Today, I'm sharing with you my household equipment purge! I decided to go ahead and tackle everything in our office area as part of this category. I'm super excited about to have this section done. Why do there always seem to be 8000 pens everywhere?? And since my husbands desk is right next to the front door, it becomes the dumping ground for junk mail and anything else we bring in the house.
One of the hard parts about this category was dealing with things that were in perfectly good condition but that we had so much of that I don't think we'd use them up even in 10 years! Mari's opinion is that you should just get rid of that excess because the "rent" you are spending on the space they are taking up is not worth it. In the end, I did "evict" quite a bit of stuff. Since filming, my husband has gone trough some of his stuff and we were able to get rid of the filing cabinet because we got rid of so much stuff! Yay!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Monday, December 28, 2015
2015 Blogging Wrap Up
I can't believe that 2015 is almost over! Looking back on this year, so much has changed! I knew that moving out of state would bring lots of changes but I'm not sure that I was quite prepared for how much change there would be. I'm still getting used to Florida living but it's going great!
One thing that changed a lot was my wardrobe! My winter weather wear looks much different now! I went through a huge wardrobe purge at the end of February and got rid of 3 huge garbage bags full of clothes. The purging continued throughout the year when I discovered Project 333 and Konmari.
I really worked hard to build a great wardrobe that would be practical for the Florida summers and comfortable. This year, I was really drawn to the simple war era 40s styles and it's not surprise that many of my sewing projects this year were 1940s pieces! I also built a 1940s capsule wardrobe that became the basis for my first Project 333.
Speaking of sewing projects, I did get a lot of basics sewn up this year. I ended up sewing quite a bit less this year but the things I did sew, I love! (Check them all out here.) I also sewed up a lot of yummy natural fibers which have quickly become my favorite things to sew. Lots of linen!
One the costuming front, I was even less productive but I haven't really found any good costuming outlets here in Florida. Plus the climate is a lot to get used to! Wearing all of those extra layers makes you rethink your fibers. Which is so sad because I had just fallen in love with costuming in wool. I did end up doing some 1920s sewing which was awesome! I was totally not expecting to love the 1920s but I did.
My hair went through quite a few changes this year. 1920s bob, all sorts of 1940s snood styles and a pixie. I'm still trying to figure out how to wrangle my hair in the Florida climate. And I'm just one of those people who change their mind about their hair a lot.
Way back at the beginning of the year, I posted about how I wanted my theme for this year to be Less is More. Boy, did I get that right! It all started with my wardrobe, but the minimalism soon spread to the rest of my life. I'm still working through the Konmari process from the Life Changing Magic of Tidying up but I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff that was just taking up space in my home. My home certainly doesn't look like your typical minimalist house but I'm definitely a lot more purposeful about what things come into and stay in my home.
Even more recently, I've started on another creative endeavor-bible journaling! I've never been an artsy type (I'm more of a creative) but I used to do loads of scrapbooking. Bible journaling is a bit of scrapbooking, a bit of art and a bit of spending time with God. There are a ton of great resources out there for techniques and ideas so I jumped right in! Mostly, I've been sharing this on Instagram and Facebook but I've got such a positive response to them that I'm going to start sharing them on the blog as well in 2016.
I'm so excited for 2016! They'll be more minimalism, more 40s fashions, more hair changes and more art! Thanks to all of you who follow my blog. I love having so many wonderful people to share my life with!
One thing that changed a lot was my wardrobe! My winter weather wear looks much different now! I went through a huge wardrobe purge at the end of February and got rid of 3 huge garbage bags full of clothes. The purging continued throughout the year when I discovered Project 333 and Konmari.
I really worked hard to build a great wardrobe that would be practical for the Florida summers and comfortable. This year, I was really drawn to the simple war era 40s styles and it's not surprise that many of my sewing projects this year were 1940s pieces! I also built a 1940s capsule wardrobe that became the basis for my first Project 333.
Speaking of sewing projects, I did get a lot of basics sewn up this year. I ended up sewing quite a bit less this year but the things I did sew, I love! (Check them all out here.) I also sewed up a lot of yummy natural fibers which have quickly become my favorite things to sew. Lots of linen!
One the costuming front, I was even less productive but I haven't really found any good costuming outlets here in Florida. Plus the climate is a lot to get used to! Wearing all of those extra layers makes you rethink your fibers. Which is so sad because I had just fallen in love with costuming in wool. I did end up doing some 1920s sewing which was awesome! I was totally not expecting to love the 1920s but I did.
My hair went through quite a few changes this year. 1920s bob, all sorts of 1940s snood styles and a pixie. I'm still trying to figure out how to wrangle my hair in the Florida climate. And I'm just one of those people who change their mind about their hair a lot.
Way back at the beginning of the year, I posted about how I wanted my theme for this year to be Less is More. Boy, did I get that right! It all started with my wardrobe, but the minimalism soon spread to the rest of my life. I'm still working through the Konmari process from the Life Changing Magic of Tidying up but I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff that was just taking up space in my home. My home certainly doesn't look like your typical minimalist house but I'm definitely a lot more purposeful about what things come into and stay in my home.
Even more recently, I've started on another creative endeavor-bible journaling! I've never been an artsy type (I'm more of a creative) but I used to do loads of scrapbooking. Bible journaling is a bit of scrapbooking, a bit of art and a bit of spending time with God. There are a ton of great resources out there for techniques and ideas so I jumped right in! Mostly, I've been sharing this on Instagram and Facebook but I've got such a positive response to them that I'm going to start sharing them on the blog as well in 2016.
I'm so excited for 2016! They'll be more minimalism, more 40s fashions, more hair changes and more art! Thanks to all of you who follow my blog. I love having so many wonderful people to share my life with!
Friday, December 25, 2015
A few of my favorite things
The weather here is still quite summery so my brain is still thinking of summery fashions. I've tried putting together more fall and winter feeling outfits to share with you but I haven't been able to make myself. I just adore bright colors and fun lightweight pieces!
I've never been much of a country/western/south western type person but I do love a cute patio dress! I can't get enough of the ric rac! They are so fun to wear plus I do adore a yellow dress.
Alas, I have yet to acquire a vintage one. Most are too tiny and out of my price range but I'm still searching.
This little yellow number is one I made myself. I used a vintage blouse pattern for the top and drafted up my own skirt pattern (so easy! just rectangles). It was quite a project, especially for someone like myself who hates gathering (and gathering and more gathering....)
And the cost of all of that trim can add up very fast! To cut costs, I used some old curtains a friend gave me for the yellow fabric and collected a bunch of vintage red ric rac trim even though they didn't all match perfectly. Some of the red stripes are darker than others but it's not too noticeable.
I also lucked out by finding some pretty vintage jacquard trim at a local fabric store. The trim I was looking at at Joann's would have ended up costing me $75 for the amount I needed. Told you they can get expensive!
And no outfit is complete without some great shoes! I love this Miss L Fire shoes so much. I need a few more pairs from them.
I really love this fun southwestern and Mexican inspired look. And though I was able to add a few more of these style pieces to my wardrobe this summer, I need more! I even have some vintage gold flecked ric rac stashed for just such a project.
I also need some cute puff sleeved peasant blouses to go with them too! Puff sleeves are one of the few girly details that I do like on myself.
Do you enjoy bringing bring, summery feeling pieces into your winter wardrobe or do you enjoy the change of color palette that comes with the change of season?
I've never been much of a country/western/south western type person but I do love a cute patio dress! I can't get enough of the ric rac! They are so fun to wear plus I do adore a yellow dress.
Alas, I have yet to acquire a vintage one. Most are too tiny and out of my price range but I'm still searching.
This little yellow number is one I made myself. I used a vintage blouse pattern for the top and drafted up my own skirt pattern (so easy! just rectangles). It was quite a project, especially for someone like myself who hates gathering (and gathering and more gathering....)
And the cost of all of that trim can add up very fast! To cut costs, I used some old curtains a friend gave me for the yellow fabric and collected a bunch of vintage red ric rac trim even though they didn't all match perfectly. Some of the red stripes are darker than others but it's not too noticeable.
I also lucked out by finding some pretty vintage jacquard trim at a local fabric store. The trim I was looking at at Joann's would have ended up costing me $75 for the amount I needed. Told you they can get expensive!
And no outfit is complete without some great shoes! I love this Miss L Fire shoes so much. I need a few more pairs from them.
I really love this fun southwestern and Mexican inspired look. And though I was able to add a few more of these style pieces to my wardrobe this summer, I need more! I even have some vintage gold flecked ric rac stashed for just such a project.
I also need some cute puff sleeved peasant blouses to go with them too! Puff sleeves are one of the few girly details that I do like on myself.
Do you enjoy bringing bring, summery feeling pieces into your winter wardrobe or do you enjoy the change of color palette that comes with the change of season?
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
My Konmari Journey Part #8: Electronics
In this week's video, I worked through all of our electronics including the dreaded box of chords! I did do a couple of adjustments to this category. I decided to group kitchen appliances in with the kitchen section because that seemed to make more sense to me. I also left in place any electronics that are used daily and were definite keepers (tv, bluray player, etc). If Marie thinks I'm unhooking all of my tv equipment to pile in the middle of the floor, she's crazy. We don't have duplicates or extras of any of these items so there's really no point.
So this wasn't the most exciting category but I did feel like I got rid of a lot of stuff that was just unnecessary clutter! I'm hoping for the same type of results when I get to the next category which includes office supplies. I never understand how office supplies get so messy all of the time.
So this wasn't the most exciting category but I did feel like I got rid of a lot of stuff that was just unnecessary clutter! I'm hoping for the same type of results when I get to the next category which includes office supplies. I never understand how office supplies get so messy all of the time.
Monday, December 21, 2015
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... well, inside at least! Outside we're still regularly getting into the 80s which doesn't feel much like Christmas. We have decorated inside which makes me so happy! We don't have nearly as much in the way of festive decor as most people but I'm quite happy with the pieces we added this year and how pretty everything turned out.
One of the biggest changes this year was with our tree. I have always been a huge fan of real trees while my hubby grew up with faux trees. The last few years, we have had real trees which I thought was great. But this year, we ended up going with a faux tree.
And it's white! I had never thought of doing a white tree but when we had the opportunity to get one for free, we decided to try it. We opted to light it with white lights so that we could easily change the color scheme year by year if we felt like it.
We had a lot of decor in the traditional red and green colors so that's what we went for. Our tree still has some eclectic feel to it but my favorite ornaments are the bird ones and our Disney ornaments.
This year is the first time that we have had a mantle place to decorate! Unfortunately, our old decorations didn't have enough pieces to really fill out the space. So I had to go shopping.
The center piece of this space is the Merry Christmas sign. It's actually the last thing we purchased because we just couldn't decide what we wanted to go there. In the end, I think we made a great choice. Will's favorite addition is the little green lantern. I love the cute birds in hats and scarves!
The finishing touch to the mantle was the addition of a few pine cones. Before I moved to Florida, I had no idea that there were so many pine trees but they do make a great supplier of natural decor pieces.
What are your favorite holiday decor pieces?
One of the biggest changes this year was with our tree. I have always been a huge fan of real trees while my hubby grew up with faux trees. The last few years, we have had real trees which I thought was great. But this year, we ended up going with a faux tree.
And it's white! I had never thought of doing a white tree but when we had the opportunity to get one for free, we decided to try it. We opted to light it with white lights so that we could easily change the color scheme year by year if we felt like it.
We had a lot of decor in the traditional red and green colors so that's what we went for. Our tree still has some eclectic feel to it but my favorite ornaments are the bird ones and our Disney ornaments.
This year is the first time that we have had a mantle place to decorate! Unfortunately, our old decorations didn't have enough pieces to really fill out the space. So I had to go shopping.
The center piece of this space is the Merry Christmas sign. It's actually the last thing we purchased because we just couldn't decide what we wanted to go there. In the end, I think we made a great choice. Will's favorite addition is the little green lantern. I love the cute birds in hats and scarves!
The finishing touch to the mantle was the addition of a few pine cones. Before I moved to Florida, I had no idea that there were so many pine trees but they do make a great supplier of natural decor pieces.
What are your favorite holiday decor pieces?
Friday, December 18, 2015
A New Out Look
The end of the year always makes me want to reminisce and look back yet at the same time, look forward to a brand new year! At this point, I'm almost finished with my second Project 333 and I've been cheating a bit and pulling out some pieces from my storage box.
My first Project 333 was very vintage heavy and for my second one I went with a lot more modern pieces. Looking forward to 2016, I wanted to give some of my pieces another wear before the year was up to see if they still felt like me.
This outfit was one of my favorites from this summer! And I still love it! I keep coming back to 1940s separates. I love them.
The new part of this outfit is my new glasses! Although I've had some sort of vision correction since 8th grade, I've worn almost exclusively contacts since I got them in my second year of high school. But earlier this year, I switched over to wearing just glasses and I've really been enjoying them.
My previous glasses were my very first pair of vintage inspired frames and I very much enjoyed having them. I had to really shop around to find anything I even wanted to try on. But at last I found a pair I liked.
I'm much more comfortable in smaller frames which is the opposite of what is in style right now. But then I found this great vintage inspired pair! They do have a fun modern feature-the inside of the plastic parts is blue! Surprise!
I'm still getting used to seeing myself in such bold frames but I really like how they look with my retro outfits. Plus they look great with more modern styles too!
Looking forward to 2016, I'm excited to add to my 1940s looks. I really want to refashion some of my old makes to give them new life in my wardrobe. I haven't been sewing as much in 2015 and I expect that will continue in 2016 so I'm planning on starting to feature some of my other creative endeavors on the blog.
As far as my hair is going, I'm growing it out already. I change my mind about my hair often. That's how I roll. I have no idea what 2016 will bring on the hair front but right now I'm planning on a bob. Guess we'll all be surprised!
Are you looking forward to 2016 yet or are you still working on wrapping up 2015?
My first Project 333 was very vintage heavy and for my second one I went with a lot more modern pieces. Looking forward to 2016, I wanted to give some of my pieces another wear before the year was up to see if they still felt like me.
This outfit was one of my favorites from this summer! And I still love it! I keep coming back to 1940s separates. I love them.
The new part of this outfit is my new glasses! Although I've had some sort of vision correction since 8th grade, I've worn almost exclusively contacts since I got them in my second year of high school. But earlier this year, I switched over to wearing just glasses and I've really been enjoying them.
My previous glasses were my very first pair of vintage inspired frames and I very much enjoyed having them. I had to really shop around to find anything I even wanted to try on. But at last I found a pair I liked.
I'm much more comfortable in smaller frames which is the opposite of what is in style right now. But then I found this great vintage inspired pair! They do have a fun modern feature-the inside of the plastic parts is blue! Surprise!
I'm still getting used to seeing myself in such bold frames but I really like how they look with my retro outfits. Plus they look great with more modern styles too!
Looking forward to 2016, I'm excited to add to my 1940s looks. I really want to refashion some of my old makes to give them new life in my wardrobe. I haven't been sewing as much in 2015 and I expect that will continue in 2016 so I'm planning on starting to feature some of my other creative endeavors on the blog.
As far as my hair is going, I'm growing it out already. I change my mind about my hair often. That's how I roll. I have no idea what 2016 will bring on the hair front but right now I'm planning on a bob. Guess we'll all be surprised!
Are you looking forward to 2016 yet or are you still working on wrapping up 2015?
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
My Konmari Journey Part #7: Accessories
I'm rolling right along with this Konmari Journey! It's time to dig into accessories. I've accumulated quite a few but I really don't wear a lot of them. Guess they need to go!
Friday, December 11, 2015
Be a Princess
Disney World is one of my favorite places to go especially the Magic Kingdom! So I was super excited to spend the day there with my hubby and a few friends.
Ever since I got this Pin Up Girl Clothing skirt, I knew I had to wear it to the Magic Kingdom one day and that day has arrived! It was so much fun to run around in a very princess-y skirt all day.
It was quite busy the day we went so I didn't get any shots in front of the castle but I did stop in a secluded pathway to grab a couple quick iPhone photos for you guys. The weather was gorgeous so a lot of people had the same idea to visit Disney as we did.
I did have a lot of people compliment me on this skirt. It's so pretty! It kind of makes me wish that I had worn my tiara too but the last time I wore a tiara around Disney, it ended up getting broken and I didn't want that to happen again. :(
So who is your favorite Disney princess? My favorites are Belle and Snow White.
Ever since I got this Pin Up Girl Clothing skirt, I knew I had to wear it to the Magic Kingdom one day and that day has arrived! It was so much fun to run around in a very princess-y skirt all day.
It was quite busy the day we went so I didn't get any shots in front of the castle but I did stop in a secluded pathway to grab a couple quick iPhone photos for you guys. The weather was gorgeous so a lot of people had the same idea to visit Disney as we did.
I did have a lot of people compliment me on this skirt. It's so pretty! It kind of makes me wish that I had worn my tiara too but the last time I wore a tiara around Disney, it ended up getting broken and I didn't want that to happen again. :(
So who is your favorite Disney princess? My favorites are Belle and Snow White.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
My Konmari Journey Part #6: Make Up
Ah, make up! All of the pretty things we love to wear! I'm definitely not that much of a makeup junky compared to a lot of fashion/beauty bloggers but I do have a nice stash (or did before I Konmari'ed it!). I have found that I really like to have nicer products in my make up stash and by only having a few trusty products, I can afford to splurge on the things I do use.
While I really do enjoy playing with different make up looks on occasion, I generally reach for the same products again and again so those are the ones I decided to keep. It's really nice to clean out old product and colors that just didn't work on me. Getting ready in the morning has been so much nicer now too! No more digging through product for the one I want.
Do you enjoy having a large make up stash or do you stick to your tried and true favorites?
While I really do enjoy playing with different make up looks on occasion, I generally reach for the same products again and again so those are the ones I decided to keep. It's really nice to clean out old product and colors that just didn't work on me. Getting ready in the morning has been so much nicer now too! No more digging through product for the one I want.
Do you enjoy having a large make up stash or do you stick to your tried and true favorites?
Monday, December 7, 2015
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Ah, Christmas! My favorite season is here! There's something quite magical about this time of the year. And I try to wear all of the Christmas themed outfits as much as possible between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So when I had a few Christmas parties to go this weekend, I pulled out a green skirt and red sweater for an easy holiday look. While it's not the most obnoxiously festive outfit in my closet, it's definitely a pairing that I can't pull off for most of the year!
Recently, I added a few plain t-shirts to my wardrobe and I've been wearing them a lot. They are great, comfortable basics even if they are not period appropriate.
However, I can't help but think that if t-shirts like this would have been available in the 1940s, they would have been a staple in the wardrobes of hard working, make do and mend ladies. So I don't have a problem of including them in a 40s inspired look.
To add a bit more flair to the outfit, I went with red and green jewelry and, of course, red lipstick! Red lippy is a great way to make any outfit feel more retro.
I feel like I've really come full circle in my fashion. When I started this blog, I was all into war ear 40s fashions, but I ended up trying lots of other period-20s, 30s, early 40s, late 40s and 50s.
I keep coming back to the classic 40s silhouette! It's so flattering on me! I didn't keep many of my 40s pieces in my Project 333 and I've been missing them. So I cheated a bit and pulled this skirt out early.
I'll be doing a Project 333 write up later this month, but while I feel like I could live on just a 33 piece wardrobe, I don't feel like I'm very good at picking out those pieces. I'm to easily distracted by what I want to wear now which may not be what I want to wear in 2-3 months.
In other news, it's been unseasonably warm lately so I haven't really been able to dig into my fall pieces yet. Boo.
So when I had a few Christmas parties to go this weekend, I pulled out a green skirt and red sweater for an easy holiday look. While it's not the most obnoxiously festive outfit in my closet, it's definitely a pairing that I can't pull off for most of the year!
Recently, I added a few plain t-shirts to my wardrobe and I've been wearing them a lot. They are great, comfortable basics even if they are not period appropriate.
However, I can't help but think that if t-shirts like this would have been available in the 1940s, they would have been a staple in the wardrobes of hard working, make do and mend ladies. So I don't have a problem of including them in a 40s inspired look.
To add a bit more flair to the outfit, I went with red and green jewelry and, of course, red lipstick! Red lippy is a great way to make any outfit feel more retro.
I feel like I've really come full circle in my fashion. When I started this blog, I was all into war ear 40s fashions, but I ended up trying lots of other period-20s, 30s, early 40s, late 40s and 50s.
I keep coming back to the classic 40s silhouette! It's so flattering on me! I didn't keep many of my 40s pieces in my Project 333 and I've been missing them. So I cheated a bit and pulled this skirt out early.
I'll be doing a Project 333 write up later this month, but while I feel like I could live on just a 33 piece wardrobe, I don't feel like I'm very good at picking out those pieces. I'm to easily distracted by what I want to wear now which may not be what I want to wear in 2-3 months.
In other news, it's been unseasonably warm lately so I haven't really been able to dig into my fall pieces yet. Boo.