Exercising My Free Will: Personalizing My Clothes

Since shopping secondhand is my preferred way to shop, many times I’ll find something that’s close, but not exactly what I was looking for. Or maybe the fit and fabric are fabulous, but the color looks terrible on me. Through thrifting, I’ve learned to look at an item for what it can be, rather than what it currently is.

So, let’s take a look at two items I’ve recently personalized:

My Tiered Skirt Glow Up

I bought this skirt off Poshmark recently because I loved the color, the shape and the swish factor. However, each of the three tiers was lined with accent beads. And to my eye, the beads just made the skirt look dated and cheap. I bought the skirt anyways, because I have free will… and a pair of scissors.

And I cut off Every. Single. Bead.

And yes, it felt like it took forever. But now it’s perfect and I love it so much!

Cardigan Color Switcharoo

This is going to be shocking… but I actually bought this cardigan RETAIL at a Loft Outlet on the way home from Ocean City last summer. I really liked the 100% cotton, chunky stitches and cute cropped length. I tried to convince myself that I would grow to love the color or that it was exactly what my closet was missing. But it just didn’t work for me. The light brown felt like boring sweater oatmeal and it just didn’t look good with my coloring or play well with other items in my closet.

So, I grabbed a bottle of Rit dark green dye, spent about 40 minutes swishing the cardigan around, and BOOM it’s exactly what I was hoping for. A beautiful shade of green that I will actually wear:

The moral of the story? You don’t have to accept something exactly as it’s sold. If a piece is almost perfect, it’s okay to make it yours. Remove the beads. Chop the sleeves. Change the color. You bought it and you get to decide what works for you!

Honest Review: COSLUS Water Pick (Powerwashing for Your Teeth)

I think I had a water pick when I was a kid with braces, so it wasn’t a surprise when Jack’s orthodontist recommended one for him to help get into the crevasses. Then, my husband’s dentist suggested he get one to help improve his gum health. So, I figured it was time to jump on the train and now we’re officially a water pick family.

We have not one, but two of them in the house — one for Jack, and one that Travis and I share (with our own separate heads, obviously. We’re not gross).

This is the one that we have and love: COSLUS Water Pick

It holds a charge for a weirdly long time, does an amazing job at blasting away yuck, and my mouth has never felt so clean and healthy. Oh, and this one comes with a few different heads, so I didn’t have to buy anything extra for Travis and me to share the main unit.

A few tips if you’re starting out with a water pick:

  • Try warm water – I like it best when the water pick shoots warm water into my teeth and gums, rather than colder water that can make my teeth hurt.
  • Try it in the shower if you’re messy – Jack uses his water pick while he’s in the shower because I don’t trust a teenager not to end up with water on the ceiling. Fun fact: Travis actually sprayed it on the ceiling recently when he turned it on to check the setting… so maybe I need to make an ‘only in the shower’ rule for him too!
  • Start on the Soft setting – It’s normal that it feels ouchy and uncomfortable the first day or two, so be sure to start on the Soft setting for a slow introduction. After 2 nights of ramping up, it didn’t bother me at all.
  • Stay consistent – I shoot (haha) for every night but probably end up using it 5 out of 7 nights each week. Still a HUGE improvement!

Bottom line: the COSLUS Water Pick delivers. Type-A me is actually looking forward to my next dentist appointment. Do you think they’ll give me a gold star?

Disclaimer: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

My Style: October 2025

The air is crisp, the leaves are beautiful, and there is a hint of bonfire smell in the air! October is my favorite – which why we got married in October 17 years ago. This month, I went into the office once, celebrated Taylor Swift’s new album with my sisters, attended an engagement party that turned out to be a surprise wedding, and celebrated our wedding anniversary.

Let’s take a look at my October outfits:

Office Style

The return of this fantastic vintage skirt! This time, I paired it with a couple ancient Anthropologie pieces – a tank top that I bought retail more than 10 years ago and a fun, vintage looking embroidered cardigan I found on Poshmark in 2022. I also love the sweetness of my Mary Jane Rothy’s (bought on Poshmark) and think they are a great fall work shoe!

Celebrating Style

The dress was my choice for an outdoor engagement party that turned into a surprise wedding. I found this dress a few months ago at a consignment shop and love the color, the fit-and-flare of the waistline, and the milkmaid-ish bodice. I paired it with my thrifted vintage cowboy boots, since I knew we would be outside in the grass.

The cowboy boots made another appearance on our anniversary weekend. Travis and I decided to take a drive out to the Shenandoah Valley to have a delicious lunch and enjoy the changing leaves at Skyline Drive. So, I paired a fun tee with a sassy skirt (that used to be a dress before I chopped it in half).

Casual Style

The rest of my looks are different combos of jeans, v-neck tees and sweaters. I’ve been revisiting a few different pairs of jeans in my closet and added one new pair from Lucky Brand (the dark pair on the bottom right). I absolutely LOVE the new pair, so I may need to write a post just about them at some point.

New vs Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 9 items that I purchased retail and 15 items I purchased secondhand.