The Windsor of Asheville

On Tuesday evening, we attended the grand opening of the fabulous Windsor Boutique Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina.

There was live music from Chris Rhodes and wonderful food from several great restaurants in the area, wine and interesting new people to visit with.

The hotel is beautifully decorated with every comfort of home included in each of fourteen private vacation-ready rooms.

I love the exposed brick walls which many of the rooms have.

The lovely Nina Kis Bradbury is the Property Manager.

Each of the rooms is exquisitely and uniquely decorated.

Full kitchens, a washer and dryer, and luxurious baths are part of each suite.

A rotating exhibit of nineteen local Asheville artists' work is on display throughout the hotel, which can be purchased to add to your collection.

I wore black and silver items from the Travelers Collection from Chico's.

The hotel will soon include an Italian restaurant and shop where you will be able to buy fabulous antiques and accessories like those in the hotel. The designers actually traveled to Paris to buy a lot of the items used on the property.

This beautiful lady told me she was almost sixty years old after telling her about the blog. Amazing! She is Karen W. Nowlin, an Aesthetician, and provider of PCA Skin Care. I would say it is working very well for her!

Laura Cousins is the Creative Art Director for the hotel. It was such a treat to meet her because we immediately found that we were kindred spirits on so many levels. I felt as if we had known each other for years after only a few minutes.

This beautiful and extremely talented lady is Leeann Mayes, the creative interior designer of this amazing property and a manager.

The convenient location in the city's heart makes The Windsor the perfect place to stay on your Asheville vacation. You can easily walk to many great shops, galleries, sidewalk cafés, and restaurants. (People watching in Asheville is a special treat.)

Wear It Wednesday

This white background jacket is lovely in its construction and design but it has always seemed wrong for my shape.

The Travelers tank and pants, as well as the jacket, are old items from Chico's. The shoes, bag, and jewelry are likely from Stein Mart. They are all old, so I don't actually recall where I bought them. Even though I rarely wear this look, I will hang on to it for now since it gives me a dressier daytime look for those events requiring it.

 

Wear It Wednesday is the day I pull out questionable or rarely worn pieces from my closet and try to make them work or else donate them to someone who will make use of them. 

Reducing clutter in my closet makes getting dressed much more pleasant. Too many questionable pieces can result in wearing the same thing all the time and the feeling that you need more choices when you already have too many. 

Don't miss the second blog post coming later today. We had a wonderful evening, and I can't wait to share it with you!

Cool Spring Weather

Thankfully the sun was shining because it was quite cool here yesterday.

In fact, it was downright cold during the night time... so much so that I dreamed it snowed!

We had dinner with friends at Carrabba's Italian Grill, but we ran some errands earlier in the day.

These photos were taken at the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce building. 

Mr. Mickey was on the board of directors of the Chamber when this building was built.

I am wearing pants and a tank from Chico's. The navy jacket is my old favorite. The shoes are Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx. The mixed metals necklace was found in a gallery in Asheville last year.

Ruanas Are Great For Warm Weather

A ruana is a poncho-style outer garment or wrap. I found this sheer blue animal print one on sale at Chico's a couple of years ago.

I like the fact that this one is sheer and can be worn in a variety of ways as a bit of cover when you want to dress in cool sleeveless tops and white ankle pants or Capris. (Ruanas are also great for winter in fabrics such as wool and cashmere.)

As you can see there isn't much construction to a ruana but they are so versatile.

This is my favorite way to wear them in both winter and summer. I think they look so chic!

Saturday Afternoon

Readers often ask me what I wear on a casual day when I am just staying home or running out for errands.

On this windy, rainy day, I wore red slim leg pants with an animal print sheer tunic from Chico's and a nude foundation tank from Carlisle. Even though the tank is technically a foundation item, it is so pretty it can be seen peeking out from beneath a sheer blouse. The Kenneth Cole Reaction sandals in gold are from T.J.Maxx.

The old Post Office and Custom House in Bristol, Tennessee, is one of my favorite local buildings. It was constructed in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture and opened in 1901. It is now a private office belonging to friends Joe and Cindy Gregory, who began restoring it to its full glory in 1999.

Artisanal Opens For The Season

We love to take a long drive into the North Carolina mountains to have dinner at Artisanal in Banner Elk.

Do you redecorate your home for the summer season? I changed to a light color entry rug and changed art objects on the library table to include lighter colors, white orchids, and some of my collection of unusual seashells gathered from beaches on the far side of the world.

This is the first time I've worn this jacket from the Travelers Collection at Chico's. It is made from black and ivory satin and sheer black ribbons. I paired it with an ivory tank and sleek black side zip ankle pants, also from Chico's. The necklace was a gift from Mr. Mickey. The shoes are BCBGeneration via T.J.Maxx. 

I apologize for the blurry photo, but I really wanted you to see the first turn on the entrance to the property of the Artisanal. These life-size horse sculptures are made from pieces of found wood. There is another similar sculpture in the foyer. 

The flat area on the lawn near this building is the landing for helicopters bringing very special diners to the restaurant. Many well-known people such as Michael Jordan and Don Shula dine here often. They either have homes nearby or come to play golf at Diamond Creek adjacent to the restaurant.

This was our budding spring view of the creek and the woods beyond our table on the terrace.

Mickey's toast is often... "A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, and Thou" as we are about to begin another splendid meal. (From a translation of an Arabic derivation by Edward Fitzgerald's 5th edition, Quatrain XII.)

I hope you enjoyed sharing another lovely Friday date night with us. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Covered Perfectly Cascading Vest

You already know that wearing a long scarf makes you look taller and thinner but what to do in the summer?

The answer, wear a sheer cascading vest from Covered Perfectly!

The smooth back is perfect for camouflaging bra bulge.

They can also be worn as a scarf. Just thread the whole thing through an armhole and slip the loop over your head.

Tie them high on your hips to show off your bottom half.

I like mine tied with a low slung knot to give me a long V-neck that slims and elongates. I can also wear my long bold necklaces with them.

The Cascading Vest is going to be one of my favorites this summer! I love the versatility and sheer weight of these great vests. How will you wear yours!

Use this code to get a 20% discount... FNF20 at Covered Perfectly.

Wear It Wednesday Part II

The color of this silk soutache jacket led me to buy it at Stein Mart last year.

Perhaps because I had only tried it on with more formal black pants and a black tank, it seemed too boxy and matronly in the past. Wearing it with white jeans and a loose-fitting white tank from Chico's and cutout booties from Nine West via Ross seems more youthful and modern.

I still love the color, so I will keep this one for now.

Wear It Wednesday is the day I pull out the questionable, rarely worn pieces from my closet and try to make them work or else donate them to someone who will make use of them. Reducing clutter in my closet makes getting dressed much more pleasant. Too many questionable pieces can result in wearing the same thing all the time and the feeling that you need more choices when you already have too many.

Wear It Wednesday

We all make questionable choices in life. It still happens to me occasionally, like when I got carried away with the sale price of this top at Chico's and bought it even though I knew it wasn't "me."

I am rarely comfortable in prints, but I thought perhaps the subdued colors of this one might work on a casual day. I feel like an old hippie each time I try to wear it. From the splash of bling across the bust to the unfortunate placement of the patterns, it is wrong for my shape and my personality. It is on it's way to the famous to-go bag.

Look for Part II of Wear It Wednesday, as I will be posting another picture tomorrow morning of the questionable item I plan to wear for date night tonight.

68th Block House Steeplechase

We attended the 68th Block House Steeplechase in Tryon, North Carolina, during this first weekend of May.

My travel look included black and silver jewelry with a black long lightweight sweater over a malt colored Covered Perfectly top and almost matching mocha-colored ankle jeans from T.J.Maxx. The sweater is also from T.J.Maxx. The platform sandals are old from Vince Camuto.

As soon as we arrived, it was time to dress for dinner.

Mr. Mickey loves these heels, even if they do make me over six feet tall.

On the first night of our stay at the Oak Cottage at the Pinecrest Inn, we had dinner at a great Italian restaurant, Giardini Gardens.

The black knit dress is by Tahari from T.J.Maxx. The necklace and the black ruana are from Chico's.

Our hosts at the Inn are always so gracious and accommodating.

I know from experience that the early part of the day may be quite cool. On the day of the races, I wore a high-low black knit top and khaki ankle jeans from Chico's with a black sweater draped across my shoulders.

Add a wide brim hat, and we are ready for the races! Mr. Mickey bought the hat for me in Lexington, Kentucky, several years ago.

It was great to visit again with our usual neighboring group from South Carolina. 

One of my favorite parts of the event is the white doves' release after the singing of the national anthem. They always find their way home!

Crowds of up to 20,000 people park as far away as two miles and walk to the track carrying all the items they need for the day-long party. Lucky us! We just had to walk to the front of the car.

Heading into the home stretch!

The races are soon over, and it's time to return to the Pinecrest Inn to dress for another dinner.

For our dinner date this evening, I wore black stretch city jeans and a black tank with a purple open weave Travelers sweater, all from Chico's. The sandals are by Jessica Simpson from T.J.Maxx.

I wore white jeans with a black and white striped knit boat neck top on the drive home, all from Chico's. The sandals were from Born last year.

Wear It Wednesday

Each Wednesday, I go through my wardrobe and try again to make something work for me that is rarely, if ever, worn.

If I can't make the item work for me... out it goes. I have a shopping bag in my closet to which I add those things that never seem quite right. The shopping bag goes to the local Women's Shelter this time. (I rotate donations to a different charity each time.) If you decide to follow my example in paring down your closet to only what you really wear, please remember that underwear, shoes, and jewelry, as well as bags, can make a world of difference to a woman who is starting over after an abusive relationship. She needs clothes for interviews and work, so white blouses and dark slacks or skirts are always needed.

Let's start with this white blouse. I bought it at the big Dillard's haul earlier this spring. I have never worn it because it has a ruffle with a facing that never stays where it should. It was such a low clearance price I couldn't resist, but buying something you never wear is not a good deal.

Then there are those navy slacks I bought at Talbot's a couple of years ago. One leg is a bit tighter than the other in the calf, so I always feel lopsided when I wear them. Someone with normal calves would never notice this, but my calves are ample. 

These slingback shoes have rarely seen the light of day, but they worked with this look today. 

I will keep the blouse for now, but the shoes and the pants are on their way out.