My Mara Hoffman

I really like the Mara Hoffman style. Business practices, not so much. They don't accept exchanges so if you get the wrong size like I did, you have to return the item and then purchase the item again. So if you add the return shipping cost plus the fact that I can no longer use my first purchase discount so then I end up paying about $30 more for the "exchange".  And the final kick to the face is that less than two weeks later that same item is further reduced in price and they don't do price adjustments. Lesson learned. 

#bosslady

Concealers for darker skin tones...Love it!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/victoriasanusi/17-concealers-every-dark-skin-girl-should-know-about#.yhAGpN2DZ

Love this!

hair stories. https://t.co/X5R0kGuX2u

— black girl problems (@blakgirlprobs) April 2, 2016

Because your "nude" isn't my "nude"

#Louboutin's nude ballet flat is inclusive for all women. Other designers will follow to include every budget. pic.twitter.com/dBmdLy4hbQ

— KillingMyCareer (@MelaynaLokosky) March 31, 2016

Uh Oh!

Stitchfix might just get ousted...looks like I will be trying trunk club for my summer capsule.

Check out this review and then check back in the summer to see how it went for me.
Excited!

Capsule meets KonMari

...then, a friend mentioned the KonMari method of tidying and things got real...

Starting with clothing, subcategory tops. I will touch every item and only keep the things that spark joy. 

Those shoes are just bystanders- they were on the chopping block from one of my sweeps. 

Capsule progress

I have survived the initial steps. I now have some items still hanging in the closet and am preparing my first capsule, the Spring wardrobe!  As I stated before, my plan is to have seasonal fixes, shop my seasonal clothing, and then buy additional pieces in the store. No more online shopping because too often they are mistakes and I don't have time for that. Just as an aside, with this new strategy I have really had no desire to search sales and scroll through websites looking at deals. Score!

So, for this fix I fired my last stylist and requested a new one. My specific requests were for tops, Spring season, new stylist, and I mentioned that I wanted something sexy for my anniversary.
Here are the items I received

                                      

Market & Spruce Kristah Ruffle Knit Blazer- see the ruffle in the back- I love that detail. 

41Hawthorn Moni Geo Print & Camisole Blouse- I think of this as a score because the camisole can be worn separately. 

Bay to Baubles Astoria Crystal Spear Necklace-Meh, but if I don't take it I lose the 25% discount- sold!

Le Lis Daria Textured Envelope Skirt- like the texture, like the front slit, not sure if I like the overall fit but I will play with it. 

And finally, Daniel Rainn Ardenia Zipper Front Blouse- love the bold color, the material is cool and I like the zipper even though it is hidden. 

I kept all the items. Nothing seemed sexy to me but my stylist recommended the skirt and blouse for my anniversary. 

Next, I will sort out my 37 items. I probably will do this on Sunday because I have been so busy lately. The plan is for nine shoes, nine bottoms, 15 tops, and 4 dresses/jackets but this could change. Apparently, 37 is some arbitrary number so if it works out, great but if not, I am not afraid to challenge this number. 

I changed my previously mentioned budget of $540 to $400 for the season. With that, let's see this capsule unfold...

Unexpected benefits of a capsule wardrobe

I was able to get my "active" closet down to this. I have donation items in my trunk and I plan to put my dormant work clothes in storage bins. Then I have some seasonal items under my bed which I will "shop" first before I purchase any supplemental items. 

These stages have made this process much easier to handle.  This whole process made me realize that I was just holding on to stuff just because I liked the idea of having a lot of stuff, not because it was actually useful.

So...I get my closet down but then this

happened to my husband's side of the closet. The entire rack fell without warning!  

Maybe he can use part of my side ☺️
So, with a capsule wardrobe, you avoid hazardous closet rack breakdowns, you avoid wasted time repairing the clothes rack, and you have more room to share in the closet just in case your spouse doesn't join in on the declutter movement.

I hate consigning

I took all those unwanted clothes to my nearest consignment shop. It is actually the only one in town that I know about since we moved here only six months ago. 

It took about four trips to bring in all my items. They only took about four items and here is a picture of my earnings. 

Their comments were that my pieces were a bit too "business-like" and they prefer more casual items (code for, we don't want your old clothes lady). 

I almost feel like you have to be a professional buyer to sell at a consignment. 

Because I hate shopping around for consignment deals, they will go straight to donation. On to the next step. 

My capsule wardrobe experience

February 7, 2016
2016 is going to be big for me on the subject of organization.  I need more time to get things done and feel like I am the biggest loser in wasting my own time.  There are a number of things on my list to do this year to get more organized.  This all started when I read a couple articles on the capsule closet.  Most people say that this snowballs into other areas of your life.  When I introduced the idea of the closet capsule to my friends, they were less than enthused.  And I have made so many excuses for why not to do it and so, I haven't.  I won't have anything to wear, 37 items is too few, I need all this stuff, some of it is classic, blah blah blah.


This is a picture of my closet.  And while I have a few beautiful pieces, I overall hate my wardrobe.  I think the problem is that some of these things have been in my closet since college.  Then add too many pieces that were on-sale but just don't fit into a good outfit, some target shopping that occurred all throughout my medical training because hey- when I felt like shopping, it was usually at a time when only Target and Walmart were open.  I now have banned myself from buying clothes from Target.  Not because there is anything wrong with Target because I know many friends who find great clothes there however, everything I get has an awkward fit- probably because I 'm curvy petite (I just made that up and I like it!).

Anywhoozle, back to my bottom line...This is my closet and I hate that it takes me forever to find the right outfit and I want to stop wasting my money on useless clothing that eventually gets donated because it does not work.
Those boxes that you see lined on the bottom are all my shoes. Sideline comment: the left is my husband's side and the back and right are my side of the closet- and this is after a good cleanse when we moved.  I doubt I will be capsuling the shoes but we shall see how this thing goes.
So, the first step is to empty my entire closet and sort into 4 piles.
1. Love it and would wear it right now!
2. Maybe
3. Nope
4. Seasonal
...this should be interesting

February 8, 2016
This is what I have so far.  My maybe pile ended up being two piles- pile #1- maybe maybe and pile #2 are work clothing storage.  I have accumulated a lot of work clothes that are good but since I wear my uniform almost all the time, I can store those clothes for later.
And btw, as I am walking through this process, I am buying more into the concept.
So, the idea is to have a capsule for every season and shop only once at the beginning of the season for the additions and mix and match for the rest of the time.  For me this will equate to no more constant online searching for deals which equals more time in the bank-okay, in my Wendy Williams' voice.
Why is this so important, you ask?  You will soon learn what I have learned, if you haven't already LEARNED.  You can make a whole lot of money and buy a whole lot of nice things but the one thing money cannot buy outright is time.  And time is more precious than gold, period.
My plan is to set aside about $180/month (about $540/season) for shopping.
And just so we are clear, this is not a new concept and some of you have been on-this for years.  I'm just late to the party.  These ideas and my inspiration are from www.un-fancy.com
Okay.  We are technically at the end of the winter season.  Spring starts March 1st and I plan to schedule fixes (Stitch Fix) at the beginning of each season to aid in supplementing the wardrobe.  I probably will have to stop shopping online for clothing so I can guarantee a perfect fit, but I am guessing that plan will backfire.  For now though, I am still working on the first two steps so check back with me.

DIY: never saves time or money

Every once in while I get the DIY-itch.  No matter how bad, time and money consuming the previous project, I still find a way to find something on pinterest or some youtube video that makes me want to become Martha Stewart for a day, or more like a week or two.  Yes,  by the time the project is complete I have spent more time and money than just buying the finished project outright.  But its that feeling of accomplishment and the resultant bragging rights that make me go cuckoo for DIY.  But gosh darn it, this is the last DIY thing that I will do...
So, this time we perseverated on chalk paint.  Yes, that lovely paint that costs an arm-and-a-leg, doesn't require priming, requires waxing afterward, and is only at select stores.
The paintee?  A sentimental piece, or so I am calling it, one of my first adult pieces of furniture.

Still cannot remember why I bought a set with this ridiculous pattern.  Yep, there is a bed, dresser, bedside drawers, and a mirror with this pattern.  Still good enough for the guest room tho, this is real wood!

Clearly the side doors had to go.

My initial plan was to track the cost so that I could also brag about how cheap the project was.  The paint and brushes were over $100.  Then of course I needed knew knobs.  Then of course I need new feet.  Then of course I needed these cool backing things to go behind the knobs.  Now factor in the hourly rate of a DOCTOR while I'm not doing doctor-work and this project was expensive as hell.  Cost bragging rights, uncheck.  Well, the thing is [nearly] done, I love the look but, as you can partially see, the new feet are higher than the old feet so the middle posts that I believe are required for central support need to replaced or have a piece attached so that they touch the ground.  And I think I want to put another coat of wax on this thing.  Argh!  I am already sick of this project.

Next time, I may tell you about my DIY magnetic boards that were finished by our local handyman.  

Late entry...

Time for a change!

For the past 5 years or more, I have relied on shutterfly for my printing needs as well as our Christmas and New Year cards. This year the quality was poor. I don't know if it was because of the pearl shimmer or because of the quality of the print but our facial features were muted.

This year, I plan to try a new company like tiny prints or minted. They had sample cards in the December issue of Real Simple magazine.   

Stitch Fix Review

I like the premise behind Stitch Fix. If you are busy, spending time in stores gets really old. I would rather spend time doing rather than wasting time preparing to do.  And, it is disappointing when you spend so much time looking for the right fit or style but never find it.  Additionally I am finding that the stores are catering too much to teenagers and trendsetters. 

I also liked the idea of the style cards and trying on your new items with items you already have in your closet.  All this while at home. 

As mentioned with other reviews, there is a cost associated with such convenient shopping. The prices are probably exaggerated due to the personalized nature of the service. 

The trade off for me is time and frustration. My friends aren't close and my toddler children are terrible shopping buddies. 

To start there is a $20.00 automatic style fee for each scheduled fix which is applied to any item that you choose to keep.  If you love nothing and send it all back, you lose the style fee. 

So, let's jump right in on the review!

Five items received. 

Style card included to help you pair the items with other (not included) items and accessories. 

And here goes my fashion show...

I decided to keep the dress since I have some ideas on how to wear it. Quality is nice. Price tag...$68.00. 

The necklace had a piece that chipped off so I returned it. Too delicate to be so pricey. Price tag...$34.00. 

The jeans have a nice fit. A little too large in the waist for me but hey, it is hard to fit my waist plus my hips and thighs so this works well. They have the mom-fit but I figure I have enough butt-crack jeans in my wardrobe. Kept. Price tag...$78.00. 

Interesting sweater as I first thought the shoulders were damaged. Both sides, odd.  Oh!  They are supposed to be like that. Like the boyfriend fit. Nice color. Kept. Price tag...$58.00. 

And finally...

An embroidered cargo jacket.  Was not planning on trying on because I did not like the style but once it was on I liked it a little bit.  Cut/fit is cute.  Embroidery, not so much my style especially the area on the back.  

Cost was the deal breaker. Returned.  Price tag...$68.00. 

So, $200.00 for three items which included tax.  Pricey?  Yes!  May be worth the experience and convenience.  If I would have kept all the items, I could have received a 25% discount and the total would have been $209, not including tax. 

I think I will schedule another fix, though not any time soon. 

My referral code is below.  $25.00 to me when you schedule your fix. 

https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/5918248