closet therapy (step 2: assess)

Last week, if you recall, I <a href="http://adayinlifetoo.blogspot.com/2011/01/closet-therapy-step-1-purge.html">purged my closet</a>. Hah! "If you recall." Like I haven't mentioned it every other word on here since then or something? Right. So...yes. Please recall.<br /><br />The next step in <a href="http://kendieveryday.blogspot.com/2010/12/create-working-closet-part-2-assess.html">Kendi</a>'s tips toward a working closet is Assess. Which is listed in the title of this post, so if you're surprised at ALL by that, please just set your laptop aside, lean your head in your arms, and go to sleep. Yes, even if you're in the middle of listening to an engrossing Womens English Literature of the 16th Century lecture. (Actually, <em>especially</em> then.) Or cooking dinner. Or watching your soaps. (you know who you are...) Your mental synapses will thank you.<br /><br />So, now that I have at least my mother's undivided attention (right, Mom? ... mom?... aw nuts.), here's what I did to assess my wardrobe: <br /><br />(1) <strong>Take inventory of the clothes I have.</strong> Check. I've been doing this for the past month and a half, in doing this blog. And again whilst purging. I didn't, like, write down "I have 82 pairs of pants" or anything like that. But I have an acute awareness of what's in my closet. So, inventory: done and done.<br /><br />(2) <strong>Make a list of needs that would make my closet work better.</strong> Check. I've been doing this for the past month and a half as well. (Although, please keep in mind that I'm using the word "need" verrrrrry loosely here. Everything is relative. Like, I know some people's needs are life-and-death--i.e., food, safety, clean water. My "needs" are kind of pretend, really. My priorities aren't <em>totally</em> skewed. We good? Good.) My needs list goes a little something like this: <a href="http://www.beso.com/cheap-monday/womens-skinny-jeans/cheap-monday-low-skinny-jean-indigo/2201848673/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">dark wash skinny jeans</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fcheap-monday%2Fwomens-skinny-jeans%2Fcheap-monday-low-skinny-jean-indigo%2F2201848673%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>, <a href="http://www.beso.com/ll-bean/womens-shirts-blouses/llbean-harborview-shirt-short-sleeve-floral-print-misses-regular/2009133895/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">floral/plaid ruffle shirt</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fll-bean%2Fwomens-shirts-blouses%2Fllbean-harborview-shirt-short-sleeve-floral-print-misses-regular%2F2009133895%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>, <a href="http://www.beso.com/magaschoni/womens-cardigans/magaschoni-chartreuse-two-tone-silk-cashmere-crewneck-cardigan/1773509043/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">mustard cardigan</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fmagaschoni%2Fwomens-cardigans%2Fmagaschoni-chartreuse-two-tone-silk-cashmere-crewneck-cardigan%2F1773509043%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>, <a href="http://www.beso.com/kork-ease/womens-sandals/korkease-womens-elinor-sandals-in-gold/1843216644/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">gladiators</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fkork-ease%2Fwomens-sandals%2Fkorkease-womens-elinor-sandals-in-gold%2F1843216644%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>, <a href="http://www.beso.com/womens-blazers/boyfriend-blazer/2051123521/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">boys/boyfriend blazer</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fwomens-blazers%2Fboyfriend-blazer%2F2051123521%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>.<br /><br />p.s. One thing I do in determing "needs" is: if I have, on at least 3 separate occasions, wished I had a certain thing to wear, then it's time to take that item seriously. It's not just a passing whim if I keep pining for it, right? [Editor's note: 'Pining'? Really? Isn't there a better word I could use...how about 'yearning'?] [Assistant Editor's note: Nope. Much worse. Pining it is.] So. There's my rule-of-3s to determine just how needed something is. You're welc-y.<br /><br />(3) <strong>Make a list of wants.</strong> My my my, this list could be trouble. And infinite. But I've narrowed it down to items similar to these: <a href="http://www.beso.com/womens-sandals/ruby-bloom-camilla-espadrille-sandal/1809130414/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">wedge sandals</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fwomens-sandals%2Fruby-bloom-camilla-espadrille-sandal%2F1809130414%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>, <a href="http://www.beso.com/casa/womens-skirts/not-your-daughters-jeans-emma-pencil-skirt-casa-blanca-wash-womens-skirt/1953837707/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">denim pencil skirt</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fcasa%2Fwomens-skirts%2Fnot-your-daughters-jeans-emma-pencil-skirt-casa-blanca-wash-womens-skirt%2F1953837707%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>, <a href="http://www.beso.com/mossimo/womens-flats/mossimo-supply-co-red-patent-odell-ballet-flats-75/1975607535/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">red flats</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fmossimo%2Fwomens-flats%2Fmossimo-supply-co-red-patent-odell-ballet-flats-75%2F1975607535%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>, <a href="http://www.beso.com/blank/womens-jackets-coats/blank-denim-cargo-jacket/2248871187/detail?af_assettype_id=4&af_creative_id=5&af_id=44772&af_placement_id=1&rf=af1" target="_blank">cargo jacket</a><img border="0" height="1" src="https://adserve.shopzilla.com/img/publisherID-44772/assetID-5/placementID-1/url-http:%2F%2Fwww.beso.com%2Fblank%2Fwomens-jackets-coats%2Fblank-denim-cargo-jacket%2F2248871187%2Fdetail" width="1" /></img>. <br /><br />[Editor's note: I feel surprisingly vulnerable posting these lists for some reason, which is odd because it's not like a deep dark secret. Not like the time in kindergarten when I was too scared to ask my art teacher Mr. Hay to be excused to the bathroom, but I thought it would be totally fine to just go ahead and pee in class while I sat on the bar stool because my pants were yellow so of course the pee wouldn't show, plus we had recess right after art. No, that's a much better deep dark secret to keep. Remind me to not tell anyone about that. And don't judge too harshly on my needs/wants, okay friends?] <br /><br />(4&5) <strong>Reassess and play dress-up in my closet. </strong>Actually, I haven't done this yet and probably won't. Not officially, anyway. Because I feel like I do that every day already, in some form or another. Hope you understand and don't fail me on my performance review.<br /><br />Welp. Color me assessed. Next step is organize. I think I'll skip that one, though, partly because I already did that after step 1: purge but mostly because the step AFTER that is shopping. Bingo.<br /><br />Happy Sunday!

closet therapy (step 2: assess)

Last week, if you recall, I purged my closet . Hah! "If you recall." Like I haven't mentioned it every other word on here sinc...

Read more »

closet therapy (step 1: purge)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Antibiotics are kicking in, and I've been able to move around a bit today. My heartfelt thanks to Louis Pasteur et al.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like many (some? a few? one?) of you, I've been thinking about "less is more." Okay, actually, I have no idea what you've all been thinking about. Volvos? Leeches? (hope not. weird.) Pnut butter brownies? No, wait, how about pnut butter, caramel, pecan, AND dark chocolate fudge brownies? Nowwww we're talking. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But. I digress. I've been thinking about the ways that less really IS more. And one of those ways pertains to my closet. I have waaaaaaay Too. Much. Stuff. Following <a href="http://kendieveryday.blogspot.com/2010/12/create-working-closet-part-1.html">Kendi's</a> tips to a working closet, I started by Step 1: Purging mine today. My stuff took up 2/3 of Pocket's and my closet. Sweet guy never complained. (Or noticed, probably, but still. Love him.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some pre-purge sample photos for your viewing pleasure (or disgust? meh. tomayto-tomahto). The closet is packed. This doesn't even show it all:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-xhpTu0SdPsypjb1wm9xDVbNTMnW37MpuwgbF1HDHR7wXD_oDgUsWQkD-hnpqsPhJE_8kWYADau-fdwMOm-dpttm0HxMtYEdwdBAXqFzO9hwfPX7j41o3hT5TRexX7robYNFdn7ZjW_v/s1600/Hcloset2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-xhpTu0SdPsypjb1wm9xDVbNTMnW37MpuwgbF1HDHR7wXD_oDgUsWQkD-hnpqsPhJE_8kWYADau-fdwMOm-dpttm0HxMtYEdwdBAXqFzO9hwfPX7j41o3hT5TRexX7robYNFdn7ZjW_v/s400/Hcloset2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJaKdI3L5rF1uXAl_f4MpTiEP5vQCwr4au76OWQbvdUT7GGi37desu2x38XarRVffTl1shfvQIKUBEcZzPkfWUt2HQgbfBUVoepozBqk7EzlVldv8TMGwtgsW3uHlZeufK87W6LBaJsss/s1600/Hcloset1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJaKdI3L5rF1uXAl_f4MpTiEP5vQCwr4au76OWQbvdUT7GGi37desu2x38XarRVffTl1shfvQIKUBEcZzPkfWUt2HQgbfBUVoepozBqk7EzlVldv8TMGwtgsW3uHlZeufK87W6LBaJsss/s640/Hcloset1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Took me quite a bit of time, and it was actually hard because of some emotional attachment, but when all's said and done, I emptied this many hangers (plus a few more) and purged this many clothes:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZO3Pv7DbwTJMNMA_yEKek0JUkQ71W7II0VxdCsyHkfqfhVKgb2MTvIFUKIGFtLftr3LJMW7LlngB83a5Uf4gc34UMD_g-KPNWOdkHcHiltTWgfuUJfD3c836cPzpx78GEK3EIjbRT2Ds/s1600/Hcloset3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZO3Pv7DbwTJMNMA_yEKek0JUkQ71W7II0VxdCsyHkfqfhVKgb2MTvIFUKIGFtLftr3LJMW7LlngB83a5Uf4gc34UMD_g-KPNWOdkHcHiltTWgfuUJfD3c836cPzpx78GEK3EIjbRT2Ds/s400/Hcloset3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">For the record, I now have 18 tops, 3 sweaters, 1 pair of shoes, 2 skirts, 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of pajamas, 2 athleticwear bottoms, 2 tank tops, and 4 long-sleeved tees FEWER than I had earlier today. Proud of me?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">I've also put 9 items on "probation" for one month. Meaning they need to be fixed in some way with the sewing machine, and if I don't get to it in a month's time, then I obviously don't care that much about them and out they go. And I've ALSO also not done anything with my shorts yet. Because it's not summer, and I can't really remember which ones I'll wear and which I won't. I want to be fair to all my threads. So I'll do them in a few months.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">And now, my much more functional, scaled-down closet looks like this: </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrMKXlHwGPZez4Zo9347M_Uuq2q2rBO5VYrm5QypWfgYLEe-5d3g2bUBPNPJZa_buKt4U-_p_ES-JELn1KVPRYz7z51nDUblYrKgtiJqSODd6BniMqb_KRCUpDGIUB0pGYWFPsjht2jqM/s1600/Hcloset4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrMKXlHwGPZez4Zo9347M_Uuq2q2rBO5VYrm5QypWfgYLEe-5d3g2bUBPNPJZa_buKt4U-_p_ES-JELn1KVPRYz7z51nDUblYrKgtiJqSODd6BniMqb_KRCUpDGIUB0pGYWFPsjht2jqM/s400/Hcloset4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">(Yes, the dwarfs picture will stay on my closet door during each purge. [It was colored just for me by my then-3-year-old daughter...it took about 14 hours of her life, and I love it so.] And, I don't know if you can tell, but my closetspace is 2 linear feet LESS than it was earlier. *beaming*)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And, I kiiiind of jumped ahead and did a little Step-3-Organize, but really what's next is Step 2: Assess. After I purge some of my other stuff. Like socks, tights, and unmentionables. But I probably won't post specifics on that. Heh.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Man, this is very therapeutic. I almost don't need to reward myself with pnut butter brownies... Almost.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Saturday. Again.</div><br /><div style="position:relative; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; background:white; width:424px;display:block;"><iframe name="shopstyle_search" width="424" height="244" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://widget.shopstyle.com/widget?pid=uid6676-2041974-73&fts=closet%20shoe%20organizer&width=3&height=1&border=0&footer=0"></iframe><div style="position:absolute; left:0; bottom:2px; height:18px; line-height:12px; width:100%;"><div style="position:absolute; left:0; padding:2px 0 0 6px"><a href="http://www.shopstyle.com/browse?fts=closet%20shoe%20organizer#pid=uid6676-2041974-73" style="font:11px verdana,sans-serif;text-decoration:underline;border:0;background-color:transparent;color:#606060">closet shoe organizer</a></div><div style="position:absolute; right:0; padding:3px 4px 3px 0"><a href="http://www.shopstyle.com#pid=uid6676-2041974-73" style="border:0"><img alt="ShopStyle" src="http://resources.shopstyle.com/im/widget/ShopStyleLogo_powered.png" style="border:0;margin:0;padding:0"></img></a></div></div></div>

closet therapy (step 1: purge)

Antibiotics are kicking in, and I've been able to move around a bit today. My heartfelt thanks to Louis Pasteur et al. Like many (some? ...

Read more »