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!

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.