Archive for December, 2007

What’s in your brain?

After reading this blog post, I spent several hours taking all kinds of test to learn more about my brain ;) It was fun. If you have some time, you should definitely check out these 5 tests -Know more about your brain posted by Xntric pundits.

More Than Psychology of Clothes

We all have our routines morning and night - based on those routines we pick out clothing before we got to bet or when we get up in the morning. Whatever your preference, sometimes it takes much longer to find an outfit than we like.

Fat Clothes & Skinny Clothes

Talk about a psychological horrible closet monster! Keeping clothes around when we feel fat or really do gain a few pounds gives us permission to gain weight. Since we’re aware of areas of our body that make us self conscious, it’s important that we make sure every aspect of our lives support our hard work to slim down, firm up, or change our diet and exercise.

Daydreaming about a size we used to be is just as bad on our mental imprint of ourselves. Keeping clothing that it too small on the extreme side is a form of mental self punishment. We change as people, and our bodies change with time.

One of the first things mentioned in Practical Steps for Cleaning Out Your Closet Clutter is to remove anything too big or small.

Closet Storage

A functional closet only stores clothing, and is not a catchall for everything from ironing boards to memorabilia.

Make Matching Garments Easy

Some of us naturally can put patterns and colors together effortlessly - in fact 40% of us can. There are 3 learning styles: 40% of us are Visual, 30% of us are Tactile, and 30% of us are Auditory.

Like with anything, every single one of us has some of all three learning styles with one we tend to work with than the others. I am auditory first, tactile second. It takes me more effort in preparation of my closet and items to build my outfits than a visual learner. However, more effort doesn’t mean more time. When I started working with my clothes and my closet, it did take me more time because I had to learn what worked best for me. Some tips for those of you that are not visual:

  • Think about limiting the colors in your closet. If the colors of clothing you buy are all complimentary, you can pick anything and know it matches.
  • When shopping, take some with you. Don’t rely on your memory to know if colors match and look good together.
  • Patterns are harder for non-visuals to put together and incorporate into outfits. Limiting the amount of patterns and incorporating solid pieces ensure a put together look.

Find the diamond in your closet
Find the Diamond in the Your Closet

When we allow items to be in our closet that we don’t wear for any reason contribute subconsciously to our well being. When we look in our closet picking out clothes is easier when we fit into everything in the closet and when we like every piece of clothing we see. It’s more fun to pick outfits and plan what you’re wearing too.

Experiment with your shopping tactics to improve your success at finding new garments and replacements for worn out items.

From the News On Women Blog

23 Women appointed to Corporate Boards in November07. But who is really winning?

Dressing Wrinkled?

It’s amazing how little time we actually have to think about ourselves in a day (sometimes even if we are the only person we are responsible to and for)! Between work and taking care of our families and homes we already rely on modern conveniences to pack even more into our days.

The world sees when we don’t have time…

  • to fold the laundry immediately so wrinkles set in that the dryer can’t get out.
  • to iron garments that have become wrinkled to hang drying or left unfolded or unhung too long.

Regardless of where we are going, a finished look makes us feel better. It also makes us look like we’re ready to take on the world (even if we aren’t!).

Find the Time

If you know that you don’t have time to iron everything at one time after you do laundry, then you might try changing the laundry process. In addition to making sure the laundry loads are not too big for the washer and dryer, over drying clothing also helps wrinkles set in (and can also cause shrinking to occur).

If you really don’t have the time, there is always the option to dry clean. This will save you time because dropping off and picking up will take less time than cleaning the close yourself.

Quick Tips for Removing Wrinkles

If clothing is wrinkled from being scrunched with other garments in a drawer or packed into a closet, hanging them in the bathroom while you shower can help some wrinkles fall out of your clothes.
A vinigar/water mixture misted onto clothing can assist in removing some wrinkles.

I thought I knew how to iron…

In the world of convenience and from a generation that tends to be more casual than their parents and grandparents, ironing isn’t always considered a priority. Following the instructions to care for clothing to make them last does require effort, and the result is worth it!

I have an ironing board and an iron. They have to have a place to be stored when not in use - and in my house that means that they tend to be left in the closet.

After thinking about it, I decided to look online to see what there is out there for those of us that need to iron but fight off the actual task. The nuances of ironing correctly save time and help our clothing last.

Some tips I found online about ironing that may be helpful the next time your iron and ironing board make a debut:Iron on Ironing Board

Taking care of clothes is part of taking care of ourselves. We put effort into buying clothing that we like and fits us. We bathe fix our hair and makeup. We clean our homes. All of these things make us feel good. Putting on clothing that looks brand new feels great too! Ironed clothing puts a finishing touch on a great outfit.

Finding the time to wash, dry, and un-wrinkle clothing is something many people leave as an afterthought. Truthfully, I fall into this category. I’ve tried everything to remove wrinkles to avoid ironing.

Hey - and for those of you that just LOVE to iron so much that you’ll take it with you wherever you you there’s always Extreme Ironing!

Ironing is an art form. The more you know the more success you will have. I’m actually excited to learn my frustration may have come from the lack of ironing know-how. My iron and ironing board may make a come back. If I still suffer an ironing fate of frustration and stubborn wrinkles, I’ll just invest in a steamer.