Repurposing vases...

For ages now my Nespresso pods have been stored in one of those cheap IKEA food containers - you know the 17 for 7 bucks type. Not exactly pretty.

I looked into some of the storage products for sale at Nespresso but none really spoke to me apart from the clear perspex cube - but for forty something dollars I figured I could find something just as effective but cheaper.

I ended up buying a 16 cm diameter Maxwell and Williams Diamante Rose Bowl for $4.95 at General Trader and while I was at it, I also bought the 20 cm diameter version for a measly $9.95... Things then got a little bit out of hand when I visited IKEA and bought a further 2 vases for storage, but this time heavy square shaped ones. They were only $7.95 each - not bad.

So what can one store inside of pretty clear vases? Cat toys, makeup, nail polish, fruit, random knick-knacks making a mess of your surfaces just to name a few.

Inspiration - how to style a bow belt

I felt like needed some cuteness and happiness in my life at the moment, so I bought some bow belts made out of soft ruched leather.

Cuteness and happiness in belt form

Then my Mother dropped off her June/July issue of Harper's Bazaar and on page 40 I spied the original Burberry Prorsum version.

Then I got all excited about how Burberry Prorsum might have styled these whimsical accessories (and about the concept of "fashion" for the first time in a long time), so I had a look online.  Wear it over a skirt, a dress, a coat or a gown - you name it.

Burberry Prorsum - Pre-fall 2012 collection

Then I found a picture of Kate Bosworth looking magnificent in head-to-toe Burberry Prorsum and thought to myself, I must find a skirt like that!

Then I visited Net-a-Porter and I found out that said skirt costs a thousand bucks! Given my history with pencil skirts I thought I better not risk it (also spending that much money on a skirt seemed a little bit insane to me).

A cool grand will buy you this textured pencil skirt by Burberry Prorsum

Then I tagged along with my boyfriend on his quest to buy new glasses to the local shopping mall (I figured he might need the company).  Whilst occupying the time before his optometrists appointment, I found a similar skirt and for a fraction of the cost of the Burberry Prorsum original!

www.cue.cc

Now all I need is an owl jumper (!) but I'd happily settle for one with a different creature on it, maybe a squirrel?

Picture taken on a walk through Grant Park, Chicago, IL.

Don't you just love it when you get on a fashion roll?  It's been a while for me.

All Day Heels update...

So the All Day Heels did not work for me... at least not with the 10cm high shoes I wore to dinner last Friday night.  So sadly rather than gracefully walking home in my heels like I used to back in the day, I hobbled home in pain.

Although the instructions explain that correct placement in the shoe is the most tricky bit and the key to good results, I found that removing the backing to expose the sticky side was the most challenging. I swear I wrecked about 3 fingernails doing so! I actually think that the placement was quite easy and that I did a good job since I did not feel them in my shoes - at all.  This is a good thing, yes, but I now query whether this is why they didn't work FOR ME?  Maybe my inner arches are too high for this invention?

Also maybe not all shoes are made equal? Maybe the shoe last that my D&G pumps were designed around were flawed?  As you can see this product has left me with more questions than answers... For some reason I can walk for miles in my ACNE Pistols (and I could walk around the world in my IM Dickers) without developing debilitating pain. Yes my feet are sore after a whole day in my Pistols, but I don't hobble!

Nevertheless, before I give up on these acclaimed inserts, I am going to try popping them into a pair of Country Road mid-heels which should be comfy, but aren't.  Fingers crossed.

A culling and de-cluttering distraction

Last week I ordered some Insolia All Day Heels shoe inserts after meaning to do so for months. The free shipping offer and reduced price for a pack of four really sealed the deal for me.

I received my inserts on Monday and I'm now very excited to try them. I must say receiving packages at work makes the day so much more bearable.  Note to self: must do more online shopping ;)

As they cannot be switched from shoe to shoe I will pick quite a classic pair of heels suitable for work as my test pair... I'm thinking a pair D&G pumps which I haven't worn for ages due to the heel height, but haven't culled due to their perennial classicism.

Although I am hoping that the inserts work to make these shoes more comfortable, I hope not so well that I regret culling all my high heels!

I have accustomed myself to wearing flats or mid-heel boots lately, but I can't help but think that high heels look so much better with some outfits.  I will report back of course on my thoughts about these hopefully miracle inserts.

Surroundings... I am suffering from declutterer's block...

Maybe I'm a bit slow, but I have started to realise that my surroundings are having a negative impact on my state of well being. My surroundings are preventing me from doing the things that I want to do because of all the things that I need to do. Given that there is so much that I need and want to do, I am getting almost nothing done. It's a vicious cycle.

Not my home

I'm experiencing mini anxiety attacks because... I can't find my favourite lipstick... or too many receipts for goods which I no longer own are preventing me from finding the receipt for a dis-functioning steamer which I only bought 8 months ago.  It's the little things, you know?

What scares me the most is that it's tax time just around the corner and my papers are spread across two rooms, three boxes and four draws. I'm actually expecting a refund, so one would think I would be excited about it hence organised, but I'm not.

I think that I am suffering from declutterer's block.

I have one success story to write about which has actually spurred me on a bit.  The piles of magazines that my Mother finally convinced me to take away months ago, remained where I put them (under the lamp table) for months on end until yesterday.  I am happy to report that as I write this post the last lot of my old magazines have been sorted through and are now in the recycling bin.  I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders (and from underneath my lamp table).  

This blog was a great focusing tool for me when I culled my wardrobe and even though I am a relatively busy person (...although others seem to cram a lot more in, so maybe I'm just lazy?), I'm thinking why not also blog about de-cluttering, organising and beautifying my home?

I know it's been done before... but any interest?  I promise embarrassing before and after photographs.