Capsuling For the First Time

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I know the concept of capsule wardrobes has been around for a long time. I'm late to that ball game apparently! I'm a creature of habit who continually wears my favorites while ignoring the rest of my closet. Usually digging through the clean laundry basket and not touching whats already hanging up! It can be nice to look at a closet full of clothes and see all the options you have but most days it just feels overwhelming. I feel like I have nothing to wear or I just don't know how to put it together well. Its about time I did something about that!

Last month I did a closet purge and pulled out everything. There were so many items in great shape that I just never wore because I didn't like how they made me feel or I bought on a whim but realized later they weren't really my style. Some of the items are just flat out not functional for a stay at home mom with two very active little boys. I need to be more honest with myself when shopping for new items because that last one is the number one reason I end up not wearing something I've got in my closet. I pulled out what I wasn't going to keep and then sorted things into seasons which I've never done before. 

After I'd sorted everything, I started filling out a capsule wardrobe worksheet I pulled off of Pinterest. I picked my three categories that my style and needs fall into first. Next I found my favorite Fall pieces that I knew I wanted to include. I wanted to focus on using mustard and maroon pieces to accent my neutral basics. I rounded out the rest of the sheet with a few gaps that needed to be filled or items that needed to be replaced because they were worn out. I love that the goal of a capsule is to work mostly with items already in your closet but also to replace the cheap quality clothing that wears out quickly with pieces that will last over time. Because most of your wardrobe is coming from what you have, it's much more affordable to fill in the missing pieces! I'm still missing a few key pieces that I'd really like to have as a part of this capsule but I'm holding out for an item I truly love at a good price.

Photo by Samantha Cater Photography

I've been wearing the capsule pieces for a few weeks now and other than the unseasonably warm week or two we had that I wasn't prepared for, I'm loving the ease of picking out my clothes each morning. It feels good to put on an outfit and have it fit well instead of switching outfits 10x to find something I don't hate. I also love that I don't feel the pressure to wear a different outfit just because it's hanging there when I really want to wear my favorites. The one thing I struggle with is learning how to step out of my comfort zone and mix pieces I wouldn't normally put together. I'm hoping that's an area I will grow in over the next few months of trying this. 

Do you know anyone who follows this concept? I'd love to follow along anyone who does this on a regular basis!

Five on Friday

I've always loved the "Five on Friday" posts that have been floating around the blog world for as long as I can remember. They are definitely something I want to do on a regular basis around here! This week I decided to focus on Amazon finds since I've recently been on an Amazon Prime-ing spree. Anyone else like that? Go weeks or months without using it and then when you start again it feels like a Prime box is showing up on your doorstep daily!

First up is this carry-on bag that I bought for our trip to Florida. I didn't have any bags that were the appropriate size for carry-on that fit under the seat but was big enough to hold all the stuff we needed. I read the reviews which seemed a bit iffy but figured I could always run to Target if this bag didn't work out. I love this bag! It had plenty of space for what I needed, was easy to zip up one handed, and the quality was good. It did have a bit of a funky smell so I threw some Purification oil on a cotton ball inside the bag for a few hours. Good as new! If you're in need of a weekender bag or a carry-on, I highly recommend this one.

I just ordered this cookbook by Rachel Hollis today! I love to try new cookbooks but I get discouraged when they're full of stuff we don't normally keep on hand or they take hours to make. I had honestly never heard of Rachel until recently when everyone started talking about her book Girl, Wash Your Face. I started reading that book while on vacation and found out she also has cookbooks. This one intrigued me and the reviews were good so I decided to try it out. I'll share some of the recipes I try on Instagram once it gets here!

I collect blankets. Not really intentionally, I'm just always really cold so I'm drawn to blankets when I'm out shopping. I have one throw blanket hung up on the ladder in our living room but it's more of a Fall color scheme so I'm on the hunt for a more neutral one. I thought this was super pretty (the fringe is always a plus) and the price is great! It's going on my shopping list for sure. I never really thought to check Amazon for blankets but I'd bet I'll be scouting out other options on there in the near future.

All of the bedrooms in our house are mostly finished. I'm not quite done finding all the little pieces of decor I want but I've almost got it. One thing I've been wanting is some kind of storage for our pillows and blankets that we pull off the bed before we sleep. Currently they just get tossed on the floor in a pile on my side of the bed. I'd love to have a trunk at the foot of the bed for these but our bedroom is just not big enough for that. I think a basket like this would be good for the size of our room. It would look nice next to the mirror and rocking chair we already have in there. I'm going to checkout Goodwill to see if I can thrift a big wicker basket otherwise this one is what I'll probably end up buying.

Throw pillows are the bane of my husband's existence. Okay, that's a bit dramatic but he hates throw pillows because he doesn't understand having a pillow that's just for looks. I on the other hand LOVE throw pillows. Would buy a million of them to switch out frequently if they weren't so freaking expensive. A lot of the ones we own are fairly old and really starting to look crappy. Most of them are stuffed with some kind of polyester filler that doesn't fluff very well. They're smooshed beyond repair at this point. I have found a ton of great throw pillow covers lately so I need to slowly replace our old pillows with these pillow inserts so I can just buy new covers to swap out. Hopefully since these are feather-filled they will fluff better!

Do you have an Amazon Prime membership? What have you purchased lately through Amazon? I believe Prime day is coming up soon so I'll be checking things out to see if I find any good deals to pass along!