The One Sweater Project

Some of you may remember a time about 19 months ago when I wore one dress for 30 days and I really loved the spirit behind it and all I learned about myself, so I decided to do it again, except for instead of the One Dress Project, this time I switched it up and I'm doing One Sweater Project. I will be wearing a Little Black Sweater all of October.

The basic idea is for one whole month you will build all your outfits around one single dress sweater. You will put this article on in some way, shape, or form, every time you get dressed. The focus behind this is to reduce consumerism, conformity, excess, vanity, and increase sustainability, contentment, simplicity, imagination.

For me in particular, my goals are:
Reduce consumerism and excess - Since the last challenge I quite returned to my indulgent shopping ways, and NOT just at thrift stores. I have become very aware of my tendency to make myself feel better through food and clothes in particular. I've been working really hard in 2014 to change that so I knew I needed to do this challenge again.  I have also been trying really hard to part ways with clothes I don't need and not replace them with more clothes I don't need. I'm hoping the reminder I can get through 30 days with a wardrobe consisting of only one sweater will help me reduce my excess.

Increase Sustainability and Contentment - Part of this challenge is that I am not allowed to buy anything new to help create new outfits, no new accessories to stretch out the outfits. In fact, the challenge would go so far as to not buy any clothes at all for the 30 day period, whether for this challenge or not. I fully intend to do that again. I want to be content with what I have. I want my life to be less about me and more about God. And less about me hopefully will also mean less about materialism. Even though I conscientiously recycle my clothing, my contribution to the clothing market is not helping the sustainability cause.

Trade Vanity for Imagination - I have realized I've become too concerned with how 'cute' I look in my outfits, hoping for external validation, rather than just enjoying my own sense of colour and style and the simple fun of using my imagination in this way. I love pairing colours and textures and getting dressed is really a creative outlet for me and I've seemed to have lost sight of that recently.

So, I embark on another 'One' Project, I hope you will join me and even are a little inspired to try a 'One' Project out yourself one day. You can follow me on Instagram @loriala77 or on my photo blog here.

ODP Week 4.3

So my final 2 days of dress wearing are over. People keep asking how I feel and I'm not entirely sure.

I felt a little overwhelmed with choices.

I felt a little happy I had more choices.

I felt a little shy of wearing anything with a waste line again.

I felt like I could finally cover my legs again.

People asked if I would frame, toss, or burn the dress.
No.

It's almost a security blanket now. Sean insinuated I might become Linus with it.
I'm not quite that bad.

Yet.
I have seriously considered, if I had a few more similar dresses, I would be tempted to never wear pants again.
But I live in Winterpeg, as snow tonight proved.

So, for now I don't know what my fashion tomorrow holds. But here is my last two days. As usual, the details are all in my FB album.

Day 1 - Monday

Day 2 - Tuesday

ODP Week Four

So, this is the travel episode - the reason this is a little late :) One of the reasons I chose April as my ODP month was I knew I'd be travelling for 4 days and it would make for lighter packing :) I'm smart that way!

I am so excited I haven't duplicated one single outfit yet at this point! I keep getting awesome feedback about my creative outfits and I am so inspired to do this again....and again! :) I definitely hope to do this with another, possibly more challenging dress, and maybe even a pair of pants in the future! And I am so happy to hear I have inspired a few others along the way.

As usual, for all the details on each piece, don't forget to check out my FB album.


Day 1 - Monday

Day 2 - Tuesday

Day 3 - Wednesday

Day 4 - Thursday

Day 5 - Friday

Day 6 - Saturday

Day 7 - Sunday

ODP Week Three

I am thoroughly thrilled and inspired by how freeing this has been!

Just a few months ago I confessed to my small group how I hate looking in the mirror, how I like everything in my closet until it's on me and then I hate them all. It opened the eyes of the guys in our group as to why some women 'can't find anything to wear' from a plethora of clothes in the closet. I have lots to wear but just about nothing that made me feel good.  No amount of new clothes 'fixed' it.

Now, just a couple weeks later and I am feeling....there really is no better word than FREE! You'd think (cuz I did) that you have to be more intentional and creative and put more effort in this project to make one dress look good for a whole month. But. Other than a bit of researching Pinterest inspiration, I have spent WAY less time humming and hawing in front of my closet. Insecurely indecisive. Taking away the freedom of choice has given me all the freedom in the world. And it doesn't hurt that I haven't had to fight with a muffin top inducing or too big, ill-fitting waist line in 21 days ;)  Some how that's made me much more forgiving of my belly bulge.

And, I have dared to try new looks I had always wanted to try but never had because I cared too much what people thought of how I would look in that style. But, heck, I'm wearing one dress for 30 days! If that isn't an 'I don't care' attitude to take advantage of, what is? All with a dress I picked last minute. The other dress I had already didn't work like I thought it would and so with the few ideas I had I picked the closest dress I had to that and just did it. After all, I had decided it was counter productive to buy a dress for this. And it just worked!

So thanks for tuning in and I'm so happy the inspiration is spreading :) For all the details on each piece, don't forget to check out my FB album.

Day 1 - Monday

Day 2 - Tuesday

Day 3 - Wednesday

Day 4 - Thursday

Day 5 - Friday

Day 6 - Saturday

Day 7 - Sunday

ODP Week Two

Well, I'm humbled by all the positive feedback I've received for this project, thank you.  It's been such a great experience I can't wait to find a way to replicate it for another piece of clothing! Already it's been an impactful project...I have:

Gained:
Bag full of hand-me-ups (since she's younger, it's not a hand-me-down ;) from my 'little' sister Jodi who just lost a lot of weight (way to go Jodi! and thanks!)
Lost:
In the same spirit I gave a bag full of clothes away to a friend as well.
Gained:
Respect for the art of borrowing!
Losing:
Desire to buy new! I am finding a hunger growing for finding those pieces with potential at thrift stores.

So, without further ado, here is week two! Once again I'm posting the details of each outfit on Facebook.

Day 1 - Monday

Day 2 - Tuesday

  

Day 3 - Wednesday

 

Day 4 - Thursday

Day 5 - Friday

Day 6 - Saturday

Day 7 - Sunday

 

ODP Week One

Well, from day one I've been excited by the challenge of coming up with creative outfits to:

a) fall in love with the wardrobe I have all over again!

b) disguise that I'm wearing the same dress for 30 days in a row! no one even mentioned my same 'skirt' all week!

c) prove less is more!

I think week one went very well, other than spilling on it the first and third day :) That's what tide-to-go pens are for!

And I'm still excited for the remaining 23 days!

For full descriptions of my outfits (and how little I spent on them :) see my Facebook album here.

Day 1 - Monday

Day 2 - Tuesday

Day 3 - Wednesday

 

Day 4 - Thursday

Day 5 - Friday

Day 6 - Saturday

 

Day 7 - Sunday

And that is the end of week one!

 

I'm down with ODP! Yeah You Know Me!

Ok, I may not be synonymous with the ODP (One Dress Project)....yet, but this idea of committing to one piece of clothing per month has really latched on to my under-utilized sense of justice. This may not just be a one month venture but for now I will take one step at a time.

April is my ODP month and I'm so excited it's finally here! Yes, I am the one choosing which month, but optimal conditions perfectly aligned and so now it is upon me :) I hope to post my daily outfits a week at a time but to kick off here is a picture of just my ODP dress.

I look forward to 30 days of caring less about my outfits, less consumerism (buying absolutely no clothes), thinking of ways I can pare down my wardrobe, being happy with less/simplicity, stretching my imagination/creativity, finding creative ways to reuse/recycle/share clothes, and making this choice about 'more of God and less of me'.

Aspiration, Not Perspiration

Ok, try as hard as I might, I can't give it up cold turkey. I can't stifle the desire to change for the better and I can't resist the need to document it, in a sequential account....otherwise known as a list. I refuse to call them goals, I call them aspirations (I know, semantics) because that feels more like dreaming than scheming and it feels whimsical not tactical. But the important differentiation to me is that I'm not out to fix myself (those tasks are an every day commitment to live the life God desires for me). Also, my life won't go into chaos trying to achieve these inconsequential aspirations, they are not to challenge myself but rather shift my heart - finding new ways to love myself and others.  So, therefore the following list is in NO WAY a resolution and I just can't help I'm getting all these ideas at New Years!


1. The One Dress Project - I had never heard of this challenge (otherwise known as The October Dress Project - ODP) but a few blogs I read have mentioned this lately and peeked my curiosity.  The basic idea is for one whole month you will build all your outfits around one single dress. You will put this dress on in some way, shape, or form, every time you get dressed. The focus behind this was to reduce consumerism, conformity, excess, vanity, and increase sustainability, contentment, simplicity, imagination. I immediately resonated with the tie in to more of God, less of me, "We must decrease so that HE can increase". So I intend to try this for one month at some point this year, there has been an additional movement inspired by ODP called the 12x12 project, and they have causes to focus on each month, with a piece of clothing they wear for that whole month. I don't plan on linking my month choice to any in particular, and I likely will not choose October - Winterpeg can get just too cold. You'll just have to stay tuned to see when the ODP inspiration hits! Good news is, I think I already have the dress, which I may slightly alter - some OPD-ers buy a special ODP dress that is more versatile, I instead may have to hit the thrift stores to accessorize instead.

2. Sew - Speaking of dress alterations, I don't care what, or how much, or when, but sometime in 2013 I want to buy a sewing machine and have at the pile of clothes I would love to upcycle or even just fix. Maybe it will even be that quilt I've been hoarding fabric for. Whatever it ends up being, I will sew.

3. Blog more - that is one thing I truly regret (in the sense that I feel a loss of) not having blogged more. Same with journalling. I am torn between taking the time to capture moments to cherish and actually living out moments to cherish. I am a very reflective (and forgetful) person, so I will try harder to bring balance to the capturing end of things this year. I find it really does help me feel grateful and appreciative of achievements.  I'm thinking a few more photo challenges or photo-a-day months are in order, possibly even start a photo blog.

4. A blessing a day (keeps the divorce lawyers at bay - lol, just kidding). Again, this one is inspiration I read in my blog-o-sphere and loved this idea of blessing my spouse with small thoughtful gifts. I used to do the 30 Day Honor Hubby Challenge (that frankly left me feeling a little stretched after 3 years), but this idea of just a couple of weeks is doable. I likely won't do it for Christmas, but I'm thinking the week before and after his birthday, which also coincides with Thanksgiving will be the perfect time.

5. Project Minimalization -there are a couple of facets to this idea of becoming a minimalist. First, to purge the clutter, things that have gone unused in a few years clearly have no use.....in their current state. I intend to go through unused items, boxes, rooms even, and free myself from items that I no longer use or cannot find an alternate use for. I have already re-purposed some items from my disassembled craft room to create storage elsewhere, and I hope to continue along this trend so I can also be free of purchasing new stuff I really don't need.


And that's it! See, doable, right? ;)