Storage and care...

[Smuterella]

Thanks Kitty, those pics are wonderful

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

Kitty, never in my wildest dreams could my room be not only so organised, but so stylishly organised! I am really going to have to try and sort my bits, and stick to it. You've inspired me!

 

[satindoll]

Hosiery storage. Box was inexpensive and purchased at Joann's. You can see the black self adhesive felt I added to the inside over any seams or rough edges. Stockings wrapped up by type in labeled tissue paper. This solution has worked incredibly well for me.

Hat boxes. One is for winter scarves, the next for winter hats, and the next for vintage gloves.

I am a big fan of hanging things on hooks. In my last apartment, I had a wooden mirror propped on top of my dresser with no wallspace on the sides for hooks, so I put screwed hooks into the frame of the mirror for hanging necklaces. I am also a huge fan of those 3M Command hooks with the removeable adhesive. I use the nice chrome colored ones for hanging all my necklaces. I also use vintage ashtrays as dishes on my dresser for things like rings and hairpins.

2 ribbons are attached to the mirror frame with thumbtacks and I clip my flowers to those. Loose flowers just get clipped to the feather boa using pincurl clips. Miss Bella Hell uses old kitchen canister sets for storing things like hair flowers, jewelry and toiletry items.

Ribbon attached to wall with thumbtacks. Perfect for holding earrings.

Such great ways to store things so they double as decorative displays! Love the hair flowers clipped to the boa. I am definitely stealing that idea

 

[retrogirl1941]

My biggest storage peice is my 1910 steamer trunk. It holds my vintage cardigans, bobby sox, stockings, various clothing not worn anymore and my apron collection. Basically anything that does'nt get regular use. And to hold all of my vintage linigirie collection I use a 1950s suitcase, mainly b/c I dont wear it(i.e.-collection) and its all in one place! But lateley stuff has been spilling out of these and into my husbands reenacting dresser(imagine that )

Samantha

 

[ShooShooBaby]

nice organization, kitty! i need to set up a system like that.

i've got stuff stashed EVERYWHERE. i have 3 closets, 2 cupboards (perfect for shoeboxes!) and 4 built-in drawers in my bedroom, but things are STILL a disaster. i need to find ways to make my vintage goodies more accessible, yet keep them safe. you're all giving me great ideas to work with!

 

[miserabelle]

I really need some space-saving advice, my room at home is so small that my clothes live in a closet downstairs which is... less than convenient.

I definitely make sure to keep all of my shoes in boxes though - that way they don't get battered around and scuffed, or separated, and they seem to take up a lot less room. I keep my lingerie in a draw and my more delicate items like stockings go in a little cotton makeup bag to stop them getting caught or stretched.

I think I'll start keeping my hair flowers on ribbons though, that looks beautiful! xx

 

[Mojito]

Right - I'm inspired now! I'm going to try some of those ideas when I finally get around to buying an apartment - I'm going to plan it rationally from the start.

 

[KittyT]

Thanks everyone for your compliments and kind words!

I want to see before and after photos from all of you when you do your spring cleaning and reorganization!

 

[Deleted member 3716]

kitty, that is just too damn organised!

i feel totally slob-tastic now!

 

[KittyT]

kitty, that is just too damn organised!

i feel totally slob-tastic now!

Oh don't be fooled! What you didn't see is the huge pile of clothing thrown over the back of my office chair, the pile of shoes on the floor of the closet, the pile of purses tossed haphazardly on the shelf, and the other items littering the floor of my room

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

After realizing I had over 50 dresses and more than half of them are party dresses, I decided to re-organize my closet.

I have a very small closet, which is really awful for me. To create more space, there are two long poles to hang things from instead of one. The top rack I use for shirts and skirts, the bottom for dresses, a couple suits, and several coats.

I have always organized my clothing by type and by color, but to get a handle on my dresses I just also organized them by season and occasion. The effect of all this is simple:

I open my closet and see all the dresses I actually wear during the colder months!

I really should have started doing this ages ago.

 

[KittyT]

I'm bumping this thread!

I just moved into a new place few months ago, and while it has a ridiculous amount of built-in storage space, it has less space for my clothes and things. My closet has a nice built in angled shoe shelf along the bottom to which I've added shelf liners to keep the shoes from falling off. Purses go in the shelf up top, hats are on nails on the wall above that, and belts and scarves are hanging from the back of the closet door.

I've now started keeping off-season clothes in plastic storage containers in the top of the main, walk-in coat/linen closet, because my closet doesn't have enough room. This does make things a little less overwhelming when I look in my closet, but also gives me the false impression that I own few clothes, since I see less when I open my closet doors!

The main project right now is my vanity/dresser and all of my jewelry, makeup and hair stuff. Here are some photos of my progress!

The Mess (capitalized, because it really has a life of its own)

Progress! My necklaces are hanging on the towel rod of the old wall rack (thanks to Miss Bella for the idea), antique and nicer jewelry was moved from several smaller boxes into my new pink 50's jewelry box. Earrings are in the pink ashtray, hair clips are in the blue ashtray on the shelf, and the bracelets are on a valet towel stand from Bed Bath and Beyond (again, thanks to Bella). Lotions and perfumes are also no longer taking up dresser space.

Earrings have since moved to my newly arrived rotating earring stand. While this doesn't save space the way my old ribbon-on-the-wall setup did, it's too fun to not have!

There's a gal on Etsy now who upcycles old picture frames and attaches chicken wire to the back, then adds a ribbon for hanging. This is a very clever way to store your clip earrings that doesn't take up vanity space!

Next up: attacking that pile of hair flowers!

 

[Coopsgirl]

I needed more storage so I bought this $50 bookcase at Target. It's about 2' wide and 4' high so it doesn't take up a lot of room.

Here's my vanity. I keep my pins in the two pink powder containers and my earrings in an organizer in the long drawer above the stool.

I have a walk in closet but it's small so I have my shoes in an over the door organizer. It holds 25 pairs and it's full .

On the side with the short rod I keep my longer clothes like coats and dresses.

Then on the longer side I keep some of my hats on styrofoam heads and also have a double rod that I got at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's a lifesaver and I have shirts, sweaters, and skirts hanging on that second rod.

I also use those skinny hangers from Bed, Bath and Beyond but you can find them in most stores and they really do make a big difference. You can get clips for them to hang pants and skirts too.

 

[jetgirl]

I am completely envious of your closet and especially of your vanity. I have those skinny hangers as well and I think they are fabulous.

 

[KittyT]

I needed more storage so I bought this $50 bookcase at Target. It's about 2' wide and 4' high so it doesn't take up a lot of room.

Coopsgirl, so lovely, all of it! See ladies, this is what I'm talking about! Vertical space used for storage and items that would need to be stored (like purses, gloves and hats) used as decorative items. I love it!

Then on the longer side I keep some of my hats on styrofoam heads and also have a double rod that I got at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's a lifesaver and I have shirts, sweaters, and skirts hanging on that second rod.

*gasp* just look at all that novelty print!!!

I also use those skinny hangers from Bed, Bath and Beyond but you can find them in most stores and they really do make a big difference. You can get clips for them to hang pants and skirts too.

They sell them at Target now too!

 

[Inky]

those skinny hangers are the best - we bought a huge set on HSN.com back in 2004 when we lived in a 600 square foot house with one teeny closet for two adults! I also have some clever hooks for them so I have 3-5 hangers cascading down from one.

those hangers really do save space!

 

[Smuterella]

skinny hangers? someone explain this to me please! Might be the answer to my prayers!

 

[Coopsgirl]

Thanks guys! I just can't stand for things to be messy and cluttered looking and I have so much stuff (and I keep getting more) so it's a constant battle of reorganization to keep it neat. I like KitttyT's decorative style too so that things are out and you can see them but they are neat too.

My biggest organizational tip would be those skinny hangers. I'm so glad I found them . I've also got a tall (about 5 and a half feet) skinny lingerie chest so it doesn't take up as much room as a traditional dresser but it has 7 drawers so it holds as much but takes up much less width. The desk I'm using as a vanity has drawers and my nightstand (which are all from the same set) also has drawers so I have lots of storage space for clothes and other things that I don't hang like pajamas, etc...

I got my furniture in the kids section b/c I knew it would be smaller but it looks like adult furniture so that's an idea too for anyone trying to furnish a small room. Just leave your dignity at the door as you tell the salesman you want him to follow you to the kiddie section lol .

 

[Inky]

they are thin and covered in a velvety flocked finish. you really can put more on a rod than plastic or even crappy wire hangers.

here in the states I have seen them under the brand name "Huggable Hangers" and also with other brands at the big linen type stores like Bed Bath and Beyond (and apparently now Target too).

You can buy different configurations of packages, as well as skirt clips and the cascading hooks I previously mentioned. We invested in about 250 hangers and about 100 hooks and skirt clips a few years back and have never broken one yet. i don't think i'll ever need more hangers. I do have some specialty ones for pants that I love that hold five pair and the arms swivel to make it easy to put the pants on it (not the flocked skinny style)

Like this and this.

 

[Coopsgirl]

Hey Smuterella,
Here's a link so you can see the hangers we're talking about. They are flat instead of rounded like traditional hangers and they are flocked so you clothes will stay on them. It really is amazing how much space they will save you.

I like the pink ones but they come in several colors.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16196410&RN=50