Closet Cleaning: Organisation is key (Final)

To ease the pain of my upcoming exams, my parents suprised me with a trip to a local furniture store. Guess what I came home with: a brand new closet! I have three times the space I had before and am now finally able to keep my jackets, coats, scarfs and bags in the same closet as my clothes. I am in heaven. Getting dressed is so much more fun now that I have a clean, working and practical closet!

In this last episode of my Closet Cleaning series I wanted to shed a light on how I try to keep everyting nice and organised. Here are my tips!

♥ Use thin hangers. I used to use these really big hangers to store my dresses and jackets and I had to fold many of them up because there was just no more space on the bar! Then I discovered thin hangers. Now  I can hang all my dresses in one part of the closet AND there even was enough space left to hang my skirts!

♥ Fold it. I know, I know. My closet often is a mess too, I'll be honest. But I enjoy getting dressed 5x as much when everything is folded, hung and kept in it's place. I now exactly where I can find what top, what jeans or what dress. Talking about dresses: Mine are organised by colour! It's not only visually pleasant it also helps me pick my daily outfits. Feel like wearing blue? no, red maybe? no, black then? ... 

♥ Plan your outfits online. One more shout-out for the awesome invention Cynthia and her team made: Go Chic or Go Home. I used to plan my outfits by trying them on. I'm sure you can imagine what a mess my closet was after an hour of outfit planning! There were clothes everywhere and I never really felt like folding everything back up. Go Chic has made outfit planning a lot easier for me. Not only can you digitalize your wardrobe, you can create outfits online too! It's very easy to do, and I very much recommend you try it.

Thank you so much for reading!

I hope you enjoyed the series.

Much move,

Nikki

What goes around comes around

On Saturday Kenneth and I decided we deserved one more day of freedom before we lock ourselves inside for the next month. When Kenneth said he was into a daytrip I squaled with excitement and started jumping around. We are going to Ghent! Ghent! Ghent! I got tamed down quickly enough though. There was a Time trial / cycling race happening and all the streets were blocked so there was no way to get to the train station. Boo! 

Forced to stay close to home we had to come up with another plan. First we went kiting and afterwards we went out for sundaes! I had no less than six different flavors of ice cream and a whole lotta wipped cream on top! Yum yum! Perfect day! Eventhough I forgot my sunscreen and got a terrible burn on both my arms and legs. You can't really see it in these photos, but It hurts like crazy!

Nikki

Cause It doesn't always have to be too serious

Outfit 1: F21 dress, and H&M cardigan

Outfit 2: Topshop dress

Outfit 3: H&M dress and cardigan

Okay, so how freaking good does my hair look in these photos? I strongly suspect photoshop came into action on that part, haha.
A few weeks ago I helped a friend out and modelled for one of her photography assignments. She helped me out with some of the best outfitphotos this blog had ever seen, so why not? As awkward as I was at the beginning, the much fun we had towards the end. Hence why I am wearing my clutch on my head! I am very good at balancing things on my head, by the way. Too bad it's not going to make me win Belgians Got Talent.
The purpose of the assignment was to learn how to make portraits in a photo studio. During my one day modelling career I learned about annoying shadows, scary flashing objects and black salty Dutch treats that taste horribe. After almost 4 hours of shooting and I don't even want to know how many hours of editing my friend was ready to hand in her assignment and... she passed! Yay! 

Talking studios and talent shows, this video is epic. Somebody give her a record deal! 

Much Love,

Nikki

Flowy skirts + polkadots = summer

Wearing: F21 skirt and top, Zara cardigan, H&M flats, Promod purse, SIX necklace

Hi sweets! I have one photo to share with you all today! Actually, I took about 48 on my driveway this afternoon with my new 50mm lens. Turns out, that it really is impossible to make your own photos with that lens and self timer. I was out of focus in the other 47 photos... . Are there any pro's out there? I really could use some advice, haha! 

Wondering why I tried self timer in the first place? Well, exams are coming up for us Belgian students and that means all my usual photographers are busy studying. Like I should be right now. I've spend the last 4 hours reading through and summerizing my Psychopathology book and it's been quite the heavy read. I was in need of a break and really wanted to show you guys this outfit because I LOVE it! Alas, the photo doens't do it any justice so I'll try to schedule a real shoot in the weekend, haha. 

I know I currently am on a no-buy, but does it count when you shop with a giftcard you recieved? I shopped wisely and got (amongst other things) this beautiful flowy skirt with belt from forever 21 in beige and in a pretty berry pink. They were exactly what my closet needed! They are multi combinable and will definitely be included in my 30x30. Didn't I tell you yet? I'm starting a 30x30 on Go chic from June 1st! I plan to do a recap post on here at the end, but if like to follow along the process you can follow me here!

Happy humpday!

Nikki

Casual, with a capital C

GAP jeans, H&M tee, flats and blazer, C&A scarf

Oh snappy. I forgot to write a post for Friday and haven't been home the entire weekend, so sorry you guys had to wait so long for and update! I am really happy to read the positive notes on my last few posts. There's one more episode in my Closet Cleaning series to come, and for me, it's the most exciting one! You'll see why soon.

I couldn't have had a better weekend. The weather was more than amazing and Kenneth and I took a pleasurly break from studying on Thursdaynight and friday. Yes friends, we had a 4 day weekend. Oh, how I love those! We strolled around Antwerp and I kinda sorta broke my shopping ban at Forever21. We also had delicious pizza and Kenneth suprised me with a stop by my favorite chocolate bar. He sure knows how to treat a lady! Furthermore, I fried my brain by spending waaaay to much time behind my computer screen, trying to summerize a few of the "smaller" books I have. All this studying and staying inside has effected my dressing in a bad way. I am having a complete style-rut and not even Pinterest can get me inspired these days!  What's a blogger to do? Why ofcourse, stop complaining and summerize some more. Hope to see you guys again on wednesday!

Nikki

PS: This fence is quite the popular backdrop... check here.

Closet Cleaning: Keep it clean!

The donation pile

A happy face

So now we have taken out all the bad seeds it's time to think about how we can keep our closets squeaky clean. In other words: how do I prevent bad buys. Hopefully this post can be of some help for some of you! 

♥ Make a wishlist. What are your favorite trends? What things do you like? What inspires you? Make a moodboard or a wishlist of all the items you would like to have to complete your wardrobe. Take this list with you when you go shopping and (this is the tricky part) stick to it! Pinterest is a great way to get an idea of where you want to go.

♥  Know your inventory. Before you go shopping, take your wishlist, go to your closet and search it from top to bottom. You might be suprised of the things you can find in there! By looking through your wardrobe you will see what you already have and what you still need.

♥ Use your imagination. When shopping, don't buy anything that doesn't blend in well with what you already have. Try the rule of 3 before you take something home with you. It will make styling outfits with your newest purchases so much easier!

♥ Regular cleaning. Each three to six months I try to figure out what my essentials were that past season and which items I did not wear at all. I never throw out my basics, but "may fly" items really have to go. Also get rid of anything ripped, broken or in generally bad condition. Don't skip your shoes and jewelry boxes!

Selfrestriction is key here ladies! I've had a hard time learning these rules but I can promise you that they have  saved my life, style and wallet. 

Thank you for reading!

Nikki

Ginger girl legs versus mini skirts

 

Howdy folks! Excuse me for not beeing in my writing mojo lately. I am under so much time pressure and am kind of freaking out about the exams and all the preparations I still need to do. I wish it were July already! 

First I want to say a little somthing about this dress. I got it from Asos with a giftcard Cynthia from Go Chic or Go Home send me for my birthday. So sweet of her! It was quite the hassle to get this dress to me though. It got lost in the mail, but eventually arrived three weeks after I placed my order. I can wear it both as a top and a dress, so eventhough the busy print, it's a really versatile piece that I'll enjoy wearing all summer. 

For the first time in weeks we get to enjoy some sunshine here in Belgium! Our little country has been doing it's name of a rainy place more than justice the past few weeks! I'm glad the April showers seem to have moved on and these pale legs of mine finally get to enjoy the sun. Yesterday, Kenneth and I even layed down in the sun for a while. He gets tanned SO fast! It's unfair, haha. White and red are about the only two shades my overly sensitive skin can do. Hooray for sunblock! And ice creams and strawberries. 'Cause that's what sunny days are made for!

Nikki

The Simplicity Project: Cleaning out the closet

I am almost embarassed to say that everything is from H&M. Oops. 

We all have them in our wardrobes, those items you only wore once, that don't seem to match anything else in your closet or items that you wish you had never bought. They take up our precious space and they certainly are of no help when you are having one of those days. Time for some cleaning!

♥ Remix, Remix, Remix. Before I send my misfits to the thriftstore, I always try to style them up in at least 3 different ways. And I really have to like the outfits I come up with. It's a very easy trick to seperate the good from the bad! Maybe you finally see that that one misfit wasn't that wrong after all!

♥ The replacement list. Check all your items for rips, holes, broken zippers, decoloration etc. All items that are no longer wearable or fixable have to go. Have no mercy! Then, make a list of all the items you want to replace. For example, my black cardigans have worn off and the colour is completely faded. Since my black cardigans are the ultimate basics of my wardrobe I put them on a list of items that need replacement.

♥ Go chic or go nowhere. A very helpful tool to use when you are cleaning out your wardrobe is to digitalize your wardrobe with Go Chic Or Go Home. I threw everything on my bed and did what many have said to be an impossible task. I took a photo of literally every piece of clothing in my wardrobe (took me less than an hour!) and uploaded those photos onto go chic or go home. It's a fantastic way to visualize your closet and get an idea of what you have in there. Every item can be categorized and you get to see your wardrobe from a whole new perspective. It's really easy and comes in very handy when doing a Spring clean! You should try it! By the way, this way you have to look at everything and you might even rediscover things, like I did with the dress in these photos.

By uploading my whole wardrobe onto Go Chic I found out that I don't have any doubles (hooray!), but there are a whole lot of gaps in this wardrobe o'mine! Here's a list of these gaps, and the things I threw out:

In-list	Out-list
Trenchcoat Basic coloured skirts A pair of black heels A pair of nude heels Patterned tops Striped dress	Black F21 blazer Mango 70s dress H&M dress Some scarfs 2 Friis and Company bags H&M blouse Vintage lace dress Zara dress Stadivarius dress H&M tunic

Nikki

No sound but the wind

Today I'm sharing a little bit of my photography with you. I know, I know, I am by no means a pro at this but I just found these photos to be so magical! Who knew it would be this hard to photograph dandelion sead heads!? We blew about twenty of these and took more than a hundred photos, but only these three turned out good enough. Even on my fastest shutterspeed these little fluffies fly away too fast, haha. 

Last Thursday I met up with a real photographer in Antwerp. She's asked me to model for her fashion in the studio assignment and I was more than happy to do so! While waiting for her in the Central Station I channeled my inner Laurein / fashionista and drank a not so stylish non-Starbucks take-away latte with hazelnut sirop. Delicious! Note to self: you must do that more often. The shoot was so much fun and apart from the ones where I was trying to balance my clutch on my head all the photos turned out really good. I can't wait untill she sends them over so I can share them with you. I hope she gets good grades on the assignment too.

For those who asked: my prom pictures still haven't gone online! I am anxciously waiting for them myself. I hope they turned out better than they did last year, haha. Anyways, i'll be back on Friday with a new post on The Simplicity Project. Stay tuned! 

Nikki

Creepy things happen...

H&M skirt, T and shoes, We cardigan

Once upon a time my friend Karen and I went out to test our beloved cameras. She was curious about my new lense, and I let her test it in exchange for outfit photos. Cause that's what friends do. We went to the back of a parkinglot, near the railroad tracks. I have been wanting to take pictures here for a long time. Turns out, everything your parents tell you about areas around railroad tracks is true. In the middle of our session this silver car turned up on the parking lot. No biggie, people were driving on and off the whole time but this car drove aaaaall the way to the back end, where we were. It approached at rapid speed (hello, speed limit of 10!?), the dude in it started clapping his hands, made a U-turn and drove back off. He didn't even park his car. What the?? Weird!! Guess I won't be coming back to this spot, haha. The pictures turned out great though, so thank you Karen for taking these and saving my blogging ass! I owe you. Big time, I suppose.

This weekend was jampacked with fun. Work on Saturday, 2 essays to finish and some school books to read on Sunday. Are you feeling the sarcasm? haha. On saturday night though, we went on a spontaneous trip to the movies and saw The Avengers. It was awesome! I loved it. Have you guys seen it? I feel a need to (re-)watch all the superhero movies now! Movie marathon, anyone?

Nikki 

Baking for the boyfriend: Meringues

Three posts in one week? You never post three posts in one week! That's right, but I will (try to) from now on! After mastering the "two posts a week"-thing I'll try my best to make it three. I'm not sure how this will work out for the next two months though. My finals are coming up and at this time my whole life is about books, books, and more books. I recieved my exam schedule last week and let me tell you, it's going to be crazy. But I'm up for the challenge!

So, what to do when you have the afternoon off? I thought I'd make Kenneth happy and make him on of his fave treats! Meringues are not the easiest things to make, I know. I often mess them up myself but this time they were just perfect! Completely dry on the inside, crispy and sweet. Kenneth loved them! I used this recipe from bbcgoodfood.com and it's honestly the best one I've tried so far! Almost fail proof and it makes for delicious meringues. I know so, because every good chef tastes before she serves!

Nikki 

The Simplicity Project: Kick-Off Party

Topshop dress, Vero Moda shirt, F21 Necklace, H&M shoes & belt

You guys might have noticed the little grey bulb at the bottom of my sidebar. Anxciously searching for and overthinking ideas for a blog feature has lead me nowhere. I can only conclude that everything has been done already and my mind simply doesn't seem able to come up with anything fresh and new. Maybe the stress for my upcoming exams and all those darn deadlines have something to do with that... .When Kristin over at As Luck Would Have It tweeted me about a feature she was planning on, I immediatly grew curious about what it would be. Turns out, her blog feature is ideal to deal with - and learn to reduce stress! Great, exactly what I needed in this stressfull time called May. Learn more about the purpose of The Simplicity Project here. 

To kick it all off, I'm going to start with a shop-stop. Yeah, you heard me. A blogger who mostely blogs about her wardrobe is going to stop shopping. For two months. Don't worry, I'll keep doing my outfitposts and when I set foot on USA grounds in early July all hell will break loose for my bankaccount. The 20kilo max luggage weight will probably be a partypooper though. Now, I can hear you thinking: Why am I doing this and in what way is it going to make my life more organised? Easy Peasy! Firt off: my wardrobe is a mess. There's tons of old stuff in there, things that I don't wear anymore or desperately need replacement. Secondly, because I feel at a loss when it comes to my personal style. Blogging and seeing all kinds of inspiration has gotten me confused about my own style and even about who am / portray myself to be. During my two month shop-stop I would like to make a plan, moodboards of the styles I really like and think about how I can make them my own. I would like to make a list of basic items I am missing in my wardrobe, such as a trenchcoat, and do a big Spring clean! When this hectic period is over, I would like to be back as a brand new, improved version of myself. Hope you guys are with me :-)

Nikki