TBMD

The last thirty days have been a blur. A good blur, akin to watching your favorite athlete win a championship, but having a hard time savoring the moments until you know it's a win. Then you're left wishing you could relive it again, but it just wouldn't be the same because you already know the outcome. Ok enough of my roundabout sports analogies :) A few thoughts to wrap up this past round:

- I'm glad I forced myself to include a few pairs of heels this time around. It gave me the chance to break them in only to realize: 1) Ann Taylor perfect pumps are the most comfortable heels ever. This is saying a lot coming from a wobbly-walker. 2) One of my feet is bigger than the other. I need to find inserts for my rsvp Tarans now.

- I did end up wearing every item at least once, but many were not worn more than that (failed goal). I definitely played favorites because the J.Crew blue indian shirt and ASOS hot pink blouse both made numerous appearances.

- I should have included more dresses (Forever 21 lace dress didn't count since it's too short, so I really only had the Ann Taylor crochet dress) because wearing dress-as-a-top and dress-as-a-skirt is so fun and versatile.

- My favorite look is from day 30. On the flip side, my least favorite look is from day 6, but mostly because of the bottom half. What are yours?

- I didn't do so well with the shopping ban :( Darn these spring sales and my lack of willpower! I ended up buying: an Ann Taylor necklace + skirt, a Forever 21 necklace + ring + skirt (still debating about keeping), Zara wedges (returned), H&M maxi dress (returned), and Old Navy shirt for a grand total of $81.

- I'm not as much of a scarf lover as I led myself to believe. It feels like I only bust these out during the 30x30s to make similar outfits look "different," hahaha.

- The best surprise was rediscovering my Express bootcut/flare jeans. How have I not paired jeans with heels until NOW?! Well, I guess I haven't found comfy heels until now.

Picture recap with my thirty items:

Thank you for taking the time to follow along the last thirty days. Feel free to leave suggestions on how I could improve the next time around or just comments in general.

I saved my favorite look for last. I know the messy casual look (shirt half tucked) isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I like how it fits with my imperfect self. Ponytail-ed hair, necklace askew, hair scrunchie left on my wrist. These imperfections are me, and now you know what I'm like on days that I should try harder for the camera :)

A full recap of the past month should be up tomorrow!

Normally when I go up to the rooftop parking lot to take pictures, there is no one around. Today I went up earlier than usual and was doing my thing, ie: walking, prancing, twirling, whatever you want to call it. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw this minivan back out of its spot. Eek! I quickly seeked shelter in the nearest stairwell and pretended that my timing was a coincidence. Who knew how long that person was sitting in the car before I noticed, possibly staring at me. When there's a crowd, I feel like I can blend in, even if people could be looking my way. When it's just one person? I get all self-conscious. Time to add this to my list of things to work on. Are you a public picture-taker?

My second attempt at wearing a scarf as a top (using SewPetiteGal's tutorial) didn't turn out too shabby, but I just realized it's styled exactly the same way as the first. D'oh! I don't know if I'm more proud of another DIY success or incorporating in the scarf ring. It took me long enough, right? Elle's scarf ring was finally worn the way it was intended. I looped the fabric through two of the rings, so the end result looked like a taut link of chains. I can also picture weaving the fabric over and under the rings in some way. I'm still working on this, but feel free to leave suggestions.

I'm seriously running out of ideas now, so pardon the likeness of today's outfit to this previous one.

What I said about no more new bags unless one goes? Clutches (and giveaway wins) shouldn't count, right? They're really accessories. Ok, you can tell I'm grasping at excuses, especially since I saw the most gorgeous brown embossed envelope clutch from H&M yesterday. It will be mine soon, I hope :)

A big thanks to Sunshine for this BCBG bow clutch in beige/gold! I love her. It's kind of dressy but I'm determined to find ways to wear it casually.

I tend to choose photo locations based on the scenery. But what I should be paying attention to is the contrast between my clothing colors and the background. Dark top against a dark background? Not exactly the best idea, but I'm still learning as I go :)

I wish my lil point-and-shoot could take those cool bokeh images, where the person is crisp and sharp while the background is blurred. I envy others who can achieve this look with their DSLRs. Short of Photoshopping the effect into my images, is there a trick that could possibly work on my type of camera?

Belt loops are something I don't normally give a lot of thought to. Most of my bottoms are pretty fitted, so any use of belts are for decorative purposes only. That is, except for this skirt. And as luck would have it, it came sans belt loops. I love the print, so dealing with the belt slippin' and slidin' is just a minor inconvenience I'm willing to put up with. Are belt loops a must for you?

A long weekend, a short work week, and I'm already looking forward to this coming weekend (no plans, just like how I like it). I know this no-responsibilities lifestyle won't last forever, but for the time being, I'm enjoying it to the fullest. Do you jam-pack your weekends or keep them as free as possible?

This is as patriotic as I get, with a white top, red belt, and navy blue shorts. Happy Fourth of July to all the Americans out there!

Today couldn't have started off any worse. My favorite player lost to perhaps the one player I dislike the most :( I then turned to retail therapy to help me forget. The one item at the outlets that did catch my eye was a pink and cream striped sweater from Banana Republic. But in the end, I came home with nothing. Thankfully everyone else found great deals so the trip wasn't a total waste. Did you take advantage of the sales this weekend? Please share to make me feel better :)

I have even less to say than usual, so I hope everyone is enjoying this long holiday weekend!

I learned my lesson in choosing the wrong background while jumping unnecessarily in certain outfits. Today's casual and inspired by Madewell outfit suits the woodsy setting, don't you think? So, an action shot of me goofing off and frolicking amongst the trees. Sorry, no blooper reel today!

*Madewell image courtesy of Madewell

So much for my shopping ban :( I had time to kill one evening so I stopped by Forever 21 and walked out with rings and a necklace. The flowers on the necklace remind me of Chanel's camellias. The daintiness of the rings was a nice contrast to the statement rings I already have. Like always, F21's prices were too good to pass up. I knew I should have watched Green Lantern before shopping, not after!

I feel like the first half of this spring's 30x30 has zapped me of all my creative juices. So bear with me down this home stretch. There may be more head-scratchers (ie: boots + socks fiasco) or boring outfits to come :)

It was a beautiful day for picture taking along a "beach." Regardless of my better-suited-for-the-office-outfit, I wanted to take a jumping picture. Because sand = soft landing. Or so I thought. Not only did the self-timer not capture my jump, I lost a shoe! It did however, capture the moments after my spectacular fail.

From left -> right: (1) Err... just my luck, camera is still going and I lost a shoe. At least I didn't land on my butt (2) Huh, the shoe is a lot farther than I thought *scratches head*  (3) Uh duh, hop on one foot of course. So what if I'm flashing the world, one step at a time (4) Eww, there's bits of sand inside (5) Ahh well, lesson learned. The camera is still on?!

Do you have tips for a newbie jumper?

Usually I have about 5 good pictures to choose from at the end of the day. This is the best of today's :( Which is sad, because the top looks washed out. But hey -- at least there's a change in background scenery :)

This scarf is like my favorite child. Not that I would ever pick favorites if I have more than one child... or admit it ;) The print was love at first sight, and I still have not gotten sick of it yet. When in doubt, this is the first item I grab to put on.

Is there a piece you own that you feel this way about?

I walked down four flights of stairs only to see a sign that says the door is broken. Instead of finding my way back through another door to take pictures outside, I got lazy and propped up my tripod in this semi-dark-and-creepy alley below the staircase. Kind of fitting for an unintentional Halloween-themed outfit?

Every once in awhile, I'd Google map surrounding areas using the satellite view, just cuz I'm a dork with too much time on my hands. To my surprise, I saw this huge body of water near me, topped with a PIER. How very cool! But why did I not know about it until NOW? I'm stoked because the surrounding areas looked quite secluded, so it should be perfect for picture taking. How do you scout out potential photo spots?