Tag Archives: Closet Clean Out

End of the Year Closet Challange

Confidence, Personal Style, , ,

Imagine walking through a well groomed garden. Smell the colorful flowers and feel the gentle breeze calm your heart. Allow the beauty to inspire peace in your heart as you walk along, while the dew is still on the roses. Perhaps this is a place to find God Himself. 

Now consider a garden that is overgrown and unkept. The paths are crowded with out of control bushes, the blossoms are wilting and withered and the clutter of weeds persuade quite an opposite affect on your heart.

No peace. Distraction. Overwhelm. 

Your closet is like a garden. 

In which type of garden would you prefer to start your day? 

No matter the size or shape of your closet, it, too, can be an inspiring sanctuary or it can be a overgrown and chaotic: full of unused, worn-out, mismatched clothing that chokes the confidence out of your day right from the start!

Closets must be cared for

Life is busy– especially this time of year. With all the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and going to events, your closet may likely be chaotic like mine right now.  For most of us, the only space (besides the bathroom) in our house where no one else is allowed to enter without permission, is our closet. This makes it a perfect place to hide things we don’t don’t know what to do with or don’t have time to put away before company arrives. It is also a great place to hide Christmas gifts. 

Christmas should be the season to seek peace and pursue it, yet with a cluttered closet, it’s easy to start the day frustrated over finding something to wear.  I don’t know about you, but my closet is no longer a sanctuary. I can nearly move amongst the “overgrowth.”

It’s time for a wardrobe weeding!

First step to creating a Confident Closet

I know the week of Christmas is not really the time of year to focus on self or take on a big project, but right after the celebrations is a great time to prepare the way for the new year.  Would you join me in a simple, step by step plan in weeding, cultivating and planting a Confident Closet?  

STEP ONE:  Enjoy what you have.

This is a time of giving, not a time to be longing for more, so in the spirit of Christmas, begin to WEAR EVERYTHING you already own. Put together as many complete (including accessories) outfits as you can. For now, just enjoy what you have and listen to what each outfit says. Notice how you feel the day you wear it. Is it “you”? Does it fit well? Is it in good condition?

If it makes you feel confident, then take a selfie or describe it in writing for future reference. 
If there are items that make you feel self-conscious, uncomfortable or phony; or if anything stirs up ugly emotions, Quickly GIVE AWAY, THROW AWAY or LAY AWAY that item.

After you wear an outfit, do not return it to your closet, in fact, don’t even wash it. This is a great week to let the laundry pile up. Instead of washing clothes, wrap a gift.

That’s all for now, we will get to the laundry next year.

Stay tuned for step two in my next blog. Be sure to join my email list to have it sent directly to your inbox.  If you have friends you want to do this with, please share this with them. 

Learn your personal Image Identity
Catrina Welch has been helping others with their image for more than 30 years. As a licensed cosmologist, certified image consultant and Biblical life-coach, she is well aware that image issues are far more difficult for some styles than they are for others. After her first husband left her while pregnant, she learned first hand that the greatest antidote to Confidence Conflicts is to know who you are, including your personal image identity. She developed a systematic way of doing image assessments for large groups, which she calls a “Supreme MakeOver.” Catrina is the author of five books, including “Confident Beauty: Reflecting the One Who Made You, with the Images in your Mirror and in your Soul.” She is the mother of four children. Catrina and Ron, her husband of twenty-six years, live on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and are now raising their first grandchild. For more information about Supreme MakeOvers or having Catrina speak at your next event, email her at catrina@catrinawelch.com
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9 Steps to a Complete Closet Clean Out

Beauty, Life, Personal Style, , , ,

Has your clothing closet become a junk room? When you look for an outfit for the day, is it easy? Or is your wardrobe crowded with clutter and chaos cause that cause your daily ritual to become a stressful decision? Let’s be honest, most mornings we do not wear the first outfit we pick. Not all of us can throw on any old jeans and T-shirt and be fine with how it looks. Natural Beauties may get away with that if their lifestyle allows for such simplicity, but they also have a tendency to hold onto things and are still susceptible to the Confidence Conflict that a crowded closet creates.

Less is more

It doesn’t really matter what size or shape your closet is, you can create an organized, inspiring sanctuary where you can start your day with simple decisions. The key is to be sure you have complete outfits, with nothing “unwearable” confusing your choices. In last week’s blog, we considered how sometimes simple Wardrobe Weeding is enough to keep your closet from clutter.

Join my email list and I will send you my FREE WARDROBE WEEDING CHEATSHEET, Click here to get FREE PDF.

When Wardrobe Weeding is not enough, and you need to start all over, it’s time to do a Complete Closet Clean Out. This doesn’t mean that you cannot keep anything you already have, but it may be time to step back and take a whole new perspective on your wardrobe.

If you are like me, when you feel overwhelmed, you may need a nudge. Completely changing up your closet may seem like too much work, but I assure you that once you get started, you will feel inspired. I did my closet this week (thanks for the nudge!) and I feel so empowered by the simplicity of having less to wear. In truth, I don’t have any less, because most of the things I removed I couldn’t really wear–or  felt uncomfortable or self-conscious in– anyway, and now I am free from their temptation to rob my confidence!

I want you to experience this wonderful feeling, so I am sharing the nine-step process:

  1. Remove the misfits. Anything in your closet that does not help you get dressed for the day. If “wardrobe” does not define it; find it another place for it to belong. The ironing board can stay, but only if you have room for it; the broom and Christmas decor can not!
  2. Remove all the clothes. Yes, that’s right every stitch of clothing in your drawers, on the shelves or hanging up; take them out of the closet and put them somewhere that you can sort through them, piece by piece. I recommend pulling them out by “likes” and stacking/hanging them together in groups of slacks, jeans, skirts, etc.
  3. Clean. Vacuum, dust, wipe down every nook and cranny of your closet and dressers. Make it smell and feel inviting and inspiring. Ahh, now you can say, “look, honey, I have NOTHING to wear!” …or do you?
  4. Get dressed. Look at all the clothes you have piled on your bed, what’s there that you really love to wear? Pull one outfit out and put it on. Does it still fit well? Is it in good repair? If not, go back to your Wardrobe Weeding Cheatsheet (Click here to get FREE PDF)  and follow the check list for what to do next. If it does fit, is in good condition and makes you feel confident, then  go to the next step:
  5. Complete the outfit. That’s right, whether you are going out tonight or not (and you’ve got a lot to do, so I’d recommend clearing the calendar for the day) get dressed up–jewelry, shoes, purse and everything. Then take a selfie. When you are done with your Closet Clean Out you will have a whole album of selfies to remind you of #What2Wear next time you feel you have nothing.
  6. Purposefully put it away. With your first (and favorite) outfit, think carefully. As you undress, consider where each item should go. Place your shoes and jewels where they are visible. Carefully fold, roll or hang each clothing item so that they take as little space as the fabric allows without causing wrinkles. Place them in areas that make logical sense to you. You may want to keep the outfit all together or organize the items by size, sleeve or color. Note: For ideas and tips on how to organize your closet, please follow my social medias as I will be focusing on this all week.Follow me on FacebookFollow me on TwitterFollow me on LinkedInFollow me on PinterestFollow me on RSS
  7. Repeat. Pick out another outfit and complete it with only clothing/accessories you have not yet put away. Take another pic and purposefully put away each item in that outfit. There will come a time when you need to re-use certain items to complete another outfit; that is fine, but try to create as many unique outfits as you can before mixing and matching. Continue doing this until you have created as many outfits as you need for your current lifestyle (in the current season). If you cannot complete enough outfits, make a shopping list of specific items you need. It’s a good idea to take a pic of anything you hope to match so that you can refer to it when shopping. Note: If you would like my Closet Audit Cheatsheet to help you with this, please comment or contact me and I will email you a great PDF chart that simplifies this.
  8. Eliminate the excess. Any clothes that are still laying on your bed that you simply do not want to put on, wether it is because they are uncomfortable, misfits, or make you feel self-conscious, get rid of (again, refer to your Wardrobe Weeding Cheatsheet Click here to get FREE PDF). Do not leave clothes out to disturb the peace in your bedroom. It would be silly to put in all this effort to create a Confident Closet only to make other areas of the house chaos and confusion, right? Cross the finish line.
  9. Decorate. Now, step back into/up to your closet and take a good look around. Chances are your heart is jumping for joy… and wanting to do the same thing for your husband’s side… (another day). Without all the extra clutter, what can you do to make this space more beautiful? Something that brings you peace and joy, like a picture from your honeymoon,  a framed scripture, bouquet of flowers or simply the placement of your pretty purses?Note: I’ll be posting ideas this week on my social medias, so remember to check in. Follow me on FacebookFollow me on TwitterFollow me on LinkedInFollow me on PinterestFollow me on RSS

You did it! Now there’s only one more thing to do. Go, enjoy the fruit of your labor!

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For more on Confidence Beauty Image- and Life-Coaching, or to learn about Catrina's Supreme MakeOver Image Assessment Parties, be sure to visit www.CatrinaWelch.com








Preparing for your Closet Audit

Beauty, Confidence, Personal Style, , , , ,

judge judyIf you are a business owner, you know how vital an audit is to your success. It’s important to assess the finances, inventory and/or policies that a company holds in order to avoid tragic mistakes.  I help my husband with his company’s insurance audits twice a year; it used to scare me to death because I really had no idea what I was doing. I felt like all the intimidating questions were geared at judging my record keeping, I was doing Ronny’s books out of love and convenience–the only qualification I had was in my pay-grade! The interrogation made me feel like a fraud until I began really understanding his business and what I needed to do for him. Insurance audits are not accusations like tax audits can be. Instead they are about fine-tuning the coverage you have so that it represents you well.

Kind of like a wardrobe assessment or “closet audit.”

I’ve done a lot of image consultations over the years, but seldom do I get invited into a home to do a “wardrobe weeding” unless the client is truly in a total transition or already quite confident and aspiring for excellence. It seems to me that most women feel like I did in the early years with my auditors. Its hard to evaluate what you have until you are sure of who you are.

Right now I am preparing for our workman’s compensation audit. I’ve gone through my reports and made sure nothing is missing. I’m ready to face what used to feel like judgment with the confidence of knowing IT IS WHAT IT IS. If things need changing we will change them–I don’t take it personally anymore. I know it’s more about tweaking our business to keep up with all the changing insurance laws than it is about me. It’s a bit like keeping up with the changes in fashion.

If you are ready to tweak your image so that you are properly represented, be sure to follow this series of coming blogs. Wednesday I will guide you through a closet audit and helping you answer questions like my auditor asks me:

 What kind of work do you do? 

What kind of coverage do you need? 

To be well prepared, take these next few days to be sure your laundry is caught up so that your favorite items are available for assessment when we consider:

What do you already have that is working well for you? 

In later blogs we will go over wardrobe weeding:

Does anything need tweaking so that it can be used again this year? 

What do you want to get rid of?

And then building a confident closet:

What needs to be purchased?

*****

Catrina Welch is an inspirational author and speaker. As an image- and life-coach, her message is not simply What2Wear, it is also Know Who You Are. She uses her personal experience with overcoming rejection, betrayal and loss and her expertise as a cosmetologist, image consultant and Biblical life-coach to help empower women to BE and LET BE.

Her latest book, CONFIDENT BEAUTY: Reflecting the One Who Made You, with the Images in your Mirror and in your Soul, is now available in your favorite bookstores. Autographed copies of all her books are available on her website at www.CatrinaWelch.com