Drive Your British Car Night

One never knows what wonderful car you will get to see when you attend the show, "Drive Your British Car Night."

As I was quickly getting dressed for this evening, I tried on many outfits before running out of time and had to settle on the one I wore. Normally I would not wear pants with a cuff or a wider leg; however, the high heels seemed to balance things. We would be having dinner in the restaurant later in the evening, so I had to wear something appropriate for the show and dinner. 

The reason my hair looks really strange tonight... we arrived in Mickey's non-British convertible. 

My attire includes the champagne-colored swing coat you have seen before, worn with an off white tank top and off white pants, which were a gift from my sister last year. The shoes are by Vince Camuto, and the clutch bag was found at T.J. Maxx a few years ago. 

The Pergola

Our date nights became few and far between during May. The reason was that Mr. Mickey and his crew were building a new pergola by his pool.

Later this week, the pool will be open for the enjoyment of family and friends. Thankfully it is heated, so we won't have to wait for summer to actually arrive.

Soon those colorful vines will wrap around the columns and travel across the top of the pergola.

Among the many interests, Mr. Mickey and I share is a love of beautiful grounds and surprises in the garden.  There are several sculptures, a fountain, and benches tucked into the corners of his property.
 

There are also meditation gardens where you can sit on a bench and watch the birds and squirrels, soon forgetting that you are in the midst of a city neighborhood. 

My jacket is navy linen from Coldwater Creek. Cool spring days are the perfect time to wear a three-quarter sleeve jacket. The cream-colored tank and tan pants are from Talbots. The gold studded sandals are by Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx.

I hope the sun is shining where you are and that you have a lovely day.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

The calendar tells us this is the start of the summer season in the States, but it is still quite cold here in the evenings.

This Saturday evening, we are joining our dearest friends for dinner at our favorite restaurant in town. 

 

I wore a black and white houndstooth jacket with a red tank top, both from Stein Mart. The pants are from Talbots. The black and silver box bag is from T.J.Maxx. The black strappy wedge sandals are from JCPenny. The long silver and rhinestone link necklace is from Coldwater Creek, and the large face rhinestone trimmed watch is from Stein Mart.

 

The risotto with fresh vegetables and seafood proved to be irresistible for most of us.

One friend had a biopsy this week, so there was a show of solidarity between all the fellows, thus the band-aides on all their noses. 

  

  

Our friends' son's girlfriend was in town for the weekend, so she joined us too.

Garden Party

The month of June often means outdoor weddings and parties to attend. You need not panic when that invitation arrives!

If the party is held during the heat of the day in a garden or near a pool, you can look polished and appropriate in a sheer blouse over a near-matching tank and white pants of any style. Choose comfortable to walk and stand in nude shoes and an eye-catching clutch. You will be cool and confident. 

Another option would be to wear a hat with a tank dress and a sheer flowing tunic. A simple style hat with a brim no wider than your shoulders is always a good choice. Remember to keep all of your other accessories minimal when wearing a hat. A small clutch bag worn on your shoulder or arm leaves hands free for outdoor events where food is served.

Make it Work

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I have started over with very little, more than once in my life. While I was living near New Orleans a few years ago, I started another new chapter in my life. 

When I began decorating my small cottage within sight of the Gulf of Mexico's beaches, I searched for objects to use in creating my vision of a lovely French-inspired home. I visited all the flea markets, junk stores, and yard sales within a fifty-mile radius.

This is the guest room in my home today. The chair was purchased at a yard sale at the end of the day as it was starting to rain. The lady I bought it from for $10 asked me in wonder, "What are you going to do with it?" It was covered with fake brown leather, and it was painted brown. I told her, "I'm going to give it an antique ivory distressed finish and then cover it with a tapestry fabric I have been saving for years." Two ladies standing behind me listening, excitedly asked, "Where is your shop?!" Maybe someday I will have that shop, but for now, this is the way I have always made do with what I could afford. 

The Monet print was a hand me down from my sister, which I had re-framed in light colors. The brass lamp was purchased for $3 at a church tag sale. The nightstand was found in a junk store for $25. I bought the iron bed on eBay.

This ancient-looking pedestal in the corner of my bedroom was on clearance at T.J. Maxx. I bought the concrete garden bust in a junk store in one of my travels. The Eastlake table was purchased at a yard sale. The oil painting was a clearance item in the resale shop. The other items were also purchased at similar shops. (My definition of a junk store is one that is presented as an antique store, but in reality, all of the stuff likely came from garage sales. One-piece out of three thousand might have the possibility of being reworked into something I would want to own.) The thrill comes in the hunt for that one object of my desire to complete the picture.

This display in my foyer is a salvage yard pedestal with a broken corner that was originally brown, orange, green, and red (really!). The urn is actually a lamp to which I added a final from something else after I removed all the electrical workings. I used burnt umber and cream paints to add a finish that pulled the whole thing together. I recently saw a similar display in a high-end decorator's showroom for more than $600!

Much of the decorating fun for me is looking for objects that I can rework to fit my vision. I really don't think it would give me nearly as much joy if I could walk into a fine antique store and point to the objects and say "I'll have that and that." Part of the joy for my creative spirit is to find something with possibilities that no one else wants and then recreating something special from those items.

I share these glimpses into my home and my private life for a reason. If you believe you can or you believe you cannot, you are correct. I hope to know a bit about my failures as well as my successes will inspire you to say, "I CAN!"

The Great Gatsby

Mr. Mickey took me to see the movie "The Great Gatsby" last evening.

We awoke to frost in our area on Tuesday morning, but we are looking forward to temps in the 80's today for the first time this year. I am hopeful that this will be the last of my transition looks for chilly spring weather.

Knowing that movie theaters are often downright cold, I wore my navy Austin Reed jacket with a white tee and side zip tan pants from Talbots. The slingbacks are several years old by Unisa. The large square silk-like golf-themed scarf is from Ross.  I folded it into a triangle, draped the ends across my shoulders, and then put on the jacket, which kept it in place without tying it.

The handbag is a recent purchase from Stein Mart.

We enjoyed the movie very much! I loved the elaborate cars and estates' grandeur, the gardens, and the wild party scenes. Leonardo DiCaprio is even more handsome than he was in his younger days. He is such a great actor! I had hoped for more glimpses of fabulous jewelry from this my favorite era.

Thank you for reading!

Dinner with Dear Friends

The rain was falling for much of the day but by the evening it had stopped. Everything is so green now! 

For this dinner date with very special friends, I wore a deep pink double-breasted knit jacket from Stein Mart with a black tank and black side zip pants from Talbots. The box bag is from T.J. Maxx as are the shoes which are a couple of years old.

Thank you for reading my blog. Today is a bit of a celebratory post since this is my 100th! It has been great fun sharing with you.

Chilly Date Night

Spring continues to tease us. The temperatures dipped into the forties last evening, and the wind was fierce, which means I looked for something warm for Friday date night with friends.

Because of the high winds, we moved the photo session into my foyer this evening.

All the elements are repeats, but I'll recap them for you. The wool double-breasted jacket with three-quarter sleeves is from Talbots last fall. The three quarter sleeve jacket is a great choice for cooler spring weather. This time I paired it with black wider leg pants and Ros Hommerson low heeled pumps. I was sad to get an email from Ros Hommerson announcing that they are going out of business. All of their inventory is half price now. 

When I wear wider leg pants, I always wear them with a lower-heeled shoe for safety reasons and the fact that it seems to be a much better balance.

Under the jacket is a black tank top from Stein Mart, and I carried a black leather clutch with gold trim. My earrings are gold and black, and the bangle is the same red as the jacket with gold trim. I rarely wear gold jewelry because of my skin tone and gray hair. 

 

The odd little "room" to the right of this image is the entryway to the downstairs.

Navy and Nude

On this Wednesday date night, I wore a navy knit dress and nude shoes.

Spring has finally arrived here in East Tennessee!

Nude shoes are often the most logical choice to wear with a dress, but they look especially fresh and modern with navy.  These BCBGeneration nude pumps were found at  T.J.Maxx.

The copper, silver, and gold woven clutch is many years old. The pearl, silver, and gold earrings are also several years old. The silver and gold necklace is a recent purchase from Stein Mart. I am also wearing my favorite pantyhose by Hanes. 

The navy knit dress was recently found on a sale rack at Stein Mart.