Remix - Day 24 {that's all folks!}

 My very last day of remixing this wardrobe of mine. Feels good to have completed this not-too-easy journey and so freeing to explore all the hangers (of casuals) left untouched this past month. I have a feeling I'll be a much more accomplished layerer and the sexy cardis + light jackets will keep my spring pieces warmer in March, while I wait for the weather to catch up to me. No more of these winter clothes! 

{jacket - Gap, scarf - Express, cardi - Fossil, tank - Target, jeans - Forever 21, boots - Sam Edelman}

Remix - Day 23 {almost there!}

Happy weekend to you! Hope you're having a brilliant one so far and getting much accomplished. You may have noticed my incredible new header (was actually in the creation process while all the header fiddling was going on). Isn't it beautiful? It was sketched and then painted in watercolors by the very talented Rachel. (If you'd like her contact info, just let me know.) I thought I'd tell you how it came about and what it means to me. 

I asked if she could sketch me sitting on a tree branch, the tree being important for 2 reasons actually. The first, my blog's first "real" header was that gorgeous tree with sweet little dresses hanging from it's branches, so a little nod to the old. Secondly and most importantly, this tree is representative of my immediate family and our family tree all the way through. Much of what I journal here is about how their lives have affected or influenced my own, from my boys and my man, all the way through those branches to the tippy top where my grand parents and great grandparents reside (still a part of my everyday, whether they know it or not). 

I wore my favorite dress (of all time), a spring floral that I wore when I lived in South Africa (and even in a very funny family picture from the early 90's with big hair all over the place) and still love to wear today. I also wore my favorite studded boots, my first investment shoe (haha). 

And then I asked her to draw the little birds, my 3 precious-beyond-words little boys, the loveliest of the lovelies in this life of mine. Parker is green, Monty blue, and my little E yellow. Their favorite colors (and E is my sunshine). So that's my story and she captured it all so perfectly. Thanks so much to Rachel for her beautiful work. 

 {necklace - Express, tank - Forever 21, sweater - Tulle from Besselli (GB), brooches - antique store, jeans & belt - Gap, boots - T J Maxx}

Remix - Day 22 {all things blue}

I have another outfit ready for you but I thought I'd add my inspiration for today - the color blue. I see it when I pick through my jewelry, when I open my closet and search my shoes, and here and there around my home. It just happens to be my favorite color today (and many other days too). Okay, I also happen to be completely smitten with these puppies and their color and pattern may have influenced this collection a bit. 

Delicately flowered Dr. Martens, the perfect combination of girly and edgy. 

{Free People, boys shoes - Gymboree}

A few more pretties all in calm blues. The bracelet is one I've kept from high school and the cuff links are something from my younger years in South Africa. The peacock feather ear rings were a gift from my grandfather many years ago, long before dangling feathers from your ears was popular. He's always been so ahead of the trends :) (if only he could read this - my grandparents have a large case of computer intimidation which prevents much of this from reaching them - I really need a snail in SA to hand deliver my letters to them (anyone?)). The perfume holder is a new gift from my mother-in-law from an antique store and the ceramic jug something I couldn't resist at T J Maxx. The mirrored tray is from Goodwill and though it's perfect for pretty trinkets it has replaced the winter painting on my art wall. 

 And my outfit today, also brimming with blue goodness. 

{all clothing - Gap, ear rings - American Eagle, ring - Target, shoes - UO}

Remix - Day 21 {blah}

{edit - I was so uninspired by this outfit that I forgot to title it ... until now. But you get to see everything I wear this month, so here we goooooo}

 I'm feeling a little lackluster about this outfit today but with nothing in particular to dress up for, I guess that's okay. We're just hanging at home, a bit of cleaning, a bit of playing. And that's about it. It's good to have nothing to do sometimes, isn't it? 

Till tomorrow ... ;)

 {t shirt - J. Crew, cardi & jeans - Gap, belt - Somewhere in Time (GB), boots - SA}

Remix - Day 20 {smarty pants}

Hello friends. Here's a peek at today's outfit which features, once again, a lovely stripe-y combo (seems I've had oodles of stripes, haven't I?). But the real star of this look, those makes-me-look-smart-and-successful-and-a-little-silly glasses. They're all the rage over at Madewell and I've seen them on Jenna Lyons an awful lot lately, so when I noticed them hidden amongst the sunnies at Forever 21 (for only about $5), I thought it was worth a try. Quite fun but quite the statement, I'd say! Elliot loves them, as you can tell. He had just woken from his nap and could not be put down at all. So we had another little shoot together. 

{on me: glasses & jeans - Forever 21, striped shirt - Gap, button up - H & M, boots - SA}

{on e: onesie - Target, jeans - Gap}

Remix - Day 19 {colonel mustard revisited}

 Oh! These wild card pants are indeed the challenge of all challenges. I mean, I think they're great and all ... it's just, so often? Just 5 days left ("the little engine who could" is my role model right now)!

{on me: bow clip - Forever 21, necklace - Express, sweater - Goodwill, belt - Old Navy, pants - Gap, boots - Sam Edelman}

{on little E: both - Gap}

Remix - Day 18 {fancy fur}

Today was a snow day! So we were all home together, kids and huz. A friend told me to put on my fur coat and get out there in that snow - go have some fun! I laughed at her and instead, I put on that fur coat and watched the boys sludging about through the window. 

Then we went over to Grannie's house (more photos to come) and the huz and I did a little shoot in her driveway. So I did end up taking her advice after all, though not as she intended I'm sure. Haha! Today I was a snow bunny after all ... scratch everything I said yesterday. 

{sunnies - Forever 21, fur coat - vintage store GB (now closed), scarf - Goodwill, blouse & jeans - Gap, snow boots - Target}

Remix - Day 17 {rhinestoned hat}

It's the weekend again and for us that means lots of quality time together. Bliss! The family has a busy day today - eating, partying, playing, rolling around on the floor, popping each other on the head, squeezing oranges into my carpets. A tall glass of bliss with a shot of grr. And I'll be dining with the girls again tonight, so things will definitely end sweetly (oh yes they will, dessert in hand). 

{hat - Eugenia Kim for Target, necklace - Forever 21, top - Free People from Besselli (GB), belt - J Crew, jeans - Current/Elliot from Azure (GB), boots - T J Maxx}

Remix - Day 16 {ruffled yellow}

Oh, oh, oh. How I love to be frolicking about in the back yard, now cool enough (as in not cold - considered saying warm, but just couldn't) to take outdoor photos which inevitably look heaps and heaps better than those indoors. The ground is muddy, not exactly the loveliest conditions for a good frolic, and Monty slipped and fell twice. But hey, I'm not going to be picky. I'm thankful for the fresh, sun-shiney air.

If you're new to my blog (Apartment Therapy has sent many new faces this way!) and you're wondering what this remix business is all about, here's where you'll get the scoop.

What I've learned from remixing:

1. I actually look forward to styling these pieces day after day. It's kinda nice to have just a few items to choose from rather than oodles. It obviously makes the process of picking out an outfit much simpler.

2. It's taught me how to be more creative in styling my day to day outfits and I've enjoyed putting a little more effort in creating something fresh from head to toe (though I adore jewelry, I rarely wore it until now). I feel more confident layering pieces, as an example, wearing that same khaki jacket a million different ways, whereas before I would have grabbed it only as a simple cover up over a t-shirt or sundress.

3. I'm so thankful for what I have! The very old classics and the trendier new pieces. It's made me appreciate all the gorgeous clothes I have so much more and it's helped me to edit my wardrobe a little better than before. There are now obvious items that I do not/will not wear and I've discovered that keeping the wearables handy and last year's trends in storage (just in case I love it again in 5 years, cause I will!) is actually a great idea. I don't need it all stuffed in my bedroom closet, just in case. It's nice to have breathing room in your closet.

4. Accessories are brilliant! They can make all the difference to your look (and often a very simple outfit, say jeans and a t, are perfect). Best of all, you don't have to break the bank to find the perfect little sparkle to add to your ensemble. Thrift buys are most often my favorite go-to pieces!

5. It's given me a completely different shopping experience and a more careful eye. What I mean is, when I walk through Target (I've avoided shopping at the mall this month) and I see all the pretty new things for spring, I don't get as hung up over the polka dot blouse with ruffles around the collar (really did see this). Perhaps I'm just a little more careful to pick the things that I see myself wearing more often and I immediately envision the unique ways I could style it.

That's about it. I never thought I'd actually gain so much out of this experience - a very pleasant surprise :)

{On me: necklaces - anniversary gift and antique market, cardi - Fossil, chiffon tank - Aerie, belt - Target, jeans - Forever 21, boots - T J Maxx}

{On little man: cardi (which he refuses to wear a shirt under) - Gap, jeans - Sweetpeas (GB)}

Remix - Day 15 {brogues}

Hello friends! Hope you're having a good one today. We're off to the grocery store, so it's a quick one for now. I'm dying to wear my cut offs with tights again and since they're not allowed into my remix, I'm rolling up my jeans as high as they will squeeze and showing off my socks instead. Make it work people! (the profound words of Tim Gunn, I believe)

{hair bow - Forever 21, necklace - gift from mom (Urban Outfitters), shirt - H & M, sweater - Gap, jeans - Current/Elliot from Azure (GB), socks - Free People, brogues - Urban Outfitters}

Our giveaway ends tomorrow!

Remix - Day 14 {french riviera on a budget}

 Back to the business of what I love best, clothes! I'm pretty sure that my look today is perfect for a spring break vacation to the French Riviera, don't you agree? Must be the combo of the stripes and scarf, in a navy, white and khaki palette. My outfit today was inspired by the accessories I'm wearing and they were all thrift finds at Goodwill. Have you ever picked through the little baggies of jewelry at Goodwill stores? They're delightful! I have a friend from Stevens Point who was the queen of Goodwill jewelry finds, coming back with the most gorgeous pieces. Those little bags of jewelry remind me of the lucky packets (candy/jewelry/tiny toys) we loved so much when we were little. You never knew what you'd find inside, but you knew it would be good. On this particular thrifting occasion I picked up 3 "lucky packets" ($1.50 - $3 each), this scarf (.99 cents) and this purse ($5.99). A pretty successful day, I think. 

 The snow is starting to melt, though it may not look like it. And I was only just a little chilled outside which is very good news for spring (though some would disagree. i have a friend who adores the cold and wishes for feet and feet of snow! she has even made an ice rink for her kids in her back yard. incredible!).

{scarf, necklaces & purse - Goodwill, jacket & jeans - Gap, tank - Forever 21, boots - South Africa}