Day 6: Unconventional

We spent the day in the city, museum-ing it with my mom-in-law. I needed something comfortable enough to wear in the heat that would travel well and wouldn't wrinkle. Oh, and the challenge today was that it also be "unconventional."

So I choose my pj's. Yes, my pajamas, my nightgown, my granny housedress. (Ain't it cute! It has owls all over it.) And belted, of course!

t-shirt (Big Lots), Nick & Nora nightgown/jumper (Target $4.48 clearance), ?? belt (thrifted), Rockport sandals (thrifted), earrings (Mom's from the '70s)

Some people lounge around the house all day in their pj's, I wear them to town. People of Walmart, here I come!

Day 5: Belt it

If I am learning anything from this little experiment it is that I can be an adventurous dresser. I have never once tucked anything into these pants. Never. Now I know most people don't consider tucking in your shirt and belting your pants an adventure, but for me, it's almost over the top!

Horny Toad T-shirt (thrifted), a.n.a. shorts (thrifted and then altered), Abercrombie belt (thrifted), Mossimo sandals (Target), thrifted necklace, bracelet made by Dad

Moms don't have to be sloppy; who knew? I feel like a brand new woman!

Day 4: Color Blocking

I thought color blocking would be my easy day. I'm a naturally plain dresser--solid color t-shirt, solid color pants or skirt--but having to put it together thoughtfully was a different story.
It's warm in our neck of the woods and today's full of housework and errands, so this is my functional yet slightly whimsical attempt at color blocking.

2 pack t-shirts, layered (Big Lots clearance), Jones New York shorts (thrifted), Rockport sandals (Amazon), flower brooch (swiped from another thrifted blouse), prayer box necklace (gifted), earrings made by dear ol' Dad

Day 3: Mix Patterns

Pattern mixing is a style that my junior high daughter loves. Stripes and polka dots, plaids and florals, rainbow high tops and sequins, she does it all. I, on the other hand, haven't pattern mixed since I was in the third grade. (Picture turtle necks with cute little whales on them and argyle sweaters.) In fact, when I looked in my closet, I realized I had little to mix because most of my clothes are solid colors. This is as mixed up as it gets.

Gingham shirt--Gap (thrifted), Brown flower tank (designed and sewn by me), Talbots jeans (thrifted), Abercrombie belt (thrifted), Madden Girl flats (thrifted), ?? necklace (thrifted), earrings from a local botique (gifted), bracelet made by dad

After trying it and seeing some of the fantastic ensembles others have put together, I think I'll be on the hunt for some great pieces to pattern mash next time I go thrift shopping.

Day 2: Tuck it

Route 66 eyelet shirt (Kmart), Gap pants (thrifted), Petite Sophisticate scarf (ancient!), Mossimo flats (Target), pearl earrings (etsy.com), silver bracelet made by my dad in the 70's, beaded bracelet made by me

The whole idea of tucking took me out of my comfort zone. I'm not a tucker-in-er because I'm not a sucker-in-er. After birthing three kids, one of whom was over 9 lbs, my stomach muscles have pretty much given out. It doesn't matter how many crunches I do, by mid-afternoon, I'm poochy, and I hate sucking it in! But what this particular challenge did was show me via actual photographs that it's not that big of a deal. I can tuck in if I want to!

And that makes me a happy camper.

Day 1: Remix

Loft sundress, J. Jill cardi, Croft & Barrow sandals, unknown cami,belt & necklace
ALL THRIFTED!

Remixing pieces is pretty easy for me because I don't own a huge amount of clothing. I've decided to remix the sundress in order to force myself to find other ways to wear it, hopefully extending its appearance into the fall.

To see what others are remixing, pop on over to Freckles in April.

Now for something completely different...

This has been a year of milestones to make a girl start feeling a bit geriatric. I hit the big 4-0. My eldest child became a teenager. I have more than one or two gray hairs. But what really started to make me feel ancient was my wardrobe. Somewhere along the mommy road I had stopped clothing myself and started just wearing clothes.

For a while I took on the long skirt/long hair of the patriocentric Christian camp. It was a bit like playing dress-up without the foofy princess dresses. Then I adopted the black or brown shirt/sweater/polartec with jeans look. Comfortable and easy, yes. Attractive, not so much. One day this spring, my husband mentioned he was glad I had ditched the frumpy home school mom uniform but wished I'd wear something as colorful and vivacious as I am. I took that as a challenge--to dress as me and make my husband smile.

So in order to have some accountability about actually taking off my workout clothes and putting on something creatively pleasing to my husband, I'm taking the 21 Day Challenge and putting it out there for all to see.

There's only one catch--we ain't got no cash.

So how's this girl supposed to live out the remainder of her pre-walker days with any sense of personal style while raising a family on a ministry income? Thank the Lord for hand-me-downs, garage sales, and the thrift store! At least 95% of what you'll see on me will have been purchased off the rack by someone else. I'm not claiming it will be fashionable, just fun and spirited.

So here goes something completely different!