Time for some organization and a Giveaway

January - the beginning of a brand new year. And the best way to start the new year? Out with the old and in with the new...well, mostly out with the old ;) January is traditionally my clean out time, forget spring time, January is where it's at! So I decided that it was time to clear out the closets and drawers and get rid of old, worn out clothes or in Arden's case, *outgrown*.

Being a part of the Lowe's Creative Ideas network definitely helped.Their closet organization section in the store is pretty inspiring. So many tools to choose from. In the end though, I kept it pretty simple and flexible, so I could rearrange things a bit later on and I'd still be able to use everything.

As you can see my closet was in major need of an overhaul. My sweaters were piled up on the top shelf like there was no tomorrow. Let's not even talk about the ground floor: shoe & bag overload. With some handy organizational products from Lowe's things are looking a whole lot better.

I used a closet shelf turned on it's side to keep my sweaters in line on the top shelf. I also bought a double shoe hanger to store all of my smaller shoes, similar to this one, but mine has a double row of show compartments. The boots stayed on the floor. I used rolled up magazines to keep them standing at attention. I forget where I learned that tip from, but I love it. I also bought some handy fabric bins (like these) to store things like gloves, scarves, purses, etc when they're not in use. Oh and I'm almost forgot, I bought some wooden hangers to replace most of my plastic ones. I just need a few wooden pant/skirt hangers and then I'll be all set! And maybe another closet shelf to add to the other one and that way they can run the entire length of the top shelf. Doesn't it look sooo much better? It definitely helped when I got rid of all of the shoes I haven't worn in over a year and the bags that have been sitting on the floor collecting dust. Now the only things in my closet are things I actually use. Great concept, huh? ;)

Now moving onto Arden's closet.

Can you see the HUGE pile of outgrown clothing on the left side of that top shelf? Scary I know, extreme earthquake hazard ;) Not to mention the wine racks...somehow those don't strike me as being "child-friendly". So it was finally time to clear out Arden's closet so she could use it for all of her new things. I have another one of those shoe racks handy for all of the cute shoes she'll be getting, once she's a little older. I'm thinking she also needs closet shelves running the length on the top. I can then slip those bins into the "cubbies" for a even better, streamlined look.

Now it's time to tackle Arden's dresser...eep! Her clothing drawer was a complete mess. I had a system down when she was born: I used these compartment trays to organize her folded clothes. But now that she's bigger, so is her clothing. And they no longer fit into those compartments. I decided to take the trays out and there was much more space to fold and stack. I also moved a compartment tray over to the diaper drawer. Just look at how organized it is. Love it!

Now it's your turn! Lowe's has offered to gift one lucky reader with a $100 gift card. What's your most useful organizational trick? Just leave me a comment about it and you can enter for a chance to win $100 to Lowe's!

Prize

One $100 gift card to Lowe's

3 Ways To Enter

1. Leave a comment on this blog post (not on Facebook or by email) telling us what your favorite organizational tip is!

2. Head on over to Facebook and “Like” the Lowe’s Creative Ideas fan page and leave a comment here about it.

3. Like the Copy Cat Chic Facebook page and then come on back and leave a comment.

4. Follow Copy Cat Chic on twitter, and just like above, leave me a comment so I know!

Giveaway ends

Thursday, January 26th, 2012.

Winner Announced

Friday, January 27th, 2012.