to rid herself of the winter blues.

A girl doesn't feel her cutest in the middle of a Chicago winter. I'm so sick of my boots, my endless parade of long-sleeve shirts and cardigans and my long, puffy jacket (it is impossible to be any kind of sexy in a long, puffy jacket, just impossible). There is a short list of things I do when I'm not feeling my best- drink a glass (ahem, bottle) of wine, girl talk with my family/friends, cuddle up with my fiance or, last but definitely not least, go shopping. I tend to go shopping quite a bit, as it happens that this is my go-to activity when I'm in any mood, actually.

This particular winter, I found myself buying and wearing the same things over and over again. I won't tell you how many J.Crew cardigans are living (yes, my clothes live with me) in my drawers, and the amount of times I've worn my plethora of sweater/t-shirt dresses with tights and boots is just embarrassing. I'm also guilty of buying things just to buy things, wearing them once and then banishing them to the back of the closet. And buying things without thinking about what they would go with my wardrobe? Guilty again. You would think with shopping online it would be easier to actually check what you already own, since you're home anyway, but somehow I missed that boat.

Thank goodness I wasn't so far gone that I didn't realize I needed to shake things up. With the first hint of spring around the corner (and my puffy coat gladly retired for the season), I decided I needed to challenge myself and my shopping habits. I came up with the idea of this blog, and even though the idea of writing and posting pictures to the WORLD is incredibly intimidating (to say the least), I decided to just go for it.

Here are the rules I've developed for this little project:

• Choose an "inspiration" picture from a magazine/website/friend, etc. I'm going to challenge myself here, by picking something that's not what I would typically wear.
• Set a budget to buy the pieces of the inspiration ensemble.
• Go shopping!! My favorite part, obviously.
• Wear the outfit anywhere I wish. Take pictures :)
• Create 4-5 other outfits with the pieces I purchased by combining them with things I already own. My goal here is to not buy something, wear it once and then forget about it. I want to incorporate the things I buy into my wardrobe, and make them last.

I'm so excited to start this blog and my clothes are even more excited to welcome some fabulous new friends. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for my first shopping trip!