On this post..home books that are inspiring me, a pretty spring blouse, a rattan lamp, a foundation you will love..and better options for your purged clothes.
Well this sure won’t be a winter we will forget here in California. We have snow! Our nearby surrounding hills are covered and our highway to the coast, just a few miles from my home, was shut down due to snow- a lot of it. I’ve lived here my entire life and we only had snow once in 1976. (I was in fifth grade and it melted by morning recess!)
I’ve been grateful for my long puffer coat, and my Ugg sneakers…my Tahoe clothes. I could only describe the wind as Chicago level cold! The cat and I have been holed up here by the fire and I’ve had her cat heating pad on non stop.
My pic of the hills I took.. and Caltrans pics on our Highway 17! I just had to share..
On my radar this week..
I’m forever searching for the perfect foundation and Urban Decay’s Hydromania Tinted Hydrator exceeds expectations. . I would venture to say like this better than my La Mer fancy foundation- it’s THAT good for $30. I bought light neutral and my skin has never looked better. It’s also a clean brand and vegan.
Trader Joe’s daffodils are bringing me joy at $1.99 a bunch, especially with these dark days!
If you love houses, Joni of Cote de Texas did a deep dive on Liz Lange’s renovation of her famous Grey Gardens house in the Hamptons. This is post is cram jammed in Joni style with history, architecture, two designer’s vision of the house – Mark D. Sikes and Jonathan Adler, and no detail left behind.. Read it here.
I’ve been a fan of blue stripe blouses forever and when this Mille blouse popped up on my feed, with its pretty sleeves and neckline, this will be a top to love for many seasons.
Can we talk about this Marion Rattan Lamp?! I love this… for a kitchen counter, side table or maybe darling in a bedroom.
New design books that are inspiring!
I need spring home inspo and magazines aren’t cutting it. Magazines are getting rarer and rarer sadly. Some great books at my local Books Inc. that I could actually browse through..so I bought a few new ones :
A different approach to home, Anita was a therapist who recognized a lot of her clients issues stemmed from how they were living at home. I like the unique approach and also the inspiring spaces. There are ways to bring more light, better sleep and even air to your home. Just a lot of fresh ideas here I’ve not seen before in a design book, this is chock full of good ideas and pretty spaces too.
House Beautiful Live Colorfully
Live Colorfully is a visual treat and is packed with so much inspiration. For those who want to add more color to the home, how to mix it with neutrals and also paint color suggestions for every tone.
Remodelista The Low Impact Home
A gem and guidebook for living mindfully and in style. Besides homes and family stories, this book has cool design ideas using unique things. I especially like the recommendations in the back for mattresses, sheets, rugs, home goods, paints and everything you can ever need for living a healthier life, and considering the planet while you are at it.
Julia Morgan- An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect
I love California and am always trying to learn more about homes and history. This wonderful book on Julia Morgan has been on my radar. As one reviewer said:’ “A closer look at the woman who helped build the American West. . . . as the patron architect of California.”
Besides showcasing her work, this book tells of her growing up in California, attending Berkeley, and her time studying in Paris. You also read of her family, her kindness to her employees and so much more we never knew. Julia Morgan is an oft forgotten genius who influenced so many and was the first female American architect.
Closet Stories – what are you purging/ keeping?
If you’re still following along my closet journey…This week I had a bit of a lightbulb moment when going through the bags I was purging.
I noticed almost all of the clothes were marked down items I had bought on sale, on impulse and thrown into the cart on a shopping trip because they looked cute and were inexpensive.
The things I have kept are things that I mostly have paid full price for. The point being I guess, is I bought the things I wear the most, with intention. Sometimes, I have bought something that was a stand-in for the item I really wanted, at a lower cost. Those never become my beloved pieces! I know we all do this.
Anyway, a little something to consider when you are purging and creating your perfect capsule wardrobe.. Look at those bags, were they impulse buys or sale things? Were they the item you dreamed of owning ?
Look at what you have kept? Are they things you adore and still do? That is how you should build the closet with less, slowly and with your ‘dream’ items of pretty things.
The truth about Goodwill donations…
Let’s talk about where those clothes are going now that you might have purged. I shared last week that I took some of my things that weren’t super pricey to a local consignment chain, Crossroads Trading. They gave me cash and half of the items I still have.
The fastest way to deal with purged closet and home items is Goodwill or Salvation Army trucks or drop-off, but you might be surprised to know that places like Goodwill keep the clothes on the sales floor for just 4 weeks. Great piece about it all here. ..More reasons not to buy that $10 t-shirt.
Greener Options…
For some of your items consider your local charity places like American Cancer Charity Shops or local charity shops in your community. Locally places like Happy Dragon(benefiting the EMQ charity), Dress for Success, One Warm Coat ( so needed this year), Front Line Communities, Sacred Heart Charity, will use your clothes to lift up people in struggling life and economic situations. I love all these charities and if you have others please share!
Other options are give to friends who would appreciate them. I also have the kindest ladies who help clean my house monthly and they often want my bags of things which makes me happy someone will enjoy them.
If you have pricier things you just don’t want to easily give away..
–Have a party with your friends. My friend blogger Suzanne Bell does this every year with her girlfriends and they all bring their nicest items and swap and make an evening of it.
–Have a neighborhood or friends yard/ tag sale and see what you can get. Usually the price you get for these things aren’t the best, but you often make connections with people coming to these sales and I have felt great about selling things at a lower cost that I know are going to a person who will love them.
Selling to an online consignment store.
The Real Real is one of the simplest and they will give you a point person who verifies what you have, send you a label and can even schedule a pickup. If you have a lot of things, they can even send someone out. They are picky and will only accept certain things. They also aren’t rated the highest as far as payout percentage, but they do do a lot of the work for you.
Vestiaire Collective pays a better rate, but you’ll need to measure and document and photograph what you have, so a bit more time and investment.
Poshmark is another option, as is Ebay and even Etsy. ThredUp, is another and will send you a bag to fill, but they won’t pay you much.
What if we did a blog tag sale ?
Our friend Elizabeth, aka Contessa suggested a blog tag sale. As Juliet has some nicer things also, so we were wondering what if we did something like this quarterly? We could share the item, say a price and take offers for some select nicer things… Would that be a good idea? I’m just throwing it out there to see. . I like the idea of making a connection with people who read the blogs as Elizabeth mentioned. Let us know your thoughts!
If you missed last weekend’s post I shared the John Singer Sargent in Spain show at The Legion of Honor, more San Francisco Stairs to discover, early spring outfits and more.
Wishing you a great weekend and I hope you all stay cozy!
Kim
Please visit my pals Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs..
MAKE MINE A SPRITZER
PINECONES AND ACORNS
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