Jones Family Jaunts: Cleaning house!

At the beginning of the month, I decided to spend a little time decluttering and organizing a few key areas in our house. The goal was to take on the IHeartOrganizing blog challenge and toss or donate 30 items.

I certainly did not get everything done I wanted to, but I definitely got rid of 30 items! I started with the craziest room in our house - our master closet! If you know me, you know I LOVE clothes and accessories. I also don't throw a whole lot away. The two traits do not make for a neat closet.

I focused on an area that I haven't cleansed in a LONG time - jewelry. To organize everything, I use two things that are totally not meant for jewelry, but they work. I have hung a tie rack and a bulletin board behind the door in our closet to keep my jewelry on display. I find that if it's out of sight, it's out of mind and I don't end up using it. And worse, I end up wearing the same accessories over and over.

I took all of the jewelry I own, laid it out on the bed and sorted it into 3 piles - keep, toss, and set aside for an accessory party. I'm planning an accessories swap party soon, so I wanted to set aside some things for that! Here's the finished product!

I organize my jewelry with a tie rack and a bulletin board!

Used extra nails from a home improvement project

Next, I focused on our entryway. As you can see in the before picture, it just wasn't functional space. We got a few hook racks and a bench. I realize that the point was to declutter and I essentially brought more stuff into the house! BUT, I did end up sorting through the winter coats and donated several to Goodwill.