Archive for July, 2011

And Speaking of Reusing Things…

Posted on July 26th, 2011 by Tonia 7 Comments

My two sweet, sweet sisters-in-law admitted to me that even though they have managed to green up their lives in a lot of ways, they still buy plastic baggies pretty often. So this post is a little reminder to them to wash out those baggies and reuse them! Next time your hand is hovering over the garbage can about to throw a baggie out, imagine my really angry face!!

And make your handy husbands make you one of these! I know they’re handy. I have personally seen them make stuff!

See, here I am washing out all the baggies we have used in the past couple weeks. I’m like the least homemaker-y of the three of us, so I know you two can do it!

Heehee. Love you, sisters!!!!!

Reuse Tues: Shower Caps & Tupperware Racks

Posted on July 26th, 2011 by Tonia 1 Comment

During our Atlanta trip I found myself wishing I had a way to keep my grubby shoes away from my clothes in the suitcase. I found this solution upon returning home. It’s a great way to reuse old shower caps!

When I had dreadlocks back in high school I used shower caps to keep them dry, but I obviously don’t rock the dreads anymore, so we don’t have shower caps laying around the house. I’ll probably just bring a produce bag for my shoes on the next trip, but I wanted to share the idea in case any of you have been looking for a way to reuse shower caps.

Something we do have laying around the house is an old CD rack. Since the invention of iTunes and Pandora, we don’t buy CD’s anymore unless we go to a concert. This is a perfect way to use the rack in a new way.

I have a set of glass containers for leftovers that I love, but they don’t stack very well because they’re all different sizes. Organizing them this way will take up way less room in the drawer and I won’t have to search everywhere for the matching lid.

What household things have you been reusing in a creative way? Tweet the #ReuseTues hash-tag with your ideas every Tuesday and I’ll post the most original and helpful ones!

30 for 30: Conclusion

Posted on July 22nd, 2011 by Tonia 16 Comments

You guys have probably been wondering what happened to the 30 for 30 Challenge, huh? Sorry about that. I didn’t get through all 30 outfits like I was supposed to. The thing is, it turns out it’s difficult to get dressed up all cute when you have heaps of chores/gardening/dirty farmy work to get done. As soon as spring hit, we were up to our eyeballs in multiple To-Do Lists with really big items on them like “clear area for all the fruit trees to go.”

BUT! I learned a lot from doing this challenge, even though I wasn’t able to see it through to the very end. If you have been struggling with wardrobe-related-woes {boredom with the clothes you have, the urge to shop-shop-shop, etc.} I would definitely recommend trying this challenge!!

The most important thing I learned is that fashion, for me, is mostly about being able to express myself in a creative way. I find pleasure in fabrics, colors, and patterns. But shopping all the time in order to satisfy this creative-fashion-appetite is neither green nor economical. Remixing the clothes I already own is.

When I get the urge to buy new clothes, which happens often, I go up to my closet and lay out a new combination/outfit. This process puts the shopping-demons to bed for a while. It’s challenging to come up with new outfits from the same 30 pieces of clothing, and it’s rewarding when you hit on one that really works. I have several that are favorites now, and I never would have thought of them if I hadn’t done this challenge.

Also, I shop better now. I look for pieces that can be remixed with a bunch of different outfits. I don’t indulge my every urge to shop, but when I do shop I spend more money for high quality items instead of shopping more often but buying a lot of cheap crap.

Lastly, I used to see my closet in terms of seasons. Summer clothes, winter clothes, etc. and I stashed away the clothes that weren’t in season. I still do this with things like heavy sweaters or shorts, but for the most part now I use pieces interchangeably whenever possible and as a result I feel like my wardrobe has grown in size and I’m able to be more creative with my outfits because I have more to work with.

However, the upside of stashing away seasonal clothes is that you feel like you just went shopping when you pull them back out after not seeing them for months. A combination of the two ways is working well for me.

I feel kinda proud of myself for learning to live within my means when it comes to clothes. This was not easy for me, and although I still have shopping urges when I see things I like, I now have a method in place that helps me control myself. Shopping is not very fun when you feel guilty about it. It’s a big relief to be able to feel good about getting new things when it happens.

And speaking of that, these pictures are of a new outfit that I got for summer. It’s perfect for me because it’s comfy, interesting, and a nice balance between laid-back and feminine. The pants go with everything and are so light that I almost feel like I’m not wearing anything at all. Best part, I got everything on major sale.

Bodysuit: Shabd / Pants: JCrew / Watch and sandals: Target / Sunnies: UO

Home Again

Posted on July 21st, 2011 by Tonia 3 Comments

We’re home from Atlanta and feeling really great about how the trip went. We worked our tails off outside in the very extreme heat and humidity, so right now nothing feels better than sitting inside with the fan on the highest setting {we don’t have air conditioning} and a very cold beverage in hand. I might not do anything else today. My body needs some serious re-hydration and rest.

All of your suggestions about what to do and where to eat in Atlanta were awesome, thank you. We really wish we could have had more time for fun while we were there, but we basically collapsed into bed every night and didn’t have any extra energy to spare. But on our last night, we ate at Local Three and it was excellent. All their food is sourced locally, and some of it is even grown by the two chefs personally. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the flavors.

On a different note, here’s a peak at the lilies blooming in our yard right now.

Their vibrant color gives me energy. I probably should go unpack. Or weed the garden {it needs it, bad}. Or make us something to eat. Or workout.

Orrrrr just sit here and not move.