Chasing Away the Winter Blues - Week 5

This is the final installment in my Chasing Away the Winter Blues Series. With the month of February starting tomorrow, it will be time to think about love and romance. Today, however, I wanted to share what I call the comfort outfit. 

Let's face it, we all have a day or days where we just can't work up the gumption to get dressed up. Maybe you are home sick from work or maybe the winter blues have just beaten you down enough that you need a day of rest and complete comfort.

I found this comfy sweatsuit when I was shopping a friend's closet. I would have never picked it up except that it has bling on it! I'll get to that in a minute. I normally do not wear sweatsuits. I like to dress up, even if it is just jeans and a sweater or nicer sweat shirt, but this little number is perfect when I want to just stay home and be extra warm and comfortable. 

In keeping with my love of this berry color I decided to wear a striped 3/4 length tee and added my berry colored Puma sneakers. The sneakers are thrifted and the tee was from Christopher and Banks. 

Here you can see my sneakers, but you can also see the line of faux rhinestones along the outside leg of the pants. 

The tee also has a line of bling along the neck and I opted for my lovely cross necklace hubby gave me for Christmas and the ring he gave me as well. 

The next few shots are just me being silly.

And of course I had to channel Rocky Balboa!

So maybe I am trying to beat away the winter blues. Ha, ha.

I hope you enjoyed this series on chasing away the winter blues. Join me on Thursday for the Piece Perfect column for February. Be sure to come back next Tuesday for a new series titled Romance is in the Air.

Have a great day.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Shopping Options:

Black sweatsuit - Zulily - $16.49

Maroon striped tee - Target - $8.40

Maroon sneakers - Macy's - $59.98

Saturday linking up with Rena of  It's All Fine. Whatever Tickles the Fancy. Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish and Shelbee in the Spread the Kindness link up. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. 

Color Crash Course - Brown and Navy

It's time for another Color Crash Course column. You have seen me style denim with denim, orange with red, Halloween colors including black, orange and purple, red and burgundy and the Christmas colors of red, green and gold. This month's color combo is not as bold as some of the other choices, but it is what I would call comfortable.

For this outfit I wore my brown mid-calf boots with navy blue jeggings. I chose a vertical striped sweater tunic as my top. For added warmth and interest I topped the sweater with my cropped denim jacket...sneak peek...this jacket will be featured on my Piece Perfect column next week. To add a little print mixing I threw on a fun blue and brown infinity scarf.

I got this blue bag from my younger daughter for Christmas. I just love the color and the texture. It has an edgy vibe, and can be used with the strap or as a clutch.

Here you can see more of the fun texture of the sweater. 

For a pop of bling I put on my gold pendant necklace. 

Just a closer look at the boots. 

A view from the back. There was a time, I would have never had my top hanging out below my jacket, or sweater, or vest, or whatever, but now I love to do this. It adds an element of interest to the outfit and allows you to show off a piece even if there is something over the top. This is especially fun if you have something like this with a unique texture or print. It also allows you to show off the color.

I hope you enjoyed this Color Crash Course today. Would you combine brown and navy? How would you wear it? I'd love to see your comments below. If my post inspired you to put together an outfit post a picture of it on my FB page in the comments section. I'd love to see them.

Have a great weekend. 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Shopping Options:

Navy jeggings - Old Navy - $25.00

Brown tunic sweater - Venus - $26.00 (Not familiar with this brand, but this has some great detailing)

Cropped denim jacket - Macy's - $69.00

Mid-calf boots - Walmart - $43.99

Blue clutch - Charming Charlie - $16.99

Chasing Away the Winter Blues - Week 4

In this series I have been sharing with you, some of the ways I try to beat the winter blues. January, February and even into March can be a long, cold and dark time for many people. As a fashion blogger, I wanted to come up with a few outfit ideas that might help to lift our spirits. I also posted about getting out for a day, just to have some fun and a change of scenery. This week, I thought, why not create an outfit using a summer item. 

The focus behind picking a summer piece to wear in the winter, is to see and handle and remember a warmer, lovelier time when you might have worn the piece and to wrap yourself in that memory, to help you get through the long winter days.

This maxi is actually a dress. I threw a crew neck pullover sweater over the top, to give me a layer of warmth.

My daughter kindly pointed out, that next time, I may want to use a dress that didn't have a horizontal line right around the hips and butt. She's right! Now that I have that out of the way, I do like the color of this dress. Since it is more of a fair weather palette I decided to add a touch of maroon, to bring us back to the reality that it is still January.

I also added a black jacket that has tiny white polka dots on it. You can better see the dots on the jacket below. I didn't even realize until we were taking pictures that the black flowers on the dress also have tiny white polka dots on them. Go figure! 

I really like the maroon color with this outfit. 

Due to the thin fabric of the dress, I decided to wear a pair of black leggings underneath. I also wore my black ankle boots. It is still winter after all, even if we don't have snow. 

I'm wondering if you have a summer maxi dress in your closet. Would you style it for winter? How would you add layers of warmth to that summer clothing piece to make it wearable in the colder weather? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. 

If you haven't already subscribed to my blog and would like to receive weekly emails when I post new things, just go to the subscribe box and click.

Check back on Thursday to see what colors I am combining in my Color Crash Course column. Have a great day.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, and Shelbee in the Spread the Kindness link up. Wednesday linking up with The Perfect Storm. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style, JoLynne Shane in the Fashion Friday Link Up, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. 

Beautiful Blogger Bests - Outfit for a Special Night Out

If you have not been introduced to Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, then I hope you will click on over to her site and see what a beautiful lady she is. Another red head, her sweet and gentle spirit touches all who come into contact with her, whether in person or over the internet. Jess was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome nine years ago. An illness that affects the muscles and joints, Jess hasn't let this stop her from being a very active and popular fashion blogger.  You can see more about EDS on Jess' About Me page on her blog. 

One of the many posts that Jess has inspired me with, was this one from just before Christmas, called Rockport - What to Wear to a Holiday Show. You can see her full post by clicking on the link. While Jess was doing the post for the Rockport shoe company, I just loved the look of her outfit and thought it could be incorporated for any dress up occasion, such as a concert, theater or other function. The following post is my take on the inspiration Jess provided from her post.

While Jess wore a beautiful strapless black dress, I opted for a slightly less formal look by wearing this navy dress that I got from Christopher and Banks. It is a heavy weight polyester knit that hangs perfectly. The area on the bodice has a sort of criss-crossed ruching and a v-neck. 

I opted for a black pair of loafer heels that have some fun buckles and stitching on the top of the toe. Dressy, but casual.

The dress having short sleeves also prompted me, like Jess, to add a jacket over top. The berry color of this velvet piece pairs beautifully with the navy dress. You can see how I styled this jacket in these other posts here and here. 

This is a fun little jacket with its 3/4 length sleeves, the velvet covered buttons and the ruching on the pockets. I am finding it a great blazer for dressing up or down. Here you can also see the statement necklace I added. Jess added a lovely necklace that adorned her neck with just the right amount of delicacy and bling. I tried to do a similar thing with this necklace I found a few years ago on the clearance rack at H&M.

For my finishing touches I added a few silver bracelets and carried a black blingy clutch, which I have featured with other outfits. 

I love the way this outfit turned out. The sleek fabric of the dress and the jacket are a perfect back drop for the texture and bling of the statement necklace, sparkly clutch and buckled loafer heels. 

Please follow the link to Jess' site and give her some love. She has inspired me in so many ways and I know she will inspire you too. Let me know what you think of this outfit in the comments section below. Do you like to go to the theater and see live shows or are you more of a stay at home and cuddle on the couch kind of person? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Shop the Look:

Navy Dress - Kohl's - $89.99

Berry jacket - Make Me Chic - $37.00

Black loafer heels - Nordstrom - $114.95

Black clutch - Target - $29.99

Statement necklace - Charming Charlie - $24.00

Chasing Away the Winter Blues - Week 3

I have been talking about chasing away the winter blues this month. January can be a long, cold and typically overcast month here in the mid west. As I discussed the last few weeks, wearing bright colors and getting out to do something fun can be two "blues" chasers. This week I wanted to take another look at color, but approach it from a more spiritual aspect.

For those of you who follow my Faith page on the blog, you know that I am a Christ follower and what some would term a Bible thumper, not to be confused with Thumper, the rabbit from Bambi fame. I am a supporter of intelligent design, believing that an almighty God crafted us and the world we live on, from nothingness. This being said, I am not here to preach at you or convert you to my way of thinking, but to share with you a fashion idea that makes perfect sense to me. 

Think about the colors in nature. Green grass, red cardinals, purple flowers, yellow sun and blue skies. Since these things were put into place by an intelligent creator for our benefit and pleasure wouldn't it also make sense that color and how we wear it can affect our mood and outlook, as well as affect how other people perceive us.

For this outfit, I was dreaming of blues skies, blue seas and gentle warm breezes. 

Cobalt blue is really in right now, so when I spied these ankle pants in my dresser I joyfully pulled them out! That made me remember my cobalt suede heels. I wore these in this Denim Days post from back in the summer. In keeping with the blue theme, I lightened up the sweater and scarf near my face.

My younger daughter gave me this pretty scarf for Christmas. The button up cardigan was from Kohl's last year. The three strand gold and bling necklace was thrifted.

To add a bit more interest to the outfit, I added the snakeskin clutch. I think it adds a fun contrast to the "same color" theme of the outfit. 

I hope you enjoyed this post on another way to chase away those winter blues. What is your favorite color out in nature? Have you ever tried to incorporate that color into an outfit? How did it make you feel? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below or leave me a comment on my Facebook page. 

Thanks for following along. Check back on Thursday to see who my Beautiful Blogger is for this month.

Have a great day.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen. 

Shopping Options:

Cobalt ankle pants - JCPenney - $48.00

Cobalt heels - DSW - $39.95

Light blue sweater - Lord & Taylor - $59.95 (cashmere on clearance!)

Light blue scarf - Target - $14.99

Snakeskin bag - Charming Charlie - $22.00

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style,  Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and Carrie of Curly Crafty Mom. Friday linking up with JoLynne in the Fashion Friday Link Up, Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, and Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style.

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

Chasing Away the Winter Blues - Week 2

My little series this month centers around styles and ways to chase away the winter blues that often accompany long weeks of cold and gray skies. For those of us who suffer with Season Affective Disorder, anything to give us a bit of a lift is well received. Last week I talked about wearing bright colors. You can see that post here. Wearing bright colors, not only gives us a lift because it makes us look light and cheery, but it reflects light into our faces and light is one of the essential things missing in these winter months. 

Another thing I like to do when I am feeling blue is force myself to get out of the house and do something different. Saturday was my 53rd birthday. My two daughters Rebecca and Rachel decided to plan a day out with me. 

We started our day, getting our make up done by my younger daughter Rachel, who is a make up artist. You can see her Instagram page here. 

The first pic is me getting made up and the second is my eldest. And yes I was taking the pictures with her fancier-than-mine, camera! Rachel was already done before we got there. While Rebecca was being done, I took a picture of another cutie. 

Rebecca added a few other cutie pictures of Rachel's pets.

Here are the three of us read to shop!

We went up to Ann Arbor, MI which is less than an hour away. Since it was lunch time when we got there we went to a famous Ann Arbor eatery/deli called Zingerman's. 

When you first walk in you see a typical deli with glass cases full of a wide variety of meats and cheeses. We didn't stop for a look, but continued further into a maze of walls, doorways, signs and displays, to the ordering station for lunch. The menu was on the walls up close to the ceiling and held every possible configuration of beef, pork, turkey, chicken, fish and so on. A bit on the pricey side we ordered the small size of our sandwiches and we were glad we did. 

Rebecca ordered the chicken while Rachel and I got turkey. It was amazing. It was all we could do to open our mouths wide enough to take a bite. The bread was grilled and crispy and the toppings varied from avocado and tomatoes to pesto and peppers. We certainly did not need the large size. Ha, ha.

After lunch we headed to Arborland Center, a strip mall that houses stores like DSW, Marshall's, Maurice's and Ulta. Recently I won $100 in gift cards from Jodie on Jodie's Touch of Style, for Nordstrom. Seeing as we do not have a Nordstrom in our town and the fact that I like to try things on, especially at a store I have never shopped at before, the girls did the online research and found a Nordstrom Rack at Arborland Cener. 

I did find a few nice things at Nordstrom Rack, which I plan on featuring in a later post. Rebecca even found a nice, warm winter coat to replace her old one and Rachel found some make up and a jacket for her son. Success!

After Nordstrom we ran across the street to a thrift store. My girls learned their love of thrifting from me. They both are trying to keep a budget and being able to get clothing at thrift stores really helps. Rachel found a cute stained glass lamp for $10 and I found a velvet, knee length jacket from J.Jill for only $6. 

Since we still had a few minutes before we had to head south to meet the men for dinner we stopped at Maurice's. I had never been in this shop and it was cute. The clothing seems to span generations which I like. There were things my daughters would wear and things I would wear and the prices weren't too bad either. Click here to check out their online site; Maurices.

This was one of the cute dressing rooms at the store. The clerks actually write your name on the door. Rachel got two pairs of pants for work. Rebecca and I didn't buy anything, not because we didn't want to. I will definitely be visiting this store again, either in person or on line. 

I had Rebecca snap a few more pics after we got back so you could see my outfit for the day.

The outfit consisted of black knee high boots, dark wash skinny jeans, charcoal gray cowl neck top, maroon fly away cardi and a retro styled fringe necklace.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me and my girls on my birthday, chase away the blues, excursion. I had a good time with my daughters. And that night for dinner we met my husband, son-in-law and grandson at a favorite Italian restaurant for dinner. 

Thanks for visiting the blog and be sure to leave some love in the comments section below, or follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. 

Check back on Thursday when I will reveal an Awesome Accessory that I got for Christmas. Have a great day.

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Nancy's Fashion Style. 

Piece Perfect - The Outerwear Vest

I love a good vest. They can add interest and color to an outfit without too much thought. During the winter they can also add an extra layer of warmth without making me look like the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the original Ghost Busters movie. 

Today I am styling an outerwear vest with a detachable faux fur collar. While some wear the outerwear vest as a replacement for a jacket, I will actually wear something like this to work. Our office is a bit drafty and having an extra layer that can be on or off is very helpful.

For this post, I threw the vest over an olive long sleeve tee that has a rose gold sheen to it. I got this tee from my mom for Christmas.

Here is a side view to show you more detail on the vest. The vest has a full zipper, a fairly deep zipper pocket on each side and is lined. It is not down filled, but rather has something like a polyester fiber fill. While it is not as warm as a true down vest would be it definitely adds a solid layer of warmth to my core. 

Here is a view of the back. The diagonal lines and the more fitted cut of the vest make it appear more figure flattering. 

To keep the look run around casual, I wore my jeans from Christopher and Banks, an olive military style belt and black suede oxfords. I did a front tuck on the long sleeve tee, put on a necklace I got from my daughter for Christmas and carried a snakeskin clutch that has a short silver chain so it can be worn over the shoulder.

I actually picked out this gold chain with cranberry colored wood beads at Charming Charlie when my daughter and I were out birthday shopping for her back in November. I love the combination of gold and cranberry and have gotten more interested in wood jewelry since following Janeane of Designing From My Closet. Check out any one of many of her posts and you will see her love for unique wood and other earth materials jewelry.

Snakeskin seems to slither its way into many fashionable forms and this cute clutch I found thrifting had to be added to my collection.

Here you can see a close up of the fur collar.

The collar simply buttons on and off.

Here it is without the fur.

One more look at the whole outfit.

How many of you wear vests? Do you have a heavier one like this that you wear out instead of a jacket, or do you wear it to keep you warm inside and add interest to an outfit? Let me know in the comments section below.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Check back on the blog next week for another idea on how to chase away the winter blues with what you wear. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. I appreciate all your support. 

Shopping for a Vest:

Nordstrom Rack - $34.97

Macy's - $66.99

JC Penney - $39.99

Chasing Away the Winter Blues - Week 1

January can be a difficult month for many people. The days following the busyness of the holidays can be cold, dark and conducive to illness, depression and fear. How do I know this? Because I am a sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Probably more of us suffer from it than even realize. With the lack of sunshine during the shorter days of winter, especially in the north we can become reclusive, emotional and even fearful. I have already experienced that descent into darkness this year and I still find myself asking, "Why am I feeling this way?" However, now that I am aware of the issue, and have been for several years now, I can reassure myself, "This too, shall pass!"

There are numerous things that I, or you can do if you suffer with mild SAD syndrome. If your case is really severe you may need to see your practitioner who might prescribe light therapy or mild anti-depressants. I need to get my light out and put it to use! I find there are other things that help me through these gray days. Exercise is very important, if you can get out of bed! Eating well is also a plus, if you can pull yourself away from the carbs that your body craves during this syndrome. Another thing that I try to do is up the color factor in the outfits I pick our for each day. Thus, the outfit for today's post!

Once again I am taking my own pictures, so the quality is not great. Thank you for bearing with me as I continue to learn about taking my own photos. One of the issues I noticed is that when I try to focus my camera, I am not standing there to be the focal point for the lens. A good friend suggested I get a card board cut out of someone like Johnny Depp and have it be my stand in. Ha, ha. 

As you can see I opted for light pink. The bright color, not only reflects light up into my face, but makes me feel like spring might not be too far away. Seeing as it is winter, I layered a lighter pink long sleeve tee underneath and added an orange marled sweater vest over top. 

I added a multicolored scarf to add interest and texture to the outfit. The scarf with its orange and pink floral pattern drew together the pink of the blouse and the orange of the sweater.

I also had this silver and bead necklace that coordinated with the yellow green in the scarf.

I decided on a pair of dark brown jeans. I like the way these colors compliment each other. The dark brown still keeps me connected to the winter season, but the bright colors on top lighten up my whole visage. 

Because my pants are a little bit short I opted for dark brown ankle boots to elongate the leg and keep the eye from noticing the shortness of the pants. 

The thing I like about this pair of shoes is the elastic inserts on the back of the ankle. It makes getting into the shoes easy and it also avoids that cutting feeling that some stiff leather or non leather ankle boots can give.

To keep the colors bright I decided on my Lush Meadow colored bag. You can see it has a few defects like a missing rivet and a little wear on the bottom. But overall it is a lovely bag and makes a statement all on its own.

Next week I will share another idea for chasing away the winter blues. I hope you enjoyed today's post. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Check back on Thursday for this month's perfect piece.

Have a great day.

Due to time constraints I am not including any shopping options in this post. If you ever have any questions as to where you can find a particular item, please leave me a comment in the comments section below and I will do my best to find something similar and let you know where to find it. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style and JoLynne Shane in the Fashion Friday link up.