Family, Faith, and Fridays: clothes

Showing posts with label clothes. Show all posts

Friday, February 28, 2020

Do You Capsule?

"Organizing is just well planned hording. The best way to organize is to get rid of most of your stuff."

Stay with me! I am not suggesting you get rid of all your stuff. Really I am not. But I am challenging you to think about what you have, why you have it, and what you really use or need. Rearranging your hordes of stuff still leaves you with hordes of stuff. Just in pretty containers!

Ya'll this move has really been an eye opener for me in several areas of our lives. Moving is pretty easy for me. I just move things from one room in a house to the same room in a different house. Done! But this time we did parts of the move on our own (the military has always moved us before) and saw a few areas that needed some attention.

Like clothes! Yep, back on that merry-go-round. Seems like one I keep revisiting. Is it just me?

I moved all my clothes up here myself. And I put them all back in my closet. And then I had a heart to heart talk with myself and decided some things needed to be changed. The lack of organization made my head spin.

I would certainly not call myself a hoarder when it comes to clothes, but let's just say I like them. A lot. I am also pretty fickle about my "style" and therefore often end up with a bunch of random pieces. Thankfully, I have moved back to a place that has four seasons, though mild, and can go back to more of a capsule wardrobe.

Here's my plan-

3 tubs of off season clothing (one for each of the three not currently being worn)

Current season hung in closet hung up

Church/dress clothes hung together (all seasons)

A few "completer" pieces that span the seasons left hanging

Yep that is it. Not rocket science. well, deciding what season a few things went into were a bit harder than others, but luckily my oldest was here to help when I got the wild hair to get it together!

Here's what it is NOT-

An amazing curated 33 item wardrobe for each season- While I love the Project 333 idea, I am not as much stuck on a number, as I am determined to have only what I need a love, and while I LOVE seeing pictures with all those coordinating colors and beautiful monochromatic color palettes, that is just not me.

Here is what it IS-

Suited to fit me. And you should do the same. Copying someone else's' capsule does not work. Trust me on this one, I know. You will end up with a closet of stuff that looks really cute on someone else.

Random number of items. My winter and spring capsules are smaller than my fall and summer. Who knows why.

Fewer things, but nicer items! I am all for a fun graphic tee shirt or trendy item at a cheap price, but I want to focus more on quality items that will last for more than three months.

A few things will travel from one capsule to the other and probably never see the bins. There are jeans I have I wear all year. There are a few basic layering tees, short and long sleeve, that I wear all seasons. They will just stay put once I turn to a new capsule.

A lesson in progress. I am new to this area. In reality, I have NO real idea of how the seasons will look. I am tentatively planning on-

Dec/Jan/Feb= winter
Mar/April/May=spring
June/July/Aug= summer
Sept/Oct/Nov= fall

But I may find I need to expand or shorten those once I get there. We will see and that's ok!

This is also a time that I want to evaluate each piece as I bring it out for a new season. If I love it and wear it, it stays. Otherwise, off it goes.

A quick update on some of the ideas I was processing through about minimalist clothing a few weeks ago

I am still committed to 20 in 20 where you only buy 20 articles of clothing in 2020. I am up to 6, but they all have been carefully thought out pieces and filled holes in my closet. Like two new sweaters because I am not in Phoenix anymore and it gets cold up here in the mountains.

Buying second hand. Trying to stick to this mostly, but I have seen some sales that I think would be less expensive than buying used, so that I am pondering. Maybe the point is not about the price but about being good stewards of things and "recycling." Hmmmmm, thoughts on that anyone?

Project 333 Again, I am not following that down to the letter of the law, but it did remind me of why I love capsules and has some good general rules to follow. It spurned me on to get it together! Founder Courtney Carver has a new book coming out soon and I cannot wait to read it!

Monday, February 17, 2020

Minimalist Clothes

Before you get too excited, no, I am not a minimalist and yes, I have too many clothes. I have in the past pared WAY down and even done a two season capsule, but somehow it tends to get away from me and once again I will find myself with too many things, half of which are not my favorites.

I do sway towards wanting to be a minimalist. No, not the "get rid of everything you own and sit on the floor," but more the "surround yourself with only the things you love and use."

Shop purposeful.

Live purposeful.

This latest move has shown me once again that random stuff is not what I want in my life. When you have to pack and unpack everything you own every several years it makes you reconsider what is truly important to you. This move has been no different, and I have been so thankful that 34 Weeks of Clean is not just something I write about, but something we live!

Honestly, if I went around with a bag and tried to gather up things I could throw out and not miss, the list would be small.

Except for clothes. Yes, I may have fewer than many people, but I still have more than I need.

My issue is what to do about that. I like to shop, so the first step is to stop shopping for a while. In stores or online. This means staying OUT of stores and OFF online clothing sites. YOU may have more will power than I do, but sister, those places are bad news for me.

The other ideas I am still processing through look like this-

#20in2020dressing- Committing to buying only 20 clothing items in the year. No judgement- from your side or mine. This was recommended to me by some friends who are doing it and the idea is intriguing. I am working through this idea. You can see her plan at her blog!

Only buying second hand. This is actually more of a challenge for me. Full disclosure- I love Stitch Fix. I love shiny stores. I already told you I love clothes! But places like Poshmark and Thred Up (referral link!) sell things at a fraction of the cost and often in perfect condition or even tags on. Since I know what sizes I wear in the brands I like, it will be easy for me to search for exactly what I need. Notice the word need!

Back to basics! I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe and have written about them in the past and I love the many pictures I see of them. They speak to the organizational side of me. Lately I have been following some friends in a group called Polished Plaid Fashion Challenge that helps you create a capsule and then use it to get dressed for about a month. It works for me, takes the guess work out of my "what to wear" problem, and makes my mornings pretty thought free. (Not to mention I LOVE the community these gals have created! Seriously, want to make some new friends and be encouraged and cheered on, join this group! They will begin a new challenge in March.) Since we are now living in a 4 season climate what I would like to do is create a 4 season capsules that I can rotate through.

Project 333- This is where capsules rubber meets the road. While I am not stuck on the magic number of living with 33 items (in total or in each season's capsule!) the principles she uses are solid and I am hoping to learn from those principles, taking what works, and tweaking what doesn't. I am not an all neutral girl, but I do own a few too many floral tops. Just saying!

So yep, as I am unpacking this week, these are just a few of the MANY things running through my head. Once I land on a plan, I will be sure to update you! In the meantime, I would LOVE to hear how you manage your clothes. Really! Leave me a note.

Blessings,

Monday, July 15, 2019

34 Weeks of Clean 2019! Week 27- Clothes Storage

I know last week was kind of overwhelming, so let me encourage you for a moment. You CAN do this! I promise, if I can, you can! Really - have you looked at some of my before pictures? And this is the FOURTH time I have done this!! This is a family that moved every two years or so for 26 years! We carried a lot of "just in case" items with us from place to place and we are just now finally going through a lot of that stuff and purging. I understand about storage rooms. But know this- there IS such a thing as too much and we are working towards breaking the cycle and clearing things out. So if you have not started or just haven't quite finished- KEEP GOING! I am cheering you on and still working too.

In the meantime- this week we are conquering the clothes storage areas in your house. That is going to look a little different for everyone. For years we had storage bins with clothes that we passed from girl to girl, or boy to boy. Now that they are all older, and because there is such a large gap in age and size between the boys, those no longer exist. We also use to have different seasons of clothing to keep stored, but living in Arizona has made that a moot point, honestly. It is either HOT or REALLY HOT here so there is not a lot of off season clothing hanging around. We keep one winter jacket per person in an upstairs closet but for the most part, all of our clothes are in our closets. The exception is one storage bin that we have for Colby of clothes to grow into that I couldn't part with.

I also use to buy off season sales, so anything I found I put into a bin for the upcoming season. Again, not an issue for me due to where we live, but I know lots of people who save a lot of money doing so. If that is you, make an inventory list of what the needed items are and attach it to the bin. That way, when sales come up, you can easily reference your needs. Not wants!

If you too have large gaps in the ages of your children, consider a few things.

Will the stuff still be in style by the time you get to it?
Is it worth the space it takes up to save it?
Could someone else be more blessed by the clothes right now?

Again, we finally decided that it was just better to bless others with the hand me downs they could use now. By the time our youngest could use them we would have either hauled them around for years or they would have no longer even be worth wearing. Anything that was worn or terribly outdated went into the trash. Things I thought just wouldn't get worn by the youngest (different styles, tastes, or body types) went into a Goodwill pile. It only took a short amount of time and took about 5 large totes out of our lives.

So this week is pretty simple.

Pick your favorite method of storing clothes- by gender or size or specific child, and get organized!

Go through the clothes storage you have, purge and re-sort if necessary.

Make a list of any items you know you need so you can take advantage of off season sales.

*A quick note about clothes. Please keep in mind that one of our goals in this series is to declutter our homes and lives. This includes clothes. Just as we did with our own closets, we must evaluate what we need and what we don't.

Do not confuse needs with wants. There is a difference.

Face facts, we can only wear one outfit at a time. Having closets and storage bins with clothes popping out of them is not needed. Be honest with yourself and evaluate if you are not only being good steward of your space but also your money. (Trust me, I am preaching to myself here, I have a clothes issue.)

So how did you do with last week's assignment? We always love seeing your progress!

And homeschooling moms- next week is just for you! ;)

Monday, April 22, 2019

34 Weeks of Clean 2019! Week 16- The Master Closet

You knew it was coming, right? We cannot simply do our bedrooms and skip our closets, though trust me, the idea did cross my mind. Let's face it, most of our closets are pretty dungeon like. At least mine is. I have had ONE closet in my lifetime that I loved. In our Virginia rental house, the closet was the size of a small bedroom. Seriously! It had a wonderful window in it that lit the place up and I even had my treadmill in it with plenty of space to walk around in. I loved it. That is no longer my reality sadly. This is-

Yep. Not very big and often piled high with junk. As usual, I have allowed it to get completely out of hand. It is an easy place to just toss things in and not look back. It is one of the few places guests don't see so I let it slide. Often. And dresser drawers, don't even get me started. I actually do not even use a dresser anymore, Clarke took mine over, so I have three cubbies and a few baskets in the closet that house my things that don't hang up.

So this week- Master Closets and Dresser Drawers are on our attack list!

Here we go!

You know the drill - take everything OUT! Trust me when I say this, it WILL make things easier in the end! Closet and drawers. It truly is the only way to really see how much you have. Time to face reality, ladies.

Just getting started!

Once everything is out, wipe down the shelves and rods and vacuum the floor in the closet and wipe out dresser drawers. Now is your chance before things go back in!

And now, for the hard part! Put it back. Notice that I did NOT say put it ALL back in. Because that is not what we are going to do. Shake your head up and down to indicate you understand, please!

If you will remember back with me, one of our goals is to declutter. This means we are NOT keeping extra stuff we do not need or wear.

- Throw away things that are stained or torn or 100 years old. Some of you know I am looking at YOU!
-Donate things that do not fit you or that you do not love! NO keeping stuff just because. Touch every piece and ask yourself, does it fit and do I love it?

Helpful hints-

When you wear something, wash it and then put it on a hanger facing backwards. When a month is over, the things that are are still on front facing hangers are the things you have avoided for a month. hmmmm- do you need them?

Or try this- I hang all my shirts together in a row and then each day choose the one on the far left to wear. From there I pair it with whatever else I need and off I go. If I find myself skipping the same shirt over and over again I take that as a clue that it is not something I like or need and should pass on to someone else.

This also helps me avoid wearing the same few things over and over again that I love. Because, yes, I would do that.

Really evaluate what you have and what you NEED. There are plenty of good sites out there that can help you decide what looks good on you (and what does not) and how to mix and match with fewer things. I have found that when I keep my clothes to a few colors, some times I do better than others, it all goes together AND it keeps me from buying more. My oldest does something similar and has a capsule wardrobe which she has blogged about several years ago for me! One thing I have learned from all the traveling we do is that you can create many different outfits with few pieces if you plan well. Let's commit to stop buying random stuff just because it is cute or on sale! If you don't need it, don't buy it!

If you have a high shelf in your closet, invest in a few dividers that will help you stack things without the risk of an avalanche every time you open the closet door. Or just get rid of stuff and clear the space! ;)

Hang your dress clothes separately. It makes Sunday mornings and special occasions easier to get ready for when those clothes are separate.

Make piles like TRASH, GOODWILL, or SWEET DESERVING FRIEND who will fit better into it! ;)

You can do this! I know it is hard to let go of things, but let's not make things an idol. Clothes especially. They simply cover our bodies and do not make us who we are.

This is also the time to go through scarves, shoes and jewelry if this is where those things are housed.

-I love having my jewelry in my closet so it is easy to match to an outfit on the way out the door. I recently pared down my jewelry to only the pieces I love. Hard, but necessary. I use a spool holder for ease. Trust me, this is pared down!

               -Shoes! Let's talk shoes for a minute. How many pairs do you own? Actually, how many pairs can you wear at once? That is a better question. I love shoes as much as the next person, maybe not as much as my mom, but I realized that shoes were one of the areas that was going to get the best of me if I was not very careful. So I donated a lot of pairs a few years ago! I realized I only wore the same two pair of booties all "winter" anyway, and because of a hip and leg problem (steps are a very dangerous thing!) I wear almost the same two pairs of summer shoes all summer long. All the others, except for two pairs of church shoes and one very dressy pair, were extra. As in not needed!
              -Bags and pocketbooks. Now we are getting personal. If you know me well, you know I have a thing for both. Don't know why, but I cannot seem to pass up either. I love changing purses with the seasons and I can find any excuse to have a new bag. In my defense, I use them. But, again, not all are necessary (did I really say that?), and I did get rid of a few. Ok, 2 more this season, it is a work in progress, I promise!

YOU DID IT! Stand back and look at what your hard work accomplished! And don't panic- you have a week to finish this project!

So how did you do last week in your Master Bedroom? If you haven't shared your pictures on our Facebook page, please do! We love seeing your hard work in action!

Thanks for working hard and having fun with us! Keep cleaning and organizing- you CAN do it!

Blessings,

Intro Week
Week 1- Holiday Decorations
Week 2-The Pantry
Week 3-Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers
Week 4- Fridge, Freezer and Floors
Week 5- Recipes
Week 6- The Stove and Loose Ends
Week 7- The Dining Room
Week 8- The Living Room
Week 9- Books
Week 10- Bathrooms
Week 11- The Foyer
Week 12- The Family Room and DVDs
Week 13- Pictures and Scrapbooks
Week 14- Arts, Crafts and Hobbies
Week 15- he Master Bedroom

Monday, July 10, 2017

34 Weeks of Clean: Rinse and Repeat: Week 27- Clothes Storage

I know last week was kind of overwhelming, so let me encourage you for a moment. You CAN do this! I promise, if I can, you can! Really - have you looked at my before pictures? And this is the THIRD time I have done this!! This is a family that moves every two years or so. We carry a lot of "just in case" items with us from place to place. I understand about storage rooms. But know this- there IS such a thing as too much and we are working towards breaking the cycle and clearing things out. So if you have not started or just haven't quite finished- KEEP GOING! I am cheering you on and still working too.

In the meantime- this week we are conquering the clothes storage areas in your house. That may look a little different for everyone, but in our home, it is back to the storage room we go. Hiding in 8 of those bins are either off season clothes or clothes for our youngest child to grow into.
Because we do not have huge closets in our house, we keep the kids' off season clothes in bins (with Ashton's off season capsules in there as well). I also have kept a few clothes from my 15 year old to pass on to his younger brother. Since I went to more of a capsule wardrobe concept, all of my clothes are in my closet.

I also tend to buy off season sales, so anything I find I put into the bin for the upcoming season. If you have things you know a particular child is going to need, make an inventory list of what the needed items are and attach it to the bin. That way, when sales come up, you can easily reference your needs. Not wants!

Because my two boys have a slightly larger age gap, some of those bins had not been gone through lately, so I opened each one and took everything out. We decided that it is better to just bless others with the hand me downs they can use now. By the time our youngest can use them we will have either hauled them around for years or they will no longer even be worth wearing. Anything that was worn or terribly outdated went into the trash. Things I thought just wouldn't get worn by the youngest (different styles, tastes, or body types) went into a Goodwill pile. Quite frankly, I was surprised at how much I was able to pare down. We are now two totes less!

Another load headed to Goodwill

So this week is pretty simple.

Pick your favorite method of storing clothes- by gender or size or specific child, and get organized!

Go through the clothes storage you have, purge and re-sort if necessary.

Make a list of any items you know you need so you can take advantage of off season sales.

A quick note about clothes. Please keep in mind that one of our goals in this series is to declutter our homes and lives. This includes clothes. Just as we did with our own closets, we must evaluate what we need and what we don't.

Do not confuse needs with wants. There is a difference.

Face facts, we can only wear one outfit at a time. Having closets and storage bins with clothes popping out of them is not needed. Be honest with yourself and evaluate if you are not only being good steward of your space but also your money.

So how did you do with last week's assignment? We can't wait to see your progress!

And homeschooling moms- next week is just for you! ;)

Until then, blessings!!

Monday, April 24, 2017

34 Weeks of CleanRinse and Repeat: Week 16-The Master Closet

His side

Her side

Yep. Small and piled high with junk. As usual, I have allowed it to get completely out of hand. It is an easy place to just toss things in and not look back. It is one of the few places guests don't see so I let it slide. Often. And dresser drawers, don't even get me started.

So this week- Master Closets and Dresser Drawers are on our attack list!

Here we go!

You know the drill - take everything OUT! Trust me when I say this, it WILL make things easier in the end! Closet and drawers. It truly is the only way to really see how much you have. Time to face reality, ladies.

Once everything is out, wipe down the shelves and rods and vacuum the floor in the closet and wipe out dresser drawers. Now is your chance before things go back in!

And now, for the hard part! Put it back. Notice that I did NOT say put it ALL back in. Because that is not what we are going to do. Shake your head up and down to indicate you understand, please!

If you will remember back with me, one of our goals is to declutter. This means we are NOT keeping extra stuff we do not need or wear.

- Throw away things that are stained or torn or 100 years old. Some of you know I am looking at YOU!

-Donate things that do not fit you or that you do not love! NO keeping stuff just because. Touch every piece and ask yourself, does it fit and do I love it?

Helpful hints-

When you wear something, wash it and then put it on a hanger facing backwards. When a month is over, the things that are are still on front facing hangers are the things you have avoided for a month. hmmmm- do you need them?

Or try this- I hang all my shirts together in a row and then each day choose the one on the far left to wear. From there I pair it with whatever else I need and off I go. If I find myself skipping the same shirt over and over again I take that as a clue that it is not something I like or need and should pass on to someone else.

This also helps me avoid wearing the same few things over and over again that I love. Because, yes, I would do that.

Really evaluate what you have and what you NEED. There are plenty of good sites out there that can help you decide what looks good on you (and what does not) and how to mix and match with fewer things. I have found that when I keep my clothes to a few colors, it all goes together AND it keeps me from buying more. My oldest does something similar and has just started a capsule wardrobe which she has blogged about for me! One thing I have learned from all the traveling we do is that you can create many different outfits with few pieces if you plan well. Let's commit to stop buying random stuff just because it is cute or on sale! If you don't need it, don't buy it!

If you have a high shelf in your closet, invest in a few dividers that will help you stack things without the risk of an avalanche every time you open the closet door. Or just get rid of stuff and clear the space! ;)

Hang your dress clothes separately. It makes Sunday mornings and special occasions easier to get ready for when those clothes are separate.

Make piles like TRASH, GOODWILL, or SWEET DESERVING FRIEND who will fit better into it! ;)

One bag for the trash, one for Goodwill

You can do this! I know it is hard to let go of things, but let's not make things an idol. Clothes especially. They simply cover our bodies and do not make us who we are.

This is also the time to go through scarves, shoes and jewelry if this is where those things are housed.

-My kiddos gave my two scarf hangers for Christmas that I love. (yes, I have a thing for scarves, especially in the Midw cold months!) It is a great way to organize them, plus once you run out of space you need to be done! (note to self)

-I also love having my jewelry in my closet so it is easy to match to an outfit on the way out the door. I recently pared down my jewelry to only the pieces I love. Hard, but necessary. I use a spool holder for ease. Trust me, this is pared down!

-Bags and pocketbooks. Now we are getting personal. If you know me well, you know I have a thing for both. Don't know why, but I cannot seem to pass up either. I love changing purses with the seasons and I can find any excuse to have a new bag. In my defense, I use them. But, again, not all are necessary (did I really say that?), and I did get rid of a few. Ok, 2 more this season, it is a work in progress, I promise!

YOU DID IT! Stand back and look at what your hard work accomplished! And don't panic- you have a week to finish this project!

So how did you do last week in your Master Bedroom? If you haven't shared your pictures on our Facebook page, please do! We love seeing your hard work in action! Plus, pictures entered every week get you in the drawing for some fabulous prizes from 621 Gifts, Redeemed, and ME! Let me show you the sign Redeemed has just for one of you-