Having a baby is a far more complicated endeavor than you could ever imagine when you first get pregnant. To help you manage the influx of baby’s clothes (and all the size changes as baby grows), here are a few tips…

Supplies Needed:

• clothes dresser
• drawer dividers
• children’s hangers
• closet dividers
• paper bags
• plastic storage bins

Organization Tips:

1. Store socks, mittens, hats, and other accessories in separate sections of the top dresser drawer.
2. Fold all onesies and store in two separate piles in the second dresser drawer: whites and colors.
3. Fold all gowns and sleepers. Store in two separate piles in the third dresser drawer.
4. Hang up baby’s outfits in the closet. Separate them by size and/or season using closet dividers.
5. As baby gets bigger, toss any outgrown clothes into the corresponding paper bag at the bottom of baby’s closet (labeled “sell,” “donate,” and “keep”).
6. Once the “donate” bag is full, take its contents to your favorite local charity.
7. When the “sell” bag is full, take its contents to your favorite consignment store.
8. When the “keep” bag is full, place its contents into the corresponding plastic bin (labeled by size and season, plus gender as necessary).

Next time you’re packing up your suitcase for a much-needed vacation or business trip, consider using old buttons to organize your earrings… just push the wires through the holes and secure them at the back.

In fact, if you don’t own a fancy-schmancy jewelry organizer for your earrings at home, you can use this idea to keep pairs together in your jewelry box (or wherever else you store your earrings).

Quickly locate just the right button next time you lose one (heaven forbid)…

• When you buy a new item of clothing, use a fine-point permanent marker to label the outside of the spare-button pouch.
• Then, store all the extra buttons with your sewing supplies (i.e., needles and thread).
• Better yet, use a zip-top baggie to contain all those tiny, labeled spare-button pouches.
• Or, my personal favorite… Grab a needle and thread to blind-stitch the extra button directly onto the inside of your new garment.

You’ll never waste precious time looking for a replacement button again!

Woohoo! The Lilybugs Children’s Consignment Sale was a great success! I’m looking forward to picking up my cheque on Wednesday. I made a net profit of $128.80… enough to cover what I spent on Amanda’s summer wardrobe, birthday presents, and advertising (i.e., my [ real neat ] business cards and checklists for the goody bags that were handed out to shoppers)!

My little 2-bedroom apartment is breathing a sigh of relief now that I have eliminated several bins of outgrown clothing and toys. Now, I should be able to find adequate storage space for the belongings that Amanda and I actually use (i.e., camping equipment, art supplies, bicycles).

So, if you haven’t done so already, set aside an hour or two to sort and purge your excess clothing as the seasons change and the weather gets warmer.

THE RULES:

• Grab your calendar now, and schedule an appointment with your wardrobe within the next 2 weeks.
• Invite a trusted friend to join you in weeding out your ‘old’ clothes. She’ll help you remain objective.
• Hold a private fashion show, and
  • TOSS any clothing items that have holes (or if, like me, you’ll never realistically repair or pay someone to repair these items).
  • KEEP only items that actually FLATTER your body type. Get picky and brutal. Rid yourself of all ‘skinny’ clothes; at the moment, they are simply taunting you every time you see them, reminding you that you’re fat, you’re lazy, and you’re not good enough. Nothing is ever worth all that negative self-talk. Besides, when you finally do lose the weight, you can reward yourself with a new wardrobe!
  • DONATE anything that is still in decent shape but that doesn’t make the cut (or you never really wear). I hate to burst your bubble, but honestly… if you haven’t worn an item in the last year, you’re never going to end up wearing it. Schedule an appointment on your calendar to take these items to friends or local charities.
• Put away whatever items you keep (in an organized manner, of course). Need ideas? Sort by color, by length, by clothing type, or even by complete outfits.
• Take inventory of the clothing that you kept.
• Make a shopping list of items that you need to replace in order to fill out your wardrobe for the upcoming season.
• Block off some time on your calendar for a shopping date; and, when the time comes, shop with confidence and a discerning eye.

So, what about you? How do you sort and purge your wardrobe? Please share your tips in the comments below.

The Lilybugs Children’s Consignment Sale is right around the corner! Woohoo!

Lilybugs is a quality children’s consignment sale held twice yearly—spring/summer and fall/winter—offering the best in high quality gently used children’s clothing and shoes, maternity clothing, baby equipment, children’s furniture, outdoor toys, books, software, videos, and lots and lots of toys!

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