Posts Tagged ‘Boots’
Styling Red-Orange Jeans
Posted on: January 25, 2013
So, by the time I got myself together for photos, It was snowing!!!!
This outfit was totally motivated by the snow, my first thought was that at temps in the twenty’s I started with my fur lined Twiggy London boots.
Then my next thought was layering and I started with my thrifted cashmere turtle neck sweater in black. Doing the scan of jackets and sweaters I decided to stick with black zip up that I had purchased at Steinmart, but had yet to wear… Loving this no shopping thing I’ve got going right now…
I didn’t just layer the tops, I added leggings underneath my jeans. To accessorize I reached for a scarf for added warmth. This scarf is extremely versatile and can be worn with so many colors, follow this link...I love hats and the warmth they provide so, if taking photos in the snow, a must have for a woman who hates cold weather!
The last addition to this outfit was my Dooney & Bourke purse, a gift from a friend. Who knew I would use this color so much? The snow was really coming down here, but I feel warm and spunky…
Dear Readers, I hope you all are enjoying a fun weekend filled with laughter and joy! I put the things that bring me joy in the form of gratitude daily on this blog… How about you, my Dear Readers, chime in… What is one thing you are grateful for today?
Gratitude: I am grateful for the snow day as it is pretty and the kids love it( I am a wimp in cold weather). I am also grateful for the craziness of Virginia Beach weather that has temperatures in the twenty’s and within days expecting temperatures in the sixty’s. I am grateful that my husband surprised me with the new mantle and that I have a fire today, nothing better than a fireplace going in the cold weather. I am grateful for the fun the boys had chopping wood for the first time in their lives and the quality time with Nicholas not having school due to a staff day!0
Since I began the week with such a bold color blocked look, I decided today to go in the complete opposite direction this time:
These neutrals definitely have a different feeling and I quite like it. I have often said that I could never do a thirty by thirty challenge, as I could never restrict my shoe selections and in this season, my boots. I wonder how many of my boots I will use in this challenge? I suspect by the end of winter most of them will come out to play with these jeans…
I think this look demonstrates where I like to save money by thrifting and where I prefer to splurge and spoil myself . The lace top in this look and the Aigner purse are both thrifted from Goodwill for a total of just $6.50. Those boots are ones I stalked for months and purchased last year on sale. Most girls that live in the south like to have at least one boot in this style and I haven’t had a pair in probably 15 years when I wore out my previous ones…
This sweater is by Dennis Basso via QVC and more than I usually spend on sweaters, but I really loved it and spoiled myself on it. Right now it is still clearanced HERE, but only available in smaller sizes, check out the other colors it comes in! I wear a size 6 have a 38 inch chest if that helps and ordered mine in XS. As I mentioned before most QVC designers run larger….
I also chose to pair my mother’s pearls with this lace top for a romantic vibe and my gold bracelet and earrings. The gold flower was also my mother’s and I just attached it to the pearl strand.
Dear Readers, a special note that I do not receive any compensation for my recommendations from anyone! Today’s look is so different from the boldness of yesterday’s cobalt top. I hope you come back tomorrow to see, yet another look with these fabulous colored jeans!
Gratitude:
Well, the flu has hit my household so my gratitude is low today… I am grateful that I began this challenge and had a few post pre-written for today and tomorrow. I am also grateful that my photos are done through Friday….I am grateful that my daughter and son seem to have very mild case and might not even be the full flu…(My daughter heads back to college on Wednesday)
As Always, your comments are welcomed and greatly appreciated…
Holiday Weight Gain
Posted on: January 3, 2013
- In: Boots | Petite | vintage jewelry | Winter Looks
- 6 Comments
Well, I fell off the wagon… I didn’t track the food I consumed, I ate carbs and sugar, I had a few drinks, I didn’t feel like exercising. Basically I pushed all that I had hoped to do to stay on track to the wayside and just enjoyed the holiday season. I think I over estimated how well I was doing and forgot the stress that extended family can cause. I let it get to me and it sent me into a downward spiral that I couldn’t seem to stop. So, bottom line I have gained five pounds!
The lessons my father taught me to love myself and be my own best friend remain among the best gifts I have ever received in this life. Even though he died when I was just thirteen, he has the power to pull me back from the brink every time. He instilled it in me. I don’t beat myself up, in fact I don’t even regret gaining the weight. Everyone else was on vacation in my house and so was I…
When you don’t waste time beating yourself up it leaves room for more productive choices. I am really good at seeing a problem and just saying ok, dig in and fix it. So, I know exactly how to turn this around. Track what I eat, stay within my Weight Watcher Points, stay away from sugar, and EXERCISE.
In looking at my recent food choices I noticed that breakfast was the hardest. I have loved having fruit and yogurt smoothies in the morning ,but am not at all interested during the cold weather…. Instead I have been eating cereal. A BIG MISTAKE, as I eat two servings and with milk it adds up to 10 points of my allotted 26 for the day.. That compares to just 4 with my smoothies or even 7 if I have veggie fritattas and milk. The problem is that the cereal (Wheat Chex) doesn’t keep me from being hungry for more than 2-3 hours.
So I decided to give Oatmeal a try. I have not liked it my entire life. but I needed a change, and something that was warm for these cold mornings. I have to face the truth, that while I love the fritattas, I don’t always feel like making them up… In order to make the oatmeal more appealing I decided to dice up an apple, add cinnamon and cook it in the microwave for three minutes. I then added oatmeal and milk and taa daa! What do you know? I actually ate the entire bowl without cringing... It’s never going to be a favorite of mine, but it solves a problem for the cold winter months. I am going to dice up a few apples and bake them with cinnamon in the oven instead of having to do that each morning….Oatmeal with apples keeps me feeling good for 4-5 hours!
I am determined to get back on track and lose these last pounds and learn how to maintain it….
Gratitude: I am grateful for the walks with my father and the life lessons he taught me . I am grateful that I was able to just let loose and have fun this holiday season. I am grateful that I have Weight Watchers to turn to and get back on track! I am grateful that if I had to get sick that it didn’t start until after the New Year’s festivities….
These photos were taken right before heading on our drive to the Beach house in NC for our New Year’s eve festivities. So glad to have them since I was not feeling too well today!
Dear Readers, What life lessons are you the most grateful for from your parents or for that matter anyone in your life? I would really love to hear your answers and any other comments are appreciated as well!
I would greatly appreciate your votes….Circle of Mom’s Top 25
Happy New Year!
Posted on: January 1, 2013
I am so looking forward to the Year 2013. This Year my daughter will graduate from college! I will continue my second year homeschooling and am so happy about Connor’s reading improvement. I can’t wait to see the results of all the hard work we will be doing in writing. This is the year I will reach my goal weight! This is the Year without New Year’s Resolutions.
I DON’T NEED ANY RESOLUTIONS THIS YEAR BECAUSE I AM EXACTLY WHO AND WHERE I WANT TO BE AT THIS STAGE OF MY LIFE! That is an amazing thing to be able to say after such a long road of getting back to finding myself. I don’t want to get too wordy here, as I think that says it all!
THIS IS MY YEAR TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND JUST CELEBRATE, LIFE, LOVE, FAMILY AND SPIRITUALITY! THAT’S RIGHT I AM DECLARING 2013 THE YEAR OF CELEBRATION! I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN ME!
Celebrating doesn’t mean that our lives have to be perfect, it just means that we concentrate more on the things that are right and working than on our problems and what is not working. It means looking every day for things to be grateful for and to try to create a life rich in the things that make us feel that way. So with that definition, I hope you too can make 2013 The Year of Celebrating Your Life!
At 40 Plus Style, Sylvia has a Challenge for Wearing One Dress Two Ways and Today’s Looks are MY Submission! I really like both these looks and color combos. This brown sweater dress is so versatile and I have another look already and will reval it soon.
Happy 2013 my Dear Readers and as always your comments are welcomed and appreciated.
Winter Weather Is Here!
Posted on: December 30, 2012
I know many of you are dealing with snow and although we don’t see much of that here. We haven’t had weather that is in the 30’s yet this season, but this past week it has arrived. Adding in any wind and it is too cold for my liking… I think it becomes a bigger shock when we had temperatures in the 6o’s just a week or so ago…
This is my second attempt at styling my thrifted Pendleton blazer. I chose a warm green thrifted sweater and my Diane Gilman Jeggings.
I initially tried this with black boots, but quickly scrapped those for any excuse to bring out my navy ones. I pulled my hair back today as I needed a quick photo shoot and the wind wouldn’t help that.
I really am getting comfortable with posing with this tree. Although I do look forward to spring and finding great locations to do photo shoots. For now, I do appreciate the ability to just run outside and right back inside to warmth…
I was actually thinking that I wasn’t cold without a coat and grateful to be wearing my wool blazer when this photo was taken….
Dear Readers, I hope you are all staying warm. Don’t forget it’s Visible Monday, so see what these lovely ladies are doing for the end of 2012!
Today is my sister’s 50th Birthday!
My husband and I are going to Nags Head, NC to spend New Years at a wonderful beach house with a full house of great people and when I say full house, I mean it. In fact my husband and I and our really good friends are sharing the room with two sets of bunk beds…
Gratitude: I am grateful to have children old enough, so that my husband and I can go have some adult fun for a few days. I am grateful that my children all get along well and see our going away as an adventure for them. I am glad my children are bonding and making memories of time with each other.
Rainy Day at the Mall
Posted on: December 27, 2012
- In: Boots | Uncategorized
- 3 Comments
We spent the day after Christmas at the mall. My daughter had some gift cards and was in search of clothes. She tried on lots and ended up with 4 pairs of jeans, a skirt and one top. A very successful day since she tends to be very picky. I am proud to say I made the day all about her and didn’t try on anything for myself. A huge accomplishment for a fashion lover!
Here I am ready to face a very rainy day. I am wearing my Rachel Zoe raincoat which I have in both khaki and black it is currently on clearance and available on a 3 month interest free payments. I knew right away I was wearing these boots as soon as I heard the down pour outside. The mall wasn’t as busy as it normally is the day after Christmas and store managers knew it was definitely due to the rain. That didn’t stop us as what better place to be, but a shopping mall for a rainy afternoon? The boys entertained themselves at Game Stop and even went to the pet store and took a Husky into one of the rooms to play with.
This is me at the mall, taken with my son’s Iphone as my camera was at home with a battery that needs recharging. We took lots of Christmas photos and I forgot to charge it back up…. The scarf was a Christmas present from my youngest child, Connor. I know it meant a lot to him that I chose to wear it today. I love these colors!
While I didn’t try on anything at the mall, I did snag this scarf off the display mannequin at Sears while my daughter was in the dressing room. She had sent me back out to get a different size when I spied this and fell hard… I think I might be officially addicted to scarves!
Since I am showing new scarves, I should complete the job and show this one given to me by my eldest child. He purchased it at H & M and he was worried that it was too big… It is rather wide compared to other scarves I own. I am debating cutting it down the middle to make it less wide. I could then give the other half to a friend… It just has a simple straight stitch down each side to prevent it from fraying, so that would be very easy to do.
Gratitude: I am grateful for a fun family day spent together as my husband works so much and these times when everyone is home are rare. I am grateful for time to bond and discuss fashion with my daughter. I am grateful that my husband took the boys off and allowed my total focus to be on Ashley. I am grateful that after playing with a Husky that they all agreed they are too high maintenance. I am so glad that I had a chance to go back to sleep for awhile after getting up way too early this morning!
My Camera Battery is currently recharging, so better photos tomorrow!
I thought it might be fun to go back after my first three months as a blogger and reveal my top 12 favorite outfits . Like all beginning bloggers I have had some hits and misses, but can see my style improving and want to take a moment to celebrate my successes.
These are in order of most recent to the beginning of my blogging adventure…. I have to mention my surprise that when I finished this that I was left with 6 dresses and 6 pant outfits. It was totally unintentional and was a shock, as I think I look better in dresses and would have had an overwhelming number of them instead of it being evenly split…
I would love it if you felt so inclined to post a comment saying which one or two you liked most!
I originally planned to take a break between Christmas and New Year’s, but my husband encouraged me not to and offered to take photos for me while on his vacation. His support is tremendous and I am so grateful that he understands what this new adventure in blogging means to me.
I don’t take for granted the precious time with my family, as they are all growing and who knows where life will take them?
I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and quality time with your friends and family!
Dear Readers. Thank you so much for all your support in this beginning journey of blogging!
Gratittude:
I am grateful for all the wonderful bloggers I have found and the supportive atmosphere among us all. I am grateful to those of you who take the time to comment and share of yourselves. I am grateful for those readers who are not bloggers, but women who are learning with me on this adventure and find inspiration in their own lives. Please continue sharing things that you like so I can continue to offer content that is of value.
Happy Holidays!
Brown, Black & Leopard Love!
Posted on: December 2, 2012
- In: Boots | Fall Fashion Colors | Petite | Uncategorized
- 10 Comments
When I did my Pinterest inspiration last Wednesday with the black dress and tights with brown boots, I really loved the look and was immediately inspired to do another look with the black and brown.
This is the same dress and boots as in the previous inspiration. All I did differently was add the brown jacket and scarf. I have to say that this jacket is one I absolutely love and my husband keeps complimenting. It was among my new purchases of shorter jackets to elongate my petite height.
Both the jacket and the scarf are Ebay purchases. It is cheaper to get scarfs from ebay and wait two weeks for them to arrive from China than it is to get them anywhere locally. I discovered this over the summer and have been hooked ever since. I will recommend checking the size of the scarf before purchasing. I purchase the scarfs from vendors that sell them between $3 and $4 with free shipping.
Here I am trying to balance on a log… And here is the link to the scarf and to the jacket. Be sure to check the sizing chart for the jacket as it runs smaller than U. S. sizing… I seem to have my hand on the bottom pocket of the jacket in every phot0 and am covering the bling. You can see it on the link picture.
Linking up with Watch What I am Wearing and Visible Monday and Monday Mingle
Gratitude: I am grateful for the Holiday Season! I am grateful that my son really got into helping with the holiday decorating this year and lifted some of the responsibility off my shoulders. I am grateful that the tree is up and ready for when my daughter comes home on Thursday…
One of my favorite sites is 40plusstyle and Sylvia issued a challenge to come up with two outfits that had three colors and a pattern. I looked through my pictures since I began my blog in October, and was surprised that I did two colors and a pattern very often, but not three. Since my goal for starting this blog was to challenge myself to go above and beyond my normal styling habits, this was interesting to me.
It just so happened that I had already planned Monday’s outfit which I think totally qualifies:
And of course Tuesday’s, which I am submitting for the challenge:
Funny, how I chose these two photos, with similar poses… the above outfits are mostly thrifted excluding the boots, while today’s new outfit only includes one thrifted item…Thrif
Today I decided to try for just one more,but this time wanted to do it with pants instead of a dress. I also wanted to not include black in this version. Here is what I came up with :
I really just wanted to share in case any of you, my dear readers wanted a thought provoking moment of asking yourself if you succeed with doing three colors and a print in your looks. If not it is something new to inspire you….If so congratulations, you are more advanced than I am at adventurous styling.
I will keep this in mind, along with pattern mixing and see if I can incorporate it more instead of the two colors I had been doing. I love learning and trying new things in creating my style….
I really love these Aigner boots that I found on a super clearance deal in the spring. I have to say the heel height is very comfortable and I could walk in these all day, so would make a perfect Mom on the Go look..
Outfit Details:
Blouse- Thrifted-S.L.B. 70% silk, 30% cotton- $2.50
Cobalt Jacket- Motto via Qvc- last year
Pants- Denim & Co clearanced via Qvc
Boots- Aigner – clearanced $9.99
Linking up with Thrift and Shout today, so go see what some other wonderful bloggers are up to…
Gratitude: I am grateful for this blog and the adventures I am having. I am grateful to my oldest son who cleaned up the kitchen without being asked…I am grateful to my husband for realizing he was talking all about his job and stopping to ask me how my blog was doing.
As Always Dear Readers, I welcome and appreciate your comments. Please stop by tomorrow and see “My Lucky Find’s ” where I scored six dresses from Goodwill.
Graphic Print Dress
Posted on: November 25, 2012
I specifically had a graphic print dress on my wish list and when thrifting searched until I found this cute little number…
I absolutely love it and this is such a versatile dress that I can wear with so many different sweaters or jackets. I chose this sweater, that I refer to as my raisin colored one. to match the newly thrifted Nine West purse.
Even the belt thrifted. So everything except my jewelry, tights and boots in this outfit is thrifted…. I really think getting dresses from the thrift store is such a good way for me to expand my dress collection. When I get them at half price deals for only $3.50 it sure beats prices anywhere else… I have to be very discerning and only pick dresses I really love or I would need an entirely new closet to house them in since I am acquiring them for that crazy price. I know I am repeating myself, but I really can not stress enough how much I love dresses and skirts.
I usually only include three photos of an outfit,but this time my husband took the photos and there were so many good ones that I had a hard time narrowing it down. I literally started with eleven. You can’t even imagine the surprising realization that I had over liking so many photos. When I first began this blogging journey I was just tolerating putting these images out in the public. After all, I am not at my goal weight.
I really can see major changes in my body from this 35 pound weight loss and can celebrate where I am. I recently measured and realized I have lost 4 and a half inches off my hips and am just about an inch and a half from my goal….It is so doable…. It feels like a long road here, but I can see the finish line… I am excited to get there and move past the pain of the past and the renewal of celebrating my mother’s life and memory instead of the pain of her dementia and years of being ill. To reach this point was a long road and I feel so blessed and grateful to be here. I feel like I have climbed a mountain and am exhausted from the journey,but spiritually renewed and ready for the next phase of my life! Saying goodbye to my mother really was the toughest point in my life and that is saying a lot for a former “daddy’s girl” whose father passed away when I was just thirteen.. For those of you who haven’t experienced this yet, losing your same sex parent is tough, especially if you had a wonderful. loving relationship. It’s that time of year and I am sentimental…. Today, November 26th was my father’s birthday…Anyone else get this way during the holidays?
Grateful: For my husband taking so many wonderful photos that led to my realization that I have jumped a hurdle. I am most grateful for the progress in the mourning process that allows me to just celebrate my mother’s memories and not the last few years when she was sick and I was her caregiver… What else do I need to say about gratitude today, these two are huge!
As always dear readers, your comments are welcomed and appreciated…Have a wonderful day!
Linked up with Visible Monday and Watch What I am Wearing
Versatile Style by Tracey 