Saturday, January 25, 2014

Do you do blue???

 

 
 
 
I had enough time on my hands and decided to organize my closet a little bit; organization involved putting on a couple of shoes and strutting around a bit. At the end of the day, the work got done and things got organized a little bit in my mini walk-in closet and then I made a discovery. I had so many pairs of shoes in the same color and several of them had not been worn at all or worn only once. How did this happen?...:)
 
Having a lot of shoes in neutral colors like brown, tan or black is okay as an adult because these colors (brown, tan, black) are worn a lot and it's not too cool for an adult to wear the same pair of shoes continuously (no matter how expensive or how trendy that pair of shoes is). Anyway, I spent some time trying to justify why each pair of shoes was purchased. Since cobalt blue is one of the colors I am loving right now (and have been loving for a while too) I decided to do a blog post on it.
 
 

The first time I saw this cobalt blue waleo pumps by Jessica Simpson, I loved it so much and it didn't hurt that they were pretty affordable too. Also, the color is bold and the suede fabric is of good quality. I have not worn it a lot since I purchased them almost two years ago but I know it was a good buy.


 
I bought this pair of pointed toe cobalt blue pumps about a year ago from Victoria Secret and while I was aware that I already owned a pair of cobalt blue pumps, I went ahead and got them anyway. The justification for getting them was that;
 
1. They were on sale and it was such a good deal
2. Pointed toe pumps were trending and I felt I needed to add a couple of new pointed toe pumps to my small collection. 
3. It was not okay to have only one pair of shoes in any color; two pairs is my minimum..:)
 



Then there is this third pair! A pair of blue patent Steve Madden shoes which was actually my first pair of blue shoes. I have only worn this pair just one time and I totally forgot about them until I stumbled on the box while I was cleaning out my closet.






 










Now do I have just this three pairs of blue shoes??? No!! I have since added two more pairs of blue color shoes to my collection. However the new addition are navy blues so they are not the subject of this "Cobalt blue shoes" blog discussion...:)
 
So, what is the resolution to the blue shoes craving?
 
 I made a conscious decision to stop buying shoes and not just "blue-shoes" but shoes in general and I have kept this for months without making any slip. I never go to the mall to do window shopping anymore and I have stopped the habit of routinely browsing web sites to see if there are shoe deals and discounts. Whenever I get those tempting coupons in the mail, I dump them in the trash without even taking a second look. Also, I try to spend my spare time doing more valuable things. Yeah, it's a sin to be a shopaholic...quote me! 
 
However, yes however...there might be need to indulge once in a while and it would be a conscious decision not a slip and it would be pre-planned with budget and motive in mind. I have been eyeing this cobalt blue sandals below for a while now; The contrast between the blue and the brown is beautiful and since I do not have any blue sandals for the summer season, it's on my list plus it's super cheap.
 
 
 
 




I saw this sandal for the first time on Polyvore when I entered into one of the design contests and you can find the collage and the link to the blog post here.




 

 

This blog post is definitely an inspiration to myself first of all and whenever there is that craze to buy that gorgeous pair of shoes that is not really needed because it is going to be collecting dust in the closet, then I would remember that I have made a public declaration on my blog not to do so.


                                Do you do blue and if you do; how much blue do you do?


                                                                        Beauty Ojo

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Layer like an Onion



                                                         Sweater: Deb Stores
                                                                     Black top: Old
                                                                     Skirt: Custom made
                                                                     Bag: Aldo
                                                                     Shoes: Victoriassecret       


It's super cold in the twin cities and we've been in the deep freeze for so many days this season. Fortunately or unfortunately, Schools were shut down again today for the third time this month. It's fortunate and a good thing that children do not have to be in school or at their various bus-stops under frigid temperatures and it's unfortunate that some parents have to call in to work or make last minute decisions for day-care and baby-sitting for the younger kids. 

I'm home on maternity leave and do not have to worry about a thing...:) I only have to think of creative and fun things to do with my kids. Also, I've had some spare time lately and have been updating  the blog bit by bit. The pictures above are some of the pics I took last winter and as for the outfits, it was all about layering. A lot of ladies do not like high-neck tops because they say they are outdated and not trendy and it's okay. When you live in cold regions like Minnesota, you might just need a couple of them in your wardrobe. However, whatever your fashion taste or trend might be, just remember to layer like an onion in frigid weather conditions like this.



                                                          Faux fur vest: Forever 21
                                                                     Black top: Old
                                                                     Skirt: Loft
                                                                     Bag: Aldo
                                                                     Shoes: Victoriassecret       

                                   Thanks so much for stopping by and do have a blessed day.

**Kisses**

Beauty Ojo






Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Three or four times the Charm


                                                Untitled #51 by ojomrs featuring a woven basket     




Balmain black shoes
$385 - montaignemarket.com


Bangle bracelet
$43 - oliverbonas.com


Woven basket
grandinroad.com



                                                  cute-sy by ojomrs featuring a cotton trouser


River Island long sleeve blazer
$41 - riverisland.com



Victoria beckham bag
$2,230 - montaignemarket.com

Oval earrings
miriamhaskell.com






Black top
$110 - foreverunique.co.uk





                                                       Untitled #52 by ojomrs featuring black handbags 

Friday, January 17, 2014

5 Steps to geting an organized Closet

Article By Jeannie Matteucci
Extracted from hgtv.com
 
 



        Photo courtesy of ClosetMaid




No matter what kind of closet you're planning, take the time to think ahead and really consider what you need to store and where you want to store it. Taking a hard look at what you have will help you understand the kind of storage you need.

Step One

Designate a staging area and empty your closet out. You can use your bed or a cleared-out corner of the room. This important first step requires you to remove everything: clothes, hangers, boxes, folded blankets or piles of old magazines.
Use a collapsible clothing rack to hang clothes so you can clearly see and sort exactly what you have. The rack is a nice addition for your laundry room once the closet project is over. Take your time with this process, maybe play some of your favorite music and ask a friend or family member to help if heavy items need to be moved.

 
 
 

Step Two

Organize items into specific categories and take inventory. You can place like items in cardboard boxes, plastic containers or in piles, and use labels to help keep track of each group of items. Some organizers suggest starting with "keep," "toss" and "donate" piles, while others prefer their clients to start with broad categories (clothes, shoes and linens) and then divide everything into smaller subcategories (sweaters, winter boots and sheets).
During this stage, take the time to group small items like batteries or toy soldiers together in bags or jars, so they don't end up "lost" among the boxes or piles of larger items.

 

Step Three

Eliminate items that don't belong in that particular closet. One of the big causes of clutter and disorganization in the home is items that belong in the kitchen or bedroom, are found hiding in closets all over the house. Over time, the temptation to stuff something like a box of appetizer plates in a bedroom closet or extra towels for the bathroom in the entry closet can cause you to make some bad storage decisions. This is the time to return out-of-place items to their rightful home. But try to stay focused on planning one closet at a time. You can turn your attention to other closets at a later date.

Pic. courtesy of Chelsey Bowen and Kerrie Kelly (hgtv.com)

Step Four

Remove unwanted items. This might be the most difficult part of the closet planning process. It helps to establish some basic rules up front, like anything with holes or pairs of shoes or socks missing their partner must go. Ask yourself some questions:
  • Have I worn this shirt or skirt in the last year?
  • Does this jacket still fit?
  • Do I really need 12 baskets that look exactly the same?

The answer to many of the questions will likely be "no" and then you can decide if you want to donate items to charity, try selling items online, hold a garage sale or take unwanted items to a local consignment store.
If you don't want to sell your used goods, hold a swap meet with friends and neighbors who want to eliminate clutter from their home. Many times a beautiful sweater that looks snug on your daughter can be a perfect fit for the child down the street. Just avoid the tragic storage mistake of leaving the swap meet with items you don't need. Remember; Keep your eye on the prize.

    

 

    
Step Five

Clean the closet itself. While you might think an empty closet is "clean", now is the time to wipe down the closet walls and vacuum or mop the closet floor. Once items are removed, you will probably find stray clothing tags, store receipts or dust bunnies. If the walls need painting, choose a paint that is specifically formulated to be mold and mildew-resistant. If you find your closet walls have mildew or mold after you remove items, have a professional examine your walls and properly clean and paint them.


All Photos courtesy of hgtv.com

                                                                             Beauty Ojo
         

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Mismatched...

Mismatched...



Zara suede shoes
zara.com



Talullah Tu purple purse
$165 - talullahtu.co.uk



Tory burch bracelet
toryburch.com



Ruby jewelry
maxandchloe.com


     Happy New year everyone. A big thank-you to all my friends who left congratulatory messages on my last post. It's been a total new experience with the recent addition to the family and everyone in my family is still super excited. Today is the naming/dedication of my newborn and this ceremony involves taking the baby to church and having the pastor pray for him at the altar. There is going to be a big celebration afterwards so there has been a lot of planning and preparation towards this event.

    I have picked a simple outfit for this event; a blue floral print high-low dress in an African fabric which I designed months ago and my seamstress brought it to life. The above polyvore selections were picked based on my outfit. I'm looking forward to enjoying myself with friends and family today and If I get the time to take pictures, I'll put them up later on the blog...:)

             Thanks so much for stopping by and do enjoy the rest of the weekend.


                                                          **Kisses**
                                                            Beauty Ojo
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