Family Weekend Getaway

The day after Thanksgiving we drove to Shipshewana, Indiana to meet my husband's family. All of us were able to be there and it was a lovely time of too much good food, a little bit of shopping and tons of visiting. Our daughters were both there; our eldest with her hubby and our youngest with her son. Both of my husband's parents were there in addition to his sister and her spouse along with their two boys and their families. The cousins all have so much fun together and the children of those cousins are now continuing the tradition of celebrating the holidays. There is nothing quite like the enthusiasm of a six, five and three year old!

Since Rebecca was there I had her snap a few pics one of the days so I could use them for this post. 

Many bloggers talk about a capsule wardrobe, especially when traveling. While I think it is an awesome idea, I have the same problem with clothes that I do with food. I love food! I love variety! I love different tastes and textures. When we are talking Christmas cookies, I can't just make one or two kinds and save myself the work. I have to make four or five kinds. Sugar cookies are a must, though I am not sure why only cut outs are called sugar cookies (and a few others), but don't all cookies have some amount of sugar in them? But, I digress! I can't just have a Christmas tree shaped cookie. I have to have stars and snowmen, Santas and bells. And, they can't be plain, they have to have various colored frostings and sprinkles! Maybe that is why my Grandson loves to make cookies with me!

The same is true for my clothes. I love clothes. I love the colors and the textures. I love jackets and sweaters, pants and skirts....and my husband just interjected, "And you love to wear all of it at the same time!" Ha, ha. Anyway, when I travel, I still like to have variety, but I have been experimenting with choosing a color theme when I pack. For this weekend away, I chose the colors, cream, gray and brown.

This outfit was one of the choices that I packed. Keeping in the same color theme for the weekend I only needed one pair of shoes, plus the pair I wore on the drive. I wish I would have gotten pictures of all three outfits I included in the weekend, but that didn't happen. Too much partying and little picture taking.

This thrifted gray fly away cardi is the perfect addition to many ensembles. It is light weight, so I will be able to use this through many seasons. While I didn't get a picture of it, the cardi has a band in the back which gathers the material and gives it a fitted look. I love the drape of this piece. I wore the cardi over a multi- print popover top which had an elastic band on the bottom giving the top room and comfort. I wore my off white corduroys which, I felt added a casual vibe to this holiday outfit. 

Here's a closer look at the top. I also wore a gold pendant necklace.

For shoes I wore my gray suede ankle booties. I wish I would have pulled my pant leg up higher. The boots have a cute chain on the outside of each ankle. I love the low wedge heel on these. They are the perfect boot for shopping and can be worn with a dress or skirt as well. 

Just for fun, I asked my stylin' sister-in-law Sue to take a few pics with me. 

We were having too much fun!

I thought Sue came up with a great outfit for our holiday get together. Her tunic sweater set shimmered with gold threads and the mix of skinny jeans and cowboy type boots kept the outfit casual, but festive.

I love how Sue kept her accessories minimal. The simple bead dangles on the necklace pull together the creams, browns and golds in her outfit. Isn't she beautiful? She's also has a beautiful heart! I am very blessed to have her for a sister-in-law.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my world. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. I appreciate all your support and input. Don't forget to check out my Instagram page and Pinterest as well. 

Have a great Tuesday.

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Thursday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style, Nicole of High Latitude Style, JoLynne Shane in the Fashion Friday Link Up, Jennie of A Pocketful of Polkadots.

Color Crash Course - Red and Burgundy - A Thanksgiving Outfit

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This morning as I type this post, I am thankful for a dry home and a furnace to heat it. I am also thankful for family and their safety as they travel. I am thankful for my physical health and my relationship with the God of the universe. What are you thankful for today?

Another thing that I am thankful for is the community of bloggers out there that have taught me so many things about faith and fashion. One thing that I particularly admire is the attitude of throwing the fashion "rules" out the window and dressing how we want to dress. That doesn't mean I dress like a slob or that I dress in barely nothing at all. For me throwing out the rules allows me to experiment with colors, textures and styles of clothing that I formerly might have scoffed at. The very reason I decided to start this Color Crash Course column was to challenge myself to think outside the box when it comes to color combining. 

In the first attempt at color combining I paired orange and red (here). Next I combined the colors of Halloween, orange, black, green and purple (here). Today I am trying my hand at burgundy and red. My first thought was, "There is no way I can make this work, without looking like some sort of clown!" But that caused me to be all the more motivated.

I chose a red turtleneck sweater, burgundy dress pants and my burgundy suede booties, which I just styled on Tuesday's post here. Sorry about my muffin top! Ha, ha. And I haven't even eaten Thanksgiving dinner yet!

Then I threw on a thrift store find, a open front chiffon and knit cardi with a water color type pattern. What drew me to this piece were the variety of colors combined on its surface. Here is a closer look at the actual pattern from the back.

Just to make things even more interesting I added a gold necklace that has some burnt orange in it.

I feel that the open cardi adds dimension and texture to the outfit as well as pulling the whole look together. 

Add a simple gold clutch and gold bracelet and the outfit is complete! I found this gold woven bag at H&M when I was Christmas shopping for other family. At less that five dollars, I thought this little gem filled my need for a gold bag.

So how are you celebrating Thanksgiving today? My husband is out hunting this morning and we will be having a small turkey later for the two of us and one of his students from the university who couldn't make it home to be with family. Our girls have their own celebrations with their significant others and families. However, we will all be together over the weekend. I'm looking forward to that.

I pray God blesses each of you who are following my blog with a happy and fun filled day! Don't eat too much!

Flying Solo

Well, it was inevitable that at some point this newby to the blogging world would have to start taking pictures on her own. My hubby got me a new camera for our anniversary, but I have not had much time to acquaint myself with it, at least not until today. Seeing as how my daughter and I have had not time to schedule another photo shoot, I had to take it upon myself to try to, not only put an outfit together, but take pictures of it, edit them and put them on this post. Since Rebecca taught me how to download pictures I have no problem with putting a post together, but I have never had to actually take pictures of my own outfit. So today (and one other day last week) I have taught myself how to set up the tripod, turn the flash on and off and use a remote. Wow! Look at me! I am exhausted. Ha, ha. 

So here goes.

I guess you could call this a military jacket. It is an olive drab color and has metal buttons up both sides which can be buttoned open as I have it or buttoned closed, which I might have to lose a few pounds to do. 

I styled the jacket with a wine colored long sleeve tee and white pants with a light gray snakeskin pattern. The tee is quite long so I did the magic front tuck to give my waist definition. I thought about putting on a belt, but decided against it.

I added a square scarf which I folded into a triangle and put it around my neck so the point of the triangle is in the front then wrap the ends all the way back around to tie in front. Because the scarf is then worn shorter I could also add a bit of bling by wearing a longer necklace.

You can see by this photo the jacket does nip in at the waist due to the multiple panels and seams in the back. Great pic of my butt, huh!

Finally the shoes! I found these at a thrift store and absolutely love them. They are a wine/burgundy suede and have the perfect size heel with a bit of a platform on the ball of the foot. It makes walking in them so much easier. They are a low cut bootie and have zippers for easy on and off. 

So there you have it! What did you think of my first solo flight? I would love to hear your thoughts. Rest assured I do have another photo shoot scheduled with my daughter, but you'll have to put up with my unprofessional pictures for a couple of weeks. Ha, ha. I hope to get outside for a stab at natural lighting, which I generally prefer. It is much harder to take pics in natural light when it is dark! That gives you an idea of what sort of Monday I had today. But that is a story for another time.

If you get a chance on Thursday in between the turkey and the pumpkin pie, come back and see what I do for my Color Crash Course column. 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. and Michelle of Michelle's Pa(i)ge. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Wednesday linking up with Allison of Sydney Fashion Hunter,  Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style. 

Beautiful Blogger Bests - Styling a Scarf with a Bag

There are so many fun bloggers to follow, that I actually have a hard time, deciding who I should feature next on my Beautiful Blogger Bests column, but this week I was pressed for time and needed a fairly simple look that didn't require a ton of prep or thought. Enter in the English beauty Gemma of Jacquard Flower. 

Gemma is a part time professional and a full time mom to twins. Her style language is fairly simple, a few good quality items mixed with clothing pieces that can be used every day. I always look forward to Gemma's posts. In this particular post Outfit Ideas with Scarves and Bags, Gemma takes two simple pieces and creates a fabulous casual outfit with eye popping color. Be sure to click on the link to see her original post. I especially like her orange shopper bag and blanket scarf. The scarves and bags Gemma used in her post were all from Laura Ashley.

While Gemma wore jeans and a black sweater, with tan knee high boots, I wore jeans and a gray sweater with black boots. 

Look 1 - Red and Gray Scarf with Red Bag

We were at my daughter's (photographer) house meeting our new grand "dog". She's a big puppy with some mastiff and a few other things in her lineage. I should have had my daughter include a photo! Anyway, my girl and my son-in-law have this wonderfully large and comfy chair. It just felt like the perfect pose!

Look 2 - Blue and Gray Scarf with Blue Bag

This one doesn't have the pop of color like the red does, but I like the textures involved in the outfit as a whole.

Here are the two looks side by side.

You might be asking yourself, why follow all of these different fashion bloggers? My answer is to be inspired. I have learned so much from all of these lovely ladies and their creativity inspires me daily to look in my closet and ask myself, "How can I look my best today?"

I hope you will check out Gemma's site and give her some love. As bloggers we benefit from your comments and your views! We all thank you. 

Have a great weekend!

Pantone Fall 2016 - Recap

This week I wanted to show all of the outfits I styled based on the Pantone Fall 2016 color line up. To see my original posts click on the color.

Week 1 - Bodacious

Week 2 - Airy Blue

Week 3 - Potter's Clay

Week 4 - Riverside Blue

Week 5 - Sharkskin

Week 6 - Warm Taupe 

Week 7 - Spicy Mustard

Week 8 - Aurora Red

Week 9 - Dusty Cedar

Week 10 - Lush Meadow

Which one is your favorite? Which color(s) would you wear? Let me know in the comments section below or on my Facebook page.

I hope you enjoyed this series. I will be exploring the Pantone Spring 2017 colors next Spring, even though they are already on their website. Let me get through Christmas first before I start thinking about outfits for next spring! Ha, ha.

In the mean time, keep checking back. I hope to begin a series in a few weeks on my own color choices for winter, called Winter Wonderland. Keep an eye out for that. Check back on Thursday to see which Beautiful Blogger I drew inspiration from this week. 

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. Wednesday linking up with Tania of 50 is Not Old, and Allison of Sydney Fashion Hunter. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots and Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style. 

Awesome Accessories - The Pashmina Scarf

Since the weather here in the Midwest is beginning to cool down considerably, I thought I would take another look at scarves, but focus on a heavier, longer variety of scarf that we refer to as the pashmina. The original pashmina was type of cashmere wool woven into a garment meant to be worn as a shawl. Today we have a variety of pashmina colors and prints as varied as the flowers and plants in creation. Many of the scarves or shawls that we now term pashmina, are made from a variety of fabrics and realize different weights and textures, thus, not true pashminas. However, there are many stores that sell real wool/silk blend pashminas for very reasonable prices. 

Today's post will look at a variety of ways to wear these longer, rectangular shaped scarves.

This scarf, while having the shape of a pashmina is not made from the soft, silky cashmere wool. It doesn't feel scratchy so I do not think it has any wool in it. It is probably a blend of man made materials. A thrift store find, I thought I could use it like a blanket scarf, but then as I did more research realized a true blanket scarf is square not rectangular. I am learning new things all the time!

1. The shawl - 

2. The simple flip over one shoulder - 

3. Flip ends to the back then pull ends to the front - here the ends are the focal point of what hangs in the front - 

4. Flip ends to back, but leave front loose. Pull front down into more of a long bib, then bring just the fringy ends to the front - the messy look.

5. Triangular bib - similar to above, but make the bib more triangular and tucks the ends under the bib. 

6. Left long and belted - 

Here is a look at all of them:

I hope this post inspires you to dig that pashmina out of your closet and start wearing it. I have quite a few in different colors. It is the perfect toasty addition to any outfit or just wear one with your coat to keep your neck warm. The pashmina is not only stylin' it's practical.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

If your are looking for a true pashmina check out The Pashmina Store.

This store is only a recommendation that I found while perusing on line. I have never bought anything from them, but might some time in the future! 

Pantone Fall 2016 - Lush Meadow

The final installment in the Pantone Fall 2016 series is a vibrant, rich color called Lush Meadow. I am not sure I would have given this color that name, because to me it seems to express more of an emerald tone, than a field of green. Unless you are in the jungle, meadows are typically more of a grassy green and perhaps filled with flowers. Something like this:

Pixabay

However, I was not on the committee to name these colors and I am sure they had a reason they named this green what they did. Now that my little tangent is over. Here is my outfit.

I have had this maxi skirt for a long time and just could never find the combination of top and accessories that made me say "Yes! This is it!" When I paired this top with the skirt and then added the belt, I thought I had hit the mark. 

Even though the top is a single color, there is a definite print to it. I am not sure what the process was, but it looks like lace and crochet mixed. I didn't realize it at the time, but seeing these pictures now, I see that the shape of the print on my top, matches the shape of the print on my skirt. How's that for some fancy mixing? Ha, ha.

For my accessories I wore a bead, ribbon and chain necklace which had beads that whisper Lush Meadow and ribbons in the line of Spicy Mustard. I also added a Spicy Mustard bracelet. (To see how I styled Spicy Mustard as an outfit click here.) My bag was a simple charcoal gray clutch that matched one of the colors in the skirt. The skirt also has white and a bit of tan, thus the inclusion of the brown belt and brown ankle boots.

In this shot of the boots, you can also see a bit of the lining of the skirt. (You can also see the mud on the heel of my boot - ha, ha - squishy ground!) It is fully lined from top to bottom, so it provides an extra layer of warmth and no need for a slip. This is a great transitional skirt for fall, but I think I will be wearing this again in the winter with a chunky sweater, knee boots and tights for added warmth.

I hope you have enjoyed this series on the Pantone 2016 Fall colors. Next week I will be doing a recap of all the outfits, so I hope you'll check in again next Tuesday. 

Thursday I will be looking at the Pashmina scarf as another awesome cold weather accessory. Be sure to check back. Until then take care and keep stylin'!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. 

Shopping for Lush Meadow:

Tops -

Nordstrom - $70.00

Kohl's - $28.80

Roaman's - $49.99 - 54. 99 (Plus Size)

Bag's - 

Kohl's - $69.30

Kohl's - $55.30

DSW -  $49.95

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Wednesday linking up with Allison of Sydney Fashion Hunter, and Tania of  50 is Not Old. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style, Jennie of a Pocketful of Polkadots,  JoLynne Shane on Fashion Friday and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge.

Piece Perfect - The Navy Blazer

Today's Perfect Piece is going to be spread out over two months, because I found so many ways to style this fitted navy blazer by Ralph Lauren. Today's post will feature wearing the blazer with a dress and a skirt. Next month I will look at styling it with casual and dressy pants. 

Navy is one of those colors that can be worn with just about any other color. If you look up navy blue on the internet it shows a range of blue from what I would term royal blue to what I would call true navy. For the sake of ease I am referring to this blazer as navy, even thought it is a bit lighter than true navy.

The term blazer refers to a jacket that resembles a suit coat, but more casual. For more info on the origin of blazers see the Wikipedia article here. 

The three above pictures give you an overview of the fit of the blazer. Blazers can be fitted, flowy or boxy. I like a fitted blazer best because it cinches in at the waist giving me that girlish figure. Ha, ha. This blazer has a breast pocket on one side with the Ralph Lauren initials, two front flap pockets and two buttons. You can also see the split in the lower back allowing movement and flexibility. 

This blazer is also fully lined which means the lining not only covers the entire body, but the sleeves as well. The silky lining not only adds a layer of warmth, but makes it easier to slip into and out of, especially if you have long sleeve layers underneath. 

Here is the first outfit with the blazer. I just threw it on over a striped tee shirt dress, then paired it with my navy Keds. Not to get to matchy, I carried my Lush Meadow tote bag. I accessorized with blue beads and a blue bangle. 

Note the line where the sleeve hits my hand. It is just longer than my wrist, which is where I like most of my jackets to hit. This allows you to show just a little bit of sleeve if you have a top that you want to stick out or if you want your bracelets to show. Some people wear their sleeves longer and some shorter. I'm sure there is a standard, but in the fashion world it's more about personal preference. I also like that the initials are not overwhelming. If you look up Ralph Lauren jackets you will see that many of them have his crest on the pocket in gold. I got this at a thrift store and I am not a huge brand buyer, especially if it is advertised on the pocket, but I like the fit and look so well, that it didn't bother me that the RL was on the pocket.

Here is the blazer paired with a skirt and sweater. The skirt has a navy, red and cream pattern, so I chose a creamy sweater with Joy printed on it. I kept my accessories in the gold/pewter line to go with the lettering on the sweater.

This will be a fun sweater to use again at the holidays. 

Here are the two looks side by side:

So what do you think of this blazer? Do you wear a blazer? How do you style it? I'd love to have your input. Just leave a comment in the comments section below.

Next month in this Piece Perfect column, I'll show you the outfits I put together pairing the blazer with a pair of dress pants and a pair of snakeskin jeans. 

Thanks so much for your support. Be sure to like and share on my Facebook page. You can also see what I've been pinning on Pinterest, and peek at some of my other outfits on Instagram. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Photo credit, Rebecca Trumbull.

Shopping for Blazers:

Ralph Lauren version - Black - Dillards - $198.00

Other brands:

JC Penney - $34.99

Target - $29.99

There are a number of navy blazers available including Ralph Lauren on Poshmark, ModCloth and eBay.

Pantone Fall 2016 - Dusty Cedar

I am nearing the end of the Pantone Fall 2016 color line up. Today we are looking at a lovely fall color called Dusty Cedar. When I looked through my closet, I realized I had this cute faux velvet jacket and it manifests Dusty Cedar perfectly.

I decided to try wearing this jacket with a pair of white jeans. I think the colors are great, but I am not really excited about the bright white on my bottom half. I think maybe a pair of skinny jeans would have been a better choice or maybe not white at all. What do you think?

I wore a sleeveless print top under the jacket and added silver accessories. The necklace has a few pink beads on it as well which ties in the dusty pink of the jacket and the pink of the top.

I also carried a silvery bag and wore my pewter heels.

Here is another view with the jacket buttoned. 

What do you think of the Dusty Cedar color? Do you like velvet? While this jacket is not true velvet is has that look. What do you own that is velvet? I'd love to have your feedback. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Check back on Thursday as we look at another perfect piece to have in our wardrobe. 

Have a great day.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Shopping for Dusty Cedar:

3/4 Length sleeve tee - Macy's - $39.50

Chiffon top - Redbubble - $36.00

Bag - Society6 - $18.70

Monday linking up with Tif of Bright on a Budget, and Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Wednesday linking up with Allison of Sydney Fash Packing, and Tania of 50 is Not Old. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. and Ada of Elegance and Mommyhood. Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style, Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, JoLynne on the Fashion Friday Link Up, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge.