Thursday, April 26, 2012

My not so much fun Friday

I am not sure how long it will be before I post an outfit photo. On Friday morning, I am going to have surgery on my knee for a torn meniscus. I am sure that everything will go well but I have no idea how long it will take to me to recover. I am optimistic that it will be quickly. I will try to keep up with everyone's blogs. I hope to be back to posting soon! Take care everyone and have a wonderful weekend.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Another Visible Monday Mingle

(I wish I could think up really good post titles, but I swear my brain is blank when it comes to witty titles.)


Last Friday I got my hair colored or I should say bleached. It did not turn out the way I wanted it to. It is more baby chick yellow than I wanted (it doesn't look so yellow in the pics, but it is.) I'm not happy with it, but I've told myself, "it is just hair" and it can be changed. The really bad thing is that it unexpectedly cost $175.00. I was shocked to say the least. I guess that will teach me to ask the cost before committing to changing color. I am thinking of trying to color it myself, at least that way the only person to be mad at is me and it will cost a whole lot less.  Have any of you ever tried any of the Garnier Nutrisse haircolor products and if you have did you like it?


My outfit shown today is a simple one that has a spring vibe. It has been rather cool here the past few days. Quite a shock to have spring after having summer straight from winter temps.


Jacket: Coldwater Crrek
Blouse: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: JMS Jegging
Sandals: Think!
I pulled my hair back with hair combs. In this picture you can see it on the side. (Of course, it also illustrates my sagging neck skin, ignore that please.) I think I was looking at Harry who was running back and forth across the yard while we were taking the photographs. He would not stand still for a picture because he was having too much fun looking for critters and bugs. There were several butterflies that made an appearance while we were out. I know they are bugs, but they are pretty bugs.




My necklace's are some vintage 1960's plastic flowers. I bought a shorter double strand version of them but the plastic flowers are uncomfortable to wear against bare skin. I need to restring it so I can wear it with these necklaces.


Monogram Necklace: Max & Chloe
Flower Necklaces: Vintage from eBay
If you have never visited the Max & Chloe website you are missing seeing some beautiful jewelry. Wendy Brandes (my favorite jewelry designer/blogger) jewelry is featured on the site. I enjoy looking even if I cannot afford to purchase most of it. They do a wonderful job of curating beautiful pieces in a wide range of prices. 


Please visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and MomTrends for Monday Mingle to see this Monday's fashion showcase.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Emerald green and white

Not too long ago, I saw a store window display that had an emerald green blouse and white pants which grabbed my attention as I walked past the store. It stopped me in my tracks. I knew that there was no way I could either afford or fit in the outfit from the upscale boutique. 


I started watching for an affordable emerald green top. I stopped in at Coldwater Creek not expecting to find anything. I found both an emerald green tee and a silky top. I decided to go with the silky textured top because it could be dressed up and down more easily. I almost did not buy it because the plus-sized top was $10.00 more than the regular size. I know it takes more fabric to make a plus-size top but it also takes a lot less to make an extra-small one. They don't charge $10.00 less than the regular size for XS, so why charge so much more for 1X? If they gave the XS and S and petite sizes a price break, I could agree with the 1X + being more money. I will stop my rant now, but it does frustrate me.


My outfit today is inspired from the original outfit, but I chose a white jacket rather than white pants. I need to find just the right pair of white pants before trying that combo.


Jacket: CJ Banks
Top: Coldwater Creek
Trouser Jeans: Dressbarn
Sandals: Think! Julia


We also took some photos by the fence between our neighbors house and ours. Ilsa & Jim our neighbors love gardening and have some lovely old fashioned roses growing on and through the fence. 


The necklace I am wearing today is a vintage necklace I have had for a long time. It is a favorite, but one I don't wear often. 


Vintage necklace
On the "knee" front, I don't have much news. I am rather frustrated trying to get the surgery scheduled.  I thought I had all the pre-surgery blood work done only to find out that I now need a chest x-ray and EKG that are only done certain days of the week and I now have to wait until next week for that. They won't schedule the surgery until that is done. ARGH! You would think that communicating would be easier in this electronic age, but it seems to get more difficult.   I'll just keep icing and try to be patient.


I thought I'd share a couple of rose photos. They vary in the color from bud to full bloom from cream to white. 




I hope you have all had a lovely Thursday.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Visible Monday

Saturday night was quite interesting (and scary) due to the tornadoes in the area. We had carried our valuables to the basement and were planning on heading there if necessary. Fortunately for us, the tornado took a right turn and missed the majority of the city of Wichita. I feel so sorry for all the people who lost everything they owned in the storm. Also fortunately, no one lost their life in Wichita from this storm although the property damage is tremendous. 


My  Visible Monday Monday Mingle outfit is spring bright. I had my fingernails painted with Sinful Colors Cinderella, a pale blue sparkly polish. 
Jacket: Chico's
Top: Lane Bryant
Jeans: French Dressing Jeans
Shoes: Think!
Bracelets: Kate Spade Rick Rack
I sat down on the back steps to try to get Harry to get in the pictures. He was very interested in chasing flies. When I finally got him to come over and sit down so we could take the picture, I was unable to get back up by myself due to my knee. I got the results back from the Dr. and I will have to have surgery on my knee due to a torn meniscus. I went this morning to get blood work done, now I have to wait on that and then for the surgery to be scheduled.  More waiting...
Look at those big feet on Harry.
Necklace: Vintage from ebay


My hosta's are just beautiful this year so I thought I would share a couple of pictures of them. Our back patio faces north so it is a perfect shady spot for hostas. The fern you can see in the upper left corner of the top picture is one that I got from my Mother and she had gotten the originals from my Grandmother. I take special care to ensure that they don't die!


In my last post, I featured Thinki! sandals like the ones I am wearing today. I just found out that Think changed the design of the toe area of these sandals. I don't know how they will fit. Just a small change can make a big difference in comfort. Darn you Think!, why change a good thing? The previous style Julia sandal always had excellent reviews and many women (like me) had multiple pairs. With the change, I am not sure that I can recommend them as I have done in the past. 


Please visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Glamamom for Monday Mingle.  

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Stylish, Comfortable Summer Shoes

As you may know, I am all about comfort in shoes. I have never been able to wear heels comfortably. Comfort in shoes has long been equated with ugly. In the past few years many of the "comfort" shoe manufacturers have been providing shoes that are not only comfortable but are also stylish. Comfort shoes are often expensive due to the research and manufacturing processes required to produce them. However, that does not mean that all expensive shoes are comfortable or that all comfortable shoes are expensive. 


Today, I will feature shoes made by Clark's, Think!, Arche, and Naot, and Beautifeel. I am going to show you some of the more colorful shoes, but most of these are available in more neutral colors.


The first sandal is the Brisk Rosebud by Clark's and is available from Zappo's for $89.99.  I had to show two of the five colors this is available in as I think they are perfect colors for summer. 
Burnt Orange Brisk Rosebud by Clark's
Picture from Zappo's
Turquoise Brisk Rosebud by Clark's
Picture from Zappos's
Next, is the Arche Siamar for $295.00 from Zappos. According to Zappo's, "Arche was established in Paris in 1968 by Pierre Robert Helaine with the philosophy: “If you can't think, walk. If you are thinking too much, walk. If you are thinking bad thoughts, keep walking.” " I really like this sentiment!

Arche Siamar in Emeraude 
Picture from Zappo's
Naot Attitude is not a sandal, but it is such a pretty pump that I had to include it. This shoe is $180.00. Naot shoes feature cork footbeds which conform to your foot for comfort. They are made in Israel and per Zappo's "feature a unique anatomical footbed that replicates the contours of the foot, just like a footprint left when walking in the sand".
  
Naot Attitude in Queen's Wine Nubuck with Flame Shimmer
Picture from Zappo's
Beautifeel Molly from The Walking Company is a bright coral color that will just zing this summer. This shoe retails for $239.95. Beautifeel shoes are made in Israel.
Beautifeel Molly in Coral
Picture from The Walking Company
Last but not least are my favorite sandals ever! Think! Julia sandals. Think! shoes are made from organically, vegetable tanned leathers and are hypoallergenic as they contain no harmful chemicals. The footbeds are primarily cork which comform to your foot and make them extraordinarily comfortable (I can personally attest to this attribute.) The Think! Julia Stone Thong's are $174.00 from Zappo's.
Think! Julia Stone Thong in Lime
Picture from Zappo's
If you prefer slip-on's over thong sandals, the Think! Mizzi might be the sandal for you. It is $200.00 and available at Zappo's. The Mizzi footbed comes in many different styles and colors.
Think! Mizzi 2-Strap Sandal
Picture from Zappo's


I have not been compensated or received any products from any of the companies featured. I have owned or won shoes by Clark's, Think!, Naot, and Arche. I've never worn Beautifeel but plan on trying some on in the near future. I hope you have enjoyed this comfort shoe feature, if you have, please let me know if you'd like to see more posts like this one. I've provided links to websites where you will be able to view even more styles of these brands. Do you have a favorite "comfort" shoe brand that you like?

Monday, April 9, 2012

A Highly Visible Monday Mingling with Floral

A while back when I received a Talbot's catalog, I spied some floral pants that I just fell in love with. Of course, my local Talbot's did not stock this pant, but I tried on a similar style so I would know what size to get and when they had a sale, I ordered them. When I received them, I thought "what will other people think?' After looking at them and some pondering I decided that they make me happy and that I would wear them regardless of what other people might think. It'll give them something to talk about!


So, for Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and Monday Mingle at Bon Bon Rose Girls, here I am in my floral pants.


Jacket: Chico's
Blouse: Chico's
Pants: Talbot's
Necklaces: Forever21
Shoes: PaylessShoeSource
As usual, the legs on the pants are big through the thighs. I think they need to be taken up some. I am also not sure about the length. They are supposed to be ankle pants and they do fit that way, but I guess I am from the generation where these would be called "high water" pants. Do you think I should hem them up a few inches to make them more of a  capri or maybe would taking in the pants it would make them more like cigarette pants and leave the hem as is?


I still have not heard from the Doctor about my knee. I know they are busy, but gosh, it is hard waiting. 


Please visit  Visible Monday  and  Monday Mingle  to see what everyone is wearing. I so look forward to seeing what everyone has put together. For me, it's like viewing a real world fashion magazine spread every Monday. What fun! 

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Reviews and Knee's

Before I get into my knee news, I would like to ask you all a question. Do you review products on websites? I know that I use reviews to help me decide on purchases and just today realized how valuable they are in determining whether or not to buy a product. I often review shoes on Zappos. I have wide feet and having someone write that a shoe would only work on a narrow foot helps save me the time and effort of ordering a shoe that won't work for me. It helps Zappos as well since they offer free shipping both ways, accurate reviews help buyers make better choices prior to purchase and keep product prices down. If you don't currently review products, please consider how much it helps others when you write a review. 


I hope you will all forgive me for my lack of posting and commenting on blogs. I went to a specialist yesterday about my knee (which is still hurting quite a bit.) The Doctor said he thought it was a torn meniscus, which happens to be one of the most common issues people have with their knees. He sent me for an MRI, but I still haven't heard from them on the results. I was amazed at how busy the offices were with people with knee, shoulder, elbow, hip, and other issues. 


With my DH unable to take outfit pictures, I just haven't gotten enthused about dragging out the dress form to fix up outfits for picture taking. Hopefully this will change soon and I can be back sharing photos. 


Happy Thursday to you all!







Monday, April 2, 2012

Visible Monday Brights Trending Through the Decades

Today I am linking up with Patti of Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Tammy of SilverStyle for Trending Through the Decades - Brights

My outfit today is really bright. I recently purchased this coral jacket at a consignment store. I hesitated to buy it because it is so bright and the fabric has a sheen on it. I really do like it, but goodness, it wrinkles something awful and I didn't expect that. Usually I will crinkle up a bit of fabric on a garment to see if it wrinkles, but this time I didn't probably because I was so distracted by the QVC tag still being on it. I am seriously thinking of buying a steamer to remove wrinkles. I have an intense dislike of ironing and irons. Iron's seem to know that I don't like them and go out of their way to burn me or the item I am ironing. (For those of you who are Terminator fans, I think Skynet snuck in intelligent irons as the first step in machine world domination.)

Jacket: Dialogue from Consignment
Tee: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: Lane Bryant
Sandals: Think!
I kept my jewelry to a minimum. I wore my Monogram necklace (not shown) and signature bracelets. I thought this outfit was bright enough to stand on its own. 

My nails are one of my favorite bright red polishes, Sinful Colors - Sugar Sugar. I have a couple of nails on my right hand that have been peeling and breaking so I decided to try something different. I bought some Nailene glue on nails. I will have to wait until I remove them to really do a review on them. I do like them a lot as they look somewhat real and so far are not coming off. The perfect shape is a big clue to them not being real, but they do look lovely. 

My dear husband is still trying to get adjusted to his new shift work schedule so I haven't had any photos taken of my outfits. I am still dealing with my knee issues. My family Doctor thinks I may have a torn meniscus so I have an appointment to see a specialist this week. I am hoping he will be able to help me without surgery. 

On a side note, I thought I was experimenting with the new updated Blogger and ended up converting my blogs to the new template. I do not like the new template at all. When I was working I helped develop new software interfaces and did a lot of user testing. Programmers love to add new features which are often not what users want. Some of our programmers would accuse users of being Luddites and not like what the programmers gave them.  Sometimes that was true, but more often than not it was that the new interface didn't provide what the users needed for how they used the tool. Okay, I will get off my soap box now. Just sayin' new is not always better.

Please check out Visible Monday and Trending Through the Decades - Brights and enjoy some fashion inspiration created by real women for the real world.