30 for 30...almost.

I admit defeat.  If any of you were wondering, I never finished my "30 for 30" posts.  Don't get me wrong--I finished the challenge:  only 30 items of clothing and shoes for 30 days.  I did it.  I promise (ask anyone around me...they know I wore the same exact clothes every day). Where I failed was actually documenting every single day's outfit in a photo.  I got to day 22.  Then we went on vacation.  Actually, then I was busy packing and then we went on vacation.  I kept telling myself that I was going to get the clothes out and take pictures of the outfits I wore on days 23-30.  But life happened.  We came home, I had mountains and mountains of laundry to do and sort and put away (some until next summer).  Then we decided to put our house up for sale and I've been obsessed with trying to keep the house clean every morning before I leave for work and then trying to make as little mess as possible every evening (most days I fail miserably).  Days 23-30 never got photographed.  At least I had good intentions, right?  That's life though....especially life for me right now.  I have amazing intentions:  I'm going to fix dinner every night, I'm going to cut coupons and spend as little as possible on frivolous things, I'm going to finish all my laundry, I'm going to re-decorate the house and make it more fashionable, I'm going to clear out my entire wardrobe and make myself more presentable.  And then life happens.  I cook dinner maybe one night out of the entire week and eat sandwiches the rest.  I cut coupons for a few things, take them to the grocery and then forget I had them.  I see a cute pair of shoes that are calling my name and talk myself into buying them.  I have piles of laundry waiting for me every single night, the decor in my house hasn't been changed in over 6 months and my wardrobe is nowhere near as fashionable as I want it.  Since when is life perfect?  I'm sure as heck not. :)  So, without further ado, days 21 and 22.

One more dose of imperfection before I go.....taking these pictures was sometimes a pain in the rear.  Because my daughter is an expert photobomber.  She somehow would know the exact second I was taking a picture because she would rush in and sneak into my photo before I even knew it.  Examples:

I'm telling y'all.  She could make a living out of photobombing. 

Thirty for Thirty {days 16-20}



Without further ado, days 16-20 of my Thirty for Thirty challenge.  

I think I've hit a stride with mixing and matching my outfits.  I was particularly proud of days 17 and 18.  For someone that isn't very fashion forward, I was impressed that I actually thought to put day 17 together....not only that, I wore it outside around other people.  It may not seem anything too wild, but for me, I was nervous about it.  I almost cried on day 20 because it was actually cool enough for me to wear a scarf and boots.  Fall, I thought you'd never come. 
Maybe sometime before November, I'll get the last 10 days of my challenge on here. 

By the way, are you a follower?  Reminder that when I reach 50 blog followers and 100 likes on my Facebook page, I'll be doing a unique, handmade giveaway!

Thirty for Thirty {days 11-15}

Holy busy schedule Batman.  Life has completely been turned upside down these last few weeks.  Marty and I have been an incredible opportunity to buy a house in our hometown of Elizabethtown.  In order to get this house, we have to sell ours....in 4 months.  Not an impossible task, but now is not the ideal time to sell a house (or so we've been told) and my worrying nature and anxiety has kicked into overdrive.  I have a TON of work to do to get our house ready to show and a new post on my Thirty for Thirty challenge has been the last thing on my mind.  But, in case you're interested, here's days 11-15. 

I kind of hit my stride after day 11.  It was much easier to mix and match my pieces with accessories.  I wish I could be like some of the people that I got my inspiration from and really go all out with my accessorizing and fashion choices.  But I'm not there.....yet.  This challenge has made me more fashion conscious and what I'm putting on my body every morning.  I kind of feel like an outfit isn't complete without some bracelets and a belt now.  Who knows if it'll continue after I'm allowed to explore the rest of my closet again.  By the way, who else is excited that it's FINALLY Fall?!??  Hello boots, scarves and goodbye ridiculously hot weather and summer clothes :)

Thirty for Thirty {days 6-10}

I know I'm a little behind, seeing that today has been the 13th day of my "30 for 30" challenge, but here's an update on days 6 through 10. 

Yikes.  Looks like I need to retire that white shirt for this next week.  It got A LOT of wear this week!!  It also looks like I need to start taking pictures with my real camera...iPhone pictures just aren't cutting the mustard anymore. 
Day 10 has probably been my favorite outfit so far.  I love yellow and black together.  On the flip side, day 9 was probably my least favorite.  That skirt just accentuated the pooch I'm trying so hard to get rid of and made me feel self-conscious the whole day.  Looks like it's time to retire it and put it with the other clothes I want to wear when I'm skinnier. 
I've done a MUCH better job this week of accessorizing and dressing up outfits with belts and jewelry.  Skinny belts are my favorite (if you couldn't tell).  I also think I've developed an addiction to costume jewelry.  Anytime I go shopping, it's the first thing I check (since I'm not allowed to buy new clothes, it's the next best thing!).  My favorite places to buy cheap jewelry have been Wal-Mart, Target, Claire's (when things don't look too teenage-y) and a new discovery--Body Central.  When I shopped there the other day, all their jewelry was $3.90 (yes, you read that right).  I loaded up on bracelets and necklaces.  It's amazing to me how quickly a piece of jewelry can change an outfit completely. 
This week has been a lot easier than the first....see you again on days 11-15!

Thirty for thirty {days 1-5}

It's my first "30 for 30" update post and let me tell you people.....this is hard.  It may not be hard for a girl with major fashion sense that can accessorize anything from an evening gown to a paper bag.....but I am not her.  Far from it, in fact.  I never realized how hard it would be to mix up shirts and pants without making it look like I'm wearing the same thing every single day.  Plus, it doesn't help that it's been in the mid-90s here all week and layering to change the looks of my outfits is not an option.  Hopefully, I'll get to wear some of the blazers and cardigans I picked out before the end of this month.  Otherwise, you're going to be seeing the same outfits every single week.  *sigh*  Well, here goes.  My first five days on my 30 for 30 challenge.  Take a look.  Critique.  Tell me what would look good with that green shirt so it doesn't look like I have nothing else to wear.  Really.  I need feedback.

Suggestions?  Ideas?  Accessories you wanna give away to help me jazz these outfits up? 

Thirty for Thirty

Yesterday, I told you that I would be starting a new project today.  You might have heard of it before on Pinterest or browsing some of your favorite blogs.  I got the idea from Lauren, over at From My Grey Desk and her sister Kate, over at The Small Things Blog and The Pretty Life Anonymous (my favorite).  Starting today, I'm embarking on the "30 for 30 challenge."  Sound familiar?  No?  Let me explain. 
You can only wear 30 items for 30 days.  It sounds easy.  Read any blog of someone who's done it, they'll tell you otherwise.  Everyone has their own rules.  Here's mine:

1.  Only wear 30 items for 30 whole days.
2.  Items include: shirts, jackets, sweaters, shoes, pants, skirts, dresses.
3.  Accessories like belts, jewelry, scarves and hose aren't included.
4.  Undergarments like camis and tank tops are not included (This is necessary when you have a one year old that likes to yank your shirt down in front of a crowd of people.  Wish that was a joke.)

There's the rules.  There's the challenge.  Here's my 30:

September 1st to September 30th, this is all I get (I didn't include today's outfit because I bummed around the house all day--but I'm making up for it by wearing two outfits tomorrow).  Why, you ask?  Because I mentioned the other day that I was scared to branch out in my fashion.  I wear the same things over and over again because it's safe.  This will make me become braver with my accessories and outfit choices.  If I only get to wear 30 items for an entire month, I'm going to have to mix things up and find new ways to wear the items in my closet.  Not only that, I'll learn how to get more wear out of the things I own.  I'm really bad about only putting a shirt with a pair of pants and not adding anything else.  I wear this shirt with these jeans ONLY.  I don't know how to mix and match.  This will teach me how to wear this shirt with these jeans AND this skirt AND these dress pants.  Win-win. 

I almost forgot!  My sister, Dayna, is doing this with me.  She'll be documenting her 30 days over at the Nelson County Extension blog.  She's a Family and Consumer Sciences agent for the University of Kentucky and she'll be looking at the project from a thrifty side....save money by not buying new clothes every time you get tired of what you have.  Mix it up with other things and keep more dough in your pocket. 

It's going to be a long, but exciting 30 days.  Wanna come along for the ride?  We're more than happy to have a few fashion pioneers along with us!