Project 333 – Winter Wardrobe & Wishlist

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Posted on May 28, 2013

Since it will officially be winter in 3 days I thought a post about my winter wardrobe was in order. We live in a relatively mild climate but it still gets cool enough to need more than summer-weight skirts and t-shirts.

Over the last 10 months I have lost 8kg so that has necessitated moving a number of items along as they were simply too big. This has pared down my wardrobe even more. However, a bonus is that I can now wear these 2 jackets.

They were a neat fit when I bought them a couple of years ago and a little over a year ago they were destined to be given away.

I also have a black cord jacket and a pink suede one.

One of the few things I have bought for this winter is a new pair a tailored black trousers as I did not have any trousers suitable for wearing to work in winter. I gave my only pair away at the end of last winter as they were too big. Last week I had to buy a belt because even my new trousers are a bit on the loose side. I did try the next size down but they were a bit too tight.

I generally wear a collared shirt (3/4 sleeve) under the jacket to work as I don’t want to be rugged up because I work in an air-conditioned office. I have 5 striped shirts. There are also these 2 lightweight knits.

A couple of sleeveless vests, 2 pairs of jeans, 3/4 sleeve tees and a couple of rugby tops pretty well round out my work and casual winter wardrobe.

My shoes are 2 pairs of flats – red and pewter, red lace-up casuals and RM Williams boots.

Now for the wishlist:

Black skirt – purchased and waiting for me to shorten the length
Grey patterned cord skirt – waiting for me to refashion it from a skirt that is too big
Plain black lightweight knit – in the cupboard but need grey skirt to wear it with
Grey/charcoal trousers – need to buy
Black flat/low heel court shoes – need to buy
Black low heel boots (knee-high) – need to buy to replace the high heeled ones I have given away as they were too high and I did not feel confident walking in them
Black stockings – need to buy
Scarves – I would like some lightweight plain coloured scraves – probably black, fuschia and red with possibly mint green or purple as well. Just need to go looking.

I need to try on some boots to see whether they will suit me as I am not overly tall.

I have 6 pairs of grey stockings (most unworn) that I bought last year in the USA and after wearing them a couple of times I have decided that I do not really like the colour, hence I need to buy some black ones.

Recently, I bought 2 pieces of cotton lycra fabric which I hope to be able to make some 3/4 sleeve tees. One is black and cream striped (narrow stripes) and the other is plain in a raspberry colour.

Now that I have written it all down, my plan seems quite realistic and doable. What do you think?

Growing Girls and Large Hems

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Posted on May 14, 2013

It is easy to forget how quickly children grow. I made this dressing gown for Miss O in June 2011.

By July 2012 I was writing about letting the hem down here.

Now it has been handed down to Izz and the hem taken back up.

A few weeks ago I took Miss O to Spotlight and chose the fabric for a new dressing gown. It is red with black and white dogs on it. She gave the princess, fairy and other girly fabric a glance but this is the one that caught her eye. The fact that we have a Border Collie (black and white) may have influenced her choice.

Once again, I have put a large hem on the gown and it is still quite long so I expect this one will easily last a couple of years.

Something as simple as a hem that can be let down is not an option on a ready-made garment but by making clothes you can customise them to suit your needs and generally extend their usefulness.

The Root of All Evil

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Posted on May 9, 2013

The saying goes that money, or more specifically, the love of money is the root of all evil.

Several things have prompted me to consider where we are headed as a society and my conclusion was that greed was the source of many if not most of our ‘problems’. It was then that I remembered the saying and I guess greed and love of money are essentially the same thing.

It seems that we all want something for nothing – best paying job, cheap food, appliances/gadgets, accommodation. We want to earn the most and pay the least. We do not seem to value the effort in producing quality – hand -raised meat, organic food, quality garments and so on.

I started writing this post about a month ago. Since then we have seen a factory collapse in Bangladesh with significant loss of life. I was searching for information about that incident and found this article which shows that this event is far from being an isolated incident.

The recriminations and blame game go on between government, building owners and the corporations who outsource the manufacture of their garments. Do you feel even a tiny pang of guilt about buying products that are made under these conditions? Some say that if we did not buy the items produced in places like China and Bangladesh that these people would not have jobs. Perhaps it would be better for them to have an economy based on sustainable practices that will enhance their way of life rather than being exploited in sweatshop conditions for the sake of us being able to buy a t-shirt for $5.

How do you reconcile what you buy with where it is manufactured and what the ‘real cost’ of it is?

Christmas Shopping

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Posted on May 7, 2013

Yes, you read the title correctly.

I did some Christmas shopping yesterday. Belle and I had previously discussed the possibility of taking the girls to see ‘The Lion King’ when it comes to Sydney at the end of the year.

I received an email advising of the pre-sale release of tickets for ‘The Lion King’ so I have bought tickets to the show for Miss O and Izz for Christmas. Belle and I will take them to Sydney to see the matinee session on New Year’s Day.

By being organised I was able to take advantage of the pre-sale offer and have managed to get excellent seats at reasonable prices.

This is a perfect solution as we will not see the children on Christmas Day this year, nor do they need any more ‘stuff’. Experiences such as attending live theatre and musicals provide so much joy and the benefits are immeasurable. Miss O is still talking about when she saw ‘Mary Poppins’ 18 months ago. How many toys have that sort of longevity?

Project 333 – One Year On

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Posted on April 9, 2013

Today I wanted to share with you how I choose what to wear each day. My inspiration is Courtney Carver and Project 333 although I do not precisely follow the principle of 33 items for 3 months. We live in a mild climate and many items can be worn almost year-round so I have chosen to have a simple selection of clothes which can be worn in a variety of ways and most importantly, that suit my lifestyle. I have never had a huge selection of clothes but since discovering the concept of Project 333 nearly 12 months ago I have streamlined my wardrobe and made the items I have really work for me.

Since going back to work last Tuesday I set myself a mini-challenge. I wanted to see how many outfits I could create that I had not previously worn before. It can be something as simple as a different cardigan/jacket or a skirt/top combination that I have not tried before.

Today is the 6th day and here is what I am wearing.

This dress is a relatively recent acquisition and I love the fact that it includes my 2 favourite colours – red and pink. I have worn it with a red jacket but today it is a different look with a fine cotton cardigan in pink.

I am wearing sandals as it is still quite warm here (about 25C) during the day but mornings and evenings are cooler and the cardigan is also useful in the air-conditioned office.

I have streamlined my wardrobe to the extent that I do not need to trawl through it to see what I have or what goes with what. I know exactly what I own and can plan my outfits a day or 2 in advance in my head and then simply grab the required items in the morning.

We live in a mild climate and it is officially autumn (fall). It is hard to believe but it will get cooler over the coming months. I need to buy some new trousers to wear to work as the one pair that I owned were discarded at the end of last winter as I had lost weight and I could have nearly ‘lost’ my trousers! I hope to buy 2 pairs – black and charcoal grey in the same style if possible, so wish me luck!

Marvellous Mango

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Posted on March 6, 2013

We have a small mango tree which we planted about 4 years ago. This is the first year that it has fruited and I am not sure whether it is due to maturity or simply the unusually warm, dry summer that we experienced up until the middle of January.

The tree is an R2E2 variety which is grown commercially here in Australia and has large fruit but the fruit we have picked are as large as any I have seen.

Regardless of the reason, we have enjoyed the half a dozen large fruit.

The flesh is smooth and firm with a fairly thin skin which is able to be peeled with a knife.This is one cheek or side of the mango.

Here is the cheek diced and ready to pack in my lunch. The remaining portion is covered in the fridge and will be used over the next couple of days.

Mango harvests are subject to seasonal variations so I will have to wait and see whether this season has been a “one-off” or whether we will enjoy home-grown mangoes each year.

I love eating seasonal produce, particularly those things with a relatively short season. Half of the joy is in the anticipation.

Stop the Sabotage

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Posted on February 13, 2013

It occurred to me recently that many people are constantly sabotaging their own decluttering efforts.

They are hauling garbags of ‘stuff’ to the op shop, filling the rubbish bin each week and trying to find time list items on eBay in a vain attempt to claw back some of the money they have spent on unwanted items. Yet, these same people are often using every strategy possible to score a good deal on clothes, shoes, bedding, magazines, cosmetics and anything else that comes their way. It is only a bargain if you truly need it.

I feel that cheap or bargain-priced items are the nemesis of decluttering and minimalism. If you need to outlay a significant amount of money on an item you are more likely to stop and think twice about whether it is really worthy of a place in your home.

So, how do you resist the plethora of bargains?

Unsubscribe from all of the emails from shops and shopping sites – this is a continuous process and you need to be vigilant
Make sure you have a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker on your letterbox
Do not buy magazines
Do not buy newspapers
Limit viewing of commercial television
Deactivate your eBay account
Set financial goals that require you to limit your discretionary spending in order to achieve them
Remember that shopping malls are not entertainment venues
Take things to the op shop – do not bring more stuff home
Shop with a list (and stick to it)
Send someone else to do your essential shopping
Buy 1 or 2 good quality items instead of 10 cheap versions – t-shirts are a perfect example

Do you have any other ideas for keeping the clutter at bay and the money in the wallet?

Project 333 – Clothes Shopping

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Posted on February 11, 2013

One of the things I did while I was in Melbourne was to buy some new clothes. I bought 3 skirts, 2 dresses and a jacket but they were not just random pieces. Each had to earn its place in my wardrobe and be able to be worn in a variety of ways.

Here is one of the skirts.

I wore it to work today with an existing black top.

These are the dresses I bought. They are the same style and can both be worn with the red jacket I bought. I also have a black cardigan and a pink cardigan as well as a black jacket so there will be several options.

I will show you some of the other items another day.

On the weekend, I hope to have time to go through my wardrobe and decide what I need move out. I am definitely getting closer to having a selection of clothes that I love, fit me well and can be worn in a variety of ways. I prefer to have a small number of quality pieces than a cupboard bursting at the seams with ‘bargains’.

No Place Like Home

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Posted on February 10, 2013

We have been away for a few days in Melbourne. It was a lovely break and we stayed with our daughter. Our activities can be summed up in a few words – shopping (clothes and shoes), eating and sightseeing.

Both The Duke and I bought clothes and shoes that we needed. Some of it is to replace existing items in our wardrobes that have seen better days. I will do a separate post soon about the clothes and how they will fit in with my existing clothes.

Missy took us out to dinner last night at the Woodlands Hotel which was really lovely and today we caught up for lunch with other family and friends.

Yesterday we went to the Immigration Museum and saw the most interesting exhibition, “Leaving Dublin” which is a photographic essay of the current wave of people leaving Dublin as a result of the economic downturn.

As the saying goes, ‘there really is no place like home’ and now I need to unpack and put a load of washing in the machine, make our lunches and plan what I am going to wear tomorrow.

Project 333 – A Perfect Fit

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Posted on February 6, 2013

I have been continuing my quest to own only clothes that I truly love and wear regularly.

When I first became involved in Project 333 in April 2012 I took 4 items out of my wardrobe that did not fit me. I was not prepared to get rid of the clothes at that time as they were almost brand new and I was not ready to let them go.

Fast forward to July 2012 and I decided to embark on a grain free, gluten free diet for health reasons. Coincidentally, I have lost 8kg in 6 months.

In October I tried on the skirt and decided that it was never going to suit me whatever size I was, so that went to the op shop. There was a pair of white linen 3/4 trousers which 6 months earlier had not been even a glimmer of hope of zipping them up yet now they fitted.

Tonight I decided to check the other 2 items in the bag. They are cotton drill jackets – one red and one a dark charcoal in an identical style. They now are also suitable to wear so will be added back to my wardrobe as the weather cools down over the next few months.

It is just as well that I had these additions because there is going to be some more culling of the wardrobe contents before long. There are several pairs of 3/4 trousers which are really much too loose and now are quite unflattering. Some of my skirts are also rather loose.

I am trying to think carefully about what new items I might buy and make sure that they fit with the existing pieces in my wardrobe. We will be in Melbourne this weekend so I am hoping to find some trousers that will be suitable for winter here. I will also look out for anything else that is on my wanted list.