Visible Monday/Monday Mingle

It is Monday and that means Monday Mingle and Visible Monday linkups. I never used to look forward to Monday's, but now I do thanks to bloggers Glamamom and Not Dead Yet Style.

Today's outfit has one of my favorite color combinations: black, cream, and hot pink. The jacket is one I have had for a long time. I quit wearing it when I was working because a woman I worked with had one too. She was not one of my favorite people and seeing the jacket on her made me not want to wear it. Now that I am retired, I am back to wearing it. It has all over cream embroidery. I am a sucker for embroidery. We are often inspired to wear an item of clothing due to seeing someone we admire wear it, but have you ever had a piece of clothing take on a negative connotation due to seeing someone else wear it?

Somewhere I saw a photo of someone wearing sheer lace with a bright color underneath. It inspired me to put my hot pink tank under my cream lace tee. I think I will be combining more bright colors under it. It certainly makes it a much more versatile layering piece.


Jacket: CJBanks
Lace Tee and Pink Tank: Chico's
Jeans: French Dressing Jeans
Shoes: Payless



Scarf/Necklace: Vintage
Monogram necklace: Max & Chloe
Bracelets on Left Side of Picture: Self Made
Bracelets on Right: My Signature Yurman

The pearls are kind of a woven tube that allow you to thread a scarf through them. It belonged to a friend of my Mother's. She gave it to Mother who gave it to me. I had put it away in a "safe place"; so darn safe that I forgot where I put it. I found it not to long ago and decide it would provide the perfect touch for this outfit.

If you like my shoes (which I love by the way) they are on sale right now for $19.99 at Payless ShoeSource. These shoes are available in wide width as well.

Claire Shoe from Payless

Please visit Not Dead Yet Style and Glamamom for Visible Monday and Monday Mingle. It's a whole lotta fun for a Monday!

Hidden yellow pastel outfit of the day

Well, this was supposed to be my pastel outfit for Tammy at SilverStyle's Trending Through the Decades-Pastels linkup. We were trying to hurry to take pics before the battery died on the camera so I did not realize that my yellow tee did not show at all on the full length pictures and only a little on the jewelry closeups. My necklace really did not show at all. It is a bird with blue rhinestones. I know that I probably should not have worn it since it is really making the outfit into a theme with birds, but I liked it and I've decided that trumps the "rules."  I really like this blouse with my navy jacket best. I think that since I have been blogging I am coming to realize I look better in deep and bright colors.

Jacket: Chico's
Blouse: Old Navy
Tee: Chico's
Jeans: FDJ
Shoes: American Eagle - really old white bucs
Harry: Really silly Airedale who loves to be in pictures

See, there really is pastel in this outfit.
Left side of picture: bracelets: Silpada, Coldwater Creek
Right side: My new Scarab Spoon Bracelet, Michele watch, Yurman



Scarab Spoon Bracelet From Etsy Seller The Bead Ladies
I had them add some beads to the center of the bracelet.
I am obsessed with all things Egyptian. I have been since I was quite young.


I have decided that my Michele Watch and my David Yurman bracelets are part of my signature style. I wear them so often that I feel a bit naked without them. Even though Yurman jewelry is expensive, if you figure cost per wear they turn out to be less expensive than some of the costume jewelry that I have bought and worn very few times. Do you have a signature style piece that you wear all the time?

A Whole Lotta Layerin' Goin' On - Visible Monday and Monday Mingle

Today I am linking up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and the Bon Bon Rose Girls for Monday Mingle.

My last 4 days have been spent with my leg propped up and ice packs on my knee. After my acupuncture on Friday I felt better so I went out and walked some at the mall. Big mistake. By the time I got home, my knee was really swollen and hurt like the dickens. So, I haven't been up and out much for the past few days. I had to get dressed today to participate in the linkup's, so this is what I wore on this gray, cool, rainy day. Not that I am complaining because we needed the rain as we have been in a severe drought condition for months.



Green Jacket: Chico's
Leopard Jacket: Dressbarn
Gold Lurex tee: Von Maur
Lace Tee: Chico's
Jeans: FDJ
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell



Necklace: Ann's Fashions
Bracelets on Left: Miscellaneous stretch beaded
Ring: Inherited 1950's Citrine from Brazil
On right: Michele Watch, Yurman bracelets

I bought the sleeveless, pale gold lurex tee, which has WAY too low of a neckline and is way too thin, because I thought it might be a good layering piece. I played around with what jacket to wear with it and picked these two when I realized I liked the leopard jacket layered under the green jacket, so that's how I came up with this combo.

I don't have on nail polish right now, just a Julep Nail Therapy to help my nails. I think that changing polish as often as I did was causing some peeling on my nail tips. I am thinking of polishing them with a mint green though and probably will. I will try to take some breaks between colors for a while. but now that I am accustomed to having polish on I just feel kind of bare without it.

I told you all that I would report back on the acupuncture treatment. It was very interesting and not painful. I only felt a couple of tiny pricks of the needles (which were very small.)  I was kind of surprised at how painless it was. Afterwards, I could not even see where the needles had been placed even though I knew where some of them had been. I did feel better after the treatment and would definitely do it again.

Please visit the Visible Monday and Monday Mingle linkup's to see what stylish outfits everyone is wearing this fine day.

A Quiet Thursday

This was one of those quiet days when not much is going on. My outfit is not a very inspired one, but it is what I wore.

Jacket: Chico's
Tee: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: French Dressing Jeans Jegging
Sandals: Think! Julia



Necklace: Ann's Fashions

 Just like in most of the USA, our weather is unusually warm. 80 degrees in March? I do like to have my toes in the open air and it was a joy to wear sandals.

Tomorrow I am going for my first acupuncture treatment. I am looking forward to it. The Doctor is also my Thursday yoga teacher. I am so excited to learn more about this ancient treatment. I hope to learn some ways to do some acupressure on myself. Dr. Barbara has showed us some in yoga class. It is amazing how sore some of the pressure points are.  I will report back on my experience.

A Visible Monday, A Monday Mingle, and A Giveaway Winner

I am so excited to announce the winner of my giveaway! Kiah of From the Rez to the City is the winner of the Elizabeth Taylor for Avon necklace. Kiah it will look so beautiful on you! If you haven't visited Kiah's blog, please visit From the Rez to the City. Kiah has amazing style and is a wonderful person too!

Today I am linking up with Patti of Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and MomTrends for Monday Mingle. My outfit for today is a combination of bright and deep colors. The pants are the bright blue ones that I bought at Lane Bryant. I realized after wearing them that they are not denim, but instead a twill fabric that wrinkles quite a lot. I sure hope they wash up well. I haven't had a iron in my hand since I retired. I don't even know if it works any more.

Jacket: Chico's
Top and Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Sheri Poe via HSN

This pose is actually a lot like the real me. I am always pushing up my glasses.

Bracelets Top to Bottom:
Large enamel bangle on top: Talbot's
3 Ric Rack bangles: Kate Spade
Bottom Bracelet: Vintage from 60's
Nail Polish: Zoya Ibiza topped with Lynnderella Shape Shifter

My husband was informed that he has to go to third shift this month. That means my photographer will be MIA a lot. I am hoping to still have photos that feature outfits I am wearing, but if not, it will give me the opportunity to do some outfit/accessory styling on a dressform. That can be fun too as it will allow me to do multiple stylings of the same outfit with different accessories.

Does the change the daylight saving time affect you? It sure does me. I have a hard time adjusting to losing an hour. I will have to set the alarm this week to make sure I can make it to my yoga class on time. I wish they would just leave the darn time alone!

Please visit Visible Monday and Monday Mingle to see what everyone is wearing this week.

Some Eye Opening Videos and Last Day for the Necklace Giveaway

First, I want to remind you that today is the last day to enter my necklace giveaway. To enter, leave a comment on the giveaway post.

I would like to share with you these two videos, Killing Us Softly 4, Advertising's Image of Women by Jean Killborne. Ms Killborne presents a powerful message about how advertising portrays distorted, unrealistic ideals of women. It is no wonder that so many of us feel that we aren't worthy of being seen.

I recently read on The Sartoralist that he often asks women of all sizes to allow him to take their pictures. Women who are larger than the ideal often say no. Perhaps because they feel that they will be made fun of or the images used in a derogatory way. I know I have felt that I don't compare well to women who are close to my age, but thinner and more photogenic. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I do. I recently read a remark on one blog about the very lovely woman who thinks she is not photogenic. She is lovely and should not be afraid to show her lovely self to all of us. That is precisely why I show photos of myself. I know I am not conventionally beautiful, (and I am NOT fishing for compliments) I am overweight and struggling daily with my body image. I know what I am and I am one of many millions of very normal women who rarely see others like us portrayed positively in the media.

I know these video's will take a while to view, but I really believe they are worth watching.

Everyday we are bombarded by images of perfect people who don't really even exist.  As shown in these videos, many are photo shopped and no longer resemble the real person. We need to start demanding that the advertising that we see is truthful. How many times have we seen ads that we know cannot be real? I seriously doubt that many of the mascara advertisements show real results. For that matter, most of the ads for age related products probably feature women far younger than their target audience.

I am hoping that by continuing blogging and showing real women in real life we can change how we are viewed as consumers but more importantly as women of worth no matter our age, size, or color.

Would you wear bright pink jeans? (And don't forget the necklace giveaway!)

I would! When I was thinking about this post, I remembered that I used to wear a lot of different colored pants. Coral, turquoise, green, red and lavender. Back in the early 90's, Dockers made a lot of different colored pants that had color coordinated tees and shirts. I bought a heap of them and wore them proudly.

With all the colored jeans now available, I debated about getting these hot pink colored skinny jeans. Lane Bryant had a big everything 40% off sale recently so it seemed like an opportune time to give them a try. I was quite surprised to find out how many things I have that they can be easily worn with. These jeans don't  fit as well as NYDJ, but they are a whole lot less expensive.  To be honest, I didn't wear this today as I did not get out of the house. However, I had planned to wear it this week, so I decided to put it on and take some pics. The jacket has little hot pink tweed flecks, so it does look good with the jeans.
 

Jacket: Consignment
Lace Tee: Chico's
Cami: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Payless
Airedale: Harry

  I am wearing another of my Elizabeth Taylor for Avon pieces. The necklace is the Forever Violet from 1994. It originally retailed for $98.00.  I also took a picture of another piece I have, the Katherina Maltese Cross Pendant, which can be worn as a pin or pendant.

Elizabeth Taylor for Avon

Last night I found the original box for the necklace that I have that is like the one I have in the Giveaway. I thought I would put a bit more information about it here. Elizabeth Taylor for Avon was very high quality costume jewelry. For those of you who might have seen other Avon jewelry, there is no comparison. There were several designers who created lines for Avon including Kenneth Jay Lane and Jose Maria Barberra.

The insert in the box says:
"Hammered medallions plated with 22 karat gold, are artfully linked to form a necklace.. All are lightly antiqued and, as in the case with authentic treasure coins, there are slight variations in color."

This piece is featured in the book "Identifying Avon jewelry" by Sandra Sturdivant. This book values it at $150.00, although I have found it for sale ranging from $50.00 and up.  It is a very collectible piece and will no doubt continue to grow in value. Please go to my Giveaway post to leave a comment for your chance to win this beautiful necklace.

A Giveaway! Elizabeth Taylor for Avon Necklace

On Monday I commented that I would be doing a giveaway for a vintage Elizabeth Taylor for Avon necklace. I love this necklace because it is bold and definitely a statement necklace. I have this necklace and have worn it on the blog. This is not the necklace I have worn (I could not give it up), it is a new in the original purple box, beautifully packaged and with a purple drawstring storage bag. In 1994 when this came out as part of her Signature Gold Coast Collection it originally sold for $75.00.  It is a beautiful, well crafted piece of jewelry. I hope one of you will enjoy owning it. 

Elizabeth Taylor for Avon Necklace
Hammered metal (brass?) with and E in the center of each disc.

The necklace is shiny like it is shown here. It is really hard to photograph its true beauty. I would describe it as somewhere between the top photo and this photo. Really hard to capture.

This contest is open to all followers of my blog. You can follow me either through Google Friend Connect or BlogLovin'. Please leave a comment in the comments section which you use to follow this blog and you will be entered in the contest.  I will run this contest through next Sunday and announce the winner on Monday, March 12th. I will give the winner 48 hours to contact me. If I am not contacted, I will chose another winner. Good luck to you all.

Visible Monday (Kind of)

I am linking up with Patti of Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Glamamom for Monday Mingle. The outfit I have for you today is one I wore several days ago. I have not been feeling too great the past few daysd and will probably spend Monday in PJ's. I don't know if I caught some bug my husband has or if it is the allergies/bronchitis I seem to get a couple of times a year. Because I have asthma, anything that affects my lungs really packs a mean punch. Since my photographer is ill too, there have been no outfit photos for several days.

Jacket: Lane Bryant
Blouse: Old Navy
Tee: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: NYDJ
Shoes: Tom's burlap

The top is very sheer and requires a tank underneath.
It is very flowy and has tucked pleats in the front and tiny bits of red splashed throughout.

Necklace: Chico's

On Wednesday, I will be having a giveaway of a vintage Elizabeth Taylor for Avon Necklace. Please stop back by and enter. In the mean time, please visit Patti for Visible Monday and Glamamom for Monday Mingle.

A Color Blocking Experiment

Today I was feeling bright and cheery so I decided to wear some bright colors taken from a scarf that I bought but have never worn. The colors do not look "right" in the pictures so I think the outfit really looks better in person.

First, the scarf. I bought it on eBay. It is a sheer scarf with very intense fiery colors. It still had a tag on it but it was all in Oriental characters which I cannot decipher. We were fighting the wind to try and get some decent pictures and finally just gave up. It is a lovely warm day here, but quite windy.

Givenchy Scarf via eBay

Blouse: Chicos's
Jeans: NYDJ

The blouse is really more of a bright coral than it appears here. There is some of that color in the scarf although it doesn't really look like it here. Sometimes it is so difficult to capture true colors. I am sure there is a technical reason for it, but it is frustrating to not be able to show accurately.

Bracelet on left: Chico's
On Right: David Yurman
Nail polish: A England Order of the Garter

I do love bright colors of nail polish but the disadvantage of wearing them is that they often do not match what I am wearing. Although in this case, blue is a complementary color to the orange/coral of the blouse.

For those of you who love nail polish, I would suggest trying A England polishes. They are a small indie brand sold in England but also available from a couple of sources here in the US. I got mine from llarowe, a company owned by Leah Ann Larowe. I received excellent service from her company and have placed two orders so far. She also sells some other hard to find indie/foreign polishes that are amazing.

I hope you had a bright and cheery Thursday!