Wednesday, April 16, 2014

30x30 Week 1

I survived the first round of the challenge!! Honestly, I had my outfits planned all week but that is when I didn't have any plans for the weekend.

Wednesday, I get a call from my mom asking if Anthony and I would like to join her at the Toyota Center on Sunday because her church was throwing this big event so we agree to go. On Thursday, we get an invite to go to the beach on Saturday and we agree to that as well. Boring weekend suddenly full.

The problem is my outfits were perfectly picked out for a Saturday at home and a cute outfit for our church service. Therefore, I had to rethink my entire plan. This may not seem like a big deal but it took such a long time for me to come up with the outfits I already had!

But hey! That is why I took this challenge.

So challenge accepted!!

The plan on Saturday was kind of up in the air between the actual beach or going to Pleasure Pier in Galveston. If we did the latter than my outfit would still work but we all pretty much really wanted to go to the beach more than anything.

The beach it was and this is were the struggle got real. I had my swimsuit to wear but none of the clothes I chose really worked as a coverup (at least not to me). A little voice in my head told me I needed to make a teeny tiny exception this one time and go out to buy a coverup or buy new swimming bottoms. Sooo...

I shut that voice down! I will make something work and I did. I just didn't get a picture of me wearing it.

Boo me!!

UPDATE: This is the outfit I wore.

Top: Aeropostale / Bottom: Old Navy / Shoes: Academy

After the beach, we decided to go to dinner which would be the perfect chance to choose another outfit and actually take a picture.

Top: Old Navy / Necklace: BD Boutique, LLC / Bottom: American Eagle / Shoes: Charlotte Russe

Let's talk about this outfit for a bit. I had to go with this color shirt because it distracted a bit from my tomato face (go me for not applying sunscreen). However, I wanted the outfit to look a little dressy for dinner without being tooo dressy which is why I added the necklace and sandals. I think the look came together very well.

Sunday was easier to dress for, I knew I wanted to wear my LC shirt because I'm obsessed with it but I needed a way to dress it down so it looks more casual which is why I paired it with my capris and these sandals.

Top: LC by Lauren Conrad / Bottom: American Eagle / Shoes: Charlotte Russe

Did you take the challenge? How was your first week? Did you get tempted to buy something like I did?

Read the rest of the story »

stormieariel

0 Comments

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

30 with Thirty

Posted by stormieariel

Have you ever had a moment where you stare in your closet and there are a million and one items in it, yet you have nothing to wear? This happens to me every time I look for an outfit to wear.

So, there I am at work scrolling down my Instagram feed and I see Kate, from The Small Things Blog, posted a picture with the caption "Trying desperately to gather items for another round of 30 in 30.."

What the heck is a 30 in 30? And what does that have to do with clothing?

Well, I went to Kate's blog in search for further clarification. In her post about the 30x30 challenge, she explains what it is as follows:

"Basically, they take 30 items from their closet

and make 30 outfits from them. It's a way to

challenge yourself to be creative and rethink

your wardrobe while trying to avoid shopping."

Even though, Kate challenged her readers two years ago I want to take the challenge now. My hope in taking this challenge is having two things accomplished. The first to avoid shopping. I am halfway through my weight loss and want to wait to spend money on a new wardrobe when I reach my goal weight. The second is to take inventory of what I actually wear. With this, I can see what items I wear the most and which barely get touched. It will help me determine when it is time to donate an item that isn't getting much use.

So here is the lineup for my first 30 with Thirty:

1. Old Navy / 2. Old Navy / 3. Old Navy / 4. Banana Republic / 5. Old Navy / 6. American Eagle / 7. Levi's / 8. American Eagle

1. Soprano / 2. LC by Lauren Conrad / 3. Charlotte Russe

BD Boutique, LLC.

1. Sperry / 2. Toms / 3. Fergalicious / 4. Academy / 5. Academy / 6. Charlotte Russe / 7. Academy

1. Aeropostale / 2. American Eagle / 3. American Eagle / 4. Old Navy / 5. Old Navy / 6. LC by Lauren Conrad / 7. Spense / 8. Old Navy / 9. Old Navy / 10. American Eagle / 11. American Eagle

I plan to tackle this challenge in about 15 weeks, about two outfits a week. I will try to give weekly updates with pictures of the outfits I create with these 30 items. Wish me luck!!

Have you taken the 30 with Thirty challenge? If you haven't, do you plan to take on this challenge with me? I dare you to!

Read the rest of the story »

stormieariel

0 Comments

Monday, March 31, 2014

DIY Home

Glamorous on a Budget

Posted by stormieariel

Do ya'll remember about a month ago, I shared my master bedroom and the game plan with you all. I know I initially told ya'll I wanted to find a new home for our current bed set first but we decided to move something up on the list.

We installed the chandelier!!!

EHHHH!!! (That is my happy squeal)

Let's rewind a bit. When we bought our house a year and a half ago, the bedroom looked like this:

Notice the light fixture.

I was determined to turn our bedroom into a romantic getaway so we painted the walls Red Delicious by Glidden but color matched it to the brand America's Finest.

I am not sure what feel the room was giving off but it wasn't really romantic therefore I came up with a game plan to create a rustic glam style with romantic thrown in. The first thing I found for my newly inspired plan was the chandelier. It was listed on Craigslist for twenty dollars so I had to snag it up. The poor thing has been sitting in our garage for months now so we decided to finally install it. At least, my husband and father-in-law installed it while I admired it's beauty.

This simple fixture update has transformed my room and I am in love. It feels so glamorous.

G-L-A-M-O-R-OUS (anybody else remember that song?)

Seriously, the room feels so elegant and I think the room is finally heading in the direction I want it to go. Lets get one more look of the before and after.

Do you have the notorious "boob" light in your bedroom? Would you put a chandelier in your master bedroom or do you prefer chandeliers in the dining area?

I am sharing this post at Remodelaholic.

Read the rest of the story »

stormieariel