Etsy Goldmine

I love the idea behind Etsy. I mean, who wouldn't love all things handmade. One of the ultimate finds on there is Heart My Closet. One of my good friends turned me onto her and I ADORE all of her stuff.

I recently bought this Unique Galaxy Dress in Deep Red and couldn't have asked for a better dress. I have gotten SO many compliments on it. She gave very clear instructions for measurements and the dress came very promptly.

I would LOVE to see if she can make this dress from VB. I even want it in the teal!

Is it the fitted body and the length of the skirt that makes it so attractive? I don't know, but I LOVE it!!!

Ultimate Envelope System Loveliness!

There is so reason that living frugally can’t be practical AND cute. Don’t believe me? Check out my new wallet that is completely geared towards carrying cash for all my purchase. And yes, I had the money to buy in my budget. =)

You can see her etsy site here. I highly recommend her. She made additional envelopes for me and labeled them beautifully! I LOVE IT!!! Oh, and she has a blog called n' stitches designs too!!

She has so many cute things, you have to check it out!!

Oh, and just in case anyone is worried, “Baby” is my dogs name. hehe

The Ashley

Okay this is a picture of a look that totally calls to me! This is Ashley Greene preparing for her scenes on PanAm (Daily Mail article can be found here) As you read my blog, it’s pretty obvious that I love just about anything with a vintage vibe.

I have a skirt that my mom gave me that is black, but very similar to the one Ashley is wearing here, and I also have a very similar broche. Now it’s just a matter of getting a top and a necklace like that. In that vein, I would like the top like this one in a vibrant color like this red. This is from Victoria Secret for $29.50.

I also found this necklace and earrings on Amazon for $24.99.

Another necklace that also caught my eye was this one that I found for $19.99 (not including shipping). It might be a little too vintage for my purposes, but isn’t it gorgeous!

I am hoping I can really pull this look together!! I will take pictures if I am successful.

Nobody Said It Would Be Easy

After having the realization about how I was buying clothes that I didn't even like. I decided I don’t want to do that again! I mean, COME ON, seriously, what a waste!!

So, to help me with that I am re-reading Simple Isn’t Easy by Olivia Goldsmith and Amy Fine Collins. My sister gave me this book many years ago, which I have read several times to be honest, and then did nothing with the information. However, the desire to do something with it has been rearing its head for some time. Plus, the book is hilarious!

I am currently on the Dress Rehearsal of Thought I Liked It When I Tried It On, which starts with a quote from D.T. Suzuki, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities but in an expert’s mind there are few.” I think that’s a fancy way of saying, “less is more”.

If I am feeling brave I will take some pictures of the finished project.

Simple sure isn’t easy…

Purging and Practicality

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt

For the last several months as I have lost weight I have started a purging process with my clothes. If it doesn’t fit, it’s gone. Yep, I have been pretty ruthless. It has been pretty disturbing and annoying how much clothes I had accumulated, but even more disturbing than how much, was how little I liked what I had bought. No, not that I had changed my mind and decided I didn’t like it, but I didn’t like it to begin with. I am sure there is a self study of behavioral weirdness in there somewhere.

I think when I was heavy I just felt like I had to buy something, anything just to make myself feel better even if I didn’t really like it. I didn’t buy stuff all the time, but for things like the Feast or Holy Days I would want to buy something new and lovely, only to find myself having to settle for uggg. I will never forget having to shop at a plus size store before attending a WFW a couple of years ago and although the clothes were cute I felt terrible in them, but I bought like 6 things, just so I would have something new to wear. I couldn’t bear the idea of not having something “nice” to wear, even if I didn’t really even like the items. I remember telling the person with me, “I will never have to shop here again”, because I was determined to lose weight. And I did!

One of the things I have resolved to do to help me with that is get rid of all the clothes that don’t fit anymore, or that I just plain don’t like. I have done this slowly as the weight has come off. The idea is that I will have no clothes that I can not actually fit into and/or don’t really really like. This will help keep my honest about putting any weight back on and will keep me from being able to hide that from myself. I am a consummate head burier (aka Miss Ostrich). I am hoping this course of action and “giving no quarter” will help me keep the weight off.

Thankfully, I have been able to give away a majority of them, and ironically they look WAY better on my friends then they ever did on me. I have friends that have a natural proclivity for beings stylish and confident. Makes me so jealous. =)

You May Call Her Matilda

Yes, her name is Matilda. Isn’t she adorable?

The idea behind Matilda is that each pay period I get cash out for things like groceries, gas, and fun money, just to name a few. At the end of each pay period any extra cash I don’t use goes to Matilda. Matilda will hold onto my extra money in order to help me save up for my list of Must Haves. This will allow me to save for them one at a time, by order of necessity. What an incentive not to over spend!! I will start taking the Matilda money and by adding it to my $30 monthly clothing allowance….well-la…I can slowly buy the items on my list. It will also encourage me to buy more affordable items and get more bang for my buck.

By the way, Matilda says Hi!

Must Haves

In my efforts to become more practical in my clothing selections, I have started a checklist of “Must Haves” on the right side bar of this blog. I am sure it will grow right before our eyes. It’s a strong feeling I have. lol