Another Rambling Ramble

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Hello there lovelies,

I promised more rambling, and I always make good on my promises. I cooked dinner from scratch tonight. I know that won't sound like a big deal to some people, but I haven't properly cooked a meal from scratch since high school Home Economics classes. It was much simpler that I had envisioned. Meat, vegies, noodles, tomato paste, soy sauce, and half an hour later I'd made a stir-fry. Mine isn't the one in the picture, but it did look incredibly similar. It wasn't difficult, or particularly time-consuming, and there were no tears (and surprisingly little sweat) involved. In fact, I'm left wondering why I ever bothered buying stir-fry sauce in packets or jars. The more I research recipes, the more I wonder why I have ever bothered to buy meal bases, or pre-made pasta sauces, or anything of the like.

I suppose we have to believe that these things are hard. Otherwise supermarkets wouldn't be able to sell their pre-made things. I think that people my age are especially vulnerable to the marketing. We've grown up in a generation that always needs more, and wants it all now. It's normal for us to want "the next big thing", and buy now, pay later. We're taught to like things that minimize the time we have to spend doing anything -prepackaged foods, remote controls, "drive-thrus". I think I'm a pretty good example that this doesn't always work for us. Having a house full of things didn't make me, or The Boyfriend any happier. It just made us feel cluttered, and wasteful.

Although The Boyfriend & I deciding to simplify was motivated by wanting to save money, I'm actually really enjoying getting back to basics. I'm enjoying it way more than I ever enjoyed ordering pizza. I'd forgotten how much I love cooking. I'd forgotten how much I love eating fresh vegetables. I'd forgotten how much I love to take care of things, and watch things grow. This weekend I plan to dive right back into baking, and I really want to try my hand at making my own soap (although the combination of me and caustic materials may be dangerous). At the moment, I have three favourite parts of the day. The first one is in the morning, when The Boyfriend & I head out to tend to our little vegetable garden (and our worm farm). The second one is coming home to cook dinner. The Boyfriend washes dishes, while I potter about the kitchen with my recipe book making a meal. The third one is heading off to bed and falling asleep in The Boyfriends' arms. One of the hardest things for me to remember is how little it actually takes to make me happy - when I forget about trying to force my happiness.

Until next time, xo.

In Which Kate Bosworth Looks Awesome

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WANT.

That is all.

What exactly am I referring to?

WHO KNOWS. ALL THE STUDS HAVE RENDERED ME INCAPABLE OF WORDS.

Until next time, xo.

The Only Coat In The World

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Dear Magical Handing-out-designer-coats Fairy,

Please leave this amazing coat under my pillow. I will promise not to say "I Don't Believe in Fairies" and kill you. Or you know, I at least promise to clap enough to bring you back to life. Just bring me the coat, ok?

Love,
Your totally-not-homicidal-friend Stacey.

Curious Tuesday...

Hello there lovelies,

Most of you are probably aware of Gala Darling's weekly "Curious Tuesday" feature. Well, today the question is "What is your favourite outfit?", and I couldn't help but supply some answers. Of course I couldn't pick just one favourite outfit, so I thought I'd do a little recap of some of my recent favourites.

Now, what do you notice about the outfits I have picked? I'll tell you what I noticed. In five out of six outfits I'm wearing pants and boots, and four of those outfits include the same pair of boots. In four I'm wearing dark skinny leg pants, and in three of them the same pair of pants. In five out of six I am wearing pants, and in every outfit I am wearing mostly black, with a little colour.

What is/are your favourite outfit/s? When you think of them, or look back at outfit photos, do you notice a pattern? Are there particular items that pop up alot? Are there some items in your wardrobe that never make an appearance? I find all these thing quite interesting to consider, especially since I'm trying to downsize everything in my life -including my wardrobe. If you're trying to do that too, then maybe answering this simple question would really help you out!

Until next time, xo.

P.S. I notice there are a few new followers of my humble blog out there! Hello, it's great to see you! If there's anything you'd like to ask me, tell me, suggest, or if you just want to chat then hit me up at i_see_the_purple_monkey@hotmail.com !

Godzilla In The News 04/21/10 - Big G Influences Fashion And Music, Plus The Top 5 G Films According To CNN

Written By: Ken Hulsey

If you ever had any doubts in your mind on just how much Godzilla has effected American pop-culture, then today's news stories should erase them.

I have collected a couple of stories about how the big guy has influenced both classical music, and surprisingly, ladies fashions.

On top of that, I also have a list of Godzilla films that Patrick Macias at CNN thinks are the best.

For the record, my list of the five best Godzilla movies of all-time goes like this:

1. Gojira
2. Godzilla vs Destroyah
3. Monster Zero
4. Destroy All Monsters
5. King Kong vs Godzilla

I'm certain that your list would probably be different. A lot of people don't care for "King Kong vs Godzilla", but it was the G movie that got played all the time on TV when I was growing up, so It holds a special place in my heart.

Okay, now on to some more sophisticated talk about classical music and high-end fashion:

Ensemble originals reflect, anticipate 25th anniversary concert
The Newark Advocate - Abbey Roy

Memories of 96 trombones and a first concert on a too-small stage, nerve-wracking solos and emotional Christmas concerts, songs and people and venues -- all play vividly through the minds of the original members of the Heisey Wind Ensemble.

After 25 years, 10 of the originals remain active in the group. Among those, co-founder Don Workman has bragging rights: He has not yet missed a concert.

He will continue his unblemished record Saturday, taking up his tuba as the ensemble performs its spring concert with a program that tackles the more traditional "Fiddler on The Roof," while blazing a new trail with a piece called "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas."

"It's a good group," Workman said after having completed an enthusiastic description of the "Godzilla" piece -- which, for the record, will be accompanied by a slide show.

Read More

Dedicated followers of fashion
Burbank Leader - Joyce Rudolph

“Asiatikos” is the theme for the 2010 show to be presented by the Woodbury Department of Fashion Design.

The event allows students of Woodbury’s fashion department to showcase their designs. The styles shown made the cut after being judged by fashion professionals during a show on April 20 at the university.

Senior Paige Ishida, of Burbank, based her group of fashions on the theme “Japanese Geeks” relating to those who love the old 1950s and ’60s sci-fi films like “Godzilla,” she said.

“I focused my theme on the nostalgic interests of the geeks,” she said. “I like how they are so passionate about things out of the norm. It’s fun for them, and that’s interesting.”

For a mossy green dress, she sewed a center panel with a water-like pattern of teals and greens representing Godzilla, she said.

Read More

5 best Godzilla movies of all time
CNNGo.com - Patrick Macias

Godzilla -- or "Gojira" as he's known in Japan -- has been delighting moviegoers and destroying Tokyo for five decades now. The sum total of his screen appearances is 28 films plus one very bad Hollywood outing, with another U.S. remake set for 2012. But which of his films truly stand apart from the pack of men-in-rubber-suits that make up the kaiju eiga (monster movie) genre? Here's the short list of my personal favorites.

"Gojira" (1954)

Premise: A giant dinosaur mutated and awakened by atomic testing wreaks havoc until super-science finds a way to stop the rampage.

Why it's good: Director Ishiro Honda approached the 'monster on the loose' material as if he were making a documentary on Atom Age gloom and anxiety. The result is a classic of Japanese post-war cinema.

Godzilla, the monster: Special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya depicts Gojira/Godzilla as a terrifying walking H-bomb incarnate and a merchandise-ready movie star.

Trivia: "Gojira" was the most expensive Japanese movie of its time to produce, budgeted at around US$1 million -- an amount double that of "The Seven Samurai."

Read More

See Also: Godzilla In The News 04/19/10 - Obama Worried Jolly Green Giant/Godzilla Conflict Could Destabilize Region / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/15/10 - The Angry Edition! / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/12/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/08/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/04/10 - Happy Easter! / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/01/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 03/31/10

Godzilla T-Shirt Tuesday! Entertainment Earth Special Edition!

Source: Entertainment Earth

Godzilla King of the Monsters T-Shirt

One lizard to rule them all!
High-quality t-shirt featuring the one and only Godzilla.
Wear your favorite movies!

Godzilla King of the Monsters T-Shirt. A black and white Godzilla image on a 100% pre-shrunk cotton, short sleeve men's black t-shirt. Machine washable. Order yours today!

Hey, when you see me at Comic Con, I'm going to be wearing one of these babies!


Coming In May 2010! Preorder Yours Today For Only $18.99!

Godzilla Vintage French Poster T-Shirt

He's big in France, too!
High-quality t-shirt featuring artwork from a French Godzilla poster.
Wear your favorite movies!

Godzilla Vintage French Poster T-Shirt. A vintage Godzilla movie poster on a 100% pre-shrunk cotton, short sleeve men's fitted jersey black t-shirt. Machine washable. Order yours today!

Coming In May 2010! Preorder Yours Today For Only $18.99

Godzilla Rising Sun T-Shirt

Welcome to Japan - enjoy your stay!
High-quality t-shirt featuring the one and only Godzilla.
Wear your favorite movies!

Godzilla Rising Sun T-Shirt. A bold, large-format print of Godzilla on a 100% pre-shrunk cotton, short sleeve men's fitted jersey white t-shirt. Machine washable. Order yours today!

Coming In May 2010! Preorder Yours Today For Only $24.99!

What's Really In Your Wardrobe?

Hello there lovelies,

The crazy conglomeration of fabrics you see before you is, in fact, my wardrobe. This post was inspired by Claire, of The View From Here who kindly showed us the mountains of style she has hidden in her wardrobe, and I've used it as somewhat of a learning/awareness exercise. But more on that later!

Contents of my Wardrobe (Eeek!)

Tops

• 27 T-shirts - 14 printed t-shirts (eg. this), 4 plain colours and 5 concert/show tees (eg. this).
• 6 dresses - including one strapless and two maxi-dresses.
• 3 Cardigans - 2 black, one covered in stars.
• 4 hoodies - my favourite is an Emily the Strange one covered in tiny little bones.
• 5 jackets - a denim jacket, a biker jacket, a plaid jacket, a black trench, and a black denim Earl Jean jackets, snagged for $10, with a RRP of $129.99
• 2 corsets - one beautiful pinstripe underbust corset made by Countess Von Belfry.
• 1 halter top, and 1 tube top.
• 6 singlets - three plain colours, three printed.
• 6 tank tops .
• 7 assorted vests, and other similar layering pieces.
• 2 button-ups - including the one I wore to my 21st birthday.
• 5 long-sleeve shirts - including my modification of an Emily The Strange tee.
• 1 mens designer button-up shirt (which I found at a garage sale).
  
  Bottoms
  
• 5 pairs of jeans - including a black pair, and my $19.95 Lee Riders and these.
• 5 pairs of other pants - including these babies.
• 2 pairs of cropped pants
• 10 skirts - including the Wolverine Slasher Skirt, that I made.
• 4 pairs of shorts - two short pairs, one pair of denims and a patchwork pair of mens shorts.

Accessories

• 1 pair of striped armwarmers, made by me.
• 14 hats - 1 bowler hat, 2 trilbys, 2 train driver style caps, 1 Wolverine cap, and the rest knitted berets and beanies.
• 4 belts - my usual studded belt, a patterned hip belt, an Emily The Strange belt, and one that says "Always Scores" with pictures of Space Invaders on it.
• 3 ties.
• 1 pair of suspenders (polka dot).
• 10 scarves - mostly matching the knitted beanies, and this one that I made.
• 12 pairs of shoes - 1 long gladiator sandals, 2 short gladiator-ish sandals, 3 pairs of boots, 2 pairs of heels, 2 pairs of Vans, 1 pair of Red Pepper platform boots ($2 from Thrift Shop) and a pair of skull-printed gumboots.
• 8 bags - including an Emily The Strange bag shaped like the head of a cat.
  

I actually learned alot from this exercise - firstly, that I really had no idea how much clothing I have amassed. The scary thing here being, that this is actually the smallest my wardrobe has been for a very long time. From now on I'm going to be much more careful about what I buy, especially when it comes to those ultra-cheap tables full of t-shirts. There's not really any reason why I need as many t-shirts as I have, let alone more. You're going to be seeing more of an effort to remix from me - as of this week, I am giving myself a $20 weekly budget for clothing purchases. So, if I spend $60 this week, I can't buy any more clothing for three weeks. I may need The Boyfriend to help me with this one, but I think it has to be done. I'm blowing too much money on more clothes that could really be useful for other things.

Secondly, my wardrobe has a very pronounced lack of anything that isn't casual clothing. I'm swimming (or maybe a more fitting word would be drowning) in casual. When I do buy things in the near future, I want to focus on more "dressy" pieces. I want to build myself a look that is a little more mature than I have currently. On this tangent, thirdly I noticed that compared to the "busy" and "statement" pieces, I have very few plain basics. I want to get a few more things like this - plain tops for layering, a LBD, some nice tailored pants.

I'm still struck by how shocked I was to find out how huge my wardrobe is. How about you guys? Do you have a good handle on what's in your wardrobe? Do you think you'd learn anything by cataloging what is in your wardrobe?

Until next time, xo.

DIY Madness!

Hello there lovelies,

Long time no see ay? I assure you, I haven't died in a freak gasoline fight accident, oh no. I've just been super busy, first anticipating my 21st birthday party, then attending it, and then being completely in love with my brand new sewing machine. For those in the sewing know it is a Janome DC2101 - freaking sweet. It's certainly a big change from my old machine, which may have in fact walked with dinosaurs (aww, don't worry old machine, I still loved you). This one has lots of fancy things, such as an up-down needle button. Hey, don't laugh! That's a big luxury to me! Anyway, I made three skirts last night (plus, sketched out ideas for a skeleton back t-shirt, and a t-to-dress reconstruction).

Note to self - next time, make sure you have the skirt on straight before taking pics. This skirt was made from a t-shirt found on a 3 for $15 table at Jay Jays. Obviously, the pattern was meant to be suspenders, but I thought "you don't just use suspenders to hold up your pants", and made what I refer to as The Garter Belt Skirt. So easy to make! If you get a shirt the right size, then it's really just a matter of cutting, hemming and adding the waistband.

Pacman! (Once, next time remember to put the damn skirt on straight!). This used to be a Jay Jay's womens tank top with a Pacman print on the front. As you can see now it is a fairly indecent skirt. Once again, cutting, slight reshaping, hemming - and the addition of cute little back pockets! Man oh man, do I love me some Pacman right now.

Now this is probably the most complex project I've ever undertaken. This is not a reconstruction people, but a for reals from scratch skirt. I picked up the tartan material for $2.50 from the op-shop, and the zipper once upon a time for 50c. The tutorial I used for this skirt was made by the awesome Max California. I made my skirt a waisted skirt rather than an underbust skirt - and it did come out slightly shorter than I intended! I'm tossing up adding another layer to it, just for the sake of my dignity, but time will tell. I'm so proud of it!

So there's a nights worth of crafty endeavours for you! By the way I'm finally enrolled in my first set of TAFE courses now - a basic dressmaking course, and a patternmaking course. I can't wait for my materials to arrive, I'm so excited! What have you all been up to?

Until next time, xo.

How To: Be An A+ Bargain Shopper

Hello lovelies,

I spent the entirety of this Friday trawling through second-hand stores and strange little stores full of curiousities in the backstreets of town. I finally emerged victorious, with a patterned Miss Sixty t-shirt, a black Sportsgirl skirt, and a red cord skirt for less than $15. Not bad for a days work, huh? I've had a few people comment that they're impressed with how I manage to get my clothes so cheaply, so I thought I'd fill you all in on my bargain secrets. I've been doing this since I can remember - I have very fond primary school memories of my Nan taking me second-hand shopping on my school holidays. At the beginning of the day, she'd give me $10, and I'd see how far I could make it stretch. When I went through my "brand name" phase at the beginning of high school, my family couldn't afford to buy the stuff new, so I got knock-offs from Target or Kmart, or my Nan scooped up bargain brand-name pieces for me from second-hand stores. Shopping on the cheap is a legacy in my family. Now my clothes all come from four main sources - eBay, thrift stores (or op shops), chain stores and lower-class department stores.

Before we start there's one thing you have to know - bargain shopping requires paitience, and lots of it. If you're not prepared to sort through lots of items you hate, you're never going to find the one item in the pile that is perfect for you. If you're not prepared to spend lots of your time searching through piles of clothes, trying things on and inspecting clothes, then bargain shopping is never going to be your forte. Second-hand shops don't offer any guarantees, or refunds and most shops won't refund or exchange their sale items, unless they turn out to be faulty (and weren't on sale because of said fault). These things are important to know, because no matter how cheaply you acquire an item, it's not a bargain if you get it home and find out it doesn't fit, or looks horrible on your body type. Equally, an item is not a bargain if you get it home and find a huge tear in the side - plus, your sewing skills are non-existant. Damaged items are a great bargain if you can repair them, but not so much if you've never picked up a sewing needle in your life.

Thrift-store shopping (otherwise known as second-hand, or op shopping):

Second-hand shopping is one of my favourite ways to snap up bargains. However, just because thrifting is suddenly in vogue, don't hold any illusions about how glamorous it is. Earlier, when I mentioned the three great items I found in one day, what I didn't mention was that I visited six thrift stores in that day, and spent at least half an hour to an hour in each one. I sorted through endless racks, and discount piles. I only bought things from two of the stores. It is back-breaking work - and, it is also totally worth it. I once found a pair of Italian designer boots with a price tag for $110 still attached, which I bought for $10. With a few simple tips, you too can strike gold in second-hand stores.

Firstly, take your time. Thrift stores end up with lots of junk, and you really have to take the time to sort through it all to find the good stuff. Look out for good quality fabric, unremoved price tags, and colours that aren't faded. When you do find an item you like, check it for stains, tears and stretched, threadbare patches. Then, go and try it on. Don't skip this step, and don't rely on sizing! Older items may have different cuts and follow different sizing guidelines than new ones - a size 10 now does not equal a size 10 from ten years ago. These things are all very important, as I've never seen a second-hand store that offers exchange or refund on any of their items. Remember, it's not a bargain if it ends up sitting at the bottom of your wardrobe because you can't wear it! Doing these things is all you need to ensure thrift store success - and most of the time you don't just score bargains, you also end up with unique items that will turn other people green with envy.

Here's a fun little video about thrift-store shopping for your enjoyment. Mostly the tips are similar to what I've mentioned, but even I found it to be a good watch. Enjoy:

eBay:
eBay is a treasure trove of bargain finds - my favourite eBay buys are Emily The Strange items that I get for a small percentage of their retail price. Again, take your time. Searching for particular brand names can turn up some good things. But you have to watch out for people who sell brand name items for cheaper than retail price, but jack up their postage costs so that you end up paying more than retail. Most of the good stuff I find is from people who are clearing their own wardrobes of things that they never really wear.

When you find items that you like, do a few things before you click "bid". First, check the photographs of the item - are the photographs clear, do they match the description of the item in the listing, can you see any colour fading or any unmentioned faults? Next, has the seller given measurements for the item? If not, ask for them! If the seller can't be bothered providing measurements, then they don't need your money. It's not going to help you if the size medium they're selling isn't the same as the size medium you usually wear. If they do provide measurements for you, compare them to measurements from garments that fit you nicely. Then, consider the item carefully, and compare it to things you've tried on in the past - if high-waisted bell-bottom jeans didn't look good on you in the Valley Girl changerooms, they're not going to look any better if you buy them on eBay.

Now that you've picked an item, and can be reasonably sure it will fit and suit you, you need to decide just how much you're willing to spend on this item. Don't go over your limit! It's easy to get sucked into bidding wars and end up spending way more than you intended to because you want to "win". If you have to, tell someone else what you want your maximum bid to be and have them place bids for you. And as a last note, always take postage costs into account - I've seen some sellers who hold off calculating postage costs until after the end of the auction, and then jack up the prices exorbitantly when the item doesn't sell for as much as they hoped.

Here's another good little video - again, most of the tips are the same, but it does include a good guide to "sniping":

Chain stores and department stores:
These are really pretty much the same thing when you look at it - except some department stores charge ridiculous prices for their goods, which are no better than the stuff from chain stores in the first place. I tend to avoid stores such as David Jones and Myer like the plague - and even more now that I work for Trade Secret, and we get some of the same stock, often for less than half the price. No offense to anyone, but I'd rather pay the cheap price for the cheap stuff than pay the expensive price and only think I've gotten higher quality stuff.

Ok, I got a little off-topic there. Now, when I go into chain/department stores I make a beeline straight for the sales table. I know lots of guides to shopping say to avoid sales tables/sales racks, but I say the opposite - by all means, go and scope them out. Just don't be tempted into leaving with items that are too small, too big, too wierd, or ill-fitting just because they're only $5. In those cases, you might as well keep the fiver and go buy a coffee instead, because it will be far more useful to you than an item of clothing you'll never wear. When shopping the sales tables, generally follow the same guidelines as when thrift shopping - take your time to search, try things on, check them for faults etc. Most stores won't offer exchange or refund on these items, so choose carefully. However, if you have sewing skills, then barter with the sales assistants over faulty items. Unlike thrift stores, in chain or department stores you may be able to swing further markdowns due to faults in a garment, and if you can repair them easily, then the fault doesn't really matter.

Another tip I have is one that most people seem not to endorse - go shopping at the end of the season! Lots of people seem to think that if you shop at the end of a season then you're destined to leave the store with piles of garment rejects that are only cheap because they're somehow defective, and no-one else wanted them. It's completely bogus. Shopping at the end of the season is as simple as shopping any other time - if you don't like something, or it doesn't fit, don't buy it. The positive side of shopping then is that if you do find things you like, that fit you well, you get them at extremely reduced prices. It's also an excellent way to pick up those pricey pieces you've been eyeing all Summer/Winter. Maybe you can't wear them now, but next year you won't have to worry about finding them. And, if you're like me and wear jeans all year round, any chance to get jeans for cheap prices is greatly appreciated. Lastly, if you're enamoured with something that isn't on sale, ask when they are next having a sale - most sales assistants will be happy to tell you when their store is having certain sales (provided they actually get told in advance, because that doesn't always happen).

And there you have it lovelies, it's that simple. I know it probably seems like I'm repeating the same advice over and over again, but that's only because bargain shopping like a pro really is that easy. So long as you have time and patience, anyone can do it. But what about you guys? Are you bargain-savvy shoppers, or high-expenditure shoppers?

Until next time, xo.

DIY Madness + Seeing Double

Hello there beautiful world!

Well, over the weekend I finally got my sewing machine back from the repair shop and I'm way too excited to be sewing with a machine again. My first order of business was to finish off a scarf that I'd been painstakingly handsewing (it was rather depressing that I'd spent hours and hours on this thing, and with the machine it only took an hour to finish). Pictures!

Alrighty, here's the rundown - the scarf is basically patchwork. I call it the Rockstar Scarf, not because a rockstar would wear it, but because it has rockstars on it. An Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt, and a Rolling Stones t-shirt met their doom in order to become this awesome scarf. I followed the directions from Generation T by Megan Nicolay, and the whole thing was fairly simple to make. At least once I had my sewing machine back. I'm very proud of it, and ecstatic to have my little sewing machine back in working order. Watch this space; I'm sure there will be much more DIY madness to come, probably with tutorials. I'm not going to post a tutorial for this one, as it's not my work, so I'm not going to splash it around everywhere when the owner of the idea is trying to make money from it. It seems pretty much every DIYer of the t-shirt reconstruction breed has this book anyway, so it shouldn't be hard to find a copy to borrow!

Onto the next order of business! I've decided that as the newest addition to my little blog here I'm going to post about ways that I save money on quality clothing - or more specifically, the times when I find an exact brand name item for significantly less than the cost from the brand itself, or exclusive brand stores. As much as I'm not that big on brand names myself, I know some people are, and I want to get it out there that sometimes you don't need to pay as much as you think! Often if you just do some smart shopping you can find the same items for as much as half the brand retail price. You just have to know where to look. Just check out exhibit A:

This t-shirt is by an Australian brand called One Teaspoon. It's actually one of my favourite brands - they seem to know how to keep things young and hip, without making you look like you aren't old enough to be out on your own. Although this one appears not to be on the One Teaspoon website anymore, you can pick it up here for $59.95 (plus postage). Or you can trot into Trade Secret like I did, and pick it up for $29.95. Normally I wouldn't even splash out this much cash on a t-shirt, but it is quite good quality, and that's half price. At Trade Secret you can also get this t-shirt for $29.95 (online price $59.95), and this oversized t-shirt for $34.95 (online price $69.95). Plus, if you're lucky enough, a few of the other styles have been marked down to $18.86, but they're only in limited sizes. Ah, how I love clothing that I can actually afford to buy. If you're hungry for bargains, don't despair - I do this alot, and since I love to hear the sound of my own voice (or hear the clicking of my own keyboard) it's guaranteed my bargain purchases will end up documented here.

Until next time, xo.

Reclaiming Your Wardrobe!

Hello lovelies,

This afternoon I'd finally had enough, and I decided it was time to get my wardrobe back into working order. This is what my wardrobe was looking like to begin with. Yup, just like that. With everything all crushed in, and everywhere. If you look closely, you'll notice that there's even a couple of pillow cases jammed in there, along with a novelty flower The Boyfriend bought me back when we first started dating. Something had to be done! *cue action music*

So, with the help of this fantastic guide to wardrobe taming, and a $29.95 hanging cupboard organiser, I got to work. I pulled everything out of my wardrobe, and dumped it onto my bed. And I mean everything - shirts, pants, jumpers, tops, hats, scarves, belts, tights, skirts, dresses, etc. Then, I sorted everything into piles of "things I wear" and "things I don't wear". My main tip for this stage is - be ruthless. Sure, you might love the idea of that turquoise kaftan, but if you bought it a year ago, and it's still sitting in your cupboard with the tags on, then it's a "thing I don't wear". I then organised my "things I wear" pile into different types of items (eg. t-shirts, skirts), and my "things I don't wear" pile into things that need mending, things that don't look/fit right, and things that I don't know what to wear with.

Time to start reorganising! I'm starting with my "things I wear" pile. I whip out my $29.95 hanging cupboard thingy, and stick it in there. Ah, how clean my wardrobe looks with no clothes in it! (Note, I decided to leave the novelty flower, because it makes me smile every time I go to get dressed!) I sort my t-shirts into piles of dark shirts with graphics, bright colours with graphics, light colours with graphics and plain t-shirts. Then I fold 'em, and put them into the shelves on the hangy thing. I decide the big space at the top is the best place to put hats, and scarves, tights & various accessories make their way into the drawer. (I also took pictures of the things I put in the drawer so I can stick them on the front and always remember what's in there, but I can't put them up yet as I have no coloured printer ink!) Everything else from the "things I wear" pile gets hung up, and put neatly back into the closet.

Now, since I'm feeling positive after handling the pile of things I wear, it's time to start on the "things I don't" piles. The things that need mending get taken to my sewing room, and I decide that I'm going to get rid of all the things that don't look/fit right. Which just leaves me with the "what the hell do I wear with this?" pile. Since I'm trying to do this all in one night, I don't really have time to do what my guide suggests - wear one of these items each day and then take notes on how I feel, if I can imagine wearing the item with other things, and whether there is something else that could make the item more wearable. So instead, I pick up each item in turn and ask 2 questions: "can I think of at least three other things in my wardrobe that this would go with?" and "Is there any way I can change it to make it go with more items?" If the answer is yes to at least one of these questions, I hold onto it. If I come up with two no's, then it's bye bye baby. I'm being particularly ruthless this time, and cutting free a few choice items that have been hanging around in my wardrobe because of nostaligia (eg. a top my boyfriend really likes that is now too big for me to wear), because they were such a good buy (cue, ill-fitting jeans for $10) and because I "keep meaning to wear them" ( if you haven't taken the tags off after a year sister, you ain't gonna!). Check out my huge "to get rid of" pile.

I feel like I'm on the home stretch now! One more thing I do is throw out all my old wire hangers - I'm new to this, and have only just learnt how horrible they are for clothes. Then it's just organising the things I have deemed worthy to remain in my wardrobe, and hanging them back into my, now extremely alluring closet. I do take the time here to do something my guide suggests - identify trends/patterns in my buying habits. The main thins I notice here (and they're really not so secret) is that I own far more pairs of pants than dresses, and far more t-shirts than pretty much anything else in my wardrobe. I also own lots of crazy hats, especially knitted ones. I don't think there's really anything too wrong with this - I do however make a mental note to stop buying up on t-shirts before I end up with one for every day of the year. I also buy lots of dark colours, but that's really just down to personal preference, and the fact that I think I look better in them. And with this final flourish, my quest for a clean wardrobe is complete. I can rest again, happy in the knowledge that it's going to be far easier for me to pick a kick-ass outfit in the next few days.

I know that clearing your wardrobe seems like alot of work (and it is!), but there are so many good reasons to give your wardrobe a proper clean out. First of all, you can find everything easily again, which makes getting dressed in the mornings much quicker! I find also, that cleaning out my wardrobe, getting rid of things I don't like/don't look right/don't fit actually makes me wear nicer outfits, because I have a clear mental inventory of what is actually in my wardrobe. Just after a clean out is when all my best ideas for new outfits come to me! Taking control of your wardrobe will also (hopefully) give you a sense of accomplishment, and just plain make you feel good. Plus, if you're savvy, you can sell the things you don't wear on eBay and make a bit of extra moolah to help pay the bills, buy a nice dinner or just go towards your next shopping trip. Anyway, if looking at my nice organised wardrobe isn't inspiration enough, then I don't know what is. You can do it!

Until next time, xo.