For the month of September I plan to document daily steps I have taken towards a chic, elegant and healthy life. My goal is to keep uppermost in my mind the kind of life I want to live. I will be focusing on all the small things I do each day that lead me towards my goal, rather than away from it.
Here are today’s mini-chic accomplishments:
After a few days of treat foods and drink, it was lovely to eat something healthy and refreshing – I had an apple and a cup of green tea for morning tea. I never thought I’d see the day when I craved fresh fruit, but that day is here!
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Ironed a shirt to wear to work. I love the look of a shirt and always feel crisp and pulled together in one, but alas do not love ironing. I don’t think my chic Parisienne would live in knit tops to avoid ironing.
Now that the weather is warming up I want to wear shirts more often. That is my goal and challenge, to face the fear and iron anyway.
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Inspired by Penelope’s comment on the 4th chic day of September:
'I recently totally decluttered my closet and took out everything that wasn't lovely, feminine, flattering, or pretty (I was ruthless!) and my closet is beautiful now, roomy, with colorful clothes that are feminine, beautiful, and flattering. So worth it.'
I planned to look through my wardrobe and enlisted my husband as a second pair of eyes. As I flicked through and tried on various items, I realised I'd done a pretty good job of decluttering my wardrobe last time (a few months ago). I still got rid of two more items though.
What this exercise made me realise was that I need to declutter items as I come across them. If I'm not completely happy with something as I wear it, I need to wash and donate straight away, not wash and then think 'it will be ok' and put it back.
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Reminded myself to 'strike while the iron is hot' (today is all about the ironing). Listening to Brian Tracy's audio book Flight Plan he said if you have an idea you will either act on it now or not at all. I know this to be true from previous experience.
I have been thinking of cutting up a pair of jeans which are too loose (but I still love the denim colour and the perfect amount of worn-ness they are), and changing them into a mini-skirt for casual summer wear. After my wardrobe declutter which took all of ten minutes I did just that - hacked, remodelled and sewed. I now have a new skirt. Thank you Brian.
If you've never listened to him speak before you are in for a treat. His information is fabulous and his voice is very soothing. Almost hypnotising in fact!
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If you feel like you want to make September a chic month for you as well, please join me. You are welcome to share your mini-chic accomplishments for the day (or the previous day if you read in the morning) in the comments section. It would be lovely to have you along for the ride!
I think the instruction to "strike while the iron's hot" is a powerful one.
ReplyDeleteI "struck" and got the back porch straightened up and cleaned. (I have one piece of furniture I want to add, but need to figure out what to remove first. Hopefully I'll get this accomplished in the Month of Chic!
I love decluttering my closet, I do it every season and occasionally random times a long the way when I am bored or frustrated by how full its getting. It really does feel good to open you closet and not be able to decide what to wear because you want to wear everything rather than because you don't feel confident in anything except for the same worn piece that is no longer nice enough to wear to work ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed you made a skirt out of a pair of jeans that no longer fit. That is so creative.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see a picture of the skirt that you made.
ReplyDeleteIroning is a tedious chore but wearing a wrinkled shirt would never be chic...I read somewhere that French femmes iron their Petit Bateau Tee shirts.
You inspired me to declutter our dining buffet and kitchen bar counter yesterday. With two teens, the space attracts clutter and detritus like a magnet. Today is deep cleaning and ironing day. When our apples start coming in, I will eat at least one, often two a day. Thanks to you, I will try them with green tea now!
ReplyDeleteI too would love to see your new skirt; how resourceful and creative of you, which are truly chic ways to be. It's great also that you didn't just keep them as "fat pants" so to speak, but gave them a new place in your wardrobe. Congrats on them now being too loose!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE to declutter and am a minimalist at heart. Do any of you ever run into issues with family members? I only feel really free to declutter my personal possessions, all else is shared, and alas! my husband doesn't get quite the thrill that I do when completely usable items meet Mr. Garbage Can, or are donated.
erina
Rebecca, I've 'struck' again today. It's so satisfying, as I'm sure you know!
ReplyDeleteLilacs, so true. That is a very motivating and compelling reason for revisiting the wardrobe regularly.
Stephanie, I know I will get a lot of wear out of this skirt in the summer. It was actually very simple to do.
Hostess, I've posted skirt photos on day 11. I wish I loved ironing more, it's such a chic habit. Maybe the more I do it the more I will love it, like eating good foods.
Gretchen, well done. Tidying up a 'hot spot' makes such a difference to your day, especially if it's an area you use all the time, as hot spots often are.
Erina, I'm getting rid of all my clothing that is too big, or repurposing like the skirt.
I don't have any issues with my husband because he doesn't gather stuff like I do, and he didn't bring clutter with him when we got together. I feel very fortunate about that. It's hard enough to keep tabs on myself. I wouldn't declutter anyone elses possessions. Apparently it's taboo! I can never throw out good items, I feel too guilty. I have to at the very least donate them.
I don't mind ironing so much as I hate general housecleaning. I've been making myself tidy and re-arrange things, particularly in my sewing/crafting room, as it was way out of control. In the bedroom I've started putting Bill's things away (folding his clothes and putting them on a chair; I got a banker's box - which I plan to cover in cream coloured fabric - for the top of his dresser for all those odds and ends he seems to collect) so that when I'm done tidying the bedroom it gives me some real satisfaction. The fire grate in the old coal-burning fireplace has long needed something, but I didn't know what. I got the idea of making it into a planter box and 'striking while the iron was hot', I lined it with a bin bag, added a layer of rocks for drainage, filled it with potting soil and planted a mass of baby spider plants from others in the house and some ivy from the front garden. Fingers crossed it will grow!
ReplyDeleteShelley, your fireplace garden sounds like a very creative solution. I hope it grows well. I need lessons on houseplants. I love them but mine always die an early death. I water and feed them... but it never works out between us.
ReplyDeleteDoing those few things in the bedroom makes a real difference to your serenity. I know when I haven't folded my clothes and put things away it's horrible to come into the room. When it's all neat and tidy I can breathe.