A Simple & Organized Life

This is my goal for 2010 in all aspects of my life. For the month of January I have been very focused on organizing my home and purging my life of all of the extra, needless things that seem to clutter up my ability to live my life to the fullest. Here are the positive things I have accomplished so far:

-purged my office of boxes and boxes of old paperwork, magazines, work documents
-built a habit of keeping my kitchen 100% clean (it is much easier to clean a few dishes after every meal than three days of dishes)
-organized my prize collection of shoes/handbags and I can actually see them all at once
-kept up with my laundry by washing and... this part is key- PUTTING AWAY a load every other day or so


Kyle is on board with these changes and we made a deal that if I handle the dishes and laundry for the most part, he will keep the floors swept, trash emptied, and dinner and coffee tables cleared off and clean. This deal has been working pretty well for us for the most part with a few little growing pains along the way. But we seem to have come to an understanding we can both live with!

I picked this book at the beginning of the month that helped me get this whole project in motion!




It is called "Organize Now!" by Jennifer Ford Berry. It basically breaks down "getting organized" into weekly bite-sized projects that are TOTALLY manageable! This book has really helped me keep pushing forward on Mission: Simple & Organized by keeping me from getting overwhelmed or not knowing where to start. Another thing I love about it is that each project has little "To Do's" with check boxes by them. Ahhh I love marking things off my list and nothing feels better than checking that box!

In February I am focusing on decorating my house! And of course continuing to get organized!

It's My Birthday and I'll Blog If I Want To!

I have had an amazing "birthday week"! I have some wonderful friends and family who know me very well! Thank you all so much for all of the thoughtful cards, the fun times and the fabulous gifts! You guys rock and you have made me feel very special!

I'm feeling spoiled :)

Earthquake

My heart goes out to the nation of Haiti and to all of the people who have lost their lives, their loved ones and their homes. I have been feeling so grateful lately for all that I am blessed with and what a truly charmed life I am lucky enough to live. I am making a commitment to myself to live this year to the fullest, to exchange fear and hesitation for courage and action. I am going to do my best to not take anything for granted. Every moment is a supreme blessing and every friendship is what makes those moments worth living. Keep Haiti in your prayers!

Go to http://www.redcross.org/ to make a donation.

I just found this post on their website blog comments and it is such a good point.
kandi megahan, on January 13th, 2010 at 3:50 pm Said:
I am so sorry. The only way I can help is through six degrees of separation from any one suffering directly in this crises. I will go to the Red Cross, help them, and by bearing a bit of their burden, I will help many in need. I will do this through time, treasure, and talent.
Heaven help us all.

My goal for Six Degrees of Style is all about empowering you to be your best and do your best through the support of a network of friends. It is what I want for myself in all aspects of my life. Not just style.

Photo from abcnews.go.com

The Closet Saga Continues...

I just love it when things work out perfectly, which in my opinion, happens more often than not. As you all know I am in the midst of a complete closet overhaul. After several breakdowns, and at least an hour of staring blankly at piles of clothes and into the cluttered abyss that is my closet, I came to a workable solution!

First and foremost, I do need to get rid of a few things *sniff, sniff. I have come to terms with this. But I am not willing to get rid of things that I wear in other seasons or that I love, which is still too much stuff for my meager closet. So I decided that I wanted to get one of these from The Container Store to put in our storage unit:

After discussing it with my hubby, we decided that I should wait on making the $49.00 purchase until we have fewer bills on the horizon (as in, when we aren't paying two mortgages). I agreed, but secretly still wished that I could get it. Somehow I feel like I wont really be banishing my out of season treasures to our cold and lonely storage unit if they are safely encased in this sleek "extra closet", instead of stuffed in a box or stacked up somewhere collecting dust.

So how did things work out perfectly you ask? I got home, grabbed the mail, and there was a birthday card from Grandma Johnson with a check for $50.00 neatly tucked inside! YAYYY! I'm buying my extra clothes a home this week! What more could I ask for? Thanks Grandma! You made my day :)

Hi My Name is Rachel...

... and I have a problem! My closet! Too much stuff, not enough space.

Here are the top ten things I have learned (so far) on my quest for a cute, organized closet:

1. I have too many clothes!

2. I have too many clothes!

3. I have way too many clothes!

But seriously...

4. I have alot of cute stuff that I never wear

5. I love belts and I finally found a way to hang them! I bought a hanger like this one at The Container Store.

6. I have more tank tops than one person could ever need at one time

7. I love shoes

8. I have about 75 scarves (okay I'm exaggerating but there are tons of them). I found this awesome hanger at The Container Store to help me organize them.

9. Black clothes are great but alot of my "black" clothes are really "dark grey" at this point

10. I don't need to go shopping for a very long time.

Pictures of the finished project coming sometime next week.

photos from thecontainerstore.com

Blake Lively: Style Inspiration

Over the past couple of years I have fallen in love with this girl's style! She always seems so put together... even in a bikini on the beach with her boyfriend. Now, I fully understand the following:

-She is a celebrity

-with a team of people helping her look her best

-using the oodles of money she makes

-as she probably starves herself of carbs, chocolate and wine

But I can't help it... she inspires me and my style! I don't think there is anything wrong with choosing a celebrity or two to serve as your "style icons". Look for people who you can relate to, who have a similar style to you. In other words, if you are on the conservative side, Lady GaGa may not be the right choice for you!

Dark Denim Looks Good on EVERYONE

She rocks the heels even though she is as tall as her man!

We have a shared love for ballerina skirts!

...and a love of nude heels and oversized clutches

....and of the beach!
.....and of cute puppy dogs!

She pulls off lady-like style quite nicely!

And pulls off the "walk of shame" look just as convincingly!

jeans+white tee= perfect outfit

I love this animal print coat with the green pop!

Her favorite accessory is her honey.

all photos from google.images.com

A Few Newbies

I have a confession. I know this is the time of resolutions and of change and building good new habits. But I want to talk about one of my bad habits... Shopping! One way that I have found to "work around" the guilt I can't seem to shake over shopping is to A. buy fewer items of better quality and B. only buy things that I have been looking for or planning to buy. Not to say that I never fall prey to a good impulse buy, but I try to follow these little rules for myself and it makes my shopping trips more pleasant and my purchases more cherished.

With that in mind, I am posting a few things I have purchased (or received as gifts) over the past few months. Some of you will remember me obsessing over similar items in previous posts... meaning... I totally planned it (rule B)! I hope you like!

I finally found the perfect flat riding boot! At DSW for only $60, no less!
I am still stoked about theses!

This clutch was a gift from my brother and his lovely fiancee. I cried when I opened it... not because it is Michael Kors, but because I was so touched that they would know I would love it!

My sis bought me a grey cowl similar to the ones below. She got mine at forever 21 and it is a chunkier knit. I love it and have been wanting one! It is like she read my mind, or my blog! :)

These babies were a major score at my local Nordstrom Rack. The ankle boot thing took a while to grow on me, but this pair seems like they will be a good basic for years to come!

Over the holidays I also picked up some really cute tights for a steal at Dillard's. Apparently they have a huge sale every year on the 1st where all of their clearance goes an additional 50% off. Thanks to Aunt Sherry for letting us in on this event that will be marked on my calendar every year from not on!

I also finally found the courage to purchase my first pair of skinny jeans. My cousin, Hannah, inspired me with a couple of cute pairs I saw her wearing over the holidays. She got hers at Urban Outfitters. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law were both rocking a pair they picked up at Charlotte Russe so I finally took the plunge! They actually come in "Long" there! Who knew?

image 1 and 4 Zappos.com, image 2 macys.com, image 3 newyorkandcompany.com

A New View in 2010

This blog has been a really fun and exciting addition to my life. It totally makes my day when people mention things they read on my blog and it always surprises me to learn that people are reading it that I would never know are! So I would like to start off by saying THANK YOU! Thank you for reading, for all of the positive feedback and most of all for the INSPIRATION! It has been my goal so far to make this as much about other people as I possibly can. I don't want this to be a place where you come to see "what's new with Rachel" I want it to be somewhere that you come for inspiration, ideas and tips that you can impliment in YOUR life! It was never my intention to make this blog all about me.

Now, that being said, in 2010 you will be seeing more posts here from my point of view with ideas or tips I have come across or realized! Only because I really want to post more frequently than I did last year and it is difficult at times to get input from other people for each post. My goal is to post at least every other day (3-4 times a week). Don't worry, this blog is not a "look what cute outfit I made today" site and it isn't going to turn into that. This blog is about real people and real style... not just my style.

So here are some posts you can look forward to in 2010:

-Closet Makeovers

-Shopping Tips

-Style Profiles (I even have a few boys in the line-up!)

-Recent Obsessions (often turning into recent purchases)

-The Occasional Rant and Rave on a Multitude of Topics!

So if that sounds good to you... stay tuned for a great year of posts, coming up!

Born to Be Stylish

I had just about the best holiday season I have had in a long time. Me and my hubby were able to spend time with everyone and had a blast doing it! Here are some pictutes of my new style inspiration: my niece Presley. I am so in love!

Pres has learned the most important style rule early on: Confidence is the best accessory and you can pull off pretty much anything with the right attitude!

We share a love for magazines, SJP and cuddling! Don't worry I didn't read her any of the naughty articles!

Presley gets her good taste naturally... here are four generations of style!