Out with the Old and in with the New!

Starting a new year makes me feel like cleaning out my closets, re-inventing myself and re-decorating my place. There are a few things you can do that doesn't require that much money or work.

• Clean out your closet
  

If you haven't worn something the last 2 years get rid of it! There are places that will buy your old clothes like; Crossroads Trading Company
http://www.crossroadstrading.com/cm/Home.html They are very picky though, so don't get disappointed. There is also Buffalo Exchange http://www.buffaloexchange.com
If for some reason you don't get it sold, you can always take it to Goodwill http://www.goodwill.org or Out of the Closet
http://www.outofthecloset.org and donate it. They will give you a receipt that you can use to deduct when doing your taxes.

• Reinventing yourself

Get inspired, join a group that relates to your profession, like for example: http://designersnetworkinggroup.blogspot.com/ is a design networking group that gets together once a month it's founded by Interior Designer and Furniture Store Owner; Vanessa De Vargas http://turquoise-la.com/, or join Agape which in Greek mens unconditional love, an international spiritual center http://www.agapelive.com/ , get some guidance and spiritual lead way. If you just want to reinvent your self a tiny bit, read a book that will inspire you. I just got this book for Christmas called The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, it suppose to be a road map for women looking for scientific explanations for their behavior that can effect everything from who we fall in love with to making career decisions. Thank you Tanja :)

• Redecorating
  

It doesn't have to be big projects. It could be anything from moving your furniture around and reposition them in a different way, to repainting one or two of your pieces in maybe a lighter color that will brighten up your place for spring. Maybe chose one room and repaint the walls or just one of them. Another thing could be to redecorate your closets or kitchen cabinets. Make it organized. Get see through plastic containers that are stackable. IKEA have some great options http://www.ikea.com/us/en/ and so does the container store http://www.containerstore.com/ How about changing out your textiles like your curtains, pillows, bedding or get a new rug. Have fun with it, take before & after pictures, send it to me at pkswede@gmail.com and I will post the make-over on my blog. You can also send me pictures of your problem areas to get advise on how to make it better and more functional.