Traveling Light, Staying Organized

Travel Light by helda-el-temawi 

Packing is something that we all procrastinate or hold off until the day before our flight...NOT a good idea. I always find it easy to make a list of what I'm going to take with me and filter out the list from there. Personally I've always checked in a bag at the airport but this time I figured that I'd avoid luggage fees and just take a carry on, especially since it's only a 5 day getaway. 

This is my carry on... Yes. That's all I'm taking! Along with my purse of course. All my toiletries and makeup and entertainment will be going into my purse which I can take onto the plane with me. 

Some tips:

• Be sure to check the airline's website for their carry on guidelines first, although they're pretty standard for all. Keep in mind of the weight limit. ;)
• Check the weather of your destination and make sure to bring the right clothing! 
• Wear your heaviest clothes on the plane. Since I'm traveling in the winter, I'll be wearing my boots and coat arriving and leaving my destination.
• Make an itinerary so you know what types of clothing to bring!
• Be sure to put all liquids into a clear bag and make sure they're travel size. When the rules first changed I was taking a flight to Las Vegas and had an expensive perfume bottle thrown out because it was too big to take on the plane :(

Yes. I'm going to fit ALL that into my carry on. 

• 1 pair of booties
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 4 pairs of flats ( Yes, I need them all)
• 3 pairs of pants
• 1 sweater dress
• 1 exercise outfit (shorts, yoga pants, top)
• 2 T-shirts
• 1 cardigan
• 2 long sleeve shirts
• 2 dressy shirts for dinner
• 1 scarf
• 2 clutches
• 5 tanks
• Undergarments, socks, jewelry, bathing suit.

I like to make outfits and place them together so I know that I have everything I need and I take pictures. Like so:

Here is a step by step of how I roll each item.

For pants, I fold in the flap to even out the ends. This is what I've learned in the 8 years I worked in retail!

The end result with everything rolled

To create more space inside the bag, I try to utilize any small crevices I can for smaller things like this. Use your shoes for socks, underwear or tanks!

                                   

 

I put all my shoes at the bottom of the bag, laying them out so every space and corner is taken and it widens the bag out.

Then I lay everything else in making sure every space is taken.

VOILA! I hope this has been helpful! 

Happy organizing! ;)

Peace out sucky snowstorms! HELLOOOO Sunny Cali ;)

DIY Closet Island

So you have an ugly, old, plain looking dresser that you don't need anymore. It's in good shape and would be a waste to just throw away. I can show you an easy, less expensive way to turn that thing into this:

Although it took me about a month to have a finishing project because of a busy schedule with the holidays and work, the actual process could take you a weekend. I will take you step by step and show you just what I did :)

Before you start spray painting, make sure that the surface is clean and clear of dust. I would suggest doing this outside but it was too cold outside so I decided to do it in my room. Just make sure you lay something underneath and cover up anything surrounding it because the spray does get all over.  I purchased a white satin finish with the primer in it to save time and work. It's gonna take a few coats to get a solid color. Eventually, I got a can of paint and just painted the entire thing.

I took the backing off since I wanted that open look but it was helpful while I spray painted, like a protectant, so I didn't end up spraying my carpet. That would not have been cool. 

I decided to keep the original knobs for the drawers and spray painted them gold. You can switch knobs easily but since I was looking for gold anyway and the ones I found looked the same, I saved some money. The spray paint I used was the Rustoleum in metallic gold. 

I had to remove all hardware before I painted but since I'm keeping the top two drawers, now is the time to reinstall them. They're labeled with left and right just in case I forgot, the rest I tossed along with the drawers themselves. I painted the drawers with a roller and it came out nice and smooth. After they dried, I put the knobs back and slid the drawers into place.

Time to create my own mirror tabletop with molding! I purchased two long moldings from Home Depot for about $7 each. Just make sure you measure the table first to make sure you would have enough. Home depot will cut the molding for you, but I have a brother in construction who did it for me. The endings were cut diagonally so the molding acted as a frame. Finding a mirror the same size was so hard, I would've had to get it custom made and wait for it to come in the mail, and I didn't wanna wait. I had a mirror that was in the hallway, that actually came with the house when we moved in, so I removed it to size it and it wasn't an exact fit BUT it would work. Woohoo! Mama wasn't too happy but I promised her another. 

Say Hi Ed! (Kitty wouldn't move, what else is new)

I originally bought glass from Home Depot but turns out they don't cut glass and the associate told me I could probably get it cut at Lowe's but no they wouldn't. So of course I had to return those. Lowe's actually had the size I needed and turned out to be cheaper. I needed 4 pieces of 12x26,  which they were able to cut a 24x26 into two pieces. Voila! 

Since I already had holes predrilled from the drawers that were there, I was able to twist/screw in nails that have a flat end to them. I placed a glass piece on to make sure it wouldn't fall, and I was a little weary about it sliding off so I added velvet grips just in case.

I placed the mirror in the exact spot I wanted it to be and framed it with the moldings, making sure they were lined up. I nailed it in place with gold nails which showed so I got a small makeup brush I don't use and painted it white so it blended it. 

                 

The finished product!  Now comes the organizing and decorating! ;)

 

           

            

I hope this was inspirational!

Happy organizing!! Xoxo

GQ & Leather

When I think of a manly closet, I think of GQ, leather, and dark wood cabinetry. I don't know why. A man's closet is rather simple, compared to a woman's closet....well I guess it depends on the type of man you are, BUT for the most part, a man's closet consists of sports coats, suits, button-downs, t-shirts, slacks, and shoes and accessories- such as hats, belts, ties, and watches. Here's a few inspirational ideas to help organize a man's closet. 

I love to color coordinate and fold T-shirts so they lay neatly on top of each other like above.

I love the idea of tie boxes, they look more unified and tidy as opposed to hanging them like the first photo. You can use drawer organizers to separate them and you can find a variety here. You can also use trays to place inside your drawers.

Separate and group your button downs, coats, and slacks together to make it look more unified. Storage boxes also give a nice piece of decor as well as serve a purpose.

Watch or cufflink boxes are not expensive storage items to have and really display, as well as care for them. You can find a variety here and here.

 

I love putting shoes on display, it makes finding shoes easier by seeing all of your options!

Although I'm a big advocate for the Slimline velvet hangers for space saving, wooden hangers are a must for a classy, masculine closet. Be sure to stock up! You can find a 12-pack of light or dark finish wood at Bed, Bath and Beyond for only $9.99. Amazon even has great deals on wooden hangers in bulk!

 

I hope this has been inspiring to tear your husband's or boyfriend's closet and give him a GQ closet! 

Happy organizing!