Back to basics

I went for a simple, clean look today.  Neutral and subdued.

It felt so nice to put an outfit together using pieces other than my 30.  These shoes were part of the challenge, but this sweater and these pants have been tucked away for the past month.  The best part?  I bought these pants right before the 30 for 30, and they were uncomfortably tight at the time.  Now, they fit quite well – perhaps even a little loosely.  I’m excited to see what other items in my closet are also fitting better after a month!

This took little to no thought to put together, which was kind of nice after a month of creativity.  Don’t worry, I’ll be back to more exciting combos soon!

• Sweater, BCBG
• Trousers, Liz Claiborne
• Shoes, MaxStudio via TJ Maxx

God has blessed me by keeping me safe.

30!!!!!!!!!!

Whew!  Made it!  30 outfits in 28 days, using just 30 items.  It’s over.  I did it.

That being said, I have to warn you that outfit #30 is pretty lackluster, was thrown together at the last possible minute, and paired with extremely minimal hair and makeup.  I’d hoped to go out with an awesome final outfit, but I slept in as long as humanly possible this morning.  No food + minimal sleep + Oscar night + buckets of rain = an unusually comfortable bed on Monday morning.

The boots were a necessity this morning, I have to say, since I was pretty much wading every time I was outside.  I will say that I love the mustard and plum together.  One of my absolute favorite combos.

So, back to the end of the 30 for 30.  I’m so glad I participated.  Here’s why, in bullet form:

• It’s shown me that I have so much.  I have so much more than I need.  I was able to look (arguably) stylish using just 30 items from my closet, plus accessories.
• It’s taught me to be creative with accessories.  I’ve learned that I can change the look of an outfit with colorful jewelry, scarves, and tights.  Belts are even more essential to me now than they already were.  Here is an example of creative accessory use to punch up a basic dress.
• It’s forced me to wear things in new ways, and to try combinations I never would have otherwise.  Here and here are examples of pieces I wore as other pieces (dresses as tops, etc.), here is a color combination I probably would’ve shied away from otherwise, and here is some inventive layering.
• I am so excited to dive into my closet to see what’s been hiding in there for the past month.  I’ve seriously been daydreaming about my clothes.  I have a fun thing to go to this weekend, and today I was fantasizing about what I’m going to wear.

So there you have it!  Who knows what I’ll be wearing tomorrow.  What an exciting thought!

• Purple sweater, Gadzooks
• Cardigan, New York & Company via Gabriel Brothers
• Blouse, New York & Company
• Skirt, New York & Company
• Boots, Chinese Laundry

God has blessed me by giving me joy.

29 and holding…

These pictures are filled with sunlight.  It makes me think of the old hymn, “beautiful sunlight, heavenly sunlight, flooding my soul with glory divine…”

I wore my dress as a tunic, clever girl that I am.

Even though I can’t deny that I didn’t put much thought into this outfit, I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

I had a fantastic weekend.  I helped out at a 30 hour famine, and it was a huge blessing.  The spirit of God was moving, and kids were being changed.  I saw it.  I spent a lot of my time at the famine in a t-shirt and jeans, but this is what I wore to church yesterday morning.

• Dress, Libertine for Target
• Jeans, Gabriel Brothers
• Shoes, MaxStudio via TJ Maxx
• Belt, Gabriel Brothers
• Necklace, Gabriel Brothers

God has blessed me through the people He has put in my life.

#28

I have a different background for you today.

I kind of look like a giant next to our entryway closet door.

Super easy outfit – I think I’m running out of ideas!  I opted to cuff my pants today.  I guess I convinced myself it was spring, but when I stepped outside I realized it is still very much February.

• Sweater, Target
• Blazer, New York & Company via Gabriel Brothers
• Jeans, Old Navy, overdyed by me!
• Shoes, Forever XXI
• Belt, American Eagle

God has blessed me by taking care of even my smallest problems.

#27

Today’s outfit was accessorized with my inexplicable cough and weird-sounding voice.  I wonder if I’m coming down with something.

I so badly want these pants to work, because they are super high-waisted and wide-legged and feel very retro, but I feel a little disappointed each time I wear them.  They’re not terrible, they’re just not as awesome on me as I want them to be.

I wore a very springy scarf today.  I felt like I could use a little color.

• Top, Target
• Pants, Gabriel Brothers
• Blazer, New York & Company via Gabriel Brothers
• Shoes, Alfani
• Scarf, Wal*Mart

God has blessed me by giving me time to relax with my husband.

#26

I’ve been so lazy with my post titles during the 30 for 30.  Titles were my weakness throughout my creative writing program, too.  One day my mentor finally told me that “Untitled” is not really an acceptable title for everything you write, and she probably wouldn’t approve of the way I’ve been numbering my recent posts.  Maybe after this challenge is over, I’ll think harder about titles.  I’m expending too much creative energy right now just coming up with my remix outfits.

Obviously, this would have worked better with the black wedges that are also part of my 30, but I have been too lazy for anything other than flats this week.  But I’ll bet that nobody paid attention to my feet because they were too busy looking at my color combo.  I saw these things side-by-side last night and knew I had to wear them together.

Tomorrow is Friday!  Just thought we all might need a reminder.

• Sweater, Target
• Blouse, Kohl’s
• Skirt, thrifted, Goodwill
• Shoes, Forever XXI
• Necklace, Miley Cyrus (Wal*Mart), haha
• Belt, American Eagle

God has blessed me by giving me rest.

#25

Twenty-five!  This is crazy.  I might just make it after all (like Mary Tyler Moore*).

Lazy hair and makeup today.  I’ve had to drag myself out of bed recently, despite getting over seven hours of sleep each night.  I remember doing an experiment in high school to see how much sleep I really require.  I think it was something like nine hours and fifteen minutes to feel fully replenished.  Maybe I need to start hitting the sack at 9:00!

I want to sing the praises of this belt for a moment, if I may.  When I reached for it this morning, I thought, “Oh, belt.  You are so versatile and hardworking.”  This belt was bought at American Eagle on clearance for $6.99 a few years ago.  (I only remember that because the markdown tag is still on the inside!)  It’s braided leather, and I like to wear it both around my natural waist and as an actual functioning belt.  You know, one that goes through beltloops and holds up pants.  (Sometimes I have to remind myself of the original intent of belts, because I hardly ever wear them for their actual functional purposes.)  But anyway, I like this belt because it feels like me.  You know when you find a piece that just suits you?  This belt is one of those pieces for me.

• Top, New York & Company
• Cardigan, New York & Company via Gabriel Brothers
• Skirt, Gabriel Brothers
• Boots, Chinese Laundry
• Belt, American Eagle
• Necklace, Forever XXI

*Okay, so I just found out that you can watch episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore Show online for free.  So that may or may not be how I choose to spend some of my free time these next few days.

God has blessed me by giving me work to do!

#24

I finally found a way to remix this bright top.  Before this challenge, I usually wore it with a cardigan, but I thought outside the box this time and decided to layer under it instead of over.

I think this combination highlights the strengths of both blouses.  When I wear this black top on its own, the interesting collar just blends in with the rest of the top and it doesn’t create much visual interest.  And when I wear a cardigan with this multicolored top, I cover up 75% of its fun shape and color.  Even though this is a pretty basic outfit, I’m so pleased with how it turned out!  The only thing is that these pants are getting too big.  Seriously, guys.  I have tons of room in the thighs of these things.  Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing!  I don’t think I’ll stop wearing them yet, though, because I love the color, and because they’re super comfortable.

Flats again today, and probably at least once more this week.  Hair thrown into a ponytail.  I’ve been running around like crazy!

• Black top, New York & Company
• Confetti top, Forever XXI
• Trousers, New York & Company
• Flats, Forever XXI

God has blessed me by giving me peace.

#23

It was nearly impossible to get a decent picture today.  It’s been dark all day – rainy and cloudy and bleak.  The kind of day you wish you could just spend under the covers.  But since I couldn’t do that, I decided to dress as a ballerina!

I know I don’t really look like a ballerina, but this shade of pink, plus gray, just equals ballerina to me.  This was all very soft and comfortable, the next best thing to pajamas on such a dreary day.

• Dress, worn as blouse (covered by scarf), Libertine for Target
• Skirt, New York & Company
• Cardigan, New York & Company
• Scarf, Wal*Mart
• Shoes, Forever XXI

God has blessed me by being faithful!

#22

Outfit #22 already!  This challenge is flying by.

We’ve had a few warm days lately, but they seem to be at an end.  I was freezing while taking these pictures!  Tights were definitely necessary today.  I love this skirt, even though it rides up and does weird things because the lining is so slippery.  I think it will work no matter the season.  I can’t wait to style it for warmer weather!

Since this is what I wore to church, let me just say that church was awesome this morning.  So many people praising the Lord for the things He’s done in their lives.  I love when the Spirit fills the church and there are people popping up left and right to offer praises or lift up prayer requests.  And the sermon today was about how Jesus is Lord of ALL things, not just some things, and that we can trust Him with absolutely anything and everything that’s going on in our lives.  I needed to hear that today.  Did you?

• Blouse, Forever XXI
• Skirt, New York & Company
• Shoes, MaxStudio via TJ Maxx
• Necklace, Forever XXI