Less is more - Sold another bag

I love all bags, but have been rather reckless in my purchases in terms of just buying a bag a like without any thought to whether it works for me. I have been trying to make better decisions with my bag purchases and also review what I already own. In my assessment, I have found bags that I know will just never work for me, and unfortunately have to let go.

At first it took a lot of effort to detach myself from the bags but after debating back and forth for a year, I finally decided to just snap out of it, "ripped off the Band-Aid fast", and posted my first "for sale" item on Craigslist. It got easier but from time to time I would hit a wall and revert back to my attachment to my bags.

I had a good first month of the year and ruthlessly sold a number of items and hit a wall for months, until recently when I was motivated again. This is my second successful bag sale in the last 3 weeks and may call it quits for the rest of the year.

I sold my Kate Spade Highlander tote. When I first bought this, I loved its instant Fall feel and thought it would be perfect for walking around the city with a coffee in hand and bundled in a cute scarf. It was perfect, but just not for my city where it pours almost 5 months out of the year. Sadly, I spent more time worrying about it absorbing rain and the possibility of it smelling (and not be able to get rid of the smell), that it stayed in my closet until warmer months, which didn't really fit the look of the bag or my intended purpose. I'm happy that someone else will be able to enjoy her, but I definitely will miss her.

This is Vancouver

A few of my favourite things - Tiffany & Co. Locks bangle

This was a beautiful (and lovely surprise) Valentine's gift from my now-husband in 2009 and he actually opened my eyes to bangles.

Canada's Sephora flagship opened - features only VIP Rouge studio in the world!

On October 31st, Sephora launched their Canadian flagship store in Vancouver, BC on Robson Street. It is the largest Sephora store in Canada, with 8,600 sq.ft. of beauty and features the only VIP Rouge studio in the world, set on the second floor of the store, allowing Sephora Beauty Insider Rouge clients free access to any beauty or skin care studio services in the private space. Today I managed to step out and take a peek - I've included some pics from the store (and also a picture of their recent Hello Kitty products). Enjoy!

For those interested, here is the Vancouver Sun article with more details.

My categories for tracking my way to my perfect closet

Part of the steps I am taking to perfect my closet is not just to minimize and find what works, but also to make sure my money is being spent well and determine the quality and value of my purchases.

I previously mentioned that I have been tracking this year's purchases in an excel sheet to give myself a better idea of what I'm buying. The categories I find the most helpful are: what type of items I'm buying, how much I'm spending, how often I'm wearing something (so I can tell if it will become wardrobe staple of mine, or fast fad), and cost-per-wear.

Below is the full list of categories I use: 

• Cost-per-wear - how much an item costs each time I use it (the more I use an item, its cost will go down which tells me I'm getting good use and value out of my item
• # of times used (in 2014) - the idea is that I will continue this in the years to come
• Description - just a summary of the item for reference
• Designer
• Color
• Type - i.e. sweater, shoe, dress, etc
• Cost of item - price I paid (versus original price - I try not to pay full price)
• Condition - I ranked it through 1-10 (10 being in excellent condition; this should change through wear and tear)
• Date of purchase
• Place of purchase
• Regular price - to see how much/if I'm saving