As I was posting outfits over the past couple months with all of the handbags in my collection, several of you (including Angie) have been asking me how I store my handbags. I felt a little sheepish, as in my head the question sounded to me a little like "OMG how the heck do you store THAT many handbags?" I know you all didn't mean it that way, but I know I have a bit of a handbag problem...LOL!

I haven't been that great about taking the best care of my huge wardrobe when things get busy and it has been kind of messy and bursting at the seams. So it inspired me to really try to tidy it up and do some editing. I went through and purged a bunch of pre-pregnancy jeans and printed skinnies that no longer fit (yes, I did torture myself by trying them all on), plus a few old clutches that were too small to be practical, and some pilling sweaters, etc. I wish I could be ruthless and get rid of more, but I really couldn't do a major purge because I still love and use most of it.

I think I need to go into a hug my closet phase, but without a total shopping ban because that just makes me want to shop more. I just own too much stuff, as evidenced by Handbag Month lasting for several months. I could also do Dress Month, and a Skirt Month too with a new one every day without running out of items! Don't ask me to count my items. I plead the fifth.

I am going to try to concentrate on being more selective about what enters my closet and limiting my purchases. I have been reading up on minimalism and getting uncluttered and Project 333, but the thought of trying to pick 33 items to wear for the next three months makes me break out into a cold sweat. I've never been good at capsules and mix and match, and I don't think I would enjoy being that restrictive about what I wear, especially given my penchant for matchy matchy and accessory sets. I think I would go stir crazy if I tried it! So I think I'm just going to have to focus on having the right size wardrobe for me.

Anyways, on to the tidying and a tour of my closet. In addition to this, I have a dresser in my bedroom with five drawers, with 1) socks, bras and underwear 2) T shirts and other knit shirts 3) shorts, jeans and printed pants 4) swim, sleep and loungewear and 5) workout gear. Also I have coats in a closet upstairs, and seasonal ski gear etc. in bags. And a few pairs of shoes and sneakers under a bench by the entry door.

I stuffed those air pillows that you get in Amazon packages into the purses so they would hold their shape better, and put fresh rolled up magazines in my tall boots to replace the paper towel tubes. I had to take over another shoe shelf to give more room to my satchels, and put my booties on the floor. I had to stack all my flats one on top of the other, and the totes are kind of stacked on top of one another too, which is not ideal, but that's all the space I had. Necklaces are in a jewelry organizer with earrings on the other side hanging on the closet door. Hats and bracelets in a divided box underneath my shirts. Clutches on a shelf above my dresses. Sweaters in a bin with some larger bags on top. Super fancy purses in their boxes on the floor under the skirts. I like rainbow and ombre effects so my bags and clothes are roughly ordered by color. White first, then rainbow, then black. Short sleeve shirts/tanks to the left, then long sleeve shirts in the middle, then jackets to the right. On the bottom, skirts on the left, then non-jeans pants (just a few) on the right. Scarves, belts, maxi skirts and dresses in another section with clutches on a divided shelf above them. My wedding dress and Christmas ornaments up on the very top shelf. DH's clothes are on the other side of the closet.

My favorite part is the seat next to the mirror. My closet hasn't been this clean for a while, but now that it is, I love sitting down and resting in there for a few minutes to get away from the chaos of the rest of my life! (Though the kids always find me and come in and try on my shoes and necklaces!) Hope you enjoyed the tour of my little sanctuary! Thanks for inspiring me to clean up so I could show it to you!

PS: I just found an old thread where I showed my closet five years ago:
nofollow http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....ation-pics
The funniest quote?
"I joined YLF in July (after I started wardrobe shopping for the first time in 5 years since having kids) and now that six months have passed, I think I am finally done!"
Um, yeah, not so much! Rookie mistake.
I was complaining back then that I had too large of a wardrobe, but look at how sparse my closet looks five years ago compared to now! I still have a lot of items in those pictures. And where were all the handbags back then? Yikes!