Ag May ...

Hmmm... exciting title, huh? Anyways... part of my simplify philosophy is how we live our life here at mon chez moi.  Borne out of necessity and preference, our bathroom has been simplified the agmay way. When we moved into our apartment, the bathroom was sadly lacking in storage.  It was also lacking in space, so putting in any storage was going to require some thought. I thought about what activities we needed to do in the bathroom.  And limited storage requirements just for those activities. Makeup - no. Tooth brushing - yes. Medicines - no. Contact Lenses - yes. Lotions - no. Cleaning products - not really. Hair products - yes and no.  (For my Dear Husband, he washes his hands after applying hair stuff.  I just brush and spray.) Do you get the picture? Actually, here's a picture. And that's it.  That's all that's in our bathroom. (I'm still looking for a way to store the toilet paper, which sits just outside the bathroom in the l...

DIY – Gingham Shirt Oh - and please excuse the less than flattering photos... Another foray into "sewing for me" – a pink gingham structured shirt. This is another pattern from Vogue.   What can I say – I like familiarity . The pattern offers multiple variations, which was appealing as well as it being the style that I was looking for. And here is the finished product (*sigh* back to setting up the camera for selfies).   Ok, it’s not my favourite pair of pants but I’m working on that. Onto the shirt.   I like it.   It’s not perfect, but it has potential. On the finished product... I like contrast cuffs and collar.   I like the shape.   I like the fit in the front.   I like the circumference of the sleeves. I don’t like the slight tightness in the bust.   I don’t like the length of the sleeve.  To get to this point, these are the alterations that I had to do to the pattern - Shorten to cor...

Part of the capsule experiment is that I need to be held accountable to developing a style that I am happy with.   It’s very easy to throw on a top and bottom, but, in putting it all together I want to look “together”.   But what does that mean?   Actually, I don’t know.   Very a-typical of me, but I don’t have a real definition of where I’m heading as I travel this road of “sh-tyle”. I suppose I want to be able to take a month of outfits and photograph them again and be in love with all that I see.    I’m also loving the compliments.   And they’re compliments about how “fresh” I look and how “happy” and how I “lend a professional feel” to a meeting.   I love these compliments as they are seeing how I feel; how I feel about myself.   I’m definitely on the right road. So now, I’m reviewing the outfits that worked and those that didn’t quite hit the mark. For me, the most obvious thing to get right (or wrong) is proport...

It had been a very long time since I had last attempted an adult clothing sewing pattern.   Being a beginner sewist (I refuse to refer to myself as a sewer!), I needed patterns that were extensive in their instructions, smart in their construction and professional in their finishes.   Having reignited my sewing career using my favourite bag designer's pattern, I was used to high quality patterns. As time had gone on, though, and my need for fit-to-size clothing, I thought I might be in a good place to start exploring womens clothing again.   I chose this Vogue pattern as my re-entrance project. One of the reasons I didn’t continue with making my own clothing back then was because I didn’t know how to alter a pattern to fit, or where to find that sort of information (short of doing a course).    And what was the point of making clothing that was as ill-fitting as what I could find off the rack? Just a decade or so on, and the internet has made a...

So I’ve been living the capsule wardrobe for a couple of months now.  I’m working my way through Summer and I’m starting to think of Autumn.  Actually, I started thinking about all of the seasons back when I committed to giving the capsule wardrobe a go for a whole month. And how has it been?   In one word, and I’ve used it before, liberating.   I don’t feel constrained with shopping for the latest look.   I don’t feel constrained with the type of look I’m going for.   I don’t feel constrained in presenting the right image.   I just choose – business or casual, shaved legs or not. It hasn’t been a quick process.   Creating a capsule requires a lot of planning and focus.   And a lot of compromises and decisions, especially in the beginning. But, as I settled into a capsule wardrobe, both in building it and using it, I had fun.   Firstly – in the planning.   What piece/s of clothing do I need?   How am I going to...

My wardrobe A while ago, I had simplified my wardrobe.   Jeans, t-shirts, runners.   Yep – simplified. And, as “young” mum, I was happy with this.   “Young Mum” in her thirties, huh?   So, let’s explain something first.   For most of my thirties, I think I’ve been stuck in my twenties.   Both in my mind and in how I look.   What do I mean by this, really?   Well, we all know how most twenty-year-olds dress.   Body confidence is high (or ignorant!).   Happy to be sloppy like a uni student; happy to dress up in a little black dress to party on; happy to don a sexy suit and glasses and face the corporate world.   No problems over here.   Except my body is no longer as pert as it was in twenties.   Imagine that – carrying three babies to full term apparently does that do you! Also, this twenty year old used to think that life was one big role play.   Throw on my corporate suit – and bam – I’m the corporat...