March roundup: farewell to foolishness

March's allotted funds: $30.
actually spent: $42.75 (so half of April's funds are spoken for!)
money left for April: $17.25.

1: petite trouser jeans, Macy's, $13.52.  My other trouser jeans were from Banana Republic, and didn't get worn much because I think I'm between sizes at BR -- I can barely squeeze into a 4 but end up swimming in a 6. Not to mention that the petite was still too long and dragged on the ground. These were the right price, fit better, and I'll make good use of them.
2: Charter Club tunic, Macy's, $16.24. Love the stitched hem detail, bright colors, and easy cut -- plan to pair this up with skinnies or white jeans.
3: green-and-white tee from stripedshirt.com, won in giveaway from Hayley of The Weekend File. My first giveaway win!   :D
4. tie-waist palazzo pants, Ross, $12.99. I tried them on here.
5. Calvin Klein double-zipper sheath, $39.99, Ross, not shown but seen here. ** Cost not included in this month's total because I'm considering it a gift to myself for passing my aikido test. And I did end up returning that lovely silk dress I bought at the same time.


     Like I've mentioned before, this $30-a-month business isn't really working. (I'm embarrassed to admit that I've spent my allotment for the next 3 months). While I'll be posting roundups and parceling items out over the next few months, I cut off the spending on Sunday, April 1 (when I bought a pair of turquoise jeggings). It's kind of fitting that I made the decision on April Fool's Day, considering the saying, "A fool and her money are easily parted" ...

CREATE: Fortunate February's donation

   Just a little update on my February budget donation: at first I was thinking it would go to the Hawaii Foodbank, which I usually try to donate to several times a year. However, while reading my school librarian listserv e-mails this morning, I saw this request. Basically, this librarian has $0 in funding and dozens of avid readers on her hands. As a teacher and school-librarian-in-training, one of the most rewarding things I do is connect children to books and foster a love of reading. My $30 is only a fraction of what is needed to stock the library, but I'm sure it will be put to good use. :)

Fun February: 2 challenges

     As I mentioned in my January roundup, I have designated this month as Fun February. Since my word of the year is CREATE, I have decided to do two things this month to help me create a life of appreciation and balance.
     Fortunate February: Counting my blessings should be a daily activity. To celebrate all that I have, I'll be forgoing shopping and donating my budgeted $30 to a charity.
    February Freeze: To better appreciate the bounty of my closet, I won't be adding anything new to it. Instead, I'll be shopping my closet, and determinedly wearing all the nice things that I, uh, have never worn, or have maybe worn once.  (Hmm, that strapless poofy dress is definitely going to make for an interesting outfit!) This challenge might, realistically, run into March because I suspect that I have tons of eligible clothing items.
      Do you have a bunch of pretty but unworn things in your closet? Drop me an e-mail or comment if you decide to create an outfit incorporating something you have never worn, or only worn once. :)
   

January roundup: gone astray

ALLOTTED FUNDS: $30.
I SPENT: $24.84.*
* Some items purchased with credits from 2011.
     So, I'm not too impressed with myself for the inaugural month of my dollar-a-day budget. Thanks to credits at Ross and Old Navy (my shopping kryptonite), I had some wiggle room for purchases, and wiggle I did.
    Actual total, counting items bought with exchange/return credits (ulp*): $71.22.

1 = FCUK tweed blazer, Sears, $27.99 (gifted).
2 = floral ruffle top, Old Navy, $6.49.  *
3 = green dress, Old Navy, $7.73. *
4 = green cable sweater, Old Navy, $6.29.*
5 =  Julie's Closet lime green animal-print cardigan, Ross, $11.99. *
6 = Grane flare jeans, Ross, $11.99. *
7 = lucite tassel necklace, eBay, $3.99.
8 and 9 = enamel necklace and 6-strand red necklace, $8.48, eBay.
10 = Fossil belt, $14.24, Macy's. *
11 = Not pictured - Lush eggplant pleated midi skirt, Nordstrom Rack, $5.40 (gifted).

Favorite additions to my closet: 1, 6, 8 and 10.
Most challenging to style: 9 and 11.
Likely return: 5.

     The interesting thing about documenting all of my purchases for the month is that patterns emerge. Can you tell what color I've been drawn to?
     While shopping is so much fun (if I could have underlined that 10 times, I would have!), about halfway through the month I had to stop and ask myself: do I need any of these things? The answer, frankly, is always NO. Sure, I'm excited about finding a classic blazer, and adding flare jeans to my denim lineup. But do I absolutely NEED them? No. I could keep my wallet closed and still have lots of clothes to wear.
      This month showed me that I'm still looking for balance in regards to what goes into my closet.
Sure, I love owning tons of pretty things, but if they only get worn once or twice -- is it worth it? I dream of having a closet of carefully chosen items. Everything would fit well, express my personal style, and suit my career/lifestyle. Items would be beautiful and quality -- that doesn't mean designer, but it definitely means not disposable. These items would be made of fabrics that wash and wear well.
     Whew. Obviously, I have a ways to go before reaching my dream closet.
     In that light, I'm dubbing this month Fun February, and I'll be doing something worthwhile with my monthly budget and my closet. I'll share details this week. :)

CREATE: seed bead bracelets

    Things I do instead of homework on long weekends:

       I'm looking forward to delving into my seed bead collection and making more of these. I love that they're dainty and sparkly.
     The braided one with the tan cord was supposed to look like this.  However, something happened along the way. My local craft store doesn't stock the recommended Irish waxed linen, so I decided to use the braiding cord I had. The problem was that it was a little tough to get the beads on the cord. However, I rather like the organic (OK, some people would say messy and crooked) result of getting the beads wherever I could.

CREATE prosperity & abundance: one dollar a day

This little frog has his work cut out for him!

  Style does not need to equal crazy spending. It's interesting that this blog and last year's shopping ban started at the same time. While it wasn't a complete shopping ban (I could still buy shoes and jewelry), the shopping ban helped me put more thought into what I purchase. Alas, it didn't cut down on the time spent looking at clothes, either online or in store ... but, I'll take what I can get. :)
    Given my full-time student status, I decided 2012 is the perfect time to implement a clothing budget. I was heartened to see that Kimmie of Blue Paper Lanterns, on a $50/month or $600/year budget, was able to add an astounding variety of items to her closet on a budget.
   I decided that I would set a spending limit of $30 per month, or $360 total per year. Then I decided that it might as well be a dollar a day -- so I have a grand total of $366. To keep myself honest, I will be posting a purchase roundup at the end of each month.
   Just how much is $366? On Saturday, I spent a staggering $272 on textbooks for the semester. If you look at the $366 as money used for purely frivolous items, it is a significant sum. But if I think about it as one dollar per day, it doesn't sound so indulgent. :)
   There are certain more expensive items that I'd like to add to my closet, such as a little black dress and a good everyday purse (my faithful Nine West crossbody that gets dragged everywhere, everyday, is starting to look shabby). It will be a fun challenge to prioritize funding for these essentials.   

January's CREATE: jersey bracelet

Greetings! I'm Rodney Reindeer, and Carrie's coerced invited me to take part in her first CREATE project.

   If you take a look at Carrie's Pinterest, Carrie has grand DIY/crafting plans, but so far that's all that's happened! ... Well, 2012 is the year to change that. Carrie loves new jewelry, and she's on a budget, so that all adds up to DIY. These are cute, unfussy and require no special tools or materials -- any old t-shirt could be adorning your wrist in an alarmingly short time.

Two-finger weave bracelet

  Do: 

•  Check out the tutorial here. If you are not-so-craftsy like Carrie and need video guidance, click here.
•   Choose a fabric with stretch. T-shirt/jersey material is the easiest, but once you've got the basics down it might be fun to experiment with stretchy cording or anything with some give. Just don't try it with something like 100% cotton -- Carrie did, and it just doesn't work.  
•    Account for the stretchiness of the fabric when determining how long the woven portion should be. Carrie's first effort came out gargantuan.
•     Experiment with different widths for the weaving bands. While the tutorial calls for 1-inch-wide strips, Carrie liked the effect of much thinner strips. No need to be careful cutting, either -- unless you're persnickety like that, then go forth in all of your persnickety glory. (Did I  mention that Carrie is the least persnickety librarian-in-training I've ever met?)
• Throw out the hem if you're sacrificing an old tee to the jersey-bracelet gods. It's too thick for good weaving. 
• Have fun wearing your bracelet! Carrie likes the way it looks mixed with other bracelets, but I prefer to wear it solo (goes with the trapper hat perfectly, I think!)

   Once you get this down, you could experiment with doing strips in different colors, or even strips pieced together from different fabrics -- I think the seams would add some charm to the bracelet. If you use thinner strips, it might even be possible to add a bead or two along the way.