MAD DREAM DESIGN: reflections

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The Wardrobe Code - The Closet

So this is a review of the third and final part to my journey with Nicole of the Wardrobe Code in her Becoming You Style Camp. Click image below for more details!

Part 1 - My Style Muse Board
Part 2 - The Outfits
Part 3 - Closet Organization

I love to be organized and have a place for everything so this part of the journey got me pretty excited. I knew my closet was unorganized, not at its most functional or did my clothes that much justice, but I was not really worried about it. Now, after having my closet organized in this fashion for a couple of months it just makes like so much easier and it makes so much sense!

Nicole's strategy and ideas for your closet are easy, realistic, logic and make your life so much easier! She will work with you and your individual situation with in her guidelines and help brainstorm with you great ideas that work for you and your closet.

My situation prior to The Wardrobe Code "Becoming You" style camp:

A dresser - sorted by tops, shorts, pants, etc. (i.e. most of my closet and a total mess) and 2/3 of our hanging closet - jackets, sweaters, nice tops (totally under utilized). That is about it.

This photo was taken before I got rid of anything and organized it, but after I had moved things around in between my dresser and hanging closet...this was my wardrobe before.

My situation now:

Dresser - casual clothes (pjs, workout clothes, sweatshirts), bigger accessories (like bags and hats)

After some rearranging this dresser was working out much better for me

2/3 of our hanging closet - my main wardrobe, hanging accessories (belts and scarves), my shoes

After - organized and installed rods to display belts, tights and scarves

Accessories Drawer - jewelry, headbands, sunglasses (these were kind of everywhere before)
***I don't know why I didn't think of this one before, my mom had a jewelry drawer when I was younger and I loved it...so much fun to try it all on...now I get to do the same thing, but I am dressing up for work instead.

This drawer was kinda a knick knack drawer before...love it now for my jewelry!

Follow along at Nicole's blog for more wardrobe and closet tips - really great stuff always happening over there.

Enjoy!

The Wardrobe Code - 30 Days of Outfits

Remember My Style Muse Board in this post?

Well this is what came of it...my wardrobe transformed into something I love, a work of art and something that channels the things I want to say about myself. Authentic, casual, stylish, with a little bit of edge, and a feminine touch.

I spent all of January working with Nicole, of The Wardrobe Code, on my wardrobe (part 1) and closet (part 2 - coming soon!). If you are looking for some virtual coaching on your wardrobe...check out The Wardrobe Code's Becoming You: Personal Style Camp for more details! It is well worth the investment, because investing in your wardrobe is investing in you.

Part 1 - The Wardrobe - One of my homework assignments was to create outfits for 30 days (a whole month of outfits!). Here are a few of my favorite outfits I have come up with through my journey with The Wardrobe Code!

Red Cords: Mossimo, Target. Black Wedge Sneakers: Xhilaration, Target. Gray Sweater: Conversation Pieces.

Jeans: Jolt Jeggings, Nordstrom Rack. Flannel Top: Urban Outfitters. Scarf: Conversation Pieces.

Pink Cargo Jacket: Urban Outfitters. Grey Feather Top and Jewelry: Forever 21.

Black Leggings: Lululemon. White Top: Delia's. Cargo Jacket: Hurley.

Jeans: Mossimo, Target. Sweater: Urban Oufitters. Leather Jacket: ASOS.

Black Booties: Rebel, Delia's. Flannel Dress: Patagonia. Sweater: TNA.

Learn more about Conversation Pieces in my post here!

Stay tuned for the second segment of my Wardrobe Code journey - The Closet!

Enjoy,

Channeling My Muses

I have been working with the amazing Nicole Longstreath of The Wardrobe Code on my wardrobe for the past few weeks now and I have already found some amazing results. I can tell this is just the beginning of a very fun and successful process! I highly recommend her!!

I first heard Nicole speak at Craftcation last year and have been following her ever since. I love that she supports thrifting, being yourself, accepting your body type and not getting caught up on what is trending at this very moment. She is the perfect mentor for younger girls looking to tighten up their wardrobe/style, the artist who wants to be professional, yet creative with her wardrobe, and women of any age looking to revamp their wardrobe. She is realistic and fun...this is not TLC's What Not To Wear (although I do love that show), where you have to get rid of your whole closet and start over (Thank goodness!).

My homework for this week was to make a "My Style Muses" board on Pinterest. I was really excited about this little piece of homework because 1) I got to use Pinterest, 2) I got to have fun finding my Style Muses, and 3) it really helped me see what I am looking to channel in my own wardrobe.

You can check out Nicole's Muse board on Pinterest and this post on her blog explains how to choose style muses and what to do once you have.

I may have gotten a little carried away but, you can check out My Style Muses board here. For now here are a few of my favorites from the list...

My Blogger Style Crush
Casey Wiegand

Photos property of Casey Wiegand

Casey Wiegand blogs at The Wiegands and creates at A Little Artsy, she is truly inspiring and has amazing style to boot! She is one of my favorite bloggers to follow.

My Celebrity Style Crush
Kirsten Dunst

First of all I love her name (Kirsten was my first American Girl doll as a little girl). Second of all, I have loved her ever since seeing her in Little Women (a favorite holiday movie in our household) when I was a little girl. I love her style in almost every one of her movies and her very own casual style!

Enjoy finding your style muse!

Dream Big

We all dream big, but what is the one thing that we all have that can compile all of those dreams into one?

That would be...the Bucket List!

I recently found Kate Conner's Blog where she has her Life List...a wish list of sorts for her life. I have this list, you have this list, we all have this list. This is a list that lets you dream without limits, plan for the future, find inspiration, and it can be a great reminder about what life experiences are really all about!

The best way to make it a great reminder is to write it down, share it, and LOVE IT! By writing it down...not only is it the perfect page to come back to year after year, but it will become a reminder for what you really want in this lifetime.

This is a great time of year to be putting your bucket list into writing. We are recovering from turkey, dusting off the Christmas decorations, and ramping up for the new year, making this a wonderful time for reflection. At this time of year we become aware of what it is we love, what makes us happy, what we are thankful for and what we want in the new year, which makes writing this list a bit of a breeze! Then when the holidays are gone and the hustle and bustle of the new year takes us by storm, we have our bucket list to remind us of what we want to really accomplish, not just during the holidays, but throughout our entire life.

This list does not have to be long, but it should be big, as in dreaming big. What are your wildest dreams, what do you want to find, and what sounds like so much fun? These are the things you should be writing down, these are not your goals for the year (even though the bucket list is a great place to start when you sit down to set your 2013 goals!), but the goals that you might not always believe you will accomplish or find the time for...but you want to do it anyway.

Now, this list should not be a ball and chain. This list is completely for fun, it about dreaming, and creativity. This list will change throughout your lifetime, it will evolve and that is what makes it even better. It can be added to, it can be changed and it has a life of its own.

Once you have written your list, share it with someone. I would like to share mine with my boyfriend, Jimi, and see what we can go accomplish together. If you are not comfortable sharing it, that is okay! Writing your bucket list down, alone, sends it out into the universe for you! You may come to realize, that without even noticing in the first place, you start to pick things off of that list just because you wrote them all down!

Here are a few from my Bucket List:
1. Start my own business.
2. Travel to the 7 Wonders of the World.
3. Go to the Baja 1000 with Jimi. (This is on his list!)
4. Go on a volunteer expedition in another county.
5. Teach art to children. (could be in another country :))
6. Paddle in another country. (This is probably on his list, too)
7. See every kind of whale, dolphin, and porpoise possible, from a boat in the ocean.
8. Experience the love and gentle nature of elephants in their natural habitat on a safari.
9. Drive from northern Alaska to the southern tip of S. America with Jimi. (This is on his list!)
10. Marry my best friend!

Now write a few of your dreams down and start that bucket list..it's fun!

Enjoy!

If you are a Jane Austen fan...

I recently picked up a book called A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things that Really Matter by William Deresiewicz. It has gotten great reviews and so far I love it. It has been a great review of some of my favorite stories, a wonderful refresher on Jane Austen's personal history and a new perspective on what Austen was really trying to tell us with all the particulars.

It is very interesting to hear about Austen and her novels from a man's point of view, and how he fell in love with Austen and her writing. The lessons and morals she teaches in her novels are closely looked at and compared to the modern every day life of Deresiewicz. It also drives home the point that her novels are timeless, because Austen wrote about everyday people and occurrences, and they, along with their lessons, will always be applicable to our own every day lives.

So if you are a Jane Austen fan, like I am, I really recommend this book. It not only sheds a new light on her stories and characters, but it also sheds a new light on your own everyday life and what really matters.

More Fun Quotes!

I have found a few more quotes that speak to me and what I want my jewelry and design to reflect. I think this is important to research and find the ones that speak to you and your art/design/business as a whole. Quotes are great for inspiration, reflection and reminder.

The ones I am concentrating on today are more about wildest, mad dreams, rather than having mad ideas. Even though mad ideas are the basis for bigger dreams. This is about concurring the dreams that are larger than you, larger than life and the ones that you are almost afraid of going to find. These are the best kinds of dreams, because they challenge us and bring out the best in us. These are the kinds of dreams that make the world a better place. These are the kinds of dreams that let you stand out from the rest, that make you, you.