Hats!

All of the hats in this photo are from my collection. I donated them to the wardrobe mistress of the production of "Crowns" that will be performed at my church in January. I'm even going to get a mention in the program. :-)

The Office

It is my ambitious plan to declutter my office today. I have the motivation, I have the will, and I have the big trashcan.

Cover me; I'm going in.

I'm a lazy blogger.

So much has happened in my campaign to declutter and simplify my life, but I haven't posted anything. I had a yard sale last Saturday, and, including the pre-sale I did for friends on Friday night, I made $420. It went so well that I'm having another one this Saturday, and my neighbors are going to join me. So I have to come up with a lot more stuff for the sale, because I sold so much last weekend. I have culled almost all the furniture that I want to sell (and I've pre-sold my dining room sideboard), except for my old dining room suite. I am seriously thinking about adding a couple of the den chairs to the sale, because they're very pretty Victorian chairs, but they're not comfortable, and no one enjoys sitting in them. Plus, if I move the chairs and side table out of the den, I can add another bookshelf to get the remaining books off the floor.

I have a couple of odd chairs in the garage that I will sell, and I also have a metal cabinet that I bought surplus at work, but I'm never going to use it, so I may put it in the sale, too. Plus, I'm selling a lot of framed art and Halloween and Christmas stuff.

Success!

I have decluttered by master bedroom, master bath, hall bath, and guest bedroom, except for a pile of art underneath the guest bedroom bed. I haven't yet figured out what I'm going to do with it. I have already identified some pieces that I intend to put in the garage sale, but there's a lot I don't want to part with, even though I will never have room to display it all in my modest little home.

I just read this over a Miss Minimalist's blog, and it really spoke to me:

All too often, we hold on to stuff because it represents who we think we should be, rather than who we are. Sometimes our fantasy selves are meant to impress others, sometimes they’re relics of our past, sometimes they’re fantasies about our future.

I have just about had it with the Stock Market.

I don't contribute all that much to my 401(k), but I'm seriously thinking about stopping the contribution altogether and putting the extra money toward debt reduction. That way, I'll know that I actually got some bang for my buck. And then I can just start socking away cash, until I retire.

The guest room is a nightmare.

But I knew it would be. It may take the rest of the week to get it where I want it.

I'm thrilled. Thrilled, I tell ya!

I have finally completed the decluttering and re-decorating of my master bedroom, and it looks faaaabulous. I replaced the burgundy sheers and heavy burgundy brocade coverlet with a black/white toile valance (that my mother made for one of my long ago apartments), a white blanket, rose sheets, black/white toile pillow shams (that I made to match the valance), and a single black brocade throw pillow. I took the burgundy and purple fringed scarf/throw off the mahogany rocker, which shows the black/white toile underneath (also done for that same long-ago apartment). With the new clean, white walls, the black/white/rose color scheme makes the room look so much bigger.

It's even more thrilling when I open my closet doors, because both closets are tidy, organized and free of junk sitting on the floor.

I need to find black or white European shams to replace the burgundy ones on the rattan settee, and I have to decide whether I'm going to repaint the bathroom to match.

I managed to declutter both my linen closet, my hall bathroom, and my hall closet this weekend. Next up...the guest bedroom. And it's going to be a bear.

Slowly, but surely, the decluttering continues.

I have finished decluttering my master bedroom and bathroom and feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. I've also identified a basket full of things to go in the garage sale.

Next up, the guest bathroom, linen closet, and hall closet.

I also bought two really cute new dresses yesterday at Peebles, my favorite place to buy dresses. They were both on really good sale.

Anyhoo, one is a red/pink/white/black expressionistic poppy print with an A-line skirt, a black rouched waistband and a scoop neck edged with bands of black. I wore it to church today with a red sinamay hat, red sandals, and a black purse trimmed with faux zebra.

The other is a sky blue (with brown polka dots), sleeveless dress with a bateau neckline and an A-line skirt. I have a light blue sinamay turban that may be just the thing to wear with it.

Now, I just have to decide what I'm going to get rid of to make room for them.

I never was much for chaps.

But Daniel Craig in chaps? Oh, yeah. That works.

Well, I kinda fell down on blogging my 333 Project.

But I did complete the 90 days of the project, with only a few stumbles (vacation in Florida, hats on Sunday). It has given me a new appreciation for needing to have significantly less in my closet, and I do intend to continue with the "buy one new thing, get rid of one old thing" approach that the minimalists recommend.

Next up, the house. I'm having a big, honkin' yard sale in August, and I intend to clear out the house.

I am sick to death of the 333 Project.

So much so that I've started sneaking in an extra piece of jewelry or two. Anyhoo, here's the recap:

Day 82
Pink/red/black top
Black pants
Black purse
Black/cork slides
John Atendio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
Lilly Barrack sterling/Herkimer diamong ring
Sterling cross

Bonus accessory: Pink/white/black vintage Christian Dior bubble toque

Day 83
Aqua/turquoise/lavender/black dress
Black sandals
Black purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

Day 84
Brown polka dot dress
Teal shoes
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

Only 6 more days!!!!

The 333 Project, Day 73

Black dress
Teal shoes
Black purse
John Atencio ring and bracelet
Lilly Barrack ring
Sterling cross

The 333 Project, Day 72

Black/teal/green shirt
Black pants
Black purse
Black shoes
John Atencio bracelets and ring
Lilly Barrack ring

The 333 Project

I took off the week of my vacation, so I'm now back on track.

Day 70: Teal/black dress, black jacket, teal shoes, teal purse, John Atencio ring and bracelet, Lilly Barrack ring, sterling cross.

Day 71: Aqua/turquoise/lavender/black dress, black sandals, black purse, John Atencio ring and bracelets, Lilly Barrack ring.

I have done some more trading out, because I have discovered that, when you wear the same shoes over and over and over again, you find out which ones are really comfortable, and which ones are not. So, I have traded out my uncomfortable black and cork Onex (made in the USA) platform slides for a pair of black White Mountain gladiator sandals (sadly, not made in America, but very comfortable).

In addition, I walked the soles out of my ultra-comfortable black Aerosoles 4-give sandals (they actually disintegrated), so I have replaced them with a pair of teal and silver Onex (made in the USA) slides.

Catching up on the 333 Project...

Wednesday
Aqua/turquoise/lavender/black dress
Black shoes
Aqua purse
John Atencio sterling/gold rings and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise rings and bracelet

Thursday
Off-white jacket
Off-white shell
Brown pants
Sand shoes
Aqua purse
John Atencio sterling/gold rings and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise rings and bracelet

Friday
Pink/red/black shirt
Black pants
Black/cork shoes
Black purse
John Atencio sterling/gold rings and bracelet

Saturday
Jeans
Black top
Black shoes
Black purse
John Atencio sterling/gold rings and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise rings and bracelet

The 333 Project, Day 50!

Brown dress with aqua/white polka dots
Sand shoes
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring

I haven't been blogging much...

...so I just wanted you all to know that I wasn't taken up in the Rapture last week. That said, I do feel like I've been rescued from Hell, now the that Tennessee General Assembly has adjourned.

I'm really falling behind on my 333 Project Reports.

Saturday
Black dress (I had a funeral to attend.)
Black shoes
Aqua purse
Seafoam allweather coat (In case it was cold in the church. It wasn't.)
John Atencio sterling/gold bracelet and rings
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise bracelet and rings

Bonus accessory (for the funeral): Black satin bubble toque (got it on Ebay)

Sunday
Black/teal dress
Black jacket (In case it was cold in the church. It wasn't.)
Black/cork shoes
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold bracelet and rings
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise bracelet and rings

Bonus accessory (for church): Black sinamay picture hat with swooping brim (got it in Toronto)

The 333 Project, Day 37

Teal/black dress
Black jacket
Black shoes
Teal purse
Teal thermoset brooch
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet

I haven't been wearing daily hats, because (a) they aren't in my 33 items, and (b) my hair is so long that a hat pushes my bangs into my eyes. That said, someone commented on the fact that I wasn't wearing a hat when we went to the House chamber to listen to a bill debated yesterday, and then someone else commented that I had such beautiful hair, she didn't know why I even wore hats. This, naturally, made me feel good, because no one has complimented my hair in quite some time.

But I'm still getting it cut as soon as I have a chance to get to the salon.

The 333 Project Weekend

The 333 Project, Day 34
This was Iroquois Steeplechase Saturday, and it was damp and chilly (blackberry winter).
Black ankle-length dress
Red/white polka dot boots (selected by my niece Mariann)
Aqua allweather coat (didn't match, but I was glad to have it)

Bonus accessories (because it was Steeplechase!): Red sinamay picture hat, red cinnabar bangles

Trades: I have traded out a suit and replaced it with the ankle length black dress, because I need dresses more than suits in the theoretically warmer weather.

The 333 Project, Day 35
Aqua/turquoise/lavender/black dress
Black shoes
Aqua purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

Bonus accessories: Aqua straw breton, black wrap (it was chilly, and I spilled something on my allweather coat at the race)

The 333 Project, Day 36
Teal/green/black shirt
Black shell (it's chilly again today, so I'm layering
Black gored skirt
Black shoes
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Black rain jacket (my allweather coat is at the cleaners)

Catching Up

The 333 Project, Day 27
Jeans
Black top
Black/cork slides
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring
Sterling cross

The 333 Project, Day 28
Black pants
Black windowpane top
Off-white jacket
Black/cork shoes
Black purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring

Bonus accessories (because it was Sunday): Black/cream straw hat, red enamel flower pin (for my mother, who is still living)

The 333 Project, Day 29
Black dress
Black purse
Black sandals
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

It's already hot as the devil here in NashVegas, so I have traded out one of my suits for another black dress. However, according to the 333 Project rules, it does not go back in my closet. I have added it to my box of stuff for This'N'That.

The 333 Project, Day 25

Brown/white polka dot dress
Off-white jacket
Sand 4-give sandals
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring

I had two black jackets in my original 33 items, but I realized yesterday that 24 days of the 3 months had passed without me ever wearing one of them, because it doesn't go with anything else I chose. So I traded it out for the off-white jacket, which goes with a bunch of things.

The 333 Project, Day 24

Teal/green/black shirt
Black skirt
Black 4-give sandals
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

Bonus item: Black all-weather coat, because it was cold this morning. We're apparently in the middle of blackberry winter.

Did you hear about the royal wedding?

My three favorite ensembles:


Autumn Kelly Phillips. I would have wrestled her for that fabulous coat.


Princess Michael of Kent. She always looks lovely.


Sophie Winkleman. She's so pretty, and I really want that hat.

Catching Up on My 333 Project

Day 22
Teal/black dress
Black jacket
Black shoes
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring
Teal brooch

Bonus acccessory: Vintage straw breton

Day 23

Black pants
Black windowpane top
Black/cork platform sandals
Teal purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

Bonus Outerwear: Black rain jacket ('cause it's raining like a big dog!)

I had to swap out a couple of things. My "good" shoes were killing my feet, if I had to spend several hours standing on them (which, in my job, I do), so I traded them out (and gave them to This'N'That) and replaced them with black 4-give sandals and black/cork platform sandals.

The 333 Project, Day 13

Brown polka dot dress
Sand 4-give sandals
Aqua purse
Seafoam all-weather coat
Sterling cross
John Atencio sterling/gold bracelet and ring
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring

Teh 333 Project, Day 12

Aqua/turquoise/lavender/black print dress
Black shoes
Aqua purse
John Atencio sterling/gold bracelet and ring
John Atencio sterling/gold/turquoise bracelet and ring

333 Project Catch-Up Time

SATURDAY, DAY 9
Black top
Blue jeans
Sand 4-give sandals
Seafoam all-weather coat
JA sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

SUNDAY, DAY 10
Off-white suit
Off-white shell
Black shoes
Teal purse
Teal thermoset brooch
John Atencio sterling/gold bracelet and ring
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring

Bonus Accessory: Turquoise sinamay hat

MONDAY, DAY 11
Off-white jacket
Black windowpane shell
Black pants
Black shoes
Black purse
John Atencio sterling/gold ring and bracelet
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring
Sterling cross

The 333 Project, Day 8

Teal/black dress
Black jacket
Black shoes
Teal purse
Teal thermoset/faux pearl brooch
John Atencio sterling/gold bracelet and ring
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring.

The 333 Project, Day 7

Brown pants
White/brown/turquoise/yellow print jacket
Sand 4-give sandals
Teal purse
JA sterling/gold ring and bracelet
JA sterling/gold/turquoise ring and bracelet
Sterling cross

The 333 Project, Day 6

Black dress
Black/off-white linen swing jacket
Black shoes
Black purse
Black straw breton (vintage)
JA sterling/gold bracelet and ring
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring
Sterling cross

I had such intentions last night to complete the purging of my clothes closets, so that I can move on to my accessories collection. Alas, no. I made myself some supper, sat down in my favorite green leather chair to watch a little "Supernatural" (I'm rewatching the Season 1 DVD during the show's hiatus), and fell asleep. When I woke up, I decided just to go on to bed, because, apparently, I am old, and I need lots of sleep.

Sigh.

The 333 Project had taken over my life.

Last night, while the wind howled, and the rain fell, I pulled stuff out of my Lane chest that hasn't seen the light of day, since I moved into my house in 1998. Then I took that stuff, and the stuff I pulled from my three, count 'em, three clothes closets and packed them up to take to the This'N'That thrift store. I filled three storage containers, and I have enough stuff left to fill a fourth.

Next up, my kitchen.

The 333 Project, Day 5

Aqua/turquoise/lavender/black dress
Sand 4-give sandals
Black purse
Seafoam allweather coat
JA bracelets and rings

Pictures!

First, my 333 Project wardrobe.



Then, my 333 Project accessories.



I traded out a couple of tops, a jacket, and a pair of shoes from my first list.

The 333 Project, Day 4

Teal/green/black blouse
Black skirt
Black low-heeled slingbacks
Black purse
JA sterling/gold bracelet and ring
JA sterling/gold/turquoise bracelet and ring

The 333 Project, Day 3

Same thing for Day 3, since I have a tough time accessing the eBlog site from my decrepit home computer.

Black shell
Black pants
Black/off-white swing jacket
Black half-boots
Black handbag
John Atencio sterling/gold bracelet
John Atencio sterling/gold ring
Lilly Barrack sterling/pearl ring

Free accessory:
Sterling cross

Bonus accessory:
Black sinamy hat

The 333 Project, Day 2

I am posting Day 2 in advance, because tomorrow is a crazy day for me, starting with a layperson event at church at 8:30 a.m. and going until a party at Mike's at 6 p.m.

Black dress (I'm attending a funeral in the afternoon)
Black slingbacks
Black purse
John Atencio bracelets, one sterling/gold, one sterling/gold/turquoise
John Atencio ring, silver/gold/turquoise

Free accessory (333 Project Rules):
Sterling cross

Bonus acccessory (Ginny Rules):
Black 60's era bubble toque

The 333 Project, Day 1

Brown polka dot dress
Sand 4-give sandals
John Atencio sterling and gold ring and bracelet
Lilly Barrack sterling and pearl ring
Seafoam all-weather coat
Teal/cream/black striped purse.

I have labored to produce...

My list of the original 33 pieces of clothing that I will wear for the next 3 months:

1 pair jeans
1 pair black dress pants
1 black skirt
1 black dress
1 brown/aqua/white dress
1 seafoam/aqua/lavender/black dress
1 teal/black dress
1 casual black top
1 casual teal top
2 black shells
1 pink/black top
1 teal/green/black blouse
1 pink/red/black blouse
1 black suit
1 aqua suit
1 white suit
1 black jackets
1 black/white jacket
1 black/off-white swing jacket
1 black handbag
1 aqua handbag
1 teal handbag with brown/black/cream stipes
1 pair blue 4-give sandals
1 pair sand 4-give sandals
1 pair black half-boots
1 pair black slingbacks
1 pair black/white slingbacks
1 seafoam all-weather coat
2 John Atencio bracelets
1 John Atencio ring
1 Lilly Barrack ring

There is a proviso, and I think the rules permit it. If I lose weight, I may start swapping out clothes that no longer fit for clothes that do. I already have an entire wardrobe in a smaller size from which I can select replacement pieces.

Also, I consider a suit to be one item, because I don't break up my suits and use them as separates, nor do generally I wear them with a blouse. So, in my mind, they are the equivalent of three long-sleeved dresses.

Finally, a project for this blog.

It's been so crazy in my real life lately (the Republicans took over my state legislature, and they apparently cannot govern to save their lives) that I haven't had much time to blog. I have also been really stressed for the last two months (I've noticed that my hair is turning gray at a highly accelerated rate), because of what is happening in my state and how it might affect my job, so I have decided to try to remove other stress from my life.

I started with a whole foods approach to eating in February. And it was fabulous for the first month. I felt great, I lost weight. Then I got lazy, and I have to really re-focus and start planning again, so that I keep to the regimen.

Now, I have come up with a brand new project, one that really suits this blog, since it has always had such a fashion emphasis. I am going to do the Project 333 challenge. Never heard of it? Check it out here:

http://www.bemorewithless.com/2010/minimalist-fashion-projects/

The challenge is to identify 33 things in your existing wardrobe and then wear only those 33 things for the next 3 months. The 33 things don't include underwear, sleepwear or exercise wear, so it's mostly day and evening outer wear and accessories that you have to consider. I'm going to do the preliminary work tonight and early next week, which is to take inventory of my closets and cupboards and pull items that I need to get rid of, anyway. Then I'll select my 33 pieces from what remains.

I may end up doing a little bit of a cheat on accessories (hats), but I'm going to try to stick as close to the rules as possible. Wish me luck!

Sigh.

If you should ever decide to attend a House Education Subcommittee meeting at which Rep. Bill Dunn of Knoxville lies like a dog in the road about the teacher tenure law, I don't recommend it.

In other news, the Associated Press took my picture (the photog liked my hat) and my card at the meeting, so I may be appearing in a newspaper near me.

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted.

Unfortunately, the conservative fringe has taken over my state, and I've been engaged on the front lines. Here's a pic or me and a colleague taken at the rally on Legislative Plaza last Saturday:

Happy New Year, everyone!

And to 2010, I say "good riddance".