a change of direction

I started this blog at the beginning of 2011 – a new year, a new blog. I have been a long time blog lurker on several blogs (the priscilla home, old red barn co, Jibber JAB, delightfully tacky…. Just to name a few) and decided maybe I should start a blog myself, but for real this time. I have tried to blog in the past, including a failed blogger and a long love affair with Xanga during high school in which I put way too much of myself out on the internet. 

This blog started as a way to show my graphic design portfolio while I developed my personal portfolio site. Once that was complete, I decided I would use the blog to write about things going on in my life and things that interested and inspired me (think books, music, graphic design). I made a few posts about my current projects I was working on and started adding to the list of blogs I follow.

Soon I realized there were loads of girls out there with personal style blogs who were getting free clothes sent to them and being sponsored just for posting pictures of what they wear. That became the new goal.

But lets be honest.
Am I ever going to get Coach to send me free shoes? No.
Is that a good reason to have a blog? Probably not.

And this new fashion blog aspiration is taking me places I’m not so sure I want to go. I find myself shopping more so I can have new outfits to show my whopping 10 followers (not that I don’t appreciate you all, I really do) and wanting more things, esp designer things. Overall I feel I am just getting way too sucked in to the whole materialism thing.

I don’t want to be the person who buys things just because of the label they have in/on them, or pay more for things because of who they are made by. I find myself “lusting” after designer flats and bags, and tempted to buy things that are usually above my price cut level because of the designer name on them. And its all a little silly. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to be stylish and look good. And it shouldn’t matter who my clothes are made by as long as they look good on me and make me feel good.

But, the problem goes deeper than that. While I still have no tolerance for paying high prices for things… I have no problem dropping 10 dollars or something. But buying lots of 10-20 dollar items adds up, and fast. I can’t just buy anything I find that’s on sale. I am a major sucker for a sale.

My husband and I are very blessed to be financially stable. If I really want to could I go out and buy 150 dollar flats? Probably. But that doesn’t mean I need to or that I should. None of the money we have is truly ours, it is all from the Lord and He expects us to be good stewards of it. I don’t think 150 dollar shoes fall into the good stewards category. That money could support an orphan in Mexico for a whole month.

But still the inner battle rages on… finding the balance between spending a little more on nice things, but not lusting for designer items. On buying things because I need them not because I want them. And having to be patient and wait for holidays to ask for nice expensive items (like the much desired frye boots). And if there is a something expensive that I want, I need to save for it. Make it the only thing I buy that month. Its ok to splurge every now and then, just not all the time. 

So… all that to say….

I am going to be taking the blog in a different direction. I don’t want my life to be about “design.shop.sleep.repeat.” I am more than that, or want to be anyways. I have all these things I keep talking about doing, like crafts (this wreath, and a necklace I bought supplies for), reading books, learning to sew…. the list goes on.

From now on this blog will be what it was originally intended to be… a place to talk about whats going on in my life, things I see that I like, ideas, inspiration, projects, etc. I will still do outfit posts (mostly to brag about the amazing deals I find, if were being honest) and talk about fashionable things because it is still something I’m interested in. But thats no longer going to be the main focus.

So, hopefully in the next few days I'm going to come up with some clever name and redesign the blog a bit as I start down this new, hopefully healthier path.

And coach… if you see this and want to send me some free shoes… please do. Im not against you, I just can’t bring myself to spend the money for you.

another side note: I have nothing against people who buy expensive/ designer things. It is just not how I personally want to spend my money.