Black and blue on Monday

Happy Monday to you all. First, I would like to apologize for not commenting on blogs this past week. I am afflicted with vascular headaches and occasionally I have them for days on end. This past week was one of those occasions. Consequently, I did not spend much time on the computer. I am hoping that this week I will have more time to view all of my favorite blogs.

I am not sure why, but lately I have been wearing a lot of black. My outfit for today consists of black, white, and accents of blue in scarves. I wanted to show two different scarves with the same outfit. I ended up wearing the more vivid blue one in the second photo. 

I love the jacket I am wearing. It is a very soft leather with a patent snake print on it purchased several years ago from Chico's. This scarf is from Brightly Twisted, a Michigan company. The scarves are dyed and manufactured in the USA from imported fabric.  Each scarf is uniquely beautiful. (I am not affiliated with the company in any way and purchased the scarf myself.)

Harry decided to perform a 'stuffinectomy' on his ball toy. Stuffin' was flyin' for a while.

Leather Jacket: Chico's
Blouse: Chico's
Pants: Chico's Floral Lace
Scarf: Brightly Twisted
Shoes: FSNY
 

The second scarf I wore is one I purchased from Marshall's. It has a beautiful cobalt, black, and gray print. It's a very light weight chiffon and is very easy to style. I have been obsessed with scarves and wearing them most every day. A scarf can take a plain outfit to chic and polished. It is a great way for someone who lives a very casual life to jazz up almost any outfit.

Please visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Bon Bon Rose Girls for Monday Mingle.

What a Retired Boomer Wears on a Casual Day

I am always in awe of the fabulous outfits that my fellow bloggers create. There are so many with unique, elegant, quirky, artistic, or classic style that I adore seeing every day.  I am not sure that my outfit for today's Visible Monday is really even blogworthy. I have found that the longer I am retired, the less likely I am to dress to the nines. I still try to dress nicely, but my reality is much different than those of you who are still in the work force. Today's outfit illustrates that new reality. It was far too warm for a jacket (we had a record high yesterday) and we only went to the grocery store, so my fanciest accessory was a scarf.

Shirt: Lauren
Jeans: Chico;s
Shoes: Boutique 9
Scarf: Next

I did wear a scarf on my wrist as well as around my neck. I have seen several bloggers wear a wrist scarf and I decided to try it as well. I don't think I will do it again because it is too difficult to keep it dry when I wash my hands. Cute, but impractical.

No Harry photo today because he was too busy watching a squirrel to be bothered with us.  

I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy today's linkups for Visible Monday and Monday Mingle.

Two for the price of one

For today's Visible Monday I decided to do a 'twofer.' Two outfits based on the the same top, bottom, and scarf but with different jackets. I recently purchased the scarf on sale at White House Black Market. I liked the color combination/pattern. The scarf has an Alexander McQueen vibe without skulls. I just cannot abide the skull motif, it's just way too creepy for my taste.

Jacket on Left: CJBanks
Jacket on Right: Chico's
Blouse: Nygard
Jeans: NYDJ Jade Leggings
Scarf: White House Black Market
Boots: Vince Camuto Winchell
 

Here's a closer look at the scarf.

Of course, I have to share a photo of Harry who was so excited about photo time.

 

 

When I put together the floral/plaid look I wasn't so sure I would like it, but it turned out to be my favorite of the two looks. I think that we were so indoctrinated when we were young to not mix patterns that it has taken a long time for me to be really comfortable wearing it. Have any of you had a difficult time accepting this long time fashion "don't" as a "do"?

 

 

Please join me for this week's Visible Monday linkup. For me, it's the most happenin' place to be on a Monday.

Brooch, Broach, Pin or whatever you might call them, here they are!

I almost let November 21st slip by me. Where is time going? It seems to slip by faster every day. Une Femme d'un Certain Age has designated today as Show Us Your Brooches Day. I tried to pull out my prettier and older pieces. I have a lot that will most likely be considered vintage any day now as I have had many of them for years, but I didn't photograph them. I did inherit a couple of pieces from my great Aunt, but most of the others I have purchased over the past 30 or more years.

 

 

 

 

 

In getting them out to photograph them I noticed some of them were pretty dusty after being stored in drawers for so long. However, if I took time to clean them you all might never have seen them, so here they are "as is."  I think my favorites are the ones with orange toned stones. They seem to be the most dramatic.

I have quite a few vintage bracelets and necklaces that I have collected over the years and I will take pictures of those one of these days. I really need to do so just so I know what I have. 

Seeing all the pieces I have has made me decide to wear a few of them this year. So, you may be seeing them again soon on an outfit of the day.

For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you a very happy day.

Sparkle and Fringe Galore

This Visible Monday outfit is all about sparkle and fringe, two things I dearly love. I started out in the morning with the sweater on but had to remove it around noon because the day was getting too warm. I am beginning to wonder if I will be able to wear my sweaters this winter.

When I was in my teens I had a really cool (okay, it was cool in the 60's) outfit that I wore all the time. The shirt was a sheer brown and white print fabric with fringe trimming from the shoulders and down around the bust area as well as across the back. The pants were white bell bottoms and had a fringed fabric belt that matched the shirt. I felt as visible in that outfit as I did in the one I am sharing today. Some might say that I was a bit over the top in today's outfit, but I say to heck with them.


Chico's sweater
Foxcroft blouse
Chico's scarf
Chico's Rhinestone jeans
Tom's glitter shoes

My sweater has silver threads woven throughout. It is a loose weave meant for layering. I chose a black shirt to give it a bit of a gray cast so it would pick up the gray color in the scarf.

As usual, when we were taking pictures, Harry had to get in the action with his loofa dog toy. He loves the toy because he can shake it, squeak it, and flea bite it. He likes to put it against our bodies and then flea bite it. He had it against DH's back while he was trying to take the pictures. This picture is one taken when I called him to me so as to stop pestering the photographer.


I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy this Visible Monday linkup. I am always in awe at that wonderful style that so many of you share each week.

Cold weather has arrived

First, on this Veteran's Day, I would like to thank all our Veterans for their service to their country and all its citizens. 

In one day, we went from almost 80 degrees F to freezing with 40 mph wind, which is rather typical Kansas weather. Now I remember why I do not like to wear dresses. After seeing so many bloggers wear dresses and tights, I decided to give it a try myself for my Visible Monday outfit. I bought a really pretty sweater dress and some black tights. The sweater dress was only $11.00 at the 1/2 of 1/2 Store. The tights I had gotten to wear with a dress for a wedding we attended Friday night. (More about that later.) I think the next time I wear the sweater dress it will be with skinny jeans underneath and not tights. Brrr, cold!

Sweater dress: Style & Co via 1/2 of 1/2 Store
Blouse: Foxcroft
Boots: Aerosoles
Megan Mae button flower

Aerosoles Sota Boots

Friday night we attended the wedding of two of the loveliest young people I have ever met. Quinn, the bride, is the daughter of my best friend. She and her husband Stuart are the kind of young people every parent would want their children to grow up to be. They are both hard-working and focused on their futures.  In an era when weddings can often be ostentatious expensive extravaganzas, they chose to make their focus on family and friends and their love for each other. Their wedding was simply elegant and suited them perfectly. I felt lucky to be a part of their beautiful day. Thank you Quinn and Stuart and I wish the best of everything to you both. May you always be as happy as you were on your wedding day.

I hope you will all join me for our fun Visible Monday and Monday Mingle weekly fashion linkup.

There's no place like home or red glitter shoes

I have been having a really hard time bouncing back from FarLeyJoE's death and I have not been commenting or looking at many blogs here lately. I am sorry, but I have just been so blue that I haven't been too interested in fashion. The odd thing is that I have gotten obsessed with genealogy. I have been spending a lot of time researching my family tree. I have no famous relatives and certainly none that were rich. But it is very interesting to find out that I have ancestors who have been in the United States since before there was a US of A. Some were veterans of the Revolutionary War, the war of 1812, and the Civil War. With Veterans Day coming up, it makes it mean even more to me this year. I think working on genealogy gives me something to concentrate on other than the empty spot in my heart and in my den from the loss of FarLeyJoE and Jada. Have any of you done any genealogy research? Any tips for me?

Last week I went to my hairdresser and got some darker color weaved in my hair. I want to let my hair grow out to its natural color, whatever that might be. The color is a big change and I am not sure I like it yet, but I am sure I will get used to it eventually.

I wanted to wear my red glitter Tom's so I put together this outfit so I could wear them for this Visible Monday linkup.  I have wanted red glitter shoes since the first time I saw Dorothy's shoes in The Wizard of Oz. The pants are a knit that has pleather inserts down each side. They are a bit long, but I really bought them so I could tuck them inside my boots, so I haven't hemmed them.

Leather jacket: Coldwater Creek
Top: JonesNY via 1/2 of 1/2 store
Pants: Tribal from Ann's Fashions
Red Glitter shoes: Tom's

Is it a bird, a plane, or Superman?
It was a big passenger jet flying really fast and low over the house.

Chico's necklace

 This has been a rough summer for me. First losing Jada and then FarLeyJoE has just hit me hard. So please bear with me until I get back to normal (or at least what is normal for me, ha!) In the meantime, please visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Monday Mingle for the weekly fashion parade.