Have you ever wandered through your favorite clothing store and wondered how they get those neat little stacks of perfectly folded shirts?  Although none of us live in a house with our own boutique shop for displaying what we wear, there is no reason why the storage of our clothes can't look just as tidy.


Whether your shirts are stored on a shelf in your closet or tucked away in a drawer, the folding technique is the same.  It doesn't take much time to do it correctly, and it is a pretty fool-proof process.  Knowing the proper way to fold your clothing will not only make your closet look neater, but will also help to keep your clothes wrinkle free and ready to wear.







Today we'll focus on the task of folding your shirts.  But, keep an eye out for future posts where we look at folding pants, pajamas, and more.






Working on a flat surface, lay your shirt face down with its arms out to the sides.  Smooth any wrinkles or creases in the fabric.









The secret behind how stores get shirts quickly folded in the exact same size is that they use plastic folding boards as they make their folds.  You can buy different versions of these online or you could simply use a cutting board, cardboard, or even a magazine that is lying around.  You just need something sturdy that is an appropriate width to guide your folds.


Whatever you choose to use, lay it in the center of the shirt that you are folding.






Fold one sleeve straight across the back of the shirt.  If you are doing this without a folding board, this fold should be about halfway between the neck and where the sleeve is adjoined to the body of the shirt.






Fold that same sleeve back over itself and down at an angle.






Repeat the process on the other side of the shirt.


Then, carefully remove the folding board from inside.


Fold the bottom half of the shirt up to meet the top.  If you are storing your shirts in a drawer, fold the shirt in half again and store them vertically like files rather than stacked on top of one another.  I've been doing this for close to 20 years and it makes finding your clothing in a drawer so much easier.









The process for folding any type of shirt is about the same, whether it is a t-shirt, button down, sweater, or even tank top.  It is a task that anyone should know how to do so that their clothes can be properly cared for.  This simple process allows you to add a special "boutique" touch to your clothing storage without costing yourself a cent.











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The hardest area of the home to declutter is the sentimental items that you store as keepsakes, but there are a few decluttering tips to keep the amount manageable and in order. 


Welcome to the final post in our decluttering series!  Today we are each discussing sorting through sentimental items like photographs and keepsakes.


In the book, author Marie Kondo suggests doing this category of possessions last because they are the hardest to get rid of.  Through practice in decluttering clothes, books, and the other items in your home you should be more prepared for knowing what you should and shouldn't keep in terms of sentimental items.

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Happy Sunday!  I hope that your weekend is going well.  Today is the next installment in our decluttering series.  Have you been following along on the journey to finding what possessions bring you joy?


In case this is your first time here, each Sunday I'm joining some of my blogging friends in posting about my views about how to gain control over your clutter.  Many of us are focusing on things that we learned from The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.  Links to everyone participating appear at the end of this post.

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Welcome back to the third week in our series on decluttering and sparking joy.   This week we are digging into our accessories and beauty products. 


This is an area where I think many of us struggle with clutter and having an excess of things we don't use because accessories and beauty products are relatively inexpensive and we want to experiment with new things.  Today's post will teach you everything you need to know to overcome this problem and I've created a few helpful printables to help you as well.

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Before you sort through a single possession when decluttering your home, you have to understand what clutter is and how you want you space to look and feel when it is done.  This first post in a six part series guides you through this important beginning step.

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I always feel the need to declutter and organize in the fall.  Something inside of me associates the season with new beginnings.  A new school year has always signaled a fresh start.  For that reason, our decluttering series is starting as we enter into the month of September.


When I posted a survey over a month ago, there was a resounding cry for a desire to learn about getting your life back on track.  Ninety-seven percent of you who took the survey said that you are interested in decluttering.   And over half of you are interested in the book that is taking the world by storm, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.