Visible Monday

I so enjoy Monday's now. Part of it is that I don't have to get up and go to work and part is that I get to be inspired by all the beautiful women who take part in Visible Monday and Monday Mingle. So many of you all inspire me in different ways. Some are uplifting, some creative, some thrifty, and all are stylish. What better way could there be to start a week?

Today I am wearing yet another maxi dress. You have seen the dress before, but I chose to wear a different jacket with it this time. I received several compliments on it and a couple of people asked me where I was going, as if one only dresses nicely to go somewhere special.  Have you ever experienced receiving remarks such as that?

Maxi Dress: 1/2 of 1/2 store
Jacket: Dressbarn
Sandals: Think! Julia Red Patent
Bracelet on left side of photo: Leighelena
Bracelets on right side: Yurman and Michele watch

I have a funny Harry story to share with you. Earlier in the morning, my husband said we would take my outfit photos after we went out to eat. When we returned home, we gave out dog biscuits as usual. Then when I went to put on some lipstick, Harry started getting excited and running to the back bedroom where we keep the tripod for the camera. I asked him what he wanted and he kept running to the bedroom and looked at me and gave me the "this was what I want look". I wasn't sure he would repeat it, but when I went to tell my husband about it, Harry again started running back to the bedroom for the tripod. Normally, this behaviour is reserved for showing me where his dog biscuits are when he wants me to give them to him. (He is sure that I have forgotten where I keep them.) He is so funny! Then, when we wanted him to sit down for a picture, he wanted to play ball and not take pictures. What a dog!

Come on and throw the darn ball!

I hope you will all join me for Visible Monday and Monday Mingle.

P.S. Tomorrow is the day the September Vogue magazine will be available. I know I love looking at the huge September issue even if there is not one thing in it that I can afford to buy. Are you anticipating the release?

Visible Monday & snow!

Today I am linking up with Patti of Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. It is a snowy, c-c-cold Monday here in Kansas. This is the first really measurable snowfall we have had this winter. I would be perfectly happy with snow if it did not end up on streets or sidewalks.  Back when I worked, I would be a nervous wreck by the time I got to work. My hands almost had to be peeled off the steering wheel and my muscles would be stiff and sore from tensing up so much. Fortunately, I don't have to drive anywhere today so I can sit at home and just look out at it.

My outfit today is really bright colors. You have seen the jacket and jeans before.  I think I was laughing at Harry who was being very silly as usual.



Jacket: Chico's
Top Ann Klein
Jeans: Purple NYDJ
Booties: Arche



Me & Harry "The Ham"

Arche Booties

I got my Arche booties from eBay. I thought they would be plenty large as they were a size 38 which I normally wear, but these babies run small. I cannot wear socks with them as they fit like a glove without them. So, when it is really cold, these boots don't get worn. The leather is just so soft though and the color is gorgeous. It is so hard for me to get shoes on eBay. Even with accurate measurements, they often don't fit correctly.

Please visit Not Dead Yet Style for the Visible Monday linkup. It is always fun to see what everyone is wearing to be visible.

Visible Monday Animal Print Style

I am linking up with Patti from Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday #32 and Bon Bon Rose Girl's Monday Mingle. My outfit is a mix of some wild animal patterns.  My top is tiger and my jeans are cheetah. I know it is a fashion faux pas to mix two animal patterns, but I was feeling a bit ornery, so I decided to go ahead with it. We went for breakfast and then to the Walmart Market, so there weren't many folks to see this outfit. 

Jacket: Talbot's
Top: Anne Klein, Macy's
Jeans: NYDJ
Shoes: Teva

Necklace: Forever21

Shoes: Teva

I have to include this picture of me and my dear Harry. He is always a big help with taking pictures. We probably spend more time laughing at him than we do at serious picture taking.

What a face! Mr B had to whistle to get him to
settle down and look forward instead of looking up at me.

I hope you will visit Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday and Bon Bon Rose Girl's Monday Mingle  view all the lovely women who participate in these wonderful linkups.

Not what I thought it would look like

Today's outfit might have worked if I had some of the cool gold coated denim jeans. I thought it looked pretty good until I looked at the pictures and then I wasn't so happy with it. The jacket has dark gold metallic threads forming the flowers. I usually roll the sleeves up because they are always too long for me. It seems as though manufacturers today make the sleeves on everything really long. When I was younger, sleeves and pant lengths fit me perfectly.  I guess people are changing size, but I am not (well, I am, but not in the arm and leg length.)


Jacket: Chico's
Top: Talbot's
Jeans: JMS
Shoes: Tom's



I hope this next picture doesn't gross you out too much. Harry came over and sat up to give me a kiss on the chin. It was such a special moment. He usually doesn't do things like this. What a sweet boy he is.



If this isn't love, I don't know what is.

Necklace: Forever 21

Here is a closeup of my hair. It is getting long enough to wear with side hair combs. I used to wear combs a lot until I started wearing my hair really short. Now I will be wearing them again. These combs are by France Luxe and are really nice, well made hair combs. They also sell other hair accessories such as headbands, barrettes, and clips.

I think that by the end of the summer my hair should be grown out like I want in a medium length bob. It takes a really long time to grow hair out and a whole heap of patience.  

Visible Monday - What I Wore on New Year's Day

Today I am participating in Visible Monday #27 with Patti @ Not Dead Yet Style. This outfit is what I wore on New Year's Day to go to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie. It is very, very visible with all the gold metallic threads in the jacket.

I really enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes--lots of action and suspense. We rarely go to movies at the theater because we have cable with all the movie channels which allows us to see most anything we want. There are some movies that need to be seen on the big screen and this is one of them. 

Jacket: Chico's
Top: Talbot's
Jeans: NYDJ from Dillards
Booties: Orange Suede Nine West

This outfit looks better in person than in these photos



Nail polish is Edyta by Zoya
The bracelet closet to my watch is my new bangle bracelet from Yurman
It was a birthday present from my Mother, Sister & Brother-in-Law

One of my goals for the new year is to learn more about photography. I just signed up for a workshop on Fashion Photography taught at City Arts. I will be sure to share any tips I get with all of you.

I have also been tossing around the idea of taking some shots of outfits that are displayed on a dressform. That would allow me to showcase some accessories and illustrate how different accessories look on the same outfit. I can do these type of shots myself and not have to inconvenience my husband with waiting on me to change accessories. What do you all think? Would it be something you would be interested in seeing?

With Pam's (of over50feeling40) help, I am also planning on interviewing some local boutique owners and showcasing some of their merchandise. I know I enjoy seeing what different things are available in different areas of the country.

When we were about done taking pictures, my husband asked Harry if he wanted to pose for a picture. He is so funny! He came straight over and sat down in front of me to have his picture taken. Usually, we have to try to get him to sit still. He adds a lot of life to our home as do the other two Airedales. I will leave you with a photo of me and silly Harry.

Harry

Rainy Wednesday OOTD & Advice request

We received a little over an inch of much needed rain today. The day turned out to be really pretty and more spring-like than winter. I went to my favorite Barbeque restaurant, Delano BBQ, for lunch with my best friend. As I was getting ready to go, I thought of how much I used to enjoy getting ready to go to work; deciding what to wear and what accessories to add to the outfit. I do miss that part of going to work (the actual work, not so much.) 

I am sure it is no surprise that I am wearing a jacket today. The collar on this jacket is really cute. I am not sure exactly how it is made, but it  has a ruffled collar which adds a lot to the jacket. I got the jacket for 70% off at CJBanks. It is from a new line they had that evidently did not go over very well. The jacket has some really cute detailing that I really liked. I don't think I would have bought it at the original price, but for 70% off, I like it a lot. In real life, the purple in the jacket is much brighter than it appears here.  Oh, and I did not put my shoes back on for the pictures. So, you are going to see my socks with little fuzzy lambs on them. Stacy and Clinton don't like funny socks, but I do.

Jacket: CJBanks
Blouse: Coldwater Creek
FDJ Corduroy jeans
My fuzzy lamb socks



Necklace: Chico's
You can see the collar detail here much better.


I need some advice on whether or not I should keep the sweater and top shown below. I am not sure if the color is really good for me. I love the look of the sweater with the ruffles and the tiny copper metallic threads through it. I guess I am attracted to shiny things! I have had the pieces for a couple of days, but just cannot make up my mind about them. I used the same necklace I had on for my other outfit, and I probably would not wear it with this outfit.

Sweater, Top, and Necklace: Chico's
Harry who insisted on being in the pictures today.
(He always wants to be in them, but his mean people don't always let him.)

 So, do you think I should keep the sweater and top or return them?

Blue Wednesday

It is another hot day and I am tired of summer. I usually love summer, even the hot days, but this year I am just worn out from the heat and humidity. My asthma has been bothering me all summer which makes me tired and just kind of blue. I just didn't put much effort into this outfit I wore when I went to lunch with my one of my best friends. We had barbeque at one of the best places in Wichita, Delano BBQ. They make the best onion rings in Wichita and maybe Kansas. I didn't eat them today as even a small order is too much for me to eat by myself.

Jacket: Coldwater Creek
Tee: Chico's
Jeans: DG2 Cargo HSN
Sandals: Think! Julia

Bracelet on Left: Forever21
on Right: Top to Bottom: Top 2 Yurman, Michele Watch

Necklace top: Chico's, Bottom: Coldwater Creek



Me and Harry


I had to add this picture of me and Harry because it was just too cute not to. He loves being in the middle of the picture taking and today he was really determined to get me to pay attention to him.

FBFF - My view of style in Wichita

Today is Fashion/Beauty Friend  Friday sponsored by Modly Chic. This is my first time to participate. I have really enjoyed reading the posts of other FBFF bloggers and thought I would dip my toe in the water this week.  The topic this week is whether location influences style. I think it absolutely influences style. If you live in one of the large metropolitan areas of the US, you have easy access to some of the best fashion and retail resources in the US. While the internet does allow those of us in smaller cities to have some access to the better retail stores, we cannot easily touch or try on the clothing, jewelry or shoes, and shipping can get prohibitively expensive. Climate has a big influence on style as well. If you live in a flat, prairie area like Kansas where the winds are always blowing, wearing skirts and dresses is not as practical as a pair of pants where you don’t have to worry about someone seeing your undergarments if the wind makes a sail of your skirt. (We often call very windy days “clean underwear alert” days.)  We get a lot of very extreme weather -- really hot and really cold.

1. What part of the world do you blog from?  Wichita, Kansas, the middle of nowhere and the middle of everywhere in the lower 48. There are actually people who think we have cows in our yards here, probably bison too. 
2. If you had to describe the overall mode of dress for where you live what would you say? I would say that it is very, very casual. Very few people male or female dress up. Most of the time everyone is in jeans and tees or sweats.
3. Do you fit in with the status quo around you or do you break the mold? I think I break the mold since I often wear bright colors and lots of jewelry.  
4. If you have lived or traveled to another part of the country/world did your clothing choices evolve? I have lived here for most all of my life, so my style is pretty much gleaned from my own takes on styles I see in magazines or on TV.
5. If you had to describe your style by naming a specific city, what would you be? I guess it really would be Wichita—there’s no place like home.

My outfit for today is probably similar to what a lot of women wear in Wichita, minus the jacket. I don't usually like tops like I am wearing today, but this one has ruffles on the top front of the tank. The ruffles add a bit of interest where I have none (bilateral mastectomy.) Also, I like the colors--corals and greens.


Jacket: Tanjay Dillards
Top: : Dressbarn
Top: Dressbarn
Shoes: Airwalk, Payless



Necklace: Chico's

I just had to add these photos of me and Harry. He is so silly. When he hears the velcro open on the camera case, he is ready to go.

Arm Party - Bloggers Do It Better

Although almost every day is an Arm Party for me, today I am participating in the Bloggers Do It Better Arm Party organized by Pretty, Shiny, Sparkly. Wow, are there a lot of artistic bloggers participating. I am have been having a lot of fun looking at everyones jewelry.

Today, one of our best local boutiques, Lucinda's, is having their annual 40% off all jewelry sale. I know I don't need any more jewelry, but I love to look (okay, so I bought some.)  I also bought a pair of mittens that have buffalo heads on them. They are hard to describe so I will have to take a picture of them. I know they are silly for a woman my age, but life is too short and I wanted them regardless.

First the Arm Party:


Top Bracelet Lucinda's
Watch: Michele
Swarovski Bracelet
Vintage Rock Bracelet
Stretch gold, turquoise bead Lucinda's
Two gold stone stretch bracelets - old
Lampwork Bead bracelet - Art fair



Necklaces: Vintage ebay
The man petroglyph figure on the leather cord is so cool.





Jacket: Chico's
Tank: Chico's
Jeggings: JMS Walmart
Sandals: Think! Julia
Airedale Terrier: Harry

 This is one of my favorite color combination:. turquoise, gold, black, and coral. I love anything that is vaguely Native American or tribal.  Petrogylphs and cave painting figures fascinate me. I even collect Anasaszi pottery sherds. I love holding a piece of history in my hand and think of the person who created it hundreds of years ago with very primitive tools.

Creamsicle - Orange & Pink

Yet another hot as hades day. If there were a real creamsicle involved I think it would have melted in seconds.  The top I am wearing has hot pink and orange mixed together and reminds me of a creamsicle. There is more pink in the top than the pictures show. Interestingly, I had not noticed that the front of the top has a large area of white that shows up like a bull's eye. I think that from now on, I am going to take a camera with me to buy new clothes. It is amazing to me how much shows up in a photograph that does not in the mirror. 

You have seen Harry, my Airedale Terrier, before, but this is FarleyJoe's first appearance. He is my old boy. We adopted him in 2000 and I don't know how old he was when we got him. He is the sweetest boy anyone could have and is definitely a "momma's boy". He looks a bit like a well loved teddy bear. He cannot handle a day at the groomers, so I trim him myself with scissors. Blame his pitiful grooming on me. Jada, our only girl, was inside and could not be coaxed out. Smart girl. All three are rescues and are our treasures.


FarleyJoe was barking at me as was Harry until he picked up his ball.
Harry wanted to play, FarleyJoe wanted him to leave me alone.



Jacket: Coldwater Creek
Top: Chico's
Shorts: Chico's
Shoes: Think



FarleyJoe, the best, sweetest dog in the world.

Bracelets
Top 2: Chico's
Next 2: Dillard's (One is on top of the other)
Bottom: JCPenney



Necklace: Chicos
The top of the pendant is actually pink and matches the top.
It looks purple here, but it is not at all.



A Minnie Pearl moment

I know some readers will not remember Minnie Pearl. Minnie was a country comedian who wore a hat that had the price tag dangling. Of course, her tag was intentional.

Miss Minnie Pearl

 I went to lunch with some people I used to work with and wore the khaki jacket in my photos below. Somehow, I forgot to remove the tag and when I put the jacket on the darn tag was hanging off the back of my neck (why oh why it couldn't it have hung inside the jacket?).  I sat through the whole lunch and no one said a word until we were leaving and one of the guys said, "do you know you have a tag hanging?" I pulled it off and felt rather embarrassed, although I was very thankful that he told me or I would have gone to a couple of other places inadvertently channeling Miss Minnie. Have you ever had this happen to you?

 I love summer, but this year it has been just miserable here with heat warnings every day. Two people have died from the heat. I cannot imagine what life was like before there were air conditioners or at least fans. My grandparents told us stories of sleeping on the riverbank at night to be able to get at least a little cool breeze. We took the pictures pretty quickly as I was roasting.

My outfit today is a bit of a remix. The jeans I have worn several times and the top was from the military w/feminine touches challenge.

Jacket: Chico's
Top: Dressbarn
Jeans: DG2
Sandals: Think!
Necklace: Ebay



An action photo taken as I said I was done taking pictures
and headed for the a/c.



All Bracelets made by me. Michele Watch

As usual Harry wanted to play ball. He drooled on my leg trying to get me to throw the ball.
Unfortunately, I throw like a girl so the ball never goes very far.

InStyle inspiration day

I would like to say how sorry I am that Borders is closing. I love book stores. No electronic device will ever replace the feel of a book in my hand or the thrill of discovering a new book that I would not have known about if not for exploring a book store. My world will be a little smaller without Borders.

Today's outfit is inspired by a picture in InStyle magazine this month. I often tear out pages that have something on them that inspire me to create an outfit or piece of jewelry. As soon as I saw this page, I knew I had to create something similar. I kind of like what came out, but I am not satisfied with the jacket. I should have pulled the drawstring to give the jacket more shape. 
Here is the inspiration look:



InStyle Magazine, August Issue , Page 106

 Here is the look I created:


As usual, Harry has to be in the picture. Silly dog.



I had to add this one; Harry had dropped his ball wanting to play.



I thought about erasing the wrinkles on my hands,
but I did not. Here are some old hands.

Jacket: Lane Bryant
Tank: Chico's microfiber
Jeggings: Just My Size
Shoes: Reiker Fisherman Sandals
Necklace: Forever21
Yellow Bracelet: JCPenney

I know some of you keep an inspiration file. How do you keep yours? Do you file them away (and often forget them like I do) or do you display them on a board to keep them visible.

Turquoise and Purple two of my favorite year round colors

Please excuse my wet hair today. I had a limited window of time to have my DH take the photos.

I know some of you say that you never find anything at Chico's. My problem is that I find too much. The three quarter sleeve denim jacket is a new Chico's purchase that will be great to wear with sleeveless dresses so that I can cover my arms. 



Bracelets from L to R Picture 1 Dillards, Art fair, Michele Watch, Etsy,
Picture 2: Gift, Art Fair, Silpada, Art Fair
Necklace: Chico's (I have worn this necklace a lot. It is a summer favorite.)



Jacket: Chico's
Belt: Chico's (It ended up off center.)
Dress: Target Mossimo
Shoes: Think Black Patent

Harry has decided that he likes to be in the photos.


I have been thinking about Pam's Foundational 5 post at Over50Feeling40 and I think I have the first 3 of my foundational 5.

1. Versatility: I should be able to wear it with more than one outfit
2. Maintenance: It should not have to be ironed or dry cleaned. I do not want to iron every day like I did when I was working.
3. Really, Really Love it: It should be something I really love, not something pretty that is just a bargain. ( I am really guilty of buying things that seem to be bargains, but are really not since I might only wear it once.)

I am still thinking about my other 2 and I will post them as soon as I decide.

I have a wedding to attend tomorrow at our local botanical garden. I think I may wear this dress and jacket to the wedding instead of the dress and shrug that I had planned to wear shown on this post. It is a casual wedding and this is a comfortable colorful dress.  I am hoping I might be able to take some photos of the gardens.