Getting ReOrganized!

Last weekend, while I was packing to head out of town for the long weekend, my walk-in closet collapsed on my head.

While no bodies or shoes were injured, it left me pretty upset - who knew I had so many clothes that the weight of them would cause such a disaster?

 

my poor closet half-way through the clean out. Notice the bar on the floor? :(

So after reinforcing the structure of the closet, I thought it was time to purge & reorganize. 

The result?

 

 While it looks like a jumble, I assure you, it's organized!

1. I folded all my sweaters, pants, and tank tops, and put them on the top shelf. I divided them up with very inexpensive shelf dividers from Storage Solutions.
2. All my large bags were also put on the top shelf, and the same dividers were used to make them stand upright.
3. Tall boots also made their way to the top shelf, and rolled up magazines were used to help them keep their shape. 
4. Belts, scarves (which used to be shoved in a drawer!), and smaller bags, are now all hanging where I can see them for easy access. I was so surprised how many different types of hangers you can get, and all for only a few bucks!
5. The left side hold all my tops, coats, and layering pieces organized by type and weight. I'm not the type of person who has a "summer" and "winter" wardrobe to swap out... although maybe I should be?
6. The right side holds dresses and skirts. I'm sure I'll be sharing this space with the bf soon, so I need an alternate solution, or to downsize more..... hmmm....
7. My pride and joy! Haha, I love my shoe collection, and I love that it's all on display now. all together, these four shelves cost me $20 at Home Depot. They were super easy to put up too!
8. I know I'm gonna get a lot of flack for this one - but all my flats are now in a convenient basket. I can grab and go, and not worry about them taking up ridiculous amounts of space.

 

 I couldn't resist showcasing a close-up of my babies :)

So tell me, how do you keep your closet organized?

Smize?

I love how I look slightly drunk when I try to "smize".
Tyra would not be impressed with my skills.

 

blouse - Jacob (2010); vest - Dynamite (2009); shorts - F21 (2011); 

heels - Aldo "Mignona" (2010)

I'm still tweaking the site a little bit... let me know what you think, or if you've found any bugs :)

An Oldie but A Goodie

I realize that the Christmas Tree in the background kind of dates this pic, but I never did get around to posting this outfit... what with my breakdown and all, haha.

Anyhoo, I wore this on Christmas Eve and loved it. Something about leopard print paired with red just screams "Festive" to me!
I love how versatile both this skirt and top have turned out to be!

leopard tee - F21 (2011); pencil skirt - Jacob (2010); caridigan - Dynamite (2009);
belt - Gift (2011); heels - BCBG (2009)

Other Ways I've Worn This Forever 21 Leopard Tee...

Don't forget!
You can always click on post labels to see other ways I've remixed items :)

Crave It: Making Minestrone

Being Italian, minestrone soup was practically a staple in my house growing up. As I've mentioned before, Grandma has the most wonderful vegetable garden, so I was used to the privilege of deliciously fresh veggies from spring to fall, and frozen for winter supplies when it got cold. Unfortunately, my little townhome doesn't even HAVE a yard, so to the grocery store for me.

Minestrone is great when you have a ton of veggies in the fridge, and no idea what to do with them all.

Fair Warning: I make this the "Italian Way." No measurements. Just toss it all in!

• I start by chopping up all my firmer veggies (carrots, onions and celery) and throwing them in a huge pot with a couple liters of water. I also put in a few whole cloves of garlic.
  (You can brown your onion and garlic in the bottom of your pot first in a bit of olive oil to really release the flavor if you'd like.)
  

• After after it simmers for about 20-30 min, I put in everything else; beans, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, etc., and let it simmer for another hour.
  It might make some "foam" on top... just skim it off and dispose of it.
  

• Aaaaand... that's it! You can throw in some pastina (small noodles) if you'd like and top it with some parmesan and you have delicious Italian Homestyle Minestrone! It also freezes really well in an air tight container - just defrost, heat up, and enjoy at a later date! (Just don't add the pastina until you're ready to eat it!)

Pretty simple, right? But lets face it... if it were hard, I wouldn't be able to cook it. Haha.

Long Weekends

Ottawa Fashion Week kicks off tonight, but I won't be in attendance :(

Those of you who are going will have to fill me in on the wonderousness!

Fortunately, I'm missing it for an awesome reason - visiting a very good friend in Kitchener that I haven't seen in FOREVER! Yay for long weekends :)

Fellow Ontarians - How will you be spending your holiday Monday?

tee - Zara (2010); cardigan - Urban Behaviour (2010); jeans - Dynamite (2009);
necklace - Stella & Dot (2011); ankle boots - Thrifted (2008)