Meet your new BFFs…

This weeks post is one big *INSIDER TIP……

SHOP THE HARDWARE STORE. 

Whether it is your locally owned hardware store or one of the big gigantic retailers they have some of the best tools for getting your closet whipped into shape for the upcoming fall season. Here are some of my favs.

3M COMMAND HOOKS

Can I get a “Hallelujah?” These hooks can and will change your life. You know how I am always preaching about to display your accessories because if you can see them you will use them? These hooks make this possible in a way that is so easy you will almost feel guilty about it, kind of like that feeling I get when I watch A&E’s show Intervention while I am drinking a glass of wine.  Or how I feel when I watch ABC’s The Bachelor Pad.  So wrong yet so satisfying.

Now the commercials are cheesy. Really bad. But you don’t have to act like the medicated mother in the ad that just cleaned up her messy teenage daughter’s room. Although I did smile really big when I realized how easy these are to install. In an ideal world all my things would be hung from gorgeous hooks purchased at Anthropologie or at a Parisian flea market. However, due to time and  money constraints those two things are not happening. And my husband is very kind about installing what I have purchased but it is a committment. He is none too thrilled when 2 months later I ask him to remove whatever he drilled into the wall and he has drag out spackle and paint to cover the holes.

The 3M hooks come in multiple sizes and colors. Pay attention to the sizes and to the weights that each size carries. Oh and actually do read and follow the directions on the back.  There are instructions on the back for how to remove the hooks safely without the use of spackle. Also they ask that you wait (I know, so hard to do) about 1 hour or so before actually hanging anything on your hooks, giving the sticky stuff more time to adhere to the wall without any weight pulling on it. If you ignore this like I did then  you may wake up to an alarming thud in the middle night, scaring the bejesus out of you and causing your husband to roam around the dark house with a baseball bat .”No Honey! That is just my belts that fell down into my closet! Now we can go back to bed! Sorry you have no one to play baseball with!”

My favorite is the clear or white because I like the way they sort of disappear when I hang something on them. The uses and placements are endless. You know that vast no-mans land that builders leave up high in our closets? You can mount these hooks up high and hang up bags that you don’t use that much. Suddenly that space becomes more useful than those counselors they place in the back of the limos with the rejected Bachelor contestants. My collection that was outgrowing my metal racks can now be spread out, with some of the more dainty and delicate ones hanging on the new smaller hooks . Thus helping to eliminate my screaming like a toddler with a temper tantrum when the smaller ones get tangled with the other ones.

They are also perfect for that awkward recess of wall space on the side of closets.

I hung some on the back of my door for my everyday belts.

And before you think “Wow, she really has her belts paired” down I will show you what used to be drawer of shame and how I fixed it. When I started working at Elizabeth Maar Boutique about 10 years ago I had maybe 2 belts. Fast forward a few years and due to the store’s amazing collection of belts my collection has reproduced like bunnies. It was getting out of control.

Hardware store find #2 to the rescue….

TOOL CHEST DRAWER ORGANIZERS

These are usually sold in packs of 3 and are the perfect depth and height to fit into most drawers. Their little cubbies corral all sorts of clutter – socks, jewelry, etc. but I love them for my belts.

There, much better.

And my other favorite item from the hardware store is. . .

GLOSSY BLACK SPRAY PAINT

My favorite brand is the one pictured above. Mostly because the trigger does not hurt my fingers (I am a wimp) and it has a primer AND IT COVERS EVERYTHING!!!

I love to repurpose stuff I already have so that I can go out and spend more money on clothes. I’m kidding.  Sort-of.  I think there are simple things that we should all have in our closet to make life easier, a step stool to reach up high, a trash can for tags and threads, and a bin for hangers that are coming or going. In a limited space I like to unify with a color and most items when repurposed look fabulous with glossy black. So you can take the old stepstool from your kid’s bedroom with the little animals on it and paint it shiny black for you to use. This of course is provided your child has outgrown the step stool. I am not suggesting you steal items out of your child’s room just to make your life simpler, although I have.  In the example below I took my proliferate collection of faux terra-cotta planter pots, purchased at a time when I thought I would want beautiful flower pots blooming on my patio. But summer comes around and me and my black thumb don’t water and kill all the plants. In return I have a plethora of pots. I spray painted some glossy black and they are perfect catchall for hangers inside my closet.

But beware, updating things with spray paint is addicting. I started doing frames, chairs, and I even considered the dog just to get rid of the tri-colored shedding of the beagle hair. Just kidding, Duke.

The point of all this is to THINK OUT OF THE BOX. There are useful solutions all around to simplify our lives. I firmly believe in starting with your closet because this is where you start your day. The above solutions are no fuss, no mess and super quick, like the Tom and Katie divorce. No time for this? Remember I have quick fix  mini sessions where I can whip the chaos into shape in 1 hour. Think of it like paying someone to detail your car, outsource it, it’s done, and move on to bigger and better things. And I promise not to spray paint your dog or steal items from your kids’ rooms.