mums the word

BEFORE

BEFORE

 

AFTER

 

AFTER

This project earned its title because we cleared out about 10 mums from high school and middle school homecomings!!  Hanging on the wall, as they were in this closet, a small space can feel cluttered with so many colors and ribbons all over the place.  I find that in many of the spaces I organize, mums are saved over the years even though there is no obvious use for them and they have gotten crinkled over time.  Why are they saved then?  Sentimental value is irreplaceable and something so difficult to overcome when clearing out clutter.  I ask my clients simple questions about items they have a hard time letting go of…What does this mean to you? How can you use it still? If it is so important, why do you hide it in the closet?

Either the client comes to terms with passing on the item, or they understand that it is too important and we need to clear other items to make room to keep it.  Some things are easy to make use out of, for example, turning a bunch of old t-shirts into a quilt, but not everything is that easy, especially old spirit mums.  I did some research to see of any ways to reuse an old mum and this is what I came up with…recycling old mums at your school and just replacing the personalized ribbons, using the actual mum for a hair accessory, or weaving the ribbons to make a bulletin board.

This client could part with all but two mums, so we kept them on the wall on either side of a homemade jewelry board.

Another topic this project brings to mind is hangers.  In this space, there were several colors and types of hangers which can make a closet feel uncoordinated.  I suggest choosing two colors to work with; in this case we chose white and teal.  If you can, start with one color on all articles of clothing.  After you wear a piece, change the color hanger.  This is a great way to make sure you don’t repeat an outfit too often. If at the end of a season the original hanger is still in place, you know you can donate that piece of clothing that you never wore. 

For storing hangers, I suggest this product (pictured) found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or The Container Store.  No more detangling hangers and what an easy way to transfer hangers back and forth to the laundry room!

Copyright 2011 Get It Together Professional Organizing