I finally purged four garbage bags of clothes from my closet!  And it only took me 5 months to get over the psychological effects of this horrible activity - the anger, the denial, the sadness... let's face it, I'm really attached to my things!  Who isn't, though?

Now I need a way to really enjoy my new, clean and organized space!

Here are 5 of my favorite closet organization tips:

1. Purging tips - I absolutely HATE the rule that if you haven't worn it in a year, give it away.  I have plenty of things I don't wear in a year, especially expensive things that are classic.  So, in order to reduce the emotional stress of a purge, I collected and made up some more acceptable tips:
  • Look for possible donation items at the bottom of drawers.  This is very true for me.  I probably haven't worn them in a while, and I must not like looking at them either because they're stuffed far away from my eyes.
  • Anything with stains, runs, holes, or frays...get rid of it.  Also sweaters that ball a lot.
  • Fix what needs mending or give it away to someone else who would obviously appreciate having the piece of clothing more than you because she would mend it right away
  • How long have your clothes been sitting in the ironing pile?  Clearly I hate ironing because my pile has just grown, probably because I'm buying new things to replace items in the pile, not realizing that there's a duplicate buried in my basket.
  • Reassess the colors in your closet.  Really, are the fluorescent colors that were trendy this year (and in the 1980s) going to be in next year?  Do they look good with your complexion?
  • If it's uncomfortable, it's not worth it.  And for shoes, serial blister-makers get the boot!
  • Reassess the number of t-shirts you have with silly slogans or drawings.  An adult woman doesn't need to advertise on her chest...then again, if it's absolutely hilarious, keep it but maybe consider it for the sleeping drawer.  Also check white t-shirts and tanks for stains and toss all the bad ones!
  • Keep the black, but not the faded black.

2. Not all shoes need to be cluttering the shelves, especially in smaller closets, so try out these thrifty organizing boxes at IKEA.  Take a photo of the shoes and attach on the outside, so you know what's inside.
3. A better way to store scarves


4. Organizing your clothes in your closets by size or season, using these decorated used CDs


5.  Plan out your clothes using this super chic DIY pipe garment rack, a project featured on one of my favorite blogs - Camille Styles