I got news recently that I can go back home to LA at the end of May, a full three months earlier than originally scheduled. Total relief! But now that poses the teeny problem of lugging my stuff home.

I brought a good chunk of my wardrobe with me here, but even that chunk isn't really that big. Regardless, there are lots of pieces in there that I've worn the heck out of, so it's high time to retire them. There are a few donation bins around the area, plus a lot of charities leave notices that they are going to come around and collect items for donation. The added bonus of all this is that, hopefully, my suitcases will be manageable for the flight back to LA. Then when I get to LA, there's that big chunk of my wardrobe that needs culling. It's almost a bit ridiculous how overflowing some of my drawers are and how there are some things in my closet that are brand new (with tags attached!). The same goes for shoes, and it always happens that there are like three or four pairs of shoes you actually end up wearing to death while the rest you got because either they were super cute or super cheap (or both -- score!).

None of my clothes are seriously falling apart and only a few shoes are un-salvageable, so if someone who really needs the clothes and shoes can make use of them, why not? I truly feel fortunate to be able to go buy whatever I want (within reason and budget) and to have the luxury to get rid of clothes and shoes I'm tired of wearing. In donating my stuff, I really hope it goes through legitimate charities who will get it to truly deserving people.

In keeping with the giving spirit, I am anxiously awaiting the release of Tom's Shoes wedges! If you haven't heard of Tom's Shoes, they're an awesome company that makes very comfy and funky shoes and boots. For every pair or shoes bought, they donate a pair to needy kids all over the world. You might have seen their Chief Giving Officer, Blake Mycoskie, on AT&T ads a while ago in the US (isn't he cute??). Anyway, back to the wedges -- they will be available in three nautical-inspired colors: red stripe, blue stripe, and yellow stripe; and also in solid colors (shown below via Running with Heels). I love wedges anyway, and to get some from Tom's would kind of be like two-for-the-price-of-one plus helping some cutie kids.

I'll take one of each, thanks!

(Disclaimer: Tom's did not pay me or anything to write about their shoes - I just love their shoes and the social responsibility at the core of the company.)

Then there are projects that await me when I get home. I've got a list that's a page long in my little notebook, but I'll just point out a couple to do with wardrobe organization. I think I picked up some inspiration from a bunch of blogs I stumbled across via L.L. and Smitten Kitchen (excellent food and cooking blog with SO many yummie recipes to try, some of which are on my to-do list when I go home). From L.L.'s blog, I went to The Everyday Minimalist, who had some lovely examples of creative ways to store jewelry and makeup. As I mentioned earlier, some of my drawers are a mess, and that includes my makeup and jewelry drawers. Some of my makeup is ridiculously old (as in I have no idea when I bought it), so stuff needs tossing, and other products have just been tossed in to baskets or caddies but not really organized. My jewelry is sort of half-organized in those crafting boxes that have lots of compartments, but there are some big statement necklaces that defy compartmentalizing, so why not turn them into quasi-functional art? That way I can also see what I have instead of getting stuck in a rut of wearing like 1/5th of my jewelry.

Speaking of not getting stuck in ruts, I devised a strategy to try to go through as much of my wardrobe as I can so some poor shirt or sweater isn't left languishing wondering, "Is she ever going to wear me? :(" In my room here in the UK, I've got a blank wall that only had a temperamental clock on it that sometimes ticked but mostly didn't. I took it down and put up five sets of hooks, positioned so that the bottom hook was a little bit higher than waist level. Those hooks then serve as a staging area for planning out the week's outfits. Observe:

That was the first-ever attempt, and I also chose shoes and accessories for each outfit. Doing this on Sunday afternoon saves me a TON of time during the week in the mornings. No more agonizing for half an hour over what to wear - you know what you're going to wear! No more running out of the door hungry because you didn't have time to eat breakfast. Heck, spend an extra 10 minutes on your hair because you CAN! This is probably the physical manifestation of my list-making, and boy, do I loooove making lists...and pretending I'm organized ;)