Because of my trusty U.S. map, I was able to pin point my travels this week.  I didn’t got o any new places, but I made a repeat visit to Columbia.  I am not a fan of visiting places I have already been because it doesn’t mean any new pins on my map.  My hope is that this summer I’ll get some new ones, maybe Hawaii (a girl can hope anyway).

With the travel challenge last week and the challenge I am about to reveal for this week, it is pretty obvious that summer is on my mind.  It was especially on my mind today during the Mother-Daughter luncheon.  There were many cute, summery outfits that the seniors wore down the runway.  The thought of expanding my summer wardrobe brought something to my mind: “Where am I going to fit all of my clothes?  My closet’s a mess.”  Solution: clean my closet.  Therefore, this week’s challenge is to clean out your closet and expand your summer wardrobe.

First, before we talk about cleaning, let’s talk about clothes.  Stripes and floral patterns are in this season, as well as bright colors.  Judging off the fashion show today, apparently so are green and purple prom dresses.  Totally stylish!  Skirts are a thing of the past, because cute and casual dresses are a must for this summer.  Too make room for all these essential items, here are my suggestions on how to clean out your closet:

• box up those winter clothes.  Start wearing those winter outfits that didn’t make it out of the closet, because soon you’ll be able to store them.  Putting off-season clothes in boxes will help make room for more seasonal wear.
• donate your old clothes.  Be honest with yourself.  Are you really going to wear that Jonas Brothers concert t-shirt ever again.  No, so donate to a local homeless shelter or the Salvation Army.
• group similar clothes together.  My sister’s closet looks like a rainbow because she organizes her clothes by color.  I think a more effective organization is to group clothes together by what they are.  T-shirts go together, dresses hang together, etc.

I want to remind you to shop at the stores represented in today’s fashion show.  Places like Macy’s, Urban Outfitters and Boomerang all do STA a huge favor by letting us model their clothes and continue our fashion show tradition.  So let’s go out this week, clear out our closets, find some summer clothes and conquer this challenge!