Oh Monday...I kind of like Mondays (I know, crazy lady talking!). The reason behind this crazy thought is because my children are so tired from the weekend they have no energy left to misbehave, therefore everyone goes home with a happy face on their homework folder and a star on their forehead and in the mornings they are all half asleep so they are very quiet. Maybe because I'm in a classroom with 24 little five-year-olds I have learned to appreciate silence. Most days when I drive to work I turn off the radio and just listen to silence, sometimes I pray, sometimes I just enjoy the ride and the morning view.
 This morning I heard the date on the radio and realized that February does not start until tomorrow (had my dates off), I don't know if Kendi's 30X30 challenge started today but I want to start on the 1st of February so tomorrow it is. This was the perfect excuse to wear this Rugby shirt I thrifted.

Okay beautiful ladies and gents, this is it, I will do Kendi's 30X30 challenge. I'm excited to do this! Now that I've cleaned my closet I want to be able to use what I have, the thing I'm nervous about is the shopping part, I can't shop for 30 days...but that's a good thing now that I think about it.

Here is the list of what I will be remixing:
Skirts: Anthropologie, Express, refashioned red skirt, thrifted lace skirt, Anthropologie Khaki skirt, thrifted Talbots, Anthropologie mustard skirt, thrifted khaki skirt.
 Tops: off white BR thrifted, white Jones New York thrifted, White BR thrifted, striped Gap thrifted, baby blue Coldwater Creek thrifted, plaid TH thrifted, black Gap thrifted, Vintage ruffle top, Denim Target button up.
 Shoes: Vintage boots thrifted, Charles Davis boots, F21 booties, R2 shoes, BR loafers.
 Sweater: Orange cardigan vintage, Charcoal wool sweater Gap, Gray cashmere, purple RL cardigan, Navy blue vintage/refashioned by me.
Jackets: all vintage, Mustard Sweater-coat, Velvet blazer, Plaid jacket

Happy Sunday everybody! What a beautiful morning it is outside, sunny, high 60's, what else can one ask for? Anyone looking forward to Spring? Not I! Spring is not a good season for hair or skirts in my experience and then there is always those dreaded allergies and sinus infections.
However I'll take anything over Summer. I think this Summer might be the one to head down to Mexico for a long vacation, I've been saving so this might be the year, we usually spend there the hottest month (July) and the weather over there is fantastic.
 I do need to work on a need list because there are a few things my closet lacks but we'll see. By the way my buddy Nina is having a Sunday best post, you can post your Sunday best at her blog here.

Hi ladies! Today was a long day of training..too long I thought it would never end, especially since my feet were melting with my boots, I came home running to change my shoes. It's a beautiful sunny day outside.
Ever since January I've been trying to clean up my closet, getting rid of stuff that I never wore or that didn't fit well. It's been a slow process, a painful one too. My closet was a daily reminder of the money I had wasted buying tons of clothes, I refused to accept that I had a problem with shopping, I would say it, but I denied it in my heart (you know how it goes, it's easier said than done). If there's anyone out there that can admit he/she made a mistake without hurting the pride he/she has all my admiration, for me it isn't that easy. Facing the fact that I've bought things out of impulse hurts the pride.
 I could blame my bad shopping habits on the American consumerism or the ability ability to get awesome deals and quickly dispose of them, that would probably not sting the pride as bad but I don't think it would help me any. The best thing to cause change is to admit one's faults isn't it?
When I read Lyddie's post I could definitely relate to her and it hit me that I had to finish what I started. Today I got up very early for training and during my lunch hour I came home grabbed a trash bag and dumped in all of those "what ifs" clothes, shoes, etc from my closet and from the red box. After my training I stopped by Goodwill and donated them. I felt good, no more guilt after accepting that I failed...it's time to move on and I feel a certain relief about dealing with the truth instead of denying it.
This red container is where I put many "what ifs". Once I put something in there I closed it and I didn't look back. It made the cleaning process much easier. After my things were in the "red box" I knew they never belonged in my closet in the first place.
I kept the things I love, the ones that work with many things I have, regardless of whether they are in the "10 ultimate basics", if they are going to be in my closet they need to be easily put in an outfit if not they will go to the red box.
Even though I've failed at having self-control I feel like I've succeeded.
My bad habits are not "cured" though just the other day I bought a pair of boots online (at Anthropologie), even before they arrived and after much prayer I knew I had to take them back. Yes, they were an excellent deal and they could have been worn many times but they were not what I needed, a classic, black pair that can go with anything. After they arrived I still battled whether or not I would take them back, you can't imagine how much I thought about keeping those boots, I even tried reasoning why it would be a logical choice to keep them. It was painful to put the box in my car as it's always painful to take the first step for change, but once they were in the car I realized I was making the right choice and I felt good about it even though I was $20 short because of shipping. Then I stopped by Gap and tried many things on...took a deep breath and left empty handed and I feel good about that too. No impulse purchases made. ^_^
The lessons I learned from cleaning out my closet:
Prayer makes everything easier.
 It's better to face the truth and move on then to keep living in guilt and denial of my failures.
It was hard to take the first step, but once I did it things were much easier.
The red box will stay in my house.
I have a problem with shopping (and it still stings to write it but I'm happier).

I'm back ladies! I have a tutorial for this elbow-patched sweater from Zara. Ever since I saw this picture from The Sartorialist I knew I had to make my own!

 

(Comes in running) What Breton stripes?! I guess I was a little late, maybe a few hours or a whole day huh? I totally missed the Breton stripes challenge...(whispers) not that I really care, I've been super busy and I liked today's outfit.I only got a chance to snap one picture before my camera's battery died, at least it was a decent picture, I'm wearing it all, lace (skirt), leather (vest), studs (shirt's collar). I was  feeling like the BomB! Oh? Is that old school? My bad! ^_^

Don't you all worry pretty ladies, I still have a couple of refashions down my sleeve. Next refashion includes this very nice but small (as in I-can't-fit-my-arm-on-the-sleeve-so-it-won't-hurt-to-tear-it-apart) vintage blazer.

Last night I was reading in my bedroom when suddenly I heard this thunderous fart noise comming from my son's room, I was just starting to get off on my son for being so gross when I noticed my son was in the living room and Jingles (our cat) walking out of my son's room! I went and checked the room and it was clear, it was just a fart, a long noisy fart. Ladies I had never heard a cat fart so loud!(lol). Okay on a different note here is the tutorial for the bib necklace I wore on Sunday. It was so easy to make I almost feel like I cheated. Oh and before I forget, no cats were hurt during this tutorial.
Materials Needed:
old sweater with sequin details
felt fabric
thread
needle
scissors
chain, ring and spring ring
or
ribbon

I thrifted this old sweater on Saturday. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to make one of those bib necklaces that I've been desperately wanting. When you are at the thrift store don't pass on that sequined top with a nice design that is too old, big, small, faded, etc, it can make a wonderful new necklace.
 First cut out the design you like, be careful not to cut too close to the stitches as the beads and sequins can come off easily.
 I cut different chunks to see which would look better.
 Once they are cut arrange them on top of you felt fabric.
 Stitch carefully around the design making small stitches. I reinforced the ending beads with double stitches because some of them were very loose. I also stitched in between the flowers to prevent any bulging once I wore the bib.
 Commercial break: At this point Jingles decided he liked my shiny bib for a mat and kept refusing to move!...
 Pin the design in place (and if you cat lets you) cut the felt fabric around the design leaving a little extra fabric around it. Jingles did not get his little paw cut but I had to move to another place so that he would get off my bib necklace.
 These are the rings and spring rings I used, I got them for about a $1.50 at the fabric store.
 Once your bib is cut, attach rings and chains to the bib, do this very close to the center in case you want to hide the chains under your shirt's collar. Attach the chains a few inches from eachother so that the bib will be stable and not swinging from one side to the other. Add the spring rings at the end of the chains and you bib is ready to wear. Optional: You can stitch ribbon instead of using the chains.

Enjoy your new upcycled bib necklace!

Happy Sunday beautiful ladies! I love today's outfit so much I couldn't wait to take a picture hence towel on my hair..yeah unfortunately that's not a turban it's a towel with my wet hair wrapped in it. I don't like to take myself so serious sometimes so I don't mind getting pictures with mustache remover or a towel on my hair because that's what normal women do.
 When I bought this coat-jacket yesterday this is how I pictured it, brown buttons and my very vintage pin.
 I made this necklace last night, a DIY will be comming soon. I've been on a refashionista mode this week I have so many ideas that I want to show you.
 When there's wet hair, there's not much you can do with it so it''s back to the same old.

What a great day it was today ladies, I slept real good, skipped the gym, went out for breakfast with my mamita and had pan-cakes with sweet yummy syrup. I wanted to take a long walk at the park but my mamita (yes I still call my mom "mommy" in Spanish, we're so used to it and she'd get her feelings hurt if I didn't) suggested we'd go to the thrift store after breakfast and I obligued myself. I thrifted this wool jacket for $1.25, I love the color, the only thing I wasn't crazy about were the buttons. I immediately knew this coat jacket would look better with wood buttons. I also thrifted a few other things to refashion and then we headed to my sister's house to visit her and my adorable nephews, I definitely had a great day, unfortunately I didn't get to go for my long walk, maybe tomorrow if the weather is as nice as it was today.

So! this is not a refashion per se, well at least not for the savvy refashionistas, replacing buttons? are you kiddin? But hey, there's girls out there that would consider replacing buttons a big challenge and replacing buttons definitely changes the look of a garment.
BEFORE

 Buttons, needle and thread is all you need (please ignore the fact that I totally bit off my nails today and I've never had a manicure).
AFTER

Hello lovely ladies! What a cold, cold day it was. I had to wear many layers to keep warm. Last night I couldn't sleep because I made an impulse buy online and then I regreted it, I can take it back but because I pad for shipment that money will be lost. It was a pair of boots but I want to save and not overspend, especially now that the gas prices are going up and the insurance at work went up too. Sometimes it's hard not to give in and say "Well I can always pay it with my credit card."

Hey lovely ladies I'm back! This week I had a little challenge of my own, I've never followed a wardrobe challenge, I just can't commit to wear a few pieces all the time. I was excited to find out that Kendi is having one of those 30X30 days challenge, I might follow it this time...maybe. For now my little challenge was a secret just in case I could not follow through with it. I remixed this skirt in 4 ways, 4 days. I was going to wear it tomorrow again but...it's reached it's limit and it needs to be washed. I'm very clean and I change clothes as soon as I get home from work but I just can't make myself iron it and wear it again tomorrow without washing it, it's handwash and it's freezing so it won't get dry in time.
Tuesday