30x30 ITEMS

Polo: Aeropostale, $10

Cardigan (layered under polo): gift

Pinstripe pants: Kohl's, $30

Wedges: Ross, $7

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Earrings: Icing by Claire's, $5

Scarf: free from clothing swap

Peacoat: Papaya brand, free from clothing swap

Right-hand ring: gift

Hear that? It's the sound of a fat pleasantly-plump lady singing, and that means that the SK{ru}SH 30x30 challenge is officially over. Here's a quick recap of the hits and misses, my outfits from the last thirty days. (Psst: sorry that some of the numbers are cut off. If I were any brand of perfectionist, I'd fix it.)

Here's what I learned from working with my narrow wardrobe for one month:

- I've still got a long way to go before wearing a skirt/dress on a weekday feels normal. Growing up, they were reserved for Sundays only, and I have a long-standing preference for pants because of it. If I've done my math correctly, I wore pants twice as often as skirts/dresses during the 30x30, although I had an even number of pieces in both categories. That said, I really love wearing skirts and have several that I adore, so I'm working to make myself feel more okay with wearing them during the week.

- My shoes and t-shirts were the things I missed wearing the most.

- Scarves are wonderful.

- The state of my hair has a huge impact on my confidence level; no matter how good I felt about my outfit, when my hair was in that botched-dye-job stage (days 5-10), I was self-conscious.

- It is really good to take a purposeful break from shopping. I'll definitely do it again.

- I've got serious love for my chartreuse cardigan, plaid shirt, and striped sweater. I had to stop myself from wearing them too often.

- While the 30x30 parameters did seem silly to me at some points ("Look at all the clothes I'm just ignoring for no reason!"), it wasn't hard to live up to them. I could have made ten or twenty more outfits with ease, even if some of them were awfully similar to earlier outfits, and if it weren't for the fact that I was photographing and blogging every single look, I would have felt fine with exact repeats. Consider this a lesson well-learned for any future time spent living abroad: you can do a lot with a little.

So would I do the challenge again? Maybe, but I think a smarter move might be to do a modified version. I'll just have to wait and see how I feel in a few months, assuming Kendi puts out the call again.

In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to a closet without restrictions. I'll be donning some polka dots tomorrow for Everybody, Everywear, and after that, the world is my oyster ... my rainy, rainy oyster. (It's absolutely pouring right now.) Huzzah!

30x30: I Love My Bike, and I Love Free Things

30x30 ITEMS

Blazer: Class Club brand (secondhand), $10

Shirt: Forever 21 brand (secondhand), $7

Skirt: Urban Wear, $25

Boots: vintage Marc Alpert brand via Etsy, $38

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Camisole: Downeast Outfitters, $10

Circle pin: free from clothing swap

Owl pin: gift from sister-in-law

I swear I steamed my skirt this morning, but you'd never know by looking at these pictures. It wrinkles at the speed of light.

Another thing you can see in these pictures is my bike. Her name is Alexandra, "Lexie" for short, and I'm very excited for springtime rides. For your information, my camera is named Pepe (as in Pepe le Pew, the romantic skunk) and my car is named Lorraine. Do you name inanimate objects? It's fun; you should give it a try.

You'll notice that I got my circular pin from a clothing swap. It took place yesterday on campus, and my two friends and I made off like bandits! The organizers basically set up a points system, so all the items we brought were assigned a certain number of points (accessories = 1 point, shirts = 2 points, jeans = 5 points, etc.) which we could then use to shop. My total donated items came to 90 points, and I'm guessing that the stuff I left with came to around 45 (they didn't really tally things up, so long as it was clear you were within your allowed points). The event was very well-organized and well-attended, and by the by, what a GENIUS idea for a charitable event. All of the clothes left by the end were donated to a local refugee center, and in the meantime, all of the attendees (mostly starving college students, by the way) were able to clean out their closets and get some great new stuff without spending a dime. Awesome. (PS - I ran into a fellow style blogger at the event, Sarah from Wearing It On My Sleeves. Fun fun. She is even prettier in real life. And I didn't even realize that we have the same name! Although I spell it the right way. No "H" needed. =)

30x30: Bagel Shop

30x30 ITEMS

Sweater: Gap brand (thrifted), $4

Khakis: Gap, $20

Boots: Laredo brand (thrifted), $1

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Headband: grocery store, $3 for 2-pack

Necklace: gift from my mom

Belt: found it

Trenchcoat: vintage, gift from my mother-in-law

I wore this for a morning date to the nearby bagel shop. We go every Saturday, my husband and I, and it's come to represent the start of a new weekend for me. It's also a great way for the two of us to reconnect. One piece of advice that I'd give to any couple is this: make your own traditions. I usually think of "traditions" as an annual thing, like Christmastime traditions or a family vacation that you take every summer, but traditions can also happen on a weekly basis or even at random intervals. I think doing things like a weekly date, a nightly cuddle session, joint trips to the gym, whatever, can serve to help two people really think of themselves as a team. Yay bonding.

My outfits for bagel dates aren't consistent in the least. Sometimes I'll feel like dressing up, which really makes it feel like a date, while other times (like today) I'll go for the comfort and ease befitting a lazy Saturday brunch. One constant: little or no makeup. That's how I roll. The one thing I really wanted for this morning was to wear this vintage trench that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. Piling the khaki trench on top of khaki slacks made me feel like a detective or a photojournalist (just like our girl Keri, from Headlines & Hemlines). I was a little hesitant to go with multiple, mismatched khaki-tones, but it felt like a good day for rule-breaking.

Dear Elaine from Clothed Much left a comment on my post from yesterday, and in it, she identified my typical style as "eclectic, funky." My first thought: I like both of those words and take them as a compliment! My second thought: Really? Me? I love the days when I get my funk on clothes-wise, but I've never stopped to consider whether that word (or any other) can be the signature word for my personal style. Part of it is that I'm still trying to figure out my style (it's one of my main motivations for starting this blog, in fact), but another part is that it's always tough to evaluate yourself. I feel like I could look at many of my favorite bloggers and find two or three words that pinpoint their personal style, but looking objectively at my own is a more difficult task.

One word that definitely fits my look: messy. I'll admit that much. But truth-to-tell, I don't mind the messiness. Blame it on my unruly hair.

What are the words that describe your style? Are they words you have to work for, or do they come naturally?

30x30: At Home

30x30 ITEMS

Sweater: Old Navy, $10

Jeggings: gift

Wedges: Ross, $7

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Headband: Forever 21, $2

Shorter necklace: vintage hand-me-down from mom

Longer necklace: gift

I try to avoid indoor pictures when possible, but by the time I figured out that my camera's battery needed charging, inside was the only option.

Perhaps some funny props will make up for the lackluster setting (although I do like my parentheses paintings in the background, I must admit) ...

a vintage purse (I use it as a scripture case), which my sister-in-law got from her neighbor and then gave to me

a comically-large goblet

my husband's razor

two "YAY" flags, souvenirs from my best friend's wedding

some hoity-toity book, Virgin Mother Goddesses of Antiquity

a half-full/half-empty bag of salt water taffy (the remnants of my husband's Valentine's Day gift for me)

30x30: Just Like Juno ... But Not As Pregnant

30x30 ITEMS

Striped sweater: Banana Republic, $25

Plaid shirt: Saugatuck brand (thrifted), $0.56

Jeans: Guess brand via Buckle, $92

Boots: gift

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Earrings: shop at an amusement park, $8

Scarf: Gap Outlet, $10

After doing my bit of research into Ellen Page's style yesterday, I took my cues from her and did the best approximation possible with my 30x30 items. Plaid, layers, scarf, rolled-up jeans, ponytail that took all of five seconds -- it's a decent homage, but you can officially add "t-shirts" to my list of things that I'm excited to wear when this 30x30 situation is behind me.

Exciting news in the life of a boring person! The film Never Let Me Go is newly-available from Netflix, and my husband and I have an at-home date planned for tonight so we can watch it tonight. One of my geekier phases in life came when I first saw the trailer for Never Let Me Go and, knowing that its limited release would not extend to Provo, proceeded to watch that trailer multiple times a day for several weeks. Mild obsession had taken hold. Take a look:

I mean, come on. Get real. That is one beautiful trailer. I hope the film will live up to it.

FYI, I just received a wireless remote for my new camera, and while it's taking some trial and error to figure things out, I'm definitely finding it a helpful tool. Expect to see a few pictures (like the one below) where the remote use has malfunctioned momentarily. Yay technology!

30x30: Milkshake

30x30 ITEMS

Denim jacket: Divided brand by H&M (thrifted), $7

Wrap cardigan: Maurice's, $15

Dress: handmade (thrifted), $4

Loafers: Cole Haan brand (thrifted), $2

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Necklace: Forever 21, $5

Quick tip, related to nothing: If you ever visit the Malt Shoppe in Provo, Utah and are trying to choose a milkshake flavor, go with Oreo Cheesecake. Just trust me on this.

What's your favorite milkshake place and/or flavor?

30x30: Just Check With Me Before You Eat The Bread

30x30 ITEMS

Yellow cardigan: Norma Kamali brand (secondhand), $11

Tee: secondhand, $4

Jeans: Guess brand via Buckle, $92

Boots: vintage Marc Alpert brand via Etsy, $38

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Scarf: Van Heusen, $7
Jacket: Edge brand (thrifted), $6

I have six more days of this 30x30 business, and dudes, I am itching for the end. Surprisingly enough, the off-limits items I miss most are my shoes. Maybe it's not too surprising to everyone else; I hear girls are supposed to be crazy about shoes. For me, though, shoes have never held that unbelievable appeal that they're rumored to have for a lot of women. It's only during the last few weeks that I've really appreciated how nice it is to wear the shoes that work best with an outfit, rather than ones that are just okay.

Maybe I'll do a personal challenge post-30x30 where I wear all of my shoes, a different pair each day, and really take stock of what I love and what I merely tolerate. It's a good time of year for it, weather-wise -- some days will be boot-appropriate, others will be good for sneakers or heels, and as spring ramps up, SANDALS (hurry, Spring, hurry!).

Any of you style blogging dudes wanna join me in this pursuit? Let me know; with enough interest, I'll make one of those fancy blog buttons (oo la la).

Today was somewhat busy. I had a lot to do for work, plus my husband and I did some serious house-cleaning in preparation for company. My friend Krisanne came over for lunch and we talked non-stop. Such a joy to find new friends that you really mesh with, isn't it? A little later in the afternoon, I volunteered at a blood drive and, with the help of cookies and juice, made sure that the donors didn't pass out. I probably need to donate blood at some point in my life, right? But I'm a little scared ... not of needles, just of seeing the blood drip out of my arm. Yeesh.

Last thing: I recently noticed something that makes me ridiculously upset, and I say "ridiculously" because the level of anger is really not equivalent with the matter at hand; it's deserving of mild annoyance at the most. Anyway, this thing that gets me so mad is when my husband uses the last _______ and doesn't tell me. For example, I wanted to make a sandwich last night, and I'd been thinking about it for nearly an hour while I worked on some stuff for my job. I was really looking forward to this imaginary sandwich. But when I walked into the kitchen to make it, NO BREAD! Way to ruin a meal. I kept the anger inside (which is rumored to be very healthy, by the way), but only just barely.

I'm kind of territorial about food.