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Capsule Wardrobe for Fall 2017

10/15/2017

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It seems like the latest trend I've been seeing on Pinterest is capsule wardrobes.  If you haven't heard of them, they are basically a small collection of clothes that can all be mixed and matched so you have lots of different options to choose from without having an overflowing closet.  

I've been hearing about capsule wardrobes for at least a year and I always thought it was a neat idea.  Who wouldn't want more outfit options with less clothes?  And why wouldn't I want every piece of clothing in my closet to fit me well and make me feel good when wearing it?

Like I mentioned in my last post, a few weeks ago I decided to give this idea a try.  Before I started, I went through my closet and counted how many pieces I had hanging up.  There were 114 hanging items in my closet!!  This blew me away because the majority of the clothes hadn't been worn in 6 months or even longer.  So why was I wasting all this closet space with clothes that I wasn't even wearing?  

By the time I was done weeding out the unnecessary clothes, I had a much sleeker looking closet with a grand total of 27 items (including pants & shoes).  It was a huge sigh of relief!  Every time I open my closet I can clearly see every piece of clothing to choose from.  I know that everything fits me and that I have many different combinations to choose from for my outfit that day.

If you'd like to give this a try in your own closet, keep reading to get the step-by-step process for creating your own capsule wardrobe.

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Outfits for Bahamas Cruise

8/25/2014

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My Bahamas cruise starts exactly four weeks from today!  I've already started putting together my packing list and I also just went clothes shopping over the weekend, so I figured now would be a good time to do a post on all of my cruise outfits.  Some of them are the same outfits I wore on my last cruise, mostly because I haven't really added many summer clothes to my wardrobe since the last cruise.  Here are the outfits I'll be wearing on my 8-day trip:
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Day 1: Flying from Denver to Orlando
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Day 2: Spending the day at Universal Studios (note the comfortable walking shoes)
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Day 3: Boarding the Enchantment of the Seas at Port Canaveral
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Night 3: Casual dinner
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Day 4: Beach day at Cococay, Bahamas
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Night 4: Formal dinner
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Day 5: Port day at Nassau, Bahamas
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Night 5: Casual dinner
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Day & Night 6: Day at sea & casual dinner
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Day 7: Debarking from ship
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Day 8: Flying from Orlando to Denver
Here are all of my clothes laid out.  It was slightly less overwhelming to pack for an 8-day trip instead of my last trip, which was an 11-day trip.
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More Cruise Clothes

3/30/2014

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Like I mentioned in my post for my packing test run, I needed a few more items for my cruise.  I wanted another dress and bathing suit so I'd have more options on the trip.  So I went to JC Penney on Monday and found not only three dresses, but also two bathing suits!  
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The American Living Empire-Waist Dress is my favorite dress that I found at the store!  I think it will be perfect for our formal dinner on the cruise.
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This dress is the Worthington Side-Draped Drop-Waist Sheath Dress and is a bit more casual, but I still think it will be nice for a dinner dress.
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This dress is from Ana and wasn't on the JC Penney website.  It's very comfortable and flowy...just hopefully not too flowy for a windy day!
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This is the Liz Claiborne Bandeukini Swim Top and Classic Hipster Swim Bottoms.  I love that even though it's a 2-piece, it still looks almost like a 1-piece.
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The Liz Claiborne Shirred Halter 1-Piece is a classic silhouette.  I think it is very flattering for all shapes and sizes.

The best thing about doing this blog post is that it led me to the JC Penney website, where all the clothes I bought are on sale for less than I paid.  Now I just need to compare prices to see if it's worth re-ordering everything online for the cheaper price!
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Packing Test Run for Cruise

3/23/2014

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My Eagle Creek packing cubes arrived the other day and I wanted to try them out right away, so I decided to do a packing test run for my trip.  Here is a look at everything I'm taking.
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As a carry-on, I will be using my green Coach travel bag because it has comfortable straps, it zips closed, and it hold a lot of stuff.  The items included in my carry-on are:
  • Electronics: laptop, iPad, camera, headphones
  • Documentation: passport, cruise paperwork, flight itinerary
  • Comfort: snacks, eye mask, water bottle
  • Toiletries: face wash wipes, face lotion & sunblock, razor, prescriptions
  • Makeup bag: basic makeup that I can't live without in case my suitcase is lost
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Inside my carry-on I will also have a little zipper pouch with all of my cords in it.  It will have cords or chargers for my iPhone, iPad, laptop, and camera.
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Along with my carry-on bag, I will also be taking my full-size purse on the plane with me.  I will only be using this purse during our time in Daytona and will use a smaller cross body purse for the cruise.  Some items in my purse include:
  • Wallet: credit & debit cards, driver's license, health insurance cards, cash
  • Zipper pocket: tissues, gum, bandaids, nail file & clippers, hair tie, chapstick
  • Medicine: Pepto tablets, eye drops, Sudafed, Benadryl
  • Misc: phone, sunglasses (not pictured)
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Inside my checked suitcase will be two cases for toiletries.  The smaller one is specifically for my shower items and the larger one is for everything else.  Here's a closer look at both.
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The smaller case is from Soap & Glory and it came from a holiday gift set.  I held onto it because I thought it would come in handy some day, and now it has!  The items in my shower kit include:
  • Body: mini shower puff & Victoria's Secret shower gel in Pure Seduction
  • Hair: Aveeno shampoo & conditioner, Organics Argan Oil of Morocco
  • Face: Travel bottle of Cetaphil face cleanser
  • Shaving: Johnson & Johnson baby oil for shaving my legs
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Inside my larger toiletry bag I will be taking:
  • Body: deodorant, Victoria's Secret lotion and body spray in Pure Seduction, Coach Poppy perfume
  • Sun care: Coppertone Ultra Guard sunblock in SPF 50, Hawaiian Tropics Silk Hydration After Sun Lotion, UV Sun Sense bands to remind me to re-apply sunblock throughout the day 
  • Face: Clean & Clear makeup remover, cotton rounds
  • Teeth: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
  • Hair: brush with hair ties & comb
  • Zipper pouches: first aid & manicure set
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The zipper pouch inside my larger toiletry kit will be for first aid items.  They include:
  • Tissues
  • Pepto tabs & Tums
  • Dramamine (Less Drowsy) & Sea Bands
  • BandAid Blister Friction Block Stick
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My travel manicure set will include:
  • Studio35Beauty nail polish remover pads
  • Sally Hansen Ultimate Shield Base & Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen No More Mistakes manicure clean-up pen
  • Essie polishes in Mint Candy Apple, Cute as a Button, and Watermelon
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I will also be packing a mini laundry kit in my checked suitcase, which will have:
  • Tide travel size laundry detergent
  • Febreeze fabric spray
  • Downy Wrinkle Release
  • Shout Wipe & Go wipes
  • Travel lint roller
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During the trip I plan on keeping a Smash book of our adventures, so I am bringing the Simple Style Smash book along with a zipper pouch of supplies, including:
  • Two-sided pen & glue stick combo, travel scissors
  • Washi tape in a variety of patterns and colors
  • Stickers, pockets, and a Smash pad
  • Thank You cards for the service crew on the ship
  • Post-It notes for leaving notes on my friends' doors
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Some other items that will be packed in my suitcase are for my cabin stateroom.  They are:
  • Over the door shoe organizer to store odds & ends
  • Travel alarm clock and nightlight
  • Power strip to have extra outlets in the room
  • Suction cup hooks for hanging up things to dry
  • Glade Plug-In to keep the room smelling fresh
  • Highlighter for circling interesting activities on the daily schedule
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And now, finally on to clothes and accessories.  The pictured accessories above include:
  • Kate Spade Allen Street Neil Bag in Coal for daytime use
  • Black clutch for formal dinner
  • Umbrella and hat
  • Green shawl and black sparkly scarf
  • Various necklaces
  • Tote bag for pool or beach (not pictured)
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Here are all of the clothes and shoes I'll be bringing on the trip for both Florida and the cruise.  If you're interested, you can see how my outfits are broken out in my last blog post.  My list of clothes includes:
  • Bottoms: jean leggings, two pairs black leggings, two pairs capris, two skirts
  • Tops: seven tank tops, two t-shirts, two black cover-ups
  • Formal dress (along with one or two casual dresses not yet purchased)
  • Bathing suit and beach cover-up
  • Pajamas: two sets of short and t-shirts and a robe for getting ready
  • Shoes: black flip flops, pink flip flops, gold flats, nude flats, walking shoes (not yet purchased)
  • Bras, socks, and underwear
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This is the final product once I loaded everything into my suitcase.  The suitcase itself is a SwissGear Checklite 24" Upright in Charcoal with spinner wheels.  I bought it at Target for about $160.  I'm hoping the light gray color will make it stand out from the other 95% of suitcases on the luggage carousel that will be black.  
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And that is a look at everything I am taking on my trip!  I believe I've thought of everything, but if I am missing something that you have found handy on a cruise before, please let me know in the comments!
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Outfits for Cruise

3/22/2014

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I found this cruise outfit guide on Pinterest and it motivated me to put together my own outfits for the cruise I'll be going on in a month.  Here are the different outfits I'll be wearing on my 11-day trip:
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Flight to Florida: black leggings, tan & black striped tank top, black cover-up, nude flats.
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First day in Daytona (plus birthday dinner): black skirt, coral sleeveless shirt, gold flats.
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Driving to Fort Lauderdale & boarding the ship: pink skirt, black tank top, black flip flops.
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First day at sea: American Eagle jean leggings, aqua tank top, gold flats.
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Pool: black & white polka dot bathing suit, coral beach cover-up, pink flip flops.
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Excursion in Belize (Mayan ruins): white capris, black tank top, nude flats.
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Excursion in Cozumel (Mayan ruins): black capris, pink patterned tank top, gold flats.
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Last day at sea: pink skirt, black zig-zag tank top, black flip flops.
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Formal dinner (not sure which night): tan & black striped dress, nude flats.
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Leaving ship & driving to Daytona: black skirt, orange & white striped t-shirt, black flip flops.
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Day around Daytona: white capris, gray t-shirt, black flip flops.
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Another day around Daytona: black skirt, tan & black striped tank top, nude flats.
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Flight home: black leggings, aqua tank top, black cover-up, gold flats.

I've done this for past trips and usually something changes along the way and the outfits don't end up being exactly as planned. But at least I know I've got enough clothes to last me the full 11 days and I won't be forgetting anything!  

I may re-think the skirts on the at-sea days because I've heard it can get really windy on the ship's deck and I don't want to have to hold down my skirt all day long.  I am also going to purchase some comfortable walking shoes to wear on our excursions, so the flats in the pictures will likely be swapped out for more appropriate walking shoes.

Online it says we will have one formal dinner for our five-day cruise, so I'll at least bring the dress pictured above and will likely buy another one or two casual dresses that I can wear to dinners on the other nights in case I feel like being a little more dressy.
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    My name is Beth and I live in Denver.  I am a single lady in my 30's and wanted to start sharing my awesome and amazing life through a blog.  

    ​Follow me as I navigate life, work towards being happier, and also focus on learning to love my life and myself.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from pj_vanf, catulle, AJC ajcann.wordpress.com, frankieleon, Kuster & Wildhaber Photography, Mufidah Kassalias, mypubliclands, Skakerman, David Jones, WordRidden, Meredith Bell, BillDamon
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