Counting Clothing Challenge #1

I'm always reading different blogs. I do subscribe to a few, but then I get bored when they only talk about one topic. Which is why I'm always switching gears on my blog. I'm sure it makes a few people   crazy that I can't stay on topic. But, that's just the way my brain works. I can't concentrate on one thing for prolonged periods of time.

I've been really getting into organizing my closet and minimizing it more so that I only have what I need.
I'm going to execute this challenge and count up all of my clothing and try to figure out what I have and what holes I might need to fill. Or what I need to get rid of too.
I want to sew up a few new pieces, but I don't want to over clutter my closet again. It's a problem that I have trying to be a minimalistic seamstress. How do I know what to make?

I'm really hoping that I can figure out how to keep things under control all while adding some new favorites to my wardrobe. I know my winter capsule is really lacking in dressier things.

I'm going to follow this and this blog's example and make categories to add up what I have currently.

The categories I plan on using are these:

Underwear-
Bras-
Thermals-
Swimsuits-
Tees-
Blouses-
Leggings-
Jeans-
Pants-
Skirts-
Shorts-
Scarves-
Jewelry-
Shoes-
PJs-
Outerwear-
Hats-

I can't think of any other categories, but I may add a few more if I feel I need them.

How I've worn my project 333 in February

I haven't had the new additions in my wardrobe long, but I wanted to give them a good test run to see how I will wear them and decide if they were worth what I think they are.
I want to say that I do not own these white chucks. I have a pair of athletic shoes I wore and the Keds. (but no picture of them yet.)

Monday I wore a skirt because it was up in the 40s. I didn't go outside a lot I just wanted to wear it. I wore my fleece lined leggings underneath. They are grey but I have no picture of them. 

Tuesday it got a little chilly again. I wore a fancy looking bright lilac, long johns material ,top. The lace stuck out from under the pink sweatshirt material top. Jeans and my snow boots kept me toasty warm. 

 Wednesday I wore my jeans again. (I actually have 2 pair, but the picture shows the same pair) with a lilac linen shirt and my favorite sweater. It has every color imaginable in it. It's like my technicolor sweater. I wore my hiking boots since the snow wasn't very high.

 Thursday I wanted to wear some more of my new things. I had washed them all and this one was looking dapper today. It's a navy and pink cotton shirt. I paired it with my thinner pink sweater and jeans, yes again!

 Friday, realizing that winter time in Minnesota means jeans a lot. What else is going to keep me warm? Or am I just being lazy? We stayed inside most of the day and we went to the gym so I wore sweatpants and a tee shirt with my wool sweater overtop. (No picture as it doesn't count for my project 333 since I only went to the gym today.)




Saturday I was sore from our new routine at the gym and we lounged on the couch. Then realized that we had a lot of things to do inside. I wore another pair of sweats and a tee shirt. (again, no picture)

Sunday it was warmer and I wanted to dress it up a little bit after wearing sweats for 2 days. 

So I chose my raspberry dress with my new floral shirt and tan tights. Snuggly boots and a bright yellow sweater to finish me off. These boots were given to me by a friend and they are really warm. I love the toggles on the sides too. 

Notice that these black boots are the only black that I wore at all. I have finally decided that I just don't like to wear black. It makes me feel down and who wants that? These boots somehow don't make me feel that way, so they can stay. (even though they need some repair on the inside, I still wear them.)

I know I talked about how I fell off the bandwagon with Project 333 for Jan-March. But I did really good until I added new things. I had to test them out and most of them got to stay. The pink and Navy plaid did not stay. I ended up hating that ruffle on the front. If it wasn't there, I would love it. And if I took it off it would look weird. Otherwise I love the color. I'm hoping that the next season will be easier for me. Winter is just hard to do for me since it's my first one. I did OK when the weather was balmy, but when it got cold I brought in more clothing. Bad me! Oh, well. I have to stay warm. I'll try again with the next season, which is April-June. Don't give up on me. Also, if you are struggling know that you are not the only one. I too, dear reader, still have a lusting eye for new clothing. 

Wardrobe updates for Autumn/Winter '14

Ok, so I know I've written about having trouble with my fall wardrobe and yes, it does seem harder to do than summer. I'm not sure if that is because I am from the south and am now living in the arctic tundra of Minnesota or if it's just harder. But, I've been noticing more what I'm wearing from my fall capsule wardrobe. (Which I didn't change for winter too much. I added some sweaters and flannel shirts to it.) 

I love color. Having all black and white or tan and brown is never going to work for me. You might remember that I used raspberry, petal pink(blush), mint green, teal, blue, purple and some other pinks a lot. I've also decided that the tan works well with this as does the cognac color of brown. I do not have a lot of either color in my closet though. I have 1 khaki pair of pants and the boots, a linen shirt and a sweater that are brown. 

*Update* I have since abandoned the idea of browns in my closet as they are too dark for my skin color and overwhelm me. They are hard to find for me as well, and I'm trying to work with a lot of what I already have in my closet. 

I found this awesome shirt after a no good awful day at the hospital. (I'm fine, just some tests were run.) It has my colors in it and I felt like it would expand my fall wardrobe a little bit more. It's fun too. Women's flannel instead of the mens ones I was wearing, so it has a little bit of shaping to it. Also, it has snaps instead of buttons-fun!

I am struggling with the thought of neutrals. Should I have more neutrals to make matching easier? I feel like I need someone to come over and help me match up all my outfits or something. I think I just need to work with it more. I have to admit that I have let more and more clothing creep back into my closet during the fall and winter months here. I've been a slacker. :(

I have been trying to live with the same wardrobe choices that I made from the fall into the winter. I did not succeed as much as I would have liked to really. I ended up adding some sweaters to the mix. ( I do live in Minnesota after all!) and my farm clothes just jumped back in my closet. It looks like they are going to have to stay. (I love soft, flannel shirts. What can I say) I'm thinking about doing the "KonMari" Method to it soon for the closet and my whole house. 'Does it spark joy?' If yes, it stays, if not it goes.
I really love flannel shirts and I could have ones in every available color, but I don't think I would wear them all. I've been gravitating to pinks lately. Maybe that's because I didn't like pink when I was younger. I was a tomboy through and through. I followed my Dad around junkyards and shipyards. Why would I want to wear a sparkly pink dress? (Hint: I wouldn't!) I still don't do glitter.
Any hoo! I'm really looking into the Wardrobe Architect on Coletterie.com. So far I'm on week 4. Silhouettes are kinda of fun. I'm realized that I like flared and a line skirts more and cap or boatneck where the hourglass figure of the 40's and 50's really shows. I'm working on loosing a little bit of weight still, but I think I have an okay hourglass figure. All of these things combined might help me realize what I should do realistically with my closet.

I have whittled it down a little bit more here lately though. It always seems like an ongoing project to me. It's never done. I'm also looking at sewing more clothing all the time. I'm sure that doesn't help me at all. (le sigh) I love to sew, so I'm not sure how I am going to deal with this issue yet. Anyone else have this problem with their wardrobe? I know I have to be vigilant about it more this year. Pray that happens for me.   This is what my closet is looking like now. Not as bad as it used to be and I only bought the one shirt. I just keep going through my clothes that were in boxes. The good news is I only have 1 plastic tote of summer clothes left. All boxed fall/winter clothes are either gone or in my closet. I think it's time for a serious look at what I'm hanging on to in there.  

Just looking at this picture, I'm wondering where that yellow thing came from...hmm, are people adding to my closet when I'm not looking??

So far this is one of my favorite outfits for fall.

I'm loving these tights. They are a sweater type tight and they are warm. Plus, I love my cowgirl boots(even if they are pleather, one day I'll get a better leather pair, but for now I have these.) It almost looks like I'm not wearing tights and that my legs are this color. It's pretty close to my skin color. They are warm though, and on these windy Minnesota fall days I need that extra protection.
My husband tried to take this picture with my face in the sun so I had to put my sunglasses on here. That Chambray top I bought last year is getting a lot of use in my closet!

I realized that Navy blue might work better for me and my coloring without washing me out. I am going to stay with the pinks as a whole, but going with a more minty green instead of the teal. (which I didn't have much of anyways.) Or I could use mint for summer and teal for fall.

I will leave you with some beautiful pictures of Minnesota in the fall. 

Wardrobe from Summer '14

Some outfits from my summer project333. I know it isn't summer now, but with the cold weather I'm wishing it were here again. I'm dreaming of all the fun I will have outside so I'm doing all my planning now while I'm indoors. I figure that's the way to do it!
I didn't think to take a lot of pictures. These are just ones I got quickly. I didn't do summer very long. It was my first go at this. I think I did a month of it. I didn't even wear everything. I did notice the things that I seem to gravitate towards. For example, I love my raspberry dress. I wore it a lot.  And that Chambray shirt, totally worth the time I spent looking for the right one and it's a workhorse in my wardrobe.

Chambray top, green lace skirt, purple belt and brown cowgirl boots. (Optional Grayson) It was dark by the time I thought to get a picture of myself so the lighting is horrible here. 

Harlequin patterned cardigan-raspberry and gray with my denim jumper and black malibrans.  I think my DH was telling a joke, by the look on my face here. Also, summer in SC and summer in MN are completely different. I need that cardigan in MN in July when it is 60 degrees, and I'm used to it being 90 at least. 

Yeah, I took a selfie one this one. Green top and my favorite pair of jeans, I had on my work shoes too. 

I just noticed that I'm wearing denim in every single picture I took of myself. Huh. Well, with my active lifestyle and the gardening in the summer I need something that will hold up for me. I'm dreaming of more wool things in my winter wardrobe for next year. So cold, so necessary. Still looking for pink wool. LOL.

In looking at my wardrobe from summer I realized I don't have a place to wear my breezy silk outfits as much as I would have liked to and they took up space in my wardrobe that I would have loved to use for more shorts. I really need to be realistic about my activity level matching my clothing. I need more rugged clothing-especially in the summer. Although I'm thinking about keeping my 'gardening clothing' separate. 

Fall doesn't last too long in Central Minnesota. (But, it is beautiful!) I didn't get to take many pictures. But, I will post some of those tomorrow. As of the middle of November, winter has begun. It was snowing and pretty cold outside. I used my fall wardrobe with added sweaters and my winter coat and boots. So fall and winter go mashed together as I tried to figure out how to do it properly. We thank God for a mild winter this year!

Do you ever feel like you don't photograph well? I only like one of these pictures so far of myself. *sigh* 

Figured that I would post a picture of me with my new glasses and new haircut since the summer. And bonus, I actually like this picture of me. I think it helps that I've lost a lot of weight since then too. Hence the need for new clothes. (i.e. if I jump too much my pants fall down!)

What's in your closet?

Week 1 of October for Project333

I tried to document my outfits as I went along. The photos make me really look critically at how I am displaying myself to the world. For example, I'm not sure that I like the first outfit that I wore on day 1. The tights are too light for this I think. Or maybe its the boots. I don't know yet. I may soon be in the market for some new tights. It gets cold here and I wear them in winter under pants anyways. 

Day 1

We went out. 

Day 2

I took a selfie on this one. I didn't do a lot fashion wise, but I did work wise. So, I didn't care what I wore today. I wore my pink long sleeve shirt,  blue sweater (I didn't include sweaters because I wear them for warmth and not really fashion.) and my jeans with my working shoes. (I did a lot of work scrubbing the camper today! 

Day 3

Jeans and a Tee day. Didn't leave the farm all day. Did so much work that I had some left to do the next day. (sigh) Canning.
No Picture, too tired.

Day 4

 DH didn't want to stand up to take the picture, so I look like a giant here. Side note-Bingley is getting      SO big! He's bigger than Krunchee now! ( I think I need more long sleeved undershirts.)



Day 5

Out to the farmer's market with the pups. I just had my jeans on the bottom half. Sometimes it's hard to get a picture taken... especially when some people are griping about it. (ahem, Bingley!) I wore my mint tee over DH's grey long sleeved tee, jeans and sneakers. (Note: I stole DH's warm comfy shirt today. He didn't mind at all. I really need to get my own?)

Day 6

Didn't get to take a picture of myself today. I cheated and work a tee from the workout drawer since I didn't want to mess up my other clothes. Worked on the camper with DH today. Very excited to get this project done so it will not leak anymore. Plus, I can get to decor after all the repairs are finished! YAY!
We were working with caulk and we did a lot in the camper. I'll post on that soon too.
Guess what? I wore jeans again. Darn I need more pants options for fall!!


Day 7
Worked in the Children's Church today so I needed to be able to move about freely.

I wore my mint sweater, khakis and my white linen shirt. and my keds. Comfy and I thought I looked awesome.  Oh, and the children loved the puppet show. Too much going on for a picture-again.



We are starting to see that I live in jeans. So, I need to make sure that I have a few pairs of them so they can get washed. Also, a nice pair for out days and a grungy pair for working days is going to be a good idea.
I lost weight up here and now my 'work jeans' are too big. So the belt gets worn a lot!
I don't get time to take a lot of pictures of myself, but I tried to get some in there. I do a lot of work, so jeans-YAY! I'm thinking about adding a pair of dungaree overalls to this, what do you think?

How are you fairing on your project 333?