December // Life Lately

So...it's {almost} been two months! Whoops...

I did do two small projects in November, but obviously didn't photograph them (sigh).

I fixed a recipe clip that my mom gave me. I also made my grandma a Christmas light garland to hang under her TV.

We also held a yard sale at my parents' house which cleaned out their attic (a miracle) and made about $200! I am pretty excited about it and very proud of them -- my mom in particular. She likes her stuff.

Here's our DIY project this month:

That's right! Our Christmas tree. Although it doesn't have them in this picture, there are strands of popcorn on it now, too. That was...painstaking! Ha. The tree makes the place feel pretty homey and I love it. I have been baking up a storm because Christmas = carb-loading (obv).

***

As for other goals I am working on: I am still running 3ish times a week! I may do a 5k on Jan. 1 just for fun. I haven't really been running three miles, but I know I can do it.

We have been saving our monies. This is obviously my least favorite project. We are almost halfway through this savings plan in addition to what we are saving otherwise -- crazy!

I also have not been buying any clothes!
AND I am done with my Christmas shopping :):)

2013 has been pretty radical, but I am ready for the holidays to be here and to be onto bigger and better things!

Side tables & a banner // October

You're actually getting two for one this month! One of these was a big project that I have been thinking about for a long time and the other was just a cute way to say "welcome, fall!"

I'll start with the big project. For as long as we've been living together, we've had (still have) a lot of mismatched furniture. The one that bothered me the most was our bedside tables.

Our side tables on the day after we moved into our apartment -- ick!

I have been researching, shopping, and scouring the Internet to find THE side tables (I mean, for the last year and a half -- I'm pretty picky). This is all, of course, on a pretty tight budget. So these were definitely out (unfortunately).

Instead, my friend Jen and I trekked the 1.5 hours to Ikea and I got some Rast three drawer dressers. $35 each? I can swing that. Also, everyone on the Internet has done a tutorial so I had some guidelines -- thanks, Internet!! This tutorial was the one I followed since the blogger seemed super laid back about the whole thing and didn't do a lot of fancy stuff that I wasn't willing to do (although hers turned out beautifully!)

My dad helped me assemble these babies and then we stained them with Minwax Antique Walnut Polyshades. I got the one with the polyurethane already in it because I knew I wouldn't take that extra step. I wanted to do the dark walnut like in the aforementioned tutorial -- since hers are so beautiful -- but I needed that poly to already be in there. 

I found these knobs on Amazon and with part of a giftcard, they only cost me $5!

I didn't take any "during" photos, but here's the finished product:

Wahoo! I am so in love with them. They match! And have storage! Ahhhh!

So, onto the way more fun and much quicker project:

A cute little fall banner for the door! I saw this one on Pinterest and thought "ooh! I have got to do one!" Mine just uses construction paper and non-felt balls, but I still liked how it turned out!

A Major Skirt Fail // September

Here is a post about a dress skirt refashion:

Let's back up a minute.

I originally bought this as a dress from the thrift store for a July wedding. Now, I really did try to make the dress work. I wish I had kept the picture...it just wasn't flattering or a good looking dress. So the other day I thought I'd try to turn it into a skirt. Well... you see what happened. My measuring wasn't very good, but I did learn a lot from this experience. One day I will try to do another refashion along these lines, but I'm going to take some time off from sewing clothing (even though I just began).

Ah, well, you can't win them all.

Maymont XC 5k

I did it! I ran my first ever 5k last Friday. It took ages, but I did it! This is one off of my 25 before 26. I am going to keep running and get ready for a 10k -- I can't believe I am even writing these words!

There's a very sweaty, red-faced, excited me.

Yay!

No More Clothes

So today's the day. No clothing for one year. Ahhh! I have prepared my closet and my mind -- let's see if my willpower can hold out!

Saving Money

Something I (really, we) have been very conscious of lately is money (who isn't??) and we have been working toward saving more of it. Here's a few ways we have been doing that.

1. Selling my clothes to a consignment shop. My favorite consignment shop, Ashby, and their big sister Clementine, will sell your clothes (with no fee to consign) and give you a portion of what they make. I have had several $50 checks over the last year just by taking in clothes that I was going to donate anyway -- and it only took about 10 minutes (they're about three blocks from our apartment). It's like magic.
2. Kroger has something called Digital Coupons that you can just load onto your card from your computer and then you don't have to clip 'em! We don't get a paper and I don't spend a lot of time looking around for coupons on the Internet so this is a perfect alternative.
3. I mentioned our money-saving jars. We've just hit week 6!
4. While my hair is growing out, I have been cutting my own hair. Sure, it may not be professional (or even reasonable), but the price is right. I also cut Dan's hair with a pair of clippers he has had for many moons.
5. Even though I haven't started my no-clothes-for-one-year, I have made several decisions that don't involve spending money. Because I know that that is coming, I have been thinking about my $ goals and saying no to trendy tops and that sort of thing. (You might be thinking: why not just start your no clothes buying now...you only have 3 more days? I have to find a pair of jeans that fit, stat! Due to my changing body shape, I got rid of every single pair of jeans I own. This is blasphemous, I know). Anyway, I am just trying to be more conscious of what I am bringing in. This list was really helpful when I started thinking about what I own and what I actually wear.
6. The LIBRARY, of course. Both the public library (my branch is a block from home) and the library where I work have been great resources. We were going to buy Seasons 4 & 5 of The Wire, but thanks to the library -- we don't have to! I am also a pretty big reader, so this saves a TON of money. They have cookbooks too! And classes! Libraries are the best.
7. Although I haven't found THE ONE yet, I have been scouring craiglist and thrift stores for the perfect bedside tables. I refuse to purchase them new -- I just can't do it!
8. Getting rid of my gym membership has saved me $40 every month! That really adds up. Running has been doing me right (in more than one way).
9. Before I moved last spring, I ate everything that I had in my freezer and pantry before buying anything new from the store (outside of some produce). This not only made it so I didn't have to move all those cans and boxes, but was kind of fun -- I thought up some interesting recipes to combine weird ingredients (panko and pasta? ok!) We are doing that this month to save some dough and also because we have a lot of food for just two people.
10. Although this isn't something we're doing right now, we had a yard sale. When we moved in together, we said, "we cannot keep all of this stuff." Growing up, my mom always talked about having a yard sale, but we never did it. Let me tell you right now -- it was so great. Less stuff to move, less stuff to find a home for, and we made over $200 for about 4 hours worth of work. I'll take it.
11. Driving can be very expensive. I only fill up my car once or twice a month (usually around $60 total monthly). Luckily, I don't have to drive very far to work and we live very close to the store, dining, museums, etc. Trying to combine errands and walk as much as possible is good for you, the environment, but especially your wallet.
12. Credit card points! Saving these up for giftcards or straight cash is awesome and rewarding.

Definitely check out Young House Love's posts on saving money and check out this Yahoo article (I know, I know, but it's actually quite good).

Anyway, those are some things I am trying out to save some money for bigger and better things! Hooray!

Nashville!

This past weekend I went to Nashville, TN with my parents to visit my brother (Tim). He lives there with my aunt (Barb). My cousin and her fiance (and their dog) live there as well! And my brother's girlfriend (Miranda). It was awesome.

On Thursday we ate a lot of food and got over our extreme tiredness from getting up at 4 AM. We played Omega Virus, which is the best game. I didn't take any pictures because I was so sleepy. But here's a picture of Gus (he is so sweet):

Friday was running with my brother (20 solid minutes!), a segway tour (terrifying), dinner with Tim's girlfriend's parents and yahtzee. So, all the best things.

Saturday: hit the pool with the bro, hung out with my parents, and obviously Sweet CeCe's.

Sunday was my last day and my parents and I went to the Southern Living Idea House. I saw a lot of interesting ideas for my future home. We also discovered Goo Goo Clusters, which are amazing. You have got to try them.

Although I wish my little bro lived closer, Nashville is a lot of fun so visiting isn't a problem on my end!

Colorblock Shirt Refashion // August

So, let me tell you about Laura + sewing:

1. My mom gave me my grandma's old machine this past December
2. I am super impatient (always)
3. I am bad at sewing

Basically, I'm a newbie to the world of sewing, but with my one year of not buying clothing coming up, I decided to whip it out and create a colorblock shirt out of two shirts I was no longer wearing.

Check it:

So this is a crummy iPhone photo (get used to that!) with our bed in the background and only showing part of the shirt, but there ya go!

I checked out these three tutorials ((1. 2. 3.)) to get ideas and then just kind of...went for it!

But, I took two things I didn't wear and made one that I will! The blue shirt had a hole from where my iPod armband had rubbed it raw so I had to get rid of it, making not the straightest of lines, so next time I would use two shirts that were a little less holy.

This is also the first of my monthly projects that I am working toward on my one a month goal for my 25 before 26 ; got to start early!

25 before 26

Tomorrow is my 25th birthday! One quarter of a century old, yikes! So, here's my 25-before-26 list!

1. Run a 5k [[I just signed up for this one!]]

2. Continue running regularly afterward [[This one will be hard, especially when it gets cold out!]]

3. Do one craft/DIY project per month [[This seems reasonable, but my weekends are so lazy these days.]]

4. Create a 5 year plan with Dan [[We really do need to do this. We have a few nebulous ideas of what we want, but it's time to nail it down.]]

5. Learn a cool new skill/develop a hobby (maybe knitting??) [[I have tried to learn how to knit twice. Maybe third time's the charm?]]

6. Read at least two books per month for funsies [[This was difficult when I was in school, but it should be a breeze now.]]

7. Start truly saving to buy a house [[Yikes! That's all I can say about that :)]]

8. Make one new close friend who lives in the same city and isn’t moving somewhere! [[All of my close friends live far away and while I do have some pals here in town, I want someone I can call up anytime and say, "let's eat and watch TV right now."]]

9. Buy/make/re-do two pieces of furniture that are totally my/our own [[I already have some ideas here. Pretty much everything we own is a hand-me-down, which is fine, but nothing matches!]]

10. Travel somewhere I haven’t been before [[I've really only traveled on the east coast -- which is awesome -- but maybe try somewhere new? Kansas City, maybe?]]

11. Eat more healthfully, cook at home more [[Always a goal.]]

12. Continue paying off student loans & make a dent in them! [[Again, yikes! But, I'm halfway paid back!]]

13. Learn to do something with my hair that isn’t down or ponytail (& grow it past my shoulders!) [[My hair is currently the longest it's been since 2005, so that's already a good start. I never know what to do with it though, so definitely working on this.]]

14. Get a new ear piercing or something? [[Haha, the most vague goal. I have been thinking about getting my ear pierced since I just have the regular ol' one-hole-per-ear, but we'll see -- I just want to try something new.]]

15. Start writing more frequently/start a blog [[Hey! Look! Now to keep with this....]]

16. Start collecting home-y items that make our rooms look put together, intentional, and not so hand-me-down (re: duvet, etc) [[Again, nothing matches so I'm going to work on that.]]

17. Donate blood successfully [[The last few times I have tried, my iron has been too low which isn't healthy and means I can't donate.]]

18. Take two “fun” classes [[After being in school for what seemed like eternity, it's time to take some classes that are just for fun.]]

19. Start buying/wearing clothes that fit my “style” and that aren’t an afterthought or just because they were in the closet [[I have a lot of clothes that are just comfortable or I throw them on because I don't have to think about it, but I'd like to be more intentional with what I wear.]]

20. Go to the beach [[I grew up about 35 minutes from the beach so not going in over two years is killing me!]]

21. Save $2,756 with Dan [[We just started this!]]

22. Go on a picnic [[This one should be easy, but I say it every spring, summer, and fall...so now it's on the list.]]

23. Work on networking and developing my skills to prepare me for a professional job [[I am just starting my career and need to think about the future and how I want to present myself in the workforce.]]

24. Start a new tradition with Dan [[When I think of the holidays, I think of family traditions, so hopefully we'll come up with something great!]]

25. No clothes buying for one year!!! [[I have already mentioned this. I am so nervous!]]

So this list (and much more) is what 25 will have in store for me so let's find out if I can check off (almost?) everything on my list!

Say NO to Clothes (but not really)

As I mentioned, my don't-buy-clothes-for-a-year challenge will be starting soon. September 1, to be exact. Here are the rules:

1. Thrift stores are OK, within reason (inexpensive purchases add up, too, so don't overdo it. Really, just avoid it, because then you'll want it all anyway)
2. Gifts are fine (obviously)
3. Giftcards from holidays or with Discover cashback are OK
4. If something crazy happens and my whole closet gets transported to outerspace for study of what a perfectly average human being's wardrobe looks like, then some new clothes are fine (re: natural disaster)
5. New underwear are ok, too. Let's get real here.

Along with these rules, there are some other things I'd like to keep in mind while doing this challenge:

• Remix what I've already got (I first heard about this via Kendi Everyday, but I also love this former blogger's style)
• Get into my own "style groove" // figure out what I really like in my closet and get rid of what doesn't fit my style. (This is something I have been working on over the last ~year, but I'd like to do more work on this)
• I learned how to (kind of) sew with a machine and want to try to do some refashions or maybe something from scratch! As I am horribly impatient and not very crafty, we'll see
• Remember that clothes can be fun, but they aren't truly what's important: it's all about how you carry yourself

Should be an interesting ride!

Well, hi!

Hey, I'm Laura. I've been debating starting a blog for what seems like a long time. My best guess, no one ever sees this and I just use it to chronicle some projects that I'm working on like my soon-to-begin "Laura, don't buy any clothes for one whole year (ahhhh!)" project.

I've never thought of myself as someone who owns a lot of clothes or is really even particularly interested in them until one day, my friend introduced me to fashion blogs like this one and this one and then I just kept finding more blogs and couldn't stop! My Pinterest habit has also fed my need to buy all the clothes. Basically, I'm easily influenced by the Internet.

Anyway, I've found myself with too many clothes, not enough money, and the need to share this with the Internet. So here we go!