31(squared) Recap

Well, 31 days and 28 outfits, and the month of March '14 is in the past.  My month of remixing my closet, and saving my shopping money to put towards a donation for Love146 is over, and I thought I'd just share a recap of the month's outfits along with a few of my observations along the way.

1. I've become a 'love it or hate it' personality when it comes to trends, but even with that black and white attitude, I need to include caveats to the rules.  i.e. "Leggings are not pants" (except on snow days and Thanksgiving).

2. I should have listened to my gut on whether or not to include certain items in the mix.  Like my burgundy cape/sweater thing.  It's comfy and cute, but I had the feeling that it wouldn't get worn very much because of its loose fit... and I was right.  Is it great for days when I just want a cozy layer?  Yes.  Can it be worn with a large number of other items in my closet (besides jeans and tee shirts)?  Not really.

3. (this one's courtesy of the hubby) My red skirt looks like a giant fruit roll-up.  I'm going to take that to mean that I look deliciously lovely in it. ;)

4.  I really, REALLY love dresses and skirts.  I have a closet full of the two (really.  I counted them when I was starting this challenge, and I have 25 of each... that's too much, even for a shopaholic like me!).  However, they only got occasional wear during this month, and it wasn't necessarily because of the weather.  Because of my full-time mommy/part-time retail life, a combination of jeans/flats/shirt/cardigan is my go-to for about 80% of my getting dressed.  Lesson learned?  I DON'T NEED ANY MORE DRESSES! (unless of course they're just too pretty to live without.)

5. Speaking of shopping, here's my little confession about this month:  I didn't last the whole time without shopping!  I did send the amount I had decided on for Love146 to them halfway through the month, but I also found a pair of Missoni for Target heels for $2 that had to come home with me, plus my JOYN TOMs that I finally get to wear, and a few pieces of jewelry on eBay.  I might have a shopping problem, so after this month I'm cutting my clothing budget down to $20 a month.  Like I said above, I don't NEED anything, so that should be enough to cover any gaps I need to fill.

 6. My husband is awesome.  No, he didn't jump onto the blog and write that about himself, either.  I really mean it.  The fact that he got me that ReImagine Love146 hoodie for my birthday just proves it.

7.  It is okay to put three prints into one outfit.  You might even get complimented by the girl at Jimmy John's for wearing them.

8.  I also had just a little bit of conviction over the course of the month.  Like I said, my closet is FULL, and so I want to be a lot more conscientious about what I purchase.  Also, it seems a little iffy for me to tell all you readers about all these amazing companies I find for the Fair Trade Friday feature on the blog (like that Starfish Project necklace in the photo on the R), and not be willing to actually spend my money on the products they offer.  So, I'm changing my shopping habits.  Fair Trade will be the first choice for my new clothing, thrifting my second, attempting to make it myself a third option, and then I'll re-evaluate whether I actually need that new item if none of those previous options work out.

Also, I think God likes to mess with my internet to drive a point home to my little human brain.  Specifically, I decided to go ahead and order some palazzo pants I had my eye on from eBay (this was after I had my conviction).  I had some extra money from my birthday, the pants were only $14, black and white print, super wide leg, and so I convinced myself to get them.  Even though I'd agreed to start my shopping choices with Fair Trade.  Even though they weren't.  Even though I don't need them.  But, when I put in my order, there was an error with processing my payment, and they were never purchased.  I didn't want to try the order again, in case I accidentally got two pairs, so I decided to find something else to order.  I found this top from Mata Traders instead, and it just arrived yesterday.  I'm so glad I got it, too!  It's even prettier in real life.  Which goes to show: God knows best (obviously!).

9. I talk a lot about all my clothes, and not enough about the amazing friends and family that I have the privilege of interacting with while wearing my clothes.  Whether it's the great friends that attended the clothing swap that brought 7 (I repeat, SEVEN) huge bags' worth of clothes to swap and donate to the local women's shelter thrift store, or the friends that give me handmade necklaces (and that fabulous houndstooth skirt), or the amazing family members that read and Like almost all of these little blog posts on Facebook, the man I married that knows what's important to me and gets me the perfect present, or the kids that decide that my outfits aren't complete without graham cracker crumbs and/or snot, I am so incredibly blessed.  The contents of my closet can't even compare to the love of all these people God has put in our little family's life.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find a tissue (can I use the 'there's something in my eye' excuse?), and I have to go wait to see my oldest kiddo's reaction to her first April Fool's prank.

Ah yes, the old "tissue paper across your doorway during naptime so you run into it" trick, perfect for a 4-year old!

See you in a few!