Mind your drawers

I’ve always been a big fan of drawers, shove it in, close it up, voila tidy room.

But of course just to be difficult I don’t like typical store bought drawers. hat I am drawn to is industrial drawers like plan drawers and filing cabinets or even this amazing custom made set using old drawers of all different sizes. Each of the below examples are beautiful objects in their own right.

My favourite set of drawers came with my old apartment. The architect’s family owned a kitchen fitting business and they designed sleek white and chrome sets which resembled over sized pot drawers for all the bedrooms. So don't forget kitchen designers are the masters of storage and utilising space for those who need custom or want the latest finishes or hardware.

Has anyone seen my ....

I have only been late for work once this week (that’s pretty good for me!) and that was due to turning the alarm off in my sleep (I cant find the iph when I’m awake how do I find it and turn it off in my sleep?).

By putting a little extra effort in I have eliminated the half hour I spent most days searching for MIA clothes, in the dryer, in the teenagers room and in the back of the car.

Some would call this OCD I call it POL (prioritisation of laziness). My wardrobe organisation and organising outfits the night before is really paying off and allowing me maximum quality time with my duvet in the mornings.

Here are some of my wardrobe organising tips to help you display and find what you need during the morning panic. My other tip is leave the wardrobe doors open at night so you can peruse from the comfort of your bed (really the amount of time I spend horizontal is shocking!).

If you need some inspiration to turn your closet into a visual extravaganza watch Tiffany from Makeup by Tiffany D’s updated wardrobe vlog. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNfX8j_WkSY

Forever my motto, reuse, recycle, repurpose, use rolled up magazines for boot stuffers and for holding bracelets. Fold your jeans in 3’s and stack so you can identify them by their pockets.

Use hooks, I use suction cup hooks on or around your mirror to store your necklaces. Hang earrings over the lip of any container.

Snapware you deserve a round of applause. These are my favourite product of the year I use them for my entire makeup kit. Each layer clips together and has removable dividers. I store lip products in one layer, concealers in another ... you get the idea and when I need to take my kit to a job I just choose the layers I need clip together and go. I find I can comfortably carry 6 or 7 layers in each hand.

This week ....

Wednesday's Wisdom

The Golden Pig

I’m not a collector (unless shoes count?) but I was intrigued the other day by a very impressive pig collection.

It was very tasteful and beautifully displayed as are these examples.

My only question is why are pigs and frogs so popular amongst collectors ?

Denim Revelations

I had all the best intentions of not shopping this month. Funny how when you decide you will only purchase necessities everything becomes a necessity.

With so many amazing sales on I have pulled and wriggled my way into just about every pair of skinny jeans in this town but in the end I was back at Dotti, where the cut has always fitted me well and I paid full price. This is because I have come to a number of realisations...

Hallelujah just when I thought the collagen around my knees was getting thinner I worked out it’s actually the fabric our jeans are made of. I love the really soft of jeans but once you loose the structure that denim gives you might as well be wearing a legging.

Buying jeans a size too small as they will stretch is utter nonsense if you have not crammed yourself into them in the first place.

Hips are nature’s coat hangers so Dotti’s Super Tubes are perfect for me. I just go up one size larger than normal so they sit gently on my hip bones with no sign of muffin and this way the knees are not so tight and my legs do not appear like over stuffed sausages.

Dark denim, greys, greens and black are my friends as are patterns. Light pastel colours are not and prefer the company of people with no cellulite.

There is a skinny jean out there for everyone I often see plus size women wearing them and get bum envy.

www.dotti.com.au

Marble Ink Brushed

Similar to True Religion the pocket detailing on Dotti’s jeans does something magical to your arse

Core Rinse

Wednesday's Wisdom

This week ....

Feverish Delight

Just when I thought my flu was getting better I pushed my luck too far by going out to dinner in the cold.

When I awoke in the middle of the night in a feverish state, drenched in sweat, I was expecting to see spots but instead I saw chevron! Clearly influenza is is not only mutating but updating its look too!

The antibiotics have taken away the fever but still my new found fascination with chevron remains.

This week ....

I’ve been feeling a bit slitty. Note I said slitty not the other word that can so easily be associated with slit skirts.

All of the below are fine examples of how to be slitty, one is even a princess.

The slit should only reveal thigh when you are in motion. Avoid adopting the pose of street walkers and starlets whose names rhyme with ballerina this is not princess like.

Bringing a Smile to my face

Mid winter and full of the flu I was sitting at my desk today feeling very sorry for myself indeed. Earlier in the year I broke some bones in my foot so I decided to give snowboarding a miss this season. Now I'm left contemplating what to do in winter when not queueing for a chairlift, and more importantly what to wear?

Normally at this time of year I take a short fashion holiday. The mountain is a magical place where makeup is replaced by goggles and helmets, and everyone is free to wander the streets dressed like teenage boys in low riders and enormous puffer jackets which resemble duvets (comforters/eiderdowns).

But I can't dress like that in the city .... or can I ? Well give them a medal! the people at Alexander McQueen www.alexandermcqueen.com must have been hanging out on the hill too, because they have come up with a cunning way to have the best of both worlds. Behold McQueen Autumn Winter 2012, a delightful collection encompassing all the anonymity of goggles and all the comfort of a comforter. Imagine how chic and mysterious you will look as you pop to the supermarket for some clear eyes, and no one but you and I will know you still have your pyjamas on underneath.

Lisa O'Neill (www.lisaoneill.co.nz) who is very wise, is always saying cake is cheaper than botox, and I'm starting to think stockpiling these visor/glasses now could save me a fortune on facelifts later.

Divine, like a giant powder puff

This Week ....

I’m feeling dirty. Not in a smelly I haven’t washed kind of way, or a deviant you had better put a parental block on this site kinda way, just in a muted, murky, muddy colour kind of way.

These Marc by Marc Jacobs turnlock bracelets show just how beautiful these colours can be.

After all it's winter here in New Zealand and no matter how much neon I wear I can’t trick the sun into coming out so maybe a little reverse psychology will do the trick!



Optical Illusions

A wise woman once told me the bigger the handbag (and the husband) the smaller i.e. thinner you look.

What she failed to mention was that I could end up looking like a thin Quasimodo. After moving some furniture recently the twinge in my shoulder told me it was time to change my ways.

This week I have taken to carrying oversized clutches. As it’s only about the size of my normal makeup bag I am down to just a lippy and some concealer. I recently also purchased a flat hard wallet and I throw all my coins in a jar at home so that has helped. I have shed all the unknown keys from the keyring, and left the glasses on the desk too.

The optical illusion may be gone but I feel as light as a feather and having to ask attractive large men to read the small print to me at the supermarket may open up a whole new possibility!

Borba Margo

Clare Vivier (laptop bags can make a cute alternative too)

Wednesdays Wisdom...

Hissss

I feel like a snake and not because I’ve been hiding in the grass.

My skin has undergone such a transformation from summer to winter. First it dried out then it shed and my new pale skin emerged. Sadly the wrinkles stayed.

My morbid fear of becoming one of the orange masses has seen me embrace this transformation, though it has required a change in makeup.

MAC Russian Red and nude eyes has been looking  good so I have decided this winter I shall steer towards bright blue based lipsticks and little else. My new fav is Smashbox Fuchia and now I’m on the hunt for a purple.

Crushing On...

Just a few more Sass and Bide items I currently have a crush on .... I'm not really a floral person and I'm having issues with the whole bright floral pants thing going on, but this dark moody floral is much more my style. Another happy coincidence, peonies are my favourite flowers.

The story of us jacket

The double life top

A thing or two pants