My First Gift

Well I was barely recovering from utilizing my first exception to the "no shopping" rule, when I was completely blindsided by the second exception - receiving a gift.

I notified the lovely and amazing Rebekah Marshall that she was the winner of the "Never Too Hood To Do Good" tank donated by the White Rabbit shop.  And to my surprise, this is what she said:

I honestly didn't even know what to say! To say this was a shock, is an understatement. It had never occurred to me to that someone would do this. Rebekah's generous spirit was unbelievable! I knew I had to do more than just take "one out". I had to pay this forward in some way. So this is what I decided to do. I went into my closet and I decided to pick something that had special meaning to me. I found 2 things.

Both of these shirts are near and dear to my heart. This first project was inspired by a shirt I saw on Instagram at Target Does It Again. If I was a shopping girl, I would have headed straight to Target to get that adorable tie-dyed shirt. But, since that was off limits, I decided to make my own. I had an old purple Hanes sweatshirt and a bottle of Clorox. I put the 2 together and ... Voila! 

Then Valentine's Day rolled around and I wanted a "festive" shirt. Again, I had nothing. And I couldn't buy anything. So I pulled out the bottle of Clorox a second time. I used an old burgundy sweatshirt (I wish I had red or pink, but burgundy would have to do). I grabbed one of the kids paint brushes and painted a heart using the Clorox. Magic! I had a perfect shirt for Valentine's. 

I didn't really want to get rid of either of these tops because they both had sentimental meaning to me, especially the first one. But for some reason, that the was the shirt that "the little voice in my heart" was telling me I should donate. I ignored it and decided I would give up the heart one instead. Then I went to get my hair done by the truly awesome Angela Noreck of Mirage Hair Studio. I told her what I planning to do. Then I told her I was holding on to the purple one for "sentimental reasons". It was at that moment that she quickly pointed out, "If you are holding onto an object for sentimental reasons, then it definitely needs to go! You are putting too much importance on a thing." Wow!! Truth!! It hit me like a bullet. Still, I was hesitant to let it go. So I decided I would put it to a vote.

And can you guess which shirt won?? 

Oh yes. By a landslide. When God puts something on your heart, there is no use trying to change the subject or find an alternative. In the end, His will prevails. Every time.

If you are interested in bidding on this shirt, head on over to my Instagram account. The sweatshirt is a size Small. The auction starts Monday, March 24, 2013 at noon EST and will end Wednesday, March 26 at noon EST. 100% of proceeds will go to benefit Thornwell Home for Children - an orphanage in my home state of SC. 

Thank you for your support!

Take less. Give more. Be blessed and inspired.

1 Tank - 10 Ways: A Collaboration with The White Rabbit

Tomorrow will be the first day of Spring! And what better way to celebrate than by having my next Lenten auction item for charity?! When I think of spring, I think of flowers, birds, Easter, and bunnies. So it was perfectly fitting that the adorable White Rabbit Shop so generously offered to donate one of their "Never Too Hood To Do Good" tanks.

This tank pretty much sums up my motto for the year. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you make, you can always do something to make the world a better place. I decided I would wear this tank with 10 different outfits - each one different and unique. The idea was to show you that, no matter what your individual style, you can rock this tank - and you can make a difference!

So here goes...I'm interested to see which "look" you like the best. So please feel free to comment. And if you want to bid on this super cool tank, head on over to my Instagram feed. The bidding will start at 10:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 20, 2014. And it will end on Friday, March 21, 2014 at 10:00 PM EST. Good luck!

Well, naturally I had to wear some "white rabbit"//

If you're "mad for plaid"//

 If you're headed to a concert //

If you're going on a hot date //

 If you're feeling casual //

If you want a bright and fun pop of color //

If you're feeling sporty //

If you're feeling "Boho"//

If you're feeling like a Dallas Cowgirl //

If you're feeling "springy"//

photos courtesy of Bess Harry 

While your style and mood may change, remember this...

Be stylish. Be you. Take less. Give more.

The Exception to the Rule

Well...I had to break down and make my first purchase of 2014. Now before you get your "undergarments" ruffled, let me explain. This definitely wasn't a very exciting or fun item. And I had a little bit of guilt over buying it, even though it qualifies as an "Exception" to Rule #1.

 
See this lovely skirt? Well I happen to own it. I purchased it from Revolve Clothing at the end of last summer on Final Sale. What you can't tell from the pictures, is that this skirt is completely see-through. Had I been able to return the skirt, I would have. Unfortunately, because it was "Final Sale" I was stuck with it. I hung it in my closet with the intention of buying a slip, but up until today, I had forgotten about it. I was going through my dresses looking for something to wear to a cocktail party this Friday night. And there it was. Not that I plan on wearing this the cocktail party, but I do have 3 weddings coming up and it would be perfect for one of them. So I went online and started searching for a slip. It was actually more difficult than I thought it would be! And not very thrilling.

So here it is. The plain, uneventful, long ivory slip. Not only is this my first purchase of the year, but my first ever long slip purchase. I feel like my grandma all of a sudden. Only buying the necessities. I feel like I'm just one step away from a girdle. If I could shop right now I would! I would do it to make myself feel better. I would do it because this gorgeous spring weather makes me want to go put on a dress - a NEW dress. I'm having spring fever in every possible way. And this purchase just made me want to buy more. More of the things I want - not the things I need. I just pray for the courage to keep going. I knew when I started this journey that it wouldn't be easy. I knew there would be highs and lows. I'm just so thankful I have a support team to help get me through it. And a platform where I can "get it all out" and hold myself accountable. I'm going to need it.

Lenten Auctions - Part 1

Along with offering a "Mini-Challenge" for the 40 days of Lent, I decided to do a series of auctions to raise money for Thornwell Home for Children - an orphanage in my home state of SC. I reached out to several amazing people/companies to team up for this charity collaboration.
First up was a tee that was donated by www.unlockhope.com. This company uses a portions of all proceeds to provide young refugee girls in Uganda with food, healthcare, and a safe place to live.

Second was a custom necklace by www.pennypowersjewelry.etsy.com. They stamped my mantra "Take less. Give more." onto a repurposed penny. The gals at Penny Powers also made a personalized necklace for every little girl at Thornwell! And, if that wasn't enough, they even sent me a little gift - a key chain with "1YWR" on it. They are continuing to offer the "Take less. Give More." necklace on their website for the month of March and will be donating 10% of all proceeds from the sale of those necklaces to Thornwell.

Third was a bracelet that is near and dear to my heart. It was made from the handles of an old Louis Vuitton handbag that got ruined with water damage. I called up my good friend Ashley Hoffman (www.ashhoffmanjewelry.com) and asked her if she would help me create something. She was more than happy to help! And the results were amazing!! 4 bracelets and 3 necklaces. I auctioned off one of the bracelets on my Instagram feed. And I am giving another to the winner of a "Teammate Contest". Check out my Instagram feed for all the fun details! You can also see our video on "Everyday Ash" by clicking here.

Part 2 coming soon...

So stay tuned and follow along on Instagram if you are interested in bidding on any auction items.

40 Days of Lent "Mini-Challenge"

Lent is a religions season that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday - 40 days. Traditionally, you sacrifice something you love as a form of penitence. So many of you had said that  you wished you could do what I'm doing, but didn't think you could make it a year. So I had an idea! Why not offer up a 40 Day "Mini-Challenge" during Lent? The rules would be the same: no buying any clothing, shoes, or accessories for yourself. But, the period of time would be shorter. This would be the perfect way to give yourself a little "detox" from shopping, but not have to commit to an entire year. 

Rather than giving up chocolate, sweets, or some other luxury, I asked my followers on Instagram and Facebook to try giving up shopping for themselves. By doing so, they can get a little glimpse into what it feels like to "take less" and "give more". I was overwhelmed at the number of you who decided to do it - 55 new "teammates" (as of March 5) and counting!! Can't wait to hear all of your stories.