This is the story of a newly wed. Having bought her first home, she decided it was time to break FREE of the white-wall shackles of dorm rooms and rental properties of her past. She painted a new room weekly, always picking bright bold colors. Life was good in a saturated world.

Until she came downstairs one morning to discover her home slightly resembled that of a carnival funhouse.

You see, like all good things, color is one of those things meant to be used in moderation. No one color really shines through if there are so many of them competing for attention.

So I went back to the drawing board. I painted over my walls with neutral tones, brought in fun rugs, curtains, and artwork instead. It was a costly mistake - time and money - that I swore not to make again.

Until I did. When building my first self-sewn wardrobe last year. Don't get me wrong, floral jeans are fabulous and all, plaid wraps too, but they're not exactly versatile pieces. I could probably get away with wearing them a couple of times a month, but if all my clothes were this overstated, what would I have to pair them with?

So when I was designing this season's wardrobe, I decided to take my own advice when styling photography clients for their family photos. I picked two or three "pops" of color, and filled in the gaps of my wardrobe with neutral pieces.

Thankfully, the 2015 Pantone list is fullll of neutral colors! You can review the list here.

Here are the neutral pieces I've come up with so far:

First of all. Every mix/match wardrobe comes with at least one jacket. And since I'm modeling these "Spring" looks in February, I decided to start with these projects.

Depending if you're business casual (only the business of diaper changes and apple juice refills) or artistic and rebellious (Do coloring books count? Sometimes I even color outside the lines.) the jacket of choice is either a blazer or a hip leather moto jacket.

....so I made both.

Last week you saw my navy Champs Elysee blazer (don't worry, keep scrolling to see it again). Navy is, and I quote "the new black"! The perfect "formal" neutral color for the upcoming warmer seasons.

This week, I'm debuting my Marsala vegan leather jacket.

Oh. My. Gosh. Right?? I made it in Vegan Leather from Girl Charlee and it was so perfectly drapey, it was MADE to become this anthropologie hack. I modified the (free!!) swoon cardigan with lots and lots of trial and error on a muslin first.

That plaid tank (also Girl Charlee!) is a bit of a wonder itself. It's a seriously modified Jocole Racerback top. (Pin-spirations 1 and 2) Definitely not one of my "neutral" wardrobe pieces, but it adds a great surprise pop of color and interest! Here I've paired it with a Toasted Almond crop-length Pattern for Pirates Raglan.

THIS is how a momma of two wears a crop top. Plus, it kinda looks like this layered plaid-y trend.

By now you might have noticed ANOTHER neutral I can pair with most anything. These black vegan leather leggings made their debut last week and I cannot. stop. wearing them.

Alas, Spring wardrobes wouldn't be complete without a sundress, right??

In Pantone terms, I'd call this "flighty" dress Glacier Gray. It's a slightly modified Pattern Runway Sundress. Modified because I'm a child-sized adult, and both bodice and skirt needed to lose about 3 inches! Yikes! It goes great under that marsala jacket, too, but it's February and our photos were cut short by a freak snow storm. Glad I prioritized those jacket projects, eh??

Now that I have my neutrals stitched up, I can get to work on more of my "pop" pieces! (For those keeping track, the plaid piece above and last week's tribal tunic put my 2015 funky wardrobe count up to 2)

As always, many thanks to my sponsors! I can't wait to show you all what I've got up my sleeve for next week!