now taking april sponsors

1. Last month, PP&MJ had over 11,000 views, a page authority ranking of 3.9 and is experiencing steady growth every day

2. Paperplanes & Maryjanes is going through a brand make-over and will reveal her new face on April 1

3. Your face (or logo) would look really hot on my side bar.

4. To celebrate the rebranding, there will be a month-long event that will incorporate other great bloggers, increasing exposure of this site

5. March was filled with fun recipes, crafts and outfits, and I have so much more planned for April.

6. There are many ways to promote your brand or blog on PP&MJ which include banner ads, featured or guest posts and Tweets. However, I am eager to work with your brand and make this a fulfilling experience so I am willing to cater your sponsorship to your needs and campaigns.

For pricing and contact information, visit my sponsors page.

spring cleaning: how to make money out of old clothes

One thing is constant in this city of ever-changing variables- no matter which neighborhood you live in, no matter how old or new your building is, closets are small!

Out of the three closets in our apartment, I use the medium-sized closet in our office. I have the benefit of having homes across the tri-state area where I can keep my life's belongings, so Mark gets the big bedroom closet (although he is subject to my organizational supervision.)

Having a compact closet means cleaning it out every spring. And to make sure nothing is wasted I sell my clothes at the local trading post to get some fresh cash from my duds. Since I have been selling clothes and making dough since 2005, I am quite the seasoned veteran. Friends even call me over to help they clean out their closets! So I decided to share some tips so you can be as successful this spring.

I told you it was tiny!

Scope out the stores Each store has a different set of buyers to cater to a certain fashion aesthetic. Take a visit to the store, check out the mannequins and the clothes on the racks before deciding if you want to take your clothes there. Look to see if the store is selling a lot of funky vintage or more trendy name-brands. Are they going to buy what you are selling? I have tried to sell at numerous stores throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and find that the Buffalo Exchange on the Lower East Side is usually looking for the clothes that I am trying to get rid of, even if it means a longer trip.

Pull out what is in season Just because they are selling gently worn clothes does not mean they are a free-for-all. These are serious stores with talented buyers who are looking for items that are on trend and in season. Now is not the time to bring them chunky sweaters, even though that is probably what you are looking to get rid of. If you have the space, save the sweaters until September and bring them back to sell when they are in the mood for thick knits.

Make it presentable As soon as the buyers take an item from you, it will be tagged and put on the racks, so it is important to bring your clothes in selling condition. Replace buttons, clean up seams and remove those stains (Real Simple has you covered). This means a little more work, but I have seen buyers deny beautiful dresses because seams were ripped. I like to make sure everything is folded and neat to make sifting through easier for the buyer. While you're at it, make yourself presentable- no one wants to buy clothes off a grease ball in sweatpants!

Cash or credit Most stores will offer 50% of what they are selling your clothes for in store credit or 30% in cash. If they are selling a pair of your heels for $10, you can get $5 in store credit or $3 cash. You don't have to make the decision right away. Take a lap around the store and do some shopping (after all, you have some empty hangars in your closet) before you let the associate know if you want the cash or credit. If the cash you are owed is very large (over $100) be prepared for the store to write you a check.

Donate the rest When it's all over, there will most likely be some items that the store will not buy. Most stores allow you to donate your rejects, but a lot of time their donations are backed up and do not have room to take your pile. But they will know of the nearest place that is taking clothing donations.

I took this pile to the LES this past weekend and was given $79 in store credit or $43 in cash. I decided to do some shopping and found two dresses and took the rest in cash.

These Jeffrey Campbell shoes were too new for me to sell to Buffalo Exchange so I decided to sell them on eBay! They are a size 8 and in pristine condition! I wore them twice.

Have you sold your clothes before? What are some of your tips?

why i love being a big sister...

... because it really would have sucked if i was the only one wearing that outfit.

... because everyone needs a back-up singer, especially one that dances like aaliyah.

... because at one time you needed me to hold your hand.

... because you let me teach you the alphabet even though i was a bossy 6-year-old.

... because you were everything i wasn't as a child- imaginative and silly.

... because you were always yourself and proud of it.

... because counting soda machines during drives through atlantic city would have been boring by myself.

... because you taught me how to love animals.

... because faces like this made me look really good.

... because mom made me take horse back riding lessons with you, and i wish we never stopped.

... because you wanted to be just like me and that always made me feel special.

Happy Birthday, Ali!

my favorite things: part 2

Spring has officially sprung because even I am thinking of bright colors. I love Baggu Bags because they're so practical and especially since they updated their versatile shopping bag in leather. I am smitten with this grapefruit version and would love one to throw into my purse on weekend trips and when shopping.

The city is so public, even in my own apartment I very rarely find a moment when I feel completely alone and can belt out a song LuPone style. I recently found that if I sing as loud as I can when the train is arriving at the station, no one will hear me. The screech and whoosh of the train is just enough to give me a moment of solitude to sing a chorus. Mark thinks I'm silly but I think it is the smartest thing I have ever discovered.

Mark and I have been taking ballroom dance class since February. We have found the tango to be extremely hard but are at the top of our waltz class. It is not a surprise to either of us, or my parents, that we are the Fr-inger of the class. Too bad we can't have an awesome hybrid name.

When I saw the Ban.do mini pompoms at BlogShop last weekend, I knew I needed some of my own. For someone who doesn't always feel so girly, having a simple pin/hair clip that can make an outfit really cute is a life saver. I can't wait to get more and buy them for the ladies in my life.

Madewell's shoes are on fire this spring, all of them. There isn't a pair that I think I need. I was pulled in by the suede skimmers but am so bummed that they won't ship until June. I want them now!

bedroom makeover: the details

Last month I shared how Kate of Bitte Brooklyn and I redecorated my bedroom for under $100 with a swingin' video Mark made (which you can watch again at the bottom of this post if you missed it the first time.) Our bedroom was downright drab and Kate helped me put together some simple DIY projects to bring color and texture into my home. She really helped me realize my decorating style and how to achieve it without breaking the bank. This makeover has inspired me to stage more items in my room and take on decorating the rest of my apartment (you know, the two other rooms).

Bedside Lamps I love the idea of hanging lights by the bedside so I picked up kits from Ikea for $4 each and $10 lampshades from Target. Using a thick, glossy magazine cover and an image I printed from Google, I cut two stencils to paint the shades with acrylic craft paints. I'm kind of addicted to painting lampshades now, let me know if you want me to come over.

Canopy I purchased 3 painter's canvases from Home Depot for the most expensive part of the project- a whopping $45. I sewed all three together, long-wise to create the canopy. Mark lovingly put two hooks in our concrete ceiling over the foot of the bed and two more over the head of the bed. I had some decorative silks from India (or Anthropologie) that Kate glued to the canvas once it was hung. I think a canopy like this would look great adorned with vintage scarves or doilies dyed in bright colors.

Nightstands Furniture shopping in NYC is not as easy as I would prefer so I wanted to be clever with nightstands. I kindly asked the wine shop for some unused wooden crates. Apparently they aren't as easy to come by nowadays but I scored to mismatched crates for zero dollars (unless you calculate my wine-aholism. Please don't.) Kate provided some Cavallini wrapping paper from Paper Source leftover from a previous project that we glued to the backs of the crates with rubber cement. Kate used her handy screwing/drilling? skills to put the crates on the wall and tried to teach me how to use a power tool.

Tarot Cards This was one of the simplest things I did in the room. I purchased this rectangular frame from Brooklyn Flea for a project that never came to be. I thought it would be neat to frame some colorful Tarot cards leftover from my goth Veruza Balk days (I was a badass 11 year old). This would also look really great as a perfume tray.

Mark's Dresser The most valuable thing Kate taught me was how to stage our collections. I have always been good at putting things on display but had recently fallen into a strange, minimalist phase where nothing was out and only in particular places. The room looks so much richer with Mark's harmonica collection in a glass vase, my knitting needles at my bedside and some pictures on display. Mark got this vintage clock radio for me for Christmas and I love what it adds to his side of the room.

Monkey Lamp This thing was hideous and scary in its natural state without a lampshade and a dust brown color. Mark got it from WalMart (be still my heart) when he was in college and it was one of two home items that I never made him throw away (I'm still working on that second thing...) I aways knew deep down that it could be the coolest thing we own with a little help from some spray paint and a lamp shade. Yes, Mark, most lamps need shades. Look here for a before & after of the lamp.

photo credits: me

video credits: mark