Seven bags!

Warning: I don't get all super serious on here often, but I'm about to wander into that territory tonight. Eeek.

I mentioned back in April that I had been trying to re-do my closet since January. I got 90% of the reorganizing done, and then one day last week, I looked in my closet and it was a complete disaster again. I've come to realize that it's not about the space that I have, it's about the stuff I accumulate. My closet took over my guest room, so on Monday I finally bagged up some stuff and immediately loaded it into my car and drove it away to donate:

It wound up being seven bags of clothes and shoes from the guest room alone. I imagine that when I go through my closet again, I'll have another couple of bags of clothes to give away.

I've been wanting to write about this since my (failed) 30x30 run last spring. I read What I Wore's new book over the weekend (review to come later!), and it really got me thinking about putting together a smaller, more thoughtful wardrobe.

I mean, what kind of person have I become? How can I complain about only being able to use thirty items of clothing for thirty days? Seriously? It wasn't that long ago when I was a child in a blue collar family who would have been amazed to have thirty pieces of clothing, total! How in the world did I come to own so much clothing that I could fill seven trash bags full of clothing that I don't really wear anymore?

I have a lot more I want to say about all this, but I need the weekend to really think about what I'm trying to say here.

8- 13/ 30: Catching up & catching the flu

While you Valentines Day lovers were eating sweets and enjoying kisses and sappy love songs, I may have consumed a metric ton of cough drops. The only gift I got on Valentines Day was the flu. Nonetheless, here are my 30x30 outfits from last week, as promised. I cannot wait for this blasted experiment to be over. I miss my other clothes!

8/30 of 30x30
date: 7 Feb 11 | occasion: vet appointment
jeans: Lands End Canvas | blouse: Strut | shoes: Target | cardigan: Halogen


9/30 of 30x30
date: 8 Feb 11 | occasion: Jimi's last day
dress: American Apparel SXSW flea market | tights: We Love Colors | shoes: Target


10/30 of 30x30
date: 9 Feb 11 | occasion: bumming around the house
jeans: Lands End Canvas | shirt: Walmart | undershirt (not part of 30x30): Old Navy | shoes: UO | belt (as necklace): gift from my mom from Thailand


11/30 of 30x30
date: 11 Feb 11 | occasion: dancing at Barbarella
jeans: Lands End Canvas | sweater: Mink Pink | cami (not part of 30x30): F21 | flats: Target | sunglasses: SoLa | belt: ???


12/30 of 30x30
date: 12 Feb 11 | occasion: Bradley birth class reunion
jeans: Lands End Canvas | wedges: Franco Sarto | blouse: estate sale | sunglasses: UO

13/30 of 30x30
date: 13 Feb 11 | occasion: church
skirt: Tommy Hilfiger | loafers: thifted, Savers | blouse: estate sale | belt: swap

My friend Grechen remarked that she has never seen me wear jeans. I remarked that with the cooler Texas temperatures, my 30x30 choices left a lot to be desired. I'll be so glad when it gets warmer and when 30x30 is done. I'll also be glad when I've kicked this flu's butt!

Despite my flu, I'll still be speaking tomorrow at Langford Market at 6 pm. Come join me! I promise not to cough on you.

7/30: Still going strong... sorta

No one hates cheaters more than me. When I was a kid, I hated it when other kids would use a Game Genie on their Nintendo to by-pass hard game levels. "Oh, you beat Super Mario Brothers 3 in one day? Hmph. It took me five because I did it without a Game Genie, cheater!"

That's why I confess the following with a tinge of regret: I cheated a teeny bit on my 30x30 Challenge. I had a shoot yesterday morning with Devi for a local publication, and rather than relegate myself to solely my 30x30 items I borrowed two dresses from Plain Ivey Jane (where we shot) and I also wore a new romper that I picked out from Lulus.
Trash ATX necklace | TIKKR watch (gift) | Marc Jacobs dress (borrowed for shoot)

Lulus romper (gift)

I figured that cheating would be okay because the Adored Austin blurb won't appear until April, and I had to dress like it was spring (and not insanely cold like it is now). Frankly, I don't have a lot of super photogenic, spring-like clothes in my 30x30 mix.

I did, however, don another 30x30 ensemble there and for the remainder of the day:

7/30 of 30x30
date: 10 Feb 11 | occasion: 2nd Street
dress: thrifted, Buffalo Exchange | blouse: Express | shoes: Urban Outfitters | tights: Target

In fact, although I missed taking photos on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I still wore 30x30 outfits. I really want this project to be done, so I'm going to photograph them tomorrow so I'm caught up.

So far, I'm not loving this challenge. I'm a doofus and didn't think out complete outfits in my head. I just sort of haphazardly chose items. Secondly, I really, really want to amp up my style. These 30x30 outfits are the best of my "meh" game.

But don't worry. I won't quit. I just wish I had a Wardrobe Geenie to help me cheat a little.

[Lulus.com is an Adored Austin partner]

6/30: skirt over dress

When choosing my items for 30x30, I intentionally chose this dress because I knew I could easily use tuck the bottom part and use the top half as a shirt with a different skirt.



6/30 of 30x30
date: 5 Feb 11 | occasion: church
dress: Langford Market at Le Garage Sale | skirt: Nordstrom Rack | shoes: thrifted (Savers) | belt: thrifted (Savers) | tights: We Love Colors | scarf: American Apparel | clutch: LV
I know that this blog is usually all about "affordable fashion" and admittedly this Louis Vuiton purse was not a find from Savers. It was a college graduation gift from my mom and her best friend, and over the years it's become quite dear to me. However, this little clutch has been through the ringer this week. When Jimi first got sick, I had to take one of his #2's to the vet for a diagnosis. I was in a hurry to get there, so I scooped the turd into a sandwich bag and chucked the bag into my dear little clutch, thus making it smell not so great. Then yesterday, Jude sprung a pee leak after church and it went all over Chris and all over the bag. I swear, this bag is a magnet for grossness. It just needs to be puked on and then it can claim that it's been baptized in the complete trifecta of human waste. I wonder who the barf supplier will be? Jimi, June, or Jude?

5/30: ketchup and mustard

Hi, there. I don't usually post on Sundays (I try to do my Sunday's completely unplugged from the internet) but I've been up most of the morning, in a Google frenzy. I'm not 100% sure if I'll be able to post yesterday's outfit tomorrow, so here it is:


5/30 of 30x30
date: 4 Feb 11 | occasion: staying home with Jimi
dress: thrifted (Savers) | cardigan: Halogen |
belt: thrifted (Savers) | tights: We Love Colors | shoes: Target | ring: Sola
Yesterday June got into my shoe picture, so I wanted Jimi to get in on the action, too. If you've been following his saga on Twitter, you know that he's been quite ill. He's been to the vet three times in the last two weeks. He has been steadily losing weight but the mystery is that he's eating and going to the bathroom just fine. For the last week or so, he just hasn't been himself. He's been laying on a pillow, all sorts of pathetic. And this is a dog once deemed the hummingbird of dogs due to all his energy!

I snapped this photo last night, right before he took a turn for the worse. His legs have stopped working, and it's utterly heart wrenching to watch him lunge his thin little body around, trying to move without the use of his legs. We'll go back to the vet tomorrow, but other than giving him pain medicine and carrying him everywhere, there's not much we can do other than to make sure he's comfortable. Both Chris and I are really sad. And gosh, I've probably made you sad now, too. So, um, here's a picture that will make you smile. This is Jimi when he was a baby. I took this on Valentine's Day in 2005, a couple days after we got him:Jimi is only six years old and I believe he could still have a lot of life left in him! Here's to hoping he pulls through so I can take more ridiculous photos of him.

4/30: Date night in

Last night was Fashion Freakout 4 at the Mohawk, but Chris and I decided to be the old people we have been denying we are, and we stayed in and got Inception from Red Box to watch.

4/30 of 30x30
date: 4 Feb 11 | occasion: celebrating with friends
cardigan, skirt, & tee: American Apparel | lace tank: Splurge via Plain Ivey Jane | wedges: Franco Sarto via Nordstrom Rack | tights: Target
I'm a day ahead of myself now because yesterday (Friday) Chris' office was closed, so he enjoyed a snow day at home with me and Jude. But because of this, all day I thought it was Saturday. I don't know if I'll ever recover! Already I am one of those highly annoying people who regularly ask what day it is. People usually tell me the date so I have to re-ask, "No, what is the day of the week today?" Just when I hadn't asked what day it was in at least a week, now I'm all discombobulated!

Oh, well. I suppose it could be worse. This could all be a dream inside a dream inside a dream...

3/30: snOwMG

Fact: this time last year, the high in Austin was 80º, so please pardon me as I am aghast at today's high only being 36º. Thirty-six?! Fact: that is only two four degrees warmer than freezing. There is snow here in Texas. Hell may have frozen over. I want to say "Not cool, Mother Nature, not cool" but I can't. Why? Well, because it is extremely cool. Almost freezing to be exact.

All that to say this: I regret not putting a pair of boots in my 30x30. Yesterday I opted to wear as many layers as possible.


3/30 of 30x30
date: 3 Feb 11 | occasion: lunch w/ Grechen & Cory, dessert/ meeting
leggings: trouvé | shirt: Express | sweater: Mink Pink |
bow headband: Lulu | shoes: Urban Outfitters | vintage frog necklace: Style Station

Not pictured? The shirt under my shirt and the Underarmonr leggings underneath my leggings ("Yo, dawg, I heard you like leggings so I put some leggings under your leggings so you can stay warm while you stay warm!").

Also, big ups to Homerun Ballerina for the photo inspiration and high fives to Picnik.com for making this possible. One day soon it will warm up and I can snap photos outside again. One day...

Comment of the Day: "The bow headband is kind of like a mullet in a good way! Business in the front...party in the back!" -Angela of Fashionably Learning

2/30: Style Chain- Chambray shirt, Black skirt

Whoa! I haven't done a style chain in a while (since last July, actually)! I saw this outfit on LizzyPunch yesterday who saw a similar one on Fashion Me, and realized that I, too, had a chambray shirt and black skirt in my 30x30 fodder and could do my own take on it. This makes me the third link in this style chain:


2/30 of 30x30
date: 2 Feb 11 | occasion: vet visit, city group
shirt: trouvé | skirt: F21 | heels: Isaac Mizrahi target |
belt: Savers | tie: sash from this DIY dress | tights: Target
I hate my indoor photos, by the way. I am still wait-listed on the photography class I've signed up for, but I'm hoping that once I get in, they'll be able to show me how to take beautiful indoor photos. I'm sure it's all about lighting, and I'm okay with turning our guest room into a mini-studio. Since I'm now a spoiled Texas summer princess, there ain't no way I'm going outside in the below freezing weather to snap my outfit pictures. By the time I set up the tripod and figure out how to focus on myself, I'd be a popsicle. Ladies with photographer husbands and boyfriends, in the winter, be thankful you're not a tripod/ self-timer lady!

1/30: long time no see

Oh, hello, studded blazer. I've missed you. Remember when you injured me? That's okay. I still love you, and I'm excited about the month we're going to spend together. You're going to kick off my 30x30 experiment, mmmkay?


1/30 of 30x30
date: 1 Feb 11 | occasion: Jude's check-up
blazer: DIY | blouse: vintage via Savers | jeans: Lands' End Canvas | loafers: thrifted via Savers
By the way, I'm only a few Google girl friends away from 1000. This is absolutely crazy to me because I never expected anyone other than my aunt (who happens to be my biggest fan-- everyone say "Hi, Aunt Wanda!") to read this. I want to do something funny to celebrate. Maybe I'll eat 1000 eggs. Or jelly beans. Or something. Any suggestions?

30x30 c/o Adored Austin

I gave in. After chickening out the last two times, I'm finally doing Kendi's 30x30 challenge with Katy and Erin and the whole rest of the internet (complete list of 800+ remixers here). Who knew there were so many lady bloggers? Wowzers!

I've chosen the 30 items I'm going to be wearing for the next 30 days, and I purposely chose not to include anything I got for free or as part as my partnerships on Adored Austin. As I've said, the gifts I have received over the last year and a half from my partners are clothing items, shoes, and accessories that I have chosen myself and fit very well into my budget and aesthetic. So, truthfully, I'll be missing most of those items over the next 30 days (especially my Lulus dresses, ThreadSence shoes, TIKKR watch, Wanted boots, and Lands' End Canvas sweater!). I've given my partners the option to take this month off from Adored Austin advertising (since I won't be providing as much exposure as I usually do) and if I receive any gifts in the next 30 days, I promise to not wear them until the month is over.

Why am I making this hard on myself? Well, three reasons:
1. I recognize that a lot of bloggers get a lot of free stuff, and I have been the blessed recipient of many courtesy items since my blog's inception, however, most of the 800 bloggers participating in this project are not bloggers who have "sponsors". Therefore, to be a true part of the 30x30 community, I'm only using things that I've purchased myself. Plus I think that every blogger who is sponsored should take some breaks from all the constant c/o-ing-- myself included.
2. When I get gifts or new things, I love wearing them immediately and often. This has meant that some of my older clothes get ignored. Not incorporating gift items makes me use more of my thrifted treasures and super sale finds.
3. The biggest reason is this, though: It's important to me that I show my regular Adored Austin readers that all the items I have received from my partners are things that I do use regularly and will be sorely missed. I'm not a corporate shill. I'm an avid customer!

Thoughts?

Anyway, that was a lot of text, so here's a very long photo showcasing my 30x30 picks:
[links point to how I wore it before]
Jackets & sweaters: thrifted beaded jacket (Savers) | black double breasted cardigan (American Apparel outlet) | DIY refashioned studded blazer (Savers) | yellow Halogen cardigan (Nordstrom Rack) | Mink Pink leopard cardigan (Shopbop).
Dresses: navy American Apparel dress (SXSW flea market) | basic black cotton thrifted dress (Buffalo Exchange) | thrifted lace dress (Buffalo Exchange) | floral mock skirt frock (Langford Market/ Le Garage Sale).
Shirts: vintage cream blouse (Savers 50% off day) | gray tee (Walmart) | chambray button down (Nordstrom) | white deep-v tee (American Apparel) | white button down (Strut, new, never blogged before) | dotted, ruffled button down (estate sale) | black rayon button down (Express, 10 years ago!) | peach lace tank (Plain Ivey Jane, new, never blogged before).
Pants: skinny jeans (Lands End Canvas) | leather/ cotton leggings (Nordstrom).
Skirts: green crinkle skirt (Nordstrom) | red pencil skirt (Tommy Hilfiger) | grey athletic skirt (American Apparel) | black pocket skirt (American Apparel) | black sequined skirt (Kenar via Marshalls, new, never blogged before) | black tutu (Forever 21)
Shoes: leopard flats (Target) | black heeled mary janes (Target) | black canvas oxfords (Urban Outfitters) | thrifted loafers (Savers) | nude wedges (Nordstrom Rack).

Y'all, I'm nervous! And I miss some of my other clothes already and it's only been ONE DAY! Thank goodness I have 800 other women to find encouragement from!