Begin Again, and a Look at What I Have Been Wearing

Hi everyone. What was originally going to be a one month hiatus has turned into nearly two, thanks to my new normal. I am trying to come to terms with the idea I have a chronic illness; a muddled mess of chronic sinusitis and asthma, each one individually trying to be managed, and at the same time exacerbating the other when one goes awry. In my vast experience (ha, ha) of 3 years I am seeing a pattern of sinus infection almost always leading to worsening of asthmatic symptoms. There seems to be a definite connection, though you will hear little of it from the medical community. Indeed, I am learning it is imperative we do our own research and keep looking for answers while trying to maneuver an overburdened medical landscape.

That is part of the reason for my disappearance from regular posting on my little blog. My hubby and I were able to take our meandering vacation in May without any issues, other than the car having a few hiccups. I am so thankful, because it was after that I got sick, and that would have ruined a really relaxing trip.

Here I am doing what my counselor so often tells me to do and that is, begin again. I will be starting out slow, but I do want to get a little bit of content out there before the summer is over. Today I am going to share a few of my daily outfits that I was able to post to instagram.

Outfit 1 - Long Denim Skirt and Graphic Tee

I wore this while we were visiting my mother-in-law, before we left for our Meanderings. It was the perfect combination of comfy and cute. I have this skirt in my rotation to be worn again, so I am thinking it deserves its own spot in a blog post.

Outfit 2 - Olive Pants and Peach Top with Lace Cut Out Yoke

I love this thrifted top. It has a cotton liner in the bodice area, and since the entire thing is cotton it is very comfortable for our warmer temps. I thought the combination of pastel peach with olive and blue chambray a fitting outfit for late spring and early summer.

Outfit 3 - Subtle Camo Cropped Pants, Floral Tiered Tunic and Open Weave Shrug

This is one of my favorite outfits I put together since we got back from our trip. Everything but the Sperry sneakers was thrifted. The outfit came together as a result of a print mixing challenge in Instagram, and I always love a good print mix. It was one of those cooler, late spring days, and these pieces kept me completely comfortable.

Outfit 4 - Rewear of Camo Cropped Pants with Floral Peasant Top and Blingy Vest

I always rewear my pants over the course of a couple of weeks between laundry sessions. Rewearing helps keep our clothes from getting worn out due to over washing and saves water and detergent. Do you rewear your clothes before washing? Isn’t the floral mix of print and embroidery beautiful on the sleeves of this piece? The Christopher and Banks vest makes regular appearances on the blog and Instagram.

Outfit 5 - Purple and Blue Striped Maxi Skirt and Graphic Tee

It is a struggle for me to wear things outside my comfort zone. This comfort zone revolves more around what is going on in my life than things not being comfortable due to size, fit, or type of piece. I love skirts and dresses, but my life rarely is conducive to wearing them. In order to not be too stuck in a rut, I am trying to reach for a maxi skirt on occasion and style it for my writing grandma lifestyle. Ha, ha.

This outfit is so me. I love the purple hues in the skirt and the tee is right up my alley. The tee was thrifted, and the skirt was another past Christopher and Banks purchase. I haven’t bought from them since they closed down their brick and mortar stores, but I sure did like them when I was able to shop in person. Since they went to an online only presence I have been less than underwhelmed. Sad!

Outfit 6 - Embroidered Chambray Shirt, Graphic Tee and Dark Wash Jeans

I have had this light wash chambray shirt for years and I absolutely love it. If it has embroidery on it I am sold! I used it more as a shacket, but occasionally wear it as a button down. I don’t like to layer it under other things because I want the embroidery to be a focal point. The floral graphic tee was a Maurice’s find several years ago. The dark wash, ankle jeans are a pair of Lee’s petites that I found at Kohl’s on clearance a while back. I don’t normally buy petites but when looking for an ankle pant they often work.

Outfit 7 - Pineapple Bling Tee and Jeans

A fun, easy outfit. What more can we ask for during the busy, hot, days of summer?

Outfit 8 - Floral Kimono, Oversized Tee and Reworn Jeans

I had an eye doctor appointment the morning before I took these pictures, and my eyes were dilated. That’s always fun. When I stepped back outside after I got home to take these pics, I was pretty squint eyed. Ha. ha.

Style Tip - There are so many ways to take an ordinary jeans and tee outfit up a few notches with accessories including layered necklaces and kimonos. Just because you have a routine of wearing the same type or style doesn’t mean it has to get boring. Jazz up the routine with colors, patterns, layers and bling, even if it just for a grocery store run or a doctor’s appointment. It is amazing how much better it makes me feel to put in the effort. Even when I am struggling with my physical heath.

Outfit 9 - Jeans with Bling and an Oversized Tee

I could not resist this recently thrifted tee. It is not cotton, so definitely not one I will wear when it is super hot, but it is so me. I love murder mystery shows, all the comfy clothes, and feel most comfortable with just a small number of people; although I can handle more like 8 or 10. Ha, ha.

Finding pieces that perfectly fit both your body and your personality is really what makes fashion fun. Graphic tees are great ways to show off the bands, movies, books, and philosophies you like. In the same way accessories can further show off your amazing sparkle. Don’t be afraid to play dress up every day, even the days you don’t feel good.

I hope you enjoyed this look at a few of my more recent outfits and I hope to be back at regular posting soon. Have a great week!

My Style - Pantone Spring 2023 - NY: Classic Green, Love Bird, Leek Green

For today’s look, I decided to combine the three greens on the New York Palette into one outfit. These greens are all different, but go together making a fun, bright, spring outfit perfect for any casual occasion.

You know my go to is always casual and comfortable, but aIso like my outfits to look put together, so it at least appears that I gave a little thought to what I am wearing. I always try to plan my outfits out the night before, so that I don’t have to take the time in the morning to make those decisions. Do you pick out your outfits the night before, or do you just throw things on at the last minute?

This outfit is my style: casual, cute and comfortable. It is the type of outfit in which I feel most confident and most like myself. I love wearing button downs as a topper over a graphic tee or light weight long sleeve tee. Skinnies are always going to be part of my wardrobe, no matter what the trend forecasters say. I will definitely style other types of pants from boot cut, to straight, to wide leg and flares, but skinnies will still hold a place in my closet.

I thought this Periodic Table of Muppets tee perfect for the Classic Green color on the NY palette. The thing I love about graphic tees is that they allow every individual to speak for themselves. They show the bands we like, the shows we watch, the activities and hobbies we groove on. A graphic tee can tell a lot about a person. What do you suppose this tee says about me? If you guessed that I grew up watching the Muppet Show, then you are right! Ha, ha.

This thrifted Jaclyn Smith Love Bird button down is such a great piece for spring and summer. Gingham always moves our minds towards the warmer days of spring and a summer full of outdoor activities and picnics at the park.

While these olive pants are not as yellowy as the Pantone Leek Green, it still gives you the idea of olive drab, which you know comes in a variety of shades from green gray to green brown and green yellow. I’ve had these Gloria Vanderbilt utility skinnies for a number of years and have styled them multiple times on the blog. You can see them with an olive utility vest, a light weight sweater, a floral bomber jacket, and a snakeskin print jacket.

The addition of my Steve Madden white sneakers keeps the outfit feeling springy and fun.

This brown and white bag was a thrifting treasure. It is Rafe NY brand. I really like the style and roominess of the this bag. The fringe tassel and woven buckle strap on the front pocket add such fun details. The bag is a bit heavy, so I won’t be using it for any long shopping trips, but it will make a great travel bag with room for a book and a few snacks. Ha, ha. I felt it went very well with the whole vibe of this outfit. What do you think?

I didn’t get a good close up of my necklace, but it is a simple short pendant and the colors mimic the other colors in the outfit.

Style Tip: Go monochrome without going monochrome. All of these colors are in the green category, but they are all different. Even still, the outfit does have a distinct monochrome feel. This is also a great way to put an outfit together. Pick a color category, then choose various shades from that category to make up your whole outfit. Use your accessories as a way to add a few pops of different color.

What do you think of this outfit? Does this mimic your style? What is your casual go to style? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Leave me some love.

I’m including a few shopping links. These are affiliate links and are brought to you at no extra cost. If you purchase something through a link I get a little bit of a commission. I also now have a Buy Me a Coffee link, so if you are so inclined you can support this little blog by doing that. Thank you so much.

Buy Me a Coffee

I wasn’t able to find anything in the Love Bird color, so you may have to track that one down yourself by Googling it or by looking for it at thrift stores.

Have a great week.

Shopping Our Closets - Unique Cardigan: A Casual Valentine's Day Outfit

I am pretty sure all of us have a unique cardigan in our closets. This would be the piece that has a different pattern or print that you simply love, but aren’t sure how to use it in an outfit. It has been hanging there for a while, and you are starting to think you should just get rid of it. Don’t do it, until after you have read this post. I am hoping to give you style tips on how to take that unique cardi and turn it into a masterpiece of an outfit.

I found this thrifted cardigan recently at my local thrift shop around the corner. I liked that it is a bit shorter, so for me gives the appearance of a cropped cardigan. It’s actually a petite size, so the sleeves are a tad short, but again this gives it a different look.

Style Tip - Always shop all size sections at thrift stores and even at full priced retailers. Sizing has become such a circus of silliness today. A size 12 now can be worn by someone who wears a size 10 or someone who wears a size 14, depending on the manufacturer. A small might fit someone with a very petite frame or it might be way to big.

Obviously, I was drawn to the color and the Fair Isle pattern on this piece. It actually has some wear around the button holes where the threads are starting to fray, so I need to see what I can do to fix it. I like that it has the red, white and a touch of olive green, so a great piece for Christmas, but also a bit of pink which makes it perfect for Valentine’s Day.

In order to build this outfit, I started with my unique sweater. I thought about pairing it with jeans, but then decided I needed to get out of that box. Seeing as I have several olive colored pairs of pants, I knew that would be a good choice. Thus, my Gloria Vanderbilt, olive, cargo skinnies. Black or white pants, or a skirt would have been another good choice.

Style Tip - When building an outfit start with the most colorful piece, then choose the rest of your pieces using colors from that. You can do this with a scarf, a bag, a top, a cardigan, a skirt or even a pair of pants that are very colorful.

My oddly colored long sleeve tee was a clearance find at Kohl’s. It really is a nondescript color. It leans towards an extremely washed out olive, but could also be seen as a very light tan or beige depending on what you wear it with. It is very light weight, so my thought was it would be a good layering piece, especially as the weather warms up.

Style Tip - Colors can be deceiving, which works to our benefit. A color can look quite different depending on what other color it is paired with. This is especially true for lighter colors in the green, orange and yellow categories. Depending on what you pair them with they might look more blue, pink or beige. Do an experiment and hold one of your lighter colored tops next to a variety of more saturated tones and see how it changes.

My jewelry also mimics the color tones in the sweater with the pinks, reds and olive greens. I thought this beaded necklace made a beautiful statement against the drab backdrop of my tee. Especially, with the somewhat monochrome look of the tee, pants and ankle boots.

Style Tip - Accessories are a great way to show off your own unique personality. Your shoes do not have to match your bag and your jewelry can be a whimsical - this is what I feel like wearing - choice; no matching required

I chose my faithful SO ankle boots and then added the bright red bag to pull it all together. (Don’t mind my blue socks! Ha, ha.)

What do you think of this outfit? What would you have done differently? Tell me about that unique cardigan in your closet and how you plan on using it to build a fabulous outfit.

Note in the picture below, the olive threads in the sweater look more beige. Maybe color is as fickle as fashion. Ha, ha. As my photographer daughter will tell you, color is definitely influenced by lighting.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Leave me some love in the comments. Your comments help keep my blog interesting and also keep it growing. I am including a few shopping links for you to look over.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.

Pantone Autumn/Winter 2022 - New York Palette: Samoan Sun, Martini Olive and Chiseled Stone

Today is my last post for the Pantone Autumn/Winter 2022 New York palette series. I decided to do a flat lay for a change due to several factors that are affecting my ability to get posts done. The first is time. I do not know where time goes, but it sure seems like I have less of it than ever before and I am not even working a regular job right now. Second, I injured my knee a few years ago and recently I tweaked it and it has been very painful. I have an appointment Thursday to have it checked out, but I knew it was going to be hard to get pictures done with changing clothes, running up and down the stairs and going outside, so I thought a flat lay the next best thing.

The three colors today’s outfit revolved around are great colors for fall and I think this outfit would be perfect for a casual Thanksgiving celebration. My yellow Samoan Sun sweater is a thrifted Old Navy piece. It has more orange undertones to it, but I still think it works great for this outfit.

My Chiseled Stone striped tee is another thrift find from a brand called Company Ellen Tracy. I looked up Ellen Tracy and it is a clothing retailer with some nice pieces. You can check it out by clicking on the link. The brand seems to exude class and modesty. Prices are a tad high for my limited resources, but I like to show you retailers you might be interested in. If I had the money, I would definitely shop this brand more often.

My Martini Olive utility skinny pants have made multiple appearances on the blog. They are Gloria Vanderbilt brand. You can see these pants styled with a floral bomber, a light weight pullover, a snakeskin print jacket, a floral dress, a lace vest, and a floral dress as a jacket.

My accessories were simple and I chose to emphasize the black to coordinate with the stripes in the tee.

I love this simple charm pendant necklace. It adds a touch of interest to almost any outfit without being overly garish. I couldn’t even tell you where I got it, but knowing my past shopping habits it was either thrifted, or bought at Kohl’s or JC Penney. Ha, ha.

I’ve shown you this black Aidebam bag on the blog before. I got this one from Amazon, but Amazon’s inventory changes pretty regularly and I don’t see this exact style on there anymore. I will include a few shopping links at the end. Here is a very similar one.

These black boots are a very recent thrift find. They were my size and I loved the “witchy” vibe of them. They are a brand called Rampage. I have a wedding coming up and right now I am planning to build my outfit around one of two pairs of ankle boots. I also found a blue velvet pair, another thrifting treasure that I wasn’t lookin for, (but I was). I hope to do a blog post next week on what to wear to a fall wedding using the outfit I come up with. Keep a look out.

Style Tip - The right shoes or boots with an outfit can absolutely make the outfit. If you are not sure about which pair of shoes to wear when going to an event or celebration, try on a few different pairs. Remember, heels of any height will upgrade a look, even when wearing distressed jeans and a tee. If you are going for a more casual look, then think flatter souls and a heel that is an inch or less.

I hope you enjoyed this flat lay and the conclusion of my Pantone series. From now through the end of the the year I hope to bring you holiday inspired and winter looks. Leave me a comment or two, letting me know what you thought of this outfit. Which was your fave in the series? 1 - Lava Falls, Amazon, and Arctic Wolf, 2 - Orange Tiger, Nosegay, and Autumn Blonde, 3 - Rose Violet, Caramel Cafe, and Polar Night, 4 - Waterspout, Midnight and Loden Frost or today’s.

I am including a few shopping links for you to look over. Remember these are affiliate links, which are brought to you at no extra cost. You do not pay anything extra to purchase something through one of my links. In fact, it helps me by putting a few cents into my pocketbook. I really appreciate every little bit.

Have a great week!

Oh, Olive! Workwear Look

Tuesday I showed you a casual look with olive pants and today I am showing you a workwear look that might be doable for the office. We are looking at the color olive as a neutral. I know many of us have olive in our wardrobes and are becoming more aware of what a great color it is. Tuesday, I showed you how well it goes with orange and white. Check out today’s outfit, which combines dark florals and black for a sassy look.

I found this fabulous dark floral Time and Tru dress while thrifting on one of our trips. I had started really looking over the dress racks at thrift stores recently after seeing Instagram gal, jbowenandcompany using a button up dress like a kimono. It makes a piece like this so much more versatile. When I decided to do this series on olive pieces, I knew this dress as a duster would be a perfect topper for a fun workwear look.

Once again, my olive Gloria Vanderbilt skinny pants are the focal piece. This time I paired them with another neutral, black. My black v-neck polo is a sleeveless piece that I found thrifting a few weeks ago. Black and olive has always been a classic combination. Throwing the dark floral piece over the top really makes the outfit pop.

You’ve seen these Clark peep toe shoeties on the blog before. They are great shoes, I just really have no place to wear them right now. I know many bloggers and Instagram babes who post outfits they are actually wearing, but some of us have a more laid back approach. I would wear these and this whole outfit if I had an office job, but right now I don’t. Still, it is fun to have choices, and to be able to show you all a few of my fun wardrobe pieces, even if I don’t wear them as often.

I thought adding the light blue bag would pull out the light blue in the duster and with the dark florals it still gives the outfit a summer feel. You could have done the same thing with the light pink, yellow, or white. For the same reason I went with the light blue pendant. Just that little extra pop of color adds more interest to the outfit.

What do you think of this outfit? Have you ever worn a button up dress as a duster or kimono? It is a great way to extend the use of your dresses. If you are like me, you don’t have too many excuses to wear a dress. I know some ladies wear them all the time, and if my legs were less blemished by veins, I probably would too, but using a dress in this way still gives me an excuse to get more dressed up.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I am going to include a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend. I will not be posting next week once again, as I am going to spend the week with my mom while my brother and his family are out of town. I’ll be back the following week. Until then, take care.

Oh, Olive! Casual Look

It is old news that olive is the new neutral, but that doesn’t mean everyone knows how to wear it. Olive is not everyone’s perfect color, although, you know me. I think everyone can wear every color, if you find the right shade. Olive is not olive, is not olive. In other words, there are varying shades of olive, just as there are varying shades of red, yellow and every other color. Olives can vary from yellowy browns to almost gray. My husband has numerous types of camo for various types of hunting, but almost all of them have olive in common. However, they are not the exact same shade of green. Knowing this, I decided that a few posts on how to wear olive, might be a good idea for this middle of the summer time. Do you feel like summer is zipping by faster than the Eurostar train running from Britain to France? Before you know it, it will be time for the Autumn/Winter Pantone series.

If you follow my Instagram account, you know that I styled this look over there, minus the vest on Monday. We started a style challenge this week called #stretchyourstyle . Using things we already have in our closet we come up with outfits to go along with the daily or weekly theme. We are doing colors this time and yesterday’s was olive and orange. That was all I needed to inspire me for what I wanted to do next on the blog.

You’ve seen these Gloria Vanderbilt skinny pants on the blog before. They were a Kohl’s purchase from a few years ago. These are a work horse in my closet and the fact that they are olive was the frosting on the cupcake of fashion. They have a good amount of stretch, but don’t loose their shape. They are casual, but can also be dressed up, which I will show you on Thursday and they make a great neutral color. You can see them styled with a floral bomber jacket, a lightweight graphic sweater, an olive vest and top, a snakeskin jacket, a floral dress, and peachy print top. If you click on the links they will take you to the original posts.

Let’s talk for a minute about what makes a color neutral. The best way to describe it is a color that can go with all other colors. Colors like black, navy, tan, and white have long been considered neutrals. More recently olive has become a favorite neutral, able to be combined, not only with the other neutral colors, but with colors that vary from light to bright and everything in between. I honestly cannot think of a color that I would not pair well with olive.

My thrifted pineapple top is Elle brand. To go along with that I put on a gold belt and did the front tuck, so the belt is visible. I also added a simple gold necklace.

The open weave knit vest was a thrift find on our anniversary trip. It is Jordache brand. I just love the pretty detailing on this boho piece.

For Mother’s Day my husband gave me a gift card for Nordstrom. I only shop there occasionally, as their prices are a little higher than what I usually feel comfortable spending. However, Nordstrom Rack is a better option as prices are slightly less, and the gift card works for either. I got online and started looking at clearance and sale items, and came across these Sperry olive colored sneakers. I knew they were going in my cart. I have been looking for a pair of olive colored shoes for the warmer weather and these are perfect. They are comfy too, so that is a plus.

You’ve seen this pale green tote on the blog before as well. This is from Charming Charlie. I love the metal stud detailing along the sides and the contrasting green hues.

Do you have an olive pair of pants? Do you consider olive a neutral? How do you like to wear your olive? I will be showing you a work wear look on Thursday, so be sure to check back for that.

I am including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links and are brought to you at no cost. If you click on a link, I get a few cents and those cents do add up after a while, which I really appreciate.

For more outfit fun, be sure to check out my Instagram, where I post almost daily with my typical every day looks.

Have a great day!

Layering Light - Lifting our Winter Blues with Color

This is the second installment in my Layering Light series. This is not about layering light weight layers, but about layering up with light colors; colors that will help lift your mood in the deep, dark, doldrums of winter. Last week I showed you an outfit with light wash jeans, light neutral layers and a scarf that brought a bright pop of sunshine yellow. This week I reached for a floral dress and a light colored jacket to lighten up the blue mood.

Even though this floral dress might be considered more of a winter floral due to the dark back ground, it still has an uplifting feel, making me think of summer time when the roses are in full bloom. You can see how I styled this Wilde brand bell sleeve top with fishnet stockings and combat boots here.

Versatility in a clothing piece is a prerequisite for purchasing it in my opinion. I have a ton of clothes, but only a certain percent of them get worn repeatedly. Even if it is only to show you on a blog post, you can see the value of a piece in how often and how uniquely it can be styled. Truth be told, I have not yet worn this dress for an actual real day of wear, but seeing it here, I am thinking ahead to summer and wearing it with rolled up jeans and either oxfords or tennies for a fun warm weather look.

I opted for my skinny olive cargo pants, since it is cold and I don’t have any good sweater weight tights right now. Leggings would work as well, but these Gloria Vanderbilt pants are a good medium weight and have lots of stretch for maximum comfort.

My tweed moto jacket is from H&M clearance last season. It hasn’t gotten a ton of wear, but I really love how it looks with this dress. You can also see how I styled this pieces in my Pantone series from Fall 2018.

There are several things that drew me to this piece. The first was the color. I have numerous moto jackets, but until recently I only had darker colors. With this creamy color, I have different options for putting together an outfit like this. In addition to the color, I was draw to the tweedy texture and the frayed hems on the bottom and sleeves.

For my jewelry I chose two simple rose gold pieces. The bracelet was a gift from The Happiness Boutique and I featured them on this post here.

This cream colored bag was another thrift find as were the shearling knee high boots. The bag is Stone Mountain brand. The boots are Unisa brand. DSW and other retailers carry this brand. I love the details on these boots. The three inch wedge heel is a bit of a challenge to walk in for me, but these would be great “sitting” boots, because they look so good. Ha, ha.

I was being photo bombed by my cute grand puppies, so of course I had to include a few of those pics.

They didn’t like that they had to stay in the fence at my daughter’s house, but Titan, the white Pity mix, would have disappeared in a grand squirrel chase adventure if he was let out. Beatrice, brown Mastiff mix probably would have stayed by us, but would have barked at every car that went by.

What do you think of this outfit? What pieces do you have in your closet that will lighten up your dreary winter days? What’s keeping you from getting them out and putting together something new and different that you had never thought to put together?

I’m including a few shopping links. While the pieces I am wearing are thrifted and from clearance racks, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t similar pieces out there. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Photo bombers: White Pity mix - Titan Oliver Trumbull, Brown Mastiff mix - Beatrice Potter Trumbull, Follow their adventures on Instagram - sitstaybea