Spring Cleaning

What Glamorous Girl doesn't love a clean house? The Springtime is a great time to go through your home & give it a deep cleaning. If you can afford to, hire a professional to do some of the big jobs for you or maybe hire a friend, who is a meticulous housekeeper, to come & give you a hand for the day.  

CLUTTER-FREE CLOSET

One of my favorite Springtime projects--going through my clothes closet! I love to put away sweaters, winter scarves, coats & other bulky, winter items. Most years, at least 1 pair of worn out shoes or boots ends up in the garbage. (Girls have to have good-looking shoes, right?)  

I do have some CLOTHES RULES:
1) Hasn't been worn in over 2 years?  It goes in the "Give Away" pile.
2) The item has a stain or hole--throw it away. If it looks old, tattered, faded or pilled beyond repair--give it away.
3) If the color doesn't look good on me (I should not have bought it in the first place) it goes in the "Give Away" pile.
4) Husband hates it? Give it away!
5) Uncomfortable? Give it away!

This Checklist below will help you give your home a good Spring Cleaning! It gets larger if you click on the image. It was taken from Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook.

Rain Boots

Every girl, except one who lives in the Desert (like me), needs a pair of Rainboots in the Spring. Here are some fun, stylish, affordable (under $30) boots. The first pair is from Charlotte Russe.
The other two pairs can be found at Target.com along with loads of other adorable boots.

Another fun site is ShopStyle.com where you can boots in a wide range of styles & prices.

Adorable Spring China

I love this china by Lenox. Nothing welcomes spring like pretty flowers & special dishes, linens & towels in your home. This Lenox Simply Fine™ Chirp China can be found at Bed Bath and Beyond. It would be a great way to set the stage for any Spring occasion. (The china is safe to use in the microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher.)

If you can't afford enough settings for a dinner party or if you don't have room to store china for every season or occasion, just collect a platter or large bowl and use with dishes that you already own.

Pretty Journals, Etc.

My mom recently bought me this journal from Barnes and Noble.  It was created by Susie Ghahremani.  You can visit her website for this journal and many more adorable things such as bags, notepads, cards, magnets, shirts and more. The prices are very affordable. This journal ending up costing only $8.95 with the Barnes and Noble Membership Discount.

(Did you know...you can buy ONE MEMBERSHIP for your entire extended family to receive discounts from Barnes and Noble. All you need to know is the phone number of the person who opened up the account.)

Give Studio

My friend, Anne, has her own company called Give Studio.   Her hope is to encourage...GENEROSITY, HANDWRITTEN SENTIMENTS, THE USE OF POSTAGE STAMPS, RESPONSIBILITY, A SLIGHTLY-SLOWER PACE OF LIFE, SHARED EMOTIONS, EXPERIENCE, IMPROVED RELATIONSHIPS, TAKING A BREAK, REMINDING SOMEONE OF WHO THEY ARE, CURIOSITY, KINDNESS

Give Studio attempts to make smart choices regarding the environment...
The packaging is recyclable: the single card plastic sleeves are made from corn, and are biodegradable/compostable/sustainable. The card sets’ packaging is made from recycled chipboard, and the envelopes we use are made from recycled paper. Give Studio tries to ask questions about each of the materials in hopes of offering beautiful and responsible stationery.

The coolest part, you can see MY OWN personal cards that Anne GAVE me!! She is an amazing artist & one of the sweetest people I know. Check out her website!

What is Your Design Style?

Check out this quiz. It only takes about 2 minutes & it tells you what kind of design style you like. Check it out!
http://www.sproost.com/StyleEngine

World's Tiniest Letter

My future sister-in-law sent me this link to the World's Tiniest Letter.  Adorable!!  You could send one to a loved one for only $8.  What a sweet little valentine, huh??  

Freakin' Fabulous

One of the most entertaining people on the planet: Clinton Kelly from TLC's What Not to Wear. I recently saw him in person at Macy's in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was promoting his new book, FREAKIN' FABULOUS.

In his book, Clinton teaches "HOW TO DRESS, SPEAK, BEHAVE, EAT, DRINK, ENTERTAIN, DECORATE, AND GENERALLY BE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE."

Here is an excerpt from the section How to DRESS: "I'll begin by teaching you some of the most important components of style because, quite frankly, if you look like h*!!, nobody will ever find you fabulous. People might say, "Oh, that Mary sure throws an amazing party. Did you know she speaks six languages? And isn't it swell how she single-handedly rescued that busload of blind children from the Mississippi River?" But they will never use the word "fabulous" to describe you if you did it all while wearing tapered acid-washed jeans." (page 3)

Clinton will teach you how to look amazing, speak brilliantly, entertain like a rockstar and make your home look like it was decorated by a professional.

Order your copy TODAY!

Fall Favorites

I love the sights, scents and tastes of Fall. It's a season that caters to our senses, whether we're drinking hot apple cider on a crisp evening, smelling pumpkin bread baking in the oven or admiring the colorful trees.

Here are a few of my 'must-have' treats for Fall that help me savor the season:

*Sweet cinnamon pumpkin collection*
from Bath and Body Works

*Yankee housewarmer Pumpkin Pie candle*

$9.99-$24.99

*Starbucks pumpkin spice latte*

Buy a gift card for yourself or give one to a friend to enjoy all the holiday specials including the gingerbread latte and hazelnut hot chocolate

*My family's Pumpkin Ring recipe*

YUM! This is my favorite fall treat--for breakfast, dessert or an afternoon snack with coffee. My sister just baked this for me for my birthday and the entire thing was gone in a couple days. I cannot get enough.

1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 cups canned pumpkin (16 oz total)

4 eggs

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cups chocolate chips

1. Beat oil, sugar and salt

2. Beat in pumpkin and eggs

3. Mix dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture

4. Add in chocolate chips

5. Bake in tin bundt cake pan (lightly greased) for 1 hour at 350

Must Read Books

My favorite author is Karen Kingsbury. Her books have encouraged me in many, many ways. I started reading these books several years ago and found myself staying up almost all night just to finish the book that I was reading. They are that GOOD!!!

Chilly fall and winter months are upon us... so what a perfect time to start reading these books. Have fun reading, relaxing and sipping on your cup of coffee. You can visit her website at http://www.karenkingsbury.com/

Redemption Series - Baxters Series #1
In The Redemption Series, winner of the 2005 Retailer's Choice award for Inspirational Fiction Series, Karen Kingsbury brings you the bestselling Redemption Series, five books that follow a family with trials and triumphs like your own. The Redemption Series illustrates the relational teachings of Gary Smalley in a way that is changing lives across the world.