In my last blog - Organization Part 1 - I described how woefully inadequate my jewelry storage was. I had been hanging my beautiful pieces (most from MAS Designs, of course) on the lamps on my dresser, creative but cluttered; you'd expect to see this in a teenager's room - not an adult's. It reminded me of episodes of Dateline when the camera pans the scene of the crime and homes are completely exposed - "what a mess" I think as I see their piles of stuff everywhere. Then I realize... wait - I have piles. Lots of piles. Uh oh. My fire alarm went off at 6 AM the other morning. As we jumped out of bed and ran out of the house, I am somewhat embarrassed to say that for a split second I wondered if this was my "Dateline" moment - would the fire department show up and check through the house, revealing MY mess? Luckily, it was a false alarm - we were safe and so was my secret.

Joking aside, I find comfort and stability with organization, which is what led me to the jewelry project. My last blog ended with a plan of attack - let's see how it went.

First, I absolutely LOVED using the Elfa Design Tool from The Container Store; not only was it super easy and fun to design my storage, I ordered and paid online and quickly picked up in-store to expedite the process. Two additional perks - they were offering 30% off all Elfa items AND I could install it MYSELF. That's right. No drills or nails required. Check out my photos to see which pieces I chose.

It took about 15 minutes to install and quite a bit longer to sort through my jewelry. As I picked through my lamps, I found pieces I forgot I had and made a pile of those I no longer wanted. I also reached out to organizational guru Jane Abrahams, owner of Jane's Addiction Organization (and Maxine's sister in law!). She had the following suggestions on how to store and organize jewelry:

First gather all your jewelry together in one place and sort into piles. You'll want to separate jewelry by type and by occasion. Be sure to inspect each piece for damage and wear, and set aside items that need to be cleaned or repaired.

If you are storing your jewelry on a dresser or countertop, you'll want to make use of your vertical space by using stackable jewelry boxes or organizers. This allows you to create a custom solution for your spaces. You'll find options in a variety of materials including acrylic, glass, metal and fabric-lined trays and drawers. Personally, we love using Stackers. They look like simple leather cases on the outside, but the interior is lined with velvet compartments to keep things safe. There are many options to chose from based on your needs and color preference. To us, Stackers feel like building your own jewelry box - and we love it!

If you decide to store your jewelry in your drawers, expandable trays and organizers can be sized to fit your drawer. Velvet-lined compartment toys are preferred to keep your items separated and protected. They come in a variety of sizes and styles. Acrylic or plastic inserts will also work, but only for your less delicate items, such as costume jewelry.

Thank you for your suggestions, Jane! Happy organizing everyone.

❣ Christine ❣