live simply || jewelry edition

so, according to one of my past posts, i have been all about simplifying...and, goodness, it feels good. maybe that's silly, but it's true. weeding out the quantity to keep those fewer well-loved pieces in my home & wardrobe makes such a huge difference in living out peace & order.

i did a major cleaning out of my closet (having capsule wardrobes thoughts) this past fall, which lead to going through all my shoes, which brought me to reorganizing & deciding to sell a lot of my jewelry (and purses and scarves) and now...my wardrobe is so much lighter & brighter. i just love it! i think deep down we crave simplicity. at least, i know i do. we live in such a culture geared towards having it all or always needing the next big thing that it's hard to just be content. 

and now with this new little life on its way (ONLY 15 MORE WEEKS PEOPLE), i am craving order, cleanliness, and well, just less in general. for now, my hands are sort of tied with the whole nursery situation. there are so many larger items (bunk beds, a twin bed, chairs, etc) in that room that i can't really get in there to do much prepping. (grrr) i suppose i'm waiting for some decent weather so i can pull out what's in there for a rummage sale. the waiting is killing me. so until then, i will organize and clean everything else in the house. 

knowing myself...i love to thrift which means i often need to purge. i think of it as a revolving door. new items in = old items out. step 1 to not becoming a hoarder. thankfully, when hubs sees me selling stuff i just got last summer, he has stopped asking questions. i love the feeling of new, fresh & different...and can't help but become inspired by new ideas. by selling unused items, it gives me a means & makes room for those new-to-us items.

i believe your home should inspire you. as william morris said, 

"have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." 

yes, you should be surrounded by things you love. one of my favorite sayings:

a home should feel collected, not decorated.

that has stuck with me because that's what i want. a home filled with items that have meaning. items that belonged to my grandparents. a home filled with pieces from travels. a home that reflects our family. not just a house, but a home. 

i have previously posted the below couple of inspirational images, but since they specifically related to my jewelry display inspiration, i decided to include them again here. i supposed as far as style goes, i fall somewhere between simple & clean and bohemian & eccentric. minimalist bohemian, maybe?? it's a thing. i googled it. 

(also click here for my feelings on google.) 

source here

source here

here's where i was starting from. i know, its a hot mess. real life here yo. i made that necklace board maybe last summer(?) and remember posting about it on instagram. i covered a cork board i had with fabric and pinned the trim with gold thumb tacks. it didn't take long to make but it took an strange amount of endurance from my thumb. i decided it would work better in our daughters' room & moved it in there. they love it. 

from there i started the sorting out process. sometimes giving myself a limit helps. like "pick my top ten favorites necklaces" and so on. if i can't remember the last time i wore something...it normally goes. of course there are exceptions: grandma's ring, that blingy necklace for special occasions...blah blah blah. now, mind you, those items that call for the more rare occasion or maybe aren't in my normal rotation but i still love (maybe they were a gift), i decided to remove from my main jewelry display area. i have a special box for those items and they are stored within reach...just not in plain view. clears up a lot of space physically & mentally when looking for pieces to wear. 

all of my jewelry display boxes, jars, containers & such are thrifted. i paid $.25 to $1 for most items. scoring them from goodwills & rummage sales. the mirrored tray, thrifted, as well. vintage textile on the wall, thrifted. most of my (favorite) necklaces and some of my bracelets are also vintage & thrifted. i love thinking about where they came from. the life they lived before me. giving them new life now. the circle of life. cue lion king music.

be bold leather bracelet by farm girl paints & shop here

lesson:

you can sometimes do more with less.
sometimes limiting yourself is freeing. 

let's make our lives easier for ourselves already.

***disclaimer: since these pics were originally taken, we have since repainted the bedroom (yeah, you guessed it--white). i have also slightly rearranged the tabletop...naturally. current glory below:

also, it's february 18 which means it's my mom & baby sister's birthdays. if you have a sec, wish them a happy birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Love you guys.

oh & as of february 15, the blog is officially one year old! yay!

xoxo




all you need is less quote source here