Things I Love: Closet Editing

Last Saturday, I set the whole day aside to do a closet edit. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's essentially an intense version of cleaning out your closet. The whole process is pretty rough and time consuming, but here are my steps and tips for getting it done.

First, grab three garbage bags to put clothes in - one to give away, one to try to sell, and one to throw away. After this, make an initial run through of your closet. Take out anything that you already know is going into one of these three garbage bags and put it in the proper one. Clear a space, like your bed, to take out the rest of your clothes and lay them out. From here, just start trying things on. If it fits well, and you know you are actually going to wear it, hang it back in your closet. If it doesn't fit well, or if you don't think you'll ever actually wear it, put it into one of the garbage bags. Once your done with your closet, it's a good idea to also go through your dresser or anywhere else you keep clothes. 

As you can see, the process of closet editing seems simple enough. However, if you are anything like me, you have tons of clothes to go through, and it can get boring really quickly. 

My tips:

• Be dedicated. Don't start this if you aren't in the mood to do it. You have be dedicated to trying on every piece of your clothing and making a solid judgment as to what to do with each piece.
• Put on some fun music. To keep yourself entertained while trying on all of your clothes, put on fun music and dance around a bit. TV can be too distracting if you start getting too into what's on. Plus, moving around a bit in the clothes you're trying on can be good to determine how well they fit. 
• Don't keep things because you hope you'll fit in them again one day. Once you can fit in those clothes again, do you really think you'll want to? My guess is no. You've got a new body that you want to put in new clothes. 
• Hang your clothes back up in an organized manner. This may seem OCD, but I have two small closets - one for shirts & skirts and one for dresses. Plus, everything is sub-organized by color then by sleeve length. This is super useful when I'm looking for a certain piece since I know exactly where to start. 
• Be decisive. If there's something that still has tags on it because you haven't found the right accessory, occasion, etc., just let it go. It's hard, but 100% worth it when everything in your closet fits and looks great on you. 

I make a garbage bag of clothes that I hope to sell along with a bag to giveaway. Clothes that are still in good condition and recently bought, I try to sell. In the New Orleans area, stores that buy gently used clothes are Plato's Closet in Metairie, Funky Monkey and Buffulo Exchange which are both Uptown. Even if you get like $5 back, it's still more than just giving them away. I take anything that wasn't bought back and my give away bag to Goodwill or Salvation Army. 

I think closet edits are great to do seasonally. Since summer's gone, it's a good time to make some room for some fall styles. 

Let me know how it goes if you go for it!

xo,

Sara

Necessary Accessory: Green!

The color of the week that I'm totally obsessed with is green. I honestly love green all the time, but it's especially perfect right now. It's a great transitional color since the weather can't seem to make up its mind, as usual. A green bag works awesome with shorts for the hot weather and boots for the cold. I picked some bags and matching shoes to go with!

The first purse and shoe aren't exactly the same color green, but I loved them both too much to leave either of them out. The bag from Francesca's is a great size, and the color is a perfect shade of green. It might just be my first purchase with my next paycheck. The shoes have that fabulous patent toe which is perfect with the suede. The patent is easy to clean while the suede dresses them up a bit. I'm extra in love with transitional flats right now, since I just started working in an office between my class times. Shoes and outfits need to be able to look nice for work, but not overly nice once you're walking around campus, and these definitely fit the bill. 

I love this bag and shoe combination for a work day or a nice dinner date. Booties are great for fall, especially in this area. They give the appearance of a cute boot without making your legs sweat. The bag is a great daily work bag since it's big enough to fit papers or a tablet, but not overly large that it gets too heavy. I also love it for a date night since it can fit all of the necessities - make up bag, wallet, keys, umbrella, and a change of shoes. 

This bag and shoe together help make a great outfit for a night out. The purse is Michael Kors, so it's a bit pricey, but if it's in your price range I say go for it! Since it's a smaller crossbody bag, it will definitely see a lot of use. For the pumps, I love the ankle detailing that make them just that little bit more fun than an everyday pump. Both of these would be perfect with that little black dress. 

If you aren't a huge fan of green, don't worry! There are a few other colors on my fall palette that have posts lined up in the coming weeks!

xo,

Sara

NOLA Home Cooking: Gumbo

Now that it's October, it's time for a perfect fall recipe - gumbo. 

This recipe is for seafood gumbo, and it uses shrimp, crabmeat, and oysters. Feel free to use chicken or sausage if seafood isn't your thing. 

Ingredients:

1 c. flour

1 c. oil

2 onions (chopped)

1 c. celery (chopped)

1 bunch green onions (chopped)

1/2 c. parsley (chopped)

2 lbs shrimp

1 lb crabmeat

1 pt oysters

salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

1 gallon water

In a large pot, mix the oil and the flour to make a roux. Add the onions and celery, and saute. Then mix in the green onions. Add the gallon of water and boil slowly for 1 hour. Add parsley and shrimp, cook for 20 minutes over low heat. Add crabmeat, oysters, and seasonings. Serve with rice. 

*If you're using chicken, add that in the same time as the shrimp. Pre-cooked sausage can be added in when the crabmeat and oysters are added. If it's not, add it in the same time as the shrimp.