Encouraging Beauty: A Week Long Celebration

I was so busy last week, dealing with a sore throat that just won't go away and prepping for a board meeting, that I didn't have time to post! Then Angelo and I spent the weekend at his mom's without computers or internet, opting instead to go on a five hour motorcycle ride and celebrate his grandmother's birthday. That beat out posting too. So anyways, here I am on Monday and ready to share something cool with you guys.

Relaxing means stealing your boyfriend's baseball cap because you don't feel like washing your hair all weekend and not blogging. Sorry guys!

This morning, I was scrolling through my instagram feed and noticed that one of my favorite stylish ladies was talking about something pretty cool. @hilaryrushford (of Dean Street Society) is taking the week to #encouragebeauty. As she describes it, "it's a proclamation that you have power, with your words and your example, to make the world more beautiful and the women around you feel more beautiful." I immediately loved it, and signed up by heading over to weencouragebeauty.com to sign up. Once I signed up, I was sent the prompts for the week, so I figured I would post them on here, so I can talk about them  a little more.

My Monday Prompt was: #makesmefeelgirly. If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have admitted that I shied away from being "girly." I grew up in a house where we weren't allowed to wear nail polish until we were thirteen, didn't need anything more than mascara for day-to-day makeup and didn't worry much about day-to-day wear because I wore a uniform from kindergarten to senior year of high school.  Hell, I spent this weekend wearing the same tee shirt, black jeans and baseball cap – so it's not like I'm a super high-maintenance girly-girl. But in the past few years, I've realized there is something fun about being "girly." I've gotten way more into makeup, and will be the first to admit that my go-to-colors have shifted from blues and greens to pinks and reds.

Last weekend, I found myself unpacking my closet and when going through one of my purses where found a lost MAC lipstick - a shade called Love Forever. These days I tend to stick to either a neutral or bright red lip color, but when I found this missing MAC lipstick, I opened it up and was surprised to see it was a bright, magenta pink color. Pumped, I wore it every day this past week. Lightly to the office, a bit more deeply on the weekends. Paired with my monochromatic capsule wardrobe, it made me feel like a confident, cool and grown up girly-girl. So it may not be something big but my Love Forever Mac Lipstick #makesmefeelgirly. 

I tried to capture how pink it was, but the light was not on my side. Take my word for it though!

That wasn't my only Monday prompt from Dean Street Society. In encouraging beauty, they also sent out a list of prompts to tag someone else in. I think that's a great way to encourage self confidence, positivity and a sense of sisterhood. In her explanation of "Encouraging Beauty," Hilary talks about how taking risks and growing bolder with your personal sense of style encourages other women to do the same. That's one of the reasons I loved this whole week, and knew I wanted to participate. I know so many strong, wonderful women and they definitely deserve the recognition.

My "for her" prompt of the day was #bringsouthereyes and I immediately knew who to feature. One of my best friends, Lauren, who has worked through a serious of dog-centered jobs with me. If we're going to be talking about eyes, I knew that Lauren needed to be featured. I mean, she's pretty much a husky in human form. Check out those eyes!

I stalked her selfies to find this picture, but gave her a heads up that she was going to be posted - so it's okay.

Lauren is way more talented with makeup than I ever will be and can do a killer cat eye with liquid liner, but what I love about this picture is that she looks so fresh faced – and it shows that she's super naturally gorgeous. I think that her fresh faced look in this picture totally makes her eyes the focal point. It shows that she doesn't even need anything to #bringouthereyes because they're stunning all on their own!

I'm really loving this #EncourageBeauty week long celebration, and I highly encourage you to check it out. Just head on over to www.weencouragebeauty.com or check out @hilaryrushford on Instagram. It's basically a week of beautiful positivity, and that makes any stressful Monday better. I'll be listing my prompts all week on this blog, so be sure to check back regularly!

Week Two Review: A Thunderstorm and a Climate Change

Gosh it's been a week, hasn't it? Baltimore got hit with an insane day of thunderstorms (my favorite kind of weather, personally) and the humidity's been pretty nonexistent. Fall is fast approaching – I hope! It's my second week of having a Capsule Wardrobe and I still love it. It's taken a ton of stress out of my daily routine, which is great because other stressors have been popping up more recently. Here's a quick recap of a few of my outfits this week.

Not my normal set up for pictures, but we weren't at our house all day so!

1. Sunday introduced a new stressor into my life and that is – dun dun dun – Angelo bought a motorcycle! I've never actually been on a motorcycle before, but I couldn't resist hopping on it to take a picture to send/scare my parents. I made my grumpiest face and hopped on. I sort of loved how my comfy Madewell midi dress looked paired with the bike. I absolutely love this midi-dress (it's hiked up a bit here because of the bike, but it hits a few inches below my knees). It's easy to dress up with heels or fancy flats, but it was also perfect for lounging around Angelo's mom's house all Sunday while he worked on the bike.

2. To add more stress into my life, I came straight home and cut all my hair off. Well, I didn't, exactly. My neighbor did, and she did an amazing job – but that didn't keep me from having a full blown panic attack about it Monday morning. What a cliché girl moment. Since I was self conscious about my hair, I stuck to wearing something that I felt comfortable in, to give me more confidence. I paired this "rough" polka dot blouse with my favorite distressed Levis. I love the polka dots on this H&M blouse. Polka dots have become super popular as of late, and I've become super picky with my polka dot print. (I'm nuts!) But go with me here – I think that solid, smallish polka dots can sometimes look sort of cheap. These bigger, rough polka dots create less of a uniform pattern and more of a unique look. Am I crazy? Probably…

3. Tuesday it rained. All day. No seriously, there was no wind and so it just thunder-stormed all day and there was flooding everywhere. To make matters worse, my train home broke down at the stop right before mine and completely shut down the trains. I waited for two hours in a torrential downpour, meekly staring at all the backed up trains down the line, before I accepted defeat and Angelo came to my rescue. That being said, I was pretty exhausted and woke up on Wednesday with no desire to go to work or make an effort with my appearance. I paired this cool, geometric J. Crew tee that I thrifted with my high waisted skinny trousers and was pleasantly surprised that I still managed to look put together. J. Crew makes awesome tee shirts that are easy to dress up. When I wear them to work, I usually pair them with heeled booties and a skinny pant, but you could easily add a blazer or a cute skirt with them too. Plus they're easy to find while thrifting, if you're not into spending $50 on a linen tee.

4. TGIF – by the time Friday rolled around, Angelo was in the midst of his motorcycle safety course and I was dealing with a Boston Terrier who had an epic ear infection. After staying up late with a crying puppy, I woke up early on Friday to see if I could snag a vet appointment. I let my hair air dry last night so I took it casual with the tiniest ponytail ever, doubled up chunky sweaters and my favorite tee shirt I stole from Angelo. It's a tee shirt designed by Pizza Party Printing – and if you don't know who they are you definitely need to check them out. They're local to Baltimore and their designs are awesome, especially if you're into horror or classic movies. I love this Pan's Labyrinth shirt because of their spooky design and color combination. Tucked into my black skinny jeans and paired with ballet flats, it's totally acceptable for a casual Friday at my office.

So the Pan's Labyrinth shirt is sold out on their site, but I do own the Bill & Ted tee, and I have my eye on this epic The Labyrinth one, because David Bowie is looking fierce.

All in all, I'm loving this Capsule Wardrobe. It's fun, stressfree and it keeps my mind focused on other things. I can't wait to start building my Fall Capsule, and with the way the weather's been - it's looking like I'll be doing that sooner rather than later. Have you been thinking about starting a Capsule Wardrobe yet?

Capsule Closet Questions: What about my Homebody Wear?

Angelo and I spent the weekend out at his mom's, which is pretty much my favorite place to retreat to on the weekends. There's nothing better than packing up the pups and getting out of the city for a night.

When we first got out there, laundry and puppies in tow, the first thing Angelo's mom said to me was that she liked my outfit from my Capsule closet. She's been reading my blog and is super tempted to try the whole Capsule Wardrobe idea, but raised one question to me that I also dealt with.

"What about things that I only wear around the house – do they count as part of my 37 items?"

I was quick with my response. I say no. A few of my favorite things that I wear are things that I only wear when I'm bopping around the house. I don't wear them out, they're basically just lounge clothes, but if I added them in with my 37 items – I would go over my limit! I did however go through my house-only wear and downgrade them. I don't need ten over sized tee shirts, even if I love them all. I think that five or six items max is a good place to set your homebody wardrobe.

With that being said, here's mine!

Perfect when paired with a chunky sweater from H&M after being stuck at the train station for 2 hours in the rain.

 1. I thrifted this floral romper because I thought it was a cute tank, but when I got home to try it on I realized I had hit the jackpot and found myself with a new romper instead. However, this romper is way too short to wear in public, and it's too revealing up top for me to feel comfortable anywhere but my couch. It is, however, perfect for cooking in my non-air conditioned kitchen and laying on the couch to watch MasterChef reruns.

Some days you just need a good polka dot headband to cover your roots, ya know?

2. White Studded Cutoffs: These cutoffs remind me that I am my mother's daughter. No, my mom doesn't wear white, studded cutoffs, but she does keep things forever. I've had these cutoffs for going on six years now, and they've been on their last leg for probably two. They've got holes in the back pockets and they're missing some studs – but they're the softest denim and they're a perfect length.

3. Loose T-Shirts: For me, there are few things better than coming home from work and putting on a clean, crisp loose t-shirt. They're the shirts that I lived in when I walked dogs, and used to get the most wear out of everything in my closet. When I started my capsule wardrobe, I downgraded these tee shirts, retiring some of them that so greatly deserve it. My favorites now are two that remind me of my mom, a Cher tee shirt she got me when we went to her concert, and an Edward Gorey tee that has a quote about reading and dogs on it – that I pilfered from her closet when I was sick once.

One of many, many Boston print things I own.

4. Boston Terrier Related Clothing: I am, first and foremost, a Boston mama. This means that anything I see that has a Boston Terrier/ Boston Terrier pattern on it, I will buy it. Eagerly and without thinking. My favorite of all Boston related clothing is a BDG tee that @shopjodiscloset found and realized that I needed. Thank god she did, because it's probably one of my favorite articles of clothing. It's incredibly soft, a cute mint green color and it's got little Boston faces all over it. It's almost sheer, and so it's the perfect tee to wear when I crawl up into bed on rainy afternoons to binge on Netflix.

Do you agree with me – should lounge clothes be separate from your Capsule Wardrobe? If you're a homebody like me – do you have a special homebody wardrobe that you wear around the house? Comment below and let me know!

Also, I got a haircut.

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Week One: My First Week with a Capsule Wardrobe

This week was definitely one of those weeks where I woke up Tuesday and was ready for it to be Saturday.  It's just been one of "those" weeks. I've been working pretty hard on keeping our house clean, figuring out the self timer on my camera and having Skype dates with my mom. Since the Skype dates are never set to last that long, but end up lasting about an hour, other things have fallen to the wayside – which means we've been eating out a lot this week, getting to bed late with wet hair, resulting in a lot of buns and one semi-successful top knot.

One thing that hasn't been eating up tons of time, though, has been getting dressed! With a significantly smaller, streamlined closet, I've found picking out outfits for work the night before has become a stress-free process. The only issue I've run into is figuring out which shoes to wear, but I figure this will always be an issue for me, and it's one that can be quickly solved by Angelo pointing at one foot and muttering, "that one."

Here are my four capsule wardrobe outfits that I managed to document this week:

I booked plane ticket and a hotel room for my boss in this outfit - so I'd say it made me look trustworthy and dependable.

 1. If you don't have energy, my mantra has always been to fake it til you make it. This plaid chiffon top from H&M definitely makes me feel like a powerful professional. I paired it with a nude tank top and skinny black pants (also from H&M). I added in my black, cutout heeled booties from Target and the whole look had me feeling ready to collate copies and draft some memos. H&M has a ton of fun pieces that are so great for work, I've become their BIGGEST fan since I got an office job, but that's another post in itself.

Red lipstick also helps on days where you need to convince your coworkers you're not half asleep.

 2. Like I said in my previous post – belts! This vintage belt from my mom really elevated this basic work outfit. It makes the whole look a bit dressier and put together, while still letting me stay true to my personal style even though I'm in the office. I absolutely love this little denim-colored pocket tee, it was a lucky thrift store find that I kept for myself. I paired both with my Madewell slouchy trousers, which are perfect on days where you just can't move at full speed.

Ah Thursday, nothing like coming home and realizing there's a pen in your top knot.

3. By the time Thursday's rolled around, I'm dreaming all day about watching Doctor Who in bed and telling Angelo that it's baked potatoes for dinner tonight. An all black outfit the day before casual Friday is probably the best way to go. I've paired the black lace Madewell tee I got from the wonderful Brennan, (who basically started my insta-shopping addiction with her (now closed) shop, @brenscloset) with a black tank and my skinny, high waist pants from H&M. Finally, since I didn't want to look like the grumpy looking goth girl in the office, I slipped on my Boston Terrier flats that Angelo's mom got for me. I had totally forgotten about these flats, they had been buried at the bottom of my closet but I definitely added them to my capsule wardrobe. They're insanely comfortable, and ridiculously adorable.

4. Ah, Saturday. After a laid back Friday night, I woke up feeling pretty refreshed on Saturday morning. Angelo and I decided to head out to his mom's for the weekend, so I paired my super skinny H&M pale pink jeans (my $3 version of AA Easy Jeans) with a simple white muscle tee and my black vest. All three are total closet staples, and I feel like this is the type of outfit that could handle it if we ended up spending the night without an overnight bag - which we did. The combo of the pale pink jeans and the vest that the wonderful Jackie at @southernsunvintage found for me make me feel like a modern day Rizzo. My attitude is - give or take - a little better.

Did you realize I was such an insta-shopping addict?

I'm loving this whole capsule wardrobe and am having a blast dressing with intention. Week one is definitely being chalked up as a success. Have I tempted you enough to try it? Which is your favorite of my OOTDs?

Capsule Wardrobe Staples

I'm a member of the school of thought that if you feel good, you look good. I feel like the biggest babe in freshly washed spandex, my boyfriend's hand-me-down Black Flag tee, and combat boots – so if you know me, you’ve probably seen me wear that, or something similar, a variety of times. I basically wear the same few items, over and over again, in slightly different combinations because I think you should wear what makes you feel confident, what makes you feel comfortable and what makes you feel cute.
 

For me, my personal style is a hybrid of monochromatic-classic style with a grungy Baltimore influence. In my capsule wardrobe, you'll find stripes and polka dots, some solid black dresses and rompers, lots of crisp whites and pops of red (or pale pink if I'm feeling risky). 

In setting up my capsule wardrobe, I figured out some staples that I would need to help the mixing and matching go by smoothly.

- Ripped boyfriend jeans: Angelo is a follower of the "I can't believe you paid for ripped jeans" belief. I don't care though – these vintage Levi's were a thrift find of one of my favorite instashops (fashionableprocrastination) who distressed them herself. They're not too ripped up, they're just baggy enough while still being flattering. I dress them up by cuffing them and wearing them with heeled booties, or pointed toed flats but I can rock them casually with ballet flats and a band tee. 

The perfect boyfriend jeans, with just the right amount of distressing.

-  Shirts you can live in: my three favorite shirts in my entire closet are as follows – an oversized, paper thin camo tee that I snagged for $10 at Urban Outfitter’s sale, an oversized white muscle tee that I picked up for $1.50 at H&M and a black lace tee from Madewell that I thrifted. What I absolutely love about these three shirts is that they can be either incredibly casual or I can dress them up – using skinny jeans, skirts and cute shoes. They’re perfect starting points for outfits that can go a variety of places – out for dinner and a movie with Angelo, to work or just for a lazy day at the park with the dogs. 

My go-to camo tee with a repeat appearance by my Levi's. Told you they were staples.

- Belts: I was never super into belts… ok wait, I was actually really into one belt – that I stole from my grandmother’s vintage a few years ago. It’s a skinny, black leather belt with a snakeskin sort of pattern and a gold band. It’s incredibly tiny, so I can basically wear it for a new hours and then I usually throw it in my purse. It’s also pretty much falling apart because it’s been my only belt for about six years. A few thrift trips ago, I found a really cool black leather belt with some silver detailing and I snapped it up. I’ve been having a lot of fun with it because it’s way chunkier than I’m used to – and definitely becomes a statement piece for any outfit. As luck would have it, my mom saw my thrift store belt and realized my grandmother had a much more glamorous version of it – basically an awesome black leather belt made up of different silver pieces. It’s heavy, attention grabbing and perfect. I wore it to an outdoor concert last week with a white slip dress and felt like I had walked off someone’s Pinterest.

Seriously though, Pinterest treats me right and this outfit was perfect for a night at an outdoor venue.

What’s great about my wardrobe staples is that they can be worn in such a variety of ways – and that they look pretty great when paired together. It’s often simple things that can totally elevate an outfit – don’t you think?

What would your closet staples be for a capsule wardrobe? Check out how I’m rocking mine at @teenwitch_

Thanks!

also a note! I'm working on getting better quality pictures, so all my more recent stuff will be of better quality. thanks!

starting my capsule wardrobe journey!

Ok - here we go! I've been wanting to blog for a while, and this seems like the perfect time to start.

My name is Rosemary - or  teenwitch_ - and I live in Baltimore with my wonderful significant other, Angelo, and our furry family. I work for the City, but before that I walked dogs for three years. It's a huge adjustment for me - working in a professional setting - and one of the biggest changes is not being able to wear cutoffs and sneakers every day. One of the other biggies is trying to cover up my tattoos without joining the "cardigans forever" club.

Luckily - I'm a sucker for dressing up!

One of my biggest challenges is looking professional and cute while still covering up my tattoos. Some days are harder than others - like when it's 95 degrees outside and I want to wear a skirt without tights - but I have to say I'm having a ton of fun figuring all this out.

I've taken ideas from two of my favorite blogs, fouryearsin and un-fancy! Danielle at fouryearsin.com has the most adorable style, and she talks a lot about dressing with intention - which is something I definitely want to work on more. Caroline at un-fancy.com has a minimalist style that I totally drool over, and her concept of a capsule wardrobe is something that I am definitely trying to tackle.

Here's how my closet's looking right now, after my first attempt at a capsule wardrobe. I have way more items then you're supposed to - but since this is my test run, and I'll be changing them out seasonally, I figured I would take the rest of the summer to figure out what I wear and what I just like to look at on hangers.

Have you ever done a capsule wardrobe? Do you find yourself dressing in the same old styles? Follow along with me while I attempt to tackle my closet and define my personal style! It's going to be a pretty fun journey, I promise you won't be disappointed.

thanks!