10x10 Capsule Wardrobe

Stressful mornings are still a thing for me. I am so done with being stressed and cranky in the mornings because I don't know what to wear. A few weeks ago I decided to try my hand at doing a capsule wardrobe again. Inspired by the capsule wardrobes of Style This Life and The Garment Life, I felt like I could do it.

If you're not familiar with a capsule wardrobe, it's where you pick out a select number of clothing items and wear them for a certain amount of time. Some popular capsules are seasonal (like SimplyLiv&Co's Spring Wardrobe), and month long mini capsules (like Paige's 21 Day Capsule &
Karen Rambo's mini capsule). Recently I have seen "10x10 challenges" pop up on my Instagram feed, where you select 10 items and wear those for 10 days. Something small like this seemed a perfect for me right now.

My previous attempts weren't perfect, so I took the time to really get it set up right. I tried on all my clothes and got rid of the items I wasn't 100% satisfied with. And by "got rid of" I mean I gave away the clothes I didn't like and put everything else away in my closet. My capsule, along with all my layering tops, went into my tshirt drawer so everything I needed is in one location. I didn't have to look at any of my other clothes. I didn't have to think about my other clothes. This was key for me because there was nothing else to distract me from my 10 selected items.


Included in my capsule were: pants x2, long sleeve tops x3, tanks/tees x5. When picking out the tops I made sure that each top was paired up with at least two of the long sleeves, that way I had more than enough options and variety. Also, I didn't put a limit on my under shirts for layering or shoes, which helped keep my outfits from getting boring.

I can say, hands down, this was a success. Every day I felt great, confident, and my mornings were significantly less stressful, more streamlined, and less rushed. This in turn helped my attitude throughout the day because my mornings were good. My outfits felt fresh everyday, even towards the end, and I felt I have a new appreciation for every single one of these items.

Once my ten days were up I found my mornings getting slightly stressful again, so I have gathered up another set of 10 items like and this morning I started another 10x10 capsule (which you can check out on my Instagram). The clothes I picked out for this new capsule are more casual and less fancy. It all fits my uniform perfectly so I think this one will go as well as the first 10x10 capsule. Although... I did at white tshirts which I don't typically like wearing because I don't think they look flattering on me. But this is a challenge right? I'm going to either find way to wear them, or find confidence to wear them.

Have you ever tried doing a capsule wardrobe? Did you enjoy it? Do you have any tips on how you keep your outfits fresh and exciting? ♥

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Days 8 & 9 - What I Learned

This is a challenge I'm giving myself to help me feel confident with my post-baby body. You can catch up on previous days here~ [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

It's done! My 9 Day Fashion Challenge is over and a success. It was a neat experience limiting myself to such a small range of clothes and making so many different outfits with them. It was very creative and inspiring!

As fun as it was, the challenge ended up being a lot harder than I thought it would be. I figured it would be easy to just put on a predetermined outfit and go about my day~ giving me more time in the mornings to do other things, and feel more confident in myself and my body. Turns out it wasn't that simple. Some outfits I felt were too plain and I had to spend time fixing that. Some outfits I felt really out of my comfort zone which made it hard for me to leave the house lol! I learned a lot during this challenge, but before that, let's go over Days 8 and 9.

■ Day 8
Sadly, this outfit didn't make it out of the house. I accidentally stretched out/ruined the shirt out while taking it out of the washing machine making it unwearable. Total bummer! I tried it on two days in a row to see if I could wear it to work, but no.


Image made on Polyvore


Ugh!

Pro tip: do not YANK clothes out of the washing machine. This shirt was thrifted so I'm not too upset, but I did personalize it with the fabric paint. Oh well. I'll just do another one!

■ Day 9
This was probably the second best day of the entire challenge. Partially because this meant the challenge was over, and partially because this is something I would wear on a normal basis so I was very comfortable in it.


Image made on Polyvore


It was card night at the store and we were having so much fun we forgot to take pictures while the sun was out so inside pictures it was. Hehe, oops!

On to the things I learned during this challenge!

1. My body (mostly my tummy and arms) aren't as small as I would like but I'm ok with that. Well, I'm more just accepting the fact that they look how they do, than ok with it. If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen my biking pictures so I have been exercising. In addition to biking I've been doing push ups and other arm workouts intermittently. It took nine months for my body to be what is it now so I shouldn't expect it to go change in any less time. Baby steps. I'm working on it.

2. I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone with the dress. It isn't something I would normally wear, even before my pregnancy, so the days when I wore it were the most challenging. That being said, I now know more of what I feel looks good on my body and what I feel comfortable wearing. Maybe if I found a solid color dress like that I would feel more comfortable wearing it. Having my arms toned up a ton would help too.

3. I need to tease my hair more often. Not to make my hair crazy big, but just enough for a little lift. Even if I don't curl my hair or do my makeup, I always feel like I look good when my hair is teased. I think it would have made a difference in how I felt a few days if I had done that. Getting my baby ready to go in the morning comes first, so I don't always get to my hair. I should make a point to always teasing my hair first thing after blow drying.

4. When the time comes that I do a second Fashion Challenge (because I really want to do another one) I will choose one item that is only slightly out of my comfort zone instead of way out of my comfort zone. The dress was nice, but I underestimated myself in the dress. This way I will love more and feel great in more of the outfits.

So speaking of a second challenge, some of the items I'm thinking of including in it are: flower print shoes, hi-top sneakers, crop top tshirt, and a long maxi(?) skirt. Depending on if I get inspired or not, I might try fabric painting another shirt or two.

What did you think of this challenge? If you have any comments or suggestions on what I could add or do differently let me know. It would be fun to hear what your thoughts are on this challenge thingy. Thanks a lot for reading this long novel of a post! ♥

Lastly, I'm linking up with Ash's Little Friday Link Up. Yay for lots of awesome blogs!!

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Day 7 Almost Didn't Happen

This is a challenge I'm giving myself to help me feel confident with my post-baby body. You can catch up on previous days here~ [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

As confident as I was about the last outfit, I despise this outfit. I couldn't stand the way it felt, and I'm pretty sure should could have mistaken me for a cow. I almost pulled the top off and drove home in just my bra. No joke I thought about it. It's not a super big deal because flowery bras can pass off as bathing suit tops in summer right?

Ugh, Day 7 didn't start off great at all.

A typical morning in our household looks like this: we get up and get ready as best we can, then go to work. Normally I'm only half ready by this point, so I go back home and finish getting ready and bring breakfast back with me. By the time I got back home and I looked in the mirror I realized that if I look like a cow, I might as well look like a beautiful cow. So my stubbornness won out and I kept the outfit on. I'm glad I did because I had already completed half of the challenge. It would have been silly to stop with only a few days left.




By the time I had the pictures taken I was feeling a lot better about the outfit. I wore a cardigan over top of the outfit because we keep the store at near freezing temperatures, and I always feel confident in a cardi. When I saw these pictures after they were taken the devil on my shoulder confirmed the cow status, while the angel on the other shoulder comforted me and reminded me how healthy and happy my baby boy is and that is the most important thing. Everyone has bad days and that was mine. So in reality things aren't as bad as I make them seem. There might be a bit of melodrama in this post. Just a baby bit.

Moral of the story, I'm so glad I wore the outfit even though I will never wear it again. It was one more day closer to the end of my challenge and that's something I'm proud of. It was also inspiration to hop on the bike again, so yay!

I'm taking the weekend off from the Challenge as it's Cool Desert Nights and I'll be wearing my store's t-shirts for all the festivities. The final two outfits will be Monday and Tuesday and I feel pretty positive about them.

Have a fun weekend everyone! ♥

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Day Six

This is a challenge I'm putting myself to help myself feel confident with my post-baby body. You can catch up on previous days here~ [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

After a few needed days away from the computer (mostly) I'm back feeling refreshed and energized.  I have posts for here and my store's blog taking shape in my head and I'm working on a project with my sisters that I am excited about.  Good things all around!

This Fashion Challenge had been a very good thing for me.  I have more time for more things in the morning, I'm feeling fairly confident in my appearance, and I'm wearing my clothes in new and uniqie ways.  It has been a creative and fun challenge.

Four different individuals at different points thruought my day told me that I looked good for having had a baby recently.  That made me feel really good as I fussing over how this outfit felt on me and how my body looked "fluffy".  These nice comments were a huge confidence booster for me.

Hopefully that confidence carries over to tomorrow because I'm trying something new with tomorrow's outfit.  It has been cold and rainy (and will continue to be all week) and I will need a little extra warmth so I will be weaing a cardigan but only a an accent piece, not to entirely cover it up.

I am falling asleep writing this so I'm gonna go.  <3

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Boring Day 5

This is a challenge I'm putting myself to help myself feel confident with my post-baby body. You can catch up on previous days here~ [1] [2] [3] [4]

I have a couple of confessions to make~ I deviated from the challenge a bit. When I was getting dressed this morning, I felt this outfit was a bit plain so I added a pink cami. It's still a pretty simple outfit but the pink adds an extra something to it. Also~ as I was editing these pictures I wasn't super happy with how I looked. The word that comes to mind is "bubble-licious". But now that I look at them, I don't think I look as bad as I felt. I still have a ways to go, but it's not too bad.




While I really like the idea of wearing a shirt over a dress to make it look like you're wearing a skirt, I'm not sure this is a winning combo. Maybe if I had a statement piece to wear with it, like a cool belt or a bold necklace. A lace scarf or cowl? What do you think? What does this outfit need to make it a little less boring?

There is at least one more outfit in this challenge that is a shirt over the dress, so now I'm thinking I might need to accessorize that outfit more than I had originally planned. I'd love to hear some recommendations on what I could add to make the outfit more cute and not so boring. Let me know in the comments what you think!

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Day Four Neon & Muscles

This is a challenge I'm putting myself to. You can catch up on previous days here~ [1] [2] [3]

Aaron has told me multiple times over the last decade or so that if my soul had a color it would be neon. I definitely rocked all of the neon clothes back in the late 80's and early 90's while in elementary school.

So actually quick funny story about that~ I started elementary school in western Washington and all the girls wore neon and/or flower print leggings and over sized t-shirt tied to one side. In the 4th grade I moved to eastern Washington and nobody dressed like that- just jeans and normal tshirts. Aaron has since told me that he really liked the way I dressed back then. Awwwww!


So here I am twenty years later (holy crap!) still rocking neon. Not so much the printed leggings (although those have been making a comeback), or the sideways tied shirts (thought I have thought about it). You could say I'm like a raccoon in that if I see something neon-y I'm instantly attracted to it, touch it, and wear it if I can.


This is my favorite outfit of the challenge so far. I really like the contrasting colors between the blue shirt and the neon blue belt, and the black tank and the neon yellow shoes. It's a simple outfit, but I feel the statement pieces (the belt and shoes) really make it a unique and fun outfit. This outfit will absolutely make it into my regular rotation of outfits.

For whatever reason I felt like channelling Hulk Hogan in my pictures today. The first pic is my "power pose" lol! Making silly body builder poses made taking pictures pretty easy. It was windy outside today so there are some awwwwesomely bad pictures. Maybe I'll post an "out takes" photos post when this is all over.

What do you think of this little challenge so far? Is there an outfit you like the best? Any thoughts or comments about the challenge in general? I'd love to hear!! ♥

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Day Three Awkwardness

This is a challenge I'm putting myself to. You can catch up on previous days here~ [1] [2]

For whatever reason I got extremely camera shy today in front of Aaron while he took pictures of today's outfit. I've been with the guy for going on 13 years and I still get shy around him. It's really silly. (On a quick side note, next Tuesday will be our 151st month anniversary.) So while I felt way more comfortable in today's outfit than I did yesterday, the pictures are super crazy awkward because I felt super crazy awkward.

I need to work on that.

The shirt for today's outfit is one that I made myself. Well, I mean, I thrifted the shirt and then painted on the word. It's the catch phrase for my favorite Japanese wrestler, Shinsuke Nakamura. If I was a wrestler, I would model everything after him. Outfit, move set, entrance theme, finishing move. Have I ever mentioned how I think it would be super cool to be a professional wrestler? No? Maybe I'll share that with you some time.


Anyways, today I spend a total of probably 11 minutes on myself between blow drying my hair, curling it, and getting dressed. A real rush job. Notice the "relaxed curls" I'm sporting today. My curls aren't flat because I was rushing like a mad woman, no no no they're "relaxed". *wink wink*


A w k w a r d. But in a good way right? I make no apologies because I'm a fairly awkward person in real life. Maybe I don't really have a skin tone problem, I'm just in a constant state of blushing. Hmm... I never thought about it before. Regardless, I really like this outfit and felt very comfortable in it. Will definitely wear this again, probably lots. Tomorrow's outfit will be a bit more colorful.

And on that note, I'm off to bed. I'd like to spend a few more minutes getting ready since Aaron and I are working all 11 hours at the store together. That, and Dean is being a bit of a fussy bug since he had his shots today. We're going to do a bunch of snuggling in bed and watch the WWE Network until we fall asleep. Sleep well everyone! Nite! ♥

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Day Two Success

This is a challenge I'm putting myself to. You can catch up on previous days here~ [1]

I'm so happy I'm doing this challenge. If I wasn't I would not have worn this dress today. I would have put it on, looked in the mirror, taken it off, and spent the next 45 minutes trying to find something else to wear. It is easily the cutest dress I've ever owned so I'm glad I stood by my decision to wear it and not give up on my challenge on day two.


Like I said in my post yesterday, this challenge will push me out of my comfort zone and it really did that today. This morning I felt that the dress didn't look as good on me as it did in the Target dressing room, which was a big bummer. I really want to feel confident in dresses like this so I decided to have the "fake it until I make it" mentality. I guess it worked because I didn't fret too much about how I looked or how I thought other people thought I looked. After a while I even stopped touching the back hem line to make sure it didn't somehow get magically caught in my panties.

So today was a success!



Today taught me that I'm not where I imagine myself to be weight wise, and that's ok. I'll get there. This challenge will help me become more confident with my body. It would be great to learn to love my body. I guess I'm two days closer to that. Let's see how the remaining seven days go. ♥

9 Day Fashion Challenge - Day One

One of the greatest things I've seen in Japanese fashion magazines is their week or month spreads with small numbers of clothes. They'll take a few shirts, bottoms, and shoes, and create a week's or month's worth of outfits that are all super cute and unique. I absolutely LOVE this. Over the last few years I've wanted to do something like that with my own clothes but never got around to it. Since I currently feel like I look like poop in the majority of my clothes, I figured I would take this opportunity and challenge myself to a week long challenge with some of the clothes that I feel good in.

I also took this opportunity to buy a new dress from Target. Because, yes.

For this challenge I snagged 3 t-shirts, 2 tank tops, 1 dress, 1 pair of jean shorts, 1 belt, and 3 pairs of shoes to create 9 unique outfits.


Image made on Polyvore
My goals for this challenge are 5 fold:

1) I've always wanted to do this so I want to prove to myself I can do it
2) I want to feel confident in my clothes
3) I don't want to feel like I don't have anything to wear even though I have a closet and dresser full of clothes
4) It pushes me out of my comfort zone a little
5) I want to spend less time getting ready in the morning and more time with Dean & Aaron

So I started this today and the outfit I picked to wear is this:


Image made on Polyvore

Some things of note that you cannot see~ coffee & spit up on my tank, and my jeans are secured by a ponytail holder because I'm too big to button them. These little details I wear proudly, even if they aren't noticeable. It's my life now and I'm so proud of it. Well, maybe not the coffee spill because that was my bad, it shouldn't have happened lol!

So day one of my nine day challenge went great. I look forward to dressing up and rocking these outfits, especially the dress. I couldn't tell you the last time I wore anything like that. High school maybe? Too long in my estimation. Hopefully I can stick with it and post my progress over the next eight days. What do you think about this challenge? Have you ever done anything like this? If this goes well I already have challenge number two in the works. ♥