Category Archives: Fashion

Firecracker – The Store

October 13, 2016 Pamela Stephens

I spent last night in the arms of a girl in Louisiana. Not really. Once I started that line, I just couldn’t stop. (See Garth Brooks’ Callin’ Baton Rouge, if you don’t get that one.) In reality, I spent last night setting up a booth of curated finds in the wonderful Southern Style Antiques. Matthew, Ashlee, and I worked hard and late and it reminded me of some of my fondest memories from the old Salt & Pepper.

It’s time to tell some secrets. For over a year now, I’ve been cooking up ideas for an online store. A part of me deeply misses the hunt for beautiful things and I needed an outlet for that. This love-child online store of mine was to be called Firecracker – The Store and would offer curated goodness (both new and old) that I sourced from all over the world. We’ve worked on this idea and nurtured it for over a year and planned to launch late last year, then early spring, then possibly in this fall. Needless to say, life happened and that sweet little idea kept getting pushed to the side.

Then, a booth came available in one of my favorite antique stores on The Alley and I knew this was the right way to launch this idea for the time being. It’d be tough to pull a booth together with my schedule at the time but I needed to do this. So, on a Friday night, April 29, my dream team and I ordered Johnny’s pizza and worked our fingers to the bone getting what we had ready.

The truth is, I’d been collecting pieces for almost a year, a good bit of which was ruined in the flood. Of course that’s when a booth would become available – after the great flood of 2016! We searched high and low and fast to pull together enough fun stuff to open and prepped to be ready by the Spring Open House. Let me be clear though – if you make a visit right now, I want you to be warned that it’s not my best work. If you’re familiar with my previous retail escapades, you won’t see displays of that same grandeur. Yet. This is what we’re calling a “soft open.” A time where we “make it work” for just a bit until things level out some. It’s a period of getting back into the grove and buying myself some time until I can replace all that was lost recently. Nonetheless, I am THRILLED to be back in the game.

If you’d like to go by and check on Phase One of the Firecracker story, feel free to. The booth is located in Southern Style Antiques at 215 Trenton Street, West Monroe, La. You can also follow @firecrackerthestore on Instagram. There is one thing I know for certain, even as we’re just dipping our toes into the water, it feels like home. Having this project to think about and dream about gives me an outlet for my creative energy and a break from what has been my crazy reality. It feels like we’ve awakened a sleeping bear…and I’m back!

Black on Black

January 28, 2016 Pamela Stephens

A trend that I’ve been digging lately is all black outfits. I’ve pinned so many of them, and I just think there’s something super sleek (and courageous) about wearing black on black. This isn’t a trend that I’d recommend for the fashionably conservative because there are a few “tricks” involved. However, I think practically anyone can pull of this look with just a little effort.

I think the trick here is to be sure to layer different textures or weights of fabric. For example, wear leather with cotton or a thicker knit with silk. If you layer multiple black cottons or similar fabrics, you could end up looking like a tired and angry art teacher. You also want to be sure none of your black items are too faded, unless it’s a distressed denim that’s intended to look that way. When pairing black with black, it’s important that all of the blacks look fresh and crisp. Here are some of my favorite black on black looks from around the Internet. These show a good mix of ways to rock the trend and mix fabrics appropriately! (Sources are provided at the bottom.)

What do you think? Think you’d feel comfortable wearing black on black? I think with the right fabrics and accessories, this could be a super easy and timeless look for anyone. I’m off to look at my options!

For more fashion inspiration, check out my Pinterest board!

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PP Wears November + November Goal Recap

November 30, 2015 Pamela Stephens

Last month I set out with somewhat of an unusual goal. My intention was to photograph (and share on Instagram) at least 15 of my outfits for the month. I did this for two primary reasons. First, I hoped it would make me focus more intently on wearing things that I actually like, rather than rushing out the door in something mediocre. Secondly, I wanted to practice taking photos and get more comfortable being in front of the camera. I am definitely not a selfie kind of girl. Or a “hey, take my picture kind of girl.” As November comes to an end and I complete this little challenge, I thought it would be fun to look back on how I did.

I ended up photographing 17 outfits, and some were definitely better than others. (That goes for both the outfits and the photos.) Sometimes, I’d find myself throwing an outfit and photo together, just because I knew I needed to meet a quota. I suppose that’s ok, because I might would have worn a sweatshirt and shared a photo of my coffee instead. Here’s what else I learned:

The details are often what make my outfits more special, and the details are difficult to capture in a photo. Often, it’s the way my earrings coordinate with a bracelet or how you can subtlety see a fun belt that makes my outfits pop. However, capturing the whole outfit in one square photo is very hard. The lesson here is that if I ever want to really show my whole outfit, I’ll have to take detail shots too.
I’m not concerned with trying to be perfect online. I thought that forcing myself to share my daily outfits online would make me obsess over having awesome, drool-worthy outfits every single day. Not so much. There were some outfits/photos that I truly loved like this one and this one, and others that were just decent. I suppose I’m a bigger fan of being “real” than I am of painting a glamorous picture online, so I wasn’t too upset when I had to share just a basic outfit or a decent picture. Let’s face it. Some days I look amazing and some days you’re lucky that I’m not wearing sweats. That’s real life.
I miss being trendy. In my previous life, it was my job to dress trendy and fashionably. Even before owning a boutique, I was known to be a bit fashion-forward, often identifying and wearing new trends long before they were popular. I had an eye for fashion and wasn’t afraid to be a tad daring with my attire. An admirer even told me once, “You just wear things that other girls don’t wear.” Call me flattered. Lately though, I’ve been wearing the basics. Comfort has been the name of my game and my wardrobe is quickly reflecting that. Don’t get me wrong, I think we should all dress comfortably. However, a slouchy and unimaginative wardrobe is not what I want and that’s how I’ve felt lately.

Just like I anticipated, I hated this goal in the beginning. I cringed with every photo and dreaded the process. Eventually though, it became easier. I didn’t dread it quite so much and had to take way less photos before feeling comfortable enough to share one…which was part of the reasoning behind this goal anyway. Will I continue to share my outfits online? I’m not sure. At least I feel more comfortable doing so now than I did before. Plus, I have some great references to look back on when I’m thinking about my capsule wardrobe!

How about the rest of my November goals? Well, there’s just not much to report. I did make some progress in the nooks and crannies of my home and did a bit of this and that. However, I wouldn’t really say that I knocked out a major project. Although, I did purchase chairs for our new table and sold the old ones, so that decluttered our living area. We also installed three new light fixtures, and that should count for something too. As for Christmas decor, I ended up putting if off since I was hosting my family for Thanksgiving. We’ve been traveling the last several days, so I guess it’ll be on my list for this week! What are my goals for December, you ask? Christmas. All of the Christmas things and activities. That’s what I intend to do this month. Anything else will just be icing on the cake…or should I say icing on the Gingerbread House! Happy December, friends. Make it a good one!

If you’d like to see the rest of the outfit photos, check #ppwearsnovember on Instagram.

2 Comments Fashion - Goal Setting 2015 - capsule wardrobe - monthly goals - What I Wore

How to Start a Capsule Wardrobe

November 12, 2015 Pamela Stephens

The Internet has been buzzing about capsule wardrobes for a while now. If you’re not familiar with the concept, take a gander through this description. Basically, a capsule wardrobe is supposed to ensure that you have only items that you love so that you can create outfits quickly and easily.

At first, I wanted to run the opposite direction from a capsule wardrobe. Not having a ton of options seemed scary and daunting to me. After all, I’d worked for years to build a rather extensive wardrobe and thinning it just felt like such a waste. After I looked in to the KonMari Method, I began to look at my closet differently and got rid of over 5 large bags of clothes. (I went from 44 miscellaneous tshirts to just 20 if that gives you an idea of how much I thinned.) I also pulled out items that didn’t bring me joy, even if I’d spent large amounts of money on them. Once I began looking at things differently, I was housing a lot less clothes in my closet and the concept of a capsule wardrobe didn’t seem so foreign.

Do you have trouble getting dressed in the morning? Do you find yourself wearing the same few items over and over? Do you just need a fresh perspective on what you wear? Maybe a capsule wardrobe is for you. Here’s how to get started:

Create a Pinterest board for styles and outfits that you like. Don’t overthink this step. Pin everything that you like, even if you’re not sure why. If you already have a fashion board, that’s a good place to start. Add more pins based on things that appeal to you. Again, be sure not to spend too much time on this. Scroll and pin without thinking too much about it.
Scroll through the Pinterest board and identify common elements. Scroll through the board you created without focusing too heavily on any one pin. It’s best to do this a day or so after last pinning items. This will help you see the collection as a whole instead of focusing too heavily on what you just pinned. In this step, you’re looking for items that pop up time and time again. Do you see a lot of a similar color? Is it mainly flare jeans or dresses? Are the accessories what seem to stand out most? When you see things popping up over and over again, these will likely be the elements that you want to include in your capsule. Remember, don’t focus too heavily on one item. There will most likely be outliers and maybe you can include elements or use them in a later wardrobe.The main elements I saw in my board were cuffed jeans, blazers, stripes, plaid/flannel, professional-style dresses, and bold accessories. Identifying these as my favorite looks helped me to see why I hadn’t been wearing a lot of my wardrobe (it wasn’t the look I wanted) and to subsequently get rid of a lot of extra baggage.
Clean out your closet. If you haven’t already, get this pared down as much as you can, while keeping in mind the elements you identified from your Pinterest board. Go ahead and get rid of the items that don’t bring you joy or are ill-fitting or tattered. If there’s something you’re not sure you want to part with yet and it doesn’t match your look for this season, put it in a separate pile to be stored and dealt with later. If you miss that item, you can bring it back. If you don’t, then it’s probably time for it to go. The purpose here is to pare down to only the clothes you love.
Buy the missing pieces. Now that you’ve thinned your closet, it’s time to buy the pieces that you’re missing to create the looks from your board. If you identified that you like a lot of looks including a leather jacket and don’t have one, then you need to purchase a leather (or faux leather) jacket. Keep in mind, I’m not suggesting to go out and buy a ton of new clothes. Instead, you’re buying just the key pieces that are missing from the looks you want to create. For me, that meant I needed to look for a plaid button up, ripped jeans, and a neutral blazer. Be careful to not overbuy during this step or you’ll end up defeating the purpose of a capsule.
Create a photo album of outfits or lists. Now that you’ve identified the look you want, pared down your closet, and purchased the key items you were missing, it’s time to create some outfits. If you struggle to find inspiration with your outfits, go ahead and photograph items together or make lists of what you’ll put together. If you struggle to create outfits, make yours very similar to your Pinterest photos. If a photo you pinned has a blue sweater with a brown leather jacket and gold necklace, make your outfit option look just like that. The individual elements don’t have to be identical to recreate the look. The purpose of this step is to eliminate time putting together the outfits if you find that you often get stuck. There are plenty of apps out there that allow you to save outfit details and photos if you’d like to give that a whirl. However you approach it, just remember that this step is here so that you have an immediate idea of how you’ll wear that adorable striped blouse.
Get dressed and look/feel amazing! Creating a capsule wardrobe means doing a bit of work and investing time on the front end. You’re doing this, though, to eliminate time standing in front of the mirror guessing what to wear. You’re also putting in the prep time so that you leave the house feeling amazing everyday instead of bland. By intentionally creating outfits that you love, you ensure that you feel and look you best each and everyday. You save yourself time and frustration getting dressed, and you increase your self confidence dramatically. All of these rewards are entirely worth the time and effort required to get started.I can’t guarantee that starting a capsule will be easy. As a matter of a fact, I’ll warn you that it’s quite difficult. However, I’ll also say that it’s worth it. I firmly believe that we should invest a bit of time (and even money where necessary) to look and feel our best. The benefits of looking and feeling great spill over in to all aspects of life — our careers, relationships, and even our productivity.

That being said, absolutely do not expect to walk into your closet and leave with a perfectly trimmed capsule a few hours later. It’s taken me MONTHS to even gather the courage to try this approach. Then, it took me several weeks to do a bit at a time. It’s not an overnight transition. However, with a bit of dedication and intentionality, you can transform both your appearance, the way you shop, and the way you feel. Is that worth the time required? Absolutely!

P.S. I’m starting to offer personal style consultations again. If you need a bit of guidance or encouragement, email me at pamela AT pamelapetrus DOT com!

Leave a comment Fashion - Inspiration & Thoughts 2015 - capsule wardrobe - fashion

Sweatpants

June 18, 2015 Pamela Stephens

I saw something on Instagram recently that said ladies shouldn’t wear sweatpants. My first thought was, “damn, I like sweatpants.” Then I quickly switched to something more along the lines of, “you’re not the boss of me.”

I feel like I rather often see all sorts of lists or internet memes that say ladies don’t do this or that. Or do this or that. Here’s the deal though. There’s almost always exceptions to the rule. And I almost always maintain that rules are made to be broken. Today will not be the day that I let someone’s innocent overgram or retweet be the reason I feel guilty about wearing the oh-so-amazing and incredibly comfy sweatpants.

Here’s my middle ground. You (the Internet) think wearing sweatpants is lazy and unkempt. I think wearing sweatpants is amazing. Here are a few of my suggestions for landing somewhere in the middle of this heated and controversial topic. (Yes, I’m being dramatic for comical effect. It’s neither heated, nor dramatic.)

1. I never, ever wear pajamas in public. Regardless of your age or lifestyle situation, I do not think pajamas are public attire. If I saw you at Walgreens at 3:00 am, sleep-deprived and pain-ridden, wearing your favorite Tweety Bird pajamas (that’s a nod to my big sister), then I most certainly would not judge. However, 2:00 pm at Walmart is not where I’d consider this attire acceptable. True pajamas are not for public wear. If you must wear something comfy and/or baggy in public, get acquainted with yoga pants and sweatpants and of course, Nike shorts. Those can be worn in public without looking like you don’t at all care about life. (Side note: driving to the Starbucks drive through does not count as a public appearance, and I have certainly been known to wear pajamas for that outing. Only God can judge me.)

2. I think you should always look your best. Do I always follow this? Absolutely not. Somedays I flip the mirror the middle finger and roll out regardless. (Not literally. Again, that’s comic relief.) I don’t think all women have to wear lipstick or that we simply must wear makeup or curl our hair. I do think, though, that we should always attempt to put our best foot forward. If you leave the house doing nothing to look your best, what does that say about your approach on life? We don’t all have to be gorgeous centerfold models wearing the most expensive and latest trends with not a single hair out of place. I’m certainly not. I do think presenting yourself in the best possible light is a must. Wearing ill-fitting clothes with unmanaged hair and dirty shoes is not doing that. Do what you can to look your best.

3. Wear “nicer” versions of sweatpants. I will continue to wear sweatpants at home, and I don’t think Hitler himself could stop me. Here’s the trade off though. Rather than wearing paint-stained, holy, half-bleached sweats from 2002, I can wear lounge clothes that look somewhat nice and fit decently. This has actually been something I’ve been working on through my quest for a beautiful life. I had a tendency to not buy nicer lounge clothes because I already had comfy items that I could wear at home. Granted, they may be old as dirt or ugly as homemade soap (I don’t even know what that means.), yet I already had them and they were fine. After all, no one would see me wearing that 1997 softball tshirt with flannel pajamas from 2002 with just the right number of holes. That’s not what matters though. I see me. My husband sees me. You might would even see me if you dropped by unannounced delivering freshly baked cookies. (That’s my attempt at working on your subconscious. You’re getting very sleepy…. Bring me cookies!)

On a serious note though, I shouldn’t be selling myself (and my husband) short just because I don’t want to invest in lounge clothes that no one else will see. Granted, I will likely continue to wear those favorite flannel pajama pants until they literally disintegrate. I will, however, not wear them with the baggiest, ugliest tshirt that I own. I will also primarily wear nicer lounge clothes. I will buy thing that are nice and pretty and fit me well to wear around the house. The looking-your-best principle should also apply at home.

I provide all of these tongue-in-cheek “rules” while 100% understanding that there will be those days. Somedays you will just want to be lazy at your own house. You might have yesterday’s make up smeared down your face. Your hair might be 100 levels of greasy. The only thing you might want to wear are those over-sized sweats from college. It’s ok. We all deserve a bit of down time where you throw complete caution to the wind. On the regular though, try to look your best. You’ll feel better personally, and I’m sure those around you will appreciate it. I believe doing things for your self esteem is of utmost importance and these are a few ways to nurture that. Most importantly, understand that there’s always gray areas. No one can tell you what’s “right” or “classy.” You get to decide and make your own rules.

I am making a commitment to not be “too slouchy” even at home. However, if you try to take my sweatpants away from me, I might kill you. You’ve been warned.

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Where to find small (and large) shoes!

June 15, 2015 Pamela Stephens

Let’s start this post with a few fun facts about me.

I really, really like pickles. And no, it doesn’t mean that I’m pregnant.
As a kid I wanted be a horse rancher in Montana. It’s safe to say that I didn’t really understand what that meant.
I cannot whistle. It’s possible that I could make some sort of a whistling sound should my life depend on it. I wouldn’t bet on it though.
I have crazy amounts of adrenaline and freaky fast reflexes. If you were going to drop your baby, you’d want me standing nearby. Just sayin’.
I have a tiny, tiny foot. Thank you, Mammaw Bryant.

That last one there is what brings me to today’s post topic. I have always had such a small foot. At this point, my ten year old niece wears a larger shoe than I do. Even six and seven year olds have been known to pass me up in the shoe department. What size shoe do I wear, you ask? A women’s 4.5. (That roughly translates into a kid’s 2.5 or 3, if you were wondering.) If you’re thinking that a women’s size 4.5 doesn’t exist, you’re partially right. You’ve probably seen a size 5 on a sale rack a time or too, yet I doubt you’ve ever seen a size 4 or 4.5 lingering about. What does this mean? I often have to special order my shoes.

As you may know, I have a bit of a thing for shoes. (You can see a bit of my collection here and here.) My collection of shoes comes partly from the fact that if I ever find a pair of shoes that actually fit, I buy them. Don’t have anything to match them? Doesn’t matter. Have two other pair in a similar color? Doesn’t matter. If they fit, I buy them. Finding shoes to fit a tiny foot isn’t something that happens every day, so I purchase anything that fits, knowing that someday I will need that exact shoe and not be able to find it.

Without further ado, here are links to my favorite places for finding small shoes. If you know anyone who has a small foot, please share this post with them. I guarantee that they’ll be appreciative.

Sole Society: This was one of my latest shoe-shopping discoveries. Sometimes their inventory might be a bit low in the small sizes. However, some of my favorite heels came from here, so I recommend checking their site often. If you purchase anything from this exact link I get a $25 credit, so please do that!!
Nordstrom: This retailer offers quite a few styles in smaller sizes. This is actually how I stumbled upon Sole Society. Sometimes these are a bit pricier, so I recommend Nordstrom for those high-quality basics that you’ll use for years to come. This is one of the sites where you can usually find a good selection of larger sizes too.
Cinderella of Boston: This was the first company that I found that made smaller shoes. Prior to finding Cinderella of Boston, I just had to get lucky and find shoes that ran small. They actually go all the way down to a women’s size 2! Some of the styles aren’t very youthful or trendy. However, they usually have a few great options each season, like these and these. I signed up for the catalog and get very excited when it arrives in my mailbox.
Gap Kids: This isn’t a joke. Most of my favorite sandals come from here. Obviously, you don’t typically find heels or wedges in the kid’s department. However, their sandals are usually very cute and more adult looking than most. Actually, the sandals that I get compliments on most, usually come from Gap.
Dillard’s: Dillard’s offered an “extended sizes” option several years ago. Again, you have to weed through the less-trendy styles a bit. However, sometimes you can still find a few good options. They go down to a size 4 and up to a 12.
Leatherhood: I just recently stumbled upon this Etsy shop for leather sandals that are HANDMADE IN GREECE! You have to admit, that’s way cool. The prices are totally reasonable for a handmade, leather shoe and shipping costs aren’t bad either. I haven’t ordered from Leatherhood yet, though I plan to soon. If you beat me to the punch, let me know what you think!

So there you have it. I sometimes stumble upon shoes here and there that by chance fit my small foot. However, these resources are where I get most of my shoes. Having a small foot certainly comes with its own set of frustrations. For example, I usually can’t just run and go pick up a shoe to go with a certain outfit if needed. It was also incredibly frustrating when I owned a boutique because I’d order the cutest shoes and not be able to wear most of them. I have a rough life, can’t you tell?

All joking aside, if you know of someone who has a small foot, be sure to send them a link to this post. I can promise you that they’ll be overjoyed for some new resources and will be forever grateful to you. You should also send it over to anyone who wears larger than a size 10. Those sizes are also difficult to find and several of the resources above do offer larger sizes too.

As always, thanks for reading along and if you have any other suggestions for places to find extended sizes, PLEASE leave details in the comments. I am always looking for other options, and would love to check out some new places!

(You might recognize that top photo from last week’s trip to Natchitoches!)

2 Comments Fashion 2015 - fashion - my favorites - What I Wore

1920’s Prohibition Party

June 5, 2015 Pamela Stephens

One of my sweet friends turned this big 3-0 recently and we enjoyed a themed party to help her celebrate. As soon as I received the invitation, I was pumped because I love an excuse to dress up. I was also thrilled to see what she had planned, because I am hoping to have a big 30th birthday party too!

I loved this party for a few reasons.

We dressed up. Seriously, what’s not to love about putting on period attire and partying with friends?? At first I was thoroughly disappointed because I’d passed on THE perfect dress for $15 (!!) on the sale rack just weeks before receiving the invite. Nonetheless, Matthew and I pulled some outfits together and had a blast. I even wore lipstick! That never happens.
The hosts had a LEGIT bar in their home. I have never seen anything quite like it. We thought we were entering a random living space. Nope. It’s was a full-fledged bar with everything that you might expect at a legitimate pub. Matthew and I were in awe and 100% impressed.
It was perfectly themed. There was 20’s music, a 20’s drink menu, a password to enter, mugshots, and everything you might expect from a typical party in a hidden bar during the Prohibition era. I love a good theme, and this one was done perfectly! (Great job, Meghan and friends!)

I’d be amiss if I didn’t tell the full story of how this evening played out. This Saturday was one of those days where there were 15+ things that Matthew and I had been invited to and would have loved to do. Our final plans included a wedding for a sweet friend/former employee at 6:00 and then this birthday party at 8:00. We decided that we could make both events by leaving the wedding reception a tad early and arriving to the birthday party a bit late. I spent alllll day on Saturday searching for an outfit that I could wear to both events….something that was fitting for the party, yet not too “costume” for the wedding. We finally made a decision, and Matthew and I would add accessories in the car between events (hats, pearls, vest, etc) to make our outfits a bit more costume-worthy. In an interesting turn of events, we ended up going to the wrong wedding.

Yes, you read that correctly. Matthew and I arrived and parked at what ended up being the wrong wedding. You see, the bride and her best friend are both getting married this year and I had confused the venues in my head. Rather than being where we should have been, we were at the location for the friend’s wedding that will take place in November! Can we all just be thankful that I noticed the names on the sign and Matthew and I didn’t actually walk inside?!

This seems like it might have been a simple mistake with an easy fix. Wouldn’t we just drive across town to the correct location?? It wasn’t that easy. The actual location of this wedding was about an hour away. Even though we had arrived a few minutes early, there still wasn’t time to make it to the actual event. I felt terrible!

Now, Matthew and I had two hours to spare before heading to the birthday party. What do you do when you’re slightly dressed in costume, starving, and have time to waste? Dinner, of course! We sat at River & Rail for a bit and talked about how completely silly I was to confuse the events. We also started making some loose plans for my 30th birthday party (!!) which was very exciting.

Our evening didn’t go quite as planned, and we had a 50% success rate of showing up where we were supposed to be. That’s not too bad, right?? If anything, we ended up with some great stories to tell about an awesome bar in a new friend’s home AND of showing up at the wrong wedding. Part of me wishes we would have just attended that other ceremony and pretended to be so-and-so’s cousin. We could start our own version of Wedding Crashers! We might could have pulled it off if we weren’t in half-costumes. Prohibition Party (3) Nonetheless, it was a fun-filled evening that we’ll likely remember (and talk about) for years to come. I think the moral of this story is that if you invite me to your wedding, remind me to double check the invitation!

Have you ever showed up to the wrong event? You should tell your story in the comments so that I feel better about myself! 😉

Interested in more costumes? Check out these posts!
1990’s Party! / Pirates! / Audrey Hepburn!

Photos provided by Meghan Olinger and Pamela Petrus.

4 Comments Fashion 2015 - costume - friends - husband and wife - What I Wore

Closet Cleanup

February 12, 2015 Pamela Stephens

My name is Taylor. You may have heard of me, I am one of Pamela’s lovely assistants! She is out of the town for the week. You can read more about where she is and what she’s doing here. So, I am filling in! Hope you don’t mind! Now, I know that most of the time when you have a guest post, they’ll often link you back to their personal blog site. Well I don’t have one yet. This is me getting my feet wet. If it works out for me, I may try my hand at blogging. Enjoy!

I recently went from living alone to being married… and Pamela taught me well in the whole “we need all the clothes/shoes/jewelry/things” lesson of life. My closet was the proof. Now, my husband and I share the world’s tiniest mobile home which also means we now share the world’s tiniest closet. Something that I am NOT the biggest fan of but for now it’ll have to do.

Pinterest is my favorite. I am on it everyday searching for things I can do to make my home a more functional and happier place (Pamela also talks about this here). While searching one day last year I came across this pin. It gave great advice about how to slim down your closet and realize that you don’t really wear everything in there. Since the now “shared” closet was beginning to be so packed that it was dysfunctional, I decided to give it a try.

The pin’s suggestion was to turn ALL the hangers in your closet backwards and as you hung up items that you have worn you hang them up correctly. At the end of the season you will be able to really see the items that you never touched. I thought that was great and all, but I could BARELY hang one more item up let alone re-hang everything backwards without having to go to physical therapy for all the lifting. So, I decided to just hang the items that I knew I didn’t wear often backwards (nice party dress and a a sequin top that I only pull out for new year events.) Then everything I wore recently was to be hung on the opposite side of these items.

(I also did this to my husband’s side but he doesn’t know this yet! Shh…) Can you find the dividing hangers?

I loved how this not only would lead me to clean out my closet at the end of the season, but it also:

made me aware of what I wear TOO much
allowed me to see growth in the side of recently worn items
allowed me to see a shrinkage of clothes on the never wear side
forced me to wear more clothes on the never wear side for fear I would lose them
forced me to throw out items that were too small or not flattering as I tried them on instead of waiting until the end of the season.

In January I started working at a physical therapy clinic. This means that I have to wear scrubs on the regular. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather wear something a tad more fashionable. So I began to really love Friday-Sunday. These are the days that I could look and feel my best. This month I began to notice myself pulling more and more from the recently worn section, and I have way too many clothes to be limiting myself so soon.

We spent the last weekend in Baton Rouge/New Orleans and I made a point to ONLY pack from the other side of the backwards hangers. The Abyss.

And I was thrilled with my outfits!

Maybe this idea works for you, maybe it doesn’t but I challenge you to evaluate your closet. Notice what you might be wearing too often or not enough. Throw things out that make you feel uncomfortable (trust me, this will make you feel like a million bucks when you’ve thrown out the tight, uncomfortable things and the rest of your clothes truly fit and flatter you). Do you have any tiny closet tips? I would love to hear them!

2 Comments Fashion - Home 2015 - closet room - What I Wore

My Favorites: Makeup Edition

October 23, 2014 Pamela Stephens

If you would have asked if I would share anything about makeup or beauty products on this blog, I would have probably laughed at you. I kind of want to delete this post right now because I feel so silly. With the exception of shampoos, beauty products and makeup are not really my thing. I have never been the girl with tons of products and a makeup bag full of options. Ulta stresses me out a little, and to be honest, I don’t even know what to do with most of that stuff. I suppose that I show my personality through clothes and accessories instead. However, I’ve come across a few products that I love lately, so I thought I’d share. You can mark this in your calendar as the day Pamela got a fever and decided to talk about makeup.

Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof Mascara: Amanda introduced me to this mascara a while back. Since then, I’ve tried 6 or 7 other options (including the non-waterproof version of this same one) and none of them have even compared. I love the simplicity of this mascara…it goes on smoothly and doesn’t clump. (I HATE clumps.) Also, it doesn’t flake off as the day progresses. One of the options that I tried would leave little black specks on my cheeks or in my eyes as the day went on. Not cool.

L’Oreal Visible Lift Eye Concealer: I just recently discovered this concealer after reading about it on a blog. I usually scroll past those makeup posts, but for some reason, I read this one. Honestly, I haven’t even worn concealer for years. By years I mean since high school. I know, I know…all of you people with the fabulously applied makeup and contoured cheeks are probably screeching. So sorry! Even though I haven’t worn concealer in years, I’ve been searching for something to help under my eyes. They’re pretty much always a purple-blue color regardless of how much sleep I’ve gotten. When I saw the post about this concealer, I loved that it was made just for eyes and that it came in a cool little roller tube. I definitely don’t want anything to complicate my process any, so the simpler the better here. After using this product for a few weeks, I can report that I LOVE how easy to apply it is and how it’s not the least bit cakey-feeling. (I know that’s not a word. You totally know what I mean though.) It blends well and covers up my dark circles wonderfully. I even rub it on my eyelids for a little extra coverage.

Make Up Remover Wipes: I mainly wear waterproof eye makeup, so I need something to remove that in the morning. I’ve been a long term Mary Kay user and have always kept their remover in stock. However, after forgetting to order more, I had to find another, what I thought was temporary, option at Walgreens. Since then, I’ve tried a few different options and have settled on two products that I really, really like.

1. Neutrogena Hydrating Towelettes: I just recently tried this version of the Neutrogena wipe and it’s by far my favorite. (I’ve tried all of their waterproof options, including the grapefruit which smelled amazing but was too harsh on my skin.) I tend to have dry (and sensitive) skin so the hydrating formula works well for me. I absolutely love how my skin feels after using this wipe. I also really like the smell of this formula. I hate eye make up removers that are greasy feeling, and this one seems to do a good job of removing the makeup and hydrating my skin without leaving behind that greasy feeling. I can’t say that I won’t go back to the Mary Kay version at some point, but I definitely love this new option.

2. Pond’s Evening Soothe Towelettes: I’m also in love with these wipes that I use for cleaning my face before bed. If I’m completely honest again, for many years past high school, I didn’t even wash my face at night. I know, I can hear your gasps! I’ve always had pretty decent skin so I didn’t really feel like I had to. I shower in the mornings, so I just take my make up off then. I finally came to the conclusion that I could have even better skin if I’d go back to washing my face before bedtime. I stumbled upon these nighttime wipes, and I love so much about them. I love the quilted texture of the wipe and the smell. Lots of smells trigger my migraines, so I have to be careful. This one is light and easy but has a nice, clean smell to it. After using these for a bit, I’ve started to associate its smell with bedtime, so I begin to relax once I use them. This isn’t a wipe for waterproof makeup. Since I remove my eye makeup in the mornings, this is only for my skin.

As I mentioned above, I’m pretty shocked that I’m even posting something here about makeup/beauty products. I definitely wouldn’t say to expect a new one anytime soon! However, I’ve really come to love these four products and thought I’d share with you guys. These are all relatively inexpensive products that can be found at your local pharmacy or Target. If you happen to try any of them, please let me know what you think!

5 Comments Fashion 2014 - makeup - my favorites - What I Wore

Saturdays.

September 25, 2014 Pamela Stephens

I’ve had a couple of Saturdays off lately and it’s been fantastic. One Saturday, I wore Matthew’s old t-shirt all day with leggings. I even wore it with a cute jacket to grab dinner at The Fieldhouse that night. Add a pair of sparkly sandals to a baggy shirt and leggings, and you have yourself a real outfit. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

Another Saturday morning was spent doing laundry. First of all, I actually sort of like doing laundry…except for putting it away. I do NOT like putting it away. Deep down inside, I actually like having those days where I can do the laundry start to finish. I feel so accomplished! I am learning, however, that I don’t like it when I have to do a load here and a load there. I’m realizing that clothes tend to end up getting left in the dryer and it takes us much longer to put the clothes away when they’re done this way. Therefore, let’s all get excited about days where I can do the laundry start to finish. They’re the best. (Side note: I read on a blog once that taking pics of your messes in black and white make them look so much more attractive. So true! Try it!)

This brings me to another topic. I’ve mentioned “things that I’m learning” a few times in the past. I feel like I’m constantly growing and learning new things about myself or the world around me. Sometimes they’re monumental like my discovery about self-guilt. Sometimes they’re a little more trivial, like it’s best for me to do all of the laundry at one time. I really want to try to discuss these discoveries with you guys, even though sometimes they’re hard to put into words. Therefore, I’m creating a new category here on the blog for “What I’ve Learned.” Again, you may find life-changing, amazing things here. Or it may be just that I realized that I only like carrots if they’re cooked. I think paying attention to both the large and small discoveries in life is monumental to your personal growth. Writing about my own discoveries helps me to process them. If you learn anything new about yourself, I hope you’ll share along the way too!

After wrapping up the laundry that Saturday, Matthew and I went to hear Code Blue and the Flatliners at Landry’s Vineyard. (They are a group of musical doctors which makes their name so hilarious to me! They’re also very entertaining. We seldom miss their performances at Landry’s.) I felt so lucky that Matthew and I both happened to have that Saturday off. For a couple that works as much as we do, this was something to celebrate in itself. We had a great time at the vineyard and look forward to the next event. You can find the concert schedule on their website, and we’d love to see you there!

This Saturday, I’m looking forward to the ULM Homecoming game. Matthew and I are season ticket holders which makes me feel like such a grown up. What do you usually do when you have Saturdays off? If I keep up this streak of having time off, I might need some suggestions!

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