The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and the birds are chirping, actually that just might have been the local ice cream truck. Nevertheless,  spring is finally here! Good riddance to the heavy winter jackets, the layering and the sweaters. It’s time for a spring closet make-over.

[caption id="attachment_7924" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Disclaimer- following my steps might not make your closet look this perfect...but it'll look damn good![/caption]

First things first, accept the fact that this will be a heavy duty task and will take you at least an hour. Put on a playlist, grab your bins, garbage bags, extra hangers and get ready to enter the dark, cold depths of your closet.  Don’t forget to clean out your bags, shoes, scarves and yes, even your undergarments. 

 Step 1:  SORT – One by one take everything out of your closet and sort into one of these 5 piles:

1. Keepers- These are items you wear all the time because they fit well, and are key staples to your wardrobe.
2. Maybes- We all have a couple of items sitting in our closet for “ just in case”. Bring them out for a test run and ask yourself; do they still flatter your figure? Are they in style? Does it really fit with your style?  If the answer is “no”, to any of those questions, toss it.
3. “What Was I Thinking” – You know exactly what I’m talking about. You really don’t those neon pink booty shorts, and please say good bye to that tie-dyed tank top. If you haven’t worn it in the last year, you will probably never wear them again. Say your good byes and give them a new home.
4. TLC – These are for the items that might have a button missing or the hems need to be sewn. Maybe a jacket that needs to be dry cleaned or a blazer that need to be aired out. Set items aside to figure out if the time/money to fix them/clean them is worth it.
5. Seasonal- Goodbye sweaters! See you later boots. Until next year my lovely thick tights.  Make sure you wash, fold and store all your winter items for next year.  

Step 2: ORGANIZE- An organized closest will make it a 1000x easier when you’re picking out an outfit.

1. Throw away those mismatched, wire hangers. Invest in some slim fabric cover ones; they hold clothes really well and don’t take up too much space.
2. Hang as many of your clothes as possible so that you see what you have in your closet. I personally like hanging my clothes by type; tank tops, short sleeves, long sleeves, dresses, pants, and then organizing those categories by colour.
3. Buy clear storage bins for things like belts, shoes and bags. This way you’ll know exactly where to look.
4. Label your storage bins for your seasonal items.
5. Put all items you’re giving away or donating in a garbage bag.

Step 3: DONATE- Come check out my event SWAPxSHOP this Sunday April 21 from 12-5 pm.

 NEVER BEEN TO A CLOTHING SWAP?

Here’s what you can expect:

1. Pick out 5 (or more) items (clothing/ shoes/ accessories) from your wardrobe.
2. Drop off your items with one of our awesome volunteers at the event.
3. Take home 5 brand new (to you) items that you find!
4. Anything left over at the end of the night will be donated to charity.

 Tips: All clothing items should be clean, free of rips and/or tears, and gently used. You’re welcome to bring more than 5 items if you’d like!

 WANT IN?

It’s only $5 entry fee if you bring 5 items to the clothing swap or $10 if you bring 0 items. This allows you to take home any 5 items you find at the swap, sip on refreshments provided by vitaminwater, snack on yummy popchips, and bag it all in a reusable tote bag from LOFT!

Check out our Facebook event here and get your tickets now: http://bit.ly/urbaneblocSWAPxSHOP