Awesome Accessories - Arm Candy

This month's focus in my Awesome Accessories column is on bracelets, or what I like to call arm candy. I love to wear jewelry of all sorts. I do not have pierced ears and due to problems with wearing certain types of metals I can't wear clip ons either as they bother my ears. So many times, I will wear a necklace and bracelets. There are so many types, styles and colors of bracelets that if you are not typically a bracelet wearer just follow along and maybe by the end of this post you will be.

I thought I would arrange this post, by categories or types of bracelets. Bracelets seem to come in a variety of styles and are made out of every material imaginable from gold and silver, to plastic and fabric. Bracelets can be stiff and rigid or flexible and stretchy. As with anything fashion related, trying on different styles can help you decide what you like to wear best. 

1. The Tennis Bracelet 

The tennis bracelet is made up of a single row of small diamonds or gemstones. It originally got its name in 1987 during the U.S. Open. During a match, tennis star, Chris Evert asked the officials to stop the game because she had lost her diamond bracelet on the court. She was allowed time to search and ever since bracelets of this type are called tennis bracelets.

I do not own a real tennis bracelet, but here are a few choices:

2. The Simple Chain Bracelet

I am calling these simple chain because they are a single strand with some sort of clasp. Most of mine have a claw clasp that hooks into a link on the opposite end of the chain. These can be gold, silver or some variation of mixed non precious metals.

As you can see, these come in various styles. The thing I like about these is their simplicity. I'll often where one or two of these by themselves or pair them with a bangle in the same color. 

The only complaint I have about these is that it is hard to get them clasped by your self. Some clasps are easier to maneuver with one hand than others, so if you are trying these on at a store be sure to try the clasp. Another good reason to always try bracelets on, is that not everyone has the same size wrists. Better to try an item on and be sure it fits, than to purchase it, get it home and find out it doesn't.

3. Bangles

Bangles are simple bracelets made from metal, wood, plastic or other more rigid materials. These bracelets are typically without a clasp and just slip on or off over the hand to the wrist. 

4. Hinged Bangles

In addition to the regular bangles there are bracelets called hinged bangles. These are easier to put on and take off because one side of it has a hinge. When closed the bracelet looks like any other bangle. Hinged bangles come in a wide variety of styles, metals and colors.

5. Wrap Bracelets

Another type of bracelet that offers a different look and a different way to put on is the wrap bracelet. I have two types of these. The first is formed by putting beads on a wound metal wire. The wire has some amount of flexibility while still maintaining its original shape.

The second type is made from various materials. It winds around your wrist then clasps with a magnet type clasp.

That is all I have time for in this post, but I will do another post in the future on more arm candy.

Have a great weekend!

Awesome Accessories - A Spring Bag

I love purses, just like many of you love shoes or jewelry. I love it all, really! I just have to try to curb my buying for two reasons. I don't have that much money and I don't have that much room. It is a good thing that I live in a small house and that our income is not that of a Hollywood star or NFL player. Ha, ha. 

A fun purse can make an outfit even more interesting. Last summer I did a whole post on styling an outfit around a bag. The idea was inspired by Janeane of Designing From my Closet. You can see my original post here and her original post here. The thought is, if we can plan an outfit around a jacket, a pair of shoes or a scarf, why not plan an outfit around a bag. There are so many colorful, interesting bags out there, so why not make one the focal point of your outfit. 

I would first like to show you the bag, then I'll show you the whole outfit. 

Of all the places to find a bag, I got this cute little clutch on a Barnes and Nobel Bookstore clearance table. In all honesty I think it is supposed to be a case for writing instruments and other school type supplies, although B & N also sells Vera Bradley bags and wallets, so I guess this could have been an actual clutch. My thought is, there is plenty of room for a phone, wallet and a few other necessary items, so it makes a perfect spring bag. It even has a wristlet handle in case you need your hands free. Here is a look at the pretty pink lining.

Obviously, there are plenty of colors to chose from to plan an outfit. I decided to use the green in keeping with the Greenery color from Pantone and add my favorite color purple. 

I took these on Sunday, which was a beautiful day, but the wind was blowing, so my dress got a bit billowy. This is a maxi dress that I have styled before, in my Denim Days series last summer. The top and half of the skirt are lined. The sweater is a simple cardigan and the purple sash which matches perfectly was something I kept from one of my daughter's old pj's or bathrobes. 

Sorry that my toes aren't painted yet! I thought these sandals were the perfect foot wear for this type of outfit. Plus they have a purple tinge to them!

Here you can see the top of the dress without the sweater. I do have to wear a strapless bra with this one, although these days you could wear a natural colored bra with straps and no one would think twice. Or wear a bright colored bra and you'll be trending. I prefer the old fashioned no-bra strap look. 

For my jewelry I threw on this three layered gold necklace with beads that border on purple. The three layers all connect in the back. It is an easy way to provide visual interest to an outfit and with all three strands connecting in the back you don't have to worry about each individual one sliding out of place. 

Here is a quick close up of the sandals. These are your basic thongs, but I slip into them, then zip them up the back. Part of what drew me to them was the bling!

I hope this inspires you to think about that fun bag that is in your closet. You know the one. You loved the colors and how it looked, but now you don't know what to do with it. Plan your outfit around it. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.

Have a blessed Easter!

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style.  Friday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style, Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, JoLynne Shane in the Fashion Friday link up, and Laurie of Vanity and Me. Saturday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. 

Awesome Accessories - Over the Knee Boots

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope today is a good one for you. Once again I am trying my hand at my own photos, so bear with me. One of these days I will be better, I promise. As with anything hobby related, we don't often just sit down and start doing something perfectly. We have to practice, learn, try and then learn some more and try again. 

One thing I have learned in my almost one full year of blogging is that there is always room for growth and change. I never used to think I would want a pair of over the knee boots. When I put these on and went outside to take pictures I suddenly realized why so many people have these. They are cute and they are warm. Just having that little extra length covering my leg really helped to warm things up.

When I got dressed today, I wasn't even really thinking about this post. when It hit me, I needed to do some pictures, I thought I had better put something on that was somewhat photo worthy. I decided on a white button up which has a print of blue bicycles that have a tiny red seat, thus the red cardigan. These skinny jeans are one of my favorites, although they do give me muffin top....ha, ha. Due to that anomaly, I had to try to stand up straighter. 

I actually bought these boots before Christmas with the idea that my husband could give them to me as a gift. Ha, ha. Anyone else do that? I had a coupon for DSW. As usual I went straight back to the clearance section of the store and found these! Not only were they marked down, but they were an addition percent off, plus I had the coupon. Win!!

I like the color, as I didn't have a tall pair of gray boots. I like that they are a little wider, so no tugging and pulling to get them on and the full zipper up the back makes them very easy to get into. There is a short little wedge inside the boot giving me an extra lift. 

To add some texture and bling, I added this multi layered necklace, which incorporates ivory, gray and blush beads. 

Here you can see a little more detail on the white button up. It's an Old Navy shirt that I found at a thrift store. I like the whimsical little bicycles and can wear this all year round. 

Now that I own a pair of over the knee boots, I would highly recommend them. especially if you live in an area that is cold five or six months out of the year. I am looking forward to styling these in more ways, say with a shorter skirt.

Tell me what you think of over the knee boots. Do you have a pair? Would you wear these? What is your favorite boot height? I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Thanks for stopping by the blog. If you haven't subscribed you can get emails from me when there are new posts. Just fill in your name and email in the subscribe slot. I only send out emails once or twice a week to try not to overload your inbox. I'd love to have you on board. And for those of you that already subscribe, thank you! Your support, thoughts and comments mean a lot. 

Have a great weekend. 

Shop over the knee boots:

Bare Traps - $79.95

Journee - $59.95

Unisa Saranaa - $79.95

Awesome Accessories - The Sheer Drape

A question came to my mind when I decided to do this monthly column; what exactly is an accessory anyway? Is it only belts, jewelry, shoes, bags and hats? Can an item of clothing actually be an accessory? According to Webster's online dictionary the simple definition of accessory is: something added to something else to make it more useful, attractive or effective. 

“an object or device not essential in itself but adding to the beauty, convenience, or effectiveness of something else ”

— Webster's (Number 2 of full definition)

If that is the case, then anything you add to an outfit that makes it more attractive, convenient or effective (as in speaking the language of clothing) would qualify as an accessory. For this weeks accessory I decided to feature the sheer drape.

You saw this drape in last week's Piece Perfect column featuring the pleated skirt, see that here. While this is a clothing item, it is not something that I would ever wear by itself. I know in our world today women do wear sheer shirts and blouses with just their bras underneath, but as a Christian and a woman who values modesty I don't feel that it is necessary. Yes this would be lovely with a lacy bra and panties in a candlelit room with the hubby, but not out for lunch with the girls or on a date with the spouse to a show. So, for me, I feel this drape is more of an accessory. It adds dimension and flowy layers to an outfit.

For this post I am going to show you four ways that this gray sheer drape can be worn. 

Belted open with a wide ribbon:

Belted closed with a wide belt:

Tied higher - waist level:

Tied lower - closer to hip level:

This is a particular type of drape. It is longer in the front than the back, so easy to tie. Not all drapes will be this cut, thus your options for styling them will be different. However, the drape is a great accessory to dress up any outfit. I could see this over a sleeveless dress, paired with some skinny jeans and tall strappy heels, or over a turtleneck sweater for a winter outfit with added dimension.

Here are the four looks together:

Now that I've tried this various ways, I am excited to style this as an accessory for other outfits. Hope you enjoyed this post on my Awesome Accessories column. Let me know what you think of this sheer drape. Would you wear one and how would you style it?

Until next time! Have a great weekend.