Tuesday, August 28, 2012

A New Day


It’s funny how you start to view your closet differently once you know you won’t be adding anything to it! I feel like I have become so creative and have found so many different ways to wear things! It’s amazing that one decision can make things look so different…I even ironed this week! Haha I have NEVER ironed before! Now I feel the need to make my things look nice and to make sure that I am taking the best care of them so that I don’t ruin them or shrink them! It’s already such a freeing project! I know that it won’t be easy for me but that’s okay, those moments are when growth takes place and I’m good with that. We are so blessed aren’t we? The fact that I have hundreds of outfit options is just crazy! Some people literally have the clothes on their back and that’s it. For me, I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t want to add excess to the already excessive. I want to stop, look and be entirely grateful for what I have been given-not taking any of it for granted. Ultimately none of it belongs to me; if I were asked to give it all up; I only hope that my answer would be “Yes” with a humble heart. It’s an everyday battle to put my selfishness behind me and I can’t do it without God’s grace and understanding.

Fun picture for the day! I am heading to NYC this weekend to visit a great friend and thought this was a really neat packing guide! J

Monday, August 27, 2012

End of Week One!


 
It’s been one week! It has been a great week, I have so much motivation to go through my closet and make everything look spick and span (?)! I went through all my drawers and then made it to my shoes (which were previously lying all over my closet floor) I started brainstorming about a better place to store them. I looked on pinterest and googled some options! I finally saw this old piece of furniture on google which happened to look exactly like one we found in our basement when we moved! It was tons of separate cubby holes-perfect for storing shoes. We have it in our office room but this sparked an idea! I could make part of the office kind of like a dressing room! I put all my shoes in the cubbies and moved my full length mirror in there, moved all my jewelry and found a lamp in my parents garage! I used a huge wire bird cage to store all my scarves and used some baskets to hold belts! It’s perfect! I get dressed in my room and then go in there and have all my accessories in one place! I am also thinking about having a peg to hang one outfit at a time in there… So far there is only excitement for this journey! Some things below I found on a blog and really wanted to remember them throughout this year. I plan to write or print them out and hang them in my new “dressing room” as a reminder of the purpose of this journey! Here’s to another great week! I have been documenting a few outfits but the pictures are not good quality because I have been using my iphone!

 Oh, God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a warm home,
help me to remember the homeless;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer;
And, remembering, help me
to destroy my complacency
and bestir my compassion.
Make me concerned enough
to help, by word and deed,
those who cry out.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

“Use the project as a way to grow and understand that the hard parts are the ones that are doing the best work in your soul…”

“This project isn’t just about clothes, it’s about engendering thoughtful dialogue, introspection, a better way of life, and, hopefully, a growing community of people who are interested in what it might look like to move a little away from our consumeristic mindset towards the way we dress, and in a larger sense, the way we live.” -The Twenty Pieces Project

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

IDEA OF THE WEEK: DYE MY TOMS!
Pinned Image
This picture was inspiration for my outfit today! I wore a floral top with a striped cardigan and belt. Patterns can be worn together!

One Year Adventure! Starts...NOW!


August 20, 2012

And so it begins…

I have officially started my ONE YEAR of NO shopping!! No new clothes, no accessories, no shoes for an entire year! The start date is 8-20-2012 so obviously the end date is 8-20-2013. I am very excited about this journey J There are quite a few reasons for embarking on this endeavor: I want to free myself from what the media and society tells us we need to look like or the way that we need to dress, I want to prove to that we don’t NEED to shop or fit in with all the trends, I want to utilize the clothing that I already have and be creative with them. Basically, I am trying to rid my life of distractions and things that get in the way of what really matters to me.  I started thinking about all the times in my life when I was the happiest, the most fulfilling moments, none of those times ever involved clothes or things and typically it was when I was lacking both and was pushed out of my comfort zone. I am not sure yet what I will do with the money that I would have used for shopping, I want to increase my savings but also want to be able to donate more, tithe, give money to other organizations or those in need. I plan to document my journey through blogging or journaling. There are only a few exceptions to the rules: If I ruin something, like get a huge hole in my camisole or the sole of my shoe wears off then I will replace those items, and I will be allowed to accept gifts of clothing but will not ask for any gift cards. One of the things that inspired me was a girl’s blog that is called “Greater Than Rubies”. She has given up clothes for a year and is on her 8th month, she is such an inspiration! She makes the challenge seem possible! So, I plan to update my blog with my progress, things I am learning and maybe a picture or two of my creative outfit ideas J