Review: Stackers Jewelry Box (w/ bonus before & after!)

I've been asked by blog readers more than once about my jewelry storage methods. So, here's the thing: Writing about personal style does not make me an expert and it definitely does not make me an organized, tidy person. Like many people, I would basically rather do just about anything else when it comes to cleaning and organizing my space. Do I like an organized space? Sure. Do I want to change my personality and become an organized person? Eh. I try.

My favorite way to encourage this behavior is a very fun purchase. Marianne collaborated with me (aka bought me half of this for my upcoming birthday) and I'm now the happy owner of a Stackers jewelry box.

I love a box full of fun little compartments but could never find a jewelry box that really met my needs. The beauty of the Stackers system is that you can buy the trays that you actually need and you can also use them in other places. I basically got one of every stack section offered on the Container Store website, though the Stackers website (which is in the UK) has some other interesting options. I went with the classic size in taupe which is a good medium size and the color is a perfectly minimal gray. (In retrospect, I could've definitely handled the supersize version but I worried it would overpower my dresser.)

Enough talking, here's the before (with the caveat that I haaaate my crappy old dresser and will be replacing it soon):

What a damn mess. That's my jewelry in various little dishes and dusty piles and there's the rest of my crap just everywhere. And yes, my precious long necklaces are there all tangled up in a big cluster, hanging off a stand that's way too small:

Yikes.

This is embarrassing! Stop looking at those pics. Anyway, after my Stackers arrived I cleared everything off my dresser and started over. I had so much fun figuring out how to organize my jewelry and now my dresser looks like this:

What an improvement. I got some key rack hooks for my necklaces and am planning on another set for the other side because four hooks isn't enough. My Stackers box fits in nicely and holds a ton. Here are my stacks:

The configuration of the lid layer is the best one and I wish it were available in a non-lid tray.

This is the next layer down and it's really for someone with a lot of rings but I make it work. 

This is a good one for all your rando bits and pieces (or your Pandora charms if you roll that way.)  I've still got a lot of space left in this one! 

This is the deepest tray on the bottom and it's for all my big stuff that I don't use very much.

This stack is in my top dresser drawer and is absolutely perfect for sunglasses. I also got the little travel box (thanks, Marianne) which should tuck nicely into a suitcase corner. 

I've had this all set up for more than a week and I'm much, much better about putting my jewelry away safely, now that every piece has a home. Highly recommend! Also, Marianne got one in the blush pink, so stay tuned for her before and after. 

We Discuss: Getting Our Shit Together.

A: I recently had a blog reader ask me how I store my jewelry and I was like, “in dusty piles” which I do not think was probably helpful

M: Oh! I keep my jewelry perfectly stored in a tangled mass piled inside a Tupperware container

M: Is that wrong?

A: At least their are containers involved

M: Keeps the dust off. But I actually asked for something for Christmas to fix this very problem so STAY TUNED.

A: You mean the jewelry box I linked yesterday and am now obsessed with?

M: Hahahahaha the very same

A: (Because spoiler alert, it’s been spoiled!)

A: I AM OBSESSED WITH IT

M: Hehhah

A: GARANIMALS FOR MY JEWELS

M: Like Caboodles for grown ladies!

A: YESSSSS. God, I loved Caboodles

A: ANYWAY, since we are both getting Stackers, I think we should do some jewelry organization before-and-afters because who doesn’t want to see a sad dusty pile turn into something less sad and dusty?

M: 

  

A: Stop trying to make fetch happen, Marianne

ANYWAY, if you are a garbage person like us who needs a little help, Stackers jewelry boxes can be purchased direct from the website (in the UK) OR you can buy them 25% off at the Container Store. Pretty and practical and will totally make your life better. I mean, I assume. We'll find out soon!

The KonMari Method: Conversations With My Socks.

Have you heard about the KonMari Method of tidying up your house? It's a big trend lately and I don't remember where I first heard about it, but Grechen, one of my favorite bloggers, has been applying the method so I decided to give it a shot too. For the uninitiated, the book is called:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo 

The basic idea is to only keep the things that "spark joy." You start with your clothes, then books, papers, miscellany and finally mementos. As I read I realized that Marie Kondo is essentially giving her readers permission to get rid of the things that weigh them down. She encourages you to thank the items you’re getting rid of for the lessons they taught you, even if the lesson is that a particular color or style doesn’t suit you. It doesn't matter if it still has the tags on it, if it doesn't bring you joy you should accept the lesson and let it go.

Once you’ve purged the things that don't spark joy, you’re left surrounded by things you love and appreciate. Because you have less it's easier to find a place for everything and keep a tidy household. It sounded both simple and daunting and some of her suggestions are a little crazy balls (like, she wants you to empty out the contents of your handbag every single evening so it can have a nice rest) but as someone who anthropomorphized her toys as a child, the Shinto philosophy works really well for me. The guilt I felt while getting rid of things with memories and feelings attached was eased by being able to thank the items for their service. Basically, I was talking to my socks.

So far I’ve only tackled my clothing (and made a good start on books and papers) but an industrious morning produced five bags of clothes for donation (and one for the blog shop) and my closet and drawers are AMAZING right now. It's hard to take decent photos of a closet, but here's my before:

And now it looks like this:

I wish the pictures did it justice. There's a ton more room on the racks and the stuff in the storage bins is down by more than half. My dresser drawers were also a mess but I forgot to take "before" photos. The KonMari method advocates folding your clothes a specific way and stacking them vertically, which seemed insane to me until I did it:

I can see all my clothes at one time. No more messy stacks. And look at my happy socks:

I’m not 100% confident that I’ll be able to keep this up but it’s so…restful and Zen that I really hope I can. Just having less clutter in general calms me, so I'm planning on continuing until I've worked through all the categories. Are you doing the KonMari method? What's been your experience?

Marianne: EYES.

Oh, THE HORROR. Okay, let me back up. I haven't forgotten that some of you wanted before-and-after shots of my new favorite $5 mascara. Oh no, I remembered. I've just been too busy staring at my makeup-less mole eyes, fine lines, and pores to get around to posting. Not fishing for compliments, y'all, I just call it as I see it. But this is how much I love you, I am posting nearly a half dozen close-up pictures of my Manson lamps for all to enjoy. BUT I DIGRESS.

Above, you will find the "before". I have pretty thick lashes, but they are lighter at the ends and I am addicted to mascara. So, here are the afters...

 Do you know how hard it is to take a non-crazy close up of your eyes? Hard. But anyway, this is one good coat of mascara, and I think the results are pretty great. Honestly? Every bit as good, and I think a bit better, than the $24 mascara I had been using (it was a gift). What's that? You want more crazy eye pictures? FINE.

 Gah, I need to get my eyebrows groomed.

Enough of that! Here's a pretty boring outfit shot, to cleanse the palate.

 

I am curious, do you guys like the makeup stuff? Want more painful before-and-afters and reviews? You know we'll basically do whatever you tell us to. Well, almost whatever.

jacket: vintage Marc Jacobs (another cute yellow corduroy jacket here)
top: anthropologie (shockingly similar here)
jeans: Pilcro Stet Slim Bootcut
clogs: c/o Miz Mooz, style is the "Rain" clog (same color, but different style here)