Versatile Style by Tracey

Archive for the ‘Purple’ Category

I find myself saying this a lot these days.  

My shirt actually states, “It is What it is, but it will become what you make of it”  

There is nothing more poignant than this saying right now with the crazy swirling around me, 

that a friend could just blow up our friendship and throw it away  so easily.  

I am curiously ok with it because “It is What it Is”  has been such a part of my 

healthy self talk and not worrying about things I can not control.  

I am so grateful for my self care and strength of knowing who I am in the world.  

I found this tank online, but can not remember if it was a Facebook Ad or 

if I purchased it from TJ Maxx.    

My vest is a Kate & Mallory one that I bought in a few colors this year.  

Mine is sold out, but HERE is what they offer now.  

After having a awful Summer cold for the past week, 

I am finally feeling better and grateful as it was a tough one and

I also ended up passing it to the rest of my family.   

In other happenings, I finally cleared out my sister’s condo and said my goodbye’s to it. 

I am grateful that we had time to do this and come to terms with it all and it was a peaceful goodbye and feeling 

so grateful that this condo, steps from the beach was her dream and comforting that it was her final home. 

 

Dear Readers,   I am having to  completely start my  Amelia James Clothing Boutique from scratch as a huge part of this type 

of business is growing a Facebook group and posting Live Video Sales.  Unfortunately, with the dissolving of my business 

partnership, my Facebook was taken down and away from me.   If anyone would like to join my new page (HERE)  and see my new venture 

Or support me by sharing with friends, that would be awesome!    I am planning my first solo Live Video Sale , Tomorrow Thursday at 7:30pm 

If you are blogger who would like to partner up by writing a post in exchange for a free piece of clothing, comment and let me know 

and I will contact you!   

 

We got hit by Hurricane Matthew and had lots of flooding,

trees down, electricity out , vehicles damaged, etc 

in our city, but lucky for us we just went without electricity for 28 hours.   

Matthew brought with him a tease of Fall temps the day or two afterwards 

For Some Inspiration from Other Bloggers for Fall Looks, Go Peruse the Link up at 

Fashion Should Be Fun. 

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and I managed to wear a new for the season fringe sweater( on clearance now) 

 and boho jeans(sold out),

but these are the best photos I managed as I was taking them at the wrong time of day. 

I found this rhinestone letter T at Hobby Lobby recently and it’s actually a pin, I just put on a chain. 

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Today, I am left faking Fall, as we are experiencing a sunny 75 degrees.  

A long sleeve striped sweater and a poncho worked perfectly for pretending. 

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These are all items from previous seasons that are now workhorses, vetted 

and much loved.  In fact that Old Navy poncho was a thrifted find. 

The striped sweater was an end of season clearance from Ann Taylor

one place I only shop online at end of season clearance time.  

That link will send you to Ann Taylor’s clearance which is an additional 40% off right now, 

and the time when I usually shop for a good deal.  

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This trend of rolling up jeans above the ankle boots and showing a little skin  works for now and into 

 Fall, but I doubt I will be doing it through Winter.   

A good navy bag is a must in my world and this Madi Claire is sold out, but

728-825- Madi Claire "Sage" Croco Embossed Leather Zip Top Laser Cut Shopper Handbag

Source

This one is available…. as is 

726-448- Madi Claire Three-Piece "Devon" Croco Embossed Leather Tote Bag w/ Wristlet & Card Holder Set

Source

This tote version with accessories and a nice tassle.

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I am loving doubling up on the necklaces a lot lately. 

This combo began with the large purple sliced stone piece that I picked up at Michael’s. 

Of course it would work well on a long chain, but in order to double it up, 

I opted to wear it on my new silver collar necklace (sold out) 

Dear Readers, Thanks for Stopping by, I adore hearing from you, and 

greatly appreciate each and every comment. 

Gratitude

I am grateful that even though my sneezing didn’t go away all day, at least they became less often throughout the day. ( just after I completed typing this DD had a sneezing spout come on with 5 in a row) 

I am grateful for my morning walk in the sunshine to get salad fixings to get back on track with healthy eating, as I have been terrible since I returned from the cruise.  

I am grateful that my son away at college with our new bunny is doing a fantastic job of keeping us in the loop of her progress and cute behavior traits that are coming out as she explores her newfound freedom as a beloved pet and not a breeders show bunny.  

I am grateful for sleeping in until 7:330 this morning , as it sure beats this darn menopausal change of 5-6am!  

I am grateful for a nice walk with my daughter yesterday to the Dollar Store and AC Moore craft store as we had fun conversations with women and it was nice to see my daughter in that light , talking to older women.  It was even better that she commented how nice that felt. 

I’ve taken quite a break from regular blogging and have missed it terribly. 

I am ready to get back on track , especially since Fall is arriving and it’s my 

favorite season for outfits. 

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I am faking Fall , as our temperatures are still in the high 70’s.  

I bought these new rust colored pants from Jane.com . 

The top is new for the season as well.  

I began adding more purple to my wardrobe last Fall and this 

was just an additional top to mix in and add more versatility to those pieces. 

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My wavy hair is what it looks like when I just let it dry naturally, 

and my photographer teen son said to me as we were walking outside 

to take photos, ” Are you going to do anything with your hair?” 

I just laughed….

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I am wearing my amethyst necklace , 

along with the tassel one my daughter gave me as a Christmas gift. 

I recently showed DH a beautiful amethyst bracelet at BJ’s ,

that I hinted at as a Christmas present. 

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I am looking forward to being able to transition this 

look for cooler temperatures by adding a cardigan or 

a leather jacket into the mix.  

Gratitude

I am grateful that I found my prescription sunglasses , as I accidentally left them at Panera Monday night when we had dinner with my oldest son who turned 30!!!!  

I am grateful that he was happy about turning 30 and liking how he’d handled his 20’s and the person he is today. 

I am grateful that I ordered myself a Bissell Steam Mop and that when it arrived today, that my son and daughter were just as excited as I was to try it out on the den the floor.  

I am grateful for Football Season and that my game is televised , so I can stay home and watch it…

 

Last Year I bought a pair of black Culottes and I loved them,

so this season I decided to hit Amazon up to see if I could find some more. 

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Alas Amazon didn’t disappoint and I ended up with three pairs.

Navy, Olive and Purple.

These are just 15.95 each and come in so many colors. 

Since I am not much for wearing shorts, I liked this as an option for Spring/Summer 

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Here is the original pair from last year.  

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And just for fun, how I wore the kimono style jacket last Summer.

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My photographer asked me if this was the 70’s due to the colors 

swirled in my kimono jacket.  

I bought these Vince Camuto laser cut sandals (via Hsn- Sold out) at the end of the Summer Season, 

and am thrilled to put away my boots and embrace these. 

I am looking forward to wedges and other sandals too. 

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This necklace is a vinatage Avon piece that was my mother’s from either the late 70’s to early 80’s. 

I love this little guy and wearing it makes me feel close to my mother who I am missing terribly, 

as we approach my daughter’s upcoming college graduation. 

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I am going to try to expirement to see if I can get any proportions

to work that would allow me to wear the cullotes with flats, 

I don’t know with my petite height and this volume if I can do so,

but I will give it a try and take pictures to see if it works, cause

as I’ve said before, mirrors lie when it comes to proportions. 

Dear Readers, I have to get my butt in gear and lose this darn weight that I’ve gained back, 

as I don’t wish to struggle all Summer to find looks that I feel good in. This darn menopausal weight 

gain, mostly in my middle,is denying me my hourglass body shape that’s been true my entire adult life. 

I am so out of proportion that I feel like I am styling oufits for somebody else and my creative outlet needs to be a fun place in my life.

 I am doing a silly thing for the next two weeks to get myself off sugar and carbs and back to healthy eating and you can blame it all on Facebook.  

Apparently there is a banana diet that suggests eating a banana or more along with a warm beverage for breakfast, then eating normally for lunch and dinner.

 Some proponents say only warm water while others say coffee or tea is ok as well.  I decided to give it a try this morning , but tweaked it a bit by dipping my bananas into cinnamon.  I was surprised that it indeed held me until lunch in which I decided to stick with just proteins for both lunch and dinner.

As luck would have it , I had leftover ham from Easter dinner and

also added a snack of peanuts in the afternoon. 

I feel great so will do something similar tomorrow and hard boiled up egss for my lunch.  

Note I am only doing this protein, banana thing for two weeks at which point I may keep the banana breakfast and add in lots more vegetables for the next round.  Perhaps the third round I will add small carbs like quinoa.  I just know it’s time to do something serious and protein is easy and will definitely, get me out of the sugar cravings.  

While Doing this I am also researching Trim Healthy Mama, which isn’t easy to read with my ADD, so not sure how far I will get with that and I am also looking into the Superfood Swap as they both do a lot of subbing for things I have cut out of my diet like spagetti for zuchini noodles or white flour for Coconut or Almond flour and I’d like to expirment with those a lot more.  

Dear Readers are any of you doing any of these types of changes or have experience with the idea of superfood swapping? 

Chime in I love hearing from You! 

 

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Weekend! 

Our weather took a cold turn with rain, so it was a nice 

chance to break out one of my leather jackets. 

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I orginally took this shot without my glasses, but in order to indulge my

photographer who thinks my glasses add character, 

I happily put them back on and posed again.  

Love that kid of mine!  

For a few months, I had misplaced my camera and recently found it in the back pocket 

of my purple purse.  After recharging the battery, my son couldn’t wait to take my photos, 

even making me wait for him to get dressed when his father was right there willing to take my pictures. 

I love how invested he is in my blogging journey! 

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My husband hadn’t noticed this Gili leather jacket despite my having worn it before. 

He actually complimented it three times , once when he first saw me in it, once when we were at 

the grocery store and again when we got home as I took it off to get cooking dinner. 

It’s currently on sale in several colors for $109 on QVC with payments of just $18.16 available.

 I am wearing a size 10 in this line, which was perfect as the arms fit snug,

so an 8 would have been too tight.

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My Liz Claiborne NY blouse, which I absolutely love, is the opposite

and runs big as I am wearing an xs and it’s not tight on my 34DDD chest.  

You can’t see it very well, but I am also wearing a Halston Belt from QVC ,which I recently bought in a size xs/s , as I didn’t want it long enough to have to tie it in a bow.  

Jeans are wonderful bootcuts by Diane Gilman and a great weight for Spring/Summer. 

Purse by JOY & IMANfrom Hsn as well. 

My Peep toe booties are last year’s from Payless. 

Gratitude

I am grateful my daughter used her boyfriend’s cell phone to call me Saturday night after her Anime conference to share with me all that happened and how much fun she had. Her own phone is shutting off  and messing up. 

I am grateful that my husband took our son to see Batman Vs Superman movie, allowing me a rare night at home alone. 

I am grateful for all the texts I received from my siblings on Easter and the one my sister shared where she had made a donation to church in memory of our parents and their names were printed in the bulletin. 

I am grateful for a fun evening of cooking Easter dinner together with my husband, as we don’t get to cook together often.  

 

 

 

 

I’ve been out for a few days with a painful stye, 

nursing the swollen mess with hot cloths .

Four days and that’s now gone, but yesterday the huge 

swings in our temperatures from the storm messed up my 

sinuses leaving me with a sore throat and low-grade fever.

Not much getting dressed going on these past few days…

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I wore this outfit last Friday night when I went out with 

a friend to dinner and a play. 

I joked with my teen son about wearing white shoes before memorial day, 

when I explained that use to be a hard and fast rule for my mother and grandmother’s 

generation, he laughed and said it sounded ridiculous.  

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I wore my new necklace, I bought recently from Jane.com 

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My white shoes I bought new for this season from Amazon

You can find them HERE

Gratitude

I am grateful that despite my not feeling very well, that I have managed to continue my pilates exercizes every other day,  and in fact it helped me get rid of the kink in my shoulder.  

I am grateful that after one very painful day , that the remaining two days of the stye were better. 

I am grateful that I felt well enough despite my sore throat and sinus issues today to get my winter items packed away and out of site, although I still have to put all my boots away.  

I am grateful that my bank gave back the money from the stupid website that hijacked onto my reservations for my daughter’s graduation.  

We had a very warm 80 degree day, 

but this Mom has to dress for the frigid bowling alley on Wedenedays!  

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The cocoon sweater,  olive pants and the purse all are in the same hues and 

work beautifully together.  

I added the one light element of the shoes to bookend the light shade in the print. 

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For jewelry I wore the purple and silver tassel necklace my daughter

gave me for Christmas.

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My earrings are part of the set I purchased at the Italian Festival 

from a Capidimonte Artist. 

You can find the Artist’s website, HERE

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After bowling we headed to Walmart to pick up some windshield wipers for my son

and the manager there compliemented my shoes. 

I picked them up for a clearance crazy price of $6 from Red Dress boutique.  

as one of my off season buys in the Fall of this past year. 

Self Care

I took a nap today at 6pm as I was exhausted!

 I also told my kids to fend for themselves for dinner, lol!

They are all definitely capable…

Gratitude 

I am so grateful for Amazon’s fast shipping as the Dress and shoes for my friend’s daughter arrived today , and I was able to run it to her and had the fun experience of seeing her try it on and squeal in delight and the best part was hearing her say she couldn’t wait to go to the dress rehearsel and tell her friends about it!  

I am grateful for my husband’s support in my desires to be “Auntie Tracey” and honor my mother’s giving spirit by helping my dear friend and her daughter. 

I am grateful that my husband got his new tires put on his car today and I can now feel confident that he is safe on the roads, with as much driving as he does daily. 

I am grateful for oppportunities and exciting things on the horizon, of which I can not really reveal.  

I am grateful that after 25 years of marriage that we still reach for each other and don’t take this relationship for granted.  We are still a work in progress, lol. 

Today’s Challenge was Pinterest Inspiration 

and I had just recently pinned this Jennifer Aniston one.  

 

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I adore her style and have quite often admire outfits on Pinterest.

It’s fun to actually put one together, finally…

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I’ve had this scarf for a few seasons and love it against the all black background. 

If you are regular reader, you may notice I am not much for dressing all over in black.  

I quite often love all black looks but don’t feel like they are me, so having the purple scarf was 

just enough color to still feel like myself.

My Faux leather moto jacket , can be found here in several colors.  

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I could have gone with a black purse, but

why would I when I own this fabulous Joy & Iman one?  

It comes in several colors, but I think this Purple one is incredible!  

One of the easiest ways to bump up a look is in a fabulous handbag and I think 

I have more than made up for my past of not carrying a purse. 

You see as a mother of four who spread her kids out 4 1/2 years apart, 

I carried a diaper bag around for many years and gave up a purse….

My Dear Husband put up with my lipsticks and Id in his pockets

on many a date night back in those days, lol 

Self Care

I think taking double dose of sinus meds and making it out to homeschool bowling counts as self care.

I had spent the past several days with headaches and actually am pinching myself that I had relief today… 

I also planned our next Parent’s Night Out Event and Let me tell you that is definitely self care as we all need those nights

and have come to look forward to it… 

Gratitude

I am beyond grateful that my son got out of his funk today and had a wonderful time bowling today, he even got a better score than he’s had all this season ….

I am grateful that my brother stopped by last night and I got to hug him before he went to coincidentally spend his birthday in Cancun for a work reward trip.  

I am grateful for a phone call with my son away at college and that he talked to his younger brother as well. 

Can You Believe It’s February?  

Is it just me or did January fly by?  

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Sunday’s color for the style challenge was Purple…

It was a warm 68 degree day!  

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I added the thrifted leopard vest for a little pattern and 

to bookend the grey boots..

I am not sure I love the grey boots , but couldn’t come up with another option.  

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The color for my fashion challenge was Blue for Saturday…

I’ve had this thrifted vest for awhile and hadn’t worn it yet.

DH wasn’t fond of the vest, but I am not giving up on it as I rather like it…

If I do tire of it, I have a dear friend I pass the thrifted vests onto and she has quite a collection now. 

I told her recently that before long her almost ten year old daughter would be able to share them, lol! 

I had a fun dinner with my friend and her daughter in their new home on Saturday night. 

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Once I added the bright vest, I couldn’t help myself, 

I thought the equally bright fuschia bag had to come out to play.  

I haven’t worn a lot of dresses recently and need to correct that as,

this look was very much me and I walked and felt amazingly myself! 

Self Care

I made the decision to go back to Weight Watchers and will attend my first meeting Friday. 

Knowing that is coming up, is motivating me to stay on track this week and I am making great choices!

Who knows perhaps, I’ll succeed in losing two lbs this week!  

Gratitude

I am grateful for a great weekend spending time with my dear friend and Sunday with my guys.

I am grateful for sunshine and warm days, good for my spirit!

I am grateful for a fun potential future event (will have to wait to say what, lol)

I am grateful to my very hard working husband!   

I am grateful for phone calls from my two kids away at college over the weekend! 

It Suddenly Hit Me Today…..

That I’ve added quite a few purple pieces in for this season… 

I have always loved the color, but made the connection today that I am feeling close 

to my mother when I wear her favorite color…. 

I’ve always felt that connection with green and my father, but then again he passed when I was just 13 ,

so I had a lot more time to recognize why I am so drawn to shades of green. 

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The concussion in early December along with the holidays and family around, 

I’ve been missing my mother quite a bit, so it stands to reason that I’ve styled three purple outfits recently. 

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This was last weeks version…..

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And this was the week or so before that….

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Here is today’s full outfit… I added the hat to keep me warm as it was in the 60’s put temps dropped to winter again.  

It’s nice to bring together my love of fashion with honoring my parents through their favorite colors. 

Of course wearing my mother’s jewelry is another way that has been more obvious, but at least I’ve solved the puzzling question as to why I kept being drawn to creating outfits with purple so much recently….

It really stood out as a puzzle , as I have so many colors to work with in my Fall/Winter wardrobe….

Today in Self Care

I began my day with lighting a scented candle and beginning to read a book I bought the morning before my fall and concussion,   Mitch Albom’s “The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto”  

Gratitude

I am grateful for the phone calls from my daughter and our plans to make her a mask for her second year attending Comicon Boston…. We love doing crafty things together….

I am grateful that I took big risks for Christmas in picking out items for my daughter and that she loved them all( I think we’ve turned a corner of chaos of her hating everything I suggested in her teen years, lol) 

I am grateful for a fun afternoon of going to the bowling alley with my two youngest boys and the delight my youngest had in his first game that rivaled scores from last year before he had this down turn when he moved to performance balls. 

I am grateful that my oldest son stopped by today right before we headed out to go bowling and picked up his coffee table( a xmas present that we originally recieved the wrong model)  and for  the nice chat with his brothers.  I love seeing my children connect as adults!   


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