Color Crush: Coral, Mint, & Navy

The combination of coral, mint, and navy is fun & on-trend, yet remarkably classic. Together or separate, these colors are sure to show up in your closet this spring and summer. Below are some picks that I am keeping in mind to add to my closet.

A little story behind some of these items: 

--I recently bought a pair of linen pants, and I have been wanting to wear them daily! They are so comfortable for the summer, especially for me as my classroom is cold but by the time class is over it's hot in Tally. So another pair is on my wish list.

--While shopping at the mall in Daytona while on vacation, I found myself in Sears, trying on the drapey tee you see here. I bought it in black, and the fit is amazing! Boxy or drapey tops don't always flatter me, but this one does, and the price can't be beat... $9!

--The striped moto jacket you see here was also a random dressing room try-on in Daytona, at Dillard's. There, they had it on clearance for just under $50. I loved it, didn't need it, and didn't love the price so I put it aside. After checking online through several different stores to see if I could find one for cheaper, I only found them for more expensive! Now I'm wishing I had scooped it up! 

Linen Pants / Basic Drapey Tee / Colorblock Tunic

Woven Belt / Crossbody Purse / Striped Jacket

Strappy Wedges / Striped Wedges

--Caroline

I Fought The Urge

I know I don't typically post on Saturday's but I just had to share a little something with y'all.

I have two stores online that I have put things in my cart. One of these was DSW, where I had a really cute pair of black flats I found on super clearance, only left in my size, which will replace an uncomfortable pair of black flats I already own. I also had a beautiful ankle-strap heel I had fallen in love with and added to my cart because there were ONLY 4 LEFT! (thanks DSW for the pressure!). 

(aren't they so cute! shop here!)

This morning I checked the stock and they were down to ONLY 2 LEFT! so I started filling out the rest of the order fields. Before I completed and hit submit however, I stopped myself. I said, (no joke, I legitimately spoke out loud to myself)...

Caroline Nicole... what are you doing? You are trying to be better about impulse buys! Do you need these? No. Anything you would wear these with you could wear nude or black heels with. No that's not as fun, but you are trying to save money. This is why you can never save money, because you shop by the seat of your pants!

So before I could change my mind, I deleted the heels from my shopping cart, quickly finished checking out, closed my computer and walked away. I stood up against my strong shopper psyche!!! And I have to say, it feels good. Sure I am sad I have to see the heels go, because let's be real, by the time I have the money my size probably won't be in stock.  But I will survive. They weren't and aren't a necessity. I'll be happier when I have more money to go visit my friend in Nashville this summer, or when I can buy pretty things for my new apartment, or when I go to the first FSU game of the fall in Dallas.

After all, the pair I did end up buying is really so cute and practical. And my total was less than $25!

(love the polka dots!!! shop here, but they only have 5.5's left!)

--Caroline

Simplicity & Minimalism

The other day, I found myself sitting (unexpectedly) at Firestone Auto Care waiting for my car to be looked at. After checking emails, and fiddling around on my phone, I turned to their magazine collection and picked up the March 2014 issue of Ladies Home Journal.

That was a great decision, a fantastic decision. And let me tell you why.

While thumbing through, I came across the article "The Joys of Living Small: Three Families Share Their Tiny Houses" (read it here). Thinking it was an article about designing for small spaces, I naturally started reading, and I can tell you it wasn't about designing for small spaces. It was about so much more, and truly got me thinking.

I have always had a knack for organizing, a love for purging unused items. Yet I continue to have a lot of stuff. If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you probably have read about my many challenges I've attempted to curve my spending: my Post-Birthday Shopping Challenge, my Fit2Shop Challenge, and my most recent No Shopping In February Challenge. But this Ladies Home Journal article, and the subsequent research and blog-reading I did, has got me thinking about why these challenges haven't helped my habit. 

In the article, Dave Bruno's 100 Thing Challenge was mentioned. Curious, I typed it into google, and came across his blog and information about his book. Fired up about the negative effects of consumerism here in the United States and the ability to fight it by leading a simple life, the words on his blog by both him and his contributors lept off the page right at me. (literally, I swear! lol). I got to thinking about why I like clothes, why I like to shop. I got to thinking about how I don't want to be in debt for the rest of my life, how I don't want to pass down negative traits to my (very future) children. I thought about how I want to be able to afford travel & experiences for both myself now, and in the future. 

"Temporary and fleeting things..." is a compelling way of wording it...

(Take a look at Dave Bruno's blog here, watch his TedTalk here, and read another blogger's version of the challenge here.)

Additionally, I came across the blog INTO MIND, written skillfully about minimalistic capsule wardrobes, and finding your style. The articles that really spoke to me were "How To Build The Perfect Wardrobe: 10 Basic Principles"  and "10 Wardrobe Building Projects for Sunday Afternoons." 

Even though I wrote about how to do a closet clean out not to long ago (read here), I can still learn much from both articles "Closet Cleanout: The Only 10 Pieces of Clothing You Need" and The Order Obsessed's blog entry archive, "Category Archives: build + edit a wardrobe." They both outline some unique ideas I've never heard of that might actually push my de-cluttering skills! 

Due to my research and readings, I have decided I would like to make a change. I believe that why my previous challenges and closet-clean-outs have failed to stick is that they 

1) only affected the physical buying of clothes, not the mental thought processes or emotions involved with shopping.  

2) did not encourage me to think about my personal style or my favorite pieces and why they are my favorite pieces

3) they only acted as temporary changes, not lifestyle changes.

4) I was far too easy on myself!

Check back soon to see the results of my research! I'm excited to finally push myself like never before when dealing with my wardrobe which always seems to grow.

Do you have the same problem? How do you deal with never-ending clutter? How do you feel about the 100 Things Challenge?

--Caroline

Tech Thursday: Favorite Apps

There are a couple apps on my phone that I just really really love, and I thought I'd share them with you today!

ENVELOPES 2

This is my favorite by far. If you've heard about the envelope system for financial management, this is the modern-day version! You can set up your envelopes with whatever name you'd like, and then put however much money you want in them (you can also have the app automatically set monthly budgets, but I haven't used that myself). Why this is so perfect is, if you are not a 100% cash carrier, you can take out money from your envelope after every debit card purchase. The Envelopes app has really helped me to track my spending, and know exactly what I have in my accounts (rather "envelopes") at any given time! Plus, it's secure and doesn't actually like to your checking or savings accounts because it's all manually entered. Even better? It's FREE! Check it out here, via iTunes. 

AFTERLIGHT

A great photo editing app, it's like having photoshop on your iPhone (with a little bit of Instagram thrown in there). With high-quality photo editing and lots of cool filters to choose from, I definitely recommend this app for anyone who loves having editing photos. Doesn't Berlioz look so much cuter when the lighting issue is fixed? Only 99 cents on the iTunes app store. 

RED STAMP

I heard about this app through some of my Premier Designs Jewelry ladies, who use it to make cards to either message virtually or print and send out to jewelry lovers. There are a variety of designs, occasions, and messages to choose from, all of which are customizable! You can, like I said, save it digitally to your phone to text or email out, or you can send it to Red Stamp and they will print them for you and mail them to you. How cool! I used this app to send my mom a virtual card on her birthday, and the other day played around with it to write a cheeky message to go with a photo of me crossing the finish line at a 5K (I might have been a little bored, okay?!). Free on the iTunes app store. 

WATERLOUGE

My graphics professor told me about this one... It's an app that turns your pictures into watercolor images! So cool! Makes your Instagram posts a little more French, and brings out the artist in everyone. I tested it out with the beautiful flowers Kyle gave me for Valentines Day. $2.99 on the iTunes app store. 

SIMPLY BEING--GUIDED MEDITATION FOR RELAXATION AND PRESENCE

I read about this app, I believe in a magazine (don't remember which one, honestly could be making that up even!), and decided to try it out. I usually listen while I'm going to sleep, and I've noticed the nights I use it I tend to sleep much better! Always a plus. The app has lots of customization options, and I've found it to be a soothing asset to stress-relief. Definitely worth the mere 99 cents on the iTunes app store. 

What do you think of these apps? Do you have any favorite apps to share? Share in the comments!

--Caroline 

Linking Up with: What I'm Loving Friday's