Ladies, declutter your shoes!

shoes, glorious shoes

boots, flats, active shoes, slip-flops, slippers, everything!

Tell me in the comments how many pairs you THINK you have - tomorrow you can do the actual count :)

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The Organise your Home ecourse is a step-by-step system delivered in bite-sized pieces so you will NEVER feel overwhelmed. You even get an audio of me teaching you how to organise your space.

Tons of people have been through this system; are you next?

Friday Declutter Challenge - T-shirts!

Right, so today we're decluttering T-shirts.

I want you to go through all those T-shirts, especially those at the back of your cupboard...I have them so I know you have them too :)

Look what I found...

an ex-boyfriend's T-shirt from university!

and one from when we worked in the children's church before we were married actually (this is 14 years old)

You should be wearing clothes that fit well and that flatter you because you're worth it.

Throw out those old T-shirts - I don't even think you should keep them to wear to the gym because you deserve to look cute even when you're all hot and sweaty from exercising.

How many T-shirts did you get rid of today?

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Marcia Recommends
The Organise your Home e-course will help you get your entire home organised in just 12 weeks. Tons of people have been through this system; will you be next?

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Challenges for the rest of the month...

8 - underwear and socks, including pajamas

15 - shoes

22 - pants & jeans

29 - sweatshirts and jerseys

Our Declutter Challenges for May are...

next month, we're going to declutter and organise our clothes

1 - T-shirts, both long and short-sleeved

8 - underwear and socks, including pajamas

15 - shoes

22 - pants & jeans

29 - sweatshirts and jerseys

Get ready for tomorrow; it's T-shirt time!

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The Organise your Home e-course will help you get your entire home organised in just 12 weeks. Tons of people have been through this system; are you next?

Ready for the change of season

Since I tackled my wardrobe in two parts (on the blog, at least), I thought I'd post the final picture.

Tackling my handbags

I tackled my handbags 6 months ago and had to do them again last weekend because of all the new ones I've been buying. I sold MANY but it didn't make much of a dent as you can see below...

Before - top of old organiser

Before - bottom of old organiser
I knew I was going to sort this out so I created a mess on the bottom of my wardrobe during the last few days (yes, it felt good)
the whole lot in one very ugly pile

Sorting it all out

1. I put one awkward shape inside of another very big bag.
2. I used the space on the floor along the back (orange bag) and surrounding my basket (beige and brown bags).
3. I rolled up some bags and positioned smaller, lesser-used bags in my basket. This basket currently holds 8!
4. The basket stashes under my new lime-green organiser (for spring) because the shelves are quite narrow, which makes for a neater look.

Here is the end result - 20 bags, beautifully organised

In case you're counting, I am wearing number 20! :-)

Just for fun, tell me how many handbags/ purses/ pocketbooks (whatever you call it) you have!

Tackling my wardrobe

In Johannesburg, there's no middle ground. It's either ice-cold or blazing hot.

During the last week of August I was still wearing corduroys, boots and thick, winter jackets. On 1 September exactly, it was blazing hot (high 20's) and it hasn't let up at all.

Last week we had temperatures of 28 and 29 degrees the entire week.

Which is why it became really urgent to swop my winter and summer clothes around because I hate wasting time in the mornings.

I keep the clothes I need to access a lot on the right side of the wardrobe because my side of the wardrobe is on the left of our bedroom, and the ones for the other season in plastic bags on the left side. I know I shouldn't keep them in plastic but quite honestly, it's worked for me ALL these years and I'm happy like that, okay?

I have a double rail to maximise space and it really works because everything fits (except the thick winter coats).

I had to

1. throw out any old clothes, clothes that I no longer loved or those that don't fit
2. move the clothes around
3. sort out the colours
4. sort out the sleeve lengths

I like to file my clothes by colour or shade first, and then by sleeve length. So all the beige suits will hang together, with sleeve lengths ranging from short to long.

before - top

before - bottom
Before you get really worried, I have tackled all those handbags too. Those 3 were only thrown in during the last couple of days in total frustration. That will be posted as next week's tackle. It's a big one!

after - top

notice the colours - light to dark

I can still declutter some more - this will happen as I wear things and find they don't look so great any more :(

after - bottom

ignore the plastic bags on the left; then go my long-sleeved shirts (in case we actually have a spring at some point) and my casual pants.

and I present - my beautifully organised wardrobe

I sat on my bed and just gazed at it for a few minutes afterwards :)

If I had to change to spring/ summer clothes, then I'm guessing that you US guys have to change to autumn/ winter clothes.

That's my challenge to you - tackle those wardrobes (closets) and link back here so I can come have a look.

Ta da da dum..... and the winner is...

Scroll down for new posts - I'm leaving this up until next Friday 3 August.

Well, I never thought I'd see the day when my comments went over a hundred. Reaching for 20 was a goal in itself :-)

It was terrible for me seeing all the comments knowing that I couldn't just give the Household Organising File to all of you!

So I put on my thinking cap and decided to give everyone (who visits this blog) a 20% discount on this or any of the other 2 organising products in my store.

These 3 downloadable products are featured on the welcome page of the store. You have to enter this product code dogdays to see your discount at checkout. I have tested and it is working perfectly :)

This discount code is only valid for a week until next Friday!

I also have other free forms on my website which you must please go download. And don't forget - I publish free weekly tips every week. The sign-up box is at the top of the sidebar. Over there --- >

However, the winner is...............
Nikki Bonham - congratulations, I really do hope this helps you! It seems Nikki is a fellow Rod Stewart fan. Go Nikki :-)

To those of you who sent me questions, THANKS A LOT. I'm going to answer one question every week on a Thursday for the next couple of months!

Ali's organised closet

Here are some pictures of Ali's beautifully organised closet.

These are the summer clothes. Notice how the clothes are arranged by colour, with white and black on the sides, and the colours in the middle. I love how you can see everything at a glance, even the shoes. I'm sure she doesn't "forget" that she has any clothes or shoes because there are no piles.

In this photo, look at how the space on the doors is used well. This kind of space is often forgotten and, like in this case, is so easily made useful.

There are 5 hooks on each door for her jewellery (by the way, Ali also makes jewellery - if you go have a look at her site, you'll see her gorgeous stuff)

And here are her winter clothes. She uses a shoe organiser in this cupboard because you can see the space is less due to the bulk of the winter clothes. Even the kitten is comfortable here!

I was thinking how to introduce Ali to you but I think I'll let her do it herself. This is excerpted from her blog profile.

21st Century Nomad (currently putting down some roots). In April 2005 I left my job, friends, and family in the US and moved to Mozambique to work as a consultant. Some Brazilian friends of mine (including one who is now my boyfriend!) started a business here and invited me to take part as a fundraiser and grantwriter. We all used to live together in a small town called Chimoio, but now my boyfriend and I have moved to Maputo where we have a flat of our own. This blog is the story of my adventures, starting in Austin, passing through Rio, and ending somewhere in Africa.

Go visit her blog and remember to check out the jewellery.

Thanks for sharing your space with us, Ali.