Art Auction

Last night, Dan and I went to an art auction at a local country club to benefit an art program for the school district I work for.  It was a beautiful evening, and despite the traces of snow that you see in the back yard, it was almost fifty degrees, which I deemed warm enough to take pictures of my outfit sans cardigan.

The art auction featured a variety of local artists, and even though we didn't bid on anything, it was still fun to mingle with community members and be a part of the festivities.  Since it was so incredibly warm out (ha!) we of course had to stop for Blizzards at Dairy Queen on our way home.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect art-filled evening.

I'd also like to take the time to explain to you the reasons why I have decided to give up on my New Year's Resolution to shop strictly second hand for one year.  For those of you who perhaps weren't aware, I posted this on January 1st, 2011:

"This decision came after much deliberation.  I'm a big shopper.  I've enjoyed thrift shopping for a few years now, and I've come to discover the joys of finding unique pieces of clothing for amazing prices! After realizing that I've turned into a bit of a mall rat (I warned you that I'm a big shopper), I decided that it would be a good idea if I try to broaden my horizons beyond the walls of the local mall and explore thrift/consignment shops in the area.  Also, my wardrobe is borderline hoarder size, and I feel I could really go a whole year (or three) without buying ANYTHING, so hopefully shopping strictly pre-owned will cut down on my being wasteful.  My photos will still include articles of clothing that I purchased before this resolution, however, so if I say I got something at, say, the Gap, it means I purchased it at the Gap before January 1st, 2011."

As you can see, my resolution was for purely selfish reasons, and had nothing to do with making the world a better place.  The only thing that I've really accomplished so far from only shopping second hand is being less of a mall rat, but the problem is, I haven't been shopping any less.  In fact, because thrift stores are continually getting new inventory, I find myself shopping even MORE than I did before the resolution! And because thrift and consignment shops are so much more affordable, I find myself purchasing even more clothing than I did before, too! 

Rather than continue with my extreme resolution, my revised goal is moderation.  I will allow myself to shop both retail and thrift, but I aim to shop less and really think about what I'm purchasing.  I hope that anyone reading this will understand my reasons for going back on my resolution.  It turned out to be MUCH harder than I thought it would be, but I'm still pretty excited I made it a quarter of a year, which is longer than any of my past resolutions have lasted!

Photos by Dan.

Top: Banana Republic outlet

Skirt: J Crew Outlet

Bow belt: Gap

Tights: Express

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: J Crew Outlet