Charge it to the "Given" Game

I know that branching out and purchasing items of clothing that you typically would not wear is easier said than done. However, I have discovered a way to do this without risking your own budget.

We love and receive the famous gift card every so often for holidays, birthdays, and achievement rewards. As soon as we get a gift card, we want to run out and see what we can buy. Well there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, I do the same, however, I may have a slightly different goal in mind.

If you receive a gift card and at that moment you already have something in mind that you have been wanting to buy for centuries, by all means, please ignore the next piece of information that I am going to share with you.

When I receive gift cards for a clothing store, I immediately head to the clearance section. I'm the kind of gal that likes to get more for her money or in this case someone else's money. If I walk out of a store having spent the whole balance of my gift card and some change on one shirt, I won't feel good about it unless it's a shirt that I have been wanting or an item that just called my name as soon as I saw it and just had to have it. So I fish out pieces of clothing that are my size in the clearance section, walk out with maybe five pieces as opposed to one and boom, I'm setting trends with my new funky pieces that someone else overlooked which is probably why they are on the clearance rack. I'm also channeling my creativity because I'm focusing on how to wear these wonderful little treasures. And guess what! I didint bust my own budget for my creative time, I simply charged it to the "given" game!

A couple of tips to keep in mind when charging it to the "given" game a la clearance:

1. There may be some clearance items that you absolutely will not go for. Don't be afraid to leave some money on your gift card for next time.

2.Always check clearance items for defects, they may be the reason these items are on that rack, but this is not always the case.

3.Socks, tights and basic tank tops are another route you can go with your gift cards, you can never have to many. Then you can spend YOUR money on more exciting items of clothing.

So go ahead ladies, charge your creative little hearts away guilt and interest free!

When One is NOT the Loneliest Number

The way I pick out a unique outfit everyday is not rocket science at all. I find that when you are trying to get dressed, whether it's in the morning or at night, you just need to have a focus in order to have success.

Just think about this for a second. If you were to walk into your closet with not even an idea as to what you want to wear, you are probably going to stare at your closet for a good 20 minutes, which will lead to frustration, which will lead to you wearing the same 4 or 5 items of clothing that you have been alternating week in and week out, right?

What you have to do is know what you want to wear and stick to it. I'm not saying you can't tweak it along the way but just find a base. And I'm not just talking about "it's cold outside so I need to wear long sleeves", this is good but not FAB good. Once you have a set item, it forces you to be creative because you are not going to budge from wanting to wear that sweater or that belt or those earrings. It can be the smallest base that you are dedicated to that can trigger your creativity and everything else just flows. Ultimately, in this way dressing up becomes fun and doesn't result in symptoms of hyperventilation.

Exhibit A:

Melissa found a skirt that she simply adored and just had to have and she didn't care that she initially didn't have in mind how to wear it or what to pair it with, she was passionate about it and she stuck with it. That comibination of passion and determination is the pefect recipe for a delicous and exquisitely executed outfit.  When Melissa showed me this skirt, I was in her room and as she is talking to me I notice this teal-colored purse behind her on a clothing rack. That was it, it was history in the making. I said to myself she has to take this skirt that she loves so much and take it to another level. I suggested that she wear a teal-colored top with this skirt. Now, when I left I wasn't sure if she was going to actually take my advise because it is not the typical, automatic partnering that one would think of. But lo and behold, Melissa paid me a visit after work wearing the skirt and a TEAL TOP and I was ecstatic! And to put the icing on my already fabulous cake, Melissa channeled her own inspiration from WWSW? and added this leopard print scarf which tied it all together. And all this stemmed from the love of this ONE skirt. Sure she could have paired it with a black top because it's logical, the skirt has black stripes right? Of course but now Melissa has two possible outfits from this one little skirt. And since her creative juices are already flowing, who knows how many more she will find!

Thank you Melissa!

                                                       
When you think you have nothing to wear for that party you are going to, instead of going out to buy a whole new outfit, when you are in the store look out for that ONE garment that draws you in, take it home and make magic. Chances are you will look fantastic and unique, save money and avoid buying outfits that look like the other 3 party outfits you already have.

Don't be afraid to fail the first time, as long as you stick to your base you will create something great. I have found plenty of success when I do this little exercise and people have told me that it seems I never wear the same thing twice, which is not true, SEEM is the key word, so I must be doing something right. Go on, give it a try!

The FLAT Out Truth

Some ladies may not be willing to admit that as much as they love flats, the truth is, when they make their feet sweat, everything attractive about them goes out the window, including the money that they paid for them when they decide to throw them in the garbage. I am a victim of this myself and I am not fond of those little socks that they sell for flat shoes.

Now I am a person who loves fashion but does not like to spend a whole lot of money on it, unless it is a piece I will want forever and know that I will not get tired of it. Flats were one of those things that I thought were all the same and it didn't matter if I bought cheap or expensive. But it turns out that this is not one of those scenarios where generic is up to par with name brand. However, you still have to dig a little deeper.

I came across my finding by mistake with a little back and forth in my mind because trust me, I didn't say "hey maybe I should just try an expensive pair of flats with better quality". Here is my story:

I have been wanting some pewter colored flats (totally in right now-go with almost everything-right up there with a pair of leopard print flats) and I was already out with my sis-in-law shopping, however we were at our last store when I remembered that I wanted to buy them and we were dead tired (shop until you drop times 10). So I find a pair of Simply Vera pewter flats at the store where we were, and they were on sale for $40. Now for some this price may be like ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! but for me it was like uh uh! But I tried them on and they felt pretty good and I love Simply Vera so I was like why not. However, in the back of my mind I'm like $40 yikes! and I internally cried all the way home. The next day I even searched some other stores and found some pewter flats for half the price so of course I was all over it. However, when I tried them on they were kind of uncomfortable. So I just decided to keep my Veras and to my surprise, the suede like fabric that lines the inside of the shoes kept my feet completely dry. Ultimately I was ecstatic to find that it wasn't my feet that were the problem but the types of shoes that I was wearing.

So next time you want to purchase some flats, splurge a little to get that quality lining and comfort, and if you already do, why didn't you tell me that the sweat came from generics and not from genetics???