Belt Organizing with Hangers and Hooks

When I pinned a scarf and sunglasses hanger similar to this a long while ago, it reminded me of a yarn-tying craft I used to do at summer day camps when I was young. Anyone remember doing these?

We would use  plastic hangers and tie the yarn all the way around the hanger, then garnish it with a perfect handmade fluff ball. Boy, were we proud! 

 Well, not only did I think that hanging belts would be another great closet item to organize, I thought tying yarn around it would help to keep the hooks from sliding. 

I will show you step-by-step how to complete this project.

Supplies/Cost

Crochet Yarn (or any yarn on the heavier end), $3-$6

Wooden Hangers, $4 for 8pk

Scissors, $0

Shower Hooks, $1 at the dollar store

Project Length

1 1/2 hours?

The best thing about this particular project is that you can do it completely at your own pace. 

First, ball about half of your yarn...a little time consuming but will make this-and future projects-so much easier.

You'll begin by holding the hanger updide down between your legs...unless you can come up with a more genius was of stabilizing the hanger, that is.

You'll tie a knot as tight as possible (see figure 1). Don't worry about the small piece of yarn leftover from the knot because you'll be able to just knot over that as you go.
The next step can be mirrored, according to your comfort. Hold the ball of yarn in one hand while holding a little slack in the other. The yarn should cross over the hanger rod (see figure 2).
Next, bring the ball of yarn around (under) the hanger rod and through the opening made by the rod and yarn slack (see figures 3 & 4). 

 Then, pull taut, making sure that excess yarn from the original knot is laying down and will be covered by this-and subsequent-knots. What we're essentially doing is repeatedly knotting. 

It is possible that you'll notice your knots going diagonally after every three or four ties...just twist back toward the middle and it'll be fine. 

Continue knotting until you've reached the other end of the rod. Give yourself about six inches and cut the yarn so you may tie a few knots to hold your work. Cut away excess yarn.

Finally, group your belts-or scarves or hats-how you see fit and use as many shower hooks necessary to hang your items! Command hooks work very well to hang your finished project.

I got a little creative with the last hanger I did and tied around the rest of the hanger as well. Also, as you can see in this pic, it might be necessary to do two hangers if you have so many items your project is cluttered.

I'd love to know how yours turns out!

...As Long As You Come Back to It

by Chedel Townsend

My girlfriend periodically informs me of the mess that is her closet...or office...or wherever the biggest mess is at the moment. She explains how stacks of papers just continue to pile up around her. I've told her on multiple occasions, "it's okay, as long as you come back to it." Of course she responds with, "That's the problem, I never come back to it." Funny. Hey, no one is perfect, how do you think I came up with the reassuring statement of coming back to it? I have to tell myself the same thing when things get out of hand at my own house.

Being, or becoming, organized requires a mindset or lifestyle change-much like eating healthy-which doesn't come overnight. You definitely have to have the "want-to" to work at it (my eating well is still a work in progress, by the way :-).

The key is to come up with a plan and system that suits you. For me it has always come naturally: clothes and shoes are sorted by color, style, and weather; mail is by priority; files are by category and how easily they need to be accessed. As for those items that I know I'll have to come back to? They don't even get set down without at least being separated by final destination and/or priority. So maybe you pick a day of the week to sort and file? Maybe you set a reminder on your phone? I found that house chores and tidying naturally fell on Wednesdays, so I went with it. You have to find little ways to make things easier on yourself. Baby steps. And I'll be honest, it has been ten times harder with a whole family to keep organized.

My favorite organizing blog, I'm an Organizing Junkie,"
has a 52-week organizing planner to follow.
Laura lays out a plan to tackle projects
weekly, for one whole year.


TipJunkie.com (where I will soon be a contributor), is a collective of how-tos, printables, and craft & recipe ideas. The site provides a personal assistant organizing planner focused on making the most out of each day in life, not just organizing a thing or room or two.
Both Tip Junkie and Pinterest offer organizing ideas if you are at a loss for storage advice once you get it all sorted.

So now that you've joined a group, followed a blog, or sought out the services of a professional, you're afraid you won't be able to find the time or motivation to keep it organized. At some point (like trying junk foods after you've eaten healthy for a long period) you'll find a natural distaste for clutter and general disorganization. Being organized will come easy...like muscle memory. You'll commit to the change and challenge yourself to maintain every day, but in the inevitable event your organization gets a little out of hand, don't worry...as long as you come back to it.