Charlie Tamara Piper

In an earlier blog post, I revealed my revamped home office and the work that went into redesigning it and purchasing all of the pieces I needed to bring the vision to life. I absolutely love how it's come together and it's now an even more functional space to fit all of the needs I have to pull out of the space. The hardest part of any organization project is figuring out what to do with all of the stuff that you currently have, and trickier still is figuring out what to do when you have too much stuff. Downsizing can be difficult and this post is all about how to part with what you need to part with to bring in the things you need to bring in. Assess and shop your possessions The first thing I do when I begin any organizing project is assess and shop my possessions. Assess your possessions by asking yourself the following questions: Does the item hold sentimental or significant monetary value? Is the item in poor condition? Do I use the item on a regular basis? ...

I have a few business trips coming up soon so packing and organizing my luggage is definitely on my mind. Here are some of my travel essentials to help me bring everything I need to take with me on my travels and keep me super organized. A hard-side suitcase is really ideal. While soft-side suitcases have extra give when packing a suitcase, they don't put up with knocks and bumps too well - which can be chaos once you open up your suitcase at your destination. My upcoming trips are going to be pretty hectic and that's the last thing I want to worry about. I picked up this Samsonite suitcase on sale and I'm looking forward to traveling with it - it's durable, light and moves like a dream so far. Packing cubes are the greatest thing ever! I've used Ziploc bags to keep my luggage stored but packing cubes take it to the next level. They do a fantastic job of allowing you to neatly store and compress everything you need to take with you on the road and keeps ever...

Planners are a fantastic way to stay organized - whether it's electronic or paper, they keep you on track by making sure you've got a good list of everything you need to do and that you've budgeted the time to accomplish your goals. I've bounced between electronic and paper planning over the years but I have to confess: I'm a paper girl at heart. There's just something about being able to write down my tasks that helps me remember everything I need to get done and when. It's the one area of my life where I just can't make the electronic switch. There's a whole community of people who swear by paper planners who are members of the planning community. I've caught myself going down the YouTube wormhole and watching countless videos that review various planners and share how each planner sets up their weekly calendar or bullet journal. Those videos helped me figure out that paper was my best option and which planner would best fit my needs. ...

I'm so excited to reveal my revamped home office! This room turned out exactly as I'd hoped it would. I'm lucky enough to not only have a home office but one that's immediately next to my bedroom with a simple doorway separating the two spaces. I wanted to create a really pretty, functional room that would serve as its own space but still look consistent with my bedroom since they're essentially one large space. My home office also helps me to store my shoes and outwear since my bedroom closet is so small.  But first, here's a shot of my office while I was moving furniture around to make room for the armoire that's the focal point of the space: My office felt like it was in disarray for about a week until my armoire came! My first act was to downsize my desk from a U-shape to an L-shape, and I held onto some wonderful bookcases to store my possessions until the armoire arrived. I had a dingy rug that got stained in the process of moving...

I've been having a ton of fun using my new iPad Pro (9.7 inch model). I've always wanted to make some prints for my crafting projects but admittedly don't have a gift for drawing. But with the Amaziograph app and my Apple Pencil, I suddenly have a knack for creating the swirling, scrolling patterns I've always wanted to make. And here's how I used one of my favorite designs to make a cool birthday card. First, after making an Amaziograph design that I loved, I downloaded the photo and used Microsoft Word on my MacBook Pro to format the picture and prep it for printing. I used a sheet of sticker paper to print out the design, and then adhered the sticker paper to a sheet of white card stock to bulk up the card stock. I used a bone folder to make a crisp fold for the card.  On to the fun part! There's so much happening in this pattern that it didn't need much to make it special. I grabbed some self-adhesive rhinestones in small and large ...

Left: Shade + Light; right: Shade + Light Glimmer Kat von D powders have more than earned their reputation as some of the best in the game. Whether it's a face power or an eyeshadow, the formula is creamy, pigmented and blendable. I own a few KvD powder products and they're all really wonderful to work with. The Shade + Light series, which kicked off with the contour palette, is a range of contouring products for face and eye. The series launched at the height of the contouring and matte trends and easily won a top spot in my makeup collection. It's so smart of KvD to release the Shade + Light Glimmer palette when makeup's leaning towards a shimmery, glittery look. I have a soft spot for shimmery shadows and neutral shades and this palette more than fits that bill at first glance. First, here's a comparison between the original Shade + Light palette and its Glimmer counterpart: The palettes really struck me as being quite similar to one an...

(Left: Clarisonic Mia 2 Fit; Right: Foreo Luna 2) For makeup lovers, people with problematic skin or even as we get older, skin care is key. You have to take care of your skin in order make your makeup look its best, fix any problem areas or combat the signs and effects of aging. Just washing your face with cleanser and water won't cut it. Sonic brushes for cleansing your face have been on the market for several years now and there are so many options to consider. The top two sonic brushes options are made by  Clarisonic and  Foreo , and I've used both devices in the past to . In this week's post, I'll share why I left Clarisonic for Foreo - and why I came back. Clarisonic Pros and Cons I've always had blemish-prone skin and realized that I needed to step up my skin care routine to help improve my skin. I purchased my first Clarisonic several years ago and really enjoyed it - here are the benefits: It deep cleans and exfoliates skin in just one minute e...