Friday 25 September 2015

The Closet Cure is Complete



Alright, this is the last one. Now that your closet is all nice and organized, clean and slimmed down it's time to prepare for the upkeep. This is easy, trust me. Once a month just briefly go through your closet and get rid of anything you've decided you don't like, doesn't fit, or got ripped or stained. I find myself doing this a lot. When I'm searching for an outfit sometimes ill come across something and say "I never wear you" or " you got with nothing." So it gets put into storage for donation/selling. Once the pile gets big enough I bring it to Plato's/Salvation Army.

this is not my closet, I just wish it was.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this process. It's nice to have guidelines and goals to meet. For some (me) it can be hard to get rid of clothing (sad for the outfits that could have been), but this program made it much more easier and less overwhelming. I feel good now with a smaller (still big) wardrobe and a bunch of pieces I KNOW I will wear. Plus I made room for more! And I did go shopping on my birthday weekend and got a lot of new items that appeal to my ever changing style. 

If you haven't started The Closet Cure yet, it's never too late! Check out Apartment Therapy to sign up, or read all the assignments and do it on your own time. 

Thursday 24 September 2015

The Closet Cure Assignment # 9


Assignment # 9 is an easy one and can be pretty rewarding. Today we donate/sell our items from the "no" box. I stuffed all my items into a giant Costco tote and brought it to Plato's Closet. Plato's Closet is one of my favourite stores. They will buy your trendy clothes from you and then you can spend your cash on items other people have sold them (or keep it if you want, no pressure). If you plan to go to a store like this make sure to wash everything one last time and sort through your items again looking for any damage. Don't be sad or discouraged if they don't buy all your items, they rarely do. And don't expect to get full price.  They buy clothes for low cost so they can sell them at 75% less than current retailers. Sometimes you may only be getting $1 or $2 for a t-shirt. That means they will sell it for $5 and that means you can find bargains for $5. What goes around comes around. And hey, $2 is better than $0. 

I made $68.00 from my bag of stuff at Plato's Closet. They only purchased 1/2 -1/3 of it so I'll try to sell locally and if not I'll just donate it! I did some shopping while I was waiting and I found myself a gem (among other things).
Yep, it's a Celine knock off. Ever since I saw my first Celine bag (styled on a pinterest post) a few years ago I haven't been able to get them out of my head! This is the exact print I wanted too. Such structured perfection. Obv I couldn't afford a $2000+ bag so I got this one for $10. I literally died when I saw it on the rack, I can't believe it lasted long enough for me to find it. This is why I love Plato's Closet, people!

Saturday 19 September 2015

Dragon Boat Lettuce Wraps

Sometimes I actually cook interesting meals, yesterday was one of those days. We recently went to a restaurant that served dragon boat lettuce wraps. It was a small portion because it was an appetizer that we split. It was so good and we wanted more so I decided to try to make them myself at home. In my opinion the sauce is the main part that makes it taste so darn good. After some research I discovered Hoisin sauce and I can't believe I've been missing out on this stuff for so many years!

So here is the finished product:

If you want to know how I make these, keep reading.......

Ingredients:
  • Chicken Breasts
  • Egg Noodles
  • Red & Yellow Pepper
  • Bean Sprouts
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Lettuce (romaine works best)
  •  2 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • Hoisin Sauce
  • Peanuts
Recipe:
  1. Heat vegetable oil in wok over med-high heat and add the egg noodles. Make sure to crush them into smaller pieces so they don't clump together and are easier to eat. Once they are done (5-10 mins) remove from heat and set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, prepare your chicken and vegetables. Rinse your lettuce, chop the peppers, onion, garlic and chicken.

3.   In the same wok you just used saute the garlic and onion. Add chicken and cook through. Once chicken is no longer pink add in your peppers and bean sprouts(you can add whatever veggies you like).

4.  Combine soy sauce and brown sugar and mix until sugar dissolves. Add to the stir fry mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. 

5.  Now you can add the hoisin sauce & peanuts. Use as little or as much as you like, I like a lot (4 heaping tbsp).

6.  Finally, add the egg noodles to the mixture & stir for 30 seconds then serve on your lettuce
"boats"


Enjoy :)