Romance: Tulle & Hammered Gold

This morning as I got dressed in our walk-in closet, I observed to my sister that I always laugh when I think of how adamant opinions on trivial things are so apt to change. In my life I have loudly held many opinions that have gone, if not quite the opposite in recent years, at least swung that way. I used to swear I would never marry a man even half a year younger than myself. Now in my twenties, age gaps are shockingly non-issues between friends who are in the same season of life. I used to swear that I would never wear leggings. I now wear leggings frequently, though I still refuse to wear them instead of pants. And then we come to the Tulle Skirt. I once vowed that they looked idiotic and that I would never wear them...and I'm here today to confess that not only have I wanted a tulle skirt for a year now, but that last week I bought one and convinced my friend to buy one for herself too. 

Today, I went all-neutrals except for my mint-colored purse which possesses just enough winter to make it cheeky January-wear. The day is freezing and windy and not exactly shoot-photos-while-wearing-a-floaty-tulle-skirt kind of day so Benjamin very sweetly obliged to take a couple quick shots. I am therefore not responsible for any odd-looking poses or faces. ;)

 In honor of the store where I invested in this skirt (invested is the right word...it was 'spensive, though not so pricey as every other tulle skirt I've seen) which was called BohoBlu, I did a criss-crossy French Braided thing with my hair that looks quite luscious and gives the impression of never-ending tresses.

I don't why my face looks so angelic here.

 The fun of neutrals is that you get to pair lots of textures and patterns and it will all coordinate nicely. A beige cardigan from New York & Co., a fashion tee from Kohl's, a rose-gold belt around the tulle skirt, and second-hand snake-skin shoes complete the look. Gold jewelry accents add a little pizzazz to keep the outfit from looking too old-baptist piano-player, right?

I love the fairy-shadows my tulle creates!

Though this is photo is poor in quality, you can see that I went with a makeup scheme that defies winter: a palette of peach, aqua, a raspberry lip. January blues? Nah. We've got tulle and hammered gold.

Do you have a tulle skirt? And if so, how do you style it? I'm looking forward to playing around with mine...might even look into buying a crinoline to give it extra "poof." I'm sure that I'll have lots more style combinations to share as the year wears on. That was the great fun of investing in this piece: it's quite transitional for every season.

Skirt: BohoBlu

Tee: Kohl's

Cardigan: New York & Co.

Belt: Lace Affair

Shoes: hand-me-down

Happy Wednesday!

Introducing CARMEL.com

 

One of my great pleasures in being a blogger is getting to make friends with many other people whom I would probably never encounter without the internet. I have one blogging friend whom many of you might know as Bree Holloway of Tea + Bree. Bree and I have been around the block. We were blogging friends, I think, before either of us started writing blogs and have continued to pal around in the literary realm as well as beyond. Bree's real name is Carmel (emphasis on the "mel") and while she'll always be Bree to me, I am delighted to kick off 2015 with an announcement of the brand new, beautiful website that Carmel is launching. My lords and ladies, I present you with

CARMEL.com

CARMEL.com is a place where interests in writing, fashion, health and graphic design converge. It's a celebration of art and beauty and elegance. It's learning to be edifying and uplifting. It's life lived to it's fullest, bodies filled with the best, minds flowing with inspiration, mouths speaking words of wisdom and intelligence and truth. We're here to be the best versions of ourselves, and I welcome you to join. All the love. <3
And I got to sit down (virtually. We aren't that cool yet) with Carmel and tap her brain about the purpose. vision, and fun of this new place in the blog world.

1.) In four words, your vision for CARMEL.com:

Clean, Inspiring, Productive, Beautiful.

2.) You are already known to many bloggers as "Bree Holloway." What precipitated the switch?

I have for a long time struggled with the duo-identity that a pen-name entails. I’d thought on it for a while; I knew when I published my first book I wanted to do it under my real name; I had this budding idea under my hat: they all came together at once.

3.) Is CARMEL.com meant to be a platform from which you plan to explore new options and mediums or more of a rebranding of your current status?

I’m hesitant to say the platform is entirely new, since in many ways it is still just me, and the writing aspect of the blog will remain, as promised, unchanged. However, the other blog-aspects are new platforms, all tied so as to keep things neat. I’m always exploring more options. The categories listed are just the starting point; whatever art medium I find interest in I want to share with the world, and anyone who will listen. Basically, I’m widening the horizon of Tea & Bree to incorporate more - or all - of me.

4.) Number one things about CARMEL that excites you:

Fashion, hands down. I think it’s Kleon’s principle of phantom limb pain, and that one’s been shoved so long into the proverbial closet (har har) or the confines of Pinterest that I can’t wait to bring it to light on the blog. I don’t claim to have any great insight, but style & fashion are two things I’ve always heartily enjoyed, and to be able to share them with others without losing sight of my original blogging purpose - it’s pretty nice.

5.) How long as this project been in the works?

The original idea of it came to me around the beginning of last year (2014). For all of spring and summer I ignored/delayed thinking about it because I simply didn’t have time; it wasn’t until I cut my dance hours down drastically (from 15-a-week to 1-a-week) for the sake of repurposing my time and writing more, that I began to realise this was not a passing whim, but a real, steady interest that needed to be given some love. I spent the rest of the fall semester designing and fidgeting and inspiration-boarding (PIN ALL THE THINGS) in my spare time, and I can’t wait to show the product of my labor.

6.) In your biggest dreams, where do you see CARMEL.com taking you?

All over the world with a large packing case full of clothes, a trunk of books in a wide, white-windowed house, and lovely people all around me. Or to Europe. You choose. XD

7.) Are there any blogs or bloggers that have particularly inspired CARMEL.com?

Yes; many, actually. In principle, I admire the versatility of The Pioneer Woman site, though content-wise, we aren’t very similar. As for inspirational bloggers, there are too many to mention; I do particularly enjoy Wendy’ and Rachel’s where fashion is concerned, and of course there’s always The Crew (you know who you are).

8.) What is the biggest way Bree Holloway fans can support the transfer?

Spread the word. Comment. Give constructive criticism.

9.) What is the biggest way new followers can support CARMEL.com?

Join the community! One of my favorite aspects of blogging is meeting people and cultivating healthy friendships.

10.) Are there any upcoming posts for which you are particularly excited?

I don’t like to say too much; still I’m excited to share my Elegance “philosophy” (if you will) as well as a certain Spring Lookbook that’s been on my agenda for a while... 
I am so excited about CARMEL.com. From following Carmel on Instagram and Pinterest, I know that she has a great sense of style and since fashion has become an increasingly large part of my own blog, I can't wait to see what she does with it! Not to mention the whole recipes/pictures/DIY/writing side of things. Welcome to the internet event of the New Year: CARMEL.com.

L'chaim.

Hello! My name is Carmel, though you probably know me better as Bree, or Bree Holloway. That's alright, I'll still answer to it - I went by Bree on this little blog world for over 4 years, and in many ways it's become a part of who I am. But before Bree Holloway, or Blogger, or any of all this, it was just me. Carmel. I could tell you about how I'm different than most people you probably know, but I'm sure you've read that 100 times over. Instead, I'll tell you what I love.

My first pursuit is Christ; in Lewis's words, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." If I can lead one person to the saving grace of God, if this journey of self-discovery encourages others to join me, I've done something worthy, despite countless mistakes - and that's firstly what this place is about. As for the rest? I'm a prolific reader, writer of allegorical fantasy, ballet dancer, graphic designer, style-lover, bright-lipstick enthusiast and high-heel wearer. Chocolate is my love-language.

Saturday Style: Navvy Boots

Hello, peoples all! It has been far too long since I've had a spare hour to photograph my clothing. I promise I do wear clothes, even when you don't see them on here. XD Also, I am feeling increasingly vexed with iPhone mirror selfies for these posts. Hopefully I can get an actual camera on duty soon (and an assistant to photograph me). For now, though, no sense in being a crosspatch and not posting for the silly reason of poor photo-quality.

Today, I have three fun components to my nautical-themed outfit: a striped crop-top with latticed back (not pictured), turquoise belt, and high-heeled knee boots. I am so excited about the boots. I bought them to wear in my brother's outdoor wedding in November...I have wanted boots for so long, but being a curvy-girl, most tall boots don't fit over my calf. Enter Kohl's and a pair of boots created especially for women like me. They are so comfortable, so stylish, and so fun to add to an outfit. So yes: the boots. I like them.

People say you can't mix brown and black very easily, but I believe you can...you just have to get the right mixture of other colors in the combo. I didn't want to do the red & blue nautical thing today. Instead, I chose to bring out another level of blue for a somewhat playful feel to the thing to counteract the serious Parisness of the boots. ;)

Light flares because it's sunning like crazy over here.

Virginia Octobers are beautiful and cool, but not so cool you actually need a coat. Enter useful things like lightweight, long-sleeve tops and boots. I used to dislike tucked in tops because I don't have a tiny waist, but I am growing to love the look of being able to show off a sweet belt or cute top. I have definitely been inspired to try new things by curvy fashion bloggers such as Girl With Curves. Following a few of them on Instagram gives me a fashion boost each day. (Did you know I'm on Instagram?) Knowing that certain styles can either look chic or sloppy encourages me to be mindful of my posture, and they really can look great when I remember. ;) I chose to put a tangerine-colored cami under this crop-top in case it decided to rise up. Been thinking it would be useful to do a post sometime on how to modestly style a crop-top...would you guys be interested?

As you can see, the shirt won't always stay put and it's nice to know my belly isn't showing. Otherwise someone might start calling me Winnie-the-Pooh, and much as I adore him, that isn't exactly what I'm going for. XD

What are you wearing this bright October Saturday? Do you have any plans? I'm for a morning of book-release work (Anon, Sir, Anon comes out the Fifth of November! Add it to your Goodreads list if you love me), then a baby-shower this afternoon. Wanna guess what I'm giving the wee lad? (Hint: it starts with "winnie" and ends with "thepooh." ;) Cheers!

Why I'm Not All About That Bass

Otherwise Titled: In Which I Use The Word "Sex" Twenty-One Times

//Source//

As a self-proclaimed "curvy girl," I find the popular trend of embracing every body type quite encouraging. I was always that girl who knew it would be impossible, even as a skeleton, to fit the mold of "the fashionable figure" and as I've grown up and realized that such a standard is not the only standard of beauty, I've learned to love my body. For the most part. That isn't to say there aren't (many) days where I wish my arms weren't so flabby, my belly was flatter, my calves smaller, and so on. Because of this, I'm encouraged when I read an article like the one about a size 8 model who was angry when the company for which she modeled photo-shopped her down a few sizes, or when I watch a video like Colbie Callait's "Try", which features the singer-songwriter wearing no makeup and has has had over 21 million views since it came out a month or two ago. I think it's amazing that our culture (despite all the things in which it is failing) is finally scooting over and making room for girls with curves or without curves, tall, short, plump, skinny, shapely or dumpy, willowy or compact.
But for all this, we still have a problem. The problem is that the pop-culture is embracing body types all right...and drawing them right into the sex-appeal trap. There was an article published recently that made its rounds through my Facebook feed. This article was titled, "Modest is Not Hottest" and covered the fact that if you are looking to be thought of as "hot", then yeah, modesty isn't the place you'll look for it. She's really right. I agreed with some points this girl made and disagreed with others, but the thing on which I think we'd both agree is this:

The object of the positive body-image movement is totally wrong.

This problem was brought into focus for me a couple weeks ago, when my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Abigail, asked if I'd heard a song by Meghan Trainor called "All About That Bass". I had not but after she mentioned it and told me that the woman who wrote the song is fighting to "bringing booty back", I went online and looked up the lyrics, curious to see what a song by a curvy girl, about curvy girls, had to say to the world:

"Yeah, it's pretty clear I ain't no size two,
But I can shake it, shake it
Like I'm supposed to do.
Cause I got that boom-boom that all the boys chase
And all the right junk in all the right places."

Wow. The joke about this song is that Meghan Trainor thought she was being counter-cultural. She thought that, by defying the long-held view of "skinny is pretty" that she was defying culture, when in fact she was only replacing the wrong view held by sex-culture with another wrong view. In essence, Trainor is calling skinny girls names and saying, "You're not sexy. I am." And the whole entire point of this song that was meant to break out of the molds, is that it this song is playing right back into the same mold. Girls don't really want to be told, "You TOO can be sexy!" Sure, it's nice to know that we have "It", but deep down, having sex-appeal is not the thing that will satisfy us in our quest to find our identity.

Identity Crisis is practically the entire point of the downfall of modern culture. You want to know why traditional marriage is breaking down and we have states legalizing LGBT marriages by the bucket-load? Because we've been fed the lie and talked backward, forward, and from side-to-side that we are sexual beings only. Shoes are now "sexy." A huge floppy sweater colored like your grandmother's couch-covers is now "sexy." Morning hair is "sexy," breath mints are "sexy", Tropical islands are "sexy," chocolate cake (the cake, not the person eating it) is "sexy," and next up, they'll probably be telling us that eighty-five degree weather is "sexy". The adjective has come to mean the same thing that "beautiful" used to mean and that bothers me. When we, as a culture, believe that we are made for nothing more than sex, life gets super confusing. So I, as an unmarried twenty-two year old woman, am useless unless I'm sleeping around with men (or women) (or both)? Is that really what today's culture is telling me? Pretty much. I get angry.

Identity in our culture is changing ... only in shape. Skinny is being ousted by voluptuous and one day, skinny will reign supreme again, followed by another curvy-swing because nothing has really changed. Sex is still the goal of many of the people who are involved in the positive body image movement: "I am sexy, you are sexy, all God's children are sexy." There are some who are on the right mental track, but too many others are still stuck on the merry-go-round that is Trying To Be Sexy.

As a Christian, I've got a special identity because I know that I'm a spiritual creature and that I'm body, soul, spirit, and all the rest. Yeah, sex-appeal is probably shoved in there somewhere as one of my less-important qualities, but it's a tiny piece of the elaborate person I am...that you are...that each of us is. Taking out of the picture the idea that we're only sexual creatures, body-image would barely worry any of us. I mean, this current form is going to last only...what...eighty years out of the whole eternity I will exist? There's so much more to me than eighty earth-years, but according to pop-culture, that's all I have. According to pop-culture, my booty better matter or I'm completely sunk.

I think we've got something going on here. We've got people reevaluating standards of beauty and that's a great thing. But instead of purchasing "All About That Bass" and gloating over the fact that we actually have butts, let's fight to redefine beauty as something deeper than sex-appeal. Beauty is way more than whether a man will look twice at us or not. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "beauty" as:

"the quality of being physically attractive; the qualities in a person or thing that give pleasure to the senses or mind"

The qualities in a thing. There are way more qualities in a woman than her measurements, her body shape, and her makeup. And we'll never really change culture when we settle for anything less than the whole picture.

Your world is pretty small if you're all about that bass.

Autumn Styles: Peeking Ahead

If I have one flaw in my relationship with summer (besides high humidity and mosquitoes) it is the fact that summer fashions don't thrill my heart as much as those belonging to autumn. Maybe it's because I don't have the fabulously toned arms to rock a sleeveless top, or the fact that I cringe whenever it's strictly necessary for me to wear shorts. Maybe it's the hellish temperatures that make me wish wearing no clothes whatsoever was passable in society. ;) Whatever the reason, by this second week of August, I am always ready to break out the jeans, high-heels, sweaters and my magenta trench. So what sorts of fashions am I looking forward to trying this fall?

I've recently been inspired by Ginnifer Goodwin in Once Upon a Time:

She's feminine, practical, and stylish -- all things I will be needing to consider while continuing my nannying job this fall. Not so much digging the pixie-cut, but it looks just fair on her. One thing I've learned with a summer of nannying: I want my clothes to be kid-proof and cute. Also, Ginnifer Goodwin is a fellow (albeit petite) curvy-girl so I can take styling cues! The costume designers did such a good job bringing her personality into her wardrobe ... love it. 

Skinny Jeans & Heels & Boots:

Inspired by many curvy fashionistas, I want to try a pair of skinny jeans this year -- especially with boots or high heels. Another curvy friend and I plan to shop for a well-fitting pair together. I hate the painted-on look; I want a pair that will go well with longer tops (I would love to get a sweater-tunic) and stuff well into boots. Also, you can't beat skinny jeans and a trench-coat or blazer.

Cardigans

Also inspired by Ginnifer Goodwin and my love of all things vintage, I want to get a couple of short cardigans to pair with skirts and dresses.

Silk Neck-Scarves

Always one for that Hepburnism, I have ordered a few silk scarves and will be styling them this fall as a way to expand the versatility of my wardrobe.

Say hey to the guy creepin' on Grace Kelly

Hats

I really want to get a couple of different hats to wear this fall. I will be getting bangs of some sort "put in", if that's how you say it, next weekend and I'm looking forward to trying different styles of hats/headbands/etc.

 Yes. I am ready for autumn. This is going to be fun.

Fashion Cubes: Navy & Lemon

Summer is really here and GUESS WHAT? My legs are finally starting to tan. Great Scot. That took forever. I sat out in the sun yesterday as I did billing for Dad, watered the garden, and did some writing, so that helped along the tan I began last weekend at the beach. My shoulders, on the other hand, are looking Pocahontas-dark. Maybe I ought to wear sunscreen someday. Haha. 

Well.

Though I've done makeup posts recently mixed in among the Romania posts (and "WATS OUT" because there shall be more of those to come), I haven't done a fashion post in quite some time. Blue and Yellow (all shades) are always a winning combination and today I went Navy & Lemon because I was feeling That Way.

//The Components//

Sheer Polka-dot tunic-top

Pin-stripe shorts

Silver flip-flops

Yellow bubble-necklace and earrings

Orange & Gold nail polish

Bright pink lip-gloss

The whole idea of this outfit is perky, fun, and citrus. Wanting a good summer nail polish that wasn't pink, I bought Maybelline's Light Show in "Crushed Tangerine" as well as another in "Gilded Rose". With various blues as the base for the outfit, I knew I could easily add in a bright pink lip and a fun Aqua-Peach eye and get away with it. I almost almost wore my ombre dangly earrings with lemon, orange, and pink scales but the bubble necklace won out for today. The eye makeup is simple and the lip-gloss rather brainless. The only thing I did besides was fill in my eyebrows a bit. Nothing fancy. Just a fun, carefree, everyday look.

Here's to summer: tans, flip-flops, nail polish, bright colors, smiles, laughter, and a sometimes-more-leisurely schedule. <3 Come by tomorrow for more posts of Romania, if you're interested. 

Swallows and Twilight: A Plenilune-Inspired Face

There's a Law of Travel that states that no matter how much fun you are having away, there will be fun things happening at home without you. While I was in Romania (home in one piece and more about that next time), Katie, Jenny, and Mirriam  all put together dramatic makeup looks inspired by Jenny's Plenilune. Me being me, I wished fervently that I was present with my little pots of paints to join in the fun. Well. Jenny said it wasn't too late and because this is my jet-lag day and I had some odd time, I painted up myself, Sarah, and Leah in various facial stages of Plenilune Magic. (Sorry that we are entirely sans jewelry, hairstyles, and fantastic clothing. This is a makeup look.) Hope you enjoy this fun departure from the usual fashion posts!

Plenilune is an equally warring, agrarian, and rich world. Everyone, even the lords and ladies, are closely connected to the ground upon with they live. My look was not inspired by any particular character (Jenny, I've got Sarah as Woodbird for you, so THERE), but rather by the swallows that swoop and glide  at twilight over the fields of Plenilune. I can imagine any of the ladies of the realm wearing something similar to an evening meal and thinking of those swallows and the twilight together. It's a high summer look. I enjoyed doing it. :)

//The Eyes//

I went with a palette of greens and violets to compliment my eye color and give the general impression of twilit-meadows. Work with me, here. I lined my eyes with black eye-shadow to make sure they were defined, then went to work with a black liquid eyeliner for the double-wings on the ends of my eyes. On my bottom lash, I underlined the under-liner with purple to continue the theme. My eyebrows, I darkened with eye-shadow to provide a bold stroke for the top of this dramatic look.

//The Lips and Face//

Because I traveled for 30 hours, slept for 10, and decided to play makeup artist, I used some concealer under my eyes and on a couple spots on my face. Then I used a little bit of Mama's blush, but not much. My lips are outlined with a dark pink liner and filled in with Rimmel Stayglossy in "Timeless Allure". Raspberry lips flatter my complexion best of all, I've found.

Ain't no De la Mares  gon' mess with diss chick.

//Home is behind the road ahead

and there are many paths to tread

through shadows to the edge of night,

until the stars are all alight.

Mist and shadow, cloud and shade,

all shall fade, all shall fade.//

Travel Fashion: My Minimalist Wardrobe

Hi. Yes, that's my "I leave the country in ten days!!!!" face. It's part trepidation and part a hunky load of excitement. I am sorry I haven't been blogging recently! My new job as Mary Poppins has been going wonderfully well, but I'm learning that all those people who complained that work left little time in which to blog were 100% correct. My days off are filled with the pressing business attending my days on and I'm still learning how to juggle it all. It's fun though. The girls and I get along so well, and their parents are fabulosity itself. But I decided to drop the news that I'm leaving the country again for a 17-day missions trip to Romania with a huge fat post full of the topic about which I've been dropping broad hints. This topic? 

A "minimalist" travel wardrobe

 In Romania last year, I packed far too many clothes. I was still under the 50 lb. limit for the checked bag, but along with that bag, I was toting my huge Baccini and Thomas (Barrow), my utterly confused carry-on suitcase. Somehow I made my way through two weeks of lugging around far too much luggage. This year when I knew I would be going back, I wanted to take far less. It's going to be summer so I wouldn't need gobs of clothing. We will be traveling in the mountains, but the most I will need in Romania in May would be a light jacket and jeans. With this in mind, I started thinking about packing. Pinterest can be a huge time-waster, I know. But far oftener than not, I find it a beautiful cause of inspiration. Sometime in the fall, I came across the idea of minimalist packing and I was hooked. This pin is the inspiration for my insanity:

8 items of clothing to make 22 outfits? Seriously? Could that even work? The closer I scrutinized the system, the more I thought it looked like something I wanted to do. When I heard that we will be traveling within the country with limited luggage space, I was decided. I looked at some of the items and colors I already had in my closet and settled on a palette of coral, cream, navy and sage:

Because I felt crafty that night, I made a cute little thingamajig to help me shop. It was more fun than it was useful, but it made the whole thing feel legitimate, which was lovely. Haha. I am a sucker for lists, doodles, and artistic bents on tasks. By God's provision through my job, I was actually able to shop for quite a few things; Shrinkage has been going well which means that I have lost weight and instead of being an 18, I'm a pretty solid 14 (and I got one skirt and some shorts that were 12s!). Most of my summer clothes from last year are way too big, so I needed new stuff. I shopped sales and thrift-stores, bought a couple of full-price (but still reasonable) things, and put together my wardrobe for Romania.

My minimalist travel wardrobe consists of:

• 2 maxi skirts
• 1 pair of cargo capris
• 1 pair of  dark-wash jeans
• 4 blouses
• 2 pull-over/shrug things
• 1 scarf
• 1 belt
• 2 camis
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 pair each flip-flops and walking shoes (not pictured)

Plus, your average set of pajamas, underclothes, and a light-weight jacket. As a list, it looks like a lot, but in practice, as you shall see, it's fabulously tiny. Could I really make that many outfits out of these items? Yes, I can. I had assumed I'd be able to make enough to carry me through the seventeen-day trip with only a couple repeats, but I hadn't tried making outfits till today. Apparently this whole "Choose colors that coordinate infinitely" thing works pretty darn well. Observe:

My four tops and four bottoms

My "accessories": navy shrug, cream-lace shrug, belt, scarf

All of it (sans camis and shoes) laid out on the floor

 This? Really? All of this could carry me through the entire trip? I was loving the size of this pile--so dinky!--but would it really serve me for both church outfits and casual travel/hanging-out clothes? I started working outfits. Wouldn't they at least start looking identical? I can't even wear jewelry while in the Romanian churches, so how would I shake up the looks? See for yourself: (and while you're at it, pardon the sometimes-foggy mirror-selfies. It's harder than it looks. XD)

No. 1

I started casual, with my jeans.

No. 2

These are the most comfortable sandals! Got them from Payless and though I paid $24, they are worth it.

 No. 3

 No. 4

Switched to sage cargo-capris after 3 options ...

 No. 5

We get tired of making the same faces, preciousss

 No. 6

Switched to my striped navy maxi skirt ... 

No. 7

Love this sage Henley I found at the Salvation Army for $1.50!

 No. 8

 No. 9

This anchor-top is my favorite ever! Bought it on clearance at Belk for $10 (had been $37)

 No. 10

Switched to my blush maxi skirt.

 No. 11

Funny face and hair-shot. I don't think I've showed my new glasses or haircut here, so voila! I love both. ^.^

 No. 12

A dozen outfits, and I am nowhere near to having made all the combinations I could think of! (I just got tired of posing and taking clothes on and off! ;) Packing a minimal amount of clothing (eight main items, four accessories) takes a load off your mind when preparing for a trip.

This stack? Yeah, it includes pajamas (sweatpants and two t-shirts), the camis, and a slip. The only thing missing is my jacket and undergarments. And you do realize I will be wearing some of this to the airport? So the packed stack will be even shorter.

I am in love with packing this way, though I know that I had a little leeway because I was able to purchase some items I needed to pull it off this well. I know that whatever I bring will match with whatever else I bring so I could quite literally pull any top and any bottom out of my bag and wear it with pride. I am so glad I ran across this tactic on Pinterest, and that my friend, Jill, had led me toward something like this too. Not only will I have enough variety for my trip, but I'll also have a couple dozen styles to mix and match all summer long. Thanks to travel bloggers everywhere who gave me inspiration to try mini-luggage, I shan't have any trouble fitting my bags on a plane, a car, or a train at any point in the journey. <3