Tidy

In March, I read Marie Kondo's "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up."  I loved it!  For me, it answered the question "How do I know when I am done decluttering?"  Instead of focusing on what can I get rid of (which is where I was), she focuses on what you should keep.  Keep only the things that "spark joy!"  The method to going through your stuff is to do one category at a time (and in a specific order).  You do this by first getting out every item of that category and picking up every single item one at a time.

Here are all of my clothes (every season, even maternity) piled on my bed.

After lots of sorting, picking up each item, and asking myself if it "sparks joy," these are the items that will be leaving.  (Don't worry, I'm not donating items that don't belong to me.  They'll be in the next throwdown.  But if there is anything specific you are looking to add to your wardrobe, let me know and I'll see if I have one going out!)  I also got rid of lots of hangers.  

Now for the BEFORE and AFTER pictures!

Top of my closet before and after:

Bottom of my closet before and after:

Drawers before (on left) and after (on right):

This is the closet in another room where I kept my off season clothes (and off season decorations).  Oh, and Zeal and Liberty have some clothes in there, too.  ;)  These two are from before...

These are after...  It went from three bins and a box to two bins.  And it's just maternity clothes in the bins now.  

More pictures from my closet now:

Now that I have completed clothes and accessories, I'll be moving on to books, then (non-sentimental) papers, then miscellaneous categories, and then sentimental categories.  If any before and after pictures are blog worthy, you'll be the first to know!