Closet Clean Up 101

I started this project last week and I figured the second week of October was high time to finish it! That's right, the seasonal closet clean out. If you are like me, you do not have enough room in one closet for a years worth of your clothing and your husbands! There are plenty of closet organization tips out there and I came up with a few of my own while cleaning out.

1. I decided at least a year ago I would only have white hangers for my clothing. It's a personal choice, but they are so much cleaner than a clear hanger with rusty metal hook, or those that you get from the dry cleaners. This is an ongoing battle though. Look at what I weeded out today! (and yes, I found bubble wrap in the closet as well, who knows) These were just hangers that didn't even have clothes on them. I also try to pull unused hangers frequently...you will always have them lingering around from the dry cleaners and they create SO much clutter!

2. Follow the golden rule of closets, toss things you haven't worn in a year. I thought about this rule, and I realized that I have never missed ANYTHING that I have donated or given to a consignment store. I think this means I have a pretty good track record in this department.

3. Only break rule #2 for a few things that you can absolutely not part with. I am still head over heels for a few special dresses that will not be leaving my closet anytime soon. They make me smile and feel good when I see them, so they aren't going. In fact, one day when I have a dream closet they might even be preserved in a shadow box of some sort ;)

For example, the cocktail dresses for our rehearsal dinner and one of the engagement parties. I LOVE these and since I only wore them once, I deserve to look at them all the time.

4. While you are cleaning and organizing, take mental notes of the quantities of your accessories. It became apparent to me I have over 20 some scarves, and that doesn't include the handful I put in the "donate" pile. All this tells me is I only need to purchase a few must-have scarves this year, and invest my money into other items that I have less of.  Somebody stocked up last year it seems! 

5. When you think you are done weeding out things you don't need anymore, go through it one more time. I did this tonight and pulled out two more white tops, and two more black tops that just needed to "go" since they had seen better days. 

On that note, here are some lovely photos to keep us all dreaming about a beautiful, larger-than-ever-should-be-necessary, perfectly organized closet! 

Keep those pretty shopping bags...and keep them neatly displayed! This is a brilliant solution for my closet!

An ottoman to have a place to lay a sweater, or put on your heels.

The ultimate closet, I think my cocktail dresses would fit perfectly on the ends of those shelves!

Better jewelry organization is a must. This keeps it safe, organized, and easy to find.

This closet clean out might have motivated me to give our closet a nice new coat of paint to brighten it up. Of course, I would love California Closets to make a house call tomorrow but I don't think that is going to happen! Do you have any closet tips to share?!

*images via my pinterest page

If it must rain...

The next two days we have a forecast of lots of rain and wind, potentially feeling like a tropical storm (seriously?) I think these boots will make any rainy day better...or at least a little more chic!

Quilted patent, enough said.

Step it up with a little wedge.

Kate Spade's feminine take on the wellie.

Toss Design's Croc Rainboot- I've tried these on- so comfortable and a great price!

For the little man...

And for the baby girl, these pink boots are presh!

Hopefully this storm system will fizzle out...stay dry!
*All images via Saks.com excluding Toss Designs

Fall Essentials

Finally, (and I mean finally) I got a little shopping accomplished this weekend! Lately, I have been so wrapped up in the house and fall decor, my wardrobe has taken a backseat! This always sneaks up on me and then I have a series of days of -"I have nothing to wear"- never fun. I really needed to update on basics, and fill in later with fun pieces for fall outings. 

My sweet Mom treated me to this short sleeve sweater, in black. Personally, I begin to despise bulky sweaters not too far into winter. Paired with a long sleeve shell, this will be perfect for our usual mild winter season. The collar can also be folded down for another look.

One can never have enough black and white layering tees. This one has a velvet lined scoop neck with a superior fit. I definitely think you need to update these yearly, since you end up wearing them so much! I also found a lace cami that will go perfectly under a blazer or chunky sweater.

Got this sweater from Belk in Raleigh. I have been itching for a long, neutral shade sweater and this was exactly what I was looking for. Throw it on over jeans and a tee, and it's an easy outfit!

I also stopped at the J.Crew outlet on our way home today, so necessary! I'll post my finds later this week.

In other news, the fab Tory Burch is having a friends and fans sale good through midnight Monday, October 10. Enter FRIENDS2011 at checkout for 25% off (Revas and a few other exclusions), holy cow good deal!!! (Santa, is that you?) I'm going to try to start posting the best fabulous fashion deals that bombard my inbox on a daily basis-these have got to go to use somewhere!! Happy Shopping!!

 Hope you had a great weekend!! 

outdoor fall inspiration

There has been plenty of inspiration to get me motivated to decorate outside, in time for the fall temperatures to set in and come home to a welcoming front porch. With images like these, it's hard not to be inpsired to spruce things up a bit outside.

It's time to put the finishing touches on my porch now!!

It's Fall Y'all

 First Link Party...TONS of great ideas here today!!

Simple Fall Mantel

This year I decided to keep things fairly clean and simple, and include some white pumpkins in my fall decorating. Maybe it's all of the cute little white pumpkins I see on pinterest that has me so into them? They just seemed to work so well with the rest of my house, so I based my simple mantel around them. 

I wanted to make things as easy as possible, so I used vases and jars that I already owned and added some husks that I found at Michaels, and a few berry sprigs. The vase is a Kate Spade wedding gift that I  use all the time. I have really enjoyed the mix of the metal finishes with the natural look!

And my favorite part, the sweet little white pumpkins! I cut the nandina stems from my yard and put in a pitcher, for a little punch of color. I also tied an adorable orange crochet ribbon from Michaels around one pumpkin stem.

Here is the finished mantel... (the tv doesn't get to change looks by season, how do I make that happen!?)

I ended up swapping the vase out for the larger one seen above after I took this photo.

Then I dressed up a little table that I have sitting on the fireplace with some candles, glittered leaves and a metallic acorn mix. The leaves came from the Dollar Store and I spray painted them with Krylon's Glitter Blast Orange Burst. I love this bright orange!! The acorn mix came as is from Pier 1 for $8.95 (on sale now!).

That is my fall decorating inside so far that I have completed! I am going to work a little more on front porch and some fall plants this afternoon. Happy Fall, it sure does feel like it now!!

yachts and seafood

This weekend Morehead City hosted the 25th Annual NC Seafood Festival on the waterfront. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, the megayacht Seafair came to port and hosted an exhibition of art galleries primarily from North Carolina Artists. The yacht was so worth the $10 to tour, do it if you ever have the chance! The only seafood I ended up eating all day was a delicious shrimp burger, I enjoyed every bite!

Entering Seafair, definitely deserves a photo!

Plenty of bars for the gentlemen!

It was a gorgeous day.

time out for corn on the cob

Live music, yes please!

And a pretty day made for a seriously gorgeous sunset.

Off to finish reading The Help (I think I am the last person to read it!)