Seven months. That’s how many months I’ve survived not shopping. But this month was easy, because of, once again, the generosity of friends: a good friend cleaned out her closet and let me take first dibs. I scored eleven new-to-me items of clothing!

Never intending to become a charity case, I admit that this simple refreshing of my closet has also refreshed my spirit.

And today my spirit is wearing a cobalt-blue sweater that looks great with skinny jeans.

I’m now at the halfway point of my yearlong shopping diet! I’ve mostly succeeded—managing not to buy clothing or accessories of any kind (note that I have a pass on bras, underwear, and socks) for six whole months so far. However I’ve failed miserably on the sub-diet (which I haven’t really told anyone about until now), my true weakness: not getting rid of my clothes.

I knew it was going to be the harder part of my diet. I’m not a shopaholic; I’m a purge-aholic. If an item of clothing is suddenly pulling in a weird way or making me feel frumpy when I look in the mirror, it’s gone. Off to charity. I don’t think twice about it.

So when this shopping diet began in September, I asked my husband if he thought I could manage two diets: not shopping and not purging; not spending money and learning to make use of even snagged and stained clothes. He was skeptical about the purging diet, as was I. So instead of making it mandatory I made it a hope.

Sadly, I didn’t even make it halfway! This month I gave away five items of clothing, by the end of next month I’ll surely give away five more.

But is it really a problem? In the sense that there are already so few items in my closet, then yes, it may be. It’ll challenge my shopping diet even more. But is it an ethical problem? That I’m not sure about. I mean, I could take this opportunity to learn more about upcycling, but it’s not like I’m throwing these items away anyway.

On the bright side, not shopping is going great! I’m not really even tempted anymore. I’m coming up with new outfits from the same items all the time. And because I need to buy a new computer and a new camera this year, not buying clothes makes me feel more justified in these big purchases—like I earned them.

Well, let’s see if my positive attitude continues as the season changes. I have a feeling it’s going to get harder as the sun (and skin) comes out!

I just read about this now and am pretty fascinated. This small company, O’verlays, makes trendy fretwork patterns that you can easily attach to furniture, doors, walls… and many of their designs are compatible with IKEA products.

Their product is really taking off, which isn’t surprising considering that do-it-yourself customizing and upscaling is a huge home decorating trend right now! So huge that I’m sure when we look back on the 2010s in the future, we’ll laugh at the brightly painted furniture with fretwork patterns which were so characteristic of “that” decade.

So go and glue these on now, while they’re still hot.

Seriously? Seriously??!

Yes, seriously. Thank you to Anthropologie for making my Friday. (Or breaking it, if you consider the fact that I’m crying over this thing of beauty.)

Also, this confirms for me that photographic prints are one of the best trends of 2012.

How great are these wrapping papers? The cheeky lip print looks even more retro next to red-and-white striped ribbon, the punchy floral print gets even more pizzazz with a black-and-white polka-dot, and for more elegant gifts I love the marble print with one of Martha Stewart’s peony bows!

Makes me want to wrap some heart-shaped chocolates!

Wrapping Papers:
Hot Lips Handmade Gift Wrap Paper, Luxe Paperie
Red Roses on Pink Gift Wrap Sheet, Kate’s Paperie
Italian Hand Marbled Gift Wrap Paper, Luxe Paperie

Ribbons:
Monarch Stripe Grosgrain Ribbon, Hip Girl Boutique
Polka-Dot Petersham Grosgrain Ribbon, Cakes Around Town

I was just thinking how most examples of bright, saturated orange in living spaces are in sleek, ultramodern rooms. Don’t let that scare you into thinking it won’t work elsewhere! I actually think it would give a perfect bit of punch to a soft, eclectic space—think pale blue walls, weathered gray wood, vintage style pillows, and white ceramic accessories. Something like this:

Yesterday a friend asked if she’s too late to get in on the polka-dot trend. It’s true, they were much hotter last year, but designers still played with the peppy print on spring 2012 runways.

My favorite interpretation of the trend was black polka-dots on white or cream. Notice that in these looks from Lela Rose, Luca Luca, and Suno, the fabrics wisp and drape as opposed to structure and define:

From a design standpoint, polka-dots are a very easy print to create, so expect to see inexpensive versions everywhere!

I went eyeglass-shopping this morning. Though I kept current eyewear trends in mind, I had little hope of walking out with them—round glasses just don’t suit me.

And then I saw this Ted Baker pair!

Am I crazy to be considering these?

*Ted Baker, style number: TB9056 Burgundy.

As of today I’ve officially made it through five months of my shopping diet. Hard to believe, not because it’s such a great accomplishment but because I still have seven months left. Are you kidding me? SEVEN more months? I feel like this has been going on for an eternity already!

Although I admit I feel like I cheated. A friend of mine hosted a clothing sale last week, and another friend noticed that I was coveting a pair of jeans and bought them for me. Isn’t that just too generous?! And then another friend sold me one of her brand-new Victoria’s Secret bras (buying undergarments and socks are acceptable if necessary) and then she threw in a dress for free (which is the item I really wanted). So now I have a new pair of jeans and a new dress and I’m feeling a bit guilty about it. Guilty, and giddy. Ha… ha?

Anyway, I may not be shopping, but I’m still gleaning plenty of late-winter style inspiration from my favorite retailers, like Kate Spade:

And J.Crew:

And Anthropologie:

There’s plenty of drooling happening over here.

Ooh! The blue lattice stool from Clayton Gray Home that I used in my blue and white inspiration board also looks good in a bathroom.

*Image from HGTV.com.