Having Fun with Layers - Summer Dress in Winter

The beauty of layering is that it allows you to wear many of your wardrobe pieces over multiple seasons. In fact, when you layer you can wear any lighter weight spring or summer pieces all year long. For people like me, who have way too many clothes for every season, I don’t really have to worry about wearing summer skirts in the winter, but there is an element of desire here. Once we get into the month of March, all of us are over winter and want to pull out our light weight pieces and at least look like spring has sprung.

Today, I am going to show you how to layer an outfit with a summer dress that makes it perfectly wearable during a polar vortex. It is most likely you won’t be going anywhere anyway, but why not look springy and bright in your own home for a needed change of pace. You could turn the heat up to 80 F, or you could just add a few layers.

I am also trying to add a few tips to my blog posts when applicable that help you in the how to’s of outfit building. These will be highlighted in bold text.

My daughter was getting rid of this LuLaRoe swing dress with a high-low hem and I just fell in love with the colors, so I grabbed it. In the picture below, you can see it without the belt, but I wanted to have more of an hour glass silhouette so I added the wide black stretchy belt.

Once again, I used my black knit tights and my black tank top as my under layers. I simply use what I have available, but every woman is different. You might prefer more silky fabrics agains your skin and choose pretty cami’s and slips for your foundational under layers. Or you might prefer a set of heat keeping thermal (or something like Under Armor) underwear. Whatever you use, if you live in a climate that gets cold, snow and ice in the winter you know how essential layering is.

Layering Tip: Use multiple light weight layers to alleviate bulk.

For this look I also chose to add a button down blouse under the dress. This thrifted chambray printed top is Old Navy brand and I thought the colors in it went well with the colors in the dress. I get a bit of print mixing as well.

Print Mixing Tip: Choose patterns that have at least one or two similar colors.

For this first look, I added a bright blue bag, a Christmas gift from my younger daughter a few years ago. I like how it makes the blue in the dress really pop. It also adds that element of spring we are all longing for.

Once I added the belt, I thought I would also add a longer sweater over the top. Ladies, I live in an old, drafty house that is almost 100 years old. We have done a few things over the years to help insulate, like add loose insulation and get new windows, but without actually tearing the place down and starting over, we still live in a drafty, older home. I’m fine with that, but it does require multiple layers. I often feel silly wearing as many layers as I do, but this is life. All that to say, yes, I would wear these layers at home.

This cozy open front sweater was a Christopher and Banks purchase from a year ago. I love this medium green, marled look and I thought it went really well with the dress, even though it isn’t exactly matchy, matchy. Sometimes a little different shade of color or added texture can really add to an outfit.

Outfit Building Tip: Adding texture to your outfit will add interest, and often extra warmth.

Since the background of the dress is black, I thought black was a good choice for the belt and boots, and in this look with the sweater I added my black Aidebam bag, which I got this past Christmas from the same daughter who got me the blue bag. Both my daughters know, I love my accessories. My boots are Croft & Barrow, a few years old, from Kohl’s.

For jewelry I wore a simple bead pendant necklace with a similar color scheme and a couple of beaded bracelets, that I didn’t get a close up of.

Accessory Tip: Less is more. If wearing busy pattern all over, chose accessories that compliment rather than detract from the pattern.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like your pieces to match or do you like to think outside the box when it comes to blending colors and patterns? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments section below.

Now, for the winners of the Bloggiversary giveaway. The winners are Jessica Klimesh and April White. Congratulations, ladies! I will be contacting you soon, to arrange getting your gift card!

Have a great day everyone. Stay warm, stay safe and stay sane!

Having Fun with Layers - Dressy Valentine's Day Look - 5 Year Bloggiversary with a Giveaway

Today I am showing you a more dressed up Valentine’s Day look. Although, so many of us are choosing to not go out very often, or at all, there still is the opportunity to dress up for a date night right in your own home. Obviously, this is harder for those of you who have kids, but those of us who are empty nesters can do this a little more easily. If you are a young couple, there is no reason you can’t have a fun Valentine’s party with your littles and reserve some of your own special time once they are in bed.

Today’s outfit revolves around a beautiful blouse I recently acquired from Maurice’s clearance rack. I love everything about this blouse from the high collar, to the pattern and the flowy, sheer fabric. Just like I did for my casual outfit on Tuesday, I am wearing the same under layers consisting of the black tights and black tank top.

My long, black maxi skirt was a Meijer clearance find. It is a summer weight skirt of lighter material, but it is not sheer, so doesn’t need a slip underneath. The brand is Ava James. I like the textured pleats which gives it the look of crepe. It also has a comfortable elastic waistband and pockets.

You can see from the above picture that I drew on the gold, metallic splashes that are on the blouse for my jewelry inspiration. There is plenty going on, on the blouse, but I thought a few simple gold pieces would compliment the look just right.

I added the metallic, blush moto jacket as my over layer piece. This jacket, I’ve styled before on the blog. I got it a few years ago at Nordstrom Rack and it is a brand called Coffee Shop New York. You can see how I styled it with a camo shirt and with a Mickey Mouse tee.

In keeping with the gold jewelry and the gold flecks on the blouse, I decided to carry my small gold, clutch. This is a thrifted piece and perfect for those special occasions that require you to dress up. I don’t have very many of those any more. How about you? Do you still find occasions to dress up?

My shoes you have seen multiple times on the blog. They are Aerosoles and I got them on clearance at DSW. Again, I apologize for the dirty shoes. I didn’t realize how much cat hair is just laying around, and I have vacuumed several times since Christmas. Those darn fur balls. Ha, ha.

What did you think of this outfit? Do you like floral blouses? Do you prefer maxi skirts, midi skirts or a knee length or shorter? Are you doing anything special for Valentine’s Day? I don’t know if we are doing anything or not. As we get older, it has become less about the particular days and more about making every day special. Don’t forget about the giveaway. I’m including the rules again, below. If you haven’t entered yet, be sure you comment and subscribe.

If you want to be entered into the drawing to win either a $25 Target card, or a $25 Amazon gift card, please be sure to read the rules and enter. Entries will be taken until 12 midnight on Friday, February 12th. If you are not sure how to subscribe, just click the link at the top of home page that says, Subscribe and fill in the information. Being a subscriber does not cost you a thing. It just allows me to sent you a once a week email, to remind you there are new posts on the blog. You can either comment on today’s post, or on this past Tuesday’s post. You can also earn more entries by commenting on Facebook and Instagram. Have a fabulous Thursday!

Pantone Fall/Winter 2020 - New York Palette - Classic Blue, Ultramarine Green and Blue Depths

The Pantone Color of the Year is Classic Blue , so once again we are featuring this medium blue color in the Pantone series. Back in January I showed you this color paired with a furry bomber jacket and plaid skirt. You can also see this color with a multi-print midi dress and with a bright pink top. Classic Blue is a blue that just about anyone can wear. If you prefer not to have this pretty blue to close to your face you could carry it in a lovely bag, or wear it as a brooch pinned on your lapel. I’ll provide a few shopping links at the end with various options.

I didn’t really have anything that seemed to perfectly match the Ultramarine Green, at least not until after the fact. My button up is actually a thrifted men’s shirt; a brand called Zylos. It has very small greenish blue print with white and almost has more of an aqua feel to it. Oh well, I have long ago given up on the idea of trying to be perfect. Ha, ha. You can see a closer look at the pattern, and see my thrifted, fringe, pendant necklace. Actually, the necklace is probably a closer match to the Pantone green.

My Classic Blue pants were a thrifted piece from shopping a friend’s closet. They are Ruby Road brand and I have styled them over and over on the blog. You can see them with a light blue sweater and scarf, Beetroot purple top from last spring’s series, an olive velvet jacket, a plaid bomber jacket, and a multi-print kimono.

I also threw on a few beaded bracelets, just for fun. Sometimes wearing a scarf or jewelry isn’t so much to help with the outfit as a whole, but just to enjoy something I have. Since I rarely go any where other than the grocery store, I occasionally throw on some bracelets, just because I have them and they are pretty.

I thought this outfit would be perfect for my round Nine West snakeskin print bag. It think it adds an element of fall color to this more classic looking outfit.

My shoes are my old stand by thrifted Relativity loafer heels. If I had an office job, I would probably wear these a lot. They are a nice height for a stacked heel and fairly comfortable.

What do you think of these colors? Do you like the Classic Blue, or do you prefer the darker tones of Blue Depths? Do you like the color Ultramarine? As it is in the graphic, it seems to be more of a forest green color, which I do like. I like how these three colors worked together into an outfit that would be perfect for a day at the office or a date night with your significant other.

My life would not be complete if I didn’t leave you with a silly picture to make you smile. When I was trying to pose, I almost fell down. Ha, ha.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you’ll leave me a comment or two. Life is lonely around here, so I love to hear from my internet and long distance friends.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to peruse. These are affiliate links. That means when you click on a link I get a few pennies. All opinions are my own.

Graphic and photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Seeing Red - Layering Light - Monochrome Pink Outfit

Seeing as it is the beginning of February, I thought it would be fun to make this whole month revolve around the color red, or some derivative thereof in keeping with a Valentines theme. Today’s outfit is the last in my Layering Light series, but I felt it fit into this month’s theme, because pink is just a lighter shade of red. I remember in grade school, learning how to make pink by mixing red paint with white paint. Even though this outfit is mainly pink, just think of it as a shade a red with white mixed in.

I got these dark pink Sonoma corduroy jeans at Kohl’s this past fall. They are soft and stretchy, and the narrow wale corduroy is extra warm in the chilly winter weather.

This light pink moto jacket is a clearance buy from Christopher and Banks. Can you have too many moto jackets? Of course not! Ha, ha.

This light pink Gap turtleneck was a thrift find. I like that it is lighter weight, because that makes it easy to layer under other pieces. The ribbed neck is also soft and comfortable, with no itchiness or irritation. Different fabrics affect my skin in different ways. I cannot wear wool and usually try to stay away from fabrics that are stiff and scratchy.

You can also see in the above picture, I added a pink scarf which subtly ties in to the darker color of the pants. The coppery metallic ring necklace and the thrifted copper bag were a way to add a touch of earthy color to the outfit.

These SO block heeled blush boots were the perfect choice to finish off the outfit.

This outfit would be a great date night look to wear with your significant other for Valentine’s Day. My husband is not a huge fan of pink, so I might wear this out with friends and choose something else for the romantic holiday.

Would you wear all pink? Do you own a pair of corduroy’s? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

This month I will be having another give away since this is my bloggiversary month, so keep a look out for that.

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

Layering Light - Lifting Our Winter Blues with Color

If you have been following my blog for a while you know I have talked about Seasonal Affective Disorder before. I don’t mean to belabor a point, but I think it is good to be aware of particular issues, especially those affecting our mental health. I had a terrible day a few days ago. I felt completely flat when I got out of bed and I just couldn’t seem to get myself out of the funk. I felt depressed, crabby and completely anti-social. I started to wonder what in the world was wrong with me. A day prior, I was feeling pretty good. I was working on my writing, and I was getting a few things accomplished with my days since I becoming unemployed. I was actually enjoying the fact that, at least for a time, I didn’t have to answer to someone else. I was thrilled to be able to be creative and also be a housewife without the stress of being an employee.

As the morning wore on, I looked outside and realized what was wrong. Winters in my midwestern area are not pretty. We don’t have vast amounts of fluffy snow, blanketing the roof tops and trees. The world is not a winter wonderland, but rather a dsytopian array of browns and grays. The sky hangs lower and lower, it seems, and that steel colored ceiling weighs on me just like fathoms of water weigh on a wreck at the bottom of the ocean. And that, was exactly how I felt. I was a wreck, laying fathoms below where the sun ever shone, cold, alone and decaying.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of seasonal depression and is often accompanied by anxiety and social awkwardness. It has also been noted that sufferers have food cravings for foods high in carbohydrates and for me that includes chips and sweets, although bread is on the list too. Ha, ha. In the last two weeks I have craved chocolate cake. Maybe it had something to do with my birthday passing by, because when I was growing up, my mom always made me a chocolate cake for my special day.

There are things people can do who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. My own choice would be to move somewhere that the sun shines at least 200 days a year. Toledo only averages 180. Believe me 20 days would help. However, since resources aren’t available to move some place sunny there are relatively inexpensive lights that will help, like this one. Exercise is very helpful, even if it is just a walk out in the dismal gloom. I also give myself grace. I have had chocolate cake. Another thing that helps me is choosing to wear bright or light colors.

Obviously, what really makes this outfit pop is the bright, sunny yellow pashmina scarf. When I started putting the outfit together I had the light wash Apt. 9 ankle pants and the St. John’s Bay v-neck sweater picked out. I had a different jacket picked out, but then thought I wanted something with a color in it that I could accessorize with that would brighten up the whole look. This thrifted Marshall Fields tweed jacket has little flecks of yellow and rust in it.

The gray, Impo, wedge heeled ankle boots pulls out the dark threads of the jacket and the thrifted brown and copper bag works well with the rusty browns.

I really like the way this outfit turned out, and the way my daughter framed me against the neutral colored siding on the house. It just works so well and really shows off the idea of how texture can make a big difference, not only in our outfits, but in the world around us.

Do you struggle with the winter blues? Do you like to wear bright or light colors to help boost your mood when you are feeling down? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look at. I’ve tried to pick out items that are light and bright. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.