My New Elle Magazine is Here!!

January marked an exciting time of periodical change! I had let all my magazine subscriptions expire (heck, it's easier than a name change - the bane of my newlywed existence) ready for a fresh crop. The winners: Country Living http://www.countryliving.com/magazine, House Beautiful http://www.housebeautiful.com/, and Lucky http://www.luckymag.com/magazine I was also gifted Elle http://www.elle.com/, I suppose so I could sigh in unison with one of my Girlz as I thumb through the Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren couture. Elle arrived today! Hello!

Clear the room, volume down -- time to study the new arrival. To me, each magazine is a vault of ideas. Which ones will call to me? Gotta do that, gotta cook that, gotta read that, and oh, my, gotta love that shoe. But seldom has any magazine sent me straight to the Ross Park Mall or online with a smoking hot credit card in hand. Say it with me: it's about "adapting." Who knew a flannel gray pant looks fantastic with a metallic copper top? Wow, hey I have both of those! And how fresh that lavender blouse looks with a white blazer, hmmm, SCORE! I got that too! Dog-ear that page so I don't forget.

But I would forget. Where did I see that article on making plant pots by pouring cement into a hole in the ground? What was the name of that paint color I saw? The raspberry torte recipe? The piles of magazines stacks would be canvassed again. A huge time killer. I can't throw those away... there is something in there that I NEED!!!!!

So with a $10 bill I started a fashion inspriation scrapbook. I do not care what you call me for doing this. Anal. Martha. Must be nice to have all that free time. Yeah, whatever, BRING IT, Sisters! But let me just say, that a once-thru read, with a pair of scissors on the couch and in 30 minutes I have 3 nice additions to my book that a little glue stick can lick in about 60 seconds flat. I've also started a folder for home ideas and I have an overstuffed binder of downloaded and clipped recipes (uh, yeah, triple punched or page protected and organized by tabs, guilty!)

Whenever I'm suffering from the closet doldrums, as I'm apt to do this time of year, I grab my pretty book. And THAT brings me some delight.