Courtney Cleans Her Closet: How I’m Staying Sane – Part 2

Ask (almost) any woman about her closet and I guarantee you’ll get a groan or a response that includes muttering about how nothing fits and what a mess it is. Been there, done that.

I would get crazy anxiety walking into my closet. More than half of what I owned was some semblance of a size I used to be or wanted to be but not the size I WAS. Clothes were out of season and hanging up or strewn about all over. Don’t even get me starting on finding a matching pair of shoes. Getting dressed always resulted in some sort of body shaming self-esteem crisis or complaints about how my closet was bursting at the seams but I had nothing to wear. I could go in to put on pants and come out 20 minutes later literally ugly crying. Not a pretty sight!

Those feelings only got worse after having a baby and dealing with my ever changing post-baby bod. While I’m almost back to pre-baby weight, things shifted and clothes just don’t fit the same. I decided enough was enough after reading this fabulous blog post.

David was out of town so I had lots of time to work on this probject. After getting Caitlin to bed I grabbed a bottle of wine and got to work. I emptied the ENTIRE closet. I tried on EVERYTHING. I stayed up WAY TOO LATE. It was worth it. I boxed up out of season clothes and made a donate pile of eveything that didn’t fit me now and that I wouldn’t feel good leaving the house in at that very moment. I’m so guilty of keeping things “just in case” but the desire to clean the clutter overpowered my thoughts of “I might be able to wear this if…” I ended up getting rid of about three quarters of what I owned!

“Before” photos. I had already started cleaning even before taking these. The room was a total mess.

I love the idea of the capsule wardrobe that the blog article I linked speaks about but it wasn’t my ultimate goal. I came close…I could probably still do a little narrowing down but, for now, the end result has made me happy and feeling at ease. I know what’s in my closet fits and looks good. I decided the whole room needed a makeover instead of just going through my clothes. I threw up some paint and made an accent wall, painting the mirror to blend in. I rolled up file folders and stuffed my boots to help keep something so dear to my heart looking good. Plus side? It makes me feel like I’m walking into a shoe store. I might have a boot addiction… I revamped our dresser with a couple coats of black spray paint so I no longer had my 12 year old dresser with sponge painted clouds on it. I’m 30, it’s about time, right?!

I have room now to showcase my wedding dress and even some positive quotes that I look at each morning as the day starts. Having such a nice space now to get ready for my days has really helped my attitude and I highly suggest everyone go through their closets as well…I’ll bring the wine!!