Love Me Some Clothing Swaps

I hosted my first clothing swap last week and it went great! All but two of the girls who came were swap newbies so it was fun to introduce a swap to them. I think they all enjoyed it and left with some "new" finds. Nothing better than getting new clothes for free!

Here's my tips for hosting a swap:

Invite a variety of girls - all shapes and sizes - and give them some advance notice so they can gather up items

Encourage them to bring more than clothes; jewelry and purses are a huge hit. Shoes aren't usually as popular due to size differences

Have lots of space for people to sprawl out and try on clothes

Encourage each other to try new things! (One reason I love swaps is because I always leave with something I would have never tried on at a store! Or learn that a color I never thought would look good on me does!)

Choose a nonprofit (or two) to donate leftover clothes to and have fun sorting through the items with your guests! (That's what I love even more about swaps - you get to donate to worthy causes!)

And lastly... just have fun and get ready for some cute clothes! :)

And for kicks: found these cute socks at Target, which I gave out as party favors during my clothing swap!

Love Yourself!

My friend Anna and I were hanging out last night when I pointed to a mark on my skin and asked her what it was. Her answer was that it was discoloration that comes with aging and pointed to a similar looking mark on her leg.

Aging?! That's a hard pill to swallow. I'm in my 20s and I am in denial that I'm getting older and I'm going to wrinkle and get even more funky spots on my body. Yesterday was the first time I've heard someone tell me something on my body is due to that dreaded A word. And it hurt! Aging is beautiful but I think it can hold off a little while longer.

Speaking of bodies... I am sure you all have noticed how we women put ourselves down? I was thinking recently that it happens way too much, which is sad. Yesterday I heard someone at Ross say "I can't squeeze my fat a$$ into those pants." I wanted to walk up to her and give her a hug.

Instead of focusing on our flaws, which is so easy to do, we should focus on the things we love about ourselves. And I'm telling you all this first... I am going to try to do this with myself... remind me of this goal next time I'm in a dressing room, okay? ;)

Here's to loving ourselves more... age spots and all!