day 30 & final thoughts

 
[shirt, skirt, belt: thrifted; shoes: Forever 21 $7]

here it is!
my last 30x30 under $30 outfit!!
it took forever but i finally posted them all!!
{sorry for so many delays, especially these last 2 weeks being insane}

i thought it would be fun to have a little flashback of all the 30 different outfits that i mixed and matched over the month. it’s pretty crazy i got so many outfits out of those items!
{and still didn’t even use every piece often enough!}

 

i didn’t do this challenge because i think my clothes are cute or that i’m fashionable by any means!
i had two reasons that i decided to take on the challenge:
1. to prove that you don’t have to spend a lot to have cute clothes
2. to feel better about myself
[mainly #2 as you can see by the bold & enlarged text :)]

after this challenge, i can honestly tell you that i feel far from the feelings of inadequacy i expressed in this post about my clothes.
i understand now that i don’t have to lose myself or give up the things that make me ME just because i’m a mom now.
i don’t have to be frumpy & boring & frustrated with my style.
i can still feel fabulous even with a baby on my hip!
{most of the time…}

this challenge really changed my perspective of mixing fashion & with motherhood.
i feel like i have finally been able to find a good {confident} balance between the two.
i know now that i can still feel good about myself even if i’m changing a diaper.
seriously was a hard lesson to learn!

and let me tell you,
i’m SO much happier after pushing myself through this challenge!
i’m so proud of myself and feel so liberated from my rut!
i regained my style, quirkiness, and confidence back!

i know a lot of people who did this challenge said they got bored or hated it, but i honestly thought it was great and really recommend anyone who is thinking about doing it to definitely try it out!

 

what are some ways that you try to maintain your personal style even if your current situation {i.e. motherhood} makes it difficult?

Saturday Favorites: part 1

 
[shirt: Shade sale; sweater: Forever 21 clearance years ago; pants: Banana Republic, thrifted; shoes; Target clearance; belt: thrifted; clutch: c/o Sew Beastly; earrings; c/o CCY Designs]

i really liked this outfit because it was comfortable and good for running errands but still had that touch of style and fashion with it.
unless the belt up that high isn’t a good one??
i saw this debate on another blog recently so it made me question the placement.
but i think i like it! at least i wore it out in public a few times so i guess it’s too late now…

and that clutch and those earrings!!
they are both my favorite, truly.
they make any outfit perfect.

so i had a serious question too:
now that my 30x30 under $30 is pretty much over {one more day!}, do you still care for these outfit posts?
i know, i know “it’s my blog so i can post whatever i want.”
but seriously, i really want to know if you care for these outfits at all and want to hear more or if you are glad it’s over.
so please honest {and kind} thoughts!

now onto Saturday Favorites.

since last Saturday was pretty busy, i didn’t get a chance to post my Saturday Favorites from last week.
so today i’m going to post two Saturday Favorites posts from the last two weeks.
be sure to check back later for my second list of favorites.

here’s my favorites from last week:

 
love this print from Livy Love Designs! definitely need this reminder in the morning every morning!

Tahnie is such a great writer! so honest and real. i loved this post she wrote about what was currently on her heart.

Kassi from Truly Lovely gave this really great painted throw pillow tutorial that i can’t wait to try!
such a cute, easy, and cheap project!

 
this is one of my absolute favorite hymns!! i love love this embroidery from Take the Cannoli and just think it’s absolutely perfect!

Sarah from Little Penelope Lane wrote a cute post last Monday about all the things she was happy about. loved seeing her do tricks on the trampoline :)

this is one of my favorite necklaces from my sister’s shop, Rhi’s Designs! love everything about it!

i’m kind of scared of heights but i still LOVE looking at ferris wheels. this print from Alisha is just gorgeous and i think it would be so perfect in a kid’s room!

i loved this marriage article from Candice [the new intern] over at StrongerMarriage.org.
great, great reminder for people dating or married.

i love the simplicity and elegance of these earrings from Shepherd’s Daughter. they are stunning!

i have a huge obsession for long charm necklaces and this necklace from Wired Out Jewelry is no exception. i love all the different charms together, especially the bird!! put a bird on it and call it art. 
i really want to add this to my collection. [hint: birthday present please!]

i really like how Rachel is taking a few simple pencil skirts and figuring out new ways to dress them up. i have so many pencil skirts but i feel like i wear them all the same way. so this was perfect inspiration to me. love them all! {and the colors!!}

 

don’t forget to check back later for the second half!

30x30 under $30: day 28

[top: Shade sale; skirt, boots, belt: thrifted; tights: Target; necklace: After Nine to Five but no longer makes them, can find similar one here]

guys.
it’s almost over!
two more posts and i’m done with the 30x30 under $30 challenge!
are you all bored with it already??
has it become super lame?
do i ask this every time?
sorry.

i realized as i was finishing up these pictures that there were some items i hardly wore or didn’t wear at all [or didn’t take any pictures of]. i’m pretty sure my 30 items got me through way more than just 30 days.
and i’m pretty sure i could take about 20 items instead of 30 and still get through 30 days of different outfits.
and still be under $30.

isn’t that crazy???
here i am not thinking i don’t have anything to wear most of the time, hating my clothes and my style, coveting everyone else’s wardrobe, wanting to spend money on clothes i really don’t need/have money for….
and i got through 30 days+ with mixing and matching the same pieces!!

for me, that’s pretty incredible honestly!
i mean, of course i still want to go buy a bunch of new clothes and hit up the huge Downeast sale that’s happening right now.
but i think i’m finally learning to separate my emotional spending from my “i actually need this” spending.
which is quite honestly a very, very hard lesson for me to learn.

even in high school once i got my first job, i hardly ever thought about saving my money. all i wanted to do was go to Old Navy or Forever 21 and buy clothes & accessories to my heart’s content.
got in a fight with a boyfriend?
go shopping.
angry at my parents?
go shopping.
the girls at school were mean to me?
go shopping.
i have acne and hate how i look?
go shopping of course!!

then when i got married {and especially after i had a baby} and shopping became even more dangerous.
not only did i have more stresses that i wanted to blow off and shop for, but now i had all the GUILT that comes with buying anything outside of food or diapers.
when you have a family to care for and food to worry about, you can’t just go shop whenever the heck you want.
so i have been forced to think of other stress exit strategies.

this is not all to say i don’t shop anymore at all, because i do!
[and i still struggle from time to time with wanting to shop all my cares away]
but i {like to think} that i have become a lot smarter about how/when/why i shop.
i try to understand and assess my emotions before checking out.
i constantly ask myself “do i really need this?” or even “how will this make me feel in a week?”

putting a filter on my emotional spending habits has definitely helped me get a handle on my anxiety a lot better.
at least it’s helped me have one less thing to be anxious about.

 

---------------------------------------------------

and i have winners to announce!

the {new} winner of the Crowley Party ad space giveaway is: Gentri!!
the winner of the Live.Laugh.L0ve giveaway is: Jenni.Austria.Germany!!

congratulations!!

Saturday Favorites

[top: thrifted; skirt: thrifted; belt: hand me down; shoes (not shown): Forever 21 clearance, $7; necklace: Claire’s, present from Adam :)]

so i kind of cheated with this picture. and i wasn’t going to say anything but the guilt was gnawing on me to tell the truth :)
i did really wear this outfit for the 30x30 under $30 challenge but i took this picture last summer and was too lazy to retake another picture of the same outfit.
yep. lazy.
or just smart for not retaking a perfectly good photo, right?
either way it’s a real outfit from the challenge so i didn’t really break any rules.

this is actually one of my favorites of all time.
you can’t really tell in this picture but the skirt in pinstriped and then the crazy print of the shirt makes a perfect pattern mixing outfit. i love both individually but then together it’s like gold.
well maybe not really gold but it’s pretty awesome in my personal opinion.
you don’t have to think so but i will love it just the same!
:)

it’s Saturday!
which means LDS General Conference is this weekend, the FUN. concert tonight, and another round of Saturday Favorites from this last week!

 
love this cute fabric wreath from AliLilly! so cute and easy and a perfect project if you have lots of extra fabric laying around and don’t know what to do with it.

this post by Melanie basically conveys all of my feelings of raising a 2-year-old! she has such a great attitude about it though and it really is a good reminder to me that it’s just a stage.

i think these name blocks from Somewhere Over the Rainbow are darling! i’m already planning on ordering some once we move to put in Eli’s room. it’ll be so perfect!

i would wear these cute vintage fabric earrings from Along For the Ride every.single.day! love them!

love Kaylee’s list of her favorite things especially number 4!

i need this pillow in my life from The Guest Room Closet!!

i decided i need a little baby girl stat so i can dress her up in cute headbands like this on from J&M’s Eye Candy! seriously. why do all the bloggers with baby girls have all the cute baby fun?

Laura from Our Reflection is a great example of seeing a need and making sure it is met! she is putting together a huge food drive to help fill her church’s food pantry. i hope that someday i would have the courage & motivation to fill such need like that and help countless others!

i love the shape of this headband and really have never seen anything like it! Cassie from CCY Designs does a great job making cute and unique items for her shop!

someday i will own cute subway art & instagram canvassed pictures from Small Bird Studios! this has been on my wish list forever and i’m saving up to make the dream a reality :)

and finally, if you would like to hear more about LDS General Conference and about the living prophet and apostles that are on the earth today, please watch this video!
i know we have living prophets just like in the times of the Bible. i know God still speaks to His children through His prophets and apostles and we can feel His love through their words.

Saturday Favorites {on a Monday}

[top: Macy’s, gift; cardigan: Target clearance; jeans: F21 clearance; shoes: Target clearance]

zebra is my favorite.
purple & turquoise is my favorite.
so by default, this outfit is another one of my favorites or the 30x30 under $30 challenge.

also, fun fact about me {not that you care to know}: my retainer in high school was zebra print.
i know i’m cool like that.
[and disgusting like that to tell you that….?]

i had a meeting Saturday + we decided to do a little hiking/nature walking as a family so i didn’t get a chance to post my Saturday favorites [more on both of those things later].
but i really did have some links that i loved so i wanted to share them today instead!

so here’s my favorites from last week:

i loved Blog Positivity Week and hearing all the stories shared by so many women throughout the week. great idea from Ashley and i definitely think it should be a biannual or annual thing!
{i linked up with this post}

and going along with Blog Positivity Week, Megan from Absolute Mommy shared a really great post on keeping the blogging community classy!
and Amanda from Royal Daughter Designs also shared some wonderful posts throughout the week to link up with Blog Positivity Week as well!

 
this dove ring from MyRemedy Design is beautiful! i love how whimsical & fun it is!
put a {bird} on it and call it art.

Gentri has started a really fun weekly link-up called 7 Questions.
i kind of love random question/get-to-know-you games so i was really excited when she announced it! you should definitely link up with her each week & read her past questions!
{i linked up with this post}

Jenni has been sharing her trip to Paris with her parents and the hotel they stayed at blew.me.away! i’m determined to stay there now.

this is beautiful, beautiful post from Alisha! i got very misty-eyed reading it and definitely needed the reminder.

Kate from Cinnamon Ink never fails to blow my mind with her adorable prints!! please let me have a room decorated solely in her art!

i love this quote that Aleks got for the Gathered Thoughts link-up and reading her thoughts on it. really wonderful and encouraging!
{i linked up with this post. holy cow i linked up a lot this week!}

 

i hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!
come back for a giveaway later today!
:)

 

::p.s. i am accepting sponsors for April so if you are interested please email me at mrs.robinsonblog{at}gmail.com

30x30 under $30: day 23 + 7 questions

 
[top: Ann Taylor Loft, thrifted; skirt: vintage, thrifted; belt: thrifted; shoes: Forever 21, sale $7; necklace: Cookie Lee, gift; ring: Claire’s, $.50]

my smile is weird and creepy in that picture so please ignore it.
remember how i’m really awkward in fashion pictures?

this is one of my favorite combinations!
and i actually never would have thought of it if it wasn’t for my friend Kelsey
{who i miss so so so so much!!!!}
Adam thinks it’s weird… but honestly he thinks everything is weird so i don’t really know if i can fully trust his judgment.

what do you think?
too many different textures going on?
i think that’s why i love it!
also, those shoes are by far the best $7 i ever spent. if only they were more practical to carry a 30 lb. kid around in and i would wear them every day!

so today i decided it would be fun to also link up with Gentri Lee for her 7 Questions posts.
for my funny picture, though, i decided to use one of Elijah.
1. because he is so fat & chubby and i laugh so hard when i look at his baby pictures
and 2. because i’m pretty sure i’ve deleted an compromising pictures of me so i have no funny ones

seriously. i die.
he is so chubby!!!!
i miss those chubby cheeks!

here are the 7 questions:

1. You're given the choice between a life with love and trials or loneliness and ease. Pick one.
love & trials by far! it would suck but i would have my loved ones around me to lift me up!

2. Would you rather live in Narnia, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, or Neverland?
haha! i just asked this question except i didn’t include Neverland. i love it! umm…. i obviously LOVE Hogwarts and anything Harry Potter! however, isn’t Aslan supposed to be Jesus in the Narnia books so wouldn’t that be pretty awesome to be able to live with him?? so, it’s between Dumbledore & Jesus. :)

3. Think of your dream home... what style is it?
a old style country home with a big porch and bay windows and brightly colored! or basically any house down Somonauk Road in Sycamore, IL.

4. What's currently your favorite song or album?
anything FUN. is my current obsession! seriously i love them with my whole heart and can’t get enough!

5. Who was the last person you hugged?
Adam & Eli

6. You have a ticket in your hand, where is it going to take you?
Holland. i just read a book where the characters went there and now i can’t stop thinking about it.

7. Who is one blogger you KNOW you'd be BFF's with in real life?
Little Miss Momma! i’m pretty sure everyone would say her because she is so amazing & genuine! but seriously i love her. or C.Jane too!! they are both my blogging idols times a million!

also….
yesterday i mentioned how much i am grateful for this blog & this blogging community!
as a big THANK YOU, stay tuned for a BIG surprise soon!!
{surprise as in huge group giveaway. and soon as in possibly later today!}

 

:::p.s.: will the Grace who won the Somewhere Over the Rainbow giveaway please stand up?? i will have to pick another winner soon if it’s not claimed!

Saturday Favorites

[top: Ann Taylor Loft thrifted; blazer: Forever 21 thrifted; jeans: Forever 21 on clearance; shoes: Targe on clearance; belt: thrifted; earrings c/o Sebastian Design find them here]

this is by far one of my favorite outfits for the 30x30 under $30 and beyond.
i honestly wear it the most frequently. it’s really casual & comfortable but still dressed up enough to not be so “i’m a frumpy mom” kind of thing. and it’s all my favorite colors, purple & turquoise {as if you didn’t catch that already by how all my outfits look very similar in color to one another}.

but my question would be though… do you think the belt is too long to be around my waist like that? or still okay??

anyways, i still like it.

and i hope you are all having a good weekend so far!!
here’s some of my favorite links you should check out this weekend if you are looking for something to do

Ashley really opened up and shared incredibly touching stories during Secret Week over on her blog. i am always so impressed and inspired by Ashley and how genuine she is. she doesn’t hide anything and always tries to be honest. i love that about her! be sure to read her Secret Week posts and link up your own secrets as well! we are all here to support one another :)

this deer necklace is one of my most very favorite that my sister designed. i’m actually really surprised no one has snatched it up yet! it’s kind of taking a lot of willpower not to beg her to let me just keep it :)

 

i NEED to make these vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls from Beck-a-Boo Crafts. holy amazing!!

last summer i didn’t hop on the maxi dress/skirt bandwagon but i kind of wish i did. especially with really cute and simple tutorials like this one featured on U-Create. i think a brightly color maxi dress with a big sun hat would be perfect for our trip to San Diego, no?

i love Kaycie’s home tour and all the little details she put into her place. i firmly believe that no matter where you live you should make your place your own. it truly does bring so much more happiness and peace when you feel comfortable in your own place. and i love all the different elements Kaycie put into her home, especially that bronze deer! how cool is that!

 
i am completely obsessed this nursery over at Owen’s Olivia  but even more obsessed with the pallet wall she created. i never would have thought of using pallet boards like that. isn’t it amazing!?!

Mindy always finds the best stuff at thrift stores. seriously, why can’t we have that kind of stuff at our DI?? i’m kind of dying over those shoes. i have this obsession with trying to find red shoes every time i go to a thrift store and i always fail. not Mindy though!! jealous….

Claire from Polka-Dot Pretties has been sharing really awesome sewing tips and tutorials on her blog! she is sharing a camera strap with ruffle tutorial now and it’s awesome. did you know she just taught herself how to sew?? she’s seriously one amazingly talented woman and her tutorials are so incredibly helpful. i can’t wait to go through all of them.

Jenni from Story of My Life shared some really really great blogging tips that all bloggers {including myself!} should read. if you are just starting your blog or have had it for sometime you should definitely read her words of wisdom.

i really really really love this gallery wall from Tatertos & Jello, as i’m sure almost everyone does. and that table?? she found it and spray painted it!! why do others have all the luck?? this picture alone can make me name off a million reasons why i can’t wait to have a place of my own to decorate. so stinking cute!!

Meredith is quite possibly one of the funniest and cutest bloggers i have had the chance of meeting. and her Talking to Two posts always have me crying from laughing so hard. i can’t wait until Elijah can finally say full {and coherent} sentences so i can have funny conversations with him too.

in this big blogging community, i’m sure most of us has heard about Creative Estates and how much fun {and maybe not so fun} some attendees had there. i didn’t go but sometimes wish i did just so i could meet the amazing Ashley from Little Miss Momma. i swear we are the same person {she just doesn’t know it yet} and she always says exactly what i am feeling or experiencing. she wrote a beautiful pot on the importance of friendships, something that i have also honestly struggled with, and really reminded everyone that no matter what happens the friendships you make are what will always get you through.

HAPPY WEEKENDING!!

30x30x under $30: day 20 & 21 + i’m published {again}!

[day 20 outfit: top: Forever 21 clearance; pants: American Eagle thrifted; shoes: thrifted; earrings & belt: thrifted
day 21 outfit: shirt: Shade Clothing on sale; skirt: vintage, thrifted; jacket: thrifted; shoes: Target clearance; earrings: the Icing, gift]

can’t believe the 30x30 under $30 challenge is coming to an end!
only 10 more outfits!!
and i have hardly worn my dresses that i picked out.
i can’t for the life of me figure out how to mix and match them though… so any tips?

so i have some exciting news!!
this last week, i was featured in Leslie Blake magazine again!
[you can view my previous article here]
this time i wrote an article about being fashionable for less.
now i know i’m not the most fashionable person ever
and i’m far away from being a fashion blogger
but i think i have a pretty good eye for deals and know how to get more for less.
so it was really fun to share my thrifty tips with Leslie Blake and see my article in a 3-PAGE SPREAD!!
uh yep!! coolest thing ever!!

my article is called Frugal Fashion: Staying Stylish on a Tight Budget and starts on page 85.
i also have my picture on the Contributor’s page on page 20.
cool cool cool!
you can view the magazine here or flip through it below!

Leslie Blake Magazine

this is basically one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me!
i have loved working with Leslie Blake and hope to continue working with them in the future.
i cannot even begin to describe my excitement!
it’s a complete dream come true.

so please check out my article and tell me what you think!
:)