Studded Tweed and Faux-Leather Jacket

One of my all-time favorite end of season sales is at Dillard's in Asheville.

I bought the jacket on Saturday while we were there.

I am wearing it here with a white tank and black jeans from Chico's. The black suede and reptile detail boots are by Vince Camuto from Nordstrom.

Today was my much-needed haircut appointment. Allison did a great job, as always.

Photos by Mr. Mickey in his backyard.

Fun In The Winter Sun

When the sun finally breaks through the clouds, a day in Asheville is essential.

Even with the wind gusts, it was a warm and beautiful day with full sun and a crystal clear blue sky.

Earlier in the day, we had lunch at one of our favorite places, Carmel's at the Grove Arcade. These adorable young people sat at the table next to us. We struck up a conversation and had a lovely visit with these three friends.

I am wearing an Adrianna Papell sweater with a faux leather sleeve trim from Saks off 5th. The necklace was a gift from Mr. Mickey. The turtleneck top and leggings are from Chico's. The boots are from the Saks collection. The bag is Calvin Klein via T.J.Maxx. The sunglasses are Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx.

Let's talk about leggings for a moment. They should come with a warning tag! I could actually see the label (at the waistline!) through the leggings on one unfortunately chosen outfit. Underwear was in full view a few other times. The bottom should be completely covered when you wear leggings because they are NOT pants.

Animal Print Boots

I've been ordering and sending back animal print boots for about six months. This is the fourth pair. As Goldilocks said, "These are just right."

I wore these calf hair ankle boots from Saks Off 5th with black jeans from Chico's and a cream color blouse and Chico's. The minus the leather jacket is from Express.

I started out with the collar of the blouse over the jacket's collar, but each time I moved, it slipped back underneath. I will wear the blouse alone with jeans in the future.

The oversized woven black clutch is also from Saks Off 5th. 

Home Is Where The Collection Is

Each time we shoot outfits in my home, I get a ton of questions about decorating. So I am sharing a few photos of my collection of treasures that make my house a home.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I got a divorce in the late nineties and started life over with very few possessions. All these items were acquired after that time.

Above is the foyer. The chest was purchased at a deep discount from an old furniture store in the New Orleans area that was going out of business. It weighs a ton! The stone pedestal was purchased at an estate auction. The figurine is one of two similar ones, which I bought on one of the weekend getaways with Mr. Mickey; more about that later.

This is the dining area. The 1940's table and chairs were listed for sale in the classifieds in my local newspaper.

The chest is from T.J.Maxx.

More treasures were found in junk stores during endless weekend travels. When I mention a junk store, I am referring to those stores that you find in every town that label themselves Antiques and Collectibles when in reality, only perhaps two things in the whole store might be antiques. Part of the fun was finding that one item out of hundreds that spoke to me.

These items came from an estate sale, an auction, a yard sale, or a salvage yard. The fancy urn on the pedestal to the right was a lamp. I joined a finial to the top from something else and put it on the pedestal. That pedestal was red, green, orange, and beige when I bought it. I painted the whole thing to make it blend with everything else in my home.

I have found some beautiful items, such as this carved table at Kimball M. Sterling, Inc., my favorite local family-owned auction house.

I won't bore you with all the details, but I didn't walk into fancy furniture or decorating stores and buy anything in my home. (Not because I didn't want to, I simply could not afford to for many years.) I have never worked with a decorator, but I have always studied what I like in decorating magazines to give me inspiration.

I'm sharing all this with you to inspire you, as I hope my other style suggestions do. You need not spend lots of money to have a lovely home or to dress well. Keep an eye out for classic and timeless things that fit with your sense of style. If you are the creative type, you can often make something that is otherwise ugly but has a good shape into something else you treasure.

This oversize Hudson River style oil painting is my most significant investment. I mulled over the decision to buy it for three years! It took a forklift to unload it from the truck when it arrived at the loading dock of my warehouse.

This finial was a hideous green and orange lamp before I worked on it.

Many of my items, such as this brass tea cart, were given to me by friends and family.

I found this chair at a salvage yard in New Orleans and covered it with a glue gun more than fifteen years ago. 

Mirror from a yard sale. 

The pedestal from T.J.Maxx. 

Plaster bust from a junk store.

My father made that table for me. I found the chair at a flea market. I painted it black and gold and also covered it using a glue gun.

Another yard sale chair covered with my trusty glue gun. The table was a gift from my parents.

The bench was bought at an estate auction.

The mirror had a damaged frame, so it was reduced quite a bit. That never bothers me. As an artist, I know how to hide or repair a lot of issues. The chest came from a flea market in New Orleans. The bronze fairy was a Christmas gift from Mr. Mickey.

This is the other of the pair of figurines I mentioned earlier. On one of our weekend getaways, we were in a town about a hundred miles away in a junk store. I saw the pair but didn't buy them because I was hesitant to spend that much money on something that wasn't absolutely necessary. I couldn't stop thinking about them for the whole next week, so I called the store and ask them to hold them for me until I could come back the following weekend. Mr. Mickey never complained once about having to drive all the way back over there so that I could buy the "Sing-Along Girls" as I have named them.