The Great Clothes Sort

Summer isn't officially here yet, so there's still time to spring clean your closet to make room for your new summer duds. Even better, it can be done in 3 easy steps!

Sort all clothes into the following categories:

1 - Adore

Clothes you are madly in love with and wear often

2 - Despise

Clothes that are hideous, don't fit/are poorly made, and/or you wore them during the Clinton administration (the 1st or 2nd one)

The hamburger dress seemed like a good idea at the time....

3 - Never Wear

Regardless of whether you like these pieces or not, you've forgotten about them in the bowels of your closet

ADORES - return them to your closet, and ask yourself a series of questions about them. What about each piece makes you look fabulous? Why? What colors look smashing on you? What styles flatter you the best? Perhaps a top with a wrap waist flatters your figure, or a deep v-neck. Keep these styles in mind (and maybe jot down a few notes) for your next shopping trip

DESPISES - Send them to charity for people that actually need them. Just like the adores, ask yourself why you dislike each piece. Is the cut, color, or pattern unflattering? Too big or too small? Does it represent the person that you want to be? If not, why? Jot down these thoughts for your next shopping trip.

NEVER WEARS - Try on each one, and ask yourself, "If I tried this on at the store today, would I buy it again?" If the answer is no, send it packing. Who wants a closet full of clothes that you feel lukewarm about? If you love it, back into the closet it goes!

And you're DONE!! Phew...time to get shopping for a healthier wardrobe!

The Duchess

Oh Mr. Adler, why do you tease us so?
Brand spankin' new Duchess Bags to brighten your day from Jonathan Adler.

Acapulco Tote

Capri Tote

Jonathan Adler Countess Tote

Van Gogh and Vino

Cork Soakers is hosting a special Artful Sips! class for the benefit of Houston Area Women's Shelter. Come join them, and paint the picture above with the help of local artist, Marie Valdez. All art supplies and one free glass of wine provided (though I'm guessing I might have more than just one) - as well as some delish appetizers. Cost is $30 for prepaid reservations or $35 at the door. $10 of each ticket will be donated to Houston Area Women's Shelter. All prepaid reservations must be paid by June 5th thru their FB page.

In Full Bloom

It's hard for me to dread the inevitable scorching heat of the summer, when my garden is finally starting to wake up from our unusually plentiful freezes this past winter. I'm also excited because this is the first year my tomatoes have actually been edible. No clue what I did wrong in the past, but this year these bad boys are delicious!

Have a green thumb? What are your secrets to keeping your garden gorgeous all summer long?

Space Man's Space Saving Tips for Spring

Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with one of the top organizing resources in Htown, SpaceMan Home & Office! SpaceMan is the leading designer, manufacturer and installer of custom closets, home office furniture, garage cabinets, wall beds and more!

“With Easter behind us and spring officially here, it’s time to get organized,” said David Linda, president of SpaceMan Home & Office. “It is our company’s mission to make our customers’ lives easier and less hectic. It’s easy to lose track of time during the holidays, but these simple guidelines make sure our clients achieve the organized bliss they’ve always wanted.”


So how do we make more space for spring?
Spaceman shares some of his favorite tips:

• Pick one room or area of the house to focus on initially, and then tackle each room one-by-one.


• As you clear out the clutter, divide the content into four different groups: things you can throw away, things you can give away or sell, things that can go into storage, and things that need to be put elsewhere. Divide up your belongings now, to help make organizing less overwhelming later!


• If you have clothes that are too small, donate them to someone who really needs them.


• Don’t hold on to things because you think you may need them in the future. Make space and organization a priority.


• Set reasonable goals for yourself: start by conquering a small space and design a cleaning schedule to avoid feeling overwhelmed.


• Unless you’re using them to store those seasonal holiday decorations or bulky off-season sweaters, get rid of gimmicky storage containers. “Junk to hold your junk” items, like desk organizers, only add to the problem and continue to cause homeowners to actually be less organized-- a few pieces of essential and well-designed furniture that properly store your paperwork, clothes, pantry and garage items, etc. will do the trick.

What are the biggest mistakes we make in our closets?
According to SpaceMan, it is storing shoes on the floor under your hanging clothes. Having to climb through clothing to find shoes is inconvenient and frustrating. That's why SpaceMan recommends storing shoes vertically whenever possible. This can be done using hanging shoe organizers, or even better, built in shoe shelves by SpaceMan that go all the way up to the ceiling!

For additional information on spring cleaning solutions with SpaceMan Home & Office, visit http://www.spacemanager.com/, visit their showroom or call 713.688.8808.

Anthropologie Homegrown

Lately, I've gotten into this horrible habit (and by horrible I mean fabulous) of drinking coffee every single morning while I check my email. I can't help but wonder how much better the coffee would taste in one of these homegrown monogram mugs from Anthro. Now what initial to use for the monogram? My first initial? Last? The initials of my cats? Ahhh...so many options....:)

Mia Bridal Couture Spring 2012 Preview!

West Elm Oasis

Had a heavenly visit to West Elm yesterday, and was super duper impressed with their dinnerware collections. If you are looking to do more outdoor entertaining this summer, head over to their website for some easy breezy summer inspiration.


What to do with these little friends? They are the perfect size to weigh down your napkins on a breezy day.

Ultimate Organizing Giveaway Results

Sorry for the delay folks..blogger's been having some tech difficulties!

Wow. What a turn out! Can't thank all of you enough for entering The Ultimate Organizing Giveaway...my car (her name is Lizzy Pearl) thanks you, because now she will have ample garage space to breathe in. Here are the results using random.org

Grand Prize: Tifani

2nd Place: Kitty

3rd Place: Texas Type A

As usual, everyone is a winner at HWC! Even if you didn't make the top 3, email me your address and you'll receive a special surprise just for entering:)

TGIF

xoxo

B

Evening Gown Trunk Show

Check in tomorrow, we will be announcing the winners of the Ultimate Organizing Giveaway! Soooo excited!!

xoxox B

Featured in Life+Dog Mag!!!

Big furry hugs and kisses to Life + Dog Magazine for featuring us in their gorgeous May issue. If you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to get your paws on a copy! You can pick them up at one of these locations, or even better subscribe!:)

Ocean Collection by Michael Aram

Whew! The brutal summer weather has finally arrived in Htown, which always makes me want to turn my suburban home into a coastal paradise. True, the closest water is the community pool, but we can pretend that the aqua waters of the French Riviera are just outside our doorstep. The Ocean Collection from Michael Aram would be a great jump start for my delusion:)

Ocean Coral Cocktail Napkin

Ocean Sea Urchin Mini Bowl

Ocean Coral Flatware or Servingware

Don't forget...tomorrow is the last day to enter the Ultimate Organizing Giveaway!

Just a few last minute ideas...

...for Mom
Terrain

Sachin + Babi

The Incredible Eggling

Don’t have a backyard? Not enough room for big plants in your place? Not to worry, I’ve found some adorable tiny potholders anyone can use. They are incredibly simple to use, so if you typically kill your plants, try these out. With seeds already embedded into the peat mixture, all you have to do is crack the top of the egg, water them and place in a bright spot. These cute little Egglings contain plants that grow up to five months, after which they can be placed directly into soil. Choose from 10 different Egglings ranging from Lavender, Wild Strawberry to Spicy Red Pepper!

At $9.95 each, I know you’ll want to get crackin’. Ok, yeah that was cheesy, but seriously, they make great gifts and for a pretty windowsill decoration.

Click here to buy yours!

*Contributed by Merritt Beck of Manolos and Martinis

The Ultimate Organizing Giveaway

This is big people. This is really big. In the spirit of spring cleaning, it's time for Très Chic to clear out old organizing product inventory, and guess who is the beneficiary? YOU!:)

Our loss is your gain! We've got lots and lots to clear out of here, but here are some of the highlights:

Grand Prize Winner

(will receive the following plus whatever else we decide to throw in:)

• hanging shoe organizer


• hanging sweater organizer


• floor shoe rack


• leather pda/cell phone/ipod charging caddy


• square corner shelf


• alphabetical binder dividers


• Avery mailing labels


• 2 under-the-shelf baskets for the kitchen


• *bonus** - the first 3 issues of Life+Dog Magazine
  

2nd place - a Purseket and Real Simple Grocery Checklist
3rd place - Post-it Pockets

So how do you enter?
1. Leave a comment below telling us why you need to win our Ultimate Organizing Giveaway!
2. Show us some Facebook & Twitter love.
3. Pretty please follow Houston's Weekly Chic


Want additional entries?

• Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post (3 additional entries)


• Tweet about this giveaway (1 additional entry)

Contest ends: Tuesday May 10th at 12 a.m.

**add your own additional entries. For example: if you blog about this giveaway, leave 3 separate comments that say "I blogged it" or something similar so that it will be counted in our drawing. Thank you!! Beth:)