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.

Mint Juleps In The Garden

Saturday was filled to the brim with a variety of activities.

A garden party brunch for the Symphony Guild was the first event of the day.

Don't you just love cucumber sandwiches?

Would you have imagined that this special secret garden existed in the back yard of this home?

Today I wore white pants and a tank from the Peck and Peck collection at Stein Mart. The very lightweight sweater and necklace are from Chico's last year. The shoes are from T.J.Maxx. The bag is also from Stein Mart.

80th Birthday Dinner

Last evening we joined our dearest friends to celebrate Mr. Mickey's 80th birthday at our favorite restaurant Artisanal in Banner Elk, NC.

I wore a Covered Perfectly draped front top in black with brocade black pants from Chico's last year. The sandals were purchased at the last big Dillard's sale. The bag and earrings are from Stein Mart.

Knowing that the evening temps would dip into the low sixties, I grabbed this royal blue jacket on the way out the door.

Best friends are the greatest gift of all. This is my dear friend Mitzi. Isn't she beautiful?

The restaurant owner surprised Mr. Mickey with a birthday dessert. We had such a lovely evening!

The face of Grandfather Mountain was visible in the clouds as we were leaving.

Wear It Wednesday... Color

Do you wear khaki pants?

I love the look of ankle-length pants with nice sandals. However the shrunken cropped length isn't as attractive.

The winter weight pants worn below have held up well. They are from Talbot's a couple of years ago.

No matter what material I buy khaki pants in, they almost always lose their shape and or shrink two sizes the first time I launder them. 

Why is it that we can put a man on the moon, but we can't make a decent pair of women's khaki pants?

The jeans below shrank two inches the first time I washed them according to the label!

Most of the pants above are long gone from my wardrobe because they shrank so much. The ones in the pictures below are also in a bag going to my sister, a smaller size. (She probably has thirty pairs of khaki pants now!)

On the day I try them on in the store, and the first time I wear them, they fit fine but rarely the next time. I only wash in cold water, take them out of the dryer way before they are dry, and hang them to finish air-drying. I have also tried taking them out of the washer and letting them completely air dry. I have tried taking them to the dry cleaner. Still, they are not the same fit that I bought them for.

I will buy the next pair in size too large and see what happens. If you see me walking down the street holding up my pants, you will know why. 

Wear It Wednesday is the day I pull out questionable 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.

Bloody Marys on the Terrace

How do you get women to join their men at a car show for four hours on a Saturday afternoon? The answer: Hold it at the country club so that the gals can sit on the terrace in the shade and drink Bloody Marys. 

Before the car show, we stopped by the Johnson City Farmer's Market, where you can find many local artists and farmers displaying their wares for sale. I am buying a hand-blown glass paperweight as a gift for my parents from James Lang, an extremely talented glass artist.

After the car show was over, we shopped for a while in the nearby town of Kingsport, where there are many antique stores and other small shops and restaurants.

My clothes and necklace are from Chico's. The shoes are from Rack Room Shoes. The hat was purchased in Louisville, Kentucky, several years ago.