Cleaning up and Cleaning out

Giant pile to sort.

Have you ever heard the phrase "cluttered home, cluttered mind"? I think about it a lot. I have too much stuff in my house and in my life. This morning I decided I am going to give myself a pass on the gym and allow a little time to focus and regroup (again). I keep having to do this! But eventually things will get unstuck and I will move forward, I can feel it.

I decided that the thing that would help reduce my stress the most right now was cleaning up my house a little. I long ago learned that if I tackle the whole house in one day it is too much. But if I choose a room or even just a spot I can get started and that is a step. I really really don't want to end up on a hording show one day. It really does say something about us as a people that these shows even exist. We all have too much and do too much. But once again I digress.

So today I chose my bathroom to straighten up. I managed to de-clutter the counter and do a little cleaning. Which fortunate for me lead to me wanting to clean out my closet. AGAIN. I tend to do a little "What Not to Wear" make over on myself every season. And since it might actually eventually turn cooler I decided to do it today.

I have been holding on to a lot of "pre-baby" clothes. Today I finally asked myself; "do I even like these any more?" and "if I wear thinner would I really wear them?" Clothing is one area of life where I think it is ok to be a little fickle and change your mind.

You should update your look as the seasons change. And I finally must admit that some of the clothes I wore at 28 (and maybe was too old to be wearing them then) are not the same things I want to be wearing at 33.

Another thing I asked myself is if I were Stacy London and was cleaning out someone else's closet "would I let them keep this?" Since I have a limited clothing replacement budget I was a little more generous here than Stacy would have been.

But I ended up with a bunch of stuff to sell at the consignment shop.  Yes that is a gray t-shirt with silver sequins stripes. Sometimes things are on clearance for a reason and you should not buy them. AND I look terrible in gray. But is was shiny, what can I say?

Still a few things in the wash to add to the consignment stuff

And I added to my Goodwill pile. I always have a Goodwill pile going for the whole family. Looking nice every day really does make you feel better about yourself. And right now any little thing I can do to improve my outlook is something I want to keep doing.

Folded and ready to go to Goodwill

Now my closet is a little less cluttered and my bathroom is all spiffy. I think I am inspired to clean the entry way. My garage and entry get really cluttered really fast. I think at least keeping them cleaner would help make it so that I am not assaulted by the clutter every time I go in and out of the house.

Wow there is a lot of empty hanger there!

I did learn a few things from the closet clean out. I need to stick to my rules of fashion a little more firmly. Here are some of my fashion rules:

1. Only wear it if it FITS. Wearing clothes that do not fit well does nothing for you. This applies to too big as well as too small. This one is hard because I change size way too often, but that is a whole other blog.

2. Do not shy away from color but only wear colors that look good on you. This one is hard. There are lovely gray and yellow items out there. And I am always tempted to take them home with me but alas I cannot. They are just shades that I cannot wear.

3. When shopping buy for the person you are, not the person you want to be. I have a hard time with this one too. Some days I want a closet full of gorgeous suits and other days it is flowing gowns that catch my fancy. But in reality I have use for neither. In reality I need nice basic everyday clothes that are washable. It is just who I am right now, you be who you are. However this is not permission to be a slob.

4. Only buy it if you LOVE it. This one I mostly stick to. And sometime this rule encourages me to break all the other rules.

5. Comfy shoes are ok. Well as long as they don't look orthopedic and cheap. There are plenty of cute comfy flats out there peeps, don't settle.  But I still wear high heels more than most people that I know. They do make comfy heels these days you know. 

I love a good bag!

I really need to keep these rules in mind when I am planning sewing for myself, they apply to handmade clothes just as much if not more than store bought.

So I think I am going to head out into the world and run some errands and have some fun! Maybe I need to approach breaks the same way I approach cleaning? Rather than look for big long vacations I need to give myself a little mini vacation every day (or so).

I hope you have a great day today and can un-clutter something of your own and make a little more room to breath.

Peace Out - C