Outfit Inspiration: Gray Days of Spring

We all yearn for the warmer temps and sunshine of spring. We want to see the trees budding into flower and leaf, and smell the fragrance of flowers on the breeze. We are ready to tear off our winter layers, and pull out the tees, light weight sweaters and jackets, and allow our ankles and toes to see the sun. Unfortunately, here in the midwest, spring mosey’s along as if trying to decide whether it wants to settle in, or just bypass our area and let winter reign a while longer until summer blazes into place.

Today’s outfit was inspired by the weather. It is gray, damp, and chilly. There is a chilly breeze blowing, which doesn’t help it feel more spring like. On day’s like these I am still reaching for layers. However, I like to keep the layers visibly lighter and more spring-like in their appearance.

The outfit started around this recently thrifted Rose & Olive knit top. I love the print and after a little research I am not sure if I would call this a Damask, or Ikat inspired pattern. It is quite unique and along with the puffed sleeves and wider banded wrists give the top a very elegant feel. I think it would look lovely with a dark gray skirt or pair of trousers, or a black maxi skirt or jumper. Even pairing it with a dark navy would be fun. You can see I layered a darker gray, long sleeve tee underneath as an extra layer to keep me warm.

Once I chose the top, I thought the best way to give it a more spring feel was to pair it with a light colored pair of pants, so I chose these white, thrifted, distressed Stylus brand cropped jeans. These are very comfy and I am looking forward to wearing them more when the weather gets warmer.

Yes, my shoelace is untied, and I didn’t notice until late in the day. Ha, ha.

I knew I would need one other light layer so I reached for my years old, Christopher and Banks vest. This is a great piece and I regularly wear it as a light layering piece or as a great way to cover some of my middle age bulge. :)

I knew I would gravitate towards my thrifted gray moto boots and my current thrifted gray cross body bag as the perfect accessories to keep a monochromatic feel.

I didn’t want the outfit to be too bland, so I added a sparkly pendant necklace with a tear drop gray jewel, and a cherry blossom scarf, both thrift finds. A girl has to have a little sparkle and glam even if she is just dressing casual. You just never know what a day will bring. I ended up meeting a friend for coffee at a near by coffee shop and I felt very comfy and stylish.

Of course if you get too warm through out the day, you can always remove the scarf and add it to your bag.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you think it evokes the feeling of a gray, spring day? Do you think the scarf and pendant necklace good additions to make the outfit a tad bit more interesting?

I hope you enjoyed this post. I hope that these fashion ideas help you use the clothes already in your closet to create new outfits that will make you feel fresh and confident.

Style Tip: You can make a look like this using any two colors. I chose gray and white, but you might choose navy and tan, or mint green with pale yellow. See what is in your closet and go for it. The outfit formula is simple: top, pants or skirt, vest, shoes, bag, and your choice of accessories. Have fun!

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Hello 60! Being a Grandma.

When I got married, I didn’t think about the fact that one day I would have grandchildren. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking about children. My husband and I had discussed kids, and we both agreed that we wanted to have them at some point in time, but we figured that was maybe four or five years in the future. Two years later I had our daughter, Rebecca. Nineteen months later her sister Rachel came along. Neither of our daughters was planned, at least not by us, but God, the master planner has it all figured out.

In the same way, eighteen years after we had our youngest, she had our grandson Quintin. I won’t tell you it was a beautiful time. Our daughter had walked away from the belief system we had raised her in, and she struggled to figure out who she was. When that little guy came along, all of our worlds were upended, and she was in the throes of becoming an adult, but still needing to be a child, and having a child to now be responsible for. Eleven years later, our oldest had our next grandson, Lewis.

My mother-in-law used to tease me when the girls were young. She’d say, “Just you wait until you become a grandma. There is nothing quite like it.” The first time I got to hold Quintin in the hospital, the proverbial lightbulb came on and I realized she was right. Having grandchildren is something very different than having your own children. You love your kids, and would die for them, but grandkids, well, that love just goes a bit deeper. Maybe it is the fact that grandchildren and grandparents now have a common enemy. Ha, ha. I don’t know how many times I have muttered under my breath, “Pay back,” when my younger daughter bemoans something about her newly turned teen, or when my older daughter complains about how much work it is having a toddler. Not a very Christian attitude, I know, and as I grow closer to the One, these thoughts come less frequently.

Being a grandmother is awesome. I have had the privilege to be part of both of my grandsons’ lives on a very regular basis. I helped my single daughter take care of Quintin from the time he was very small. Now, he’s moved into the time of school, video games, and friends and grandma doesn’t see him very often, but I am still here if he needs to be picked up from school, or if mom wants him to hang out with us for a few hours when she has a long shift at the hospital. I also watch Lewis once a week, or sometimes more if needed. I have enjoyed every minute with both of them.

Style for grandmothers is a bit different than it was when I was a child. My grandmother wore dark, floral dresses, often with an apron over the top, sturdy block heeled shoes, and never got down on the floor to play with us. She did, however, make a mean pot roast with gravy and mashed potatoes. These days you can’t tell who is a grandmother and who is not. Most women have been influenced by the anti-ageism movement, as well as social influencers and bloggers who remind them to wear what they want and age is just a number.

When I’m on grandma duty, I dress in an outfit that is stylish and comfortable. I want to be stylish in case I need to run to the store, the mall or somewhere else with the boy(s). I also want to be comfortable so I can get down on the floor to play or move furniture around to make a fort. Quintin is much more likely to just want to sit on the couch watching YouTube videos, but occasionally we will venture out to a movie or to get lunch at the mall. The toddler loves to go outside, play with Play Dough, and pull things out of grandma’s drawers and cupboards. I do a lot of bending, lifting and getting up and down when he is here.

My 70’s style SO hoodie was a recent purchase from Kohl’s. I saw it and fell in love. The black, distressed Stitch Star jeans were from Meijer. The boots, scarf and bag were all thrifted. The Eiffel Tower sweater is Elle brand and has been around for a while and I think was also from Kohl’s.

I hope you enjoyed this little look at the Grandma side of me. I have been enjoying sharing with you more about the person I have become. Don’t worry. February will be back to my regular Fashion posts and not nearly so wordy. Ha, ha.

Outfit Inspiration - A Spring Look

Spring is here, at least the calendar says so, even if the temps don’t feel quite like it yet. As I worked on taking pictures of this outfit I was glad for my long sleeve tee and bulky, longer cardigan, because, dang it, it’s still cold outside! The sun is shining brilliantly, but not quite up to the task of warming our northern states. It will come, so we just have to be patient.

While we wait I thought it would be fun to post a few spring outfits that cater perfectly to our crazy midwestern changing weather. Fall and Spring are our transitional seasons and our temperatures can fluctuate from below freezing in the morning to the mid 70’s during the day. In addition, we can almost always expect rain, rain, more rain and plenty of wind, all of which continue to make me feel cold and want to dress in cozy layers.

Today’s Outfit Inspiration comes from Pinterest where I have a board titled Spring Fashion. Do you use Pinterest? I find that it can be a great source of inspiration and ideas from everything fashion, to holiday decor to recipes. I get tired of the same thing all the time, and I can’t tell you how many times I walk into my closet and just feel overwhelmed. Pinterest and the challenges I participate in on Instagram help me to think differently about my wardrobe and help me rediscover the joy I get from creating a fun outfit.

Style Tip: Look to other sources for outfit inspiration. Instagram, Pinterest, bloggers, and other social media platforms can be overwhelming, but they can also keep things from getting stale and get you looking at your closet with new joy. If you are not a social media kind of gal, then look at the fashion magazines at a bookstore or grocery store. Even though many of those don’t cater to your average woman, many of them can still give you color combinations, acceptable trends and outfit ideas.

The pin, which I will show you at the end is from an influencer Get Your Pretty On. Founder, Alison Lumbatis has a classic, petite, feminine style that works perfectly for busy moms. You can check out her website by clicking on the link. However, it doesn’t look like she has posted anything since last July, so I am not sure if she is still current. Anyway, the pin is for a spring outfit and features a pink cardigan, light wash jeans, a white v-neck tee, a pink tote, and neutral colored flats or sandals.

This white long sleeve tee is just a basic Hanes tee shirt. Basics like this are good to have in your wardrobe, especially if you have a more casual style. You can see I did a bit of a front tuck and added a pink belt to complement the sweater.

I actually had these Signature Levi Strauss jeans from the clearance rack at Meijer in the bag to return, but when I saw this pin, I began to think about other ways I could style these wide leg ankle pants for spring and summer and decided to keep them. They are super comfy and have a high waist that actually fits over my bulges, making it a good choice for wearing with tees that I might want to tuck in.

My thigh length, open front cardigan is Old Navy brand and was a thrift find. I’d say this has been one of my favorite sweater finds while thrifting. I love the length, the pockets, and the cozy fabric. The fact that it will be useful over three seasons is an added benefit.

Style Tip: When using an outside source for outfit inspiration, think about ways you can change up or add accessories to make the look completely your own.

As you can see I did just that with this outfit. I added this thrifted floral silk scarf for a bit a warmth, chose a coral floral Sonoma bag instead of pink to go with the coral tones in the scarf, and chose my neutral Keds sneakers instead of flats or sandals.

Here is my outfit next to the outfit I pinned.

Let me know what you think? Did I do a good job using the pin as inspiration, and did I do a good job of making the look my own? What would you do with this outfit inspiration? I always love to hear your thoughts. You inspire me to keep posting my blog posts and to keep playing with clothes!

I have added some shopping links to give you more ideas.

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Have a great week!