A great find and my blue security blanket

This has not been the best of days for me. I woke up feeling awful from sinus and asthma problems. When I finally started feeling better I called my Mother, who was out and about, and asked her to meet me for lunch.  I had a really nice salad with strawberries, apples, bacon bits, and grilled chicken with a light vidalia onion dressing. I have been using fruit in my salads quite a lot this year and the recipe for Pomegranate Dressing The Wilted Magnolia posted today sounds like something really good to try.

After we finished lunch, we went to a couple of estate sales in the area. There was nothing at either of those that interested us so we decided to go to the Salvation Army thrift store. That was where some fun began. My Mother found a couple of decorative plates and I found a really pretty necklace that is the best thing I have ever found at a thrift store. I have it on in today's pictures. The Salvation Army merchandise is often priced awfully high for a thrift store. My necklace was $9.99, but it was so pretty and was worth it to me. The tag on the chain is marked Avon, so I am assuming that it is an older Avon piece as it is very heavy and well made.

JudyC asked how I could wear a jacket in this heat. I think that since I had my mastectomy, I use jackets as kind of a security blanket. The Urban Dictionary defines security blanket as "anything an adult uses to reduce their anxiety". Yep, that fits me. Jackets make me feel as though no one will notice my strange chest anatomy and my apple middle.  I my head I know that a jacket will not hide everything, but it makes me feel better about myself.  Sometimes it is really too hot to wear a jacket, but I do it anyway.

Jacket: Coldwater Creek
Top: Anne Klein
Jeggings: JMS Walmart
Sandals: Think! Julia



Necklaces: B w/pearls Anne Boleyn Repro
Gold and Blue w/pearl, Avon, thrifted
Long Pearl necklace, gift
Flower pin from local boutique, Carla's Love It

 I think we all probably have some body issue that we try to hide in some way. Many times what we perceive as very noticable others do not notice at all. Do you have any security blanket you use to feel more confident and reduce anxiety?

Using Shoe Clips to expand your shoe wardrobe

It was horribly hot again today. I know you are probably saying, dang lady, you say that every day! But the heat is starting to make me tired and aggravate my asthma, so I did not change out of my yoga gear after class this morning. Me in yoga gear is not something anyone wants to see, so, I had a different idea for today's post about another form of accessory.

Today, Pam @ Over50Feeling40 wrote a post about thrifting Shoes . Unfortunately, I do not have much luck thrifting shoes, although I do occasionally buy some via ebay.  I do have lots of sandals for the summer, but winter shoes are fewer so one of the ways I use to increase my shoe wardrobe variety is to use shoe clips. The heyday of shoe clips was probably in the 60's, but they are still available. One really good source is Shoeclips.biz I have purchased several shoe clips from them and have been satisfied with their quality and service. (I have no affiliation with them.) Ebay is another source of vintage clips.

I have taken 3 pair of just plain ballet flats and attached some of my shoe clips to them to illustrate what they look like. It is a fairly inexpensive way to make your shoes look different and unique.  To make them more versatile, I try to get clips that can be worn on more than one pair of shoes.

The shoes are all French Sole New York ballet slippers.

I think you can click on the photo to have it open larger. (At least it works
that way in Internet Explorer for me.) I am still working on my photography and photo manipulation skills. By the way, I would not necessarily wear some of these clips with these particular shoes, I was just using them for illustrative purposes.

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.

Visible Monday - Leopard

Visible Monday, organized by Patti of Not Dead Yet Style , is a wonderful way for us to share an outfit in which we do not feel invisible. ( I am posting this Sunday night so that I don't have to wait until Monday evening to publish.)

My VM outfit consists of a Leopard print jacket, a terracotta colored tank, and my new jeggings. I purchased them at Walmart for just $10.00. Today is my first time for wearing them in public. Surprisingly, I think I like them. I wasn't too sure I would as they are fairly narrow legs and some fashion experts say that plus size women should not wear jeggings. But, the camera said they did not look bad, so I am thinking I will wear them more often. They are comfortable (oh no! Stacy and Clinton would be horrified!) and easy to just pull on and go.  I especially like the front seam. They may be a little long, but I will wash them a few more times before trying to hem them.

The colors in this outfit really look better in person than in the pictures. For some reason, the tank did not photograph well nor did the jewelry, which is really a warm, golden color.

If you notice that my jewelry sometimes falls to one side, that is because I have scoliosis and one shoulder is visibly lower than the other. I am hoping that yoga may help by strengthening my back muscles to better support my spine.

Jacket: Dressbarn
Tank: Chico's Microfiber Tank
Necklaces: Forever21
Jeggings: Just my size Walmart
Sandals: Think! Julia

Cool colors for a melting hot summer day

It is currently106 degrees F and it is too hot to do anything outdoors. Those of you who have more bearable temperatures are very lucky.

This morning I read Pam's post at over50feeling40  on her Foundational 5, rule number 3 Dressing with Creativity. She asked if anyone had any ideas about how to tone down personal creativity or whether it should be toned down. It made me think about my self and I realized that I love color so much. The outfits that I feel the best in have an intense color. I have purchased neutrals, but for the most part I am not really happy in them. So one of my Foundational 5's would be Color: It must have color!

In response to Pam, I think that for me clothing is my way of expressing my creative, artistic abilities. The colors I wear are like the colors in a painting and I think I may be a bit more Kandinsky than Vermeer. I am inspired by the beautiful, classic styles like I see on Mai Tai's Picture Book  or Une femme d'un certain age  Both ladies are very stylish. I might wear something classic occasionally, but not everyday. Because I am retired, I do not have to worry about making an impression at work.  That said, I am using most of the clothes that I had at work, so you can tell that I was a little bit colorful even when I was working.

I think the most important thing is to be appropriate. At the wedding I attended last night, there were some women who were dressed really sexy. I think there is a time and place for that, but not at a wedding. It was a more casual affair, but for me really short skirts and low cut tops are just not appropriate at even a casual wedding. Just my humble opinion.

Now to the fun--today's outfit. 


Top: Chico's
Jeans: Chico's Barely There Flare Jeans
I think I may just be an old hippie girl at heart.



Two Chico's necklaces layered



Bracelets: Forever21
Sandals: Silver Haflinger



Harry has decided that he must be outside when we are taking pictures. He brought his ball over, dropped it a couple of times, then started barking at us. We did throw the ball a couple of times, but it was too hot to let him play for very long. The two older dogs, FarleyJoe and Jada have the good sense to stay inside in the air conditioning.

What I wore before the wedding I will attend

It is hot and muggy today and I feel worn out from the heat. I went to the Mall today and it was even hot in the stores. Usually, stores are so cold that it is nice to have something covering your arms, but not today.  I sure hope the wedding tonight is inside! This has been a really hot summer resulting in water rationing in many cities. I expect we will have that here soon if it does not cool down or rain.

In reviewing the photos of my outfit, I think I need to hem the skirt up a few inches as it just seems a bit too long. It is funny how something you never notice even in the mirror shows up so well in a photo.
 I love this denim jacket. It has really pretty pale green plastic buttons that really add a lot to many outfits.

I really wanted to participate in the FBFF, but I do not have time to do that right now. If I can, I will edit this post later this evening. 

 

Harry is getting to be a real pill about wanting to be in the pictures.





Bart wanted me to remove my glasses since there was too much reflection in them.
Unfortunately, I can't see much without them.




Sarah Cavendar Metalworks necklace





Kate Spade Rick Rack Bracelets, Michele Watch, Vintage Ring

 Jacket: Coldwater Creek
Tank: Chico's
Skirt: Talbots
Shoes: Think! Julia sandals