I am really excited that I've got my fall capsule wardrobe finished*!   *almost

I'll be honest, this was an incredibly easy task to complete thanks to my mom who took me shopping for my birthday a few weeks early and also because by nature, I gravitate towards cool weather -friendly pieces. Even after this past spring/summer when I made an effort to have season appropriate clothing, I had several that also will work great this fall. Additionally, where I had to pretty much start from scratch for my spring/summer wardrobe, I had several pieces that I tucked away in a box that were just waiting to be let out for this season!

I'll also be completely honest by admitting that my wardrobe isn't 100% completely done, but it's so close that I'm ready to share it. I'm missing a few staple pieces (I need both a long sleeve black and white shirt, and also a pair of flats) and then I'd really love to add a fun printed legging. Scott and I are on a ridiculously tight budget until the end of October while we're paying the initial down payment on our home, so I'm making do with what I have until November!

So, without anymore waiting...here we go!

First up, tops! I am obsessed with sweaters & flow-y cardigans. The bulk of my capsule is here & I couldn't be happier about it! There are a few things I'll be switching out over the next few months, like the denim button up on the top row. It fits well but isn't made of the best material for me, so I'm on the hunt for the perfect one. There are also a few pieces I may part with before my capsule is over with, like the pink sequence shirt. I love that shirt and it looks great paired with a black blazer for a night out, but I remember never wearing it last year even though I had the same intentions. If after a two months I never reach for it, I'll swap it for a more versatile piece. I also have two black blazers but I'll probably let the dressier of the two go as well...I always say it'll be perfect for the holidays but I never actually wear it.

The rest of my capsule is quite plain! I have 1 sweater dress, one nicer dress, one pair of black leggings, one pair of black dress paints, one pair of skinny jeans & one pair of relaxed fit jeans. I have only three pairs of shoes for fall: two wedges & my Keds. I'm on the lookout for the perfect pair of fall boots & a pair of flats but I haven't fallen in love with anything yet so I'm trying to be super patient! 

And that's it! I have 34 pieces total for fall which is kind of crazy because I absolutely love fall clothing and this is my smallest capsule yet! To be honest, this is probably the smallest amount of clothing I've ever had in my closet but I can say that I really like each piece. I also have room to add about 10 pieces without feeling guilty over the next few months which is exciting because I really love shopping for fall clothes! One part of the capsule lifestyle that always turns me off is the idea that you don't shop during that season...and that's really not my style! So I'm excited to add my own twist to the capsule rules by allowing myself to add a few pieces while starting out with the bulk of it already complete. 

So that's it! What does your capsule look like?

pumpkin spice cupcakes + hello fall

In the past I've read about Seasonal Affective Disorder which is a type of depression that happens at the same time every year and typically lasts through a specific season. For most people, their depression will set in at the beginning of fall and last through the cold winter, only finding relief when the spring brings new life & the temperature warms up. I find the opposite happens for me. Yesterday we welcomed the first day of fall with the most beautiful September weather. I stepped outside just as the sun was setting and my mood immediately shifted. The cool air embraced me & the smell of fall reminded me that life was brilliant again.

So naturally, we needed to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than cupcakes? I don't intend to always write about food and recipes but I'm still on my Kitchenaid Mixer high and I make no apologies. I found this amazing recipe for pumpkin spice cupcakes yesterday and since I already had all the ingredients, they became my First Day of Fall Celebration Cupcake. I topped them off with this homemade icing & oh my gosh -run, don't walk, to your kitchen and make these. 

During the baking process I only made a few changes. First, for the cupcakes, I didn't have all the separate spices that it called for (i.e. I don't have clove in my pantry) so instead of using individual spices, I totaled how many teaspoons of spices the recipe called for and just used that many teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice that I did have.  I also didn't have any extra pumpkin left over the for frosting recipe so I simply left that out, added a touch more spice & 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and it was still amazing. Since this recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes, I also made 1/2 the batch normally and then the second 1/2 with chocolate chips. In retrospect, I should have left the chocolate chips out because the original was so good on its own. If you love chocolate, you may really enjoy the addition, though!

I'm continuing to grow more and more obsessed with my Kitchenaid Mixer, but I promise to shut up about it eventually. In addition to finding & trying fall recipes, I'm slowly finishing up my fall bucket list and I'm incredibly excited about it! There are so many activities that are only magical during fall & I can't wait to do as many of them as possible.

What are your favorite things to do during the fall?  

thredup

A few days ago I read a post from Brittany at Invasion of Personal Space about a company called ThredUp & I'm so glad I took the time to investigate it a little more. The concept is pretty simple: you can both sell & buy clothing from this online consignment shop! Just for trying out the shop & signing in I got a $20 credit (and so did Brittany for referring me... pretty awesome!), so I was extra eager to find a great deal.

After browsing for a bit I found this cute cardigan, new with tags, for only $29.99 with an advertised retail value of $80! With my $20 credit, I put it in my cart for only $10. I did have to pay for shipping since my order was under $70, but even that made my total under $16, which I consider a success! I wasn't planning to add another cardigan / sweater to my fall / winter capsule but I really liked this one. The others I've added to my new collection (which I'll be posting about on Oct. 1) have busier patterns & won't transition as easily into later Winter, so I think this one will be a great piece that seems to be made well.

Before I submitted my payment, though, I did do a little research. After googling the brand of sweater and doing a quick browse of Macy's website (the brand this cardigan is from), I easily found this item for sale through their website. Listed here for $69 ($11 less than ThredUp had it described), I got to see a different view of the sweater & decided I still really liked this piece... especially for the discounted price. I definitely recommend searching for the piece you're planning to purchase through ThredUp first if possible!

One thing I really love about this is that you can actually earn credit for referring friends, and your friends get credit for their purchase (just like I did!). So if you're thinking about purchasing, you can follow this link and get $20 off your first purchase! I'm excited to get my cardigan in & I'll definitely point this item out when I post my wardrobe in a few weeks.  

Until then, I'm dreaming of fall weather cool enough so I can wear this anytime I want!