While I love resale shops, I love non profit resale the most.  Everyone wins with non profits.  The customer gets a fabulous piece of clothing and the profit benefits the organization connected with the shop.  I recently went to Rung (one of my favs) and got this awesome Alice + Olivia bag.  At Rung, all inventory is donated and profits benefit the Women's Foundation of Greater St. Louis.  This organization raises awareness about women's issues and provide funding for women's initiatives in the region. 

Alice + Olivia tote.

{ Forever 21 woven hat, Vince sweater, LA Made top}

On a snowy Wednesday night in January, Blush Boutique in Kirkwood had a "Closet CleanOut Party" benefiting the Gateway Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.  By paying $5 at the door, one could shop racks of resale items donated by Blush employees and customers, as well as regular Blush inventory, all while sipping complementary cocktails.  Donated items included clothing, shoes, and accessories all priced between $2-$30 with proceeds benefiting Multiple Sclerosis.

Because Blush is one of my favorite boutiques and I love shopping resale, I couldn't pass this opportunity up.  I found this Vince hooded cashmere sweater and over-sized knit top by LA Made as well as a pair of 1921 jeans (not pictured).  There were some awesome deals for an even greater cause. 

Today Jason and I will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.  In a perfect world, we would take an extravagant trip somewhere, but realistically we will probably go out and have a nice dinner...or maybe a nice lunch since there is a 6 inch layer of snow outside. 

{Vince sweater, Vince wool dress, scarf gifted, Gatta tights, Ugg boots.}

It's been so cold outside lately that I've planned every outfit around thick tights or leggings and some form of Ugg footwear.  I've found that wearing tights and leggings are warmer and more comfortable than jeans, and though I originally tried to stay away from daily Ugg use, they are the warmest shoe.  My closet is full of wool and cashmere dresses.  This seems to be my winter uniform.  My favorite leggings are Gatta imported from Poland.

I am a self professed clean freak.  I'm not sure when it started.  When I was younger my room was always a mess, but when we moved in the summer of '96 things changed.  At first I thought it was because I had more space.  Then, I thought since I was blessed with such a big, spacious room I should take care of it (see my previously post on my beloved room here).  Before I knew it, my room was the cleanest room in the house.  Most everything was always in its place.  Even when I left for college I would clean my room before I left to make sure it was spotless when I returned.

While in college I went through a brief phase of disorderliness.  I tried to not be so obsessed with cleaning.  Everyone experiments in college, right?

Now as an adult with a place of my own, I feel it is my responsibility to keep it clean and orderly.  I have embraced my inner "Monica" and no longer fight my urges to be "normal." 

This obsession does not exclude my closet.  I've always had large closets with plenty of space.  Unfortunately my current apartment has one average sized closet that I also have to share with my husband.  I've had to be creative in organizing my clothes and shoes.  My closet in our previous apartment was a small room (my favorite room), so the transition of down-sizing was a challenge.  There are a few rules I live by when it comes to closet organization. 

**  Match all hangers.  I have found that a closet looks more uniform if all (or at least most) of the hangers match.   
**  Organize by season.  If out of season items are out of sight, this will help with picking out what to wear in the current season. 
**  Categorize.  For example:  all of my pants, skirts, tanks, dresses and tops are hanging together.  If I'm looking for a specific thing, I know exactly where it is. 
**  Organize by color.  This not only makes the closet look cleaner and organized, but it also helps with picking out what to wear.
**  If its out of sight, it will be out of mind.  Meaning I try to display items (especially shoes) where I can see them.  When I don't see them, I don't wear them and end up forgetting I even have them.
**  Keep similar items together.  All shoes, bags, etc. stay together.

 

{Shopping in my closet.}

Obviously I'm not a professional organizer, I just do these things to help myself stay sane.  Another thing I do is keep a trend board in my closet.    This is a cork board with outfits that I like.  These are from magazines, store windows, and other media.  This gives me inspiration on what to wear if I'm having trouble picking out something to wear.  I've done this for years and it seems to help on those days when I can't decide what to wear.  It is also a way to wear things you already own in a new way.

{ Trend board complete with items that make me smile.}

After a much needed break, I'm glad to be back to reality.  I spent a week and a half down south visiting the family.  I had a wonderful Christmas with my family and friends.

We have several Christmas Eve traditions at my parents' house.  We always go to Wal-Mart right before it closes to watch the last minute shoppers hurrying through the store to find last minutes gifts.  We always go look at Christmas lights around town after leaving Wal-mart.  We then go back home eat soup and open two presents each.  One present is always new pajamas.  The other present is always bath soaps.

{New Christmas pajamas}

This year we added a new tradition to the mix; shooting guns.  My parents, brother, Jason, and I drove out in the country and shot guns.  This was my first time shooting a gun and I can honestly say without hesitation that I did not like it.  I hope I never actually have to use a gun because I was not a fan.

{New Christmas Eve tradition:  shooting guns in the country.}

The rest of my Christmas break was spent visiting family in Arkansas and seeing friends.  One night I met with some friends from high school to try out a recently purchased photo booth.  Scherer Genius photo booth; coming to an event near you! 

{Photo booth fun.}

As I previously stated here, New Year's is not my favorite holiday.  I hate feeling the pressure to have a good time.  Every year I would go out and every year I would be miserable.  I stopped making resolutions and now I've stopped participating in New Year's Eve all together.  Don't get my wrong.  I love holidays and I love celebrating them.  I like to decorate for just about every holiday.  I loathe New Year's.  I'm over it.  End of story.