Upon A Fold‘s stunning paper products caught my attention when I saw them over on Pinterest.
They are beautiful & breathtaking. But, the best part? You can buy all of them & make them yourself to display in your own home!

I am such a sucker for clothing with ruffles & Etsy seller Lirola does them so well! I want them all.

The buttons! The ruffles! I’m tempted. Oh so tempted. What say you?
[Dogwood Ruffle bag from SweetgumHandbags for $55]

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My life has been essentially put on hold for the past two days as a result of the “white death” that has visited Cincinnati. I don’t mind at all. Personally, I think it’s quite nice. I am taking it as a sort of vacation from reality. My cat Atlas (pictured above) & myself have been busy cleaning & organizing the apartment. Alright, mostly I’ve been doing the cleaning. Atlas has been supervising the situation closely though. Yesterday I did all my laundry & have been attempting to clean out my closet & organize it in some manner. I was kind of stumped because I couldn’t figure out how to go about organizing. Should I organize by color? Type? I had no idea! I decided upon organizing by type (sweaters, button-ups, cardigans) & then by color as much as possible. This is what it ended up looking like after I was done:

What I have come to realize about my wardrobe after cleaning/organizing my closet:

1. I wear A LOT of stripes & cardigans. I need to stop buying these items.
2. I need more pants/trousers for work. I haven’t bought any proper pants for a long, long time.
3. I need more shoes. I also need to get rid of some of my shoes that I’ve been holding onto for too long.
4. I have a lot of different pieces that don’t work together. As you can see above, a lot of my closet is comprised of colors, stripes, & patterns. It makes it difficult to figure out what to wear.
5. I need to start simplifying things & working on building up my professional wardrobe by adding pieces that will work together & be versatile.

Looking for some more closet inspiration? Below are some links to some excellent sources for maintaining & organizing your wardrobe:

• The 80/20 Rule…Sartorialized from AmandaLee.org: “Pare down. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit your body, your lifestyle, or the climate where you live. Get rid of duplicates. Get rid of anything you haven’t worn in over a year, no matter how sentimental it might be or how much you want to fit into it again.”
• Build Your Wardrobe: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning from What I Wore: The perfect advice on what essential items to buy when you are attempting to begin building your wardrobe. This post is practical & offers a breakdown that newbies like myself can really appreciate.
• Do it Yourself Closet Organization Video: This video, although seemingly simplistic, really helps break down the steps necessary into organizing a closet. Watch it.
• How to Organize your Closet from Real Simple: Three easy steps, including creating a “grab & go” section of the clothing that you wear the most often. Smart. Why didn’t I think of that?

Hopefully now when I go shopping, I know what to buy & what not to buy. What about yourself? What do you find yourself being drawn to as far as clothing is concerned?

Here are a few gems that caught my eye this year:

This messenger bag by Moop. Except I want it in gray. I just think this picture shows it off the best.

Plank Woodgrain Ring. There’s also an owl one that I like, but I am trying to avoid buying anymore owl-related items for the time being before I begin developing a reputation.

This lovely cardigan from Anthropologie. Love the slouchy pockets!

A pair of gray Toms! I’ve been wanting some for a while now.

Do you detect a color palette preference of mine? I am just a gray kind of girl, I suppose. I hope that doesn’t say anything about my personality! Now, it’s your turn. What do you want for Christmas this year? Let’s keep it strictly materialistic. None of that “world peace” mumbo-jumbo. (I kid. But, seriously.)

I am loving the jewelry by White Owl. It’s so perfectly whimsical & girly without being too over-the-top. Besides, I’m a sucker for anything that uses lace & White Owl uses it to perfection! Check out their Etsy shop for more delightful creations.

Clockwise from left:

(1) Bamboo Mobile Bird Trio: $68; (2) Don’t Panic Print: $20; (3) Little Bunny FuFu Rabbit Womens Destroyed Tshirt: $20; (4) Brass Forest Necklace: $20.

These Summer Love Shorts from Need Supply Co. are absolutely the perfect pair of summer shorts.
They look so comfy, cool & chic!
They are on sale right now for $49.00.

Teacher Outfits by Chriztine featuring J Crew

There were so many amazing contributions to my Teacher Outfit contest! It was extremely difficult for me to choose just one winner. But, since I don’t have enough Polaroid film to go around, it had to be done. SO, I chose Christine’s set ( shown above) because I thought they were absolutely teacher-appropriate and showed a wide range of options. Also, I think that they all are just my style & I could easily see myself wearing each one of them in the classroom. Plus, I absolutely need that navy blue blazer on the right. So, congratulations Christine! And, thank you all for participating. I am including some of my favorites in this post because they were just too good not to share.

Teacher by kate rose featuring Paul Smith shoes

emily abigail by alyson210 featuring Marni accessories

Emily Abigail Teacher Outfit by janiep featuring CHANEL earrings

For Emily Abigail by queenmelike featuring Dorothy Perkins

I love these t-shirts designed by one of my favorite artists Betsy Walton. I told myself that I would stop buying t-shirts, but these are just so tempting! You can purchase them here for $28. I also really like the tote bag that she designed. Check them out.

P.S. Don’t forget about the Teacher Outfit Contest! You can still enter to win Polaroid film until Monday, June 1!