Winter Capsule Wardrobe Reveal

This capsule wardrobe is going to be worn until April.  I went with a lot of cozy clothes and I am happy with how it turned out.  I have decided that I am not going to include outerwear in my capsules anymore, because it really doesn't vary much in the cold weather months.  I own 2 winter jackets and 2 pairs of boots.  I wear them constantly because it is winter and it is cold. 

I have 21 tops (a black and white striped top is in the wash).  I do have one more purchase planned and if I get it, I will have 22 tops.  My wardrobe has 1 dress, 1 skirt and 4 pants.  There are 27 items in total.  I am looking forward to wearing these clothes in the coming months.  Happy Wednesday, friends!

January Clean & Purge- Week 3

I am (mostly) feeling better and am back on my feet.  I tackled our bedrooms and our downstairs closet this week.  Everything looks so much more organized.  I was able to store some items for my youngest daughter to grow into, donate some things that no longer work for our family and return a few pieces of clothing to people who generously handed them down to us. 

I tackled my nightstand and half of the closet first.  I donated a few books and the odd piece of clothing.  I mostly straightened up and cleaned. 

I went through my oldest daughter's closet next.  I boxed up clothes that she has that will fit her in the coming season and boxed up shoes that she still needs to grow into.  This helped to remove the visual clutter of the clothes piled on the shelves.  I boxed up any items that were too small that we plan to keep for my youngest.  I then donated or returned anything else we didn't want to keep.  I took out her art project box and we are now slowly going through the task of gifting her art pieces to family and deciding which few are truly keepers. 

My youngest daughter shares a closet with our portable air conditioning unit (it is the easiest place to store it for the winter).  I took out any items that she has outgrown or no longer uses.  She just turned a year old so there was quite a bit of "baby" stuff that she simply doesn't need/use anymore.  I advertised 2 of my diaper bags that I don't use (I really love my backpack diaper bag with my neck and shoulder issues).  I boxed up the clothes that she will be able to use in Spring/ Summer and stored the rest the clothes that she needs to grow into in the downstairs closet.

I tackled the downstairs closet last.  I put all of my maternity and postpartum wardrobe together in a storage container in the closet.  I also stored all of the clothes that my youngest daughter has to grow into in this closet.  I use diaper boxes because they are economical and a nice size.  We keep our off-season clothes in this closet so I went through those and only kept what we truly use.

I keep the unused portion of my wardrobe in the downstairs closet.  It mostly consists of my work clothes (which I am not using while on maternity leave), tops that currently don't fit or work because I am breastfeeding, bras that don't currently fit because I am breastfeeding and my summer outfits.  I own a range of sizes in my outfits, but until I am sure we are done having children I plan to keep my clothes.  I have worn almost the whole range of my sizes this year and when I finish breastfeeding, many of my tops will fit me again.  I did donate a few articles of clothing that I never choose for my capsule wardrobes and a pair of shoes that doesn't fit me properly.

Checklist:

• Remove all of the items from the bedroom closets and dressers.  Make sure that each item that returns to the closet/dresser truly belongs there.
• Wipe all shelves.
• Wipe all baseboards.
• Wipe window sills.
• Wipe down light switches, door knobs and furniture.
• Move furniture to vacuum the floors.

I am excited to finish tackling the rest of my house!  Happy cleaning, friends!

Sick Day

Hello Everyone!  I should be continuing my January Clean & Purge series today, but I am under the weather.  We took a quick family getaway and when we returned I got the worst cold that I have had in years.  I don't often get sick, but this cold hit me hard.  It also hit the kids so we are just trying to get well over here.  I didn't have the time or energy to tackle everything or write a post.  I hope to be back Wednesday with my next Capsule Wardrobe reveal. 

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2019 Planning

I am plan to have a much calmer wardrobe palette until Spring.  I am really feeling blues, greys and the odd pop of red.  I want cozy textures, as we are now getting some colder weather.  I am looking forward to snuggly sweaters and sweatshirts.  I came up with some images that represent the colour palette that I want.  I will have my reveal next week.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

January Clean and Purge-Week 2

This week I tackled the bathroom and linen closet.  The bathroom has been driving me crazy.  We accumulate many different lotions and potions and I was itching to go through everything.

I purged any creams, makeup, medication, or toiletries that were expired.  I also got rid of anything that we don't like using.  If an item was unopened, I donated it.  If it was opened I discarded the contents and recycled the containers.

I wiped all the shelves and drawers and put items back in a way that made more sense for the needs of our family.  I wiped baseboards and walls, cleaned the light fixtures and washed the shower curtain.  I didn't take before pictures (oops!), but I have after photos.  I am pleased with how things turned out.

Bathroom/Linen Closet Checklist:

• wipe shelves and drawers
• wipe baseboards
• wash walls
• clean light fixtures
• clean ceiling fan
• purge expired items
• purge items that you don't like or use
• put like items together.

Happy Cleaning, friends!

January Clean and Purge- Week 1

I love the quiet and calm of January.  The Christmas decorations are put away, the house is quiet and there isn't nearly as many items on my calendar!  I love to do an annual clean and sort of my home.  I didn't do it last year, as I had a newborn.  I am definitely ready to dive in this year!

My goal with this is to clear clutter and wipe down the room.  I neglect my baseboards throughout the year so I am trying hard to wipe them all down.

LIVING ROOM

I started in my living room when we took our decorations down.  I removed items that didn't belong, and put away the objects that did.  I cleaned the floors, baseboards, mantle, shelves, and other furniture.  Hubby got all the dust bunnies out from under the couch. (A team effort always helps!)  I wiped down the ceiling fan.  

Checklist:

• wash throw blankets
• wipe baseboards
• wipe light fixtures and lamps
• dust all furniture
• clean under all area rugs and furniture
• sort through media equipment and entertainment- donate anything that no longer serves your family

KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM

The next room on my list was the kitchen and dining room.  I went through my pantry and got rid of any outdated food (there wasn't much!).  I wiped all the shelves and put things back neatly.  I washed down my coffee station, wiped baseboards and the light fixture/ceiling fans.  The kitchen cabinets and counter were all scrubbed and the inside of the cupboards were wiped/organized.  I still need to clean the oven and the fridge but I plan to complete that after my daughter's birthday party this weekend.

CHECKLIST

• wipe down all counters and surfaces
• dust the tops of the cupboards
• wash baseboards
• wash cabinet doors
• scour sink
• go through each cupboard- donate items that you no longer use
• go through fridge.  Get rid of outdated food and wipe all surfaces
• go through pantry.  Get rid of outdated food and wipe all surfaces
• clean dishwasher
• clean oven/stove
• deep clean your coffee maker
• empty your toaster's crumb tray

Are you tackling home projects this year?  Do you do a deep clean of your home regularly?