Free is not Frivolous - Part Three

Here is my third (and I think final) "Free is not Frivolous" post: Good Society Jeans.  This is the "free" item that I am most excited about.  A few weeks ago, I blogged about Good Society over on my other blog Someone's Gotta Pay.  Good Society sells jeans that are made ethically -  organic denim, sustainable farming, fair trade, no sweatshops/child labor, & they give 25% of their profits to charity.  And I was really excited about finding this company... until I saw the price: these jeans don't come cheap.

But the next day, I received an email from my dad saying that he wanted to buy me a pair, so I could give a little report of what I thought of them.  {His email said, "I'll pay (somebody's gotta)" - which is clever considering the name of my blog - if you're really curious, you can see here about that}.  Anyway, I was totally surprised and excited, and now my jeans have arrived.  Another fabulous free, frivolous-less gift!

(If you're interested in my thoughts about the jeans - more than just I love 'em - I'll be posting a little review over on Someone's Gotta Pay soon!)

The End of Frivolous-less-ness?

OK, I am not frivolous-less. I just want to put it out there. I think I might have failed a little on this challenge because I like shopping too much. I did some major cheating this past week! I didn't mean to, it just happened. (I know, that's what they all say.) But really, last week was President's Day (yay, no school!) and I went down to the city to one of my new favorite brunch places, The Bongo Room. While I was waiting to eat these delicious banana Oreo pancakes...

...we went next door to a resale shop, The Buffalo Exchange. It's one of these places where you can bring your old stuff to sell, and then get a bunch of new (old) stuff for not a lot of money. I ended up snagging a cute little coat (I know, I have a coat problem) AND a pair of Banana Republic jeans. I have a hard time finding good jeans, because the "short" size is usually too short, and the "regular" size is usually too long. But these were the perfect length, so I had to get them!

So much for being frivolous-less. At least I held out for most of the month, right?

 

Free is not Frivolous - Part Two

Okay!  Here's my next installment of "Free is not Frivolous".....Giveaway Jewelry!

Since I've started blogging, I've become slightly obsessed with all the giveaways (speaking of which, we just might do some giveaways of our own come March).  This month (actually all within two days), to my surprise, I discovered that I had won not just one, two, or three, but FOUR giveaways!  These giveaways were hosted by Vintage Wanna Bee, A Few of My Favorite Things, Fl(h)air, and Night Owl Crafting (Check them out because I'm sure they'll have more giveaways soon.)  Anyway, here's what I won: a bracelet, headband, earrings, and a hair-tie.  So many fantastic new accessories!  And we all know how much I like accessories after our Six Item Challenge.

So, can I show them off - just a little?

First, a bracelet from My Bag in the Attic & a Vintage Wanna Bee headband (Combo Giveaway)













And second, from Aprikot Designs, these cute earrings & hair-tie.  (The earrings are probably my favorite giveaway item!  I think they are adorable!)

Third, from Fl(h)air, I received all these cute flower bobbi pins.

And finally, from Belle Rose Designs, a $25.00 credit to her shop, where I loaded up on a necklace, two rings, and two bookmarks (because her shop is SO affordable).  I haven't received the order yet, but here's a sneak peak of one of the rings:

image via etsy

So fun to receive all of this free stuff, especially in this frivolous-less (well kind of) month!

What I Wore Wednesday: Channeling My Inner "Gleek"

Well, last night's episode might not have been the best ever, but today I am rocking a little Rachel Berry (from Glee) inspiration. Anyone catch the episode a couple of weeks ago where they all wore sweaters with horses on them? Hopefully my outfit today isn't quite as, um, interesting as some of Rachel's are, but the pickings are getting a little slim here at the end of February's clean out the closet challenge. (More on that challenge here). But here I am, in my little bird sweater...

Sweater = Old Navy (long ago)

Skirt = Gap (long ago)

Tights = ???

Boots = Ugg (they are there, I promise!)

P.S. If anyone's interested in helping us choose a new name for the blog, leave us a suggestion or check out our ideas here. Thanks! 

Clean Out the Closet Update: Week #3

It's getting toward the end of the month - one more week! I'm starting to get down to the end of my closet. Although I will admit, I guess I have more clothes than I realized, because I haven't run out yet! (I am glad I decided to wear my jeans more than once, though.) I am slowly getting rid of some things as I go, and then I guess I'll have to try on everything else that I didn't wear at the end of the month. In the meantime, here's a peek at the outfits from this past week (just so you can be sure I'm not cheating on this challenge - unlike frivolous-less February!)

Stay tuned for the (unofficial) end of Frivolous-less February. 

I may or may not have some trouble finishing strong!

We Need a New Name... Suggestions? Votes? Help?

We interrupt our Frivolous-less February program, to bring to you this important message...

For the past month or so, Allison and I have been discussing some options for a name change to our little blog.  We're apparently not very good at coming up with names, so maybe you can help.

Here are the details: We decided our blog needed a change of name due to the fact that our 6 Item Challenge is over, so our name now has nothing to do with our blog plus it's not even that cute.  Eventually, we want to start an etsy shop too (of course I've been talking about that for years!), and we thought that whatever we named our blog could also be our etsy shop name.

So here's what we've got, but we're not sold on any of them:

1) Not Pink, But Purple (This little phrase has stuck with us from a family game of Taboo, in which the word was purple, and the clue-giver simply said, "Not pink, but...."  The other team could not believe how quickly we all guessed purple!)

2) A&A Partay (We've even got a plan for how this could be written.  pArtAy - something like that w/an ampersand over the "rt".)

3) Purple Sunshine (Random.  Yes.  But kind of fun, right?) or maybe A Little Purple Sunshine

4) Al & Aim (Cuz that's who we are. Plain, but true.)

Here's where you step in.  Do you like ANY of those names?  Which one is best?  Or are they all terrible?  Do you have any other suggestions?

Breakin' the Rules

I SHOULD NOT be allowed to go shopping. I mean, don't even let me set foot in a store. It's too dangerous! Here's what I mean...

Today I was shopping with my mom to find something for her to wear to a wedding we are going to this weekend {Congrats, Heidi!}. I just went along to keep her company beacause I was pretty sure I could find something in my own closet to wear. After all, isn't that the rule - nothing new?

But I was also pretty sure that I was going to buy one basic black t-shirt or sweater to wear with the dress that I already own. And I was ok with that, because basic black isn't too frivolous and I would surely wear it a lot, right?

Well, I found the shirt I was looking for, but I also found a coat. And I know I own too many coats already, but when you see how adorable it is, I hope you'll forgive me for being a little bit frivolous...

I just love all of the ruffles and the belt. I couldn't help it!

 But I should say that I did show some self-restraint while shopping today - there was another shirt I wanted, but did not buy. Also, I went to Charming Charlie for the first time, and let me tell you, it is a store full of temptations. If you haven't been, find one and go. Super fun, inexpensive accessories in every color you can imagine! But I was frivolous-less and didn't buy anthing. I'll wait and be frivolous there in March.

Oh, and one more thought about the coat - I'm thinking that, as a punishment for being frivolous, I should hang it in my closet and not be allowed to wear it until March. Seems appropriate, right? 

What I Wore Wednesday: Why Do I Always Forget?

So I've been lookin' cute all week (am I allowed to say that about myself?)...until today. I woke up late and I knew I was staying at school late to work on report cards this afternoon, so I just threw on some comfy pants and one of my favorite yellow sweaters. I almost never wear these pants, and I'm not sure why because they are pretty comfortable and kinda cute - but since I'm trying to wear everything in my closet this month, I thought I'd give them a try today. What do you think - keep or donate at the end of the month?

P.S. Here are my cute outfits from Monday and Tuesday...

A funny story about the peacock tights: I was at Target, and the man standing behind me in line noticed them and started telling me all about how his aunt (or someone) used to live on a peacock farm and when he was little he used to go and collect all of the feathers out in the field and his mom has a whole vase full of them and blah, blah, blah. Maybe next time I'll wear them with the feathers facing the front to avoid unwanted conversations from behind!

Happy Valentine's Day

Here is just a little taste of my Valentine's Day in 1st grade...

One of my little kiddos came in this morning before school started. In his hand he had a giant black plastic bag with long white sticks poking out of it...

I peeked inside and found...dun, dun, dun...

...18 fairly large heart-shaped balloons on sticks! I didn't really know what to think of this development, so I sent my little kiddo off to breakfast and shoved the bag of balloons under my desk where they safely hid until the end of the day.

In other frivolous-less news, I didn't have to buy any of my own Valentine's candy this year. I think the kids might have gone overboard with the gifts. When we got home, my roommate and I spread out all of our swag on the counter and here's what it (still) looks like...

So if you're in the mood for some generic chocolates or a creepy cat stuffed animal, come on over!

Free is not Frivolous - Part One

February is surprisingly turning out to be a month full of new things for me: clothes, jewelry, more jewelry, more clothes.  You would probably call it frivolous if you didn't know that all of these new things have been for free!  And since I've been receiving such great goodies this month, I thought I'd share them with you.  Because free is not frivolous.

The first of these free things was hand-me-down clothes & jewelry.  Remember how I said that Allison's wardrobe is significantly larger than mine.  Well, what I didn't mention is that sometimes Allison's frivolous-less-ness results in my wardrobe growing!  This weekend I was over at her house & did a little "shopping" in her Goodwill pile.  And I left with a bag full of four sweaters, one short-sleeved shirt, one necklace, a pair of shoes, and even a pair of socks.

Of course, I have to wear them before the month is over in order to keep them in my closet, but I'm sure it won't be a problem!  (Stay tuned for more of my free & frivolous-less new items.)

Clean Out the Closet Challenge Update: Week 2

So far this challenge is living up to its name - I am definitely getting the closet cleaned out. I have a big bag and a skinny basket full of stuff that has to go! I am trying to get rid of stuff as I go, so I won't have to do it all at the end of the month. It's kind of funny, though, because Aimee came over and started looking through my reject clothing bags. As she looked, she asked me what was wrong with each item so she could decide if she wanted it or not. If it was awful, I told her, but if it was kind of cute I would try to convince her to take it. In the process, I convinced myself that I should keep a scarf that had been in the bag. Oops!

And here's a little peek into this past week's outfits...Some cute, some kinda sloppy (it's been SUPER cold, don't blame me too much!) And yes, I have been wearing my jeans more than once...



My Trip to the Goodwill: Frivolousness or Frivolousless?

I may not be doing so well on the challenge.  Already I've been to Qdoba (I told you we liked to go there), and we also ventured to the Goodwill last weekend (Have I mentioned I'm a big fan of Goodwill?)

That means I have definitely spent money I didn't need to.  First - the food.  Definitely frivolous, but remember I did get a free drink just for being a teacher.  Second - the Goodwill.  Definitely not a frivolous place, but did I really need the 5 books & shirt that I bought there?  Then again, the books are for my classroom, so I'm not sure that's too frivolous.  The shirt probably was, but I put back two skirts and another shirt.  That was frivolous-less, right?

Oh well!  At least I got a cute shirt!  Here are a couple pics of me with my new shirt (WiWW), and a couple other previous thrift store finds.

Shirt - Goodwill (that's the new one)

Cardigan - Ann Taylor Loft

Skirt - Gap

Belt - Kohl's

Tights & Shoes - Target

Necklace - I think it's a hand-me-down from Allison!

 Another purchase from the Goodwill - this khaki skirt... with POCKETS!

And my jean skirt also from the Goodwill.

These have all been worn in February, and are now in the "keep" pile!

What I Wore Wednesday

This is just a quick little What I Wore Wednesday...If you've made your way over from The Pleated Poppy, here's a little background on our little blog: My sister and I are embarking on some fashion adventures. Last month we could only wear 6 items of clothing for the month. This month's challenge is to wear all of our clothing to figure out which items we can live without and then donate them at the end to simplify our wardrobes.

First up is actually Monday's outfit (which is significantly cuter than today's). I couldn't choose just one picture - I love all the different facial expressions - so I included all three!

Sweater - anthropologie

Skirt - Gap (from long ago)

Gray T-shirt - H&M

Tights - Kohls

Boots - Emu

Scarf - Primark in London

Last night my cute little first graders had their music concert (in which I had a starring role as one of three narrators). This meant I was at school until far too late, and this morning I felt like it should not be time to go back already! Combine that with the FREEZING weather we are having, and I just had to wear something warm and comfy today. (This is actually a step up from sweatpants and a sweatshirt, which I wish I had been wearing all day!)

Sweater - Gap

Pants - NY&CO.

Scarf - Primark in London

Earrings - Sweet little birds from Etsy (Christmas gift from mom!)

Shoes - Be glad you can't see them. They are the oldest black shoes that I only wear to work!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Clean Out the Closet Challenge Update: Week 1

Here's the Good, the Bad, and the Changes for February's challenge so far...

The Good:

1. I have already found a few items of clothing to donate. Two pairs of pants and a sweatshirt have gone into the pile.
2. I am enjoying wearing all of the clothes I couldn't wear last month!

The Bad:

1. You already know that the jeans situation has been a problem.
2. I am spending too much time trying to decide what to wear everyday!

The Changes:

1. Jeans can be worn more than once. (Hopefully this will be the only change to the rules!)

And just so you can be sure I am not cheating by wearing items of clothing more than once, here is a peek at my outfits from the 1st week...

(The gray sweaters in the last 2 pictures are different, I promise! If you look closely at the sweater on the left, you can see the little white dragonfly on the shoulder!)



Frivolousless Update: Week #1

Frivolous-less February

It's been about a week of Frivolouslessness, and I decided to reflect back on the week...

It hasn't been too hard, especially since I didn't leave the house from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday afternoon. Not many opportunities to be frivolous in my house! I did go to Chic-Fil-A on Thursday for lunch but only spent $1.38 on my meal (thank you, Christmas gift cards).

The hard part came Friday after work when I stopped at The Land of Great Temptations (aka: Target). I had something to return (which I actually left in the car - oops!) and a few (non-frivolous) things to pick up. Here are my stories of frivolousless victories at Target (who knew it could be done?):

1. I needed a stapler (thank you, naughty first grader, for breaking mine on a day there was a sub in the classroom). Instead of buying the cute, purple one, I got the basic black for $2 less.
2. I was starving, but instead of getting a chocoloate-peanut butter heart like I really wanted, I got a banana - A BANANA! Cheaper and healthier!

These may seem like small victories, but for a girl who regularly spends more at Target than she should, it was quite impressive!

I also realized this weekend that if I am really sticking with my rules of spending no extra money, I will have a very boring month! Saying no to the movies and dinner out all the time and sitting in my house all alone doesn't seem like a good time. The gift cards alone just aren't going to cut it! So I am revising the frivolousless rules a little bit:

1. The no extra spending rule definitely still applies to clothing, accessories, shoes, etc... Nothing new to wear. The challenge is to clean out the closet, not add more to it!
2. A little bit of entertainment (going to the movies, going out to dinner, etc...) frivolousness is ok. Use gift cards as much as possible, but don't become a hermit just to be frivolousless.
3. No extra spending still applies to all shopping! If you don't need it, don't buy it!

Hopefully these rules will be a better fit. I'm not planning on any more changes!

Meet the {Other} Teacher

Since Allison linked up with The First Grade Parade, I thought I might as well join the party.  After all, I'm a teacher too.  So as Allison mentioned in her post, our blog really isn't about teaching, but little bits and pieces related to our jobs might be thrown in here and there.  We started our little blog to document our journey through January when we attempted to wear only six(ish) items of clothing, creating new outfits with our accessories.

I'm on the left, Allison's on the right.  We had to share a few accessories throughout the challenge!

We survived and (I think) passed with flying colors, and since we had so much fun blogging about it, we decided to keep our blog going with a new February challenge: Frivolous-less February.
This month we are trying not to spend money frivolously & we're also trying to clean out our frivolous closets by wearing everything inside them.  If we don't wear an item, it gets sent to the thrift after February.  So far, Allison's doing a great job, and me - well, I'm doing okay (but I only made half-hearted commitments to this challenge!)

Alright, onto the Q&A from The First Grade Parade (minus one because I couldn't think of a good answer):

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?                                           
A:  I don't know because there's about a zillion things I want to do (and I'm always thinking up more).  The truth is that when I'm not a teacher, I'll probably be a stay at home mom.  But in my dreams, I'll ALSO be an author, a co-owner of that little bakery Allison mentioned, a photographer, an etsy shop owner, a tutor for kids in the inner city - starting all kinds of programs I have in my head, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I just can't remember I want to be!  

Q: What are your hobbies?                                                                                  
A: Right now: blogging & crafting.

Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?                   
A: A teacher (we loved playing school) & a singer (we also loved singing on the fireplace with our hairbrush microphones).

Q: What are your guilty pleasures?                                                              
 A: Diet Coke.  And chocolate.  And ice cream.  Okay, anything sweet.

Q: What is your biggest fear?!                                                                   
 A: Squirrels.  Seriously, they kind of freak me out.

Q: When you’re on vacation, where do you like to go?                               
 A: There's no set place.  But my favorite kinds of vacations are the ones in WARM places, the kind where you mostly just sit on the beach and do nothing.

Q: What do you value most in others?                                                                 
A: I love people who just genuinely love other people, even if those other people give them nothing in return.  (Does that make sense?)

Q: If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass down to your kids, what would it be?                                                                                                      
A: I think I have to say almost the same thing as Allison, but one of the things I love about our family is all the fun little things we do.  The other day, I was telling Nate about all the fun things my parents did for us when we were little (dying lunch foods green for St. Patrick's day, Decorating our rooms with crepe paper for birthdays, hidden buddies for Valentine's Day, etc., etc.) - Fun, inexpensive, but unforgettable!  I hope that fun-ness continues with me and is passed down to my kids.  Showing love (to our families & others) in little, thoughtful, genuine ways.  I know that's not really a personality trait, but close enough!

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in the world….living or dead…who would it be?                                                                                                            
A: Well, I love lunch with my husband, but I don't think that's the idea behind this question, so maybe... oh dear!  This is pathetic.  I can't think of anyone.  So, yep, lunch with the husband would be the best for me!

Now tell us one random thing about yourself:

Well, I told you I like to blog, so I guess my random fact will be that I also blog over at Someone's Gotta Pay.  This is my little blog devoted to another passion of mine - little choices I can make to love people around the world, simple ways that I can try to live ethically.  Check it out if you want!

Hope you had fun learning a little bit more about me, and be sure to check out all of the other fun blogs in the linky party...

The Denim Dilemma

Confession: I secretly want my 6 item challenge back. The challenge of wearing each article of clothing just once is much harder than having only 6 to choose from! I am trying to ration some things so that I will have them to wear later, and trying to wear others so that I will be sure to keep them at the end of the month.

Example: Jeans. With the 6 item challenge, I knew had a pair. It was always the same pair, but at least I could wear them whenever I wanted! I haven't even been doing this challenge for a week, and already jeans are becoming a big problem! We had two snow days this week, so one of the days I wore jeans. Poof! Into the forbidden laundry basket they went. Then it was Friday, a typical jeans day, and since it's sooo cold, I really didn't want to put on tights and a skirt. So, jeans again. Ahhh, another pair gone! Now it's Saturday and I can't decide if I want to waste another pair. See what I mean about the problems?!

Perhaps the rules on denim will have to change (and soon)!

I'm In.... Well, Kind Of

Maybe you've been wondering if I've decided to join Allison for "Frivolous-less February"  (or maybe not), and the answer is yes.  Well, kind of yes.  I'm in for bits & pieces of it.

Here are the commitments I'm making:

(1) The closet challenge - YES - with my own rules:

• I can wear items more than once.  (In case you don't know Allison, her closet is bigger & more full than mine!  While she may have enough clothes to dress differently everyday of the month, I'm not 100% sure that I will.)  I'll try not too, but I already know that my jeans will be worn more than once.  For sure.
• This probably goes without saying, but just in case, clothes that are out of season don't count.  Of course I won't be sending all my summer clothes to the thrift after the month is over.
• I will be sending a pile of the unworn clothing to the thrift (or to my crafting collection for some upcycling) at the end of the month.
• Same as Allison - accessories don't count, special occasions do, and this is for clothing worn most of the day.

(2)   The spending challenge - HMMM..... It's not that I plan to be frivolously spending this February or anything, but I'm just not sure I can totally commit.  After all, I already went to lunch at Chick-fil-A today - with Allison, I might add, but while she had a gift card, I was spending real money!  So, I think I'll commit to semi-frivolous-less (that's a mouthful) February for this one.  I will TRY not to spend very much money.  But the husband & I are known to make trips to Qdoba for taco salads when we don't feel like cooking.  (Can I count that as frivolous-less since teachers get free drinks?).  I don't know if we'll be throwing that one out the window.  So I'm leaving this challenge with a half-hearted "I'll try", and I'll just keep you posted on what happens.

I told you I was in.... well, kind of!