Don't Call It a Comeback

I am feeling some serious déjà vu right now, how about you? No? Well, I won't hold that against you but, I've been here before, coming back to blogging after a longer than expected hiatus because I just don't know how to quit you... While I have been feeling the urge to author amazing content comprised of all the "important" things I have to say, not many of those things were centered around fashion, Shocker, I know but, things are different now. Yes, I get dressed every day and (for the most part) I am continuing to avoid my sartorial crutches despite the new challenges that have manifested but, there are loads of other interesting things going on over here like: house projects, engaging reads, professional development, interesting events, and yummy food to name of few. Besides, how much more can I talk about my ensembles after 6 years? Maybe a little bit more but, when you really think about it I've been a broken record, repeating myself about clothes when there are so many other things to expound upon.

So what does this mean moving forward? Well I'm sure you guessed it from my new snazzy banner.

That's right we're going to be talking about it all... craft projects, house things, interesting books I read, things to do, food to make/eat, clothes (of course,) and anything else that comes to mind because this little blog as well as all these other things are a part of me and I want to share them with you. Right now, I am working on a lofty editorial calendar but, we'll see how it goes. I'm not going to place too much pressure on myself and am hoping that I can take the (many) years of blogging that I have under my belt to turn this into a sustainable thing. Wish me luck!

TGIF and another things

So here we are again! I am loving it aren't you? Well, you will be. Why? Because, I said so. Now that we got that awkward turtle moment out of the way we can talk about other things like my face... One thing that you might notice if you have been clicking through pictures here on 260 Days, No Repeats is my general appearance. If you have taken time to compare it to my general appearance on (the now defunct) 260 Day Redux you might notice something (substantially?) different.

That's right, there is a bit less face as of late and you would be correct in assuming that there is a bit less of all of me. I have been going to the gym in an attempt to be a healthier, happier me. There have been some positive side effects (less of me) and some less happy side effects (fewer clothing options.) My weight loss has been substantial enough that there are lots of items I can't wear anymore because they are falling off, swimming on me, allowing too much skin to show, etc. It has been truly bitter sweet to say goodbye to old clothing favorites while shopping for new clothes out of sheer necessity. It has also been challenging for me to come to terms with this new body. I am happy, don't get me wrong but, I can't remember a time when I was ever this small in my entire tween/young adult life and I am experiencing a disconnect (at times) to say the least.

Enough about my face let's talk about my clothes. It's Friday (yay) and, unlike my old company, my current company practices Casual Friday as a regular thing (thank goodness!) I have heard/read that flared jeans are the way for spring and that skinnys are a thing of the past. That's great for everyone who isn't a (physically) hippy person but, not for those of us that are. I don't mind giving the skinny jeans a rest every now and then but, I won't be trading them in for flared jeans anytime soon. Then again maybe my new body would look good in flared jeans... I might need to explore that option the next time I go shopping. What is your take on the new 70's denim vibe? Are you already in flares or are you holding on to your skinny jeans?

• Top: pink ruffle embellished t-shirt, Merona for Target; black pinstripe blazer, Calvin Klein
• Bottom: wide leg jeans, Michael Kors via Ashby
• Shoes & Accessories: silver cap toe ballet flats, Guiseppe Zanotti via Buffalo Exchange; silver bead earrings, Tiffany & Co. 

Remember when I used to post links to where wardrobe items were previously seen in an ensemble? No? Well, look at most previous posts. I'm not going to be pulling everything up from the archives but, moving forward I would like to highlight when I utilize an item more than once. Perhaps not the same way, it was extremely laborious. We'll see what I come up with when we get to that point... next week. What? Blazers don't grow on trees.

Blast From the Past

Some of you might remember me from 260 Days, No Repeats AKA this blog. While it was fun and amazingly helpful for me at the time, there were a number of things going on that made it hard to keep on keeping on with daily outfit posts. If you continued to follow me on Instagram you saw how everything kept moving and changing…

We (BF and I) bought a house and moved!

I got a new job and am once again living the 9-5 office life!

We got engaged!

We got married!

While it wasn't all amazing like these snippets would lead you to believe it has been pretty great overall. Despite that I felt like something was lacking and I kicked up my blog journey again somewhere different to start something (not so) new as I found myself looking in my closet every morning seeking sartorial inspiration but, finding myself coming to the same prosaic combinations (again.) 

I thought that was the right move at the time but, as of late have found myself thinking about everything I built here with you bolstered by your encouraging comments. Thanks so much for keeping it up in my absence. I'm back and I’m doing it again: One year of work ensembles, no repeats. I'm not sure how regular posting is going to be since my life has changed (see above) but, you WILL get all the outfits that I wear to work, maybe some weekend/late night goodies, and whatever other related thing I come up with. I am excited to be back (with outfit posts) May 1! You should be too, try harder... that's better.

It's Not You, It's Me

We've been here before, I know. In precis things have been super busy around here and I just have not had time to breathe let alone, blog. That being said I have been going to events, tweeting up a storm, pinning like a mad person, and instagramming for everyone to see... Also, I haven't given up on my personal style challenge. So, those things and the warm fuzzy feeling I get when I see a comment on a post or am featured somewhere tells me that I am not ready for this to be over yet! Time for a new method...

I am only going to be posting three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and only three outfits per week. If I post on the weekends (like now) that's just bonus stuff. How will you know that I am keeping my promise and not wearing repeated outfits to work? Well, you're going to have to trust me... If you want to keep track of my progress I've added a tab for that. It's also going to be a way for me to keep track of what I'm doing so I don't accidentally repeat an outfit.

Maybe there will be a time when I can go back to posting everyday but, right now that isn't the case. How do you blog with a busy schedule? All tips and tricks are welcome!

FBFF: Blogging Community

1. What blogging communities do you belong to? 

Image courtesy of insidepages.com

I think the better question is what blogging communities don't I belong to. I think the ones that I participate most in are FBFF (obvi) and The Blogger Collective which is comprised of a group of lovely fashion/beauty bloggers. I like reading the tips and tricks from IFB but, I wouldn't say that I participate heavily in anything they have going on. I recently just joined Lyst and have now started paying attention to Klout. There are so many!

2. What do you think the roll of community is in blogging? 

I think community is a great way to interact with other blogger but, it manifest in different ways depending on who is involved. It could be something as simple as a theme week or as complex as planning live events like Bloggers Night Out.

3. Blog comments, twitter interactions and meaningful Facebook threads have decreased in the last several months. What are your thoughts on why that is? 

Phew, it's not just me. Personally, I have been running low on free time to sit down and comment on every blog post from my favorite bloggers. I also run out of interesting things to say. I may totally LOVE your shoes but, how many times can I say that before it drives us both crazy? I know for me personally part of the reason I am seeing a decrease in blogger comments is because my timing is all off. I used to post once a day if not more. Now, that is a majorly difficult thing to maintain. I'm working on it and hoping that I will see a boost again soon! Positive thinking does wonders, right?

4. How do you cultivate community around your blog? 

I ask questions and I have done theme weeks with other participants. I'm not sure if that is the best way to cultivate a grouping around my blog but, I'm not 100% sure that I have the energy to dedicate to anything more intense than that. Any recommendations?

Image courtesy of skyje.com

5. If you could make one resolution to be a better community member what would it be? 

Participation, plain and simple! Especially when questions are asked or there are projects to take part in. I used to have a system and check in on the blogs in my blogroll regularly to see what was going on and just haven't had the time, I need to get back into that! I also used to check out at least one blog in others blogrolls to see if there was something new that I might like. I want to get that started again, comments are coming your way fellow bloggers!