30 for 30: Day 9

I wore this easy ensemble for a brunch this past weekend with some local alum from Zeta. Some of my old roomies were there, and several other friends from when I lived in the house (did that for 2 and a half years - I like to think I can live anywhere now). 

We had brunch, then some of us headed over to the local J. CREW Factory store, where I proceeded to fall in love with 1 of everything. Specifically these really great houndstooth cropped pants, which I can't find online anymore (just simply imagine cropped houndstooth print trousers)...after I wore my houndstooth skirt last week, I fell in love with the print all over again, and would love to add more of it to my closet.

Let me amend the above statement.

I would love to add a few, selective & tasteful houndstooth pieces that I LOVE to my closet, and they must be pieces I would wear often. So, while those pants were DARLING (you'll have to trust me, since I can't find them), they might not get as much wear, as say, a pair of gloves, or a scarf. 

That being said, if those pants did show up in my closet, or under the Christmas tree, I wouldn't hate it :) 

30 for 30: Day 8

my lovely moustache earrings

Before I started this blog, the above outfit is something I would have worn on a very regular basis. Jeans and an uncomplicated top. However, since I started my blog this past March, I like to think I've "stepped up my game." I wear less gimme outfits, and try to put more effort & thought into the outfits I put together, and subsequently post here on Sweet Bananie. 

But sometimes it's nice to revisit the basics :) 

Have I mentioned before how much I love this plaid flannel shirt? As much as I love my ankle booties.

My lovely scarf is new - it's from Aéropostale. I was asked to be a VIP for them again this season, and I happily accepted. I came home with this scarf, and my Mr. said:

"Really? Do you REALLY need another scarf?" 

and I replied:

"But this one is plain gray - I have a striped one, and a printed one, but not a plain one, so this one I needed. AND, it's an infinity scarf. So, I guess I did NEED it. Oh, and I got another scarf, too..."

I'll be showing off my new stuff from Aéropostale over the next few weeks - they include: a coat (!!!), a pink sweater, that other scarf I mentioned, and some sweet socks. 

Today I'm linking up with:

and at Two Thirty-Five Designs

Curating My Closet

As I mentioned yesterday, I cleaned out my closet (again). I started this process several weeks ago, and finally finished up this past Sunday - it is not a task for the faint of heart, nor those short on time or patience. As I've said several times before, I've got A LOT of clothes. A LOT.

However, I am getting rid of a lot. 

132 items is a lot (I think, anyways).
These items range from: purses to boots, to pants to jackets, tops to jewelry, and scarves to sweaters.

I tried (almost) everything on, assessed the fit, how it made me feel, and how it fit into my closet. I also asked myself "Why are you hanging onto this?" if it was something I hadn't worn in ages, or was a gift I didn't particularly care for. When I had questions (which was often), I asked my husband his opinion, or texted my best friend a picture. With their help, I was able to part with some oldies, and came up with a huge pile several piles of clothes, shoes & accessories to get rid of - HALLELUJAH! 

I don't know why, but cleaning out my closet can be so liberating - anyone else feel the same way? I can't figure out why I hang onto things for so long, or why I get such a thrill finding things on the clearance rack. I realized a lot of things I got on super-sale don't reflect ME, or make me feel like a million bucks (or a thousand, or even a hundred). It's more like, I see something inexpensive and wearable, and all common sense goes out the window and my brain screams at me 

"BUY ALL THE CHEAP THINGS!" 

So, my closet was full of lots of inexpensive, but cute and fun, items that don't necessarily reflect that 20-something, fun loving, young professional, wife, bulldog mom, and personal style blogger that I've become. 

So, I sorted through the get-rid-of piles. I put some things straight into the DONATE pile, some into a box for a friend who lives far away (dropped it in the mail yesterday!), some into the rag bag (yeah, I know...), and the rest I'm going to try and sell on eBay and Instagram. Once I get pictures taken and posted with descriptions & prices, I'll share the link here and on my Instagram (SweetBananie), so you can literally "shop my closet." 

My best friend and I had plenty of time to talk and catch up when I met The Pioneer Woman last week. A recurring topic of conversation is clothes. Specifically "curating our closets." 

My friend, L, has done a great job of getting rid of pieces she doesn't LOVE, keeping those that she does, and focusing on quality over quantity. I, on the other hand, like I mentioned above, seem to have an appetite for lots and lots and lots of cheap items. She sent me this picture (below) this weekend. This is her entire winter wardrobe. Not just for the month of November. or December. ALL WINTER.

Can we say impressed?? And those are pieces that she LOVES, and will wear OFTEN (we're talking weekly, not monthly, or once per season, like me). 

I told her this was my inspiration, then got right to work in my own closet. 

We talk about clothes a lot. A lot more than normal people do (I'm sure), but it's great to have someone to bounce outfits & ideas off of. And someone to gently ask me:

"How does this outfit make you feel?" 

"Is this a reflection of who you want to be?"

and also to remind me that spending more than $20 on a sweater is OK, in fact, it's really OK, it's perfectly acceptable. Or to remind me that yes, that pair of shoes is more than I would normally consider spending on a pair of shoes, but that if I really love them, I should get them. And then WEAR them. And determine that my cost per wear (over several years for a well made pair) will be less than pennies. And that that is a very worthy investment - I should spend my hard earned money on less (in quantity) quality pieces that I love, instead of spending it on more (in quantity) cheaper pieces that I kinda-sorta like, will wear once or twice, and then keep in the back of my closet for ages. 

I've got a lot more thoughts on this topic (where to begin?!), specifically how to attempt this task while not spending beyond my means, dressing "Parisian chic", "curating my closet" (like a museum!), and making the switch to quality over quantity, but I'll save those for some other day(s).

Ever feel the need to completely overhaul your closet? What about just clean it out and freshen it up?

linking up over here today, at Because Shanna Said So, and here with My Fash Avenue

30 for 30: Day 7

Day 7 - one week down. I typically have a hard time putting black and brown together, but I guess this worked for me because it's more cream/tan with black :)

With these booties, I can't decide if I should tuck my pants INTO them, or show a wee bit of ankle skin OR show off some of my fancy socks...any bootie experts out there?

I completely forget to mention this in my blog post on Monday, but happy (belated) Veteran's Day! I've got several veterans in my family, and am thankful for each and every one's service & sacrifice for our great nation. My two favorite vets are my Mom & Dad - thanks for everything, you two are the best. Love ya.

30 for 30: 30 items (finally!)

Here they are, as promised. 

My 30 items I will be have been wearing for my 30 for 30 challenge for the month of November.

Ta da!

7 tops 

(left to right)

1) pink peplum top (looks neon orange here, but I assure you, it's a nice, pretty pink) [Kohl's]

2) blue plaid flannel [Old Navy]

3) light chambray [Kohl's]

4) cream 3/4 length sleeve top with light brown stripes [GAP Outlet]

5) short sleeve cream lace shirt [gift]

6) long sleeve cream sequined top [Kohl's]

7) black & white striped top, 3/4 length sleeve [Old Navy]

5 pairs of pants

(left to right)

1) olive skinnies [Aeropostale]

2) navy cords [thrifted - Joe Fresh]

3) bootcut jeans [thrifted - Old Navy]

4) pink & maroon polka dot pants [Ann Taylor LOFT]

5) black skinnies [Aeropostale]

2 dresses & 3 skirts

(left to right)

1) navy blue dress [clothing swap]

2) chambray dress [Kohl's]

3) leopard print pencil skirt [thrifted - Target]

4) black pencil skirt [Target]

5) houndstooth skirt [GAP]

3 jackets/blazers

(left to right)

1) pink tweed blazer [thrifted - Express]

2) vegan leather jacket [thrifted - Miley Cyrus / Max Azria]

3) velvet blazer [gift from my brother - Eddie Bauer]

4 sweaters

(left to right)

1) green fair isle sweater [American Eagle]

2) taupe single cable knit sweater [thrifted - GAP]

3) oatmeal cardigan [thrifted - Kohl's]

4) long black cardigan [Maurice's]

6 pairs of shoes

(left to right)

1) brown boots [Rack Room Shoes]

2) black boots [KMart]

3) booties[Old Navy]

4) black flats [Kohl's]

5) oxfords [thrifted - Not Rated]

6) leopard print flats [Kohl's]

Look how little space my 30 items take up in my closet! It's amazing!

We are currently packing up, tossing out, and sorting our things to pack up and move to our new house - one of the biggest challenges I have with moving is my closet (there's JUST. SO. MUCH). I've got a whole blog post on this tomorrow, but just giving you a heads up that I'm getting rid of 132 items! Which makes me feel great! But a bit defeated at the same time, since my closet is still PACKED. However, the above picture gives me some ease...

1) I can completely pack up and move the rest of my closet

 2) look how little stuff there is! and how little space they take up! 

3) not having full use of my whole closet is making me thing of different ways to wear the things I CAN wear, and 

4) it's making me think of ways to wear the other items in my closet when I can wear them again

Here are the items I chose for my last 30 for 30 challenge in June - how do they compare?

30 for 30: Day 6 - when I MET THE PIONEER WOMAN!

me & Ree - so worth the wait in line! and the drive! and the time off from work!

Last week, The Pioneer Woman came to Colorado on her latest book tour (A Year of Holidays - recipes for a whole year of holidays, beginning with New Year's Day, and ending with New Year's Eve). 

You better believe I went. And I got a picture with her (above, from my Instagram. 

And she signed my newest cookbook (and my previous one, too).

My sister-in-law introduced me to her sometime last year, and I'm so glad she did (thanks, KB)! P-Dubs has THE. BEST. recipes. Seriously. Everything I've made from her book is a HUGE hit at our house. I read her blog daily, and have her show on The Food Network set up to record on our DVR every week. I like to think we would be best friends in real life. Can I tell you I was SO awkward when I met her? I feel like I know so much about her, and she has no idea who I am 

*sigh*

I even took the afternoon off of work to make it to the signing, and my best friend came with me, and patiently waited in line with me. She's such a good friend - those are hard to find!

I could go on and on about how much I love the Pioneer Woman, but I'm going to suggest you check out her blog/cookbooks/show - let me know which of her recipes you make (and subsequently fall in love with). We're hosting Thanksgiving at our (NEW!) house, and have already drooled over the Thanksgiving section of her new book. And Christmas. And New Year's. And Valentine's Day...

my best friend is such a good blog photographer - she "directs the shot" and helps pose me

I was really proud of myself for this outfit for several reasons:

1) I don't care to wear tights, as I think they're uncomfortable. However, I wore these all day, and even longer than I normally would, as I didn't get home and into my pajamas until waaay past my bedtime.

2) I did some MAJOR print mixing here. Stripes AND houndstooth?? I patted myself on the back for this one. 

3) I think I look a teensy bit Parisian chic, which is something I'm obsessed with lately. We were sitting in the "fashion" section of The Tattered Cover (the location of the book signing), gleaning as much information about Paris fashion & becoing "tres chic" as we could without taking the new books home with us, as both of us agree it's more important to buy food and gas than books about clothes...

*sigh*

Someday...

thanks for coming with me, L. I really had the best time <3
also, I'm sorry I have blurry picture taking skills

linking up over at Simply Lulu Style, because I LOVED meeting the Pioneer Woman, AND spending the afternoon/evening with my best friend :)

Green & Neutrals-ish

I wore this layered look several weeks ago, before I started my 30 for 30 for the month of November. It's an emerald green 3/4 sleeve top, a down vest, a pretty ombre-esque scarf, that goes from light green/mint to peach and back, skinnies, and my tassled loafer-y flats. I love the color of this shirt, but needed a bit of warmth, so I'm really glad I had a plain white down vest to throw on for some extra warmth. The scarf added another dimension of being monochromatic (check out how many trends I've got going on!) I've had it in my queue for several days now, but remembered I need to share it with you so I can link up with Walking in Memphis High Heels, The Fashion Canvas, and Style Cusp, for their weekly Trend Spin Link Up - this past week was "jewel tones," so I thought this pretty green shirt fit the bill pretty well - dontcha think?

shirt: Old Navy

vest: thrifted (Aeropostale)

scarf: from my best friend's springtime trip to Europe

skinnies: GAP Outlet

shoes: Target