As I mentioned in December, I did my annual “What I don’t want for Christmas” exfoliation after the holidays.

While exfoliating the apartment from top to bottom before New Years, I realized that I might actually have a “Throw Out” 100 Things Challenge on my hands.

Along the way, I piled the exfoliations to be photographed for the blog challenge in the back hallway.

Which means that for the past few weeks this eyesore has been whispering, “You have to photograph me before you can donate, recycle, or throw me away…” in a really creepy and annoying voice each time I walk back to the bedroom or the back door.

However, looking at my consulting schedule, upcoming workshops, design project, and Alt Summit trip over the next two weeks, the reality is that my time is better spent focused on those endeavors. So I’m ditching the traditional 100 Things photoshoot and simply recycling, donating, or throwing away these items now.

Quite honestly, Franklin is relieved.

He was concerned about how much longer I was going to leave all these awesome “toys” just out of his reach.

This also means my January wish is that you imagine how nice the 100 Things Challenge photoshoot would have looked with these items laid out precisely and documented properly, like past challenges.

That way I can get this stuff outta my house!

* The awesome brass trunk is not a part of the actual exfoliation. It’s in the photo because it became a perch for the exfoliations themselves.

Since my Makeunder days* I have had a little tradition each Christmas season. Instead of crafting a holiday wish list of all the items I want each December, I go through my home identifying the items that I would not ask Santa for.

The idea being that if I wouldn’t ask for something this year, there is a good chance that I no longer need, use, or love the item.

By doing this tradition before the holidays arrive I not only feel lighter mentally by January 1st, but I also make room for any new treasures that I receive on December 25th.

And with a photo shoot happening in my home tomorrow, I am itching to do a complete exfoliation more than ever. I might even do another Throw Out 100 Things Challenge.**

However, my schedule lately has been filled with other important tasks like Christmas Day and the With Intention launch. Which means attempting a serious exfoliation by tomorrow, or even by Thursday (when we leave for the holidays) is simply too much to handle.

So I have decided to schedule my yearly Christmas exfoliation between December 26th and New Years Eve, when I will have time off from work to devote to the process.

But I thought I’d mention the holiday-themed exfoliation ahead of time, in case anyone else would like to try the exfoliation along with me!

* This blog once upon a time was called Makeunder My Life and I had a heavy focus on exfoliating items I no longer needed/used/loved.

** Despite the name, I don’t actually “throw away” 100 items, I recycle, donate, or pass on any items that I can.

When it came to the move, the easiest part of the whole process was hands down working with Redi-Box.

Redi-Box was kind enough to let us try their service and have me share an honest review of what it was like to work with their reusable boxes.

Fortunately for me, I have only glowing things to say about the company and the extremely simple process.

I simply went online and filled out when I wanted them to deliver the boxes at my old apartment and when I wanted them to remove the boxes from the new apartment. Delivery and removal are free and you can have the boxes free for up to two weeks (you can pay to keep them longer if you like).

As you can see, I didn’t even have to lift a finger. Bobby came in and dropped off the boxes exactly where I asked.

He also gave me a pack of sticky labels so I could track what went in each box.

Because Mr. Lively and I were doing trips to the new apartment the two days before the movers came, we ordered the studio level of boxes (15) and reused them a few times. It was as simple as removing one label and replacing it with another.

Since Mr. Lively was in charge of moving the boxes in each location (I was the packer), I asked him what he thought about working with the reusable boxes vs. the traditional cardboard ones we also used which were left over from Jess LC inventory. He felt it was nice to not worry about the boxes breaking under pressure. He also liked how they stacked when taking them to the car.

The only drawback he found was stacking them in our tiny Prius was not very easy due to their height. But for the traditional movers we had on Sunday this was not a problem at all. They simply stacked them along the walls of the truck and carted them over to the new place.

Because I was crazy ambitious, I set up the pick up time to be just two days after the move. This helped speed up the unpacking (meanwhile we still have cardboard boxes filled with things yet to be put away).

And once more, during the removal process I didn’t need to lift a finger. They came and picked them up on time and were very friendly and professional.

Overall, I definitely prefer moving with Redi-Boxes over cardboard ones. Considering how easy and reliable the pick-up and delivery service is, it even beats buying or scavenging for traditional boxes. Two thumbs up for Redi-Box in my book!

 I’d like to thank Redi-Box for letting us try their service for free. The thoughts I’ve shared are my honest opinions. 

A few people have mentioned over email or Twitter that they spotted my recent feature in the May issue of Woman’s Day Magazine.

And thanks to Michelle, I now have a copy  of it myself!

On page 66 you’ll see this mug staring back at you. Don’t worry, I had hair and makeup for this shoot. So that ain’t the way my hair looks when I wake up.

What can I say? Just keepin’ it real.

Anyways, I’m honored to be asked by WD to share how I organize and decorate with my accessories. It was quite a fun day of shooting and it was fun to share my easy (and cheap) decorating tricks.

Luckily, the feature is also on Woman’s Day online as well. So feel free to hop over and see my tips for storing and showing off accessories.

When it comes to cake, I prefer the icing more. In fact, when Mr. Lively and I stop by Molly’s Cupcakes, my treat of choice is an icing shot – which is a healthy dose of icing in a small plastic cup, sans cake. Though to some that might seem gross, to me it’s heavenly.

However, in real life, I’m finding that I need to keep my metaphorical love of icing in check. I’ve struggled with this before as well, I even wrote about it in my bio. In college I tried to be perfect and happy through physical “stuff” only to be disappointed and later to get my major a-ha moment – peeling back the layers of our lives leads to the most happiness – not adding to the layers.

Once I had this revelation I discovered my purpose, moved to Chicago, and have been promoting the benefits of making under ever since.

But recently I’m starting to notice that I now have two lenses with which I evaluate my life. The first lens is the lens of “The Real World,” the in-person experiences and relationships that I have. And the second lens is the “Online World,” which is comprised mostly of lifestyle blogs, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.

According to my Real World Lens I am doing fine – great even! I am grateful for all that I have in my life, I am thankful that I have a career and purpose that I’m passionate about, and I have a great relationship.

But my Online World lens tells me a different story. My Online World lens makes me feel not quite “enough.” Sure, what I have is nice, but my life could be so much better if I had bright colored jeans, a floral blazer, a puppy, a hunky husband, a baby on the way, and a knack for cooking and entertaining like Ms. Stewart.

Then my life would really be something. 

I get swept up in the beautiful images and their promises of perfection and forget all that I have learned from my Real World experience.

This needs to stop.

Photos online are more beautiful, styled, edited, Photoshopped, and professionally done than ever before. Inherently much of the photography that I consume online is telling a beautiful story that only depicts the icings of life.

And if I’m not careful, I find myself disrespecting the cake (read: substance) of my life. I trade my gratefulness for the dissatisfaction of never having enough icing.

My hope is by taking the time to share this with you that I’ll begin to re-program my values to go back to true North. That I’ll reconnect with the epiphanies I had in college and begin to apply them to my Online World lens as well.

Because I want to be in the icing, but not of it.

Gotta be honest, today I’m not feeling well. So I’m taking the day off, but right now I’m feeling well enough to drag myself off the couch and share something that hopefully is useful for you!

Traveling with jewelry doesn’t require a jewelry roll or anything fancy. Personally I use two things: little plastic baggies and an empty hand cream jar.

The key to not getting knots in fine chains while traveling is to drop the necklace vertically inside a little plastic baggie (a sandwich baggie will work too) – but remember to leave the clasp hanging outside the closure. This ensures that no matter how much your luggage gets jumbled, the chains won’t get tangled.

Once you arrive at your destination, pull the necklace out of the baggie vertically and you are good to go!

Extra tip: when at home make sure to hang your fine chains to make sure they don’t get tangled – ever.

For bracelets and earrings I simply drop them in a little hand cream jar that is cleaned. It’s quick, simple, and easy to find in my makeup bag.

I hope this helps!

When I moved to Chicago and started Jess LC from scratch in a studio apartment in 2007 I didn’t have a lot. I was self-funded by my part-time efforts from Jess LC in college and spent a lot of time thrifting for my decor and shopping at inexpensive “fast fashion” stores. It was wonderful because not only was it within my college budget at the time, but it also suited what I enjoyed; vintage decorating and feeling like I had a lot of clothes.

Then after living in the big city for a while, I started to sense a shifting in my priorities and in my personal taste. Suddenly I had a penchant for nice things, high quality things, things that I loved and were meant to last.

The only problem was that I was just starting out and was still “stealing” dozens of free tampons from my business school’s bathroom in order to stay on budget.

That’s right, I didn’t have much money.

So in late 2007 I set an intention to have only nice stuff that I loved, used, and needed.

But at that moment, my stuff looked something like this:

I had a ways to go before I hit that intention, obviously.

But rather than be discouraged by the bleak financial situation and volume of “not nice” stuff that I owned, I decided to manipulate my belongings to tip the scales just a bit.

I started to regularly exfoliate items that I didn’t need, use, or love with all my heart. Though I still love thrifting and some vintage decor, I donated or gave away all that was no longer my personal style. Same went for the cheaply made clothing that made me feel… cheap.

The end result of this concentrated effort was something like this in 2008:

As you can see with less stuff, the pie shrank a bit overall. But the proportion of nice to not nice stuff had increased. For example, if I started with 100 items and only 15 were nice, I was at 15% of my goal.

Then after my exfoliating, if I only had 70 things but the same 15 nice ones remained, my percentage of nice stuff I owned jumped up to 21% – and I didn’t need to spend a penny.  

I worked this formula on my possessions consistently and over time and the proportions continued to shift. I started to reach my goal without needing to go shopping.

And as you can imagine, over the next four years I did get more financial stability and was able to make new purchases. Although this time I had a new standard for what was worthwhile to spend money on: nice stuff. I didn’t get to buy much, but when I did – I made sure that it counted.

To continue this example, this might be a good representation of what my current stuff situation looks like:

Now I have a bigger pie since I have more things than after the shrinkage of 2008. But at the same time, the new things I’ve bought and my new exfoliations have continued to grow the good “nice” part of the pie.

Of course it goes without saying that what is “nice” or “not nice” is relative and is a personal decision that only we can make individually. But for those who are in a tight money spot at the moment or who might be unhappy with what they own; the exfoliation math can help fulfill intentions without breaking the budget.

As most people start to prepare for this week’s Super Bowl parties, Mr. Lively and I are starting to get ready for our trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! We will be gone Friday through Monday for a romantic weekend trip that doubles as my Christmas and Valentine’s Day present (I’m a lucky lady!).

I have already got my passport renewed and the rest of the preparation lies mostly in packing for the trip. But rather than waiting until Thursday night at midnight (we have done that before, much to my chagrin), I decided to get on the ball days ahead.

And in true Jess fashion, I’ve decided to see if I can create a more intentional packing process to help me stay prepared, but not burdened by a heavy suitcase full of unused items.

When I travel home for Christmas for a week to see my family I usually find that I have under-packed and feel forced to wear items that aren’t really ideal. But since I’m only heading to Cabo for three days and two nights, I also want to make sure I don’t over-pack due to my excitement to be somewhere warm and tropical.

So here’s what I did today to make sure I have a properly planned wardrobe while I’m away.

The first thing I did was talk with Mr. Lively about what activities we wanted to do while we were at the resort. We debated about whether we wanted to work out while there or not. Since my running shoes and gym clothes could easily take up a decent amount of my checked suitcase, I didn’t want to bring the gear if we weren’t going to really do a workout.

After discussing the workout idea, we nixed it in favor of swimming and relaxing. I have done a great job working out very consistently all month and I think a few days off to enjoy my hard work is ideal. So out went the workout gear from the packing list.

Above you can see what we do intend to do over the long weekend: lots of relaxing, swimming, and dining.

I also checked the weather forecast for Cabo this week. It looks to be about 75*-80* with cooler nights. So I knew that I needed to prepare for warm weather with layering at night.

Then, I pulled out most of my summer wardrobe and looked at all of my options.

Usually when packing, I get about this far and just throw my favorite items into my suitcase. But the end result is usually under or over packing and a lackluster array of outfits during the trip.

Next, I started to try on each item and created my favorite looks. Above you can see the outfits that could be great for dinner, dancing, or exploring. Each one has a layering piece as well in case of air conditioning or cooler temps.

I also made sure I had an outfit to fly back to Chicago in as well as a few other pieces that could be mixed in if I feel a bit more causal during the trip.

One bonus of this step I found was that there were a few items that needed to be steamed or cleaned. Those have been put in a special pile for me to attend to in the next few days so I’m not worried about them while on vacation.

And of course, I couldn’t forget the main event: swimsuits. I had the navy polka dot bikini from J.Crew last year but find that the top is a bit precarious for my chest and is best used only when laying out. So the new orange and black suits will be much better suited to fun at the beach or pool. I got both of the new suits at a huge discount from Lands End Canvas thanks to a recommendation from Jill.

So there you have it! I feel much better prepared for anything that might come up. I plan to use this same process to pack the other peripherals for the trip as well. This will include sunnies, beach towel, books, music, etc.

Viva la Mexico!

Forgive me, I’m feeling a bit feisty today.

When I started MML and seriously began to design my life with intention, I focused on exfoliating items that I didn’t need, use, or love. And the content on MML reflected my clutter-free focus as well. But as I continued to pare down my possessions to those which were needed, useful, and loved, I had a revelation:

The clutter is only the weed, not the root of the problem.

Clutter-free is not the end-all be-all when it comes to having a life we love. It is just a sign that we might need to tend to matters that are much deeper than the stuff itself.

The same could be said with excess eating, drinking, shopping, or any addiction. Perpetual clutter can be a symptom of something more serious we need to work on. Just like Geenen Roth’s enlightenment, “it’s not about the stuff.”

And even if clutter is not an addiction (it wasn’t a serious problem in my life, for example) focus on it can still distract us from more important matters.

Getting rid of unnecessary things simply allows us to make physical and psychological space. That space then provides us the capacity to deal with the deeper issues that may be out of balance in our relationships, career, personal life, or spiritual life.

The real work we need to do is beyond our exfoliating and in the realms of thinking with intention, contribution, and love. Those are the things that will transform our quality of life.

So as much as I love a good exfoliation, I am more interested in our progress in the deeper aspects of our lives.

Since I just did my big exfoliation a few weeks ago, I thought it might be good to share ways to decorate and organize using items that might already be sitting around.

These little touches around my apartment make me smile each time I see them.

*Tip 5 came from Nate Berkus, but obviously might not be good around small children.

To wrap up the Throw Out 100 Things of 2012, I have the second half of the 100 items below.

It’s been great to hear how many people are doing some pretty major exfoliations in their own homes. If you blog about your purge, please feel free to share a link to it on the MML Facebook wall so we can all get a peek at your process.

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of great finds in the Goodwill stores thanks to the MML community in the next few weeks!

51. Outdated phone charger
52. Old hand lotion
53. Holiday box
54. Anthropologie box
55. Old post cards
56. Blow dryer extension
57. Old business cards
58. Makeup pouch
59. Wine opener
60. Candle decor

61. Headband
62. Top coat
63. Chap sticks
64. Broken sunglasses
65. Running watch
66. Headphones
67. USB Card
68. Broken iPod
69. Eraser
70. Mint container

71. Belt
72. Shoes
73. Belt
74. Workout capris
75. Skirt
76. T-shirt
77. Jacket
78. Stripe scarf
79. Swim suit
80. Worn out gloves

81. Vase
82. Candles
83. Home spray
84. Mercury pine cone
85. Mini bar bottle
86. Birch branches (in the bag because they are messy)
87. Dead holiday lights
88. Ceramic hand
89. Old house keys
90. Ornaments

91. Shoes
92. Health book
93. Mineral makeup
94. Extra silverware
95. Cardigan
96. Orange paper
97. Catalog
98. Scarf
99. Silk scarf
100. Tweed jacket

Over the holiday break I took a day to compile a collection of 100 items in my apartment that I don’t need, use, or love. I have done the Throw Out 50 Things challenge many times (again, and again) over the past three years. It is inspired by Gail Blanke’s book, Throw Out Fifty Things. Though I never read the book, I knew the practice was a great one for making under.

But this time I felt like stepping it up a notch and going for a full 100.

And though not super easy, it felt good to purge some items that weren’t getting used.

For those who might be too intimated by 100 items, I recommend trying the habit I created in 2009 of exfoliating one item per week. I called it my End of the Week Exfoliation. This practice is easy, and pretty much pain free for even the most clutter prone of people.

And of course, it goes without saying that the items don’t all end up in the landfill, I first make sure to donate, pass on, or recycle every item that I can. But at the same time, I don’t keep something around my home just because I feel guilty about throwing it away. At some point it will end up in the trash if it’s not usable any longer in any other way. So the cautionary tale here is to be very intentional about the purchases we make in the first place.

When I first compiled the items to exfoliate, my Christmas tree was still up from the holidays. I think the time between Christmas and New Years Eve is going to be my new time to do a thorough exfoliation each year. It feels great to lighten up my space after receiving a few new items from the holidays.

Here’s what I don’t want for Christmas really looks like:

Not pretty, huh?

Here’s the break down of the first fifty items that weren’t being properly used, needed, or loved in my home:

1. Holiday gift bags
2. Used notebooks
3. Business cards
4. Pant hanger
5. Magazines
6. Outdated address labels
7. Interview portfolio
8. Stickers
9. Cordless phone
10. 2011 calender

11. Running shorts
12. Bra
13. Panty hose
14. Sports bras
15. Tank top
16. Tank top
17. Tank top
18. T-shirt
19. Race tank
20. Running pants

21. Trash can
22. Business card book
23. Stuffed animal
24. Outdated glasses
25. Camera box
26. Point and shoot camera
27. Cork squares
28. Old receipts
29. Folder
30. Jewelry organizer portfolio

31. Extra Tupperware
32. Old cutting board
33. Old cocoa mix
34. Plastic boxes
35. Glass plate
36. Glass jars
37. Coaster
38. Vintage tray
39. Hershey’s Kisses
40. Glass tray

41. Printed shell
42. Printed top
43. Button down
44. Printed top
45. Vintage silk top
46. T-shirt
47. T-shirt
48. Tank top
49. Tank top
50. Cardigan

I’ll be back later with the other half of my 100 things!

Up to this point I have been a devoted paper to-do list and calendar girl – because when my palm pilot in ninth grade lost all of my information, I vowed only to use ink.

However, over Thanksgiving I thought that I lost my planner on a train back from St. Louis which caused a level yellow panic. I instantly regretted that my information was all tied up in that little pink book.

So with that in mind, I am stepping back into the realm of the online appointment books in 2012, and I’m liking the results.

To make this transition as easy as possible, I’ve found a few great apps and systems that might be helpful for others who are doing the same paper to web shift.

Because I run an online business and blog, it makes the most sense to keep everything I do on the internet. I have had a Macbook Pro for several years and when I launched the iPad covers for Jess LC, I got an iPad2 to make sure I knew what the heck I wanted the design to look like. And I recently switched from an Android phone to the iPhone 4s to keep things streamlined. I now love the iPhone interface much more than my old Android.

With the advent of iCloud and other systems that work over the web, the computer, iPad, and phone are all updated wirelessly and reflect the same appointments and to-dos, which is incredible. Losing my phone won’t mean that I lost all of my appointments and data like it did when I only had a hard-copy appointment book.

Here is a run down of the go-to apps that work seamlessly across all of my tech gadgets that I highly recommend:

This one is popular and obviously a no-brainer. I like that I can see it in month view:

And in day view:

Best of all, it isn’t too tedious to enter the appointments in on the phone and the reminder alerts are a nice feature that you can turn on or off. Once I enter it on either my computer, phone, or iPad, the appointment appears on all three devices immediately.

For me, the major drawback of the Google Calender is that I can’t just make a trusty to-do list. There is a standard Reminder app on the iPhone which can help. But I am now personally obsessed with TeuxDeux. TeuxDeux is available on your computer for free and they have designed a simple and beautiful app for the iPhone for $2.99. I’m not one to normally spend money on iPhone apps, but this puppy is worth it’s price tag and then some.

I can make daily to-do lists:

And if I don’t accomplish the to-do list item today, it will automatically transfer to the next day. Also, any updates I make on the computer or iPhone version of the app sync automatically to both platforms. TeuxDeux allows you to place to-d0 lists into the future as well. They have a great, short video explaining how it works on their homepage.

In addition to the daily to-do lists, there are also Someday to-do lists. I have one for blog post ideas, another for intentional obsession items I’d like to buy, and a third for errands. These lists are more by topic than date which is great for more long-term planning.

Lastly, the app I use the most is called Flip Board. It is a free app for the iPhone and iPad which Mr. Lively got me hooked on.

They have tons of links to news, sports, business, etc. in an extremely intuitive and beautiful format. But rather than flip through news on the app, I spend my time using it for….

My Google Reader! It makes my blog reader beyond beautiful and shares posts in a way that the desktop and phone Google Reader totally fails at. In a way, I feel like I have my own custom magazine constantly updating all of the blogs that I read and enjoy.

And lastly, I love my monthly background as well, courtesy of PuglyPixel.

Anyone else out there using web devices to keep their appointments? Any other apps that we should check out?

A few weeks ago I got my first iPhone (with a white and gold polka dot case from Kate Spade) and a fancy-schmancy camera.

I felt unbelievably lucky and blessed.

For 48 hours.

After the first two days, the wonder and excitement wore off much quicker than I expected. I mean, I really wanted these things and now I had them.

But they made me happy for an insanely short amount of time.

I write a blog that is about simplifying life and exfoliating clutter. So I know very well that things don’t make us happy (in fact, they can often lead to the opposite when they aren’t intentional). Heck, I want to write a book about the concept.

Stuff does not equal happiness. I get it.

But I still hoped just a little bit that my new toys would make me blissful for at least a few months. Heck, I would have settled for just a week (or two).

Yet the glow only lasted the length of a weekend. Whah wa.

But while pondering the disappointing pleasure high, I found a seed of truth:

Stuff doesn’t make people happy. The appreciation of stuff makes people happy. 

Yep, go ahead and tweet it.

What I’ve realized is that the things themselves aren’t going to help me live happily ever after just by sitting on a shelf looking cute. Only by actively being grateful and appreciating the things that I have, will I reap an unending supply of warm and fuzzies. The simple act of appreciating in my mind causes the spike I am seeking. Not the things themselves.

This is fantastic news because not only does this mean that I can get pleasure from appreciating my new tech tools, I can also get pleasure from all of the other things I have and love that have been around here for much longer.

And in general, I don’t need to constantly get new things to make myself happy. I just need to make sure I don’t take the blessings in my life for granted to begin with.

I know this isn’t rocket science, and people talk about appreciating people and relationships all the time. I just never really recognized that it applies to stuff as well and that the actual happiness is coming from the act of appreciating itself, not the object or person in question.

Two years ago I started a new holiday tradition for myself here on MML. I started my annual What I DON’T want for Christmas List. Each year I exfoliate items that I wouldn’t want to receive for Christmas (because I don’t need, use, or love them) before the holidays begin. This helps me avoid the clutter that accumulates after December 25th and have plenty of room in my home and life for the new gifts that may come my way.

If you think about it, it’s the same reason my weight-lifting class instructor, Shannon, always made us work out extra hard before Thanksgiving and Christmas. She knows we will soon be eating a lot of food. And by stepping up our fitness now, we can offset (some of) the sweets later.

So I plan to do a deep dive into my wardrobe and pick out what I don’t envision myself wearing in 2012. If the piece of clothing doesn’t match my vision for 2012, it doesn’t deserve to be in my wardrobe come January 1st.

Because of my travel this week, I won’t have a chance to sort through my wardrobe before heading out to Philly on Friday. But I am excited to return to Chicago in January and do a through exfoliation in my bulging closet. The nice thing about having a small apartment is that I am forced to continually exfoliate any excess.

First, I’d like to say a quick thank you to all of you who showed up last night at the first Business in the City event! I had such a great time meeting you all and hearing more about the businesses you are starting or thinking about starting. I’ll be posting in the weeks to come about the next event, right now I’m thinking that they will be roughly once a month.

And now, it’s time to get back to wrap up the makeunder of my wardrobe. So for those who are coming in a bit late to the party, here’s what I’ve covered so far:

Step One: Create a Vision

Step Two: Exfoliate Stuff

Step Three: Identify Intentional Obsessions

This final step is about reflecting on the progress that was made and continuing to reflect in the future.

Here is the before closet:

And here is the after:

Though there isn’t a drastic change, I can tell just by looking at the photos that I did accomplish what I set out to do; create a more dynamic closet by adding pieces that would take my basics to a new level. The red, mint, darker plaid, and dotted top all add some great new options for cardigans and jeans.

And… to follow up on step three, I found the perfect new boots to replace my sold out Tory Burch obsession.

These Etienne Aigner boots from Macy’s were a mere $159 compared to Tory’s $495 boots – which to me totally makes them a save. I love this new pair because it has so many of the features I loved about the expensive pair – durable brown leather, curved top, low heel, logo detail, and clean lines.

In fact, I saved so much on those new shoes that I decided to splurge a little on another pair of flats as well:

These Franco Sarto leopard flats were originally $89 on sale for $62 at Macy’s. I love the leopard print paired with a trim of black patent leather. Already I can see how mixing these shoes into my wardrobe is again, taking my basics to a new level.

Going forward, I plan to keep my list of intentional obsessions in mind when I go shopping throughout the rest of the year. But I also know that there isn’t that much to be added… so the lure of shopping isn’t quite what it used to be.

In general, I’d like to do this kind of makeunder to my wardrobe each spring and fall to really get a handle on what I want my wardrobe to be like, what I don’t need any longer, and what I do want to add.

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my makeunder take shape and maybe even got a few ideas on how you can do the same thing to your own closet at some point down the road.

Once I created my vision for my wardrobe and exfoliated the items that did not match the vision, it was time to get to the fun part….

… Figuring out what items I wanted to purchase that completed my wardrobe goals.

Since I took such a methodical approach to creating my vision, it made this step fun and relatively simple. I knew from exfoliating in step two that I had some great items which fit my vision perfectly like great jeans, blazers, sweaters, black boots, and cardigans. The basics were there, but the “flavor” was lacking. So in my shopping list I made sure to focus on the fun and versatile pieces which would make my classic pieces pop.

Based on trolling through my Pinterest Makeunder My Wardrobe board I pulled these looks to add to my “intentional obsession” list:

(All sources and prices can be found on the Pinterest board. Stripe photo by See Jane.)

Once this list was created, I had a great idea of where to go for these pieces since my vision board included cross shopping high and low end stores already. I knew that I couldn’t find a comparable pair of brown boots in quality and style to the insanely expensive Tory Burch pair (which sadly sold out and I can no longer find). And that I could probably hit up Target for some of the more mainstream items like a dark plaid shirt. As shown above, my intentional obsession list included:

• Dark Plaid Shirt
• Silk blouse
• Tall Brown Boots
• Dark Winter Skirt
• A Pop of Red
• Printed Scarves
• Brown Leather Flats
• Brown Tights
• Stripes (Trend)
• Mint (Trend)
• Polka Dots (Trend)
• Fluffy Pin (Trend)

I will say that I’ve never been this focused when shopping before. It was like I could go into a store and easily sift through items and find what was or wasn’t worth my attention. Just because there was a sale on jeans didn’t mean that I needed to consider buying a pair; I already knew I had that category covered.

Also, knowing ahead of time which items I wanted allowed me to prioritize ahead of time. I got to figure out which items meant the most to me or were most wearable with my existing pieces. And I got to put some wish list items into perspective and save by getting a more generic version.

For some, this may be the perfect time to set up a budget as well and figure out what works best financially. For this makeunder, I didn’t focus so much on the total dollars spent, but just made sure that the buys I was making were worthwhile and within my reach overall. For me, items under $50 were a “save” and items over that price point were a “splurge.” But of course that splurge/save line varies person to person, so feel free to determine that point for yourself in your own makeunder.

Want to know what I got? Well, let me show you…

Intentional Obsession: Dark Plaid Shirt

Plaid Button Up - This was definitely a no-brainer for me. I loved the J.Crew or American Eagle versions, but this one has all the same features in a lower price.

Intentional Obsession: Silk Blouse / Polka Dots

Polka Dot Top (similar) – I love the sheer pattern and tiny gold buttons.

Intentional Obsession: Dark Winter Skirts and Stripes

Stripe Skirt – This was a stretch for me. I don’t usually wear muted colors, but I love having something a bit different to wear. It will look great with brown boots, too.

Gray Skirt – This pencil skirt with a little ruffle pocket detail was a great buy for meetings or to wear with black tights and black boots in the colder months.

Intentional Obsession: A Pop of Red

Flame Sweater (sold out) – This was a more expensive sweater than I usually buy, but the merino wool is great and the exact flame color I loved would be hard to find elsewhere. Since buying this sweater I have found it’s definitely been worth the extra cash since it goes with so many items and gives me a whole batch of new outfits.

Intentional Obsession: Printed Scarves and Eyelash Lace

Vintage Scarves – These scarves were a great, inexpensive way to add color and pattern to basic tops. And I even swapped one of my own vintage scarves for another, thus giving me something new to wear without spending a penny. I also loved that it was a purchase from an adorable local shop.

Eyelash Lace Trend – This scarf in particular was a great purchase because it touched on one of my other intentions, eyelash lace. The $5 scarf was a much less expensive way to try a mini trend without the financial commitment.

Intentional Obsession: Brown Leather Flats

Brown Leather Flats – These were a great buy since I don’t wear heels. They were a bit big at first, but I added shoe inserts Aldo sells and they fit much better – and are more comfortable.

Intentional Obsession: Mint

Mint Plaid Top – This was a great sale item which allowed me to get some more pattern in my clothing and try a new color I don’t already have.

Intentional Obsession – Fluffy Pin

Fluffy Flower Pin – This was from J.Crew (couldn’t find a photo, but this old Forever21 pin is similar). I knew that clips and hair pieces were a huge trend and finding this $10 polka dot pin that worked as a pin or hair clip was a great way to test the trend without much commitment.

So there you have it! I hit almost all of my intentions (except those Tory Burch boots, haven’t found a durable and good looking pair that meets all my requirements) and am so happy to create outfits now. It really does feel like a new closet in so many ways.

Going forward, I hope to do wardrobe makeunders in the spring and fall. Setting out ahead of time to figure out what items I want to add  – intentionally – will save me a lot of mindless shopping.

Yesterday I shared the first step of making under my wardrobe, Create a Vision. After I decided what style I liked, learned how to create more pulled together looks, and figured out which fall trends I wanted to try, it was time to move on to my closet.

To get started on my closet, I took Jessica’s advice in What I Wore:

and then,

It was not the quickest process, but it was really enlightening and worthwhile. I discovered that a lot of stuff I normally passed over was actually quite cute and fit better than I remembered (which has not always been the case in the past, often many items need to be donated or passed on because they fit poorly).

There were also a few items that needed to be hemmed, mended, or ironed. Once they received a little TLC they were fine to put back into active duty.

I even exfoliated a pair of boots which were in good condition, but didn’t fit me that well. Luckily, they were a perfect fit for Michelle, an awesome lady manager at Jess LC.

This makeunder was unusual since there wasn’t that much to exfoliate. Most makeunders have much more exfoliated stuff.

My Tactics for Clearing the Clutter

For those with more trouble letting go of stuff after it’s no longer being needed, used, or loved, I recommend trying these tactics to help kick start the process:

End of the Week Exfoliation – At the end of each week, find something that you don’t need, use, or love and pass it on, donate, sell, recycle, or toss it out. This is like a gentle pruning process that is a great way to maintain a clutter free home.

Throw Out Fifty Things – Take some time to go through your home (or even just one room) and find 50 items that are no longer needed and again, pass them on, donate, sell, recycle, or toss them out – depending on the item.

What I Don’t Want for Christmas – Before the holidays hit, take some time to go through your home and find things that you wouldn’t put on your wish list and find them a new home.

Host a Free Garage Sale – Go through your home and find things you no longer need and host a garage sale on your blog or in real life and do it free of cost. (In the past when I’ve done this I did ask blog readers to cover the shipping costs, so you might want to do that as well.)

Summer Home Slim Down – See how many pounds of stuff you can lose from your home.

After I determined what was staying in my closet, I put it all back inside. This time I put the blouses and sleeveless tops together on the left, from light to dark and then put long sweaters, shirts, and cardigans together from light to dark as well.

In the past I did not separate these items into their own categories, and I think a lot of smaller tops got lost in the mix when it was all one mass of color coded clothing.

Now that the closet was in good working order and I had a clear understanding of what I had, it made the next step, Identifying Intentions, much easier. I’ll explain more about that tomorrow.

For the past month I’ve been making under my wardrobe. And since it’s been a while since I’ve tackled the basics of making under “stuff” here on MML, I think it would be a great refresher course on the four makeunder steps.

Making under is about designing an intention for our home, getting rid of unnecessary items, finding out what we need to complete the vision, and evolving as needs change. It can be a straight forward exfoliating process when there is a lot of clutter. Or it can also be a transformational shift when there is major life change as well (like from career to mommy, college to career, single to married, or even moving).

(A Soapbox Moment)

Before any action in a makeunder, I think it is most important to step back and really evaluate what the overall goals and intentions are for the makeunder. I believe that the more we can focus on the overall outcome we desire, the more we will be able to cut out the crap that isn’t serving us well and to really determine what items we may want to purchase. The more we “begin with the end in mind” (thank you, Seven Habits), the more we will truly find ourselves with the stuff that serves us best and functions positively in our lives.

Though it may seem counter intuitive, I’ve never been against having stuff, I just believe that we need to have the right stuff to improve our lives. It’s mostly a quality over quantity matter to me. I don’t advocate living extremely minimally unless it brings you joy. For myself, I find the most peace when I have a beautiful, calm space that serves the goals that I have for my life. When clutter accumulates that does not serve that ultimate purpose, it is time to get passed on to someone who needs it, tossed in the trash if it is no longer usable, or recycled if possible. It’s really that simple.

Ready to start? Let’s get going,

For this wardrobe makeunder I decided to take the first step to a new level and really evaluate the vision and overall goals I have for my clothes. I wanted to totally re-think how I looked at my wardrobe, improve my skills at putting together outfits, and better represent myself as a person and designer.

Here’s what I did to get started,

To start, I decided to read up on the art of putting together a fantastic outfit. Research is something that I did naturally for my home since I love to decorate, but I had never applied myself to the art of making an outfit in the same way. Reading Jessica’s new book, What I Wore, was a great place to start thinking about my wardrobe more seriously. I loved the chapters in the beginning where she laid out some great steps like trying on everything in the closet and sorting out the items that needed to be mended, ironed, dry cleaned, or donated.

She also drew some beautiful outfit combinations that I used as math equations. Rather than looking at each outfit altogether, I started to identify which items she paired together.

Strappy Sandals + Beige Skirt + Print Top + Belt + Blazer = A Great Work Outfit

This helped me recognize which items I owned could be mixed together to make a whole new look, and which items might be great additions.

After getting the fundamentals from What I Wore, I studied my favorite style bloggers like Kendi, Jessica, Jill, Liz, and Blair. I started to see how they put their outfit combinations together and started to compile a set of looks that I could use as inspiration.

Which led me to…

… Start a Pinterest board. My Makeunder Fall Wardrobe page was perfect to collect inspiration pictures and also to tag items that I may want to try to add to my wardrobe later in Step Three: Identifying Intentional Obsessions.

Adding product images from online stores also allowed me to cross compare via my Pinterest board. I pinned products both high-end (Tory Burch) and low-end (Target and PayLess) to find the items that matched the overall vision I was creating at a price that worked for me.

By taking these actions above, I saw how items can be put together from my closet already, which fall styles I was most drawn to, and which items I thought would work into my closet seamlessly. I had a strong vision and goal for the wardrobe overall.

Of course it goes without saying that each person should create their own vision for their makeunder in whatever way works for them. I totally understand that many people would not go to the lengths that I did in this vision step. For me, I see the payoff as twofold for myself, the better I get at dressing and style personally, the stronger the designer I will be for Jess LC products to come.

In conclusion, take some time to stop and reflect on what you’d like the outcome of your makeover to be before tackling the clutter. The steps flow together best when there is a strong foundation.

As you can imagine, being a jewelry designer means that I have several jewelry boxes. This one in particular is very special to me as it once belonged on my Grandma’s dresser for many years.

Since I use display boxes to showcase most of my special pieces, this box has been meaningful but unnecessary.

… Until I found a new way to organize my sewing materials inherited from my mom. Now things are perfectly organized and easy to see.

And the bonus? Now I love fixing small holes or snags on my clothing because it means that I get to use the jewelry box that is meaningful and organized.

Today I’d like to introduce a new little treat I have for MML; Dual Purpose. As a designer and someone who is all about clearing the clutter and staying (mostly) on budget, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that help me have a home that looks great and functions well. From time to time (which means I’m not setting a rigid posting schedule) I’ll share new ideas that re-invent the purpose of something you may already have.

Because designing a life with intention means having intentional stuff, too.

A post worth reviewing. Via September, 2009.

Simone’s Closet Makeunder

I got an email last week from a Simone, of Skinny Dip. She’s a MakeunderMyLife reader and she recently completed a closet makeunder and shared the process on her blog. Of course the first thing I did was hop on over to her site and read about her new perspective on buying (it’s pretty darn similar to my own wardrobe philosophy) and then asked to share it here as well. Luckily she agreed and you can read the full process below.

One of my current goals is to try and live more minimally. I’ve been really inspired by Jess from Chicago’s blog Makeunder My Life. What’s a “Makeunder” you ask? You can read about here but basically it means “designing your life with intent” by subtracting things from your life that you don’t need.

Over the past year I’ve really been examining how & where I spend my money, especially when it comes to my wardrobe. I realized that when I was younger (ie my late teens, when I got my first job & really started to buy all my own clothes) my shopping style was this: I’d save up and buy one or two items every month. I didn’t have a lot of clothes, but the clothes I had I loved. Oddly enough I never felt like I had “nothing to wear”. Sometime during my twenties, my shopping style evolved into what I call “Grazing”. I’d shop really randomly which meant basically whenever I walked through a mall, which was often. I also would buy things whenever I had a bad day. I ended up with a lot of clothes that didn’t work together. However, I kept shopping because I never felt like I had anything to wear.

Now that I am moving towards my 30′s I really want to shift my shopping style back to buying less, but buying better. I want to have a cohesive style that really expresses who I am, so that when people see me wearing something they say “That’s so Simone!”.

Before I get into my Wardrobe “Makeunder Strategy” that I’ve made for myself, I’ll give you a peak into my closet. Friends who have come over can testify that my closet pretty much looks like this all the time. I blame my neat-freaky nature on my German genes & the 3 years spent living in a student Co-op that had a communist-dictatorship style cleaning regime (which seems to have stuck with me).

I’d love to have a giant clothing storage space a la Sea of Shoes, but that just isn’t realistic when you’re living in an apartment in the city. Keeping things minimal is key. So here are my new rules:

1. PURGE: Get rid of everything you don’t wear, don’t love or don’t need & send it on to a new home. When I moved into this apartment I donated about 6 garbage bags full of clothes to The Goodwill. This summer I went through my closet again and found probably another 3 garbage bags full of clothes, plus about 20 pairs of shoes that I didn’t need. Combined with some other items around the house, my boyfriend and I had a killer garage sale. I really do believe that harboring stuff you don’t use is like harboring dead energy. It felt great sending all of those things onto a new home. My closet is probably the emptiest it’s been in a while, however when I look inside it feels good to only see things I truly like or love.

*Also, if there are things in your closet that you don’t wear but you still really love, try and figure out why you don’t wear them. If its something like you feel the hem is too long, get it altered. The money you’ll spend on the alterations is cheaper (and more enviro friendly) than buying a new item. I did this with a few of my dresses this season.

2. Buy Less but Buy Better: As someone who is a reformed “Grazer” I have started planning my purchases on a monthly basis. Instead of “grazing” throughout the month via after work browsing at Forever 21 and H&M, I’ll pick one or two semi-expensive “investment” items that I’ll buy each month. For example, this March I bought a classic tan trench-coat & a really great cashmere cardigan. These are both things that I know I will wear over & over again. I don’t have the budget to buy all designer clothing however I do try and buy the best possible quality that I can afford. I also try and pay attention to what things are made of & go for natural materials (wool, cotton, silk, leather for shoes & bags) whenever possible. By going for higher quality, the product lasts longer & usually comes with better service.
*By buying investment pieces I spend more on an individual item, but I find its actually now easier for me to track where my money goes. More often than not I spend less money overall because I’m not making a bunch of $20, $30, $40 impulse buys. Those purchases add up really fast but you don’t notice because it feels like you are spending less.
*I try to not shop during the rest of the month, but this isn’t always realistic. I always leave myself a little bit of gravy in case I come across a really great bargain (I love, love, love a good bargain!). I try to limit any additional shopping I do during the month & always set myself a clear budget that I stick to. I still love going to cheap chic stores like Forever 21, however when I find something I like there I’ll ask myself “Is this something trendy that I’ll wear once or twice to a club?” (in this case I don’t buy it) OR “Is this something that I’m going to wear all season (like a great tank-top that goes with a bunch of stuff)?” (in this case I will buy it).

3. The 3-way rule: No, this is not the latest dirty theory concocted by Barney on “How I Met your Mother”. When I’m considering purchasing a clothing item, I ask myself “Can I picture myself wearing this at least 3 different ways, or with 3 different outfits?”. If the answer is “NO” I generally do not buy it. Being able to walk away from a purchase once I have decided that I truly don’t need it has given me a new sense of power.

4. I’ll always love clothes: However, to stay on track with my plan I’ve been exploring other ways to make myself feel good besides shopping. I’ve started working out more, going to the library, blogging. I also attended my first Clothing Swap this spring-it was a lot of fun & I managed to score a couple of great pieces pretty much for free.

It’s all still a work in progress. My closet is emptier but inside it are things that I really love and are excited to wear again & again. It’s a good feeling.
My “nothing to wear” syndrome has been solved.

A post worth reviewing. Via March, 2010.

Today’s post is written by life coach Heidi, of To Be Luminous. Her ideas on personal power are a perfect continuation of MakeunderMyMarch in the mental realm.

Heidi on Personal Power

I love “Makeunder My Life” for too many reasons to list out here and since you all feel the same way, it would be redundant.  For the sake of time and space I’ll stick to the #1 reason I give MML stamp of approval:

This process paves the way to personal power.

Most people move through life tossed around on the waves while life happens to them and then wonder why their life isn’t going where they want it to go!  In designing your life you are taking your life back into your own hands and are daring to believe you know a better way.

Even after setting powerful intentions and moving forward in our dreams life keeps moving and I don’t know about you, but I still find myself listening to what someone else thinks I should do and doubting my deep desires and personal intentions – even just for a split second.  For many of my clients just as they begin breaking down barriers, throwing away parts of life that don’t suit them (everything from a bad skirt to a sketchy boyfriend), the world starts to scream “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” and sadly enough some step out of their new strength and retreat back into their former comfy world.  Think:  taking off the perfectly styled new outfit you’ve been dreaming of and slipping back into sweats.  It sounds comfy, but comfy doesn’t help us achieve our dreams, become the person we’d like to be, and share our authentic selves with the world that so desperately needs each and every one of us.

We have to strengthen our personal power and as we take the MML action steps, it’s equally important to reacquaint ourselves with our own personal voice, our spirit, our intuition . . whatever you want to call it.  It’s the little guy inside you that says what you really think.  Your intuition fills you up, gives you wisdom, dispels fear, and calms anxiety.  Your personal voice is full of love and joy- for you and for others exactly as you are now. Sometimes it’s even more of a feeling or a whisper, but the closer attention we pay to it, the stronger our personal power becomes and we come closer to our authentic selves and allow the people around us to do the same.  Isn’t it great?  By being our best selves we give our favorite people permission to do the same.

The best three ways to hone in on your own voice are to do the following.  WARNING:  This is a lengthy life long process.  Do not expect to master it overnight, but DO expect to feel amazing strength, energy and courage very, very quickly!

#1 – Toss your energy vampires.

This means do your best to rid yourself of not only your excess stuff (which is perfect place to start), but your excess personal baggage too.  Sit down and set the timer for 15 minutes.  Grab a pen and paper (so much better than a computer for a brain dump) and write down the parts of your life that pull you away from who you dream of being.  Your list might look like this:

• Screaming boss
• Critical “frenemy” Jill
• Guilt over broken relationship with Greg
• Hour long daily calls where my mom tells me what’s wrong in my life
• All my excuses for not going to the gym (Grey’s Anatomy, Deep fudge chocolate cake, having one-too many the night before)
• Vogue magazine (makes me want more stuff and to look model thin)

This list is different for everyone.  One person’s vice (deep fudge chocolate cake) maybe a fabulous motivational tool for someone else.  Keep it personal and remember it’s only about you!  One example from my list will sound silly, but I used to watch the Hills and after watching it I’d always feel frumpy, unstylish, like I need to shop, lose some weight, etc.  It wasn’t that I was actually saying these things out loud, but I never felt good after watching it.  I put it on my vampire list.  Anything that drags you down instead of lifting you up (including people) should be on the list.  For most people on the list, it will be a matter of changing the nature of the relationship.  For example:  if mom yells at you, rather than cut her off, you need to find a new way of relating to her.

Once the list is made, get ready to start cutting.  Some things are easy to cut, others will be difficult.  Go slow and do your best, just know that you are treating yourself with care and deserve to feel alive and amazing, so that you can help others to feel the same way.

#2- Fill up on the good stuff.

Nope, I don’t just mean the aforementioned chocolate cake . . . just like your list of vampires, it’s time to sit down and make a list of people, places, items, and influences that fill you with joy.  Set the timer and go!  This list might include:

• My best friend Holly
• Date night with my man
• Cake batter batter ice cream from Coldstone
• A long hard run on a Spring day
• Girl’s night out dancing
• Long conversations with my sister
• A day on the beach
• An invigorating project at work

You get the picture.  This is fun!  If it feels like work, you’re doing it wrong.  Put it down and try again later.  Making this list should bring you to life, quicken your step and start you laughing.

Once the list is made start filling up the holes left by the previous list.  If you go to lunch with Frenemy Jill three days a week and only see best friend Holly once every other week . . . there’s some obvious switching up to do.  You get the gist.  Have fun with it and just get started!

#3- Listen to your authentic voice every day.

The first two steps will get you started, but this last one will keep you going for the rest of your life.  You have got to make time to listen to yourself daily or you’ll never hear that important whisper that could lead you into the life you’ve dreamed of.  The more you listen, the stronger you become internally and all those vampires begin to lose their grip on you.  You will find that you second guess yourself far less and you’ll jump in and take risks at times you never would have before.

Listening means making time.  When I commuted, I’d turn off my iPod, not answer my cell and then I’d dream and talk to myself (out loud  . . . I know a little crazy, but no one could hear).   My car was a sacred place.  I kept it clean and I kept my heart open.  It was on one of these drives that I felt nudged to go live in Bulgaria for a year and a half.  These quiet nudges WILL change your life.

Another way to listen is by journaling.  I’m not talking about writing a discourse on the details of your day.  I mean, sitting down in a quiet calm place for 30 minutes and scratching out whatever comes into your mind.  The words won’t be pretty and often they’ll be grumpy, but half way through (for me it’s around the 15 minute mark) brilliance starts to shine through.  I have been doing this daily for a decade now and every bold, brave, amazing move I’ve made first began as a scratch in my journal, a seemingly silly momentary thought.

If you make no other change in your life than listening to (and acting upon) your authentic voice your life will unfold in beautiful and unexpected ways.  This is the process I work through with my clients weekly.  It’s empowering and frustrating, full of highs and lows, but so is life.  Our dreams need a soft, happy, joyful place to grow and if we start within ourselves, miracles will happen.

A post worth reviewing. Via April, 2010.

I don’t know if it’s all the making under the past four years, but for some reason I’ve become extremely aware of unnecessary clutter. Sounds pretty normal and understandable right? Until you find out I now am super conscious of the trash outside as well.

Growing up, I never really noticed trash on the sidewalks or in parks. Sure, there probably was some out there in the grass, but I didn’t pay too much attention. Now, while running on the paths along Lake Michigan and Lincoln Park, I really notice it.

At first, I was just bothered by the occasional empty bottles, plastic bags, or pieces of paper. Then, I decided to start picking them up if I was able to see a trash can within eyesight. But that soon became an path to OCD paved with good intentions. I couldn’t be Miss Trash-Controller of Lincoln Park. Well, I could, but that wouldn’t have been much fun for me, and my running pace would have slowed considerably.

Instead, I’ve decided that if I see a piece of trash and a recycling container or trash bin nearby, I will pick it up and do my part to help keep my favorite city prettier and more “made under.” Just one piece of trash a day.

Recently, it occurred to me that if everyone running on the path also picked up a piece of trash, the park would be immaculate (though it’s very clean overall now). So I guess my point is, if you see a piece of trash and feel like picking it up, it’s an easy way to help makeunder our outdoor environment.

A post worth reviewing. Via May, 2010.

This post is brought to you by Karen at Graceful Creative. Enjoy!

I have been a longtime reader {and admirer} of Makeunder My Life. So when Jess asked me to do a guest post, I was truly honored. The idea for this guest post happened after I left a comment on her latest End of the Week Exfoliation post. I mentioned that I do something similar, but it’s called Edit, Add, Appreciate.

At the beginning of each week -usually on Saturday evenings- I contemplate what small changes I can make to help me be a better me. A more authentic version of myself. The ‘Edit, Add, Appreciate’ process is not my own original idea. I adopted the idea from the book Style Statement: Live by your own design.

Edit one thing-material objects, negative thoughts, bad habits, or activities that don’t reflect who you are as a person. It doesn’t have to be a physical thing; Sometimes bad habits and negative thoughts are more detrimental than physical clutter.

Add something. Bring in something or reinvent one thing in your life-thoughts, habits, activities, clothing, objects…Add something that will help you be a better person; And yes, sometimes a new pair of jeans can help!

Appreciate something or someone already in your life. Hug your children and tell them how special they are. Call your spouse, just because. Be extra polite to the guy who makes your latte. Frame that favorite piece of art.

The way I see it, is that you let your Authentic Self guide you in making these decisions. What parts of yourself -tangible or intangible- reflect who you really are? Keep the good things, and ditch the rest!

In the last year, I have edited, added, and appreciated many different things.

Edit

Since I’ve recently put my house on the market, I’ve been cleaning and decluttering like crazy. Like Jess did in March, I am doing my own Throw Out Fifty Things Challenge; therefore, my most recent *edits* have all been the things I’ve been throwing out. I must admit…I love getting rid of things that are unloved, useless, and just taking up space.

Add

My most recent *adds* have been new habits that I’m trying to adopt. Last month, I successfully added the habit of drinking a daily green smoothie.

This month, I’m trying to *add* the habit of daily skincare. {I’m 37. Shouldn’t I have started this habit a few years back?!} I am having some success, but it doesn’t come naturally. But when I imagine the best version of myself, I am healthy and glowing and more importantly, I take the time to take care of myself. The best version of me is someone who takes care of herself.

Appreciate

For me, this is often the most difficult one to do — taking time to appreciate someone or something. I’m very goal-oriented, and I enjoy doing. Being appreciative of someone or something is more a reflective exercise than an action-oriented task. This last week, I have appreciated a do-nothing week. To clarify, last week was packed full of obligations and an endless To Do list… This week, I *appreciate* that I can just be.

I would love for you to join me and Edit, Add, and Appreciate things in your life. Remember, it’s not about re-creating yourself…it’s about finding the pieces that are authentically you and living it.

A post worth reviewing. Via March 9, 2009.

The Ventilator Test

As I’ve started to post old exfoliations like the Throw Out Fifty Things Challenge, I’ve gotten a few emails about what I do with the stuff that I’m perpetually exfoliating. So today I’d like to talk about my frank and honest views on trashing, treasuring, and passing on exfoliations.

First, I will say that last year after the Throw Out Fifty Things Challenge, I did a big Free Garage Sale on MML. It was a huge success and most of my things found new homes across the country.

But what about you and your stuff? What should you do with it all?

As you look around your home for things to exfoliate, you might find that there are some things you don’t need, but have no idea what to do with. In my experience, there are three general exfoliation categories: trash, recycle, and pass it on. Recycling is a pretty straightforward group. If it is plastic, glass, or furniture, chances are it can have a new life. “Pass it on” stuff is still in working order and useful- it’s just not working or useful for you personally. These items can be given to friends, donated, or sold at consignment stores. Clothing is the most popular item in this group.

But what about the trash? This is where I find the most difficulty when working with people who are making under. The idea that something might be end up in a landfill is sometimes enough to scare someone into keeping it for months or years longer than necessary. We are good people looking to make a positive impact on the planet, and imagining that our past purchases might one day end up in a landfill is downright depressing. But the harsh reality is that even if something enjoys years of future pleasure with new owners, eventually everything that is not recyclable has an expiration date… and will one day end up in the trash.

So here is a little test I like to use when I find I have resistance to getting rid of something in this “trash” category: If I was suddenly killed, moved to Timbuktu, or put into the Witness Protection Program at a moment’s notice; what would my family do with my stuff? Would they donate it to a charity? Send it to the recycling center? Sell it on Ebay? Or put it in the dumpster? If the answer is the latter, it’s safe to say that if you don’t throw away that really old prom shoe, someone else will.

If something can serve no purpose for you or someone else, it doesn’t deserve to sit in purgatory at the bottom of your hall closet. Pull the plug. Give it a proper funeral. Say a few kind words (you can even take a picture). And let it go.

You might feel a lot better once you come to terms with the death of that thing. And you won’t feel guilty every time you struggle to close that closet door.

As promised, I have captured a few of the ways that I keep clutter to a minimum in my living room and kitchen. Though my apartment is not large, the tricks below help things seem intentional and decorative when they are mostly just clever ways to store items I need and use on a daily basis.

And in case you haven’t caught the tips from my bedroom, be sure to check them out too.

These books help to distract from the ugly electronics. Stacking books among the Tivo and router makes them seem ever so slightly less utilitarian.

Instead of wasting space in my kitchen storing glassware I used a tray from CB2 to display them alongside the adorable chevron decanter I received from Cathy.

The black blanket in the basket doubles as a clever distraction from the board games stored underneath inside the basket.

The wine crate on the bottom shelf (free from Binny’s) holds my linens. The pillow on top keeps things looking more organized than they really are.

All catalogs and reading material get put on this stack. (Chevron tray from Tilly Maison.) I love trays – they make objects instantly look more important and intentional.

This is the lowest shelf on a bookshelf in the entryway. The ceramic boots (a gift from Michelle) are perfect for umbrellas and pashminas.

The middle shelf in the entry has another Tilly Maison tray perfect for keys and wallets. Coupons sit in a vintage goblet.

For those who aren’t super organized, trays are perfect. Trays like this used for stashing stuff effectively contain the mess and leave surfaces clutter-free.

At the top of the bookcase my daily purses sit ready to go.

My kitchen table also doubles as my kitchen’s island. I like having these two hard placemats side by side as a runner during the day. Then come meal time they are easy to pull apart for individual use.

Here are three great tips:

1. A cake stand doubles as a pretty fruit and veggie tray.
2. A vintage coffee tin with a glass jar inside stores my silverware — saving drawer storage for knives.
3. A vintage pitcher holds cooking utensils right were I need them – next to the oven and stove.

Coffee and noodles double as accessories alongside some pretty snack bowls. The seals on the glass canisters keep the coffee grounds fresh and easy to access each morning.

Here is a link to the entire living room and studio tour.

Time to take a bit of a break from all of the Midnight Hustling! Today I thought I’d take a moment to share what I’ve learned from years of exfoliating unnecessary clutter. Any of my friends (or even Mr. Lively) can tell you that it’s rare to find a mess in my apartment. And though it is in part due to the fact that I love having order in my home, I also don’t have that much stuff. After years of End of the Week Exfoliations, Throw Out 50 Things Challenges, and What I Don’t Want for Christmas, I have leaned my possessions out substantially.

That said, my home is by no means sparse or bare. Below I snapped a few shots of my bedroom and bathroom organization to perhaps inspire others who are working on taming the Stuff Monster. And later today I’ll be sharing glimpses of my kitchen and living room as well.

More than any one tip, I can say that using “stuff” as decor has helped keep things beautiful and organized at the same time.

Scarves in a vintage glass bowl add color and texture to the dresser. It also encourages me to use them more often as well.

A vintage plate acts as a perfume tray. The vintage green goblet holds spare change and the clear glass container keeps cotton balls tidy.

This is my nightstand’s second drawer. An organizer from TJ Maxx holds my skinny belts, large scarves, and clutches.

I recently pinned my memento jewelry inside a shadow box from TJ Maxx. Now my grandmas’ vintage jewels are no longer crammed in a plastic bag.

My favorite new way to display everyday jewelry is in a small bowl on my dresser. It’s easier than going into a jewelry box twice a day.

Apartment living leaves little extra space for laundry. I converted my second closet into a place to hang out of season dresses. An over the door hanger is hanging on the closet rod to dry out sweaty running clothes or damp laundry.

This is part of my entry way closet. Large totes hang on S hooks. A shoe organizer hangs on the left to hold my workout gear; small shelves store towels, sunglasses, running watches, and headphones.

One of my little luxuries is weekly at-home manicures. Using a special candle box makes the tradition just a bit more organized and pretty.

Since I have a pedestal sink in my bathroom, this tray organizes and holds my makeup each morning. It’s stashed nearby in a hall closet when not in use.

Here is a link to my entire bedroom tour.

Today I am here to conclude my most recent Throw Out 50 Things Challenge. You can see the story behind the challenge here and items 1-28 in this year’s challenge here.

As with past items, everything you see has been donated, recycled, gifted, returned, or thrown away. The challenge is simply titled “Throw Out” Fifty Things because of the book it is inspired by. But in fact, the very few items that were trashed were beyond repair or future use. Most items were recycled or donated. And the best part of all is that I don’t miss one of these items and feel like I have a much nicer, calmer, more intentional space!

29 through 38

• 29 – Old sweater, don’t need
• 30 – Catalogs, don’t use
• 31 – Furniture parts, don’t use
• 32 – Jewelry boxes, don’t use
• 33 – Plastic lids, don’t need
• 34 – Old salve, don’t use
• 35 – Old key, don’t use
• 36 – Sunglasses case, don’t need
• 37 – Photo album, don’t need
• 38 – Bulletin board, don’t use

39 through 48

• 39 – Bottles, don’t need
• 40 – Candy, don’t use
• 41 – Rusted knives, don’t need
• 42 – Take-out silverware, don’t use
• 43 – Graduation tassel, don’t need
• 44 – Wine holder, don’t use
• 45 – 3M hooks, don’t use
• 46 – Expired food, don’t need
• 47 – Magazines, don’t need
• 48 – Old candle, don’t use

49 – Side table, don’t need

50 – Shopping cart, don’t use

Okay, time to post my first batch of stuff from my most recent Throw Out 50 Things Challenge! You can see below the items that I no longer need, use or love. I will say that all of these items have been donated, sold, gifted, returned, or thrown out as needed so there isn’t anything that you’ll be able to snag (sorry!).

One thing to note in the challenge as S.E. Minegar commented earlier: multiple items of the same kind count as one thing. So 12 magazines is really “1 magazine(s)” in the 50 thing count. I grouped my items similarly when it comes to boxes, bottles, batteries, etc.

Enjoy!

1 through 10

• 1 – Wire Hanger, don’t need
• 2 – Luggage Tag, don’t use
• 3 – I think this is a t-shirt but I’m not really sure, (obviously) don’t use
• 4 – Tape dispenser, don’t use
• 5 – Compact, don’t use
• 6 – Single sock, don’t use
• 7 – Silk cropped top, don’t use
• 8 – Travel lotions, don’t need
• 9 – Purse and shoe bags, don’t need
• 10 – Dress, don’t use

11 through 17

• 11 – Lamp shade, don’t need
• 12 – Ripped jeans, don’t use
• 13 – Worn out ballet flats, don’t need
• 14 – Trench coat piece, don’t use
• 15 – Unneeded shelf, don’t need
• 16 – Zipper plastic bag, don’t need
• 17 – Old hat, don’t use

18 through 28

• 18 – Folder, don’t need
• 19 – Boxes, don’t use
• 20 – Old battery, don’t need
• 21 – Old cds, don’t use
• 22 – Store loyalty cards, don’t need
• 23 – Old pens, don’t use
• 24 – Flower food, don’t use
• 25 – Measuring spoon holder, don’t need
• 26 – 2010 calender, don’t need
• 27 – Pennies, don’t use
• 28 – Pedometer, don’t use

I’ll be back later to share items 29-50!