Getting back control of my closet: Phase I

Yesterday morning my closet looked like this:

But after being inspired by Ashli at Maillardville Manor I decided to take back my closet and regain a little bit of calm (just a little... there is a 3 1/2 and an almost 1 year old in this house). So after running a quick errand to do this:

And after sorting thru everything hanging, on the floor, and up above on the shelves (at first I wrote shelfs...weird), I now have this:

It may not look like much to you, and it definitely still needs some gussying up, but its so nice to be able to actually WALK into my walk-in closet. The biggest improvement was getting rid of the GIANT box that has been sitting there since we moved in (9 months ago!!!). I put it there so we could toss garage sale/donate items into it and we definitely used it for that. But it just got so full that I was overwhelmed and started ignoring it. Oops. Isn't it so easy to let that happen? I'm sympathetic with those crazies on Hoarders for sure.

So here's a side-by-side comparison of the old and the new and improved!

So much better!!! I'd love to paint in here but with us living here for a short time (2 more years) I hesitate to take that project on (especially considering that our stairwell, hallway, toy room, master bed and bath still need paint). But I do think there are a few things that'll personalize and pretty up this little but oh-so-important room. That, my friends, will be Phase II of this closet revamp. Unfortunately, I think organizing the other 7 closets in the house should be the priority. Boo.

I'm so excited to have the empty space on the short wall when you first walk in the door. I'm thinking a cute little chair(maybe something I thrift that I can test out my upholstering skills with?) or a small demilune with a garden stool tucked underneath to use as my dressing table. Definitely something with some pizazz!