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.