My Wild Card

Happy Monday, ladies! I hope your work week started out with a happy hour, just as mine did. I don’t know about you, but a happy hour on a Monday equals wild times in the ‘burbs! And speaking of wild, part of the 30 for 30 challenge is deciding on your wild card piece. 

When it comes to a bachelorette party, the "wild card" is the bridesmaid who gets in a fight with the bouncer, makes out with some guy in the corner, and then goes home with the bartender. In the sense of this challenge, I interpret the "wild card" piece to be something that will provide additional inspirations from which to take during the 30 days –something in a bright color or an interesting pattern or something that incorporates a unique texture. After mulling over my closet the entire weekend, I still have a few “wild card” pieces that I need to narrow down to one. In no particular order, here are my options:

[Blue Patent Flats]

 

[Yellow Sateen Skirt]

 

[Olive Green Sequined Top]

Which one would you choose?

Check back on February 2 to learn how Day 1 of the challenge went!

To Shop or Not to Shop

OK, chickadees, it’s T-minus two days until the challenge begins. And here is the reality: starting Tuesday, I will be out of the stores for a month; and as far as retailers are concerned, it’s still the weekend for about five more hours. So the question is, “Should I take the afternoon and try to tackle my winter-to-spring-transition wish list or trust that I’ll survive the month ahead, consider the fact that I don’t have black flats an additional challenge all on its own, and see where my 30 (and only 30) items take me?” (Wow, that was a long question.)

I know what I want to do, but then I walk into my closet and am reminded that it’s full enough. …

 [Before … ?]

I want to call this shot the “Before” photo, but then I’m not sure what I am promising. Not only does this space need to be more organized, it also needs to be edited. All I can say is stay tuned! I am sure I will have much more insight into how to make my closet “After”-photo worthy very soon.

An Ode to My Black Leggings

Hola, chickadees! Yesterday, I told you all about how I am taking on the 30 for 30 challenge (view the post here) via Kendi Everyday , and today I spent the day preparing (read: freaking out) about my closet and its contents. 


In no particular order, here are the realizations I made:

• I need to do some laundry.
• I need to go to the dry cleaners.
• I need to spend some time with my black leggings. There is no way they can be a part of the 30 for 30 challenge because they are not versatile enough. In other words, I can not wear them as pants the way I want, because they would then only be useful on the weekends -- only 8 of the 30 days. (I never asked, but I am fairly confident that my office would frown upon me wearing black leggings as pants.)

[Cooper spends times with the black leggings, too.]

Nonetheless, I feel like I have pulled some great pieces -- some of which I forgot I owned -- and am looking forward to February 1*, when Day 1 of the challenge begins. 

*Editor's Note: I know what you're thinking. And no, I didn't pick the month of February to take the challenge because it only includes 28 days. (Although, the thought did cross my mind.) I will roll my challenge through March 2 to hit all 30 days.

Reviving This Blog ... in 30 Simple Steps

Hey, chickadees, remember me? I'm the gal who set out to blog about affordable fashion and my style aesthetic several months ago, posted about 15 times, and then fell off the face of the Earth.

Well, I'm back. And rather than tell you what I've been doing since then (hint: it starts with a 'w' and ends with 'orking'), I'll just start by begging you to continue visiting for the next 30 days. Because I have a plan. ... And it's a good one. I know this claim to actually be true, because I didn't come up with the plan myself -- Kendi did.

Who is Kendi, you ask? Kendi is a blogger I've been following (in the blogosphere way of "following," not in the creepy, restraining order way of "following"), and she created the 30 for 30 challenge via her blog, Kendi Everyday. When I came across this philosophy, I immediately thought it was the perfect way to rejoin and refocus my blog. (More to come on that subject!) 

[image source: kendieveryday.blogspot.com]

The 30 for 30 Challenge
In short, by taking the 30 for 30 challenge, I am committing to take 30 -- and only 30 -- items from my closet, then mix and match those pieces to create 30 outfits to wear in 30 consecutive days. 

And I can't shop for 30 days. ... Pause for dramatic effect.

And if it takes 30 days to form a habit, I hope that by the end of February I will have accomplished the following goals:

• Created 30 unique outfits
• Learned to appreciate my closet as a resource, not a place to overcrowd
• Avoided the stores for 30 days ... pause for another dramatic affect

So stay tuned, ladies. I hope to bring you some great content (and lots of laughs at my expense) as I stumble my way through this challenge. As Huck Finn once said, "Let our adventure begin!"*

*Editor's Note: I don't actually know if Huck Finn ever said this. It just seems like something he would have said, presumably to Jim on their raft as they floated down the Mississippi River.