Fall Cleaning: Accessories and Whatnot

"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize." ~ Steel Magnolias

What a brilliant movie, and an awesome quote.  Now don't worry, readers, I haven't been watching this movie... sobbing with a pint of ice cream in hand.  But, I always think of Clairee when I think of my LOVE for accessories.

I found this lovely lady at Macy's on Friday.

Accessories are an AWESOME purchase when you're in between sizes or shooting for a smaller size.  The jewelry will STILL FIT regardless of your body size.  AND... they can really spice up the basics!  You don't really outgrow them, but if you're like me, you definitely tire of wearing some of the pieces.  This makes purging even more important.

If you don't stay on top of cleaning out your accessories... you could run into something like this.

It was time to go through mine.  And that's exactly what I did yesterday.  

I started by taking everything off the holder, and when I did... I thought that this might be a good idea to share with everyone!  I used to have SUPER tangled accessories.  It sucked.  When I'd go to put on a necklace, it had always intertwined with another making it impossible to put on quickly.  


Then, I came up with this brilliant idea!

HOW TO MAKE THIS BAD BOY

It looks much more difficult than it really is.  

It's just a piece of plywood from Home Depot, painted to match my room.  If you go into the wood section (the technical term) at either Home Depot or Lowe's, they have a pre-cut square like this.  No cutting/measuring required.  Designing it is the fun part.  For this version, I used a fun stencil to add the white design.  Just to spice it up a little!

Once you have it painted, you get to use the power tools - YES!!  I used a drill with a small drill bit to create tiny holes for the hooks.  Starting a cuphook in a piece of wood is WAY too much work.  You'll thank me for that tip.  Basically, you drill wherever you'd like to hand something.  Look at what you have and create a plan.  Do you need lots of spots for short necklaces?  Or long necklaces?  You can adjust your configuration accordingly.

Once all your holes are drilled, twist in the cuphooks to the board so that you can hang your jewels.  On the back, I used a picture hanger that has little hooks and a wire that you twist into each hook.  The board hangs then on a supported screw via this wire.  Easy Peazy!

A close-up so you can see the cuphooks

This is actually my third one.  There was a red and black, a pretty orange one, and now I've settled into turquoise.  This round, I decided to add more sections for long necklaces and some hooks at the bottom for bracelets.  It's been awesome!  In every place I've lived, I just hang it behind my bedroom door.  A walk in closet is another great place to hang it.  I'd definitely avoid storing the precious accessories in the bathroom though - - Moisture can wreak havoc!

Sorting the jewels can also be fun.  I sorted by color and length, and once again made two extra piles:  GOODWILL and CONSIGN.  

Another chunky necklace that I was hoping to make room for.

In the end, I think I did pretty good! I've got a few hooks left for new purchases and KNOW WHAT I HAVE, which is half the battle.

I also figured out something new to do with bracelets.  Bracelets have been my OBSESSION for the past few months... and the hooks I have on this display don't really cut it.


I found ANOTHER great idea out on Pinterest.  (PS... If you haven't tried Pinterest, WHY NOT??)  You can find TONS of ideas and recipes like this great solution to store your bracelets!  I added a link to NTTC yesterday so that you can follow me on Pinterest, if you're so inclined. :)

If you can't tell by the picture, that's a papertowel holder.  Yep, Just a cheapy one purchased from Target for $3.49, and now my bracelets are not taking over my bedroom!


I'll close out today's post with showing another problem area that I've got to find a solution for.  Scarves.  The problem is that I have too many.  Even after going through them, I still have too many.  

I store them on a double hook system behind my closet, so they're contained... but they always look messy.  Maybe I'll head off to Pinterest to see what I can find for this!


Stay tuned... and happy organizing!  PS... Apparently, I'm not the only one who was organizing accessories this weekend.  If you click here, you can see what Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers was up to!