Awesome & Awkward: Musicals, Gift Cards, and Sweet Tea

I've been looking for a way to incorporate regularly themed posts on my blog, and I got the idea to start this series, Awesome and Awkward, from Erin over at Living in Yellow.  Because let's be honest, I'm truly a methodical and logical girl at heart, so having a routine will be great for me.  Every other week, I'll be sharing moments from my life that fall into these two categories.  The "every other" part to that will be a different recurring theme that I can't wait to start!


So for this second week of June, let the awesomeness and awkwardness begin:


Awesome: Seeing The Book of Mormon on a date with a new boy.  Seriously, this musical was hysterical and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been listening to the soundtrack at work this past week.  If you ever have the opportunity to see it, I highly recommend it!
Awkward: Running into your ex's rebound-turned-ex-wife at said musical.  And she was with a new random guy, who was wearing his sunglasses backwards around his neck.  I can't make this stuff up, people! 


Awesome: Realizing you have a enough rewards points to finally redeem them for something fun, a Sephora gift card to be exact.  Hello shopping trip that I have been waiting to have for a whole month.
Awkward: Almost throwing that gift card away because it came in the mail in an American Express envelope, not one from my bank, and I thought it was just junk.  And I called the 1-800 number to figure out why the heck it was taking so long to get to me.  Turns out, I had it the whole time.  Oops.


Awesome: Having an after-work Target and dinner date with Chelcey.  We wanted our delicious half sweet tea half lemonade from McAlister's, but at the same time we wanted Mexican food from Salsarita's.  They're next door to each other, so what do we do?  Buy our drinks from McAlister's and take them over to Salsarita's.  We have no shame.
Awkward: Wanting to take the girl working at McAlister's under my wing and teach her how to use makeup properly, and to enhance her features.  I don't want to be too mean, but let's just say that if you have very fair brows and eyelashes, please do not rim your eyes in black liner and dark brown eye shadow.  That is all.


Here's to many more awesome and awkward moments to come!  PS - Be on the lookout for part two of my recurring series next Sunday!


What are some awesome and awkward moments in your life from this week?


xoxo,
Amanda

According to Amanda: Closet Cleaning and De-Cluttering Tips

A couple of weeks ago, The Brunch Club held a yard sale to raise funds to attend the Maiedae Mixer in September.  Not only was it wildly successful, but it also gave me the chance to purge a lot of stuff that I had been

hoarding

holding onto for too long.  The majority of this was clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories which were cluttering my closet.  And since I'm moving to a new apartment in a little over a month, it couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  For the most part, I'm pretty good about not saving things I don't need that just take up space, but for some reason clothes have always miffed me.  I've learned to get over the idea that "I might need this 10 years down the road for such and such occasion" and embrace the purge, and I wanted to share my tips and tricks for doing so.

  1. If you're completely re-organizing the arrangement in your closet, I suggest removing everything and sorting it into piles by type (long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, dresses, flats, clutches, etc).  Then, you can put everything back in it's new place, section by section of items.  This also allows you to see which things you have more of and what will require more storage space.
  2. Ask yourself, "Have I worn this in the last year?"  If the answer is no, it really should go.  Don't get caught up in the what-ifs, because chances are if you haven't reached for it in the last year you probably won't wear it in the year to come.
  3. If it doesn't fit, toss it.  The idea of buying clothing a size small as motivation usually doesn't work.  Instead, it's really best to buy for the body you have, not the body you want.  Otherwise, you have wasted dollars hanging in your closet.  In the same regard, don't hang onto things that are too big.
  4. If tags are still attached, and it's been several months since you bought it, get rid of it.  This is something I was really guilty of because I would buy clothing and other things just for the sake of buying something.  Now, I'm much more aware of purchases and things I buy so that usually doesn't happen.
  5. Is the clothing item a trend that was from three years ago?  It's probably time to ditch it because chances are that trend won't be back.  No need to hang onto something you'll most likely never wear again.  Ever.
  6. Use the method of turning your hangers backwards, and then as you wear an item of clothing put it back the right way.  After a few months, you'll be able to see what you're wearing and what you haven't touched.  These are things to get rid of.  It might be hard to see so much go at once, but just think of all the room you'll have for new things!
  7. Keep a designated basket or area where you can accumulate things you want to get rid of as you notice them in your closet.  That way they don't get buried in the back of your closet never to be found again.
  8. Have a yard sale, sell items to a consignment shop, or donate what you don't want anymore.  You can make some extra cash, or help someone else in need, which is always a great thing to do.
  9. For every item you buy, pull something to get rid of.  This will keep your closet from getting too crowded with things you'll never wear.

I've found that really, purging and getting rid of things is more in your head than anything.  Once you can get past the idea that you need to keep everything, you'll be throwing things out left and right.  It's kind of liberating when you think about it! 

I hope you find these tips helpful and can use them to clean out your closet.   If you have any other tips and tricks that you like to use, I'd love to read about them in the comments below!

No-Buy Month Update - My Top 5 Wish List

Hey there blog-land, long time no speak.  Things have been a bit crazy on my side of the world, but in a good way.  My Etsy shop has been booming, things with The Brunch Club have been progressing at an amazing rate, and I'm still managing to squeeze in a bit of a social life as well.  Unfortunately that meant no blog posts this week, but I have some great ones coming up, so stay tuned (thank you three-day weekend)!

As of today, we will be down to single digits with the whole no-buy thing -

single digits, people

!  I'm going to be honest, this has been so much easier than I anticipated.  The thought of shopping really hasn't even crossed my mind, even with a couple of trips to Target for necessities.  We are even missing out on Memorial Day weekend sales - such a tragedy.  So, to be sure that we don't completely undo all of our saving in May, Chelcey and I have decided to share our top five wish lists of things we want to buy on June 1.

These are some of the things I have had my eye on throughout the month:

BaubleBar Statement Necklace

Just look at this gorgeousness.  Statement necklaces have been my obsession this month, and while I love the ones I have, I am looking forward to expanding my collection.  Also, following BaubleBar on Instagram and seeing all of their pretty new jewelry daily has been my biggest temptation with no-buy month.  Don't worry though, I stayed strong.

Paradise Persimmon Collar

, $44

Express Portifino Shirt

These shirts are my absolute favorite.  I have seven different colors and I

want

need more.  You can pretty much pair them with anything - shorts, skirts, skinnies - and it'll look fabulous.  My favorite effortless look for a summer night out is one of these babies, a cute pair of shorts, and wedges.  Throw on Mr. BaubleBar necklace above and you're set.  I think I smell a blog post coming ;)

Express Convertible Sleeve Portifino

, $49.90

Capri Blue Volcano Candle

If you could bottle up the smell of Anthropologie, this candle would be it.  Thanks to Chelcey, I am in love with this scent.  I purchased a small version back in April, and now that I've burned through it, I think it's time to upgrade to the monster version.  

Capri Blue Volcano Candle

, $28

Hot Tools 1 1/2 Inch Curling Iron

Since I went ombre with my hair about a month ago, I've really liked curling it more often than straightening it.  I've been making do with the 2 inch Revlon iron that I currently have, but I want to try a slightly smaller barrel and see if it helps my curls to stay longer.  PS - another upcoming blog post may or may not involve curling my hair.

Hot Tools Ceramic TI Tourmaline Curling Iron

, $52.99

Lush Jasmine & Henna Fluff Eaze

That smooth and silky hair that some girls are blessed with...yeah that's not my hair at all.  I have very thick and naturally dry hair.  On the plus side, I can get away with washing it less often.  On the other hand, I have to work with it a lot to keep it pretty and shiny.  Enter this hair hair mask treatment from Lush that I've been wanting to try for a while now.  Here's to hoping it can tame even my frizzy, unruly hair.

Lush Cosmetics Jasmin & Henna Fluff Eaze

, $22.95

I think that's enough for now.  It was actually a bit of a struggle to just come up with five things I wanted to purchase.  I suppose that's what happens when you avoid online browsing and promotional e-mails at all costs for a month!  If you participated in no-buy month, what's on your wish list for June?  And if not, what are you looking forward to buying during all of the Memorial Day sales?  You know I'll secretly be jealous.

No-Buy Month Update - We're Halfway There

Happy Friday Eve!  I can't believe that no-buy month is halfway over.  It's actually been much easier than I thought, and it's been great being able to focus on other things like my blog, Etsy shop, and the Brunch Club.  Having two weekends in a row jam-packed with things to do has helped, too.  This weekend, I plan on having a girls' night with Chelc and Whit, going out to celebrate my sister's college graduation, and spending time with my family.  So far I've rediscovered some old beauty favorites and dusted off clothes I had forgotten about in the back of my closet.  I've also had time to reflect on the past year of my life, and it really got me thinking.  I normally wouldn't write such a deep post, but when I found this quote, it just hit me.

Retail therapy.  The thing I've been avoiding this month.  My go-to for when I have a rough day at work, when I had to deal with my life being turned upside down.  Last year, I went through possibly the worst heartbreak I have ever experienced, and I really lost sight of myself for a while.  I became mildly depressed and lost any desire for social interaction with friends.  I turned to shopping to give myself a high and feel better, if only for the moment.  I'd come home with pretty shopping bags full of new things, but once I settled back onto the couch, I still felt alone. 

Now I don't want to go into too many details, because I am stronger now than I ever have been, but seeing this quote made me realize that I don't have to depend on retail therapy anymore.  Sure, it's perfectly fine to treat yourself to a new bag or new shoes every now and then, but it is so much more rewarding when you do treat yourself if you know that you don't have to

depend

on shopping for a high.  If I go shopping, I want it to be for a positive reason, like my recent promotion at work, rather than trying to compensate for something that is making me feel sad.  Going through no-buy month has really opened my eyes to this.

With my new found outlook on shopping, I've been able to channel inspiration and positivity from other, more meaningful things happening in my life.  I had been neglecting my Etsy shop for a while, partially from lack of interest and also because I just got so busy at work.  But then, a few weeks ago I received my first review (and five stars at that), and that really lit a fire under me.  Reading my customer's kind words has motivated me again to create new pieces, and this craft time has become my new retail therapy. 

Also, Chelcey, Whitney and I have been having regular meetings for The Brunch Club, and it is amazing how far we have come with our ideas.  I can't even believe that just a couple months ago, this was just a thought being tossed around in Chelcey's kitchen, and now things are really coming together.  I couldn't be more excited!

The moral of my story is, you don't need shopping or retail therapy or whatever your crutch is to get you through the rough times.  Rather than leaning on material things to make you feel better in the short term, turn to your friends, help someone else going through a difficult time, or find a creative outlet like I did.  It is so much more rewarding for me now to ship out an order to someone on the other side of the country instead of running to the mall to buy the latest and greatest bag, and that's something I never thought I would say.

What are some of your coping mechanisms through tough times?  Have you tried something new instead?  I encourage you to share your thoughts below - after all, writing is yet another form of therapy.