The Great Closet Purge

That's right friends....i'm going in (eek!). My tiny closet in our house is overflowing. In an effort to streamline and "practical-ize" my wardrobe, here's what I'm going to do:

1) PURGE! Yep. If i havent ever worn it, won't ever wear it, or it needs heavy alterations, its adios. Unfortunately, I have purchased literally dozens of dresses that don't fit, and then i hang them up in high hopes, only to find them five months later.

2) ASSESS: What do I still need to tie my wardrobe together? A few things would be:

-a straight leg pair of tweed/ khaki trousers, high waisted, and slim fit.

-A better black pencil skirt, that fits correctly high waisted.

-regular slim leg jeans from Citizens of Humanity *the best jean EVER for petites!

-suede wedges, black flats

-flowy white blouse that can be tucked in

-belts!

3) SELL! i give my clothes to three different consignment shops and so far have been really successful in selling them. it gives me extra money for the above items i ACTUALLY need and not more random items.

So here goes...we will see how this ends ;-)

etsy treasures and becoming an accessorizer!

i have just a few pieces of jewelry that i actually wear. i have a closet bursting with clothes (literally BURSTING), and barely any jewelry. I wear a little bit. let me walk you through my jewelry drawer (a short trip, friends. really.)

exhibit a: my three stone pendant. i LOVE this pendant. it is a 1/4 carat total weight, three pear shaped diamonds in ascending size. its perfect. tiny and dainty. husband got it for christmas 2009, and i rarely took it off for months! this picture isnt very good, and isnt MY pendant, but its the best i can do.



exhibit b: my Juicy Couture "Princess Collection 2010" studs. These are gigantic cubic studs set in silver crown settings! They are perfect because they go with everything and I can still wear them at the hospital when i am at work.



exhibit c: my pearls. my parents got me these for my 21st birthday, and i love them! they are timeless, and i wear them often. I have the matching studs, necklace, and bracelet. good job mom ;)



exhibit d: my wedding rings! not gonna lie, sometimes while i am driving, i look at my wedding ring and almost run off the road. it gets extra sparkly in the sun! ;0) Made by Marquerrites Jewelers in Montgomery, it is a carat solitaire, surrounded by eight baguettes and 36 tiny round diamonds. the band is 20 more tiny round diamonds, with a divet to match the large diamond. i love it! husband did a great job.



That is the end of my jewelry! I have a bunch of cheap dangly earrings that I never wear, and that about rounds it out. So, i have been trying to expand my collection with some interesting pieces. Here is the first:



This pretty tree necklace was something i snagged at our local resale shop, and i fell in love with the structure of it. so far, i have worn it three times, which is a record for something other than my "staple" jewelry!

The second addition to my new accessory collection is this:



This lovely earring and necklace set from Ruche is perfect. I love the bronze-gold tones and the subtle sparkle. I am trying to pair it with a simple white vee-neck, a black blazer, nude pumps, and dark jeans.

how to buy online dresses

i love weekends! needless to say, after a week of work and school, there is NOTHING better than snuggling up to my husband and sleeping in until noon on saturdays. unfortunately, i am evidently unable to sleep in. i woke up at SIX FIFTEEN on saturday, ready to jump out of bed and wide awake. what a letdown. i forced myself to sleep in until .... EIGHT. yippee. i never thought it would happen...but i think work has made me a morning person. terrible i know.

husband and i lazed around most of saturday, prepping for this coming week and resting up after being a little under the weather all week. Sunday brought church, lunch with new friends, and i spent the latter half of the day shopping with addi. this week brings a packed work week, but im excited that we will be headed up to Portland on the 4th of February, to see my bestie Liz and my sister Sarah. We will also be watching three of my favorite people in the whole wide world on Saturday night, so my sister can get a date with her hubby. I am happy my sis gets a date night, but actually am secretly just happy to snuggle with my niece and nephews ;-)

i ordered this cute blue dress the other day, finally using some of the gift cards I have had in my purse. i like the pretty ruffles and it's spring-blue color.



Some people have asked me where I get my clothes, so here are my top favorites:

MODCLOTH: This site, while spendy for dresses, has beautiful, longer length and vintage style dresses. I am currently drooling over this incredible french inspired piece:




ANTHROPOLOGIE: Ah...sweet anthropologie! These dresses are on the high end, but they are LOVELY and high quality. I am loving this songbird covered navy blue dress with its mint sash.



SHOPRUCHE: This site has pretty, romantic pieces, but is of much lesser quality of the other sites. It is on the lowest end of my favorite sites, but occasionally I can find a dress I like that is a great brand.

LULUS.com is my fallback. It has tons of pretty dresses, but beware the SHORT LENGTHS! I am 5'2" and I must purchase dresses at least 34" long from shoulder to hem. Anything shorter cannot be worn even with tights or leggings, because it pretty much resembles a shirt. I prefer around 35-36.5 inches which hits just above my knee.

Okay lots of my friends have asked how I can purchase dresses and know they will fit. Here are my KEYS TO BUYING ONLINE:

1) RESEARCH THE BRANDS. Sites have size charts but they carry different brands. This means their size chart is an average of their brands. If the site lists the brand, go to the BRAND WEBSITE and read the size chart. Often it will be much different. For example, on lulus.com, they sell many Tulle dresses. On the Tulle site, the size chart shows me I can't fit into any of them because they are too big. On the lulus.com site it makes it look like I can wear an XS.

2) KNOW YOUR ACTUAL SIZE. It doesnt matter if you are normally a 2, chances are you won't be one online. Take your measurements, and take them where they actually are! Your waist is NOT where you wear your pants. It is your natural waist, above your belly button. Your hip and bust measurements need to be taken at specific places, or you will always get the wrong size.

3)CHECK RETURN POLICIES. No matter how good you get at this, you will sometimes get a loser. A coat came to me the complete wrong size, and I had to send it back. Make sure its returnable.

4)KNOW WHAT WORKS. I know that I need dresses that taper in at the waist and have snug underarm fits. Anything with ruffles works for me, as well as high waisted belted dresses. I know that shirt dresses will always look funny, and they anything "loose" in the bodice will swallow me whole. Learn what works for you and stick with that.