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.