Outfit Pin-spiration

A Closet Corkboard Makeover

If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen this photo on Friday of some current DIY projects I'm working on...

While the project on the left is (still) not quite completed, I'm excited to show you what I was doing with the project on the left!

I always see great outfit posts on Pinterest and post them to either my Pretty Stylin' board or my Work Apparel board.  I especially love when I find outfits that contain pieces similar to ones I already have in my wardrobe so that I can re-create my own version of the outfit. But when I'm rushing to get ready in the morning, or on the (rare) occasion that I remember to put out my clothes the night before when I'm tired and ready for bed, I have a hard time remembering the "new" way to piece together those items and I end up wearing an outfit I've worn a hundred times before (no shame). And I hate having to pull out my phone and scroll through a million pins on the tiny screen to find the one I'm looking for. 

This project will hopefully help me to remember new options for my wardrobe in a fun, easy way that I can even use in the 3 minutes I give myself to choose an outfit in the morning. 

I started with a plain corkboard like this...

Plain now but full of possibility!

Then I painted the frame Devine Lightning by Target (I loved it because it came in a tiny sample size, perfect for these small projects. In person, it's kind of a shimmery white that almost has a pink tinge to it).  Then I cut out a pale pink patterned scrapbook paper to size and double-sided taped in into place, because I'm that talented. I choose this paper because I wanted pretty but not too much color or pattern since I was planning to add plenty of that on top.

Phases 1 & 2 complete!

Then I got on my Pinterest boards and printed out outfits that I could re-create with pieces already in my closet. The point of this board is to help me get dressed in the morning so I didn't want to print anything that I had pinned only because I wanted to purchase the items in the future. I sized them down before printing so that several fit on one 8 1/2 x 11 page. Then I spent an episode of Friends cutting them all out, and choosing my favorites to arrange onto the cork-board.

My pretties

I suppose since I'm showing you this area in my closet for the first time, I will first show you these prints I have up on the blank wall in our closet entrance. Both prints are from Paper Source (which I am obsesssed with-here and here --they also have matching items for these styles, like tea canisters & hand towels) and the frames came from the Dollar Tree originally and then got the Rustoleum gold spray paint treatment. I’m loving gold art right now and you will definitely be seeing more of it here in the future.  Here are a couple photos of the prints when I first put them up….

A peek into the closet...

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

I think these were technically a Valentine's thing, but in this house they're going to stay up alllll year round in this house! (And then we can re-assess next year if necessary. Or when I find something else I want to put in this spot.)

A touch of glam to inspire the clothes & shoes to up their game :)

I love how they give a little life to such a dark, closed-off space. Just because a closet isn't usually considered a "real room" doesn't mean it can't be cute! I have to be a little cautious in how I approach that goal--not just in the closet, but in the whole home--since we're renters rather than homeowners, but a few frames always add a little somethin' somethin'. 

And then here is the same space with the addition of the pin-board. It’s so helpful! I’m sure I will still be guilty of getting comfortable with a few tried & true outfits that get a lot of use, but this board has already helped me put together a couple of new options as well. 

These pieces are on "my" side of the closet, but Ricky actually likes the way they look-or he's piling up extra 
brownie points. Either way. 

That doorway leads to the bedroom & that other door you can see goes into the bathroom. I swear I'll put up a (furnished) home tour soon!

There's a matching skinny wall opposite this one that I plan to put a mirror on as well. I'm on the hunt for the perfect mirror! (And lamps...and a mirror for over the headboard...and...)

What would be the most helpful addition to your closet? Do you have a mirror in or around your closet to help you see your clothes in the mornings? Do you have a way to organize your outfit choices, or are you just a morning person and able to think clearly and creatively at 6 a.m.? (If you are this last person, I am deeply envious. But trying to be happy for you.)

Before I go, I want to let you in on a couple of projects that will be coming your way soon(ish. hopefully)! You got a sneak peek at the drawer in the photo at the top of the post that I am painting to match my office supplies for a pop of color when I open my desk.

I also just bought a Rast 3-drawer chest from Ikea (yes, I'm jumping on the Ikea train--at least for certain items.) I plan to either paint it a high gloss white or to do a weathered gray stain. I haven't quite decided yet, but either way I'll be waiting on slightly warmer weather because it's a bigger paint job that will need ventilation, which in our apartment means "done on the deck with a dropcloth held in place by rocks". So there's that.

I also have some organization posts on their way, including an "extra spice" storage solution, a look at my office nook & how I keep it under control, and a makeshift "pantry" solution.

Find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and feel free to subscribe above for more content!

XOXO,

Jaclyn