What Ana Does

Closets are are in and I'm IN LOVE!  I've been stalking the ELFA closet systems from The Container Store for years. And when we decided to convert the room attached to our bedroom to a closet, formerly used as an office, I knew I wanted to custom build an ELFA closet for us.  Here's what I was told: They're super-easy to build. And they are customizable even after installation; you're not stuck with a certain layout. So if I get a job at an office where I need to be dressed up, I can reconfigure my closet to include more hanging space. Or a pants hanger. Other closet systems were cheaper, but you were committed to that layout.  I got the room measurements during the inspection, went on the website and did all the work to create two walls of closets. And we did one for Alice's closet, since a) she didn't want her closet doors and b) her existing closet system was a disaster.  And, lucky us, we got 25% off all three closet systems ... during their annual sale...

While upgrading the girls' bedroom with paint and a few furniture swaps, we fixed up their walk-in closets, too. How? We changed the bifold doors to French doors!  Why? The bifold mechanism kept falling off the track and it was incredibly frustrating. In fact, I pulled off Alice's doors after several failed attempts to get it back on the track. And not too gently, if you know what I mean. 😡 No Mortise Hinge To change them into French doors, I read a few DIYs on Pinterest and tried two different hinge solutions. Spoiler: The no-mortise hinge worked the best. The Bifold to French Door How-To: Before taking the doors down, I made pencil marks on the door frame and the door at the same height. This was so when the door went back on, it would be at the right spot. I detached the door from the frame and track then removed all the hardware, including separating the doors. (Bye-bye bifold!) I did a quick paint job and added a second hole for the other door pull. While t...

Included on my laundry room task list is this little closet. It's behind the room's door (pulled off to paint) and once had a bifold door on it which we removed because the space was too tight. It's too dinky to be a coat closet, anyway. In the past, this closet was dedicated to our dog. We had a crate and basket of accessories, etc. And we'd like to use it for that again. I thought instead of an ugly crate, I can install a baby gate in this doorway and use that as a crate. But I wanted to make the wall a little easier to clean, and add more shelving. Here's the before ... First, after I built all those shelves for the pantry , I had all this confidence to build more. So I added two built in shelves. (I may even add more!) Then I did research on removable wallpaper, which is similar to contact paper. It's wipeable and can be a pretty accent. So I added this paper I  got from Target  to the plan. (Though, I did look at Spoonflower shop on Etsy f...

Lately, I've been reading a lot about  capsule wardrobe . It just kept coming up in blogs, podcasts, Pinterest and books. (See below.) A Capsule Wardrobe concept, as I understand it, is your limited every-day-go-to wardrobe. And it's usually 20-38 items. Total. In theory, it cuts out the unworn clothing in your closet -- the just-in-cases, the I'll-fit-this-again-someday, etc. And, by doing so, wipe out the "what am I going to wear?" daily stress by just wearing your favorites/most-flattering in rotation. (Which you probably do already.) And you save money because you're not buying new clothes every month. Sources right to left:  Over the Deep End ,  Emily Lightly ,  Classy Yet Trendy  (I think) (Here's one link to How to Start a Capsule Wardrobe . I found a ton of other articles, too.) The frugal, zero-waste, sustainable side of me loves this concept. I love the idea of simplifying my morning because really most days I do wear the same thing (...

Leah: Before This project wasn't even on my list ... not even on my radar. Then, last week at work I was thinking about the kids' closets (both semi-walk-ins) and how there's all this unused space -- and I just hate when I'm not optimizing every bit of space in this house. I thought, wouldn't it be great if I added a few more shelves and get better use of those closets? Leah: After (Not All the Clothes) And the idea was buzzing around my head like a gnat all day, so I stopped at Ace Hardware on the way home and picked up two 4-foot closet shelves before giving it a second thought. I started with Leah, where I had envisioned the shelf going along the left wall (the wall I'm facing in the "before" picture). Then, I could stack boxes of toys and stuffed animals -- hiding all that clutter away. Here's the problem with not planning ahead : I didn't measure the wall. I purchased the shelves before I was even back at the house! So, g...