Peace on Earth… and in Your Closet! B Y C A R R I E M C C O N K E Y, W W W. C A R R I E M FA S H I O N C O N S U LT I N G . C O M
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ANY OF US relish time outdoors in beautiful East Tennessee during the spring, summer, and fall. But when football season ends and the busy Christmas season hits, our attention turns to indoor activities. The cold winter months of the New Year seal the deal when it comes to hunkering down at home. There’s no better time to organize the interior of your house and no better project than tackling your closet! The Big Empty Empty your entire closet if you can. (Considering a closet redesign? Now is the time to act since you’ll have to take everything out anyway.) If you can’t remove the whole lot at once, take clothing groups out one at a time (for example, all jeans) and set up a staging area to examine them unhindered. Purge if it doesn’t fit, is dated, or if you think it’s boring or unimpressive when you see it. (Yes, even if you’ve never worn it.) Make a pile to donate or consign, but leave it overnight in case one of the pieces calls out to you that it’s not ready to leave quite yet. Clothes Zones Create zones in your closet that reflect your life activities. Make a “workout zone” for your gym wear, a “career zone” for work clothes, a “weekend zone” for social
duds and figure out why they haven’t made their debut. Did you buy the item at the end of the last season and haven’t had the chance to wear it yet? Is the piece a “goal” size that remains, ummm, a goal? Or did it get trapped between some other clothes and you simply forgot you had it? Revisit why you bought the garment, and don’t be afraid to let go if your heart is telling you it just isn’t going to work. As 2019 comes to a close and you’re preparing for new experiences in 2020, do the same in your closet. Sing Auld Lang Syne as you reminisce and purge, creating space to let new sartorial adventures unfold!
activities, etc., positioning the most-often used groupings in areas that are easiest to reach. When placing the items back in your closet, make sure every piece is visible. Those that are tucked under and behind things run the risk of being “out of sight, out of mind.” Playing Tag Clothing with tags takes up valuable real estate within your closet. Gather up those
Closets by McKenry
201 Center Park Drive, #1070 Knoxville, TN 37922 865.249.6382 2019 Closets Designer of the Year – Interior Design Society
Visit Knoxville Announces Partnership on Sunsphere Ornament to Benefit the Sunsphere
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K N O X V I L L E is proud to partner with Knoxville natives Guinn and Derek Boyce to present a first-ever, hand-crafted glass ornament of the Sunsphere. The Boyces commissioned the ornament from Joy to the World Collectibles, a Knoxville-based company. Each ornament is meticulously crafted by hand by European artisans. Ornaments will be available for purchase at the Knoxville Visitors Center, located at 301 S. Gay Street, and online at www.sunspherefund.com. Cost of the ornament is $55 plus tax. Five dollars from the purchase of each ornament will go to the Sunsphere Fund, a fund created by Visit Knoxville, with the city’s support, to help preserve and maintain this beloved city icon. Ornaments may be shipped for an additional fee, or a free pickup location may be selected. Only 500 Sunsphere ornaments will be available before Christmas. Additional ornaments will be available for purchase in January 2020. The idea for the ornament originated with Knoxville natives Guinn and Derek Boyce. The couple wanted to give back to the city they are proud to call home and reached out to Lisa Kelechava, President and Founder of Joy to the World Collectibles, along with the City of Knoxville and Visit Knoxville. The Sunsphere 10
EVERYTHING KNOXVILLE December 2019
can be achieved,” said Guinn Boyce. To learn more about Guinn and Derek Boyce and the story behind their passion for the Sunsphere, visit www.knoxsunfund.com.
is owned by the City of Knoxville and promoted like other attractions by Visit Knoxville, who manages the experience on the 4th floor Observation Deck. The City provided the Boyces with permission to use the image of the Sunsphere to create the ornament. “The importance of the place the Sunsphere holds in our hearts and in our city cannot be overstated,” said Kim Bumpas, President of Visit Knoxville. “Our partnership with the ornament project supports this iconic structure with a must-have for this holiday season and an heirloom for years to come.” “We hope to see this grow into something bigger and better than we can imagine, and by partnering with Visit Knoxville, we think that
About the Sunsphere Since 1982, the Sunsphere, the symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair, has served as an iconic feature of the Knoxville skyline. It’s the only structure of its kind in the world. After the World’s Fair, with brief exception, the Sunsphere was closed to the public. It reopened after renovation in 2007. In 2014, in an effort to provide an enhanced experience for visitors and locals, Visit Knoxville updated the 4th Floor Observation Deck with new graphics and information on Knoxville and the World’s Fair. Since that time, the Sunsphere has welcomed countless visitors from (rather appropriately) around the world. Designed by the architecture firm Community Tectonics as the theme structure for the 1982 World’s Fair, the Sunsphere is noted for its unique design and stands 266 feet high/26 stories tall. The 24-karat gold-dust filled, glass-paneled ball is 75 feet in diameter. Each pane of glass is made with 24-karat gold, giving the Sphere its reflective gold color. Each pane cost around $1,000 at the time of construction.