Friday Frivolity Linky Blog Party - Halloween Edition! Link-up humor, encouraging posts, free stuff, giveaways, and more!

Welcome to Friday Frivolity! And happy almost-Halloween!  :D



Friday Frivolity Linky Party, Halloween Edition!! via Devastate Boredom

via wronghands


7

#TBT Brutal Organization, aka, minimalism before I knew what that was... a 2 Part Stuff Manifesto for Defeating the Boogie Man in the Closet

Throwback to June 17th, 2009, when I propounded my two-part manifesto of Brutal Organization, designed to defeat the boogie man of organization that had been hiding in my closet.  I actually am kind of IN LOVE with this post, because six years ago I already instinctively understood so many tenants of minimalism!  *Proud of 2009 me*  On a related note, stay posted for a soon-to-come review of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Brutal Organization, aka Minimalism Before I Knew What That Was!  An Easy 2 Part "Stuff" Manifesto that Will Make Life Simpler! via Devastate Boredom


"Organization" used to feel like a Boogie Man hiding in my closet. Some days I would be brave enough to whip him out of there, beat him into shape and make him take up proper hygiene. Other days, I would pretend not to notice that he existed at all, and would just keep hoping that the piles of papers and clothes I stacked nonchalantly outside the door would trap him, and he would never again emerge. But inevitably organization would emerge, wild and out of control, shrieking and knocking things over... and again I would be forced to admit that ignoring it in the first place had just caused myself all kinds of trouble.

It was especially difficult because those tough, brave moments of hyper-organization... 
16

Is Quantico the New Lost?? A TV Review and Predictions of the Bad Guy...

Imagine a TV show intro...  a lone figure, lying prostrate on the ground, coming to consciousness.  Surrounded by chaos, flames, debris, a terrible event has just occurred.  Then, cue a flashback.  Amidst the large collection of characters gathered here, everybody has a secret.  (and everybody is ridiculously attractive, naturally...)

Do you think I'm describing the opening of Lost??  Nope, just described the intro of Quantico, the new suspense show on ABC named after the FBI training academy.


Is Quantico the New Lost?? Review of Quantico, starring Priyanka Chopra as Alex Parrish, and Predictions of the Bad Guy!

And you're right, it totally did describe Lost too, because somebody had the brilliant idea of borrowing the format of one of the most popular shows of all time and hoping it would work in a new scenario.  And honestly *whispers*

10

Friday Frivolity & Link-Up Blog Party - Inspiration! NaNoWriMo and Cohosts Wanted.... Free and Fun Friday begins now!

Welcome to Friday Frivolity! 

I actually didn't feel like collecting funnies for us today... I more felt like trying to give myself a kick in the pants towards achieving some goals.  :P  So I collected inspiration for us instead, from a very sophisticated source... Sesame Street!  

But before we get to that... (and the link-up!)

14

TODAY ONLY - Flash Sale at Summerskin! (Not Really a Post, Just a, "Oh hey! Look!!") Stylish UPF/SPF clothing!

If you have been around here for very long you probably know that:

1) I am intensely sun-phobic -- the natural result of a) an OCD personality, b) very pale burn-able skin, and c) an early skin cancer diagnosis / removal when I was just barely in my 20s.  No, it was not melanoma thank God!  But they had to go back and remove more, I had to have stitches, etc, and it thoroughly scared young, impressionable me.

2) I am a huge fan of the UPF (fabric SPF) clothing line Summerskin.  It is a) a super cute and stylish clothing line of clothing, b) founded and owned by a woman -- go go female entrepreneurship!, and c) naturally designed to have a UPF (usually of 50, which is a very high level of protection), which means less time and annoyance struggling with sunscreen.  

(can you tell I'm in a list-making mood?  :P)

If you didn't already know all that, and you're curious about it, feel free to check out my post about sun protection, sun damage, and my struggles with conventional vs natural sunscreen, and my recent post reviewing (/raving about) Summerskin's maxi, which I contend is the PERFECT travel dress.


The PERFECT Travel Dress - Summerskin's Stylish SPF / UPF Maxi - via Devastate Boredom

2

The 6 Books Your Dog Wishes You Would Read! The Best Resources for Raising a Puppy or Training Your Dog, Approved by Kaylee's Mom

6 Books Your Dog Wishes You Would Read - The Best Resources For Puppy Raising or Dog Training - via Devastate Boredom

After adopting our sweet puppy Kaylee last December, I went on something of a puppy-book reading-rampage!  I read nine books on dog training over the next couple of months, and while almost all of them were helpful to some degree or another, six of them made a bigger impression on me than the others, and several of them I LOVED.  Here are my favorite dog-training / puppy-raising books, in increasing order of favorite-ness:

12

Friday Frivolity - Hilarious Dog Memes Plus FREE and FUN Linky Blog Party! Link-Up Now!

Welcome Friday!  We've missed you!  ;P  


This past week I introduced you all to my ADORBS PUPPY Kaylee (plus 10 tips on how to ensure a smooth shelter adoption and transition home), so in honor of that... our Frivolity for this week is dog-themed!  Enjoy!  

(and if you're looking for the link-up, you'll find it below!  :D)

Caffeinated Dog is HYPER! Coffee, WHAT COFFEE?  Friday Frivolity Dog Memes and Link-Up! via Devastate Boredom
Hmmm.... are you willing to share your coffee source, friend?  That looks like some good stuff...

22

Organizing Your Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe, The Life Changing Magic of Hanging ALL THE THINGS!

Hungry for more fashion fun and minimalist style updates?

"Make Your Closet Amazing" Newsletter Subscription:

* indicates required


Update August 2016 -- I have HUGE news for a fashion-savvy, Capsule Wardrobe lovin' girl like you!  My shiny, awesome new book Secrets of the Capsule Wardrobe:  How to Find Your Personal Style & Create a Happy, Confident Closet! is now available!!  Feel free to continue to read this post if you like, but just be aware you're basically reading an incomplete rough draft... my book is the Perfected Guide to finding your personal style and building a effortless, confidence-inspiring, non-boring capsule wardrobe, step-by-step! It also contains never-before-published information on how to avoid the three most common mistakes that will SABOTAGE your Capsule Wardrobe, how to continue to curate your collection of clothing by purposeful shopping in the future, a whole chapter on the role of accessories in your minimalist closet, and more.  Go check it out right now... a happy closet awaits you! 


Super girly post alert!  Writing today about fa-SHUN... ready to be glamorous and sophisticated with me??  Seventh in a weekly series of ?.  Missed the first six installments?  Click below to catch up.

How to build a minimalist capsule wardrobe without losing your mind!  Step by step towards a happy closet:

Part 7:  Organizing your closet... the life changing magic of hanging ALL THE THINGS!


Wow, looking back over the last six posts, we have truly come so far in the journey towards a functional, simple, HAPPY closet!  If you've been following along, you have developed a minimalist capsule wardrobe that reflects who you are, is unique to you, and makes you feel confident.  It also only contains items that you love, and is easily adaptable and mix-and-matchable.  That is amazing!

Now, an important element in the "functional" part of your wardrobe is how to store and organize your clothing in a way that is easily accessible AND visually appealing.  So let's dive into that!  


There are a lot of blog posts bouncing around on pinterest about how buying a matching set of hangers will transform your closet.  So, I bought a set and tried it out.  Honestly, it really wasn't that revolutionary... still the same clothes, still the same closet.  If you're relying on the "new hangers" trick to totally transform your closet with no other time or effort invested, you're bound to be disappointed.  But since we've already invested a LOT of time and effort into transforming our closets, I have to say that the hangers were a nice touch.  So as you read the below, picture it with a snazzy set of matching hangers into the bargain.  ;P  

It's likely you've already heard of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up -- a book written by Japanese organizational expert Marie Kondo that is heavily influenced by the philosophies of minimalism.  If you've already done a lot of reading on minimalism and simplicity living, many of the ideas it contains may be familiar to you already, but it still has some fun thoughts and approaches that are more unique to Ms. Kondo.  I'm looking forward to reviewing it more in-depth soon!

Though I enjoyed the book, I strongly disagreed with it on the topic of clothing organization...

20

What to Read and What NOT to Read #2: Reviews of Black Valley by Charlotte Williams, Whole Body Barefoot by Katy Bowman, When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, more!

Last month I did a review post for all the books I read over the first half of the year... fun but a little overwhelming!  ;P  I'm aiming for a monthly collection of reviews going forward.  If you haven't already, be sure to check out the first edition of What to Read.. and What Not to Read! and then the most recent Read / Don't Read posts as well!  :)

New month, new books!  I read six books over the course of September... Black Valley, Whole Body Barefoot, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Bradstreet Gate, The House of Silk, and Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home.  Here are my reviews in miniature, plus the Read / Don't Read verdicts!  :)



33

Just a quick note....

No friday frivolity / free and fun friday this week, sorry!  But we will be back next week as scheduled.

Sometimes life happens... I'm sure you know that as well as I do.

Hoping to see you back really soon! Thanks for understanding!!

2

A Tail of Puppy Love, Introducing Kaylee! Tips for Adopting a Dog from the Humane Society and Ensuring a Smooth Transition for Your Shelter Dog

At long last, a post to introduce Kaylee!  Wasn't she an adorable puppy?

It's funny to think about now, but when we adopted her we actually didn't think she was all that small... we were comparing her with our two cats, and she already weighed a couple of pounds more than the heaviest of them.  But looking back, she was soooo cute and tiny!!  She's 68 pounds now, so I guess we have a better perspective on size now, haha!



21

Dystopian Bromance and Zombies! Maze Runner 2: The Scorch Trials, A Post-Apocalyptic Movie Review

A quick summary of the first Maze Runner, in case you didn't see it... it is a dystopian fantasy that kinda reminded me of The Hunger Games crossed with Lost.  A group of teenage boys (and one teenage girl) is dropped into a shifting maze full of dangerous creatures, and forced to fight for their lives while trying to discover how to solve the maze and get out.  Sounds Hunger-Gamey, right?  The Lost part is that they have to figure out how to survive, build their own society, etc, while constantly knowing that they are being watched, and that they are there for a reason they don't understand yet.  The first movie was pretty fun, so my husband and I figured the second might be equally entertaining.

Here's the run down on the sequel, Maze Runner: Scorch Trials.  


Maze Runner 2 Scorch Trials, Zombie Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic Movie, reviewed by Devastate Boredom


4

Friday Frivolity: LOLcats and gifs to Make You Laugh! Plus Free and Fun Friday Linky #5! Link-Up Your Humor, Giveaways, Free Stuff Now!

 It's finally Friday, and you've earned a little frivolity!  Have some awesomely funny cats...  and then see below for our Free and Fun Friday link-up!

Professor Cat wants to know why you're laughing... 
http://www.dumpaday.com/random-pictures/funny-pictures/funny-pictures-day-77-pics-5/attachment/brushing-cat-hair/

24

How Many Items in a Minimalist Closet? The Capsule Wardrobe Question We've Been Avoiding! PLUS Cohosting Top of the World Fashion Linky!

Hungry for more fashion fun and style updates?

"Make Your Closet Amazing" Newsletter Subscription:

* indicates required


Update August 2016 -- I have HUGE news for a fashion-savvy, Capsule Wardrobe lovin' girl like you!  My shiny, awesome new book Secrets of the Capsule Wardrobe:  How to Find Your Personal Style & Create a Happy, Confident Closet! is now available!!  Feel free to continue to read this post if you like, but just be aware you're basically reading an incomplete rough draft... my book is the Perfected Guide to finding your personal style and building a effortless, confidence-inspiring, non-boring capsule wardrobe, step-by-step! It also contains never-before-published information on how to avoid the three most common mistakes that will SABOTAGE your Capsule Wardrobe, how to continue to curate your collection of clothing by purposeful shopping in the future, a whole chapter on the role of accessories in your minimalist closet, and more.  Go check it out right now... a happy closet awaits you!   


Super girly post alert!  Writing today about fa-SHUN... ready to be glamorous and sophisticated with me??  Sixth in a weekly series of ?.  Missed the first five installments?  Click below to catch up:


How Many Items of Clothing Belong in Your Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe?  How to Figure Out a Number That Works for Your Lifestyle, via Devastate Boredom

Putting the Finishing Touches on Your Capsule Wardrobe - How Many Items Should Be in a Minimalist Closet?


Tackling the "Number Thing"...


There's a pretty big issue that I have been skirting this whole time while writing this style series... have you noticed?  Has anybody noticed?  I haven't mentioned numbers once.  I haven't said, "Only have 35 items in your capsule wardrobe," or "A minimalist closet should contain no more than twenty hangers," or ANYTHING related to numbers.  That's because I think that the number of items in your closet has to be a personal choice based on your lifestyle... not something handed down prescriptively by someone who doesn't even know you.

However, there does need to be a CHOICE.  For you to benefit from the wonders of a minimalist closet or a capsule wardrobe, you need to set limits for yourself.  A "happy closet" is one that reflects who you are, and that you enjoy wearing every day.  I find it very unlikely that if (click through to keep reading!)
16
Back to Top