There is nothing I love more than infusing a sprinkling of glamour and luxury into daily life. Whether you consider it luxurious to buy a new lipstick, linger with a cup of tea, sleep in, curl up with a stack of books or surround yourself with beautiful trinkets, there is quite literally something for everyone in the field of glamour. See my post on how to live a cozier life for more inspiration!
One of my favourite websites for additional inspiration is {this is glamourous}. It posts almost every day, simply with beautiful pictures of fashion, home decor and things that are simply so..well, glamourous. Definitely check it out, it will sweep you away with its champagne pink ruffles and gold trim.
Today I thought I’d share some photos I’ve taken of glamourosity in my own life/friends. There’s so much beauty everywhere, you just have to stop and look!
Decadent puff pastry pizza with Boursin soft cheese, caramelized onions and basil.
Treating myself to a delicious dark chocolate bar and cozy movie..Freshly picked flowers from the garden A favourite photoA collection of Harrod's productsIsabelle's high fashion bag collection..plus a little sunflower friend!Isabelle's beautifully french-looking framed posterSeeing a rainbow on a beautiful afternoonBuying fruity martinis..
Dressing up in my favourite old-fashioned polka dots for a fancy birthday dinner!
So? What are your favourite luxuries? Where do you find the most beauty around you on a day-to-day basis? I’d love to know!
I am posting today on a serious issue. It is a problem that is sweeping the nation: closet obesity.
My closet before purging
Both hard-hitting and close to home, this issue has infiltrated even the savviest of shoppers’ closets, wreaking havoc on their closet goals and dreams. Does this sound familiar?
Wardrobe Bulimic – You consistently have buying binges at thrift stores and discount clothing joints. You have perhaps 10 things in your closet you’ve owned for more than 5 years. Your style changes as often as your underpants. Your most inspired outfit is the one you just bought.
Interesting. I think that so often, we impulsively buy crap clothing in heaps, things we don’t necessarily like or need, can’t afford and get sick of very quickly. Then it just piles up in our closets, and although we have tons of clothes we don’t feel like wearing any of it! This is unhealthy for our personal style, our closets’ waistbands (they’re fat!) and, of course, our wallets. So how to prevent, avoid and cease this vicious cycle? Careful thought.
What do you want your wardrobe to do for you?
As my style has evolved, I’ve realized that I have a preference for classic style: pieces that can be worn over and over, reinvented and go with everything. I still adore my accessories: scarves, jewelery, hats, etc, which give my outfits personality and pizazz, but I keep finding myself returning to my easy, classic pieces that never get old. My wardrobe wishes are to have pieces that make sense, make me look great, can be mixed and matched easily and are stylish and fun to wear.
My Wardrobe Wishes
Non-dressy blazer which goes with jeans, skirts, dresses
Simple silk shift
Perfect-fit red & white striped shirt
Boyfriend jeans
Pretty flats and perfect brogues
Trenchcoat/nice outerwear
Basic white t-shirts
Men’s-style dress shirts
Pouffy skirt
Simple sundress
So I ask you: what are your closet goals? This is the first question you must ask yourself before the big purge. What do you want out of your wardrobe? Is it trendiness, perfect fit and good quality? Or is it comfort, longevity and affordability? Once you have decided what you want out of your clothes, it becomes much easier to get rid of the clothes that don’t fit into your ‘ideal style’. That’s where the purging comes in.
How to Successfully Purge Your Closet!
After the purge!
The trick is to target pieces that don’t really work. Chances are, you probably know which ones those are: the ones you never reach for while getting dressed, because you know they fit you badly, don’t go with anything, or are outdated. Why do you want these clothes clogging up your dream closet anyways? You don’t! So here’s what I think you should do: get rid of them. I know, it’s big and scary. It’s hard work. It’s mentally frustrating. But guess what? It’s doable! I just did it! Here are three tips I have for losing your bad clothes without losing your mind.
#1. Reflect.
Remember how earlier we decided what our closet goals were? Well, while performing this great feat of closet destruction, keep reflecting. It is easy to lose focus, lose motivation and end up right back where you started. Every time you pick up a piece of your clothing, really think about it. Ask yourself: When was the last time I wore it? Does it look good on me? Does it fit? Is it cheaply made and falling apart? or Is it a keeper? Is it good quality? Is it interchangeable with my wardrobe? If you keep asking yourself questions and giving honest answers, you’ll be purging in no time!
#2. Be ruthless!
Don’t get all mushy-gushy on your closet. If you’re like me, you have plenty of clothes from another stage of your life: clothes you wore when you were with a boyfriend, in a certain key year of your life, etc. Don’t get sentimental! You have photos and memories of yourself during those times. Keeping the clothes in the back of your closet collecting dust will not help you! If one piece was especially important in your life, then hold onto it, by all means, but keep it separate from your wardrobe, maybe in a box of memories? And remember to give yourself a couple days before getting rid of it all, just in case you change your mind about anything. But overall the mission is: purge, purge, purge. Always remember your closet goals!
#3. Recover.
So you’ve lipo-suctioned off a large chunk of clunky, useless clothes from your poor closet’s body. Great! This is good. It will thank you later. Right now, it’s a bit sore and scraggly looking, so fix it on up. Grab some fancy Ikea hangers/boxes, arrange your dresses in a pretty way, display your shoes, etc. This will get you excited about your clothes again, and forget the pain of the slight emptiness your closet may now display. While you’re soothing your burns, look at these closets to further inspire you: Sea of Shoes, Le Fashion Image, various others..
#4. Share.
I know, you’re still licking your wounds. But now is the time to rejoice! Be strong! And see if you can pull it together enough to share. You now have stacks of unwanted (by you) clothes in your hallway, but who says that just because they don’t match your style, they won’t match someone else’s? Offer them up to your friends and siblings! Have a clothes-swap party with friends! See if anyone can re-love any of the things you no longer need. If not, donate them to the Goodwill or sell them to a consignment shop.
Then, dust off your hands, breathe a sigh of relief and relish in the fact that you’re now free to slowly re-build your closet with good quality clothes that fit you perfectly, look amazing and that you love wearing.
What do you think?
Could you bear to get rid of your clothes? Do you have closet goals you’re not reaching? Have you considered a closet purge? Let me know!
So, picture the scene. You’re fifteen minutes away from
a) A lunch date
b) A big meeting
c) Class starting
d) The library/store/whatever opening
It’s too short a time to start a big project. It’s too long a time to sit idly, what with the busy life you lead. You want to do something quick and ultimately productive. Something that’ll make the rest of your day a little easier, or your to-do list a little shorter. You’re always complaining about how there are too few hours in a day, so packing productivity into your stray minutes may give you more cozy time! Here are fifteen ways to be productive with little, inconvenient spurts of time.
Ways to Be Productive
Write that email. You know the one. That response you were meant to have sent to your father/best friend/colleague that you just keep putting off. Just write it! Get it off your plate for good.
Read a chapter of your book. Always keep a book in your purse or briefcase for this purpose. Look forward to these tiny pockets of time in which you can whip out your book and get lost for fifteen minutes (or more!)
Stretch.
Pay bills. A perfectly easy way to be productive. If, like me, your bills aren’t automatically paid, you can use your fifteen minutes to make sure everything is covered and paid for. That way, when you get home, you can use your time for you, not for silly little chores like that.
Skim yesterday’s notes. A great way to stay on top of your work is to read over yesterday’s notes from lecture or a meeting. You’ll pick up on things you weren’t paying attention to, and save yourself from cramming later.
Read the news. If you never have time over breakfast, use your quick stretch of time to consume as much news as possible from The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, The National Post, or any other paper of your choosing. Keeping on your toes about current events is a great asset in conversation and forging connections.
Build your brain. Do a sudoku! Do a crossword, write an article, click on anything that sounds interesting on the Wikipedia homepage, or play Set online (one of my all-time faves), philosophize, etc. Do anything that will keep you alert and awake for the rest of the day.
Tidy your workspace. Such an easy way to boost productivity! If you’re anything like me, you find it distracting to work at a desk/room that is messy, disorganized, and confusing. You can’t be productive if your desk is littered with papers and you can never find anything. Well, unless you’re Einstein. :)
Write a to-do list. If you’re stressed out and panicky, chances are it’s because you have at least three upcoming items on your mind that need doing. The best way that I’ve found to diminish this panic is to get it all down onto paper. Write down every niggling thing that needs doing at work/school/home, and you’ll be better equipped to take steps to finish them.
Brainstorm. Have you been feeling like starting a new project? Creating something new? Or maybe you want to plan a vacation or party. Whatever ideas you’ve got marinating up there in your wee brain, expand and explore them. Mind map online or on paper, adding details as you let the ideas develop. After you’re done, you’ll have lots of new tasks and ideas to build upon.
Power nap. This may not seem productive in the traditional sense, but read between the lines! Taking a quick nap or rest will re-energize you for the rest of the day and put more productivity into your time.
Re-organize. Is your agenda a complete and utter mess? Your file folders, your computer’s files, your email account, your bookshelves or your drawers? Well, take these fifteen minutes to tackle on of those problems. Clean, purge, tidy, re-organize and breathe better knowing you are hereby much more in control.
Get outside! Weather permitting, get yourself outdoors! Go for a little walk to get the blood flowing, or just sit and enjoy the sunlight. Exercise will wake you up and keep you present for the rest of the day.
Plan meals. Assuming you don’t do this on the weekend, take the time to write down little menus for each day of the week and grocery lists for each of them. This will keep you more sane at the grocery store, diminish impulse purchases, and give you time to ensure you’re eating healthy!
Relax! You don’t always have to be doing something. Sometimes the best form of productivity is to relinquish stress by doing nothing! Take a few minutes to yourself. Listen to some music, close your eyes and breathe.
In conclusion..
Productivity is the key to having more time for yourself. If you don’t waste away the precious minutes you may currently consider too short for anything useful, you might find yourself with more free time to do the things you really want to!
So,what are some things you do with spare minutes? How do you manage your time?
One of my favourite comments recently was from the Stir-Fried Dinosaur, who said that my blog was cozy. Isn’t that just the nicest? Thank you! This made me particularly happy because I try very hard to keep my life as cozy as possible. Today I’m going to share with you how I achieve coziness, and how you can too!
My Definition of Cozy:
1. Making your life work for you, so that your personal spaces always feel like home
2. Knowing what you love, and doing it
3. Feeling luxurious in your own way
How To Cozi-fy Your Life
Hot Chocolate and Magazines
1. Making your life work for you.
This means making the most of what you have. You may not have an unlimited budget, or you may not have unlimited space, or you may not have unlimited time to make your spaces perfect. What’s important is that you prioritize. What means the most to you? What will make you feel the most at home when you get home? Is it a big library? A doggie? Big windows and an easy chair? Photos of family and friends? Lots of delicious food? Zero in on what is most important, and make your lifestyle work around that. Budget your time, energy and money carefully in order to get the most out of your life, and the spaces you spend it in.
Marjorie Hillis’s book, Live Alone and Like It, was a bible written for the modern 1930’s woman, but still manages to be remarkably current. It’s one of my favourite books, and I always read it whenever I want to amp up the luxury/cozy in my life. She speaks about the importance of having a home that you really feel at home in, and how just because nobody will necessarily see your home, doesn’t mean you don’t need to make it fabulous! The time you spend nestled up in your rooms should give you lots of happiness – nobody will be happy and inspired if they don’t bother to make an effort in their living spaces!
2. Knowing what you love.
For many people, this is very intuitive. When we walk into a store, we can immediately say exactly what we love and what we hate. But I’m not talking so much about material possessions so much as routines and habits. Chances are there are many little things that make you very happy, but maybe you’re not doing them every day. And why not? What should stop you from incorporating as much happiness and coziness into your daily routines? Maybe for you your favourite thing is:
a quiet half hour reading with some tea
a long walk outdoors
a bubble bath
painting
people-watching in a café
spending rainy days in a record store
dancing.
skipping stones
driving aimlessly
spending Saturdays at the Farmer’s Market
exploring bookshops
drinking your orange juice out of a huge glass
making music
wrestling with your dog
napping
swimming
taking extra-long showers
mood lighting
listening to music without lyrics
etc.
The point is to make your life cozy you need to make time for the things that you love. I know, you’re busy, burnt out and have no time for such frivolous things, right?. To that I say two things:
You will continue to be perpetually burnt out and unproductive if you never take any time to relax or make yourself happy.
Frivolous things? This is your life! If you keep your nose to the grindstone day in and day out, you’re going to wake up in fifty years and realize you haven’t really lived or been happy.
So take the time. Don’t deny yourself time to do exactly what makes you happy. You probably already spend a few hours a day mindlessly watching television or surfing the internet, so you likely do have the time! And of course t.v and internet make people happy as well, but once in a while it’s refreshing to spend some quality time, creating memories and happiness. And coziness, of course!
3. Feeling luxurious in your own way.
In addition to ‘daily happiness upkeep’, you should also treat yourself every so often. And don’t worry if your idea of a special treat differs from someone else’s, you’re you and they’re them. Don’t ever let other people dictate how you should live your life or spend your money. They’re probably just jealous anyhow, that you have such a cozy life! Some extra-luxe ideas for ultimate coziness:
Get a milkshake
Spend extra for something you really love: a type of tea, notebook, bed sheets, perfume/cologne, a mug
Breakfast in bed
Keep your house stocked with cookies, homemade if possible
Spray eucalyptus/lavender spray on your pillows
Invest in a bed tray – it will change your life
Get fresh flowers weekly, if you like them
Conclusion
So there you have it! Three simple ways to squeeze every drop of coziness out of your life. I’m not advocating frivolity, neglect of your daily duties or blowing all your money on expensive things to make your space better for you. It’s all about moderation, simple luxuries and getting the most out of your life. Take the time to think about what parts of your day you love best, and see if you can find a way to amplify that positivity throughout your day. Surround yourself with things you find beautiful and cheerful, and I bet you’ll find yourself more cheerful too :).
What sorts of cozy things do you try to incorporate into your life? What do you spend extra money on? What are your personal luxuries? What makes you happy!?
