroom closet and the kitchen.

this week's challenge

1.  Donate or consign all your fancy dresses you bought for that one occasion and said, "I'll wear that again" and never did.  Repeat Boutique in West Knoxville is a great option if you choose to consign.  If you choose to donate, you may have a friend that comes to mind that might love to get your fancy dress or any of the local thrift shops would gladly welcome your donation.

2.  Take everything out from under your kitchen sink, clean the cabinet and put back only what you use regularly.  No tricks here.  Just keep it simple.

Closet Purging 101

February is a great time to go through your closet. Purging your closet prior to switching out seasonal clothes makes it easier to see what you have and see what you need next winter when you transition again. We have come up with a few suggestions on how to get started and questions to ask yourself when you get stuck.

One of the most helpful things is to closet purge with someone who you can trust to tell you the truth about what's flattering and what's not, what looks dingy, and what is outdated.

We always suggest pulling everything out and categorizing by type of item. For example, shoes, belts, t shirts, nicer shirts, skirts, sweaters, jackets etc. Pick a category and go through each item and decide whether to keep it, give it away, return it to someone, or trash it. Once you are done with the category, put the items you are keeping back into the closet.

Often times when organizing you will end up with a "maybe" pile or those items that are just really hard to make decisions on. The following 4 questions may help you figure out why you are hesitant to let it go which may help you make a decision.

1. Do you feel good about yourself when you wear it?

2. Have you worn it in the past year?

3. Do you have other clothing items that look very similar or serve the same purpose?

4. Are you holding onto it for sentimental reasons or out of guilt? (We often recommend photographing beloved clothing items that you know you won't wear again so that you can have a visual memory to hold onto that won't take up place in your closet. Trying to keep your closet limited to items that you actually wear will make getting dressed a lot easier.)

 BONUS- A great resource article for you… Second Chances: Renovate Your Wardrobe Instead of Buying New!