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Hi there!  I have decided to move to my own hosted site.  Please hop on over and keep following along with me on my journey.  You can find me here.  See you when you get there!

Body Issues

I finally broke down.  I purchased a couple of new items for my summer capsule.  BUT, it was a deliberate breakdown.  Let me tell you what happened.  There were two items in my capsule that I just wasn’t feeling no matter how hard I tried: my striped sun dress and my light colored (maternity) shorts. So I replaced them. 

  

       

                                                           Black Dress                                  Jean Shorts

Here’s the thing, I have really struggled with body image since giving birth to Kit.  It has been hard for me to feel good in anything I put on. My body has changed so much that it feels…foreign. I’ve always been pretty in tune with my body.  We used the Fertility Awareness Method of birth control for five years successfully and so I’m not kidding when I say that I knew what was going on at all times. Now my hormones aren’t predictable, I bloat in places I never used to, I have gobs of cellulite, etc. I know that my body went through an incredible thing and I’m not writing this for sympathy or to complain.  Sometimes it just helps to verbalize something. You know? 

All that to say, the shorts and the dress were making me feel especially self conscious.  The shorts were just too short and they really emphasized my muffin top and the dress was just too tight and short.  What I don’t want is for my capsule to turn into a punishment device and so I decided to break my own rules and get two items that I feel so much more confident in.  And you know what?  I’m not sorry I did.  Here’s the difference from what I would have done before though: I deliberated, talked to David, and stayed well within our budget.  It felt good!  What about you?  Have you ever broken your own rules because something just wasn’t working?  Do any other post partum mom’s struggle with this? Please tell me I’m not alone!

Until next time,

All about that Hair

Today we’re talking about hair! I’ve been asked by a few people to do a hair tutorial and I’m happy to share what little knowledge I have.  Speaking of small amounts of knowledge, I am SUCH a novice at this whole blogging thing that I am not even going to attempt to try to film a video or shoot some nice tutorial pictures.  What I will do is share with you the videos that I learned from and the products that I use.  One thing I will tell you is that my hair routine has become pretty simple since I started this whole capsule wardrobe thing.  This process is teaching me to not hide behind my image and that means I’m using less makeup and spending much less time on my hair. 

So… with that said, what I typically do is let my hair air dry.  Once it’s completely dry I use a straightener to curl the top layer of my hair.  It literally takes five minutes.  Here is the video that I use:

Once I’m done curling it, but before the curls have cooled completely (that part is important), I spritz a sea salt spray in my hair and scrunch, scrunch, scrunch.  That’s it!  Easy as pie. If I use dry shampoo then I can usually get away without washing my hair for 2-3 days. 

     

                                                                            Sea Salt Spray     Dry Shampoo

Straightener

If I want to jazz things up a bit (like once a year for my wedding anniversary), I’ll blow dry my hair and use a slightly more complicated method for curling my hair.  Here is the video I use for blow drying my hair. 

Because I only blow dry my hair once in a great while, I do invest in the products that I use.  I find that when I invest in good products, I spend less time at the salon because my hair stays healthier. Plus, I find that with these particular products, I need less and they are better at multitasking than drugstore brands. The products that I use when I blow dry are:

      

                                                        Hair Dryer                  Round Brush                       Clips   
                                     

  

                                                    Leave in          Root Spray            Primer                    Oil

Once I am done curling my hair I let my hair completely cool this time and then I scrunch in a texturising cream.  Again, with dry shampoo I can usually get away without washing my hair for 3-4 days.

                                                          Texture Cream                                            Hair Wand

I know this is a departure from my typical content so thanks for sticking with me!  If any of you have good videos to watch for doing easy hair, I would love to see them in the comments below!

Until next time,

Double Whammy

Lace Tank Top (thrifted), Similar; Jeggings; Sandals; Tote; Sunglasses

Being willing to wear an outfit twice in the same week has been a complete change for me.  Although I’ve never had so many clothes that I never outfit repeated, it did take quite a while to get through all of my options. Having a limited wardrobe has forced me to get over my “fear” of being seen in the same outfit twice, and instead be creative with what I have.  This has honestly been so refreshing for me!  I’m someone that really likes to be in control (I talked about this in more depth here), and this often translates into what I’m wearing.  Having fewer clothes to work with forces me to relinquish that control and be more relaxed.  And honestly, I can afford to be more relaxed… just ask my husband.

Exhibit A: these two outfits are the perfect example of wearing the same thing twice.  The first version is a dressed down look that I could wear just hanging around with Kit.  The second outfit is a dressier version that I could wear out with David on a date. It has been really fun learning how to change up my look by changing simple details.  How do you guys change up your look?  I’m especially curious for those of you who have more color and pattern in your capsules.  What do you do? 

Clutch (thrifted), Similar; Heels

Until next time,

Midwest Summers

Tank Top; Shorts; Cross Body Purse (Bought at the Florence Outdoor Markets), Similar; Sandals

One of my favorite things about living in the Midwest is its summers.  Everyone comes out of hibernation after the frigid winter and summer is CELEBRATED.  I feel like you miss a lot of that energy when you don’t have winter.  I guess that same concept applies to a capsule wardrobe doesn’t it?  Each new season’s wardrobe is anticipated and cherished because of the period of waiting that precedes it. 

Speaking of that, I had a decision to make in regards to this summer’s capsule wardrobe.  I thought I had lost my black romper and I was trying to decide whether or not I should replace it.  I ended up finding it so I didn’t have to make a decision, but it was an interesting dilemma.  For those of you who do the capsule wardrobe concept what do you do?  Do you replace things?  Do you just live without it?  In this case, I don’t think I would have replaced it because it wasn’t a necessary part of my wardrobe.  However, if I would have lost my white t-shirt (or something similar) I think I would have replaced that.  What do you think?  I would love some advice!

Until next time,

Numbing our Passion

Gray Dress; Scarf (Old Madewell), Similar; Clutch (Old Kate Spade Saturday), Similar; Heels

This gray dress is one of those items that I REALLY love on paper, but every time I put it on I’m just… not that into it.  I put it in my capsule knowing this and predictably, I haven’t really worn it that often.  Isn’t it weird how some clothes are like that?  I’m going to keep it after this capsule and see how I feel next spring or summer.  Who knows, maybe I’ll come back to it and like it better then. There’s always room for growth isn’t there?

I feel like I give fashion a hard time on this blog.  The truth is, I really love fashion.  I love how it is a means to express yourself artistically and I love the way a good pair of shoes can make you feel so confident.  I think where I begin to itch is when fashion (or really anything else) becomes an obsession that hinders you from doing the things that you were called to do.  If you’re spending all of your time and money shopping then there is no reserve left over for doing what makes you feel alive.  In my case, I am passionate about literature, philosophy and writing.  I feel so much more fulfilled when I spend my time pursuing those things instead of spending all of my time online shopping.  However, there are people like my sister who absolutely love fashion and she has a great way of relating that love into helping women feel better about themselves.  In her case, fashion IS what she should be spending her time and money on. What I am trying to say is that we tend to be laziest in the areas that we should be pursuing and shopping (etc.) has a fantastic numbing effect.   So let’s do our best to fight the things that numb us and instead pour our energy into what makes us feel alive!  What sorts of things are you passionate about?  I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Until next time,

A Weekend at the Lake

We had a great time at the lake this past weekend.  We kayaked, visited the local kitschy museum, swam in the lake, and just hung around and chatted with family.  As predicted, Kit hated the water.  We’ll get there.  I’m sure next summer she’ll be a little fish like her cousins. 

Striped Sweatshirt (limited sizes left), Similar; Striped Tank Top (Old Madewell), Similar or Sort of Similar; Black Blouse (thrifted Madewell), Similar or Sort of Similar; Jeans (Old AE), Similar; Shorts (Old Gap), Similar Style; Sneakers (Old Converse) Similar Style, Sandals

Once again, I was so happy to have my capsule wardrobe for packing.  It made things so effortless and it was so refreshing to not have to think about what I was going to wear. I was chatting with one of David’s cousins (shout out to John!) about how ridiculous it is that we think people care as much as we think they do about what we are wearing.  He was telling me that he wore the same outfit for several days and saw a few people more than once and they didn’t notice.  Why do we think people care so much about what we wear?  I’m not saying that our overall appearance doesn’t contribute to how people perceive us.  If I were to start wearing ratty sweatpants with holes in them, I hope people would notice that I have departed from my normal routine.  I also realize that first impressions are important and that our clothing contributes to that.  However, I think that personal style will only take you so far.  First impressions fade away. What people are going to remember forever is how classy, funny, kind, etc. you are… not whether or not you were wearing Valentino.  So let’s put more energy into being well rounded individuals.  K?  What do you think?  Do you get caught up in only thinking about one facet of your person?

Until next time,

Happy Fourth of July!

Striped Tank Top, Jeans, Sandals, Clutch

Happy almost Fourth of July!  The fourth is one of my favorite holidays for a variety of reasons.  First of all, I love summer so, so, so much.  Second, I love Minnesota/Wisconsin lake life.  There is really nothing like it and I would dearly miss it if we ever moved. We’ll be heading to visit my husband’s family at their cabin in Wisconsin.  We’ll see how Kit does getting her toes wet in the lake.  So far swimming hasn’t really been her thing, but I'm crossing my fingers that she'll be into it by the time the weekend is over.  Maybe if I just toss her in and see what happens... I kid, I kid.

In honor of the upcoming holiday, we’ll leave the deep thoughts on capsule wardrobing until next time.  Happy Fourth!  Do you have any Fourth of July traditions?  I’d love to hear what you’re doing.

Until next time,

Fake Laughing

Graphic T-Shirt, Shorts, Sandals, Watch, Purse: Old Kate Spade Saturday. Similar.

If you think that I am fake laughing in the picture above… you are correct.  I’m not super comfortable with the whole picture taking/posing part of blogging so I guess you’ll just have to deal with fake laughing or contemplative looking to the side pictures. I give you permission to make fun of me.  You’re welcome.

I recently traveled with the shorts in this picture and I realized how badly they wrinkle.  I can really only get one wear out of them before they are a wrinkled mess.  And this is where doing the capsule wardrobe is changing my approach to my wardrobe.  In the past, I would have gone out and just purchased a few more shorts like this in the pursuit of trying to find the “perfect” jogger short.  Now, I’m choosing to accept the fact that they are not perfect and to be content with what I currently have. Lesson learned: next time, I’ll pay attention to how material wears when I build my capsule.  Having an intentional hiatus from shopping helps eliminate my tendency to get rid of a bunch of clothing and then fill my closet with just as much (if not more) new clothing.  I’m creating a new normal of less and that’s a beautiful thing.  Do you have any clothing items that you regret adding to your capsules? 

Until next time,

The Comparison Game

Jean Jacket, T-Shirt: Old Zara. Similar, Shorts, Shoes, Clutch: Old Madewell. Similar.

These are my new favorite shorts!  They are so swingy and loose and the linen is perfect for summer.  I dressed them up a bit here… I would probably wear this to get drinks on a patio with my husband. Also... side note: I forgot to wear jewelry for these pictures.  Which actually happens to me a lot in real life. Oh well.  I have bigger fish to fry.

Such as: I’ve been thinking a lot about how my style impacts the relationships around me.  I think, as women, we play the comparison game a lot… especially with our appearance.  When it comes to our style it feels good to be the “most fashionable” (whatever that means because we all have different standards… but you catch my drift).  When we have that distinction among our peers it gives us a certain amount of control and “power.” Why is that?  I kind of hate it.  I get that our style is an artistic reflection of who we are internally and I wouldn’t want to change that.  It’s fun to put an outfit together, but when we use it as a tool to feel more important than someone else there is a problem.  Right?  Fashion should be something that brings people together instead of driving them apart.  So… lets all make a pact.  Lets agree to use our clothes for good instead of for evil. 

Until next time,