30 for 30: By the Numbers

Because I like numbers and I was curious how I wore my 30 pieces of clothes, I thought I'd tally up each item and see what I came up with.  The numbers were interesting (and telling) enough that I thought I'd share them here on the blog as well.

First, the tank tops.

White tank top, Old Navy: 6

Mustard yellow ruffled top, New York and Company: 4

White spaghetti strap top, Sedeca: 3

Blue and white blouse, Anthropologie: 3

Black sleeveless button down top, NY&C: 2

Navy spaghetti strap top, Sedeca: 1

Now, the long sleeves.

Heather button-down three quarter length, NY&C: 4

Blue three quarter length top, Forever 21: 3

Red long-sleeve top, Forever 21: 3

Black long-sleeve top, Forever 21: 2

Brown long-sleeve top, JCPenney's: 1

And the leggings.

Black tights, JCPenney's: 6

Jeggins, Walmart: 1

And dresses.

Blue dress, H&M: 2

Gray dress, NY&C: 2

And sweaters.  Lots of sweaters.

White cardigan, Old Navy: 6

Striped navy cardigan, NY&C: 4

Brown cardigan, Old Navy: 4

Red cardigan, NY&C: 3

Pink cardigan, NY&C: 2

Electric blue cardigan, NY&C: 2

Not so many skirts.

Magenta pencil skirt, NY&C: 2

Black and white printed skirt, thrifted: 1

Black and white plaid skirt, thrifted: 1

Black full skirt, Forever 21: 0

Lots of jeans.  Some pants.

Skinny jeans, American Eagle: 14

Black straight leg slacks, NY&C: 5

Khaki pants, JCPenney's: 1

Plaid pants, Kohl's: 1

Black pants, JCPenney's: 0

And shoes.

Silver Ballet flats, Payless: 10

Black Mary Janes, Payless: 8

Brown tall Emu boots, Macy's: 5

Brown flats, Macy's: 3

Red ballet flats, Payless: 2

Black boots, Aldo's: 1

Looking at the numbers you can tell a few things.  

1. There was cold weather when we did this challenge--I wore some sort of cardigan almost every day (including with long sleeve tops)
2. Ditto for tights.  I wore tights every day I wore a skirt except for one.
3. I had way too many pants and skirts available and not enough tops.
4. I tend to gravitate towards the same shoes.
5. I need to donate my brown long sleeve shirt.  I only wore it once and did not like how I felt in it.
6. I'm glad this challenge is over!

And speaking of numbers, please vote in this month's BBC poll on the right hand side of my blog.  The winner will be announced at the end of our BBC book discussion next week on Friday!

Happy Saturday, friends!

30 for 30: Final Days and Friday Night Date Night

The day has finally come!  I can put away my 30 for 30 clothes for a while because I get the rest of my closet back.   Here are the final three outfits of the challenge:

Day 28

When I shared the details of our Spanish date night, I was wearing this outfit:

Black and white print skirt, thrifted

White tank top, Sedeca

Pink cardigan, New York and Company

Black nylons, JCPenney's

Black Mary Janes, Payless Shoes
Tiered black necklace, Forever 21
Fossil watch, Macy's

Day 29

While swamped and overwhelmed with work, I was able to carve out a little time to update some of my 130 Before I'm Thirty goals.  Here's what I was wearing:

Black trousers, NY&C

White tank top, Old Navy

Red cardigan, NY&C

Red ballet flats, Payless Shoes
Ashes on my forehead, courtesy of Ash Wednesday Mass

Day 30

Yesterday when I shared this yummy recipe, I wore this as my final outfit:

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Navy three quarter length shirt, Forever 21

Navy striped cardigan, NY&C

Brown Emu boots, Macy's

What I've learned:

• Accessories are your friend.  They are often much cheaper than buying new clothes and can elevate a ho-hum outfit into something great!
• I need a new purse.  I have been using the same purse off and on for over a year now (and the rest of my purses in my rotation are over two years old) and I'm ready for something new--preferably one I can tie some of my vintage scarfs onto for an added pop of color!
• I really didn't need that many skirts and pants.  There was even one black skirt that never even made it out of my closet.  If and when I do this challenge again, I will include way more tops and cardigans than skirts!
• Don't do this challenge in February and March in St. Louis.  The weather is just too unpredictable.  For example, the night of our Oscar Watch party it was 60 degrees and we were under a tornado watch.  A few days later, the temperature was back down to the 30s.  When your wardrobe is limited, sudden fluctuations in temperature are not appreciated!
• I have way more clothes than I thought I did before the challenge!  This really opened my eyes to how many different combinations of clothes you can create with just a few items, let alone a whole closet!
• I don't need to buy new clothes, just new accessories.  I thought with the shopping ban, I would want to buy lots and lots of new clothes once it was over.  I do want to buy some things, but they mostly consist of accessories and a new purse!
• Doing this with friends helps a lot!  We could commiserate together when we were feeling uninspired and it was a great motivator knowing other people were counting on you.
• Now that this challenge is over, it means Ashlee is moving. Today.  I am happy for her and Justin and know they will have a gorgeous new apartment but I will miss them terribly!
• I need a new camera. Period.

Now, just because I have my wardrobe back doesn't mean I'm not playing along with {av} and her Friday's Fancies.  I have really come to look forward to some guilt free shopping each week where my only limitation for coming up with an outfit is my imagination!

 Here's what I would wear tonight for a much needed date night with J at one of our favorite sushi restaurants:

Date night by ktrefinishingschool featuring kate spade handbags

Cap sleeve top, 65 GBP
Leather jacket, $855
Victoria beckham jeans, $329
Shoes, 140 GBP
Kate spade handbag, $125
Wet Seal earring, $8

A gray and yellow cap sleeve top for a little Eastern flair
A pair of charcoal skinny jeans, cuffed at the bottom for some contrast
A pair of yellow high heels for a little color (and height since I'm 5'2")
A black and white newspaper clutch for holding the important things, like my phone, sunglasses and lip gloss
An edgy white jacket, since the weather here is still unpredictable (high of 38 yesterday)
A pair of gray feather-y earrings for some glamour and sophistication

What are your weekend plans, friends?

30 for 30: Week Three

Finally, here are this week's 30 for 30 outfits.  Because I was a day late posting them, you get two extra outfits this week (Sunday and Monday or Days 26 and 27 respectively)!

Day 20
I shared the recipe for lemon-scented olive oil muffins that I made for brunch the previous day.  They taste like really dense lemon cake and are perfect for brunch!

Red long sleeve shirt, Forever 21
Dark grey dress, New York & Company
Black tights, JCPenney's
Black Mary Janes, Payless

Day 21
In a sharing mood, I posted the recipes and few photos I had taken of the jalapeno cornbread I made for the Oscar Watch party I attended on Sunday evening and we celebrated J's birthday!

Brown three quarter length button down, NY&C
Plaid pants, JCPenney's
Black Mary Jane's, Payless

Day 22
While I was reminiscing about Woods' first birthday and my horse Pal's sixteenth, I was wearing the following:

Blue dress, H&M
Navy striped cardigan, NY&C
Blue leggings, Walmart
Silver ballet shoes, Payless Shoes

Day 23
When I shared J's birthday present and our St. Patrick's Day table setting, I was wearing this bright skirt for a second time during the challenge!

Magenta pencil skirt, H&M

Sleeveless black button down, NY&C

White cardigan, Old Navy

Black tights, JCPenney's

Black Mary Janes, Payless Shoes

Day 24

On Friday, when I wished I was wearing this for Girl's Night with my 30 for 30 girls, I was really wearing this:

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Cream tank, Old Navy
Brown cardigan, Old Navy
Brown Emu boots, Macy's
Brown and khaki 3 tiered necklace, gift from Ashlee

Day 25
I wore lots of blue on Saturday in honor of our alma mater, Creighton, whose basketball team were playing in St. Louis' Arch Madness Tournament.  We didn't go down to the game, but instead watched it from the comfort of our home with a cold beer.  Sadly, the Jays lost!

Skinny jeans, American Eagle
White tank, Sedeca
Navy tank, Sedeca
Electric blue cardigan, NY&C
Silver ballet flats, Payless

Day 26
On Sunday, I took some time off and finished Sense and Sensibility before watching some great Sunday night programming: Big Love and Chopped All-stars.

Skinny jeans, American Eagle
Navy three quarter shirt, Forever 21
White and navy blouse, Anthropologie
Brown Emu boots, Macy's

Day 27
I shared my progress on our BBC book and asked for suggestions for our next book in preparation for our next poll due on the blog later this week!

Black slacks, NY&C
Brown three quarter length button down, NY&C
Brown cardigan, Old Navy
Brown flats, Macy's

What I've learned:

• To say I am ready to wear my other clothes is an understatement.
• I tend to wear the same shoes week after week (Emus, black Mary Jane's, brown flats, silver flats)
• I still have two skirts I have yet to wear
• I've worn all of my tops so often that the thought of having two unworn pieces in my closet doesn't excite me as much as I thought it would
• I think J is getting tired of taking my picture every day--I need to get a better camera and a remote, like this girl
• I need more accessories.  Period.
• Day 27 might be one of my favorite outfits so far!

What do you think?  Which one is your favorite?

30 for 30: Week 2

As promised, here are the outfits from week 2 (plus some since I have moved reveal day to Sundays).  I am getting to the point in the challenge where I've worn every top at least once and most of my bottoms as well.  I will be really glad when this challenge is over.

Day 8

On the eighth day, where I shared pictures and details from our Fondue Party, I was wearing this bright little outfit.

Black and white checkered skirt, thrifted

Black button down blouse, New York and Company

Pink cardigan, NY&C

Black nylons, JCPenney's

Knee high black boots, Aldo's

Day 9

When I was losing my cool and having technical problems with photos on the blog, I was comfortable wearing the following:

Black slacks, NY&C

White tank top, Old Navy

Red cardigan, NY&C

Black tiered necklace, NY&C

Brown glasses, Guess

Red flats, Payless

Day 10

In which I learned to roast a chicken and I share my breakfast eating habits for the week.

Straight leg or skinny jeans, American Eagle

Blouse, Anthropologie

White cardigan, Old Navy

Silver flats, Payless

Woods

Day 11

I wore sweats most of the day while I did laundry and baked these muffins.  I changed into real clothes around 4:00 pm because we had friends over that night for games.

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Blue three quarter length shirt, Forever 21

White cardigan, Old Navy

Silver flats, Payless

Day 12

Another sweats type of day until I went to the grocery store and made this delicious homemade pasta.

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Red long sleeve shirt, Forever 21

Grey wrap, gift from a wedding

Silver flats, Payless

Day 13

While I shared these weekend teasers, I was wearing this cute little outfit (one of my favorites thus far!)

Magenta skirt, NY&C

White tank, Old Navy

Brown cardigan, Old Navy

Brown flats, Macy's

Necklace, Anthropologie (gift)

Fossil Watch, Macy's

Brown glasses, Guess

Day 14

My new glasses came in, a few days earlier than they had originally quoted me.  I also shared 100 things that make my soul sing.

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Brown button down, NY&C

Brown Emu boots, Macy's

Fossil watch, Macy's

Brown pear shaped necklaces, Macy's  (I wore them on our wedding day!)

Black glasses, Ted Baker

Day 15

In which I shared memories from our unforgettable trip to Springfield, IL to President Lincoln's Presidential Library and Museum.

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Mustard ruffled top, NY&C

Brown cardigan, Old Navy

Brown flats, Macy's

Brown tiered necklace, NY&C (gift)

Black glasses, Ted Baker

Day 16

In which I got some unexpected but much anticipated mail and shared photos of my new glasses.

Khaki pants, JCPenney's

Black long sleeve shirt, Forever 21

Blue blouse, Anthropologie

Fossil watch, Macy's

Black Mary Jane's, Payless

Day 17

This picture was out of focus, which I didn't realize until today when I went to post these photos.  No matter, on Friday I shared my dream outfit to wear to the Oscar Watch Party we are attending this evening--you know, what I'd be wearing if money was no object and I wasn't in the middle of this challenge!

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Red long sleeve shirt, Forever 21

White cardigan, Old Navy

Black Mary Jane's, Payless

Black necklace, Forever 21

Day 18

Another Saturday that I spent mostly in sweats until we went to dinner at Schlafly Bottleworks to celebrate J's birthday (it's on Tuesday but with a big bar exam related test next Saturday, we celebrated early since he will likely be studying on his actual birthday--boo!)

Denim leggings, Walmart (not pictured)--I couldn't bring myself to call them jeggings seeing as I got them from the Mart!

White tank, Old Navy

Red cardigan, NY&C

Silver flats, Payless

Day 19

I woke up early this morning to make lemon scented olive oil muffins for a brunch we were attending (pictures and details to follow) and have plans to make jalapeno-cheddar cornbread muffins (ditto for photos and details) for our Oscar party this evening.  

I'm not sure about this outfit, I sort of feel like a bumble bee but it works I guess.

Skinny jeans, American Eagle

Black long sleeve shirt, Forever 21

Mustard yellow ruffled top, NY&C

Silver flats, Payless

Quick Observations:

• I did better accessorizing this week than I have previously.  
• I found some jewelry I forgot I owned, which is always a bonus.
• I am noticing a trend on the weekends where I don't get dressed until late afternoon.  Not going to lie, I sort of love this!
• I probably could have included shoes in my 30 items (especially if nylons and leggings weren't included) since I wore the same silver pairs of shoes a lot this week.
• I probably could have included fewer skirts and pants than I did, especially since there are still a few in my closet I have yet to wear.  Right about now, I would love to have a few more tops or cardigans in my 30 for 30 rotation!

So there you have it, another week (plus a few days) of the challenge.  If you made it through this lengthy post, my hat is off to you!  As for me, I am off to go make some cornbread...

New Glasses and about that 30 for 30 Challenge

I picked up my new glasses on Tuesday afternoon and so far I am loving them!  Not only can I see better but they are a nice break from my other glasses, which I had for over two years.

They are Ted Baker frames and have the cutest case ever.

See.  I think the little splash of color totally makes the whole thing!

You may have noticed I haven't posted this week's 30 for 30 challenge post yet.  Like this girl, I have decided to post them on Sundays from now on.   Of course, I decided this after Sunday had past.  While I get on schedule, it means this week's post will contain more images than usual and it will have a few pictures with me in my new glasses!

Do you wear glasses? Contacts? Or do you have 20-20 vision?  I'm curious!

30 for 30 Challenge: First Update

My first 30 for 30 update is finally here, which happens to coincide with my 200th post.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate 200 posts on this ole blog than by sharing with you what I've been wearing lately when I'm sharing my adventures with you.

Day 1

The first day, when I was doing laundry and forgot a bag of clothing at the laundry mat, I was wearing this little number.

Dress, H&M

Sweater, Old Navy

Blue ribbon, borrowed from Anthropologie top

Black nylons (not pictured), JCPenney's

Silver dangle earrings, Forever 21

Black Mary Jane shoes, Payless Shoes

Day 2

The second day, when I unveiled my latest endeavor, The BBC, I wore the following:

Blue slacks, New York and Company

Mustard yellow ruffle top, NY&C

Striped navy cardigan, NY&C

Silver ballet flats, Payless Shoes

Black pearl stud earrings, boutique in Hawaii

Day 3
On Friday, which are casual in our office hence the jeans, I shared the Blizzard Pumpkin Bread Pudding I'd made earlier that week and what brought me joy. 

Jeans, American Eagle
White top, Old Navy
Electric blue cardigan, NY&C
Blue ribbon (tied as a belt), Anthropologie
Silver ballet flats, Payless Shoes

Day 4
On Saturday, I ran errands and took my Little to her violin concert before J and I spent a night in making chicken enchiladas and watching Team America.

Jeans, American Eagle
White tank, Sedeca
Brown long sleeve shirt, JCPenney's
Brown tall boots, Macy's

Day 5
On Sunday, J and I celebrated Valentine's Day a day early and spent the day together before having Ashlee and JY over for dinner.  The weather was so lovely, we took the photo outside when we returned from our trip to Lafayette Square!

Jeans, American Eagle
Mustard yellow ruffled top, NY&C
White cardigan, Old Navy
Silver ballet flats, Payless Shoes

Day 6
On Monday I shared our Friday night menu and the recipe to make restaurant quality Miso soup at home.  We had lobster ravioli in a cream sauce and steamed artichokes for dinner before watching A Civil Action as part of J's course on legal ethics and film.

Grey dress, NY&C
Striped navy cardigan, NY&C
Black nylons, JCPenney's
Black Mary Janes, Payless Shoes
Red peacoat, thrifted

Day 7
On Tuesday I shared the BBC members and the finalists for this month's book as well as some flattering pictures of Woods (for once!).

Heather button down top, NY&C
Blue slacks, NY&C
Three tiered necklace, gift from Ashlee
Brown flats, Macy's

What I've learned so far:

• I don't own nearly enough accessories.  I am beginning to see that just a few well placed accessories can really make an outfit!  Some new accessories will be my first purchases after the shopping ban is over.
• I really want and could use a skinny brown belt. 
• I hadn't worn earrings in a long time before this challenge and am glad they didn't close up!
• So far, picking out clothes in the morning has been easier even though I have less options to work with
• I've cleared out one side of my closet and hung only my 30 items there so I wouldn't be tempted to wear anything else or look at my other clothes longingly.  So far so good!

So there you have it, my 30 for 30 challenge so far.

Be sure to check out Clever Betty's and Finely Young's posts for more 30 for 30 goodness!

30 for 30 Challenges: The Clothes

After doing laundry with this fine lady last night (during which time I left a bag of laundry and had to go back at 10:30 pm to retrieve it) I finalized the only clothes I will be wearing over the next 30 days with the exception of pajamas, underwear and the like!

Want to take a peek?

Pants

From left to right:  JCPenney's, American Eagle (one of the few places where the length of jeans actually fit me properly), Kohl's, JCPenney's, New York & Co.

Skirts

 

From left to right: thrifted, NY&C, thrifted, Forever 21

Cardigans

From left to right: Old Navy, NY&C, NY&C, NY&C, Old Navy, NY&C--can you see a pattern here?

Dresses

From left to right: H&M and NY&C

Leggings

From left: JcPenney's and Walmart (whomp whomp--it's my only article of clothing I have bought from Walmart and was part of this last minute Halloween costume)

Long sleeve shirts

From left to right: Forever 21, Forever 21, NY&C, unknown (gift from my mom), Forever 21

Camisoles

 From left to right: Old Navy, Sidecca (store in Arcadia Mall), NY&C, Sidecca, Anthropologie, NY&C

I've noticed a few trends worth discussing.

One, I do the majority of my shopping at NY&C, Old Navy and Forever 21 and should probably buy stock in these companies.

Two, until this past weekend, I haven't bought dress pants since college when a Kohl's and JCPenney's were right down the street from my job, which made it easy to find dress pants when I needed them.

Three, I own a lot of cardigans--there were four or five that didn't make the cut!

Four, I own something from Walmart.  I had forgotten that this purchase had occurred.

Five, Woods enjoyed the photo shot just as much, if not more, than I did!

 

Day two, here I come!

Update: I am linking this to tickled.'s Did I Do That {Thursday} since I left a load of laundry at the laundry mat and didn't realize it for hours later!  Oops!

30 for 30 Challenge

As I mentioned in this post, Clever Betty, Finely Young and I are going to be completing a 30 for 30 fashion challenge together.  Our challenge will look a bit different than others but the essence of the challenge will remain the same.

For example, shoes will not be included in the challenge as they have been in others.  This is out of necessity in St. Louis due to winter weather where one day you might be tempted to wear sandals due to the fifty degree weather (expected on Sunday and Monday just in time for V-Day!) and others where you need to wear snow boots (or in my case Emus) because there is six inches of snow on the ground.

We won't be sharing the photos daily (although we will be taking them daily) but promise to share them every few days or so!

Other blog friends are more than welcome to join us.  If you'd like to link up, leave links to your posts in the comments and I will be sure to link back to your blog during my 30 for 30 posts as well!

I will be back later with pictures of my 30 items, but first I need to finish washing and drying them at the laundry mat tonight after work, so stay tuned!

Update:  I did wear clothing today that will be part of my 30 for 30 challenge (black tights, white cardigan and blue dress) because those were the few items that were actually clean!