New finds and taking care of old...

Last week mom and I stopped by TJ Maxx and Ross. I got 3 great shoes and the total for all three pairs were around $100.
The most versatile of them are definitely the nude peep toes and the flower heels. I have already wore both of them many times. The flats are cute and dressy but I seem to favor heels most of the time...

As a part of the closet cleanup, we also hand washed some of my sweaters. My mom is an expert in matters like this. Aren't all moms?

She has such great ways of taking care of older clothes. Our generation is so used to buying less quality products and getting rid of them when we feel like they look old or dated. Her generation is used to investing in to quality pieces and taking care of them for a long time. That is my new motto also...

She showed me how to hand wash the sweaters and flat dry them on towels. They are as good as new...

She is also quite the seamstress. She hemmed a lot of my pants and made sure some of the tops fit better, etc. She is such a great mommy.

Finally, I did all of the ironing of the new things that I got. I made a trip to NY the Valentines Day week and did not get around writing about it. I did lots of thrift store/vintage store shipping and got some awesome pieces. This dress was one of them. We first washed it and I ironed it so that it would be just ready when I need it...

Organized closet...

One of the things that I love is to have an organized closet where I can find everything that I am looking for...

Few times a year, I clean up my closet; I give away the clothes that I don't wear, some to friends and some to Goodwill. One trick I have is to try not to buy any more hangers. I like wood hangers (IKEA has the best price) and to get new clothes, I have to get rid of old ones. It always does not work that way since I change between hanging and folding stuff in between seasons. I seem to need a lot more hangers in the summer since I have lots of summer dresses.

Over the years, the type of clothes that I have is changed quite a bit. Before kids, I had lots of office outfits, when I had babies I had lots of jeans and tops, now I am kind of in the middle; still lots of jeans but a little more polished with button down shirts, cardigans, jackets, scarfs and jewelery.

Our house is quite large but compared to the house, our closet is not too big. And we almost evenly share the closet that we have. I "stole" a tiny section from my husband's side but we are pretty evenly split.

Some closet organizing facts from me...

I fold the sweaters, cardigans, tank tops, and t-shirts. I hang dresses and skirts together. Some of the scarfs I fold, some I hang on the scarf holder thingy.

Bathing suits and cover ups go to a basket on the floor. This makes it so much easier to find things in the summer.

I separate the short sleeve shirts from button downs and silk shirts.

The pants are on the other side of the closet next to my husband's shirts (hence the stolen section)

Jackets are in the hallway closet right next to the big mirror were I check my outfits out. Coats are in the mud room closet.

Shoes are in a large cabinet in the bathroom right next to this closet. I have put shelves in the cabinet which seems to be able to hold all of my shoes.

My jewelery goes to this cabinet that we got our contractor made for us in the closet. I love statement necklaces, rings, bracelets, etc. This display cabinet holds most of my stuff but I also hang some of the neckaces that are too long for the cabinet.

I hang the belts to one of the walls of the closet. Nothing fancy. I hammered bunch of sturdy nails and hang my belts on them. I hang 2-3 of the skinny ones together to save space...

Aquaphor

This is the magic cream in our house…

My son has eczema in his legs, his doctor says that it will clear up when he gets older but the winter months are hard for us. He gets all patchy and dry and scratches them with uncontrollable desire. The cure for it is to put a thin layer of hydrocortisone crème and lots of Aquaphore on top of it. It works like magic. The only thing is that I have to remember to do it every day.

Aquaphore has been a staple in our home since we had babies, first mainly for diaper rash, but since then we seem to find more uses for it every day:

- Chapped lips: for the all family
- Dry knees and elbows: we use it for Sude after gymnastics
- Dry heels: I put it on and put socks on top of it before I go to bed, works great
- Lip gloss: I mix it up with dry or leftover lipstick
- Eye shadow: I mix it up with powder eye shadow to make cream eye shadow
- Red cheeks after a cold wind: It absolutely works in minutes, proven many times
- Hand crème: It is the best hand cream out there

We have a spot for it the house, after it is used, it must go back to there. And if it is not, I am not very happy. This one cream definitely simplifies my life. I love using only one thing for many purposes.