Closet Spring Cleaning 2014

Fashion.

After reading a recent blog post from Stitch Fix, I realized I desperately needed to do some spring-cleaning myself.  A few weeks ago I went through my transition with my boots to sandals phase, but still need to get working on the clothing phase.  I really like the tips they gave, but would like to add some more money saving and organization tips that have worked for me. 

Try it on!

Going through a pregnancy makes it a bit rough since this waist really isn’t my norm, but make sure you try on all of your clothes before taking them out for the season.  You know there are pants/shorts that didn’t quite fit last year and you were holding out for the “I’m going to be able to wear these one day”.  I decided to put items that didn't fit in an unreachable location because of the expanding baby waist. Let's face it, a button extender will work for only so long and many items really won't be in play until next summer.  

This rule also applies to shoes.  If they hurt, just get rid of them.  If they are looking sad and can be rejuvenated, bring them to a shoe repair shop.  You can keep the shoes without the cost of whole new pair.   I had a hard time with this rule with my shoes because looking through all my sandals, I realized I have moved out of the sky-high wedges phase and just want comfort.  I have many pairs of wedges that I love, but can’t walk around in easily.  They are in the “under consideration pile”.

Ask a question / Two year rule

These two have been combined because it just makes sense. Ask yourself if it really is your style and if it has been worn in the past two years.   They have to go together or you, like me will try to rationalize why you should keep it. There is this one sleeveless blouse that I have had for many years and I always persuade myself that I will wear it.  Well, when trying it on, I automatically realized the whole cut and style of it is not for me and even if I style it differently, there are just too many ruffles.  It has been donated to one of my friend from work already.

Hangers

I totally agree with the “Improve your Quality” rule.  Hangers area big deal and transitioning from dorm room plastic to real hangers can be expensive.  I still have a mix in my closet, but each time I go to TJ Maxx, I buy a pack of the velvet covered hangers for about $15. Sometimes I even score a pack for half that price. They honestly make a huge difference with storing your clothes and the look is so much more streamlined. I have transitioned all of my dresses over to these hangers and in time all of my clothing will be hung in the same fashion.

Color Coding

Arrange for ease, I totally agree! Jeff and I have been color-coding for years and it is not only visually appealing, but it helps getting dressed a bit easier.  It also makes your realize you might need a bit more diversity in color or patterns.  I mean, how many black shirts can one person own? Apparently about twenty-five.

See What You Wear

I cannot see a way that this rule is one I could follow.  Yeah, it would work for a little while and then life would get in the way and your closet will be back to its usual mess again.  Here is what I suggest; If you are color coding, put the most recent worn items in the end of the line for that color section.  Pretty much all the items will be lined up and you will know which one you wore most recently.  The teacher in me is coming out; I love things lined up neatly and highly organized.

This post was actually done last year, but revisited this year with a few upgrades.  I love reading that last post because I did finally get the closet I had dreamed of.   Looking at my last closet, I just can’t believe that we actually shared it.  I know, first world problems, but boy do I feel lucky right now.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

<3 mk

What did you do this weekend?

Food. Fashion. Home.

Do you ever feel that if you aren’t doing projects over the weekend, that you didn’t do anything?  We constantly struggle with this.  If we aren’t traveling or have events over the weekend, we both feel the need to constant being doing things around the house.  No, it really isn’t a problem, but we need to get in the mindset that it is ok to relax a bit and not actually get a project done.  That wasn’t the case this weekend because we did get some things done, but also had some time to enjoy the warmer weather and spent some relaxing time together.

Food.

Normally on the weekends one usually makes more complicated dishes because there is more time.  I just wasn’t in the mood.  I made some of my easier dishes like the marinated edemame to go with some pot stickers for one meal and then a quick warm kale salad for a light dinner on Sunday.  That warm kale salad has become a staple dish about two times a week lately. 

I have been keeping up with my New Year’s Resolution to drink more water.  The aquazinger it awesome!  The fact that I’m not sucking up lemon pits when I drink my water has made the whole process easier.  I love the fact that the bottle is dishwasher safe, because things do not get washed by hand in this house unless absolutely mandatory, it just takes too much time.  I also love the fact that I get a few uses out of the fruit or veggies you put on the bottom.  My favorite for sure has been lemon and cucumber.  The bottle came with an ingredients ideas and recipes that have different veggies, fruits, herbs, spices, even sugars.  I think I will try the citrus cilantro this week.

Fashion.

I received something in the mail on Friday when I got home and I haven’t been so excited about a delivery like that in a while.  My first Stitch Fix order was delivered.  I knew it was coming because they had sent me an email letting me know it was on its way.  There are little surprises left in life anymore and this clearly was one of them.  I was so giddy to open that box and see what “my stylist” had chosen for me.

Inside was a fit and flare dress that was cobalt and blue, owl print button-up cotton cardigan,  two short sleeve shirts (chevron and solid/striped arms), and a printed ¾ sleeve blouse.  Inside the box were picture cards with each item for a day look and a night look.  I tried all the items on and really thought about outfits to put together with them.  In the end, I returned all of the items.  TEAR!!!   The dress was a little bit big for me, but I have something similar so it wasn’t worth exchanging, even though I usually love anything in cobalt blue.  The cardigan was exactly my style minus the owls.  I just don’t do clothing with animals on it, animal prints are ok, not animals.  The t-shirts were great, but for $48 each, this frugal gal just won't allow that.  My biggest upset was the ¾ sleeve blouse.  It was super cute and exactly what my style, but I also like to raise my arms in the air without tearing the back.  I have a larger back and this blouse had no stretch.  Going up a size would have been too large so it had to go back too.

Returning was really easy.  I just put the items back into a return bag that came with the order and brought the bag to the post office.  You have three days to make your decision.  I went online and completed a survey of the items, just as I explained above.  This way my “stylist” can understand my clothing choices better.  The survey asks about the style, the price, the fit, etc. and then also has a comments section.  How smart is it that they want to get the choices right?  Now they know,  “I don’t do animals on my clothing.” 

So the Debbie Downer part of this story is that I had to return my stuff, but the upside is that in February the 11^th to be exact, I will get my next order and the surprise factor will return again.

Home.

There is always a project to keep me busy.  I did a lot of odds and ends things this weekend; sewing, cleaning, organizing, and small projects.

Back of pillow slipcover showing access opening

I made another slipcover for a pillow.  I didn't think I had enough of the navy chevron fabric, but it worked out perfectly.  While I had the sewing machine out, I also sewed a few items that needed a stitch. 

After reading a post for YHL, I got the idea that we needed to renew the grout in our bathrooms.  Jeff was the logical one and suggested just using some bleach and a toothbrush; he is so smart. Our house is only a few years old and therefore the renewal wasn't needed.  No need to purchase and spend more time than needed.  A little elbow grease and about an hour and it was done.  It looks like a whole new floor.

Before bleach and a toothbrush 

After bleach and a toothbrush

I also made some wall art for our master bathroom that I will be posting later on this week. The project was extremely simple and took only a few minutes. More to come.

What did you get done this weekend?  If you said nothing, then I'm a bit envious.

<3 mk

DIY Daily Cleaner for Makeup Brushes

Fashion. Beauty.

Before

Make up brushes daily clean

Cleaning your makeup brushes is really important.  They get full or bacteria if they aren’t cleaned regulalry.  If you are like me, you might wear makeup everyday and use your brushes often.  A while back I showed you how to do a weekly deep clean on your brushes.  That method is great to use about once a week, depending on the frequency of your brush use.  But what about a daily clean?

I recently started applying a gel eyeliner with a brush instead of using liquid or pencils.  I like the look a lot better and it stays on much longer for me using this method.  Because I am using a brush, I have to clean it after each use or it will be hard as a rock the next time I use it. I needed a daily cleaner.

I got this recipe from the Get Clean Girls blog.  It was changed a bit because I didn’t have all the ingredients, but it is basically the same easy idea.

I used distilled water, isopropyl alcohol, witch hazel, olive oil and rose water.  Fill a spray bottle  halfway with the alcohol, half of the remaining space (1/4 of bottle) with the distilled water and the remaining amount of the bottle with the witch hazel.  Save room for just a little olive oil and rose water.

The rose water was added because it is a natural fragrance, which cancels the smell of the witch hazel and can be known to moisturize.  You can also use lavender oil and/or tea tree oil.  Shake it up before each use. Use a clean washcloth to clean brushes after each use and allow them to dry.

<3 mk

Quick End-of-Summer Projects

Home.

Its that time of year as a teacher when I realize that I'm going back to work in a few short weeks and didn’t get everything on the summer to-do list completed.   I'm currently in this state of MUST-GET- THIS-LIST-DONE!   It's not that I wouldn't be able to get anything done once back at work because I usually do the same amount of projects during the school year as I do in the summer.  These projects aren't worthy of individual posts because (1) they aren't all that original and (2) they aren't super complicated. Hopefully this will get your butt in gear to check off some of those items on your list that you can get done before the end of this wonderful season falls upon us. 

Plastic Shopping Bag Container

I saw a few pins on this very topic numerous times already and didn't think too much about it until I realized I had a huge bag full of plastic shopping bags.  The ones I had seen involved the plastic reminisce of a Clorox Wipes container, but I didn't have one, so I used an empty oatmeal container.

It literally took about 10 minutes and was super easy.

- Peel off label from container.

- Measure containers diameter and height.

- Cut cardstock of choice to fit container.

- Glue cardstock to container with proper glue/adhesive. I used a decorative sticker on the seam because   I had the sticker from a previous project.  It wasn't necessary, just cute.

- Cut an X-shape in the plastic top to pull out bags.

- Fold plastic bags into thirds the long way and roll connecting them at the end. I was able to roll about     20 bags for my container.

- Leave the top of the plastic bag sticking out of the pre-cut T on the top of the container for easy access   to each bag.

Power Washing

Underneath the deck is a cement porch that has a great view of the lake.  Pretty much the slab of concrete was green because of all the years of moisture, pollen and green stuff (algae?).  I tried using soap and a heavy duty brush, but my scrubbing efforts left with little results.  So, I got the heavy duty power washer and boy did it make me happy. 

If you own a home, a power washer is really a great tool to have.  When we first moved in, I spent the entire day power washing the sides of the house, deck, and all the windows.  It really is worth its money because they can charge $200 plus to come in and do it.  That is about the cost of purchasing the washer.  It also works great on washing the car.

After and Before

Well, about an hour and tons of green dirty water later, I had a pristine concrete porch area.  It was so satisfying to see the before and after.  Don't forget to wear your water shoes or shoes you don't mind getting wet.

Shelf Liner

Shelf liner tools and materials

I started lining my shelves when we first moved in back in June, but quickly found out that I had more shelves in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room than shelf liner could cover. I bought out the shelf liner stock at our local Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart out of the type that I wanted and had to turn to online purchasing to get the remaining liners. Once that happened, the momentum to complete the project was gone and I put the box of shelf liner in the projects/to-do room. We had a goal to clean out the projects room this past weekend before school starts and this is just one project I could get done easily.

Shelf liner helps protect wood from moisture and makes it easier to clean

Do I really have to explain how to put in shelf liner?  Just remember to measure then cut. A little tip -  a rotary cutter, a lip edge ruler, and cutting mat make the process go quicker.  My lines are straight and it saves time.

Shelf liner installed

PS - That is indeed a GelPro Basketweave mat from Amazon.  I love it so much, we also have a matching one in front of the sink.

Outlet Blending

Where's the Wall Wart?

Have you ever heard of an outlet being called a wall wart?  Ok, I didn't either until Jeff said it when we temporarily placed a black outlet cover over a light switch in a yellow painted room in our old home.  I personally never thought it looked bad, but I can see the comparison to a wart. This term popped into my head when we moved into our new house.  In the kitchen, we have a black tile backsplash  throughout the kitchen.  Instead of looking at the backsplash, I was always focused on the white outlets and outlet covers that stuck out with their contrasting white.   We immediately bought all new outlets and covers on our first trip to Lowes when we moved, but didn’t get around to installation until this past weekend.  Being near a water source, some of the outlets are required to be a GFCI.  These cost a bit more money, but we're able to save the old white GFCI outlets for future expansions in the house.

Wall Warts - now you see 'em

Wall Warts - now you barely see 'em

We left the light switches white so it will be easier to spot them.  While we were changing out the electrical outlets, we also took the opportunity to install the Clean Cut Touchless Paper Towel Dispenser.  It literally is our most used kitchen appliance and we love it. It also makes for a perfect  housewarming gift.

I have tons of other projects that I need to get done. If anything, I hope I inspired you to get some of those projects done that you've been putting off for a while. Are you in a big rush to get projects done before the end of the summer?

<3 mk

Waterproofing White Sneakers with Never Wet

Fashion.

Rust-Oleum NeverWet Test Subject: Jack Purcell for Converse 

My husband is always up for buying products that are interesting and new.  He recently purchased the curious Rust-Oleum NeverWet waterproofing product.  I was not sure of his intentions with this new innovative product, but we ended up using it on something of mine first.

The Rustoleum NeverWet contains some high tech stuff that repels water, dirty liquids and protects against corrosion and wear caused by exposure to the elements.  As they say, it makes the surface "Hydrophobic" which means just what you think it means.

I am sure Jeff wanted to try this product on something of his, but we ended up using it on my white canvas sneakers that I was bringing on our over seas trip.  I had been wearing these shoes for sometime now and knew they were comfortable to walk around in. 

I made sure the shoes were washed before the spraying process.  That required a quick wash in the washer and some drying time.  Make sure you take out the laces and wash them separately to ensure they don’t get tangled.  I usually put the laces and the shoes in separate laundry bags.

The process is two-step; first spray on the base coat, allow it to dry and then apply several layers of the top coat.

After following the directions and letting the shoes dry from the two step process, I made sure I wore the shoes around so that they were comfortable for all the walking we were going to do on our trip. I expected them to be a bit stiff, but there weren't at all.  They fit the same way as they had prior to washing them and going through the NeverWet process. 

I have always been leary about white shoes especially on travel becasue they can really end up looking horrible.  With this process, the shoes will end up staying really clean.  One thing to note, there was a little white residue when rubbing your fingers over the outside.  I just made sure that I wasn't putting my shoes on my clothing, but otherwise this was a major WIN!

I freaked out when Jeff decided he was going to put ketchup all over them before our trip and of course, insisted on taking a video in case it actually worked.  I didn't have much confidence in the product in the beginning, but I'll let you be the judge.

Check out our video below:

What are you going to try NeverWet on?

<3 mk