Thinking About Fall - Transitional Style - Lightweight Crop Pants

I’m going to give you a couple more weeks of Transitional Style and then hopefully I’ll be ready to start the Pantone Series. We decided to forgo pictures this week since the weather was too hot for this post menopausal woman and her very pregnant photographer. Ha ha. Hopefully, next week will be a tad bit more humane for all involved.

Today we are going to look at how to take a pair of lightweight cropped pants from summer into fall. Once again, these changes are so easy and everyone can do them. It is only a matter of swapping out a few things or adding another layer. Other than those little changes the outfit overall stays exactly the same.

I found these black and white, gingham cropped pants thrifting. I wanted something a little different than my usual rolled up jeans and I think these work very well. Today was my first attempt at wearing them and I was pleased with this cool, casual look. These are Jones New York Sport brand.

My simple light green tank top is a thrifted Loft piece. I decided to wear a few more of my sleeveless pieces this week, since it is going to be so hot all week long. I liked the mix of the pastel green with the black and white print of the pants.

I finished off the look with a long light green pendant necklace, a few beaded stretch bracelets, my green bag from Charming Charlie and my thrifted, black Bare Traps sandals.

In order to make this outfit fall worthy, I added my longer olive Sonoma cardigan. I have had this piece for a number of years now and it it definitely one of those work horses in my cold weather wardrobe.

Instead of the necklace I swapped it out for a scarf that is totally speaking the fall vibes. Scarves are great things to find at thrift stores. I also swapped out the lighter beaded bracelets for a couple of darker pieces.

It was a no brainer to add my black Natural Reflections ankle boots and a thrifted black Scarleton bag.

Here are the two outfits side by side. Do you have a pair of light weight pants that you are unsure how to transition to fall? I hope this post helps. Let me know what your thought are, or how you might do something similar to this.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. Every click on a link gives me a few pennies, at no cost to you. These are affiliate links and I appreciate every click.

Have a great Tuesday!

Styling an Easter Outfit Around a Scarf - Casual Look

Hi everyone. These are definitely disturbing times we are living in. I am so thankful for my faith in Jesus, my family and friends, and all of you lovely subscribers who are on this journey with me. I am not alone and neither are you. I hope that you are staying safe and healthy. Everyday there is another article in the news about the virus and the long term ramifications on our health, the state of health care in our country, or the world. It can be very scary and really blow our anxiety levels right through the roof, so please follow along for a little break from the bleakness. Follow me into the world of spring color.

I am not starting my Pantone series yet, but I do hope to work on that a little over the weekend. Things look a lot different around here as I am sure they do in your household as well. My older daughter, who is my photographer is trying to stay safe at home and is not venturing out much, and I totally respect that. Therefore, we will not be getting together for pictures for a little while. My younger daughter works and since her son is off school I see both of them several days a week, so we have contact. If you have the option of staying home and not having contact with other people, even your family, please do so. It is really best for everyone. For those of you who are helping your families with child care or in other ways, just be sure to wash hands, sanitize and try not to have too much up in your face contact (hard to do with babies and toddlers.)

As my title says, I decided to give you two spring outfits this week that would be perfect for the upcoming Easter weekend. I know most of us won’t be having our normal family gatherings, but whoever you are with you can still dress up and maybe Face Time or Skype with your other family members. My older daughter said her husband’s family is going to do a progressive dinner of sorts, where they each make something, divvy it into portions for each household and then deliver it to the rest of the families involved. Then when they are all back safe in their own homes they can have video dinner time together. What a great idea! I am not sure what our family will do, but even if you are in your own home with just your spouse, or another significant family member you can still celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the hope that this current darkness will pass.

Today’s outfit centers around the pretty print scarf I got as a gift. A fiesta of feathery friends, and flowers adorns the light pink background on this long, rectangular piece. There are plenty of colors to choose from including several shades of blue, green and yellow. For this outfit I opted to focus on the blue, green and pink.

This St. John’s Bay utility jacket was my first utility piece. I had never had a utility jacket up until I bought this one at JCPenney I have these longer sleeves rolled up once and they actually came with tabs, so you could roll them up farther and button them. You can see how I styled this same jacket with a striped tee and a pair of distressed crop pants here.

My light pink pants are Christopher and Banks which I got on sale at the end of last season. These are very comfy and have good amount of stretch making it easier to move around. I was not really thinking about my hair in these pictures, so this is what you get. Ha, ha.

Here is a closer look at the scarf and you can also see my SO thrifted polka dot denim shirt. I thought it went well with the medium blue in the scarf.

Once again I went for my thrifted olive American Eagle hobo bag. I didn’t realize how closely it matches with my jacket.

I added this simple beaded bracelet for a pop of orange. I got this last summer at a street fair when we were visiting family.

It must be spring, because the bright blue thrifted Keds are back in the rotation! Ha, ha.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this colorful outfit. On Thursday, I’ll use the same scarf to show you a more dressy outfit.

What are you going to wear for Easter Day? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I hope you are all staying safe out there. Hugs and prayers for you all.

I’ve included a few shopping links. I know it is easy to shop from home, maybe a little too easy, but it is where we are at, so enjoy looking at these. These are affiliate links, which means when you click on a link I get a few cents. When you make a purchase through a link, I get a little more. I appreciate all your clicks and your comments.

Awesome Accessories - Summer Scarves

During the warmer months scarves usually take a back seat to fun jewelry or bare necklines as in scoop neck tanks, off the shoulder tops or fun boat neck tees. Gone are the turtlenecks, crew neck sweaters and bulky scarves. However, there are many light weight, pretty scarves that can add a pop of interest or color to an outfit, without adding a lot of weight or bulk. Since scarves come in so many shapes and sizes, I decided to take three for this post and show you different ways of tying them to add a little pizzazz to your summer looks. 

Here are the three scarves I styled for this post. The first is a squares scarf. The fabric is light weight, as are all of these. The second is an oblong large and the third is an oblong small. The patterns vary from floral to leafy and geometric to a snowflake. I didn't realize the blue and white one was a snowflake, until just now. Ha, ha. So maybe it is Christmas in July! 

Scarf 1 - Square

Look 1 - Muffler 

This look is attained by folding the square corner to corner to make a triangle. Then holding the triangle in front of you with the point down and the longer portion up, wrap the two ends behind your neck and tie. 

Look 2 - Square Knot

Fold the square scarf into a triangle. Starting with the pointed end, roll or fold the point towards the longer end of the scarf until you have a long strip. Wrap the strip around your neck from the back to the front. Tie in a double knot.

Scarf 2 - Large Oblong

Look 1 - Decorate your bag

For this, all I did was stuff the scarf part way into the front pocket on my tote bag. You can also  tie the scarf around one of the handles. This scarf was rather large so I thought the pocket was a better idea. The beauty of this look is what you can then do if the air starts to cool and you need something to cover your arms. 

Look 2 - Shawl

When you start to get cool, just pull the scarf out of your purse and wrap it around your shoulders. These light weight larger oblong scarves are the perfect cover up for an air conditioned restaurant or a leisurely stroll on a cool evening. 

Scarf 3 - Small oblong

Look 1 - Double Wrap French Knot

Taking the scarf in both hands, wrap it from front to back and then back to the front. Tie in a double knot. 

Look 2 - Slip Knot

This one is really easy. Fold the scarf in half bringing the two ends together. Wrap this shortened scarf around your neck back to front. Slip the loose ends through the loop. This would look even prettier with a brooch to hold the scarf in place at the length you want. You could loosen it, so that the part around your neck isn't as tight, then pin in place. 

Look 3 - Simple Tie

Wrap the scarf around the back of your neck so the two end hang in front. Tie once. This could also be knotted twice or you could use a pin to secure it at the length you want the loop to be. 

I know not everyone likes to wear scarves in the summer, especially when it is hot. I think they can be fun to add to an outfit in other ways besides just wearing around your neck. Putting one in your hair, using one for a belt, or adding a large one over the top of a maxi skirt or pair of skinny jeans call all be ways to wear your wonderful scarves. 

My friend Jodie at Jodies Touch of Style just recently finished up a series on wearing scarves. Check out these posts on her blog:

1-The Small Neck Scarves are Perfect for Any Age   2- Could a Skinny Scarf be Perfect for You?     3- An Infinity Scarf can be Tied More than 1 Way

  A great website I found while researching scarf knots is Scarves.net. Check that site out, not only for great prices on scarves, but a whole page on how to tie scarves and another page on how to tie them on your head! Another fun place to shop for scarves is Charming Charlie. 

I hope this post inspires you to give those scarves you have a second chance. Just like white, scarves can be worn all year long. 

Have a great weekend.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with JoLynn Shane in the Fashion Friday link up and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge.