Hello 60! The Writer in Me

If this is your first interaction with my blog welcome to my Fashion page. This month I celebrated my 60th birthday. I decided to spend the month celebrating me. Why not? I rarely spend a lot of time talking about how I came to be the person I am, and 60 is a pretty big deal.

Last week I did a post that gave a shout out to the decade I grew up in, the 1970’s. I was born in 1964, but it wasn’t the 60’s that most influenced my fashion or music choices. I can distinctly remember a particular pair of red cuffed, wide leg flares my mother ordered for me out of one of the sale catalogues at the time (JC Penney, and Wards were the two I grew up with). I remember standing on the toilet in the bathroom, so I could see what I looked like in the medicine chest mirror. We never had a full length mirror in our home. I was so excited to wear my mod, red pants to school that day. Do you have any good memories that revolved around clothing when you were young?

I’m gong to throw my pictures in throughout, tell my story, and then give the outfit details.

It was in 8th grade that I became a writer. Our English class was reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. For some reason that story felt so real and personal. As a typical public school student I saw the divisions, the bullying, and the reality of teens being affected by their peers. I was one of them. I didn’t get bullied like some, but I never fit in. My family didn’t have a lot of money, and I often wore second hand clothes I got from my cousin. That’s probably why I remember those red pants so vividly. I had a small circle of friends and most of my social life revolved around the church.

I began to create my own Outsiders stories. After several “books”, which were hand written pieces of about 100 pages, I moved towards stories with mild sci fi slant. Gradually, I turned to trying to write historical fiction, and now my muse is fantasy. I have published a few short articles, and I do a regular monthly article in a local community news magazine, and of course I have this blog. Do I want to be a published author? Yes? Why haven’t I got there yet? I could give you a million excuses such as undisciplined, lazy, tired, busy, etc., but I think the real reason is much simpler: fear.

It takes effort, time, and something I would call heart and soul to pour out your ideas and thoughts into a cohesive work that makes sense and appeals to others. Not only do you have to write, you have to read, voraciously, books in your genre, books in other genres, and books on writing; lots and lots of books. In addition, once you’ve written your piece then comes the ripping, and tearing editing process, followed by the overwhelming questions. Where do I send this? Is it long enough? Is it short enough? Is it good enough? Should I get an agent? How do I look for an agent? The questions are endless. Believe me, to be a writer for a living is a full time job, and not for the weak. However, I am not going to give up.

I am currently working on a fantasy novel with a Christian slant involving a rag tag group of young people who have to learn how to overcome their various problems, find self acceptance and become warriors who can help save the world. In addition to that, I have a few short stories I want to fine tune and try to send either to e-zines, or contests. I would like to get a portfolio of 10 to 12 short stories that I can keep sending as I receive rejections to eventually get something published. Right now I have five short stories that need some work. I am also going to keep looking for some sort of freelance work that I could do part time. If anyone you know is hiring for remote writers, or copy editors let me know.

That’s enough about my writing life. Let’s look at the details of this outfit.

I was inspired by looking through Pinterest at 70’s and 80’s fashion when I found knit sweater outfits, either a skirt and top or a dress. I thought it would be fun to mimic that style and use a few of the 70’s accessory vibes.

My creamy zip up v-neck was a Kohl’s find a year or so ago. It is soft and warm. The skirt I found at a thrift store. I don’t usually wear sweater knit skirts or dresses, due to the hip factor. I do have wider hips and I have never felt comfortable showing off my curves like some women do, but this skirt is big enough that it doesn’t cling. It is also very warm and comfy. The brown belt adds an hour glass vibe, without being extreme.

The Walmart bag is a nod to the patchwork patterns that were popular in the 70’s. Bags were shaped differently than this one, but I thought this worked as a tote bag, and purse.

Once again I added my thrifted slouchy, suede boots.

Apparently, pearls were a thing in the 70’s too. I do remember my mom wearing fake pearls to church early in the 70’s, so I guess that was a thing.

Are you a sweater dress, or sweater skirt fan? What do you think of this look? Would you wear something like this to work? Please leave a thought or two in the comments. I always love to hear from you.

Sharing a few shopping links just in case you are looking for slouchy boots, patchwork bags, or knit pieces of a similar vibe.

I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Spring Trend - Head to Toe Neutral

I thought it would be fun to shop my closet and see what sort of spring trend outfits I could come up with. When I began looking for neutral pieces I couldn’t decide what shade to go for. When I looked at various websites for spring trends, some of the neutral pieces leaned more toward camel than beige, but it doesn’t really matter. You can choose any version of neutral for this look. My neutrals are almost more of a cream than beige, but the effect is the same.

When putting a neutral outfit together, think in terms of texture. Adding texture gives the outfit interest. This is more important when your outfit doesn’t contain any pops of color. Color, whether bright neons or soft pastels makes an outfit speak. When wearing a neutral outfit, it can be too understated without adding textural elements.

This ribbed v-neck sweater I have had for a number of years. The brand is NorthCrest Classic, but was thrifted. The vest I purchased at Kohl’s and is Wallflower brand. I’ll be speaking to crafted pieces, another spring trend, later, but this vest fits the bill. My jeans are Croft and Barrow.

I thought gold would a be good choice for jewelry. I just like the way the gold looks agains the neutral background, but you could have used silver, copper or brass or mixed the metals. You could get a more classy dressed up look by adding a few strings of pearls.

Top handle bags are all the rage for spring. Mine is not as trendy as the stuff out there right now, but I like the patchwork look and the room this bag from Walmart has. It is structured, sturdy and stylish. What more could I want. Okay, maybe a matching wallet with several one hundred dollar bills would be nice. Ha, ha.

These suede Sonoma boots have served me well over the years and really aren’t looking to worn yet. Once again, choosing suede adds texture, although an outfit like this would look fabulous with a cream or beige leather bootie or even an off white. You’d still be staying in the neutral zone with any of those.

The old saying the devil is in the detail would apply when wearing a neutral outfit like this. When picking out pieces for a neutral look, try to add a few things that have texture like a ribbed or cable knit sweater, a piece that is knitted or crocheted or even something with quilting. Also think about details when choosing accessories. Jewelry with fun add ons like feathers or charms, shoes or bags with buckles or interesting stitching all add texture and interest to a neutral outfit.

What do you think of the neutral trend? Will this be a trend you will wear this spring? How do you like to wear your neutrals? I love having your feedback, so leave me some love in the comments. I would also appreciate you telling your friends or family about the blog. Ask them to subscribe.

Have a great Thursday and stay warm. If you follow my faith page, be sure to check back tomorrow for the final installment in my New Year, New Mind, series.

Here are a few neutral pieces for you to shop. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Layering Love - Wearing a Vest over a Cardigan

When it comes to layering there are so many possibilities. I have learned so much from other bloggers about adding layers and how to make my outfits more fun and interesting. I noticed a few bloggers a number of months ago layering with longer layers and I thought I'd give it a go. 

Today's outfit involves layering a long vest over a long cardigan. 

The color of these two pieces are a perfect match, so it is barely noticeable that they actually are two separate pieces. The duster cardigan is Chaps brand from Kohl's and the vest, also Kohl's. is Wall Flower brand from the Junior's department. Both pieces were clearance. I don't usually shop in the Junior's department for obvious reasons, most of their stuff doesn't fit me, but once in a while it pays to look. 

The knee length cardigan is light weight and will be a good transitional piece going into spring. It has pockets on each side in the front. 

For a fun casual look I paired the sweater and vest combo with a graphic tee. This particular one is Wonder Woman. I like the words. These are words I want to epitomize. 

Because it is cold, I thought my OTK boots would be appropriate. I also chose my burgundy cross body bag and bracelets to got with the red "W" below the words on the tee. 

I think this vest and sweater combo would look cute over a dress or a top and skirt. This would work well even if the sweater and vest were different colors. It adds a layer of interest and warmth to an outfit, which is a plus in this chilly weather. 

What about you? Have you ever tried to wear a vest over a cardigan? What do you think of this loo?. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a few words in the comments section.

Here are a few shopping links. If you click on a link I get a few cents. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I might get a small commission. I don't get paid to blog, so any help you can give in that regard is much appreciated. All opinions are my own.

Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style and Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots. 

Piece Perfect - Summer Sweaters

Since I just finished my series on wearing vests in the summer, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post on wearing sweaters in the summer. Everyone has had that experience where it is hot outside, but the moment you walk into that overly air conditioned restaurant your teeth start to chatter. While our bulky winter sweaters wouldn't be appropriate for this warm summer weather, it is good to have a few light weight options for when we know we are going to be in the air conditioning. 

For these pictures I decided to wear two key pieces, a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a navy shell. By doing this I am emphasizing the sweaters and the accessories, showing you how you can easily change a simple, monochrome look by switching sweaters, and adding different shoes, bags, jewelry and scarves. 

These are four of my favorite warm weather sweaters.

1. Navy cardi with bling.

Before you say my picture was off center I was trying to get creative with my photography. Ha, ha. For this outfit, I kept the entire outfit monochrome navy and added my blush SO flats and my blush bag. 

Talk about silly faces. I do notice when I am doing my own pictures, I am not always attentive to what I am doing with my face. Ha, ha. Oh well, it is entertaining. 

This 3/4 length sleeve cardi I found some years ago at a thrift store is very light weight and it has a spattering of sparkly sequins that embellish the neck area. 

2. Tan open front cardi.

I decided to pair this light weight cardi with a pretty scarf. The scarf has a tiny print on it with light yellow, blue and pink flowers. I added a long pendant necklace and a bracelet that pull out the blue in the scarf.

I matched up my black clutch with a new pair of Clarks peep toe heeled booties. I got these at an outlet mall on a recent trip back to Wisconsin. The store was having a buy one get one for ten dollars on all their clearance shoes. If you are familiar with Clarks brand you know these are not cheap shoes. They are well made, comfortable and have gotten more stylish every year. I was pleased to find these and another more casual pair that I'll show in another post.

3. Cream waterfall cardi.

This next sweater is a cream waterfall cardi with 3/4 length sleeves. That sleeve length is perfect for summer. It provides enough coverage for an air conditioned environment, but not so much that you forget what season it is. 

For this casual look I wore my flat black espadrilles, carried a black canvas tote and added a few pops of color with my turquoise pendant necklace and turquoise bracelets.

You can probably tell in this picture that I am seriously thinking about letting my gray grow out. The last time I went to my beautician I discussed the idea with her. She suggested I try a few highlights to make the contrast between the gray and my natural hair color less noticeable. I haven't decided if I like it or not. I like the highlighting, I'm just not sure I am ready for gray. What do you think? Do you color your hair? Are you letting yourself go gray?

4. Bright pink open weave cardi.

This last sweater I am sharing with you was a thrift store find. I have had it for a while and never seem to reach for it, so I decided I needed to pull it out and play with it, to see if I really want to keep it. 

I do find the handmade look of a piece rather appealing. I don't know if it is because I grew up with a mother who made many of my clothes when I was young and also crocheted beautiful afghans, or if I was inspired by one of her sisters who made all sorts of creations with yarn, or if it is just some of my bohemian gypsy blood, but I love pieces with this sort of texture and charm.

I was having a hard time figuring out how to style this, until I came across this sea foam green infinity scarf. I suddenly remembered this lovely tote that I found when I shopped a friend's closet.

See how the bag has both the green and the pink? I love when that happens. Never say never to a bright colorful bag. You might be surprised how many outfits you can design around it. You can read my posts on creating an outfit around a bag here and here. 

I wore my wedge espadrilles for this outfit. These are another very comfy pair of shoes and they look cute! Cute and comfy? The perfect combo!

I hope you enjoyed this post. My goal as a fashion blogger is not to get you to buy certain clothes, but to challenge you to look in your own closet for pieces that are underused. Do you have any of these types of sweaters that you neglect to reach for. How about taking them out and rethinking how you could wear them?

If you need some added inspiration, I've included a few affiliate links. These are possible shopping options for you. Maybe you don't have a light weight sweater like these and would like to purchase one. These affiliate links can give you ideas. If you click on a link I get a few cents. If you buy something through the link, I get a small commission.

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Have a great weekend.