If you all dig in through your closets, you'll notice that you aren't wearing some of the clothes that are just lying there, taking up space in your closet. So what should you do with all these clothes? You can't just keep them there until they die! Well, I'm here with a few ideas on what to do with the clothes that you just refuse to wear no matter what.

Give it a rest and come back to it some other time

There was this certain furry jacket that I barely wore last winter, but I left it in my closet. Funnily enough, although I hated the jacket last winter, this winter, I'm absolutely loving it. I wear it extremely often and many people have complimented me on it. So it's a good idea to leave certain clothes in your closet if you feel like you MIGHT give that clothing item a chance.

Google and find out how you can dress yourself with it in an original way

Most of the time, the reason I stop wearing a certain clothing item is that I get tired of wearing it and I feel like so many people have seen me wearing it already and, y'know, it's sorta embarrassing. But if you Google your clothing item, in my case it was a yellow knitted sweater, you can look for outfits that you've never put together before. I honestly never thought of wearing a dress underneath a knit and with a quick Google search, I found that putting my yellow knit over my salmon dress makes for an adorable look.

Donate

If you simply despise your clothing item, just donate it! Or you could even sell it on Facebook or give it out to your friends. It's better to give it to someone else who WILL wear whatever-it-is-you-don't-wear than let it rot at the back of your closet.

I hope these three tips help y'all. Good night!


-Barista Mia-

Image: Ann Sullivan Read more »

As I'm writing right now, there are two kids who I'm babysitting that I really, really do NOT like. They're the rudest kids I've ever met, they don't listen, and they insist on knowing every single detail of my personal life. Like, just go away and leave me alone. It's not like I'm getting paid to look after them (my mom's friend's kids. Ugh.), but I know I shouldn't shun them and tell them to go look after themselves. Sigh. So anyway... I've piled up a list of ideas on how to deal with someone you don't like. We all have people we don't necessarily like spending time with, don't we? I hope these tips help you free your mind from nightmarish people you have to deal with from time to time.

Have positive thoughts

This one's a hard one. I mean, right now, my mind is swirling with negative thoughts as I watch the two kids throw my Harry Potter books around. Hold on.





Okay. I've chased them to the TV and they're watching a movie. Ugh. Writing this article is going to be harder than I thought... Anywho. Experts say that changing your mindset about the person you are annoyed about, let's call him Joe, is a good way to deal with that certain person Joe. Change the way you perceive Joe and change the way you react to what he does. Be positive.

Draw your boundaries and stick to them

No one touches my Harry Potter books. I repeat, NO ONE. They're one of my most precious belongings. I can't live without my Harry Potter books, so no one touches them. Let Joe know that he is crossing the boundaries when he is doing something you don't tolerate. Be upfront about where you stand and make sure you don't get pushed over by Joe or you'll just be miserable.

And that goes over to my next point...

Be firm, if needed

If Joe doesn't listen, start with a gentle reminder about your boundaries. If he still doesn't listen, be a little more upfront about it. Just draw the line right there and tell him, "No." Communication is really important when dealing with Joe. Leaving him alone won't accomplish anything.

If that doesn't work...

Just avoid situations where you have to be with "that person"

This is probably easy for most of us. Well, for me, 'cause of familial obligations, I have to look after these hellish kids, but a lot of us CAN avoid the situations and places where Joe may be. If he's not going to listen, it's better not to mingle or be with him.

These are my tips for you. I hope they help you deal with your personal Joes. I guess I have to go look after those two kids and, y'know, have *shudder* positive thoughts about them. Well... Wish me luck!


-Barista Mia-

Image: tumblr (She's the Man) Read more »

White tops are one of the hardest things to dress up in. It looks too plain and simple to be allowed. I personally used my white top as something to wear underneath some of my more revealing tops. A while back, I had this one white shirt that I really had to wear because there was nothing to wear (we've all experienced this), but I couldn't seem to fit it on just jeans like almost every one of my other tops. With only jeans, my outfit looked so plain. So resorting to my best companion ever, the Internet, I searched for the answer to my white top problems. And sure enough, the loyal Internet gave me answers to dress myself up in a white top in a not-so-plain way. Yay! And now, a few years have passed and I will give to you, lovely readers of Le Teen Cafe, the wisdom that the Internet has provided me with: How to wear white tops.

Wear heals

Without heals, your outfit's going to look a little too boring, but you can spice it up with a nice pair of heels. Mind, the more noticeable your heals are, the better. A white top, nicely fitted jeans, and a pair of crazy heals. Perfect.

Decorate your look with a scarf

Do a little something to make your outfit look more fun. The best part about wearing a scarf is that you can get really creative with this stuff. And you don't have to worry about colors clashing 'cause white goes with literally anything.

Wear a jacket

Here, too, you can skip the worry about color clashes. Put on any jacket and tie your hair up in a tight, high ponytail. I don't know, but for me, whenever I go biker-chic like this, my confidence level just boosts up. Maybe it'll be like that for you too. Oh, and heals. Don't forget the heals when you're wearing a jacket and a high ponytail. This just looks so awesome altogether.

Wear colorful pants or a skirt

Again, no color clash worry! Wear a pink skirt, neon blue pants, leorpard prints, I don't know. You can do whatever you want with a white shirt. Seeing as the top half of your body is plain, why not go crazy on the bottom half of your body, eh?

Do something with your hair

You can do the most outrageous stuff with your hair and it'll look alright because your plain top is balancing it all. But if outrageous stuff isn't really your thing, you can always go for a low slung fishtail braid or something. Just keep your hair down low to make up for the white nothingness on your torso area.

Accessorize!!!

Wear rings, necklaces, everything! Go grab your accessories and put them on one by one until you have no more to put on! Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, but you can put on way more accessories with a plain top than with a festive top, so go all out with your precious fake (and not so fake, if you have any) jewelry!

A white top is really simple to dress up because it's just that, a white top. It doesn't clash with anything, it goes with everything, it's perfect. So be a little creative and play around with the things in and out of your closet. You'll be surprised with how many things you can do with that white top you thought you'd never wear.


-Barista Mia

Image: Maria Morri Read more »

 

I’ve had heaps of practice with being single. It’s not like I didn’t have a chance to get a boyfriend, but I never found it a practical way to spend my youth. I mean, I know I’m going to get married one day and I’ll spend the rest of my life with a husband, so I don’t want to spend my younger days caught up in some boy because I’ll have plenty of time for that later. Anyway, there are so many ways you can do to have fun MINUS a significant other and I know that from my eighteen years of experience.

Have a girl’s night out

Girl’s night outs are the best thing ever since I-don’t-even-know-what. You can go watch movies, musicals... You can go shopping, go on a trip, and have adventures. Just be careful not to end up somewhere sketchy with your girls.

Flirt

You don’t have the commitment of having to flirt with just one guy, le boyfriend. When you’re single, you can shamelessly flirt with all the guys you think are ka-yoot. Talk to guys, wink at guys, give guys “the look”. LOL. Have some fun!

Do something useful with your time

I know a lot of my friends have their homework forgotten on their beds because they have to be with their girlfriend/boyfriend. When you’re single, you can use your time to catch up with your homework and projects.

Hang out with your single friends

There’s something really fun about hanging out with fellow single people. I always have the most fun with them for some reason. Oh, and it’s always fun going in between couples and then laughing like crazy afterwards for splitting up their embrace.

As you can see, there are a whole heap of things you can do boyfriend/girlfriend-less. In fact, you can do almost EVERYTHING AND MORE than couples can do. Like, even for some couple-centric things like dances and stuff (note: I said "some" because save your lips up for your future love, alright?), you can just grab a guy friend and hang out with him for the day. No problem.


-Barista Mia-

Image: D. Sharon Pruitt Read more »

It's a few days after Christmas and most of the festivities are over. The extended family has gone back home, the Quality Streets are eaten, the family friends have gone off skiing, and the house is very quiet.

What can you do? Don't let the stalemate of boredom pull you in! You really don't want to spend your precious last week of holidays on Facebook all the time! So try to make the most of the Christmas break, and brush away any saddening thoughts you might be having.

• If all your friends are busy and can't meet up with you, try not to feel too disappointed or neglected. Loneliness is one of the emotions I most hate, but just keep in mind that you'll be seeing them soon, and use your time to focus on yourself.

• If a friend you're fond of is ignoring you online, you could either send them a message letting them know you miss them, or ignore them back, giving them some space. This takes strength, but it will be worth it if after a while the friendship takes up its rightful place in your life again.

• Go out to town! Almost anyone can do this as long as there is some sort of public transport service. If you're feeling really adventurous, take a bus or a train to a bigger, further-away town and make a day of it- go to the movies and have lunch. For last minute company choices... How about your brother or sister?

• If you've already been "Boxing Day Shopping" and don't need anything in town, a wander around the countryside in the fresh air might help clear your head if you've spent too much time indoors.

• I don't know about you, but in term time, I find myself constantly wanting to do things that I have no time for- read certain books, make cakes, watch entire seasons of favourite TV shows... Maybe now is the time! These have a good promise of keeping the boredom away once you get into them.

• For a feels journey, sit down with some crisps and watch your favourite film as of when you were 12 or 13. I did this a while ago, and woah, did I bawl!

• You'll probably be dreading the return of school. Prepare for this- don't let your heart sink when you look at the enormous pile of homework. It won't be that hard (well...), and it won't take you the rest of your free time, unless you don't get on with it. Start by just thinking about what you've got to do, so as to mentally prepare yourself; and then put a particular day aside for concentrating.

Above all, make sure you make the most of your holidays. They'll only last so long, and when they're over you'll miss them, so enjoy each day as fully as you can.


-Barista Sabita-

Images: Nash Long via Wikimedia, Barista Sabita Read more »

 

Social media is great. Social media is awesome. For some of us, social media is the best invention since the Internet, and it very well might be. However, there’s a slight problem: there are some evil characteristics of social media that are very hard to ignore (dun dun duuuuun). What are they, you ask? Well...

Evil #1: You see things that you don’t want to see

It’s not like you ask to see it, but someone retweets a graphic picture of something absolutely awful. Another person likes something on Facebook that ends up on your newsfeed and it’s, um, shone a little light on who that friend of yours is like behind the scenes. Social media makes you see weird and disgusting things on a daily basis whether you ask for it or not.

Evil #2: You get obsessed with social media

Social media has this evil power of sucking people’s minds and making them only concentrate on stalking people’s profiles on Facebook and catching up with the latest Justin Bieber gossip on Twitter with fellow Believers... I mean, who else here has a problem with checking his/her phone every five seconds for Facebook and/or Twitter, hm?

And most of all...

Evil #3: Social media is an evil procrastination tool

This is by far the worst side of social media. Being a procrastination tool. And an amazing one at that! It’s so easy to log onto your account and spend time on it for hours and hours, forgetting all of your other responsibilities like homework, projects, and so on. In fact, I’m pretty sure social media is the one that brought procrastination into human existence, that evil thing.

I have nothing against social media. In fact, I adore Twitter. But I think it’s a good thing to keep this evil side of social media (dun dun duuuuun) in mind as we go out our daily business on Facebook and such. (Mwahahahahaha.)

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody!


-Barista Mia-

Image: Ed Yourdon Read more »