clean out – the Spiff

7 Minutes of Inspiration

February 15, 2016 No Comments

It’s a cold icy day outside my window. And since there’s barely enough snow on the ground to even see, now is a great time to hunker down inside and clean something out.

Before you go moaning and groaning, step one is just to continue sitting there and reading. No need to shoo the dog off your lap just yet (but tell him he’s only got 7 more minutes to relax).

Below I’ve pulled together all the posts I’ve written most recently about cleaning things out.

Really the key is to make it fun! I like to put on an old Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart movie (stuff my husband refuses to watch) or play my favorite music so I can sing really loud while I’m cleaning. That’s the stuff that makes you look forward to doing it and afterwards you are SO very glad you did.

Days like today when you’re trapped inside are the perfect time to get yourself clean and organized. And hey, you don’t have to do it all – just clean out one area! (I can’t guarantee that you’ll stop at just one, though).

Enjoy!

Clean out your:

Nail Polishes

Makeup Drawer

Closet Part 1, Part 2

Jewelry Box

closet organization, Fashion

Tips on How to Clean Out Your Jewelry

January 29, 2016 2 Comments

When it looks like we’re going to get snowed in my reaction is always the following:

Dance around the house kissing everyone like I’m George Bailey and I’ve just been given a second chance at life; eat; dance some more; play in the snow; eat; clean something out.

Along with a couple closets and a cabinet, I cleaned out my jewelry last week. It’s been on my t0-do list since before Jackson was born and, oh gosh, I am so glad I did it.

Whenever I get rid of things I’ve stopped using, I like to think of it as my house loosing weight. After cleaning out my jewelry I weighed the bag – my closet lost 6 pounds. SIX POUNDS.

Here are some tips that will help you get your jewelry organized…

One: Out of sight, out of mind. When you can’t see what it is you own, then you’re not going to use it. Go through each category separately – bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings – and put your eyeballs on everything you own. If it’s not something you would wear out the door right that second, get rid of it.

Two: Give anything that might have sentimental value a special place that’s harder to reach. You don’t want to keep the ring your Grandmother gave you in the top compartment if you never wear it out. Reserve the easy-reach spots for what you wear on the daily. (#hipwiththecoolkids)

Three: Learn your weakness and throw out duplicates. My weakness? Black jewelry. I am addicted to it, hard core. Recently, I’ve purchased two more black necklaces, so I got rid of ones that I’ve been holding onto for a while (actually, that’s a lie. I just realized I’m still holding onto one of them and it needs to go so I’ll be right back…)

Four: Categorize everything when you put it all back for easy grabbing. My necklaces are all hanging together according to metal and my bracelets are stacked by metal and occasion (gold everyday / silver everyday / gold fancy…etc.)

The benefits to cleaning out your jewelry? You can get ready faster because you see everything. You know exactly what it is you need more of (examining my pictures, I realized I need to find more silver necklaces), and you quit living around pieces you were never going to wear.

Plus it makes you feel good not to see the clutter anymore!

Beauty

3 Steps to a Clean Makeup Drawer

August 26, 2015 No Comments

Everyday after having a baby is an adventure. Some days you feel as if you can conquer the world and after doing so, typically the next day you feel as if the world has conquered you. While I’m still finding my stride, enjoy this post from last year about how to clean out your makeup drawer.

Because if your makeup drawer is anything like mine, it finds a way to get disorganized from time to time. And that’s purely the fault of the makeup drawer. You have nothing to do with that ;)

A strong advantage to writing a blog about cleaning out your makeup drawer, is that you have to actually clean out the makeup drawer. There’s no excuse.

Good news is it took less than 20 minutes. So whether you have a makeup drawer, bag, box, or crate, it can be easily cleaned in three steps.

Start by pulling out everything. This will help you see what all you’ve got hiding in the corners. In doing this I found bronzers I haven’t touched in over a year, a primer I was hanging onto even though it made me break out, and an unmarked jar of something…I still don’t know what it is.

Now that you’ve got everything out, go ahead and arrange it all into categories (i.e.: eyes, lips, face). This will help you see what you need, what you have duplicates of, and what’s really been so used up it needs to go.

You may not have a makeup drawer, you may have a makeup bag. Whatever you store it all in clean out that container. If you’re like me and you use a silverware divider wash it with soap and water. I found this to be much more effective over a spray cleaner because the water loosens the dirt more easily. If it’s a bag, run it through the washer. Either way, don’t skip this step because it’s going to make everything look/feel/be so fresh afterwards.

It’s time to put your makeup back in your clean container! Now that you’ve cleared out the clutter, streamlined your categories and cleaned out your container, you can put it all back together to make one good looking makeup drawer (I even like to wipe everything down before I put it back).

It’s a quick easy clean that’s going to have you feeling very good about yourself tomorrow morning!

Beauty, makeup, makeup brushes, Videos, wbir

Cute Babies and Clean Makeup Drawers

April 17, 2015 No Comments

A lesson I’ve learned this week, is babies will come into the world when they’re good and ready.!

This little beauty (my niece from my husband’s sister) surprised us a few days early which threw off our week (in the best way possible). Her name is Delaney! I can already see where she’ll be fun to shop with, and be able handle her little boy cousin who will join her in a few months!

I gave you a cute baby to look at so that you’ll overlook the fact that this post is going to be short and sweet.

Please enjoy my segment from a couple weeks ago when I talked about cleaning out your make up drawer. It’s such a necessity since we’re putting these things on our FACE. And it’s going to completely revolutionize how you get ready in the morning.

I know that’s a strong statement, but cleaning out your makeup and only having what you’re actually going to use AND seeing it organized will send you out the door feeling like super woman.

christmas

Your Jewelry Box Called, It Needs This

December 19, 2014 1 Comment

If you have a lot left to do before Christmas, you may want to stop reading. I mean, it’s still going to be wildly entertaining and all, I just don’t want to add to your stress level.

I’m going to be writing about cleaning out your jewelry box.

This time of year it tends to get neglected and be a complete mess because of all the running in and out we’ve done. Throwing on different pieces before we leave, then tossing them back with bleary eyes completely unwilling to put them in their proper place.

Which ends up leaving it looking something like this…

I was determined to clean mine out and get everything back in order before I opened a single present. Especially since I knew the chances were high that I would be adding to it.

So I first began (like I do every clean out) by straightening up all the clutter. I put everything back so that I could see it all more clearly.

Then I went through and pulled the things I haven’t worn in a while. This is the part where you have to be completely honest with yourself. Sure you love it, but will you wear it? Really? Really?

It it’s got some kind of emotional attachment, put it in a different spot. I’ve got a designated drawer just for the things I hold dear. But it’s not in my regular path because I don’t need them to be.

Once you’ve cleaned it all out, consider what it is you reach for the most. Like little everyday earrings. Are they easy to get to? Are all your watches out where you can reach them? Think about all the seconds you’d save yourself in the morning if everything was clean and neat and in a spot that you can grab within seconds.

Let’s talk about your necklaces. Do they all have their own spot? Are they getting tangled up all the time? If so, consider doing this. In fact, if you don’t have room in your closet for this, consider doing it in your bedroom as kind of an artsy way to fill up a wall. Well organized and super chic – sounds like a winning combination.

Or you can always pick up some hangers like this one and hang your necklaces from it in your closet. I got a pack of these at Marshall’s for super cheap!

Set yourself up for a Merry Christmas and take a few minutes to do this!