Tag: organizing

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Fun Ways to Organize

Simplicity Challenge Recap

Hi everyone! 

Happy Wednesday! 

I hope you are having a great week so far. Although Valentine’s Day is behind us, I hope you continue spreading love all month long, whether it’s with your partner, spouse, girlfriends or even yourself. 

No matter how long you have followed me, you probably know I am a Simplified girl through and through. I love their mission, the products and their community. 

Last month, I participated in their Simplicity Challenge, which was little tasks to complete every day to simplify your life. The tasks took less than 10 minutes to complete, and they were a great way to reset for the new year. I have done the 31 Day Challenge in the past and I was excited to try it again this year. 

Team Simplified changed things up this year for the month-long cleaning and organizing. They still had a daily task, but they changed what the tasks were. 

The new challenges ranged from organizing specific drawers (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom), to holiday decor, accessories, specific clothing items (dresses, socks, jeans), and reworking your systems in your life to simplify.

I did many of the challenges, but not all of them since I just did a big cleaning and organizing back in the fall.  You can read about it here. Therefore, I didn’t have to go through my dresses, jeans, socks and medicine cabinets etc., since I already knew what I had and what I needed to get rid of. 

However, there were many that I still took part in.

Here’s some of the areas that I tackled through the 2024  Simplicity Challenge:

Followers– One of the tasks was to go through and edit down who you follow on social media. This one was super helpful to me. I try to limit my time on social media, and I hope by editing down who I follow helps that. I went through and unfollowed accounts that didn’t bring me joy, I wasn’t interested in anymore or didn’t serve a purpose. I’m hoping this makes me more intentional with my time online.

Hair accessories– This was a huge help to me. In the past, I had all my hair ties, scrunchies, ribbons etc. in one pouch and I was always digging through it looking for one thing. I decided to divide accessories up in smaller pouches for easier access. It took me 10 minutes to complete and I’m already noticing a difference in getting ready every day. 

Pantry and Fridge– I try to do my best to stay on top of clearing out the pantry and fridge, especially on garbage day when I get rid of old or expired foods. We had a lot of extra people home over the holidays and that meant extra cooking and ingredients. As I was cleaning, it was good to toss expired foods and see what things I needed to restock . Plus, it felt good to reset and organize things in their proper homes.

Cups– Anyone else always have too many cups or mugs?! Yep, that’s me! They are easy gifts to give or receive but we always end up with so many cups and mugs. I did some getting rid of and organizing our cups, mugs, and water bottles. Just straightening them up made a huge difference. I’m sad to report, it didn’t stay that organized for long and I’ve had to reorganize it many times since the initial challenge.

Tupperware– Another area that gets lots of use and doesn’t always stay tidy is our storage container cabinet.  We have a lot of Tupperware and use it frequently for food storage and leftovers, so we are constantly in and out of this space. I did my best to organize the bases and lids and I got rid of broken or mix matched ones too. Pro-tip, save any heavy duty plastic containers you get when you order take out soup, they make great storage containers and are easy to give away if you are sending food home with someone and don’t need the storage containers back.

That’s just a taste of how I participated in the Simplicity Challenge 2024. I thought all the daily prompts were super helpful, but I didn’t need to do all of them due to my recent clean out. 

If you are interested in the challenge more, you can head to Simplified’s Instagram page for a look at all the prompts. I know I feel better by having some of my most cluttered spaces organized especially in the new year.

Happy Simplifying!

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Currently Uncategorized

Currently #47

Hey Hey! Happy Wednesday! I can’t believe we are days away from December. This month was a slower month for me in terms of activities and events, but it still flew by. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact Thanksgiving was early this year. Regardless, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are ready for the Christmas season, I know I am. I have my holiday candles burning, my Christmas throw blankets are out, and I am using all the festive mugs, life is good!

All decked out for Christmas

As this month winds down, I want to share what I have been up to recently as we flip the calendar from November to December.

What I’m Up To-This month has been filled with fall walks, organizing, and lots of baking and cooking. We had some snow this month, but it has been mostly chilly, yet sunny. I have been trying my best to still get outdoors to enjoy the dry conditions for as long as I can. There’s nothing better than some fresh air and sunshine with the leaves changing in the background.

A beautiful fall morning!

I also have been doing a lot of baking and cooking as I have been trying both new and old recipes. 

Lots of time spent in the kitchen!

Finally, I spent almost every Thursday this month doing major cleaning and organizing. My mom and I tackled all the spaces, from cabinets to closets and storage areas. It was never out intent to do a big declutter, but once we started, we couldn’t stop. It felt great to donate a lot of things we weren’t using ahead of the holidays.

A look at some of our donations

I ended the month by celebrating Thanksgiving!

A delicious, Thanksgiving spread!

What I’m Wearing– I don’t have too many fun outfits to show off from this past month since my days off were spent in grubby clothes cleaning. However, after cleaning and reorganizing my closet, I was able to create some new winter outfits with items I have. I have been wearing this red jacket from Old Navy a lot. 

You can’t go wrong with red jacket!

I know I will be wearing a lot of the next few weeks.  I also did an Old Navy haul this past month. Here’s some of the pieces I got and I have been loving.

This is also what I wore for Thanksgiving last week.

What I’m Reading– Some months I have great reading months and other months they are not so great. I read a few books this past month and while they were good, they were great nor my favorites.

I started the month by reading The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop. The story goes back and forth between the past and present about young college-aged girls in Greece who get wrapped up in some adult situations. They don’t realize the severity of their situations until they are adults and consequences happen. As grown women they work to try and make amends and come to terms with their young adult mistakes.  The book was very serious and dealt with a lot of heavy topics, I found parts of it interesting, but most of the book, I just felt bad for the characters.

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose is all about a group of women in Ireland who are all trying to one up each other, but all have their own secrets and hidden agendas. When one of the women in the small-town winds up dead, everyone has a different motive for wanting her dead. The book follows each woman and their lives as mothers and wives and it turns out not everything is as it seems. I though the book was good but got confused as it flashed back and forth from past and present and jumped between characters. In my opinion, the book wrapped up way too fast, I was waiting for a who done it moment and it came and went so fast and then the book was over. 

 Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch is a companion book to Love and Gelato, you didn’t have to read Love and Gelato to read this book, but there are a few references to the first book. The story takes place in Ireland as a brother and sister in high school decide to take a road trip to a music festival instead of following a plan to take a trip to Italy. I really liked how the setting of Ireland was depicted and I liked seeing the relationship between the brother and sister evolve. I really enjoyed this book compared to the first two I read.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune- This was the second book I read by Fortune, but the first book she wrote. It takes place in a small town in Canada. This book also goes back and forth between the past and present as a young woman goes back to the lake that she grew up spending her summers. She is reunited with a former friend/flame of her past and through the book, the reader sees how these two characters went from best friends to strangers. I really enjoyed this book, from the character development to the setting and storyline. It definitely had more of a summer feel to it but can be read during any time of year. I’m glad I ended this month reading wise on a high note. Next month will be all about the Christmas books.

What I’m Watching– This month marked the return of a lot of series. I kicked off November with Selling Sunset. I’m not a big reality tv fan, but I can’t help myself with it comes to Selling Sunset. I started this show for the houses, but stayed for the drama. It’s been interesting to see the dynamics between the women in the office change through the seasons. I really love how they have a reunion at the end of the season too.

My favorite thing that I watched this past month was The Crown. I had so many questions going into this season and found the first four episodes of Season 6 to be moving, somber, but also really beautiful. It was almost eerie to see what Diana’s life was like in her final weeks and how the world reacted to her death.

I also started to watch some of my favorite Christmas movies now that we are in the Christmas season.

Like Rudolph!

What Inspires Me– I have been inspired by all my time in the kitchen. I also have been scouring Pinterest and cooking blogs for new recipes to try.

Here’s some of the things I have been making in the kitchen

 Banana protein balls

Halloween candy cookies

Peanut butter cookies

Chocolate chip cookies, Double chocolate chip cookies, mint cookies

Chicken and Veggie stir fry

Lots of breakfast foods

What I Accomplished– I feel so accomplished after all the cleaning and organizing and donating my mom and I did this past month. 

A look into some of the spaces we organized

I also ran another 5K on Thanksgiving which was fun, despite it being chilly. It was my first Turkey Trot and I loved it.

Turkey trotting!

I also got to thoroughly enjoy the holidays with my family which is so nice.

Nothing says Thanksgiving than by watching the parade.
Our Thanksgiving Dinner at home

Goals from Last Month– I really got to enjoy quiet days at home before hustle and bustle of the holidays. It was the perfect time to recharge and get things down before life gets crazy around the holidays, but I’m really looking forward to my Christmas bucket list and doing all the holiday traditions. Plus, I started my Christmas list for others and I’m excited to start my shopping too.

Fresh fall flowers to brighten up a clean space

Goals for this Month- My goal for the last month of 2023 is simple, enjoy the holidays, enjoy the family traditions and be present in the moment. More times than not, I find myself trying to do all the things and not being present and enjoying the holiday moments. This year, I want to do a better job of planning things out, so I get them down but also really enjoying the moments and savoring them, whether it be holiday baking, making a gingerbread house, watching Christmas movies or wrapping gifts. My goal is to be intentional and present with my time and energy.

Someone is enjoying the holiday spirit

That’s a look into life lately. The calm before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.

Tell me: as we prepare to welcome December, what are you looking forward to next month? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy end of November!

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Fabulous living

What I’m Thankful For

It’s Thanksgiving Eve! Is it just me or did the holiday sneak up on you too?

These past few weeks have been the calm before the holiday rush. I have been spending days off doing lots of fall cleaning and organizing. I cleaned out, donated and sold so many items that I had outgrown or wasn’t using anymore. It feels good to have clean spaces before I bring out all the holiday decorations. More on deep cleaning tips to come in the new year.

Before we get to Christmas, we have to focus on Thanksgiving! I’m looking forward to spending time with my family. Everyone will be home for the weekend which will be great to get some quality family time and honor some traditions too.

As we look towards the holiday, I am reflecting on what I am thankful for this year.

As the year began, I didn’t know what the year would hold: change, new beginnings, things sticking to status quo? For the most part, this year has been filled with routine, new hobbies, travel, family time, friends, and creating memories.

I have so much to be thankful for and could list a hundred things, but to save both you and I from a litany, here’s the top things I’m thankful for:

Loving family– I don’t know where I would be without my family. I am so fortunate to have such a loving and supportive family and the fact I get to see them every day as an adult is something I don’t take for granted. I have gotten so much bonus time with my parents and younger siblings as an adult by living at home that I am truly grateful for. Whether we are on vacation together or just sitting around the dining room table, the memories made are ones I truly cherish. This past summer, my family and I all were home under the same roof and the older I get, I know that won’t be the case forever. However, no matter where I am or what I am doing I will always have the love and support of my family with me.

Memories from family trips!

My boyfriend– I have kept my relationship with my boyfriend pretty private over the past few years, but I am so lucky to have such an incredibly supportive and loving person in my life. He’s caring, hardworking, understands my job, gets my humor, is so accommodating and overall, supportive. He will get up early to read my blog every time I have a new post, he notices the little things and goes out of his way to find ways to being unexpected moments of joy to my day. He plans incredible dates whether it’s 24 hours in NYC or a lazy day of childhood movies and junk food. I couldn’t have asked for a better or more supportive boyfriend.

The sights and sounds of NYC

Supportive friends-Whether near or far, I’m so lucky to have such wonderful friends in my life. I try to be consistent with my friends by doing weekly check-ins via text or monthly meet-ups. I have different friends from different stages of my life and I know I can always count on them to show up when I need them most, whether it’s a funny meme, some advice, or just a good long walk, I know my friends are always in my corner.

Girls night with my friends!

My pets– Keeping this one brief, there’s no better feeling than coming home after a long day and sitting on the couch and petting a dog. They know what you need by just nuzzling their head on you. They provide instant love, they give the best kisses and they really allow you to let your worries fade away for however long you need.

My loving pups!

My faith- Life has its ups and downs, but my faith and trust in God is always there. I’m thankful for my parents for instilling a good faith in me at a young age. I’m so grateful for all the blessings he has given me and how he always, always, always, looks out for me no matter where I am in life. Even when the path may seem unclear, I always put my faith and trust in God.

A good education– From grade school to high school and college, I am so thankful for my educational foundation to get me to where I am today. From the practical skills in the classroom, to the life skills outside of the classroom, my teachers and classmates have helped shaped me into the person I am today. I also got my love of learning from the classroom. One of my favorite parts of my job is learning something new every day and I got that love of learning from going to great schools and having wonderful teachers and role models.

A job I love– I am so lucky that I get to wake up and go to a job that I am passionate about and love every day. I always tell people that I landed my dream job right out of college and that’s the honest truth. I get to do what I love, in a place that I love, with some incredibly smart and talented people. I find fulfillment and joy each day in my work and I couldn’t be more grateful that I found my niche. I have talked to friends who don’t have the same love or passion for their jobs as I do and in those moments, it makes me feel more grateful that I hit the jackpot doing something I love.

New hobbies– This year I have found so many new hobbies that have brought me so much joy. Besides my love of reading, I have developed a love of running (which I never thought would happen). I have gotten physically stronger over this past year and I’m proud of my endurance.

One of my latest runs

My garden was a labor of love this summer, but I loved being able to eat the vegetable I grew over the summer, and I loved the sense of accomplishment of seeing hard work pay off.

My last haul from the garden.

I also have enjoyed all my time in the kitchen whether it be baking, trying new recipes of dinner, or learning family recipes. Not only has it been a good skill to learn, but it’s also been so fun too!

Some of my creations.

Good health of myself, family and friends– My health and the health of my family and friends is something I don’t take for granted. There’s so many illnesses, diseases, and viruses in our world and I’m so grateful that I am healthy and happy along with my family and friends. I’m also grateful for doctors who do what they can to help provide answers to health problems. 

So much to be grateful for!

New opportunities to grow and push me out of my comfort zone– Even when things can get challenging, I am grateful for the hard and uncomfortable moments in life because that’s when we see the biggest growth in ourselves and others. I’m grateful for new adventures, new opportunities and experiences. Whether positive or negative, I’m grateful for every moment that got me to where I am today.

SO many moments of joy this year!

I have a lot to be grateful for this year. I don’t know what the next year will bring, but I’m thankful for every moment of 2023.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Give Thanks!

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Fabulous living

2023 New Year’s Resolutions Check In

Hello everyone!

Happy Wednesday and Happy August! It’s hard to believe we are into August. This summer has been packed full of work, crossing things off my summer bucket list, seeing friends, traveling to new places and still finding time to enjoy the lazy days of summer. It has been the best two months and I’m looking forward to what this next month brings.

Sweet summer mornings

As we make our way through the year, I wanted to do a New Year’s resolution check-in. 

I always think it’s a good idea to hold ourselves accountable to our goals and resolutions and check in to see how we are doing with things we set our mind’s to. Here’s a look at my post from the beginning of the year.

My motto for 2023 is “Embrace Change” and although there hasn’t been too much major changes that has happened to me this past year, I have been doing my best to be flexible, open to change and embrace it. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m doing my best to be open to new ideas and opportunities.

Here’s a look at my resolutions for this year:

Eat healthier and Run a 5K– I am really proud of this 2023 goal. During the spring, I started to train for my 5K and I’m running it this weekend! I’m both excited and nervous to compete, I’m not doing it to win it all, rather to say I did it. I started running twice, sometimes three times a week and have upped my mileage every week.

One of recent runs.

I also started to eat healthier in the spring and summer. I have been making healthier meals, snacking less and making smarter food choices and being mindful of what I’m putting in my body. Overall, I have felt so much better. I have more energy, I am sleeping better, overall, I feel healthier. This has been a resolution that I am very proud of. Even after I complete my 5K, I still plan on running since I have enjoyed this newfound hobby.

An example of a new summer meal.

Take advantage of local parks and spots– I have done a pretty good job of this one, but there is still room for improvement. I have found some new places around the region to hike and walk in my own backyard rather than traveling distances to go hiking. I have taken advantage of more places in the spring, summer and fall, but I still want to do more in the winter, it’s all about bundling up for the walks. 

A new place to go hiking
A familiar place to go hiking.

Plan to do more things on days off– This is one area that I have done pretty well with, but I still want to make sure I’m taking full advantage of my vacation days and weekends. I try to make sure my weekends are balanced between work and relaxing, but sometimes, the balance isn’t always there. The same goes with vacation days, sometimes I have certain things planned but other times, I don’t take advantage of them to the fullest. This is something that I still have time to work on this year.

Seeing Ed Sheeran and heading to a new park to go hiking was a day off well spent.

Continue to grow in my Profession-This is one that I will always be working on every day. I have been a part of a few big projects during the first half of this year that have challenged me and helped me grow, but I am always looking for ways to get better and challenge myself. I try to get creative with my job and find different things to bring to the table and I think I do a pretty good job at it, but I know the only way we grow is if we challenge ourselves.

One adventure was heading to Canada for a work trip.

Those were my four main goals and resolutions for the year. Overall, I think I have done a good job of accomplishing them so far this year, but in good news, I have several months to continue to work on these goals.

Tell me, with several months to go, how are you doing with your 2023 Resolutions? Have you accomplished? Are you pleased with where you are at? Let me know in the comments below! See you Friday for another edition of Friday Favorites!

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Fun Ways to Organize

Simplicity Challenge 2023

Hello all!

Happy February! New month, new start, new goals! Celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day and embracing winter are just a few things I plan to do to make the most out of another winter month. 

If you have been around here long enough, you may have picked up that I am a huge fan of Simplified, a planner company by Emily Ley. Every year, her team creates a Simplicity Challenge in January. It’s a list of tasks that take 15 minutes or so for each day of the month. These tasks cover everything from organizing your car, cleaning out a medicine cabinet, restocking a fridge, or writing down a list of meals that are easy to make on busy nights. 

You can find their Simplicity Challenge on their website, social media or inside your planner. 

A copy of the Simplicity Challenge in my Simplified Planner

When I was in college, I did the Simplicity Challenge and found it to be very helpful at the start of a year and when I was back at school. I adopted some of the skills suggestions in my life back and still use them today. Here’s my Simplicity Challenge from 2019.

Since it’s been a while since I completed a Simplicity Challenge I wanted to do it again.

I completed most of the tasks on the days they were assigned. Some I didn’t since I already incorporate them in my daily life. For example, one of the challenges is to a load of laundry a day. I already do that everyday so I didn’t necessarily have to do it. But there were a handful of things that I did do.

For example, day one is go through and collect any trash or clutter. Right after the holidays I had lots of extra clutter laying around so it was good to get rid of it. 

Goodbye clutter, hello clean!

I still live at home and that means sharing a lot of items including food. Cleaning out and organizing the fridge was much needed after the holidays especially lots of extra food, drinks, snacks and people around.

Clean and organized fridge for the new year.

A super easy task was cleaning out my purse. I keep it fairly organized but it’s always good to dump everything out, get rid of any trash and reorganize everything. 

Clean purse for a new week ahead.

Another task is to keep a long standing list of people’s birthdays and put it in your planner so it’s easy to add birthdays and anniversaries year to year. This was such a useful and helpful tool for remembering the important days.

A list of all the important dates and anniversaries.

Setting an alarm for very day is something I already do. I like to keep a consistent schedule and that means getting up at the same time on my days off too. It makes it easier on my body to get the same amount of sleep and I get more done when I don’t sleep in.

Sometimes my wake-up times are just a little early.

Cleaning off my computer and getting rid of old files was so helpful to do both on my work and personal computer. I spend a lot of time on my computers so getting rid of old and unneeded files was such a good feeling. 

Clean desktop on my personal computer.

I also cleaned out and organized my notes app. I use this app every day and I use a trick from Emily Ley by using three emojis for what each list is for, it makes it easy to find different notes.

Some of my most used notes.

These are just a few examples of all the tasks I completed. I love how these tasks are quick to accomplish they have you focus and simplify different areas of your life without getting overwhelmed. If you have completed the Simplicity Challenge, what were your favorites tasks and challenges? Let me know in the comments below!

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Currently

Currently #37

Hi everyone! I can’t believe we are at the end of January! This month went by so fast, it was definitely nice to have a slower month compared to a busy December at the end of the year. This past month has been a good mix of fresh starts, staying cozy and getting outdoors too. As the month wraps up, here’s a look at some things I have been up to.

What I’ve Been Up To: I’ve spent this past month decluttering and organizing things. After a full December, both mentally and physically, I was looking forward to some New Year cleaning. I have been participating in the Simplified Simplicity Challenge this month and I have been so proud of doing little things every day to live a simplified life. I’ll be sharing a recap of my simplicity challenge next month.

Cleaning out different areas of your life, like your purse is just one example of the daily challenges.

I also have been trying to get outside for fresh air even in the colder months, whether it’s for a walk or run, even a few minutes outside makes all the difference. I also have been trying some new recipes and enjoying some new books too. January has been slow but productive.

January has been filled with lots of snow too!
Another new recipe I tried this month, Shrimp Avocado Medicine Soup by Jessie James Decker.

What I’m Wearing: I have been wearing all the layers especially when I am outdoors. I have so many scarves that I have been making a point to wear them when I’m out and about. Not only do they keep you warm, but they are also a great fashion statement too.

All the layers for chilly weather.

What I’m Reading: I’ve been reading lots of books over the past few weeks as I spend more time indoors. 

Here’s what I have been enjoying.

I Didn’t Do that Thing Today- “I Didn’t Do that Thing Today” has more of a psychological feel as opposed to a narrative feel. The author talks about all the research and interviews she has conducted when it comes to productivity. As someone who thrives on being a productive person and getting everything done, I learned a lot about not having to be busy all the time and giving ourselves breathing room and not letting a lack of accomplishment affect our days.

Spare-I have been making my way through  Spare, Prince Harry’s book. The book begins after the death of Princess Diana and follows Harry’s life to the present day. So far, I have found Prince Harry to be very real and vulnerable, but also giving historical context and perspective to different things in his life. I’m looking forward to finishing the book soon.

What I’m Watching: I have been watching and enjoying The Mindy Project. It’s so fun and easy to have on in the background as I get things done. I also have been watching some fun movies. I watched Knives Out: Glass Onion, About Fate and Something From Tiffany’s. All can be found on streaming services, they were all a mix of romantic comedies, mystery and dramas. I’ve been adding more things on my list of things to watch. 

About Fate was such a cute movie on Amazon Prime.

What Inspires Me: I’ve been inspired by a clean slate for the new year. From decluttering to starting new year’s resolutions and getting back into new routines. I love the new year and a fresh start.

Hello decluttering for a fresh start!
I’ve also been enjoying some baking too.

What I Accomplished: In addition to fresh starts, I have also been getting back into some of my favorite routines and hobbies. I got a few new cookbooks for Christmas and have really enjoyed trying out some new recipes including soups and hearty meals. I also have been so good about keeping up with friend dates, whether they are in-person or via facetime, it’s so good to get some quality friend time in.

New cookbooks means new recipes.
Winter weekends means pancakes!

Goals from Last Month: I have started on some of my New Year’s Resolutions which also gets me in the right mindset for the new year. Sometimes, the hardest part of starting a new habit is taking that first step. One of my goals of this year is to live a healthier lifestyle and I have tried to do that by making smarter food choices and moving more, we are only one month in, but we are off to a good start. I also have been checking things off my winter bucket list too!

Goals for this Month: February is all about love and Valentine’s Day and showing those in your life that you care! I’m looking forward to a Valentine’s Day date, some girlfriend time for Galentine’s Day and enjoying some chocolate and all things heart shaped. Plus, I’m excited to continue to enjoy winter by taking winter walks but also cozying up inside. 

I also went to a hockey game this month and I’m hoping to go to a few more before the season is over.

That’s a look into life recently. Some reading, some binge-watching, trying new foods, staying active and getting back into new routines.

 

I’ve also been enjoying some puppy cuddles too.

Tell me: How has your New Year’s Resolutions been going?

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Fun Ways to Organize

Makeup Bag {Re} Uses

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are all having a great week and soaking up these final weeks of August. 

One of my goals for 2022 was to do better with recycling and using sustainable products. Besides using reusable bags at the grocery store, I have been trying to repurpose things at home, instead of buying new, I’ve been looking on ways to use things in other areas of my life.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has gotten small makeup bags or totes for free after spending so much on beauty or makeup products. Rather than just having these free little makeup bags sit on a shelf, I decided to find different uses for them. If you have some bags or totes that you don’t know what to do with anymore, here’s a few suggestions of how I use mine.

Makeup bags holding more than cosmetics.
  • In my purse to hold toiletries or cosmetics. I sometimes use a small makeup bag to catch a few essentials I always carry in my purse. This also makes it easier to move things from purse to purse, in a pinch. Here’s a few things I put in this bag: hand sanitizer, mask, perfume, and chapstick. Just a few essentials that all fit nice in one place and I don’t have to dig through my purse for things.
An inside look of things I keep in my purse.
  • In my desk to hold essentials so they don’t get lost. A lot of the things I keep in my purse, I also keep in my desk such as hand sanitizer, hand lotion, and chapstick etc. But, at work, I also have ear buds, memory cards, a jump drive etc. Rather than have them float around in desk drawers, I like have a place to put all my small things that can get lost elsewhere.
A look at what I keep in my desk drawer and how I keep it contained.

  • In my room to hold wires and chargers. If you are like me, my guess is that you probably have lots of chargers, wires or cords floating around your room, car, or house. Instead of always losing them, I keep them all contained in a small makeup bag.This makes it easier to grab my headphones, cell phone charger, watch charger or speaker cord. I’m not searching high or low for them and this tiny purse makes it easy to travel too. 
My technology grab bag.

Those are just three ways to use or reuse bags, especially those tiny ones, you may already have around your home. Rather than buy new or lose things, it’s great to see what you have and how you can use it in a different way.

What are your favorite ways to reuse items you no longer use? Let me know in the comments below! Have a great day and happy recycling or reusing!

Categories
Fabulous living

A Few Favorite Things

 Happy Wednesday! I hope your week has been going swimmingly. 

As a child, the middle of June always felt like the official start to summer, once school was out. Now as an adult, once Memorial Day weekend arrives, it feels like the summer can begin. 

Even though I just put my bucket list out last week, I’ve already made some headway with summer fun. So far, I’ve enjoyed a trip to the drive-in, grilling and cook outs and eating by the water. Needless to say, it’s already been a very good start to summer.

Seeing the new Top Gun Maverick at the drive-in.

Speaking of good things, today, I wanted to share some things I’ve been loving lately. I’m all about using things that make my life easier, so if I find things I love, then I’m going to share it with you.

Here’s some of my favorite things:

Shoe Eraser: I love wearing white, almost as much as I love wearing black, haha! I wear a lot of white shoes and sneakers in the summer, but one of the things I found was the more I wore them, whether out and about or running errands, they were getting dirty or scuffed up. I got this shoe eraser for Christmas and it works incredible. It’s almost like a magic eraser that you can use for walls or marks. The shoe eraser works great on sneakers and softer leather shoes. I’ve had dirt and scuff marks on shoes and after adding some water to the eraser and lightly scrubbing, the scuff marks are gone. I’ve seen these erasers at Dollar Tree and Amazon, so they are fairly easy to find. If you wear white sneakers, these are a summer must.

You can see how much dirt and scruff was on the shoe.

Ear Bud Cleaner: If you wear headphones, whether they are air pods, other wireless ear buds or wired ear buds, these ear bud cleaners are super helpful. Again, I got this for Christmas and have used it so much, these different tools that you can use to clean your ear buds with, from brushes, to fine tooth combs and event ones like a tooth pick. After cleaning out my headphones, I immediately noticed a difference in the sound. I also wear an earpiece for work and used this little tool kit to clean my ear piece and it was night and day when it comes to the quality of the sound after cleaning. If you are a frequent ear bud user, you may want to consider grabbing this. 

Definitely worth the buy!

Hair Dryer Headband: This next one is more for the ladies. Whether you shower in the morning or night, this headband is a game changer when drying your hair and keeping your hair away from your face when using a face mask, washing your face, or even doing makeup. I don’t use it every night but when I’m pampering myself a bit or I need to dry my hair a bit faster then this is my go-to. There’s also essential oils in the wrap which makes the experience of getting ready a bit more soothing. 

And who doesn’t love a cute bow?!

Silk Pillow case: I’ve been reading about these pillow cases for years and got one for my birthday. I’ve been using it for over a week now and I’ve been loving it. Based on reviews, it helps with your skin and hair and prevents wrinkles, all major wins for me. I’m still new to using it but have been very pleased with it so far. Have you tried a silk pillow case? If so, what are your favorite part about using it?

A favorite way to get to sleep nowadays.

That’s a look into some of my favorite things right now. Some fun, some practical, what are some of your favorite things you are loving in the summer months? Let me know in the comments below! Have a great rest of your week!

Categories
Fashion Fun Ways to Organize

Transitioning Your Wardrobe

Hi everyone!

Happy Wednesday and more importantly, happy May! May is one of my favorite months of the year. I love the season change from spring to summer and the possibilities of a warmer month ahead. There’s nothing better than fresh flowers for a new month.

Speaking of the changing of seasons, now that we are finally into consistent warm weather, it’s time to change wardrobes from winter and spring to spring and summer. There’s a variety of ways to organize or switch over your clothes. Some do it by season, others do it by colors, a few may do it by what’s worn most to what’s worn the least.

If you are planning on making the switch from heavy clothes to light clothes, here’s a few ideas. This works for both girls and guys.

I organize my clothes by color. In my closet, I have all my hanging clothes situated from light to dark. I start with white (on the left side) then go yellow, pink, red, purple, blue, green, brown and black (to the far right). These are all dresses, blouses, sweaters, and light jackets or blazers (I keep heavy coats in a coat closet downstairs). This is a mix of long and short sleeve dresses (for all seasons). I like keep all my tops and dresses in one area. I don’t rotate them out for the season and here’s why: There are random days in March or April where you could have 75-degree day. Rather than having to dig through clothes in storage, I like to keep them all in one spot. Behind my black dresses, I have any pants and formal dresses. 

A look into my closet, it’s small but does the job. Hanging clothes on the bottom. Hoodies and hats and scarves on the shelves in clear bins so I can see everything.

As far as drawers go, I have one drawer with winter tops (turtlenecks, heavy sweaters, long sleeve tops), then a second drawer with shorts, short sleeve tops). This is in addition to pajamas, workout clothes, bathing suits etc. in other drawers.  Having warm and cold clothes in separate drawers helps me be mindful or what I’m wearing when. It also saves me times when I am looking for more relaxed clothes, I’m only looking in one drawer in the colder months and another drawer in the warmer months.

Whenever we switch seasons, I always take the time to do a quick try-on and sorting of clothes. This doesn’t have to take too long, just set aside time and make it a point to sort, (I do this between winter and spring and then summer and fall). I’ll go through my closet and see what I’ve worn recently and what I haven’t worn, what fits and what doesn’t fit.

I always hope there’s things I can get rid of and donate to others. I did a big sort through a few months back and go rid of so many shoes too, some I hadn’t worn in years but kept holding onto just in case (we’ll get more to this later on). When I sort through clothes and shoes, it also allows me to see what things I’m in need of too. Why keep an old white t-shirt that doesn’t fit or that’s stained and taking up space when I can get rid of it and buy a fresh one that first better?

Here’s a few other tips that may work for you when it comes to transitioning your wardrobe:

-If you don’t love how you feel in it, don’t keep it. Why hold onto something you don’t feel your best in?

-If you haven’t worn it in the past year, make a point to wear it in the next six months, if you don’t wear it then, it’s time to say goodbye.

-Keep a running list on your phone of things that are must needs for your wardrobe, this is especially helpful when you get rid of things and you are looking to replenish.

These are just a few tricks that have worked well for me when it comes to the changing seasons for clothes. None of these are life changing hacks, but it works for me and maybe they will help you out.

I’m always open to new hacks for organization. What are your favorite ways to switch out your wardrobe between seasons?

Let me know below!

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

Spring Cleaning

Hello all! Happy Wednesday!

The days are getting longer, the sun is setting later, and we are having more days that are warmer rather than freezing…there’s nothing quite like spring. I can hardly wait for next month!

Ever since the start of the new year I have been in cleaning and organizing mode. From closets, to cabinets, under beds and all around the house. I tossed and donated A LOT! I first blamed it on being coped up in the winter and wanting to get things tidied up after the holidays. Then I said I was getting my spring cleaning out of the way. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. The one thing I didn’t do was take any before or after pictures…blogger fail. So I apologize for the lack or pictures in this post.

If you are on the fence about doing some spring cleaning or need that extra push to get it done, I hope this post serves as that motivation.

Here’s some tips and tricks for spring cleaning:

  • Start small
    • It can get overwhelming to start cleaning and organizing. Don’t get too stressed out about the mess or clutter, instead break it up. Start with a closet one afternoon or cabinets one night.  For example, I did my closet on Sunday after work, then the following week, I worked on organizing shoes and donating ones that didn’t fit. The following week, I went through my drawers. I broke it up when I had the time and I worked on small areas. I had a sense of accomplishment at the end of each task but wasn’t burnt out after a mass undertaking of non-stop cleaning.
  • Make a List
    • If you can’t get to everything in one day or even one month, keep a running list of things of things you want to tackle. Sometimes I would be going about my day and would see a cabinet that needs organized or tidied up, if I didn’t have the time to tackle that in that moment, I jotted it down to clean it out when I had the time. I had a list to refer to when I had time to clean or organize and then it was always good to see how far you have come with organizing.
  • Use It or Lose it Rule
    • This is a question I ask myself if I’m on the fence about getting rid of something. There are some things I know can be an easy decision to donate or toss. But then there’s the other things that may be harder to decide to donate or keep. The first question I ask myself is “Have I used or worn this in the past year?”, yes, the pandemic makes it tricky, but if I have used or worn it then I keep, if I haven’t then I reconsider. The second question I ask myself is “If I keep it, will I use it within the next few months?”, if the answer is yes, then I keep it and I do my best to use or wear it. This is another way to make sure you are using or wearing what you have.
  • Don’t buy organizational tools while you are in the thick of it.
    • This is easier said than done. It can be easy to be cleaning something and then think, “I need to buy a new bin or desk organizer”. Hold off on buying a new tool or item, instead see what you must use. For example, for the longest time, I thought I needed a new jewelry box. I hunted for one for a while, but kept coming up empty handed. I went through my jewelry and ended up getting rid of things that were broken or I hadn’t worn and was able to reorganize my jewelry and turns out I didn’t need a new jewelry box. That’s another benefit of cleaning or reorganizing, you find new purposes for old things.

Those are just a few ideas or tips when it comes to spring cleaning. I have spent a lot of time over the past few months cleaning, tidying and reorganizing and it has been so nice to see more clean and empty spaces around my house and room. For those who enjoy spring cleaning and organizing, what are your top tips for cleaning? Drop them below!