Transitioning to Capsule Wardrobe

WHY: 

I will be the first to admit that I have always had a love of shoes and clothes.  Until I got married, and even some after, I could usually buy whatever items I wanted in the moment -- so many of which never got worn and simply sat in my closet.

After Elizabeth was born in August, I felt a pull to simplify my life in as many ways as possible.  When we reached 2018, I was on a mission to clean out and get rid of whatever I no longer needed.  I started following a blog called Little Miss Fearless and discovered the concept of a capsule wardrobe.  Y'all it seriously blew my mind!  She details all the steps she took, and it is really flexible depending on what you want.  The "norm" is to have about 30-40 pieces (tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear) for each season.  Some people capsule their shoes, jewelry and other accessories too.  

I was ALL IN after reading about it.  I wish I had a before shot to show you just how much I cleaned out.  

HOW:

Here is what I am doing.  My seasonal wardrobes will have no more than 40 pieces in them (not counting t-shirts and sweats I wear at home).  My seasons are laid out like this: Spring (March, April May), Summer (June, July, August), Fall (September, October, November), and Winter (December, January, February). Living in Utah, I will have a lot of overlap with spring/summer and fall/winter. 

I did steps 1-3 in one day, and the rest took place over several days when I had a free moment. 

1.  Take all your clothes out of your closet.  Yes, all of them.  I put them on my bed in giant piles.  It was seriously overwhelming; however, it is the only way to really clean out.  

2.  Go through each individual item and separate into piles.  Again, this is totally your preference, but here is how I sorted:  LOVE IT AND WEAR IT went right back in the closet on a hanger, MAYBE was a stack I wasn't sure I wanted to get rid of just yet, NOPE went to a pile to donate/sell to a local consignment shop.  It didn't take me long with most of my clothes and I was super honest with myself.  

Each of those hangers was a piece I said "NOPE" to.

3.  I put my MAYBE clothes in a box and put it in the hall closet.  If there is something in there I go retrieve, it will stay in my closet.  My plan is that after each season I will go through and pull out the items that could have been in my capsule and get rid of them.  I separated my donate pile from my sell pile and put those in the necessary places until I can take them in.  

4.  I split my LOVE IT clothes into seasons: summer, fall, winter, spring and had them hanging or stacked in groups in my closet.  

Grouping of clothes by season.

SIDE BAR: I narrowed my "at home" clothes way down and so that is going to be it's own group of pieces, some I will keep out in the spring/summer and others in the fall/winter depending on the weather.  I also took my ridiculous amount of work out clothing and narrowed it down to fit in one of my dresser drawers (leggings, tanks, shorts). Some of my shoes are seasonal, so they'll be put away with that season wardrobe, but I have a small collection that are year-round and will stay out.  Best part is that you can do whatever works best for YOU!

5.  This is the step that took the longest because I just needed time to get them packed up.  I took each season and put it in a clear container, so that the only clothing hanging in my closet are the pieces I need for that season.  In this case it is winter.  The other wardrobes are on the floor of my closet.  I have many pieces that will transition into multiple seasons, like jeans for example.  

THAT IS IT! So far....

There are a few steps that will take place when a season ends.  I will take stock of that season's pieces and get rid of anything that I didn't wear.  If there are pieces that I really want in the next capsule (spring) I can buy them, but for the most part that is a last resort.  For example, I do not have a plain white t-shirt. I know, how is that even possible?! So I am going to find one for my spring/summer collections.

RESULTS

What you see below are the pieces I have for winter.  What is missing is a couple more jackets that I have.  It is one of my smallest collections, but I have been wearing it for over a week and have felt like there are so many options.  It makes me really happy to go to my closet and easily pull something for that day without trying on a million different things.  (Ignore the pile of sweats on the far right -- those are my "at home" pants.) 

Outerwear:  4 coats (3 not pictured), 3 sweaters/hoodies, 2 vests, 

Tops: 2 short sleeve, 4 long sleeve, 3 sweaters, 2 cardigans 

Bottoms: 8 bottoms (5 jeans, 2 colored jeans, and black leggings)

Church: 3 dresses, 2 skirts

33 items total 

I have learned so much from this process. Besides the fact that I am happier with a smaller wardrobe (GASP), I have found my authentic style.  Most of what I got rid of were those unique bold pieces that I can only wear in one way.  What is hanging are pieces that can mix and match with all my jeans and give me a variety of looks with less.  I will wear anything in that group without question.  It is also a lot easier to shop because I have a better idea of what I really will wear and I am not buying things on a whim (you're welcome husband).  I am so excited to transition into spring and continue this journey.  It has made my organizational heart so very happy! 

Valentine's Day Follow Up

I promised a follow up to our Valentine's Day plans, so here it is! We actually celebrated on the Sunday before because we headed to California for the week to attend a farm show with Brandon. 

We started the morning with our heart blueberry muffins.  They were a hit! Brecken kept asking for more. 

Gifts were exchanged in the afternoon.  I made the kids a plate with Mickey and Minnie as well as their names.  I think as they get older they will use them more.  Our kids have SO many toys and I wanted something a little more meaningful.  Brecken also got some candy.  I made a plate and mug for Brandon. He has a serious sweet tooth, so this is for his cookies and milk.  He really likes Marvel and the Avengers movies, so I used those graphics on his plate.  Simple.  Probably a little corny too.  Brandon is super thoughtful, so he "carved our names in a tree".  On the back he carved the kids names.  I love it and it is now a permanent decoration on my shelves in the kitchen. 

Heart Pizza dinner.  Our pizza doesn't look quite heart shaped in photos, but I promise it was.  I had fun finding some simple decor (Dollar Tree) to fancy up our table a little.  We went around and shared things we love about the other members of our family.  When it was Brecken's turn, he wanted to share how much he loved trucks, tractors, cars, and pizza.

I hope these traditions will continue as the kids get older.  I loved our simple and quiet day together.  We got ice cream on Valentine's Day in California from a little local place to celebrate on the actual day. 

Mommy Style Monday: Family Valentines

This month for Mommy Style Monday we are talking about our Valentine's Day plans.  I will be the first to admit that I have never been a big fan of this holiday.  Being a teacher, it was a day of sugar rush and craziness.  We usually had parent teacher conferences on top of that.  It made for one really long day.  Brandon has ALWAYS been really thoughtful and creative for every holiday, so I have tried to get more into the spirit of it each year.  I am excited this year to share it with him and our kids.  As Brecken is getting older, he is starting to understand about holidays and that makes it so much more fun!

Decorations:   I try to keep it simple with decor.  I made a few small banners for our kitchen and mantles.  I also added a simple vinyl chalkboard on the wall over our kitchen table.  Last year I made centerpieces for our table using jars, candles, and candy hearts (all from the Dollar Tree).  Lastly, I got a cute letter board really cheap around Christmas and we have loved changing out the quotes for different occasions.

We keep it pretty simple around here.

There are 3 of these on our kitchen table.
Dollar Tree for the win!

Our mantle downstairs

Upstairs

Gifts:  Brandon and I have always done homemade gifts for Valentine's Day (insert Pinterest) because we don't like to spend a lot.  I can't share what I am doing this year because he reads this, but I'll share it after.  I will also do a homemade present for the kids.  Usually the gift includes some candy or other treats.  We made Brecken some play-dough last year; it was easy and we just keep it in the fridge.  If we have time, and I have the patience, we will attempt some other projects for the kids to make.

Valentine's Day:  I have a cute heart shaped muffin pan to make some muffins for breakfast.  Brandon will have to work, so most of the day will just be the kids and me. We have talked about how to celebrate, and we decided to just do the actual night of Valentine's Day as a family.  The plan is to get some festive plates and have a fun family dinner.  Papa Murphy's does a cute $7 heart shaped pizza that will be easy and yummy.  Then we will have dessert: a pizookie (pizza cookie) with some ice cream.   Brandon and I will "float" our celebration to a different day when we can find a babysitter.

This is probably the most we have done for Valentine's Day and it isn't going to be anything extraordinary.  I do love creating traditions and getting to watch Brecken and Lizzie experience holidays.

If you want to join in on Mommy Style Monday, click HERE or use the link to either Madeline’s or Kiana’s blog below.

Check out the other blogs:

Kiana at Glitter&Donuts

Madeline at CaseyLand

Britt at My Little Sunshines

Alexis at Witt Family Happenings