Think Bright Thoughts: Week 5

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Random Fun Friday: Team Coco

  Best believe I got all teary eyed during Conan's speech on his last night hosting The Tonight Show.  I am Team Coco all the way baby!  And you know what I love about the internets? There is already a ton of creative Conan stuff floating around.  Like these:

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A pretty little quote box featuring the exact words that got me (and everyone else for that matter) all choked up.

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A plush Conan! I would so cuddle up with him in bed at night.  Is that weird?

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An awesome play on the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters.

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Felt pins to pronounce your Coco love.

I also love how he ended the show with a performance of "Free Bird". I couldn't find an embeddable link, but you can view it here if you'd like.  He was rockin out on that guitar! I've seriously had the song stuck in my head all week.

Hope you sweetie pie's have a wonderful weekend! Make sue to stop by on Monday when I will have a book review and giveaway!

Gryphon Spring 2010

I'm loving all these glam looks form the Gryphon Spring line.  The metallics, the trenches, the long knotted pearl necklaces, the stripes and the bold graphics.  Yummy!

On another note, I'm planning a post to answer all the questions you had in regards to my closet makeover. Stay tuned for that!

Results of the Great Closet Organization of 2010

It took us two days to clean out and organize our closet, and we are thrilled with the results. It was a major undertaking, so we came up with a game plan so as to not get overwhelmed.

We tackled the closet in four steps:

Step 1: Remove everything from closet

 

Oh me, oh my. And this wasn't even half of it.

Step 2: Vacuum floor and dust all shelves

 

So fresh and so clean, clean.

Step 3: Go through everything we removed from closet and only put back clothing/shoes/accessories and jewelry we wear and love.  This was a big step because I had a ton of things that should not have been in there like craft supplies, my fabric stash and boxes of junk that needed to be trashed or given to goodwill.  All of these things were dealt with and did not go back in the closet.  This, of course, freed up tons of space that allowed for better organization once we put everything back in.

Step 4: Come up with a new space plan. This for me included a new way to store my shoes, jeans, scarfs and jewelry.  My husband's side pretty much stayed the same, only with fewer items because he got rid of things he no longer wore.

Okay, so here is the big reveal:

I decided I wanted to use the long shelf that is between the top and bottom rods for shoe and jewelry storage.  This meant I would no longer be hanging clothes from the top rod.  This was not a problem, because as you can see in the before picture I wasn't using the bottom rod anyway, so I simply moved all the clothes down.  Next, I moved the dresser that was previously on the back wall over to my side so that you don't see it when looking directly into the closet. This served two purposes: 1. the closet looks cleaner and more spacious when you look in, and 2. I used the top for more shoe storage.

Now, on to my jewelry organization:

 

 

This is probably my favorite part of the closet now. I love seeing all my jewelry organized and displayed nicely instead of piled on top of my black jewelry case like it was.

Here is the result of eliminating all the craft clutter:

And finally, my scarfs have a new home behind the door (which didn't even close before because of all the crap on the floor):

I also want to note that when it came to de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff, this article from House Beautiful helped a ton.  It is called "Cleanse Your Closet" and is a great read.  The author expressed perfectly how I felt after cleaning out my closet:

"There was a sense of movement in my new open space that was like ocean air drifting through. Everything felt light and fresh and clean. That night I slept better than I had in years."

I really feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders and now instead of cringing as I walk by my closet I smile.  And everything in your home should make you smile, don't you think?

Spring Wardrobe Inspiration: Anne Taylor Loft

I love these looks from the Anne Taylor Loft Spring collection. I have quite a few similar items already in my closet (which is now nice and organized-pics to come soon!), I would just need a few accessories and to pull it all together.

Have you been scoping out new Spring looks? Where are you finding inspiration?

Think Bright Thoughts: Week 4

Today we have our first reader submission! This one comes courtesy of Shannon, who pens the hilarious blog Shannanigans.

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"Be the orange sheep in the family if black is already taken"

Shannon writes:

"Coming from a large family with a lot of opinions, I've learned that you have to stand your ground no matter what your dad, your grandmother or cousin Ethel has to say about it. If that makes you weird, or different, so be it. It's definitely inspiring to me and is something I'd want to share with my future kiddies."

Thank you so much for your submission Shannon! Very wise words indeed.

Don't forget to email me at NattieCakeDesigns(at)hotmail(dot)com with your "Bright Thoughts" submission.

Random Fun Friday: Rainy Week Rundown

It's been one wet and wild week here in California!

Natalie and I went out to play in the rain...

And I snapped what might be my all-time favorite picture of her....

There has been lots of indoor activities like coloring...

Snuggling...


And watching movies...

I've been enjoying watching the birds take rain baths in the backyard. Especially love when they perch on the branches of my Corkscrew Willow...

Been doing a lot of thinking and planning for the year...

And this weekend I am finally going to clean out and organize the catastrophe that is my closet...

Heaven help me!

This kind of gloomy weather always puts me in the mood to listen to, well, moody music. One of which is "The Power of Goodbye" by Madonna. Love love love love this song and video of hers. Do you have any songs you gravitate toward during the winter months?

Madonna - The Power of Good-Bye
Uploaded by foxysoul. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Obsessing Over: Black Lampshades

Want to bring some sexy sophistication to a room? I say, add a black lampshade!

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via (My favorite of the bunch-the whole room is perfection.)

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Now I'm all hot and bothered.