Snapshots from Paris ... of the south.

Mr. Mickey's daughters gave him a weekend at the fabulous Windsor Boutique Hotel in Asheville for his birthday/father's day gift. Lucky me! I got to tag along.

The first stop along the way was the Johnson City Farmer's Market to pick up a special order from a local glass etching artist for Mr. Mickey's wine room.

I am always drawn to the flowers.

Our next stop was at the top of the mountain for a rest stop. The views along Interstate 26 are awe-inspiring. We never tire of this journey.

My look for the first part of the day includes a lightweight cardigan, tank, and cropped pants, all from Stein Mart's Peck and Peck collection. The shoes were found at T.J. Maxx. The necklace is from Chico's. 

We took a break from shopping and walking at the Grove Arcade to have some of our favorite spicy pimento cheese at Carmel's. It was great weather for visiting a sidewalk café!

At last... it was time to check into our room at the elegant Windsor Hotel. The two girly girls are reunited! With me is Laura Cousins, the Creative Art Director for the hotel.

A bottle of local wine was Mr. Mickey's birthday gift from the hotel management!

A beautiful Paris note pad from Laura was a gift for me!

The city of Asheville has many buildings that date from the 1800s.

We visited Art in the Park in the center of Asheville in Pack Square Park.

For our afternoon stroll through the city, I changed into a lightweight tie-front blouse from Chico's.

No surprise here! I am checking out the jewelry.

More street performers at Pack Square.

This is a new place we plan to try for dinner the next time we visit Asheville. Rhubarb has a sidewalk dining area and a newly decorated inside exquisite dining area. We had a glass of wine and a delicious cheese plate as we took another afternoon break from walking about and shopping.

Cheers!

These street performers were probably the best we've ever heard. They are the Carolina Catskins.

After a short rest, it was time to get ready for dinner at the fabulous Strada. 

I am wearing a long white tunic blouse and a silver and white long, lightweight cardigan with white ankle zip jeans from Chico's. The turquoise and silver necklace and silver cuff are also from Chico's.

Another landmark across from our hotel. Tressa's has been around for many years.

On Sunday, we had brunch at another favorite place, Posano Café.

I wore a black and white sheer, lightweight top and black jeans from Chico's for the trip home.

I love visiting with dogs on the street. It seems everyone has a dog or two. These were so cute!

Another great street performer. He made this hammer dulcimer himself.

One last treat for the afternoon. We have wanted to visit Old Europe for a long time. It did not disappoint!

I thought you would enjoy seeing Mr. Mickey's socks. Shows his sense of humor, don't you think?

Lunch With Friends

On Friday afternoon, I joined three of my closest friends for lunch.

I wore an unstructured top from Chico's that is a mix of knit and rayon materials.

Black and Khaki are a favorite combination. While tan and khaki colors are not good near my face, but the pants are a great casual neutral for my bottom half. These are from Chico's earlier this year. 

The shoes were by Vince Camuto via Nordstrom last year. Yes, I wore them all day.

The handbag was by Tommy Hilfiger via T.J.Maxx several years ago. The cuff and necklace are also from Chico's. 

If you know what shapes and colors work for you, it is easier to hone in on only those pieces that might work with the wardrobe you have at home. Don't get excited only because it is a great price. Think about how often you will really wear the piece that is now 50% off. If you can only think of one way to wear it, it might not be such a good deal after all.

Wear It Wednesday

Many of you have asked, "What do you wear when you aren't going someplace special? What's your go-to look for every day?"

I work from home, so I literally could work in my PJ's all day, but I wouldn't be very productive. I shower after my walk and get dressed for the day, even if I know I won't be going out. If I run to the grocery or over to my warehouse to meet with my staff in this look, it is acceptable. 

My summer casual daily wardrobe includes white, khaki, black, or lightweight denim cropped pants or ankle-length pants. (No shorts.) I normally wear a sandal with low wedge heels with cropped pants such as these pictured above. If the pants were longer and looser, I might wear a flat sandal. (No flip flops.)

I also wear earrings, one ring, and a watch. I don't feel dressed without accessories and a lovely handbag. Details make a big difference in looking well put together.

Pictured above are Aerosoles sandals found at Ross, an Anne Klein bag found at T.J.Maxx several years ago, Kenneth Cole sunglasses from T.J.Maxx, and silver small hoop earrings, and a Seiko watch found at Belk many years ago. 

I really like a lightweight tee such as these I found at Belk on sale for about $12 this week. They are roomy and soft without being so thin that every bump and lump shows through them. 

I chose the V neck version, but they did have other necklines available. 

I bought several colors, including the purple I am wearing and navy, white, black, blue, red, teal, and pink. These tops are 100% cotton, so they are very soft and comfortable even when in the heat and humidity. These are the Belk brand "Kim Rogers."

These clothes can also be worn when I go for my early morning walk in the neighborhood each day. I prefer to buy regular clothes that I can wear for other functions rather than work out clothes which I see way too often in public. Could it be that work out knits are the summer version of sweat pants? 

If the day is cool and rainy, I can throw on a lightweight jacket like this one from the sale rack at Chico's. My goal is to be comfortable when I am going casual but still look nice.

Happy 60th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

 

Mr. Mickey and I joined my beautiful sister and her husband to attend church with my parents on Sunday. Today is their 60th wedding anniversary! My sister created that fabulous bouquet displayed at the front of the church during the service. Their special day was announced, and they received a round of applause.

I wore a red dress which is so old I can't remember where I got it. The suede and reptile shoes and plain tan leather clutch were from Belk a couple of years ago. The hat has large wooden beads and animal print ribbon trim around the crown. Mr. Mickey bought it for me in a shop in Blowing Rock a couple of years ago.

Mr. Mickey was his usual dapper self!

My sweet father was so very proud! My mother was so tired that she was ready to go home and rest by the end of the service. She is feeling much better but is still very weak. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes a few weeks ago when she had double pneumonia.

The Blue Plum Festival

We rarely attend a festival, but this one is local and I wanted to visit with one of my clients, so off we go to Blue Plum Festival in Johnson City.

Knowing that we would be walking in the hot sun for an undetermined amount of time, I decided to wear a hat to this event.

There were so many booths and activities it would have taken the whole day to visit all of them. 

As we searched for my client's booth, we ran into my beautiful friend and neighbor, Lori, who was doing volunteer work for the Rotary.

It was a thrill to run into the fabulous Abby Hathorn, who is also a blogger at VintageInspiredPassionista.

Abby has just moved to the area to attend school, so we planned to get together. Even though we had never met in person, we immediately recognized each other and shared a big hug. Mr. Mickey couldn't believe that we weren't already old friends.

At last! We found my client's booth. Jessica Klaaren is the daughter of one of my classmates, so I was really looking forward to meeting her.

Jessica is an acclaimed designer of contemporary jewelry, but her booth and the presentation of her product was also a work of art. It was such an inspiration to see all she has accomplished.

You can see more of Jessica's work at her website JessicaKlaaren.com.

Jessica is shown here with her helper for the weekend, Leigh-Ann Appleton.

I was so happy to get to meet Jessica at last. I have long been an admirer of her talent, and of course, I always look forward to meeting my clients whenever I get the chance. There is a special bond between artists that can't quite be explained. Once again, Mr. Mickey couldn't believe that we didn't already know each other as he watched us visiting with each other like old friends. 

Our busy day came to a close at my sister's beautiful home and her husband for Mr. Mickey's birthday dinner. It is a tradition in our family that my sister prepares a special birthday dinner for the celebrating family member. It is an event to look forward to!

When I put on the hat for the second half of the day, I removed the necklace and bracelet I wore during the garden party earlier in the day. Wearing too many accessories with a hat can make you look very cluttered... as if you wearing a costume. I am also wearing white pants and a tank from the Peck and Peck collection at Stein Mart. The very lightweight sweater is from Chico's last year. The shoes are from T.J.Maxx. The hat is several years old and from Betmar.