Southern Living Fall and Holiday Recipes

Do you love Southern Livig magazine and their seasonal recipes?  If you do, then try out some of theses wonderful recipe ideas featured in the October - December 2024 issues and available on their website.  From quick and easy soups to main dishes, along with bread and desserts, surely you will find the perfect dish for your family and friends to enjoy during get-togethers for football games or upcoming Winter holidays.  For even more recipes, check out the magazine or do a topic search on their website to find something that may fit your group entertaining need.

Appetizers/Breakfast/Brunch

• Apple Cinnamon Rolls - or check out our Coffee Cake 
• Bacon-Egg-Cheese Croissant Sandwich - or check out our Big Daddy Breakfast Puff
• Riesling-Gruyere Fondue

Breads

• Buttermilk Cornbread 
• Heavenly Angel Biscuits - or check out our large-batch Angel Biscuits and if you prefer rolls over biscuits, try our Overnight Dinner Rolls or Yeast Buns 

Lunch/Dinner/Supper

• Butternut Squash Salad
• Cottage Cheese & Meat Lasagne
• Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup - or check out my Chicken and Rice Soup 
• Fennel-Butternut Squash Gratin
• French Onion Turkey
• Mashed Butternut Squash with Bacon - or check out our Acorn Squash
• Roast Pork with Crackling
• Smoky Pork and Greens Stew - or check out our Green Ham Soup 
• Sourdough Stuffing (Dressing) - or check out our Corn Sausage Dressing
• Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Vegetable Beef Soup - or check out my Vegetable Beef Soup
• White Chicken Chili 

Desserts

• Apple Cider Bundt Cake - or check out our Apricot Nectar Cake 
• Chocolate Bundt Cake - or check out our Dr Pepper Cake 
• Cranberry-Orange Cake Filling uses: between white or yellow cake layers frosted outside with buttercream, as surprise center of vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, or central topping between sheet cake and whipped cream
• Eggnog Snickerdoodles
• Hot Cocoa Cookies
• Pumpkin Bundt Cake - or check out our Sweet Potato Cake 
• Spiced Cream Cheese Bundt Cake - or check out our Brown Sugar Pound Cake 

Off with Pajamas and On with Fashion!

Have you noticed how many men and women walk around the grocery store in their pajamas in recent years?  What about sweats, yoga pants, too-snug tights, or torn pants at the stylish department stores?  For the last few months, most of the world has been living in their PJs or work-out gear as we play, educate, and work from home.  Now we want to dig through our closets and find something different to either go back to work or go out with friends.  Will we turn from comfort wear to high fashion?  Will we go back to "dress to impress" rather than the embarrassing low self-esteem  "I just don't care" looks?

A few of the styles coming out as "the 2020 fashion" may make it into the business scene, but will most of it really be for recreational settings?  After reviewing Cosmopolitan Magazines's 16 Trends, I had to wonder.

1. Puffy sleeves may look cute for casual wear or on a fancy dress, but seem ridiculous in the conference room.  
2. Polka dots seem to always be fashionable, although the  size of the dots may change each year, but only small dots work on dresses for the office, although dotted shirts with a solid skirt are a good look.  
3. Pleated skirts have always been acceptable for a professional looks, save the pretty flowy dresses and blouses for evening or church.  
4. Trench coats are outer-wear to keep you warm during cold weather or dry when it is raining.  The style rarely changes - only colors, so why are we looking at it?
5. I like yellow so I'm ok with the shade for fashion.  However, Pantone said the color of the year 2020 is blue, last year it was coral, yellow was the color in 2009.
6. Maxi skirts hae been popular for spring and summer the past few years.  Happy to see the midi skirt is back? That skirt length does makes for more sense in the workplace than a maxi.
7. Jumpsuits go in and out-of-style more often than skirt lengths.  Although they can sometimes look slimming, they are not office wear unless a jacket is worn over them.  They do however fit ok in a manufacturing setting or retail store.   Look for a good fit that is not too tight or too loose,  Too tight looks like you gained weight and too loose gives you a frumpy vibe.
8. Leather at work?  Be careful here, it can get very hot.  Only consider it for outside of work hours and in an appropriate setting.
9. Shorts at work?  Same cautions as leather and jumpsuits.  Only wear to work if your employer is ok with them because of the type of work you do or the environment where you work.
10. Billowy dresses ?  As with puffy sleeves, not for work!  Too much fabric can get caught on other stuff.  Do you want to be the one to knock over something or worse - trip yourself?  Plus most of the loose styes make most women look FAT.
11. 1/2&1/2 - really?  It is still color blocking, which has been in fashion for a few years since it can be a slimming look if done right.  
12. Another 70s-80s look is back - boxy blazers.  So now those suits way back in the corner of my closet are once again in!  These look great over contrasting solids or matching floral skirts.  IF you prefer a more tailored look, you can belt the blazer to create an hourglass figure.
13. Bra tops!  Where would anyone work (other than a bar or tattoo parlor) that would be ok with this?  Use it only for weekend wear at the beach and hope the local shops do not ban you for trying to wear your swimsuit inside.
14. Streamlined men's-style trousers have been in style for women for some time, just the waistline and ankle-area changes.  Looks especially classy and slimming worn with a matching jacket as a suit.  For casual wear use with a pretty blouse, not tucked in but worn over the top.
15. Maxi dresses continue to be in style, although some of the knits may be a little heavier that the lycra and tee choices of the past few years.  If you still love it, wear it!
16. Cardigans have been popular through the ages.  However the length of both the sleeve and bodice keeps changing.   As long as it is no looking overly tired or faded, you can still wear it regardless of what may be considered fashionable.  

As you can see, the saying "everything old is new again" holds true for fashion.   Vintage clothing can be stylish.  What do you have in your closet that you can revitalize?  What do you have you should  give away or donate?  If you do not love it anymore, get rid of it.  If you still love it, figure our how to wear it considering the retro trend.

Summer Fruit Tarts

Woman's Day cover
 July/August 2019 issue 

In the July/August issue of Woman's Day magazine (on Amazon), they have the cutest N0-Bake Summer Fruit Tart where they make fish and turtles out of fruit to top the cream cheese filling of the graham cracker crust on pages 102-104.  It would be a clever treat for a pool party, fish fry, or end-of-summer bash!  The Kiwi/Grape turtle would also be very cute on the top of cupcakes for a child's party.  The  fish and starfish on the tart are made from blueberries, mangos, plums, and strawberries.  This issue also includes 4 other ideas for cold desserts; as well as four 30-minute, 6 low cost, 4 low calorie meals, and veggies/salads.

Alternatively, you can adapt The Pretty Bees recipe for  No-Bake Rainbow Fruit Tart.  If you prefer to make one large fish rather than several, try baking Taste of Home's sugar dough version of Fruited Fish Tart.  

Summer Fashions Make Awesome Outfits

Good Housekeeping

Jube 2019 Cover

Been looking at a lot of magazines for May and June that are touting the new summer fashions?  I like when summer comes - the weird and wild looks go away to be replaced with light and lovely style.  Which magazine did the best job on summer fashions?  Surprising it was Good Housekeeping (GH on Amazon),with May fashion photo articles of 25 summer dresses and 10 simple dresses, plus  nail designs slideshow.  The June GH issue has a 5-page photo spread "A week of Awesome Outfits" using light-weight separates. and a 4-page "Summer Beauty Special" with 5 cosmetic secrets plus a sunscreen evaluation. In addition to clothing fashion, the June issue has some good ideas for bed and bath styling.

GH covered dresses, shirts, shirts, and pants.  What about the easy-to-wear summer shorts or skorts?  Check out the June issue of Family Circle (on Amazon) photo article "Find the Right Style Shorts for Your Body" or the Stitch Fix blog post "5 Ways To Style Your Summer Outfits With Shorts."

Thumb Print Cookies plus Other Holiday Food and Decorating Ideas

BHG Magazine, Dec, 2018 issue

My son and I used to make cookies together for Christmas aech year until he went off to college.  His favorite was our Christmas Tree sugar cookies and his second favorite to make were Thumbprint Cookies.  We usually stuck with traditional Hershey Kisses in the center, although we tried different flavors and stripped versions various years.  My Grandmother used to make Thumprint Cookies with jams or preserves in the center.  My son and I would have loved to try the different variations and flavors for Thumbprints from Better Homes and Gardens magazine (on Amazon).  If you do not like the idea of pushing your thumb into cookie for indention, you may use the bottom of a small measuring spoon or melon baller.

There were other recipes in the December 2018 magazine issue that would work for Christmas brunch or a Holiday Desserts party.  If you plan either, check the magazine out at a local newsstand to make sure there are at least two recipes you want before spending $4 on the Christmas issue.

There are also some cute ideas for decorating party tables with mini-trees.  The most colorful version of trees uses real and simulated candies, but I don't recommend use it for a kid's party as they are not edible and you never know if a child will try to take a bite!  If you want edible, check out previous cookie tree posts on this blog.  If you do not want to bother making your own decorations, you can get cute glitter or tinsel cone-shaped trees in various sizes and colors at many discount or drug stores.
 

Short URL for post sharing = https://tinyurl.com/8796wjnd  

Fourth of July Food, Decor, and Clothes

Two magazines this month have great ideas for fourth of July.  Better Homes and Gardens (on Amazon) has lots of DIY home renovation and decoration tips, plus gardening suggestions.  The July 2018 issue also includes some creative decorating ideas for the July 4th holiday.  You may also want to check out the really delicious sounding ice-box desserts and outdoor entertaining ideas.

Family Circle (on Amazon) has 12 easy and chic summer dress ideas near the front of this month's issue, although they are nothing really new: sundresses, maxi's, and peasant tops along with the resurgence of dolman and flutter sleeves.  The July 2018 issue includes DIY painting tips for home walls and finger or toe nails.  For 4th of July, there is also BBQ and picnic food options near the back of the magazine.  

Vertical Gardening and Six Healthy Eating Rules

Better Homes & Gardens
March 2018 Cover

In the "Spring Forward"  issue of Better Homes and Gardens, a California couple  is featured in a 6-page photo article.  In it the couple shares tips on growing a vegetable garden in a small space.  They suggest going vertical by growing up a trellis vining veggies like squash, tomato, tomatillos, as well as melons and cucumbers.  Ways to make inexpensive trellis are also given in the same "Plot Twist" article.  Shorter outdoor articles include raised garden beds, houseplants, terrariums, and patio ideas.  So if you like to garden, you might want to pick up this issue since it has lots of growing tips.

The issue also has a few recipes for salads or sides made with fresh vegetable.  Near the end, the magazine offers "6 New Rules for Eating Healthy."  In summary they are to:

1. Remove 10 calories from your daily intake per pound you want to lose in order  to continue weight loss.
2. Focus on the good food you can eat on your diet rather than what you can not have.
3. Weigh yourself weekly so you can adjust diet or exercise plan when needed.
4. On your diet plan, include a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fiber - rotate them weekly.
5. In food and drinks, skip artificial sweeteners as they can slow your metabolism.
6. Eat 1 oz. of dark chocolate daily as it may help lower your body mass and satisfy desire for sweets,

Always consult a doctor before starting a diet or exercise program!

Christmas Cookies and Pull-apart Bread Tree

Dec.2017 FC
Magazine Cover

Besides Christmas decorating and gift ideas, the Family Circle (FC) magazine for December has lots of Holiday eating ideas – 9 pages of food and 2 pages of cookie recipes.  

I plan to make the pull-apart Christmas Tree bread.  Since I could not get to that recipe page for you without registering on-line for a magazine I already get, click one of these site for a similar recipe plus how to videos: FoodNetwork Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread or Delish.comPull-Apart Christmas Tree or EclecticRecipes Cheesy Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread.  The recipes are very similar, except FC only uses basil without other herbs and the sauce is served on the side for dipping, nor does FC use cream cheese like the last version does.

I did get to their recipe for ultimate snowflake sugar cookies though, so you can try that.  Or if you want an easier method for your children to do with you, try my Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies for Kids.

Home Office and Kitchen: Quick Organization Tips

Good Housekeeping
Sept.2017 Cover

In browsing at the September issue of Good Housekeeping (on Amazon), I found several good pictorial articles for getting organized to share.  For home office organization, there was a “spot the difference” in two modern desk area looks starting on pages 50-52.  The not so obvious “High or Low” difference was about $4,000 in cost.  If your home office is in a shared room (kitchen, family room, or bedroom), I suggest the use of a large rug as a mock room divider to keep the office in its designated space.  It is ok to spread out beyond the space for a big project as long as you re-confine the office work to the rugged-in area each day. I also like the revitalization of the idea of “Color Block Cubbies” on page 47, whether it is for work, play, various sports activities or by family member.

If you have a spouse or roommate who cannot properly “Load the Dishwasher” (pg. 94) or “Do Reorganize  the Fridge” (pg. 104) the way you like, you may want to leave the magazine lying around in a common area and have it open to the appropriate short article.  I can recommend their tips, since I am already obsessive about organization of these two kitchen appliances in the same ways.  You may also want to check out GH’s 3 chef knifes test or this kitchen knife chart.

Since we are on the kitchen topics, this issue had more than 10 recipe ideas.  I plan to try 1-Step Basil Pesto to see if it is as good as mine, since it appears much simpler.  I also want to try S’mores Icebox Cake for a future gathering.

Eighteen Summertime Activity Kits for Kids

Highlights for Different Age Groups

When I and my brothers were in grade school, we needed something to do during summer break.  Besides playing outside with each other and our friends, we needed a few inside activities.  So Mom always ordered Highlights Magazine and a few books from the school’s Scholastic Reading Club flyer before summer break so we got the things in the mail.  We shared the magazine and different ones of us did different mazes, puzzles, and other activities within it.  Mom also made sure we had puzzles, coloring books, board games, comic books, and cards on hand to share.  These items were usually given to one of us as Christmas or birthday presents.  We were expected to entertain ourselves.  My brothers and I would have loved some of the craft kids and learning activities children now have available to fill their time.

When I visited Half Price Nooks, I saw they had lots of children’s activity kits available of the summer. Most were priced around $10, which seems like a great bargain to keep the kids occupied for a few hours.  They also had lot of regular cardboard puzzles containing various numbers of pieces for different age groups, as well as a few large floor puzzles for toddler thru kindergarten ages. For those without an HPB, the 18 activities below are also available on Amazon, some are less than $10 and others are more.  Anyone wanting more educational items should consider using the free Scholastic printable activity sheets to keep children learning during the summer. 

·         Soda Can Robug ·         Build Your Own Minions ·         Finger Print Doodles ·         Yo-Yo Tricks: Tips and Techniques ·         Catapult Making Kit ·         Paint Your Own Dinosaurs ·         Flying Machines ·         Fun with Clay: Create and Play ·         Stuck on Fun: Pets Playset

·         Craft-tastic Link Scarf Kit ·         Paris in 3D ·         Fashion Sensational Style Activity Kit ·         Window Art ·         Discover Nature Dinosaurs ·         Shark Tooth Dig Kit ·         On the Go Secret Decoder Activity Set ·         My First Handprint Creations ·         Gaga for Googles

Eggs-actly the Treats You Want for Easter

GH April 2017 issue

When I see a magazine with good ideas, I share it on this blog.  Good Housekeeping Magazine April 2017 issue titled Spring Fun is such an issue for Easter.    The magazine contains all kinds of Egg and Easter decorating ideas.  It includes the secret to perfect boiled eggs with stages from runny, soft-boiled, or hard-boiled.  If you want the eggs for hiding as Easter eggs, you may want to check out The Best Way to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs as it also links to recipes for leftover eggs.

Most of the egg decorating ideas images (and how to links) are in their on-line slideshow below as well as many more than in the magazine:  75+ So-Adorable Easter Egg Decorating Ideas

If you want to color your boiled eggs for Easter, that was not in the magazine so I did a search to help out my readers.  You can buy an egg coloring kit to do so.  Or if you do not want to purchase a kit, How to Color Eggs Using Food Coloring is a good video for your boiled eggs showing the traditional method. The tips in this VLOG are similar to what we did when I was a kid, except mom did different colors in mugs so each of us kids could dunk out favorite color.  We would put an egg in our mug and mom would set timer for 2 minutes.  After the timer went off, we could take pastel egg out and put in another before timer was reset or if we wanted our egg darker just put it back for another 2 minutes.

The GH issue included recipes for deviled eggs.  After all, we have to do something with those eggs the kids like to hunt but do not want to eat.  Most of the deviled egg images (and either tips or how to links) are in their on-line slideshow, as well as many that were not in the magazine:  30 Eggs-cellent Ways to Make Deviled Eggs

If you want more basic deviled egg recipes, here are two favorites of my boys.  They say I make the best deviled eggs, but I think it is the way I make them rather the ingredients.  My tips for great deviled eggs is to make sure you smash-up the egg yolks before adding ingredients or it will not come out smooth and well blended.  Then blend in the creamy ingredients with the smashed yolks before adding other ingredients so you end up with a smooth and creamy center rather than a clumpy stuffing.

• Savory Dill Relish Eggs (my husband's favorite)
• Devilishly Good Eggs (my son's favorite)

When looking for my deviled egg recipes online, I also found this cute decorative idea for your next BBQ party:  Little Devil Deviled Eggs.  Or if you want to make colorful eggs, How to make Red White and Blue Deviled Eggs is a post that features dying the egg whites for patriotic parties.  The idea can be used for other colors (like green eggs for St. Patrick’s and Christmas with red too, or doing pastel colors for Easter).

Peeling the egg without tearing it apart is a challenge for pretty deviled eggs. The method I use is in video https://youtu.be/2Z5GkSoIbq0  although I want to try this other video method with a glass next time https://youtu.be/FkWISKfgqZ0

Bunny Bottom Cookies

Besides the egg stuff, there was a cute idea for sugar cookies that uses a large round cookie and two small egg-shaped cookies.  Instead of buying lots of candies to do decorations, you may want to consider dying some of the frosting and piping it onto the paws.  You can find the same cookie idea at links below:

• Bunny Bottoms (made from scratch recipe)
• Bunny Butts (made with ready-made dough and frosting)

Travel and Organization Tips

Good Housekeeping
July 2016 Magazine Cover

Great articles from the July 2016 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine (on Amazon).

"16 Top Tested Travel Tips" - since this is in the magazine and not yet on the website, you may want to check out links in my older post Travel Tips and Packing Ideas. You may also want to check the luggage posts related to Carry-on vs. Checking for airport-related travel.

"How to Organize/Declutter Your Car" - here is a sample slide show from an older on-line version titled "14 Genius Ways to Organize Everything in Your Car" on the magazine's website.  As a bonus, I found this great blog post with ideas to keep the car clean as well as organized.

Business Style and Reducing Closet Clutter

Glamour Magazine
March 2016 Cover

I was looking through the March 2016 issue of Glamour magazine (on Amazon) while waiting for an appointment.   I saw many ugly clothes, a few things I might consider wearing for professional looks (“What Are You Wearing to WorkToday?” and “How to Dress for the Job You Want: The New Rules”) and a little bit of actual glamour in the current fashions. 

I also found some short articles with really good ideas for cleaning and organizing your closet - so you can find those fashions you want to wear!  One article in the issue was the “9 Things to Take Out of Your Closet.” While looking for that article on-line, I found these two good articles:

• “7 Easy Ways to Make More Space in Your Closet” 
• “7 Things You Should Never Wear to Work.” 

Chicken Taco Soup and More Chicken Soup Ideas

Chicken Taco Soup

I shared my Chicken and Rice Soup that my mother loves.  This week we tried a recipe for Chicken Taco Soup that came with Daily Chef canned chicken. We loved it along with the corn bread I made.  My brother described it as having a mild chili taste – both he and Mom love Chili.  I tried to find the 6-can recipe on-line so I could share the link and could not locate it.  So below are the ingredients, which you dump into a crock pot (on high) or Dutch oven (stirring often on medium) to cook for 2 hours.  The chicken is the only can you need to drain.  All the others are not drained so they form your broth portion of soup.  I may try this soup as a beef version by using a pound of browned hamburger meat instead of the chicken.

Chicken Taco Soup Ingredients

1 – 13oz. can Chicken Breast

1 – 11oz. can diced Tomatoes and Chilies

1 – 28oz. can diced Tomatoes

1 – 4oz. can green chilies (I left this out since Mom claims not to like them)

1 – 15oz.can Kidney Beans

1 – 15oz.can Black Beans

1 – 11oz. can Kernel Corn

1 – Pkg Taco Seasoning Mix

1 – Pkg Ranch Dressing Mix.

Optional Garnishes:  tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese , chopped green onions

Here are two creamer versions of the soup, made with a can of cream of chicken soup, which I did find on-line: 7-can Enchilada Soup and 8-can Taco Soup.  If you are looking for a low-carb soup, try  South Beach Simple Chicken Soup.  A friend recently shared this very cheesy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe with us.

GHK February 2015 Issue

I also found several options for new chicken soups in the February 2015 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine on page 132 where they give 5 Ways to Make Chicken Soup using 2 cups of chicken and some broth to create variations. They also give complete instructions for Chicken and Bacon Chowder.  I plan to try all of them with my mother, except for the Coconut-Lime, which has mushrooms and cilantro – she says she does not like those ingredients.  The other soup variations include: Classic Chicken Noodle, Tex-Mex, Tortellini en Brodo, and Lemony Creek Soup.

For another easy version of Tex-Mex soup, try Our Easy Chicken or Beef Enchilada Soup Recipe.

For my soup/stew recipes with Pork, visit Our Verde Carnitas Soup and Recipe Variation

For my soup recipes with Beef, visit Grandma’s Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

For a soup recipe that can use beef, pork, turkey, or chicken, watch for Cabbage Roll Soup in the future.

Being Stylish at Home or with Fashion

BHG Sept.2014 Cover

It has been a while since I wrote about a "must have" magazine issue.  For this month, you have got to go out and get the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens (on Amazon) before it is gone from the news stand.  This magazine has many great ideas such as:  21 trendsetters sharing home decorating and personal style tips, 11 pages on 6-bloggers picnic including their recipes, 7 pages of “best in class” back-to-school supplies and clothes, and much more! 

Five Ways to Dress and Hide Your Belly

More magazine
February 2013 cover

The stylebook section of the February issue of More magazine does another great job of putting together a few dressing tips with some great photos.  Check out their ideas for hiding belly fat 5 different ways:  draped fabric, color blocking (newest trend and my favorite device), structure (skip the peplum though if you also have big hips – it will only make you look even more hippy), proportion, and prints (another great idea – whoever would have thought calling attention to your midsection could actually make it look flatter).

Fortunately, on their on-line site, More magazine offers ideas to actually loss the paunch with belly-flattening food choices.   Plus they have these older articles on additonal Clothing to Hide Belly Fat and 25 Dresses to Hide Belly Fat.

You might also want to check out the slide show article featuing 13 skinny eating habits in The Secrets of Thin People from Real Simple magazine.

Shop Your Closet – Fad or Fabulous?

Most of us are tempted to go to the mall when we need an outfit for a special occasion.  However, with the trend towards saving money for other purposes, especially around the holidays, a new concept has emerged.  Many magazines are talking about “shopping your closet” instead of the boutiques and department stores.   Sounds like a great way to clean out the closet and make a new wardrobe on a budget at the same time.  Check out some of the links below and let us know in comments what you think about this money-saving fashion fad – is it fun, fabulous, or a flop?

 

More Magazine
Nov. 2012 Cover

The November issue of More had some great ideas in their stylebook series for grownups (i.e. not teens or fashion mavens).  They share what to wear from your standards within everyone’s closet and what you can either buy or dig for in the depths of the closet to up-date your look.  Examples include:  place a shimmery top of the basic white shirt, pair your black turtleneck with a more festive pair of straight-leg pants,  put a sequin top under your favorite cardigan, dress up your basic black pants with a dressy top, and instead of denim on denim – pair your best jeans with a leather jacket or sparkly top.  They also offer purse, shoes, and accessory options too.

RealSimple magazine did Shop Your Closet articles series (follow links on webpage to see 3 articles with slide shows) helping 3 different women to organize and shop their closets to show-off their personal styles.  Harper’s Bazaar offers 10 Tips for Shopping Your Closet.  Glamour magazine also offered a Shop Your Closet Time series.  InStyle encourages Look Your Best This Fall starting by shopping your closet.  It is not just in the fashion magazines, according to this CBS news clip, you can save up to 75% on your clothing budget if you Shop Your Closet.  How?  Most of us already have 40%—50% of the clothing we need for the new season in our closet.

Want an a new idea for putting more of your wardrobe for less?  How about making a closet-clean-out date with your friends and relatives?  Have everyone go thru and organize their closets on one (or 2) Saturday(s).  Each person should make notes of what they need in order to get complete and fashionable outfits out of what they have kept.  Then the next Saturday, everyone meets for a swap-date where each person shops only for the items needed from the discards of everyone’s closet.  Whatever is left in the pile after wardrobes are complete is then donated to charity - NOT put back in the closet or storage. 

What necklace to wear and is the closet overflowing?

More Magazine
October 2012 cover

The October issue of More magazine had many good articles about fashion and even one on organizing fashions to meet your current style.  My favorite fashion tips were in the 5-page spread of jewelry.  What necklace(s) to wear with each neckline, runway rings and earrings, stacking bracelet trends (still bangling on), and Fall jewlery.  Those pages featured or mentioned many TV shopping designers (Iris Apfel, Judith Ripka, R.J.Graziano) and more.  They say it is okay to wear fashion verses fine jewelry.  Hey – it is great to mix and match your fine and faux too!  Jackie Kennedy Onassis did it and there is no greater American fashion icon that that woman!  Just check out her jewelry copies on QVC shopping channel.  Also, while searching the site for the recent articles, I found this interesting article to determining your right necklace lengths based on the size of your head!

The organizing article was about getting stuff out of your closet that you do not wear called “Lose the clutter, find your style.”  On-line is a slide-show of some results from the de-clutter closet action.  It was about wearing everything in your closet so you can decide what new outfits you could make and what items you could now live without.  Working at a fashion magazine made it easier for the writer to get opinions from those around her on what to keep and discard without emotional fixations. I admit I am one of the people she talks about who clean out their closets a couple of times a year and sometimes put back stuff I shouldn’t.  I once tried the “wear it or dump it” system with my skirt collection.  If it looked dumpy, tired, or had no top that matched in a flattering way – out it went.  This resulted in a few tops losing their space in my closet as well. Read the article and try this method for yourself to see if this might work for you.  

Are you dressing for your business success?



RealSimple Magazine
October 2012 cover

It has been a few months since I read any magazine articles that I felt I should share with my readers.  Then the October 2012 issue of RealSimple went a little past fashion with a series on business attire called “Your Working Wardrobe” that I felt were must-see.  There is the 4-page article “What does your work look say about you” which contained clever illustrations and sound advice from working professionals.  That article was followed by a table of tips under “Can I wear this to work?” and the column “Pet Peeves of Interviewers.”    Then came two photo articles with 4-pages dedicated to “7 Pieces = 7 Outfits” followed by 4-categories of best-fit “Work Pants” (hips, tummy, petite, tall) for the office.

For more dress for success reasons or business dressing examples, visit the links in To Be Productive blog post Why reconsider your business attire? at the end of this month

You may also want to check out the Dress for Success video to find an organization that can help you or so that you can help others.  Visit their website at www.dressforsuccess.org. 

Organizing Made to Look Simple with Pictures

In the June issue of RealSimple magazine  the writers had 3 great photo articles for organizing tips.  The first article was 3 Room Makeovers of 6-pages including 

Real Simple Magazine
June 2012 Cover

before and after shots of the spaces that were redone: den/family room, couple’s closet, and a teen’s bedroom.  There was also a 10-page photo spread Organizing Secrets of the Pros related to storage options including organized shelves, special folding, drawer dividers, and assorted bins/baskets.  The other article was 3-pages on "A Place for Everything (else)." This was primarily for organizing and storing smaller items. 

I liked many of the ideas listed in the last one and had a few suggestions to add. 

·      Another option for the small toy storage is old lunch boxes or school boxes.  My son re-used his boxes each year as toy storage, which we referred to as treasure chests.  He stored micro-cars in one, army men in another, legos in another, and so on.  He knew what was in each box so he could quickly grab and go with the ones he wanted.  The closed boxes were kept standing next to each other neatly in book shelves.  To make it easier you can store the toys in boxes of like color (green for army men, checks for racing cars, etc.) or put a sticker or label to designate contents.

·      Instead of labeling the button cards from new outfits, toss the card and sew the button into the garment.  Many manufacturers now sew the extra buttons on a side seam near the hem so they do not bother the wearer but are easy to find when needed.  This way there is no hunting for the extra when one breaks or pops-off.  You know where it is and you don’t have to wait until you get home to do the repair if you have a sewing kit in the car, desk, briefcase, or purse.

·      I have my light bulbs in the cabinets above my washer and dryer.  They have been in the same place for years, but my husband seemed to have trouble finding the size he wanted for lamps and ceilings in this small space.  So I reorganized them with the size of bulb visible on the box and sorted in order by number 3-way, 25W, 40W, 60W, 100W, followed by Vanity Size, then all smaller bulbs for flashlights and chandeliers put in a bin at the end.  He is a numbers guy, so now I never have to help him find a bulb… unless we are shopping for replacements at the store that is.