Monthly Archives: October 2011

Challenge for Today

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Have Some Fun!

Anyone out there feel overworked and stressed?

I think a lot of people are.

It’s so, so important to build some fun into our schedules. Especially when life gets tough. Especially when the economy stinks. Especially when everyone is worried about money.

Building fun into our schedules is a way of combating all of that. Joy changes everything.

Game Night Options!

Tonight I’m going to Game Night. A group of us get together once a month to eat, drink wine, and play board games. It’s old fashioned and SO MUCH FUN. Most of the evening is spent catching up on stories and howling at the ridiculousness of how we play games. It’s our way of scheduling in some fun.

How about you? What have you done recently that is silly? Do you schedule in fun? Do tell!

xoxo,

Today’s Challenge

Posted in Closet Caucus
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Be Concerned with Progress, not Perfection

Most days on Twitter I issue a daily challenge. Usually it is based on something I’m personally working on or thinking about. I thought it might be interesting to chat about those challenges every now and then. So, here are my thoughts on today’s challenge!

One of the best and worst things about my personality is that I’m a perfectionist. It works in my favor because it helps me produce products that are well done, polished, and feel complete. It makes me work hard and pushes me to excel.

It also completely gets in my way and is self-sabotaging.

Learning how to build versus wanting everything perfect instantly!

Perfectionism places me in a false mindset that if I can’t do it “just so” I can’t do it at all. This manifests itself in two ways:

1. I work on something so long that I miss an opportunity.

2. I cut myself off at the knees before I get started. For example – I try to find the perfect workout routine and the perfect time of day to do it instead of just going out and exercising.

Recently I’ve been listening to the Accidental Creative podcast, and a frequent topic of discussion is how our ideas are not precious. Our responsibility is to get our ideas out into the world so they can change, grow, and be molded into something. If they are treated with fragility many times they won’t reach their full potential. We have to trust ourselves – we will come up with more ideas if one completely goes bust.

So, right now I’m learning about slow progress and allowing my ideas to grow and take shape, even if they aren’t perfect the minute they come out of my head.

My guess is that I’m not alone in this. Are there other perfectionists out there? How does being a perfectionist help you? Hurt you?

xoxo


The Fall / Summer Skirt

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What I’m Wearing Today

I’ve been inspired by nail polish (of all things!) lately. I’ve especially enjoyed the bright neon hues that are sticking around this fall. I wanted to see if one of those summer colors could make the transition into a complete fall outfit. Below is a pic of me wearing a skirt that would usually be relegated to July and August paired with traditional fall wear:

Outfit Breakdown

Skirt: JCrew – it came out looking a bit orange in this photo, but in person it’s bright coral

Tights: Target

Top: Banana Republic (A basic I’ve had in my closet for forever)

Necklace: Obtained at a clothing swap!

Heels: Stuart Weitzman

Ring: Don’t think you can see it in this picture, but I have on bright orange / coral ring from Gossip on 23rd

This has been SUCH a fun outfit to wear. I went shopping with a client this morning and got stopped a dozen times by people asking questions about the skirt. It was such a fun surprise! I’m now inspired to go back into my closet to see if I have any more bright hues to wear during the remainder of this fall.

How about you? Have you tried wearing summer clothes into the fall? Have you enjoyed neon colors this season?

DIY Scarf

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DIY Scarf Made Out of an Old T-Shirt

This is SUCH a fun project. It’s quick, easy, and I actually use the final product. Here is a tutorial on how to make a scarf out of an old t-shirt! Yeah!

Final Product! Fun & Funky Scarf!

(Just to let you know, I didn’t come up with this myself. I found this project on Pinterest and traced it back to the blog A Pretty Penny.)

First, get an old t-shirt. The one below was involved in an unfortunate kitchen accident. The damage was bad enough that it couldn’t be worn anymore so it was the perfect candidate for upcycling

Next, cut strips of fabric going from one side of the shirt to the other.

I ended up cutting the arms off the shirt for later on.

I also made small cuts in the fabric so the strips would be roughly the same size. You really can’t mess this up, so don’t worry about being precise. Just eyeball it and keep on going.

Next, stretch out the bands. The above picture shows the difference in length between a band that has been stretched a bit and one that hasn’t been stretched at all. The length just gives you more options when you wear it. You can put on the scarf in one long loop or you can wrap it around your neck twice.

After cutting the bands an interesting thing happened with the fabric. It actually rolled into itself.  It meant there were no frayed ends showing! The shirt was 100% cotton – I’m curious if the same thing would happen with a cotton blend.

I ended up with a big stack of t-shirt bands.

I lined up all the seams and cut a rectangle out of the leftover fabric from the sleeves. I wrapped it around the seams and then sewed it together.

The entire project took 15 minutes. How fab is that?

I have worn the scarf a number of times and have received some great comments and questions about it.

Ta-da! I love recycled fashion projects!!

xoxo

Product Love

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Why I Stole this Moisturizer from My Sweetie’s Medicine Cabinet

I’ve had a love / hate relationship with facial moisturizer throughout my life because I have naturally oily skin. Many products make me break out, but I’m at an age where I know that moisturizer is one of the best ways I can keep my skin happy for years to come. Thus, I’ve been on the lookout for a product that won’t break me out but will keep my skin healthy.

Enter Anthony Facial Moisturizer for men. I received it in a pack of products from Sephora and passed it on to my significant other. I tried it on a whim and promptly decided to steal it back.

Likes:

It’s not oily, very lightweight, and has an oh-so-slight citrus sent.

It goes on smooth and hydrates without feeling heavy.

It can be used daily.

Dislikes:

It’s advertised as a men’s product! There are legions of women who would love this!

Also, the $32 price tag seems a little high. That said, I’ve had a small bottle of it for months, so it does go a long way.

Definitely going to keep using this one!

What about you – have you found any great men’s grooming products that you absolutely love? Do tell!

xoxo