Spring is in the Air

Something about the springtime is so motivational and inspiring. The cyclical rebirth of nature, the smell of growing grass and fresh rains. It's a clean slate. You shake off the winter doldrums and refresh your point of view with sunshine warmed air.

I love the ritual of spring cleaning too. We recently did some upgrades to our adorable 1970's Santa Fe home. The construction prompted me to get a head start on dusting and rearranging furniture. 

The sprucing up of our casa only added to my feelings of renewal. I have been sorting and cleaning with serious vigor and focus.

 

I know it's not fair to talk about since many of you are still enduring the muddy melting snow and ice, but I have had a good mix of snow and warm weather. Speaking of spring cleaning, it's time to discerningly and discriminatingly sort through that closet. Here are my tried and tested tricks for cleaning the clutter from your wardrobe. Ask yourself the following questions: Number one, have you worn it at all, even just once in the last year? Yes? If so, go ahead and keep it for another year. If your answer is no, that brings us to number two. Number two, is it a classic or a special occasion item? Classic and special occasion items tend to be a little bit more pricey and a lot harder to part ways with. Keep these items. Finally, number three, does it fit? Don't take precious space that you need for new clothes away from yourself by holding on to hopes that maybe one day you'll fit back into your old favorite college jeans.

I found Threadflip. It's a really fun website that helps you pass on your gently used clothes (or the ones still hanging with tags that you now realize have no business being in your closet). They have everything from high end designers, to J.Crew, and then some nicer Target and Kohls collections. It works like a consignment shop. You curate a "closet" and sell your older items. The. You take the cash or use it to shop other women's closets. I'm absolutely addicted. I plan on using my money on Threadflip. It's like a luxurious online thrift store. Any items in your closet that you can't Threadflip, you could yard sale or simply donate. Many other community based nonprofits will actually pick up your donations and leave you with tax deductible receipts for your donated items.

The bulbs are peeking out and I have already planned most of my other gardening. One goal I am making for myself is to grow and eat more veggies. I have been getting consistently better over the last couple of years, but I think it's really important to make sure you have a good local source. That's why I love the Santa Fe Farmers Market. Actually, Santa Fe has a large farm to table movement as well. Many popular area restaurants are using as much local and organic produce as possible. I have seen more than a handful of local chefs at the railyard farmers' market early on Saturday morning. Not to mention the purveyors supply what we demand. The more we keep asking for it, the more that will become available.