Knit fit in pink!

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

This week I am styling two cropped sweaters for spring in pink-a vest and a cardigan

All of the pinks have really been trending since fall, which is a bit of a surprise!

At first, I thought the pink trend might not catch on,

since light pink especially, seemed such an unlikely shade back in the fall

But catch on, it did!

I'm glad to see pink is continuing to be popular for spring and summer

I worn both of the sweaters in this post previously on the blog this winter

The first one in a post about sweater vests in February 

and the second one in a post about the Baricore trend, back in January

First, restyling the cotton candy pink sweater vest

 over a blue and pink ditsy floral blouse

The blouse worn underneath is so sweet

 with tiny ruffles around the neck and at the sleeve caps

I wore the blouse on the blog this winter also,

 in February, for my Valentine's week post

Paired for spring with a button front medium wash denim skirt

I have had this little mini satchel bag from Dooney & Bourke for years

It is a classic style and it goes especially well with all types and shades of denim

Accessorizing with gold tone jewelry 

A disc pendent, small hoop earrings and an open cuff bracelet

I think all together this outfit has a bit of a retro preppy vibe,

the vest just takes me there, no matter what I pair it with! 

Tan suede shoe booties with stacked heels

to finish the outfit

More pink!

This two tone bright and pastel mixed pink cropped cardigan 

 looked like it would be a lot of fun to wear when I fell for it in the store

It turns out to be a bit much for me!

The only two times I have worn it, it turned out looking pretty costume-y

I will probably consign this one, someone else will adore it, I know

Worn here with a bright pink tank top underneath,

and medium wash denim jeans

It does make a fun and cheerful outfit!

All this screaming 😱 pink seemed to call for more color to balance it out

so I chose to carry a bright turquoise fold over flap bag

For jewelry, a silver tone cuff bracelet with faux turquoise,

geometric bar and scallop shaped link necklace and hoop earrings

A few more accessories:

(I must have been in a "more is more" mood when I got dressed this day)

A vintage scarf in a geometric mix of bright and pastel colors in my hair

and a bone colored braided belt 

Matchy bone perforated slides with wedge heels

to finish the outfit

Previous pink from spring, 2020

After that overload of pink, a little bit of a different spring color-yellow

The daffodils 🌼 are now in full bloom in our garden

It's such an uplifting sight and a joyful, exuberant color!

Read on if you are interested a bit of nostalgic childhood reminiscence

in a short piece I wrote on the blog back in 2016 about daffodils

 

When I was in elementary school, every spring there was a field trip to Mr. Culpepper's garden. 

Mr. Culpepper was a very old man, with a large piece of property, a few short blocks from the school. Much of his vast garden was left unmanicured, but would sprout with bunches of daffodils in the Spring. Each year, whole classes went, one at a time, to admire his wonderful bounty of yellow and white blooms. The old man would trade each of us 25 cents for a big bunch of the flowers, which we would carefully transport back to school, and put in jars to decorate our classrooms. There were age appropriate lessons to be taught at each grade level from these yearly outings, about gardens and flowers and how to be respectful of, and not fearful of elderly people, like Mr. C., (even though he was old and wrinkly and had big thick swollow legs). There were more lessons about the cycle of life, and the delicacy of the flower petals. There were drawing lessons. There was a lot to be learned from Mr. Culpepper's garden. Each Spring when the first daffodils rise from the earth, I think of Mr. Culpepper, and these excursions out of the classroom, to his garden. He is gone now, and his vast property was willed to the county for the purpose of building low income housing for less fortunate elderly members of the community. 

Little bunches of those daffodils were left and still bloom today in the garden on the grounds there. 

Mr. Culpepper was even more awesome than my elementary school age brain could comprehend

 at the time, and his memory lives on in my mind today.

Hope everyone has a good week!

 

The Challenging, Changeable Weather of March

 
Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

March is a very changeable month as far as weather goes where I live,

 and in many parts of the country and around the globe as well

Currently, it is 36 degrees with a wind chill factor of 28-

so not very spring like at all

But still, spring is right around the corner-it happens ever year!

A lot of us are scratching our heads, trying to figure out what to wear

to stay comfortable during the unpredictable winter to spring bridge season 

Almost all conditions are possible, and we have to be ready for anything- 

wind, rain, sun, clouds, warm, cool-all changing at the drop of a hat!

For this post, I chose two transitional layered outfits

to give you some ideas for how to navigate

 the erratic climate conditions betwixt and between the seasons

For my first outfit, I chose a blazer style jacket in a soft dusty pink, blue and white plaid

(Walking the line-plaid for winter, pink for spring!)

Layering a medium weight ivory ribbed knit top under the jacket,

and wearing a dark wash denim skirt

 

Carrying my new two tone tan vegan leather with wheat color fabric handle bag

I like the shape and the bold, gold tone hardware

For accessories, I picked out a gold tone knot design bracelet,

double entwined circle earrings

and a blue and white neck scarf with a large polka dot print-

all the circles!

Tan stacked heel tassel loafers to finish this transitional look

Here is another outfit for the in between times

A sage green ruffle front jacket, belted at the waist

It's warm, but worn this way it has the look of a blouse

Layering with a nude sleeveless tank top underneath

Worn with high waisted, dark wash straight leg denim jeans

I wore this jacket back in November, in a post about red accessories,

so it spans the seasons well  

Carrying a small cognac colored faux suede and leather Tulip shaped tote 

For jewelry, I'm going from the circle motif in the outfit above

 to a similar chain link design

Chunky gold tone chain link bracelet

dangling interlocking chain link earrings and a

collar necklace of hinged, curved bars 

One more favorite accessory in this outfit

A rose, taupe and ivory color floral print scarf, worn in my hair

This is a go to scarf for me

I love that it is very long and soft, and can be used in many ways

It can be tied around my neck, into a big bow or knotted around my waist,

or in my hair-truly versatile!

Cognac braided block heel slides to finish the outfit

Taking you back four years 📆, to March 2019

I still have this bright and cheerful aqua jacket in my closet 

I wore it here to lighten up an otherwise dark end-of-winter outfit

with a black blouse and feather print skirt

Hope everyone everyone has a good week!

Saint Patrick's Week

Happy Saint Patrick's Week to all 🍀,

and thanks for stoping by my blog today!

This week, I chose two outfits featuring green,

since it is the traditional color of the Saint Patrick's Day holiday

It is easier than usual to incorporate a little green or a lot,

since all of the greens are trending now!

My first outfit features touches of green in the accessories

I started with a blue chambray blazer, over a white tank top

and a dark wash knee length denim skirt

A neutral canvas, to really lay on the green extras!

For a bag, I picked my spruce green circular one,

and tied a green and white striped scarf to the handle

for an added festive touch

Wearing a special 40's vintage necklace that I don't chose often enough

It is made of green triangular and oval beads in Lucite

Other jewelry includes geometric shapes to compliment the necklace-

a gold tone hinged bracelet and open teardrop shaped earrings

More accessories in shades of green, because why not-this is definitely the week for it!

Green pleated and twisted hair band, and a green embossed leather belt

Navy sling back block heel pumps to finish the look

For my second outfit this week, I chose some blue-greens shades  

I layered a teal green tee under a crochet cropped vest

 in a striped pattern of a lighter shade of teal, tan and white

Woren with slightly distressed high waisted boot cut  jeans

Carrying my mod style silver metallic buckle detail handle bag

Accessorizing with a chunky silver tone necklace

 and a very special sterling silver cuff bracelet with running horses motif 

( Ignore the scarf, it is in the picture by mistake,

I switched it for a solid teal headband)

Bone color stacked heel perforated slides to finish this casual look

Flashing back to a previous St. Patrick's week in 2019

Blue and green together seems to be a sub-theme this week!

Hope everyone enjoys this festive week,

whether you have a drop of Irish ancestry or not!

23 and Me declares that I don't, but I plan to have fun anyway,

and help celebrate those who do!

Also, it is a very celebratory week

for my husband and I as we are celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary!

 

 

The Unsung Cardigan-Casual and Dressy

 Hello, and as usual-thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

This week, I thought it would be nice to show a little love 

to an unsung wardrobe staple-the cardigan sweater

This button up sweater is a very versatile layering piece that flies under the radar,

and doesn't get the credit it is due

I'm happy to see a variety of different cuts and shapes of cardigans and other knitwear

have gained popularity over the past few years, and many styles wearable for all seasons 

It's good to see the cardigan having a bit of a resurgence, 

and shedding it's label as being frumpy and boring 🥱

 

For my first outfit featuring a cardigan this week, 

I chose a multi colored marled mix in coral, blue and white

with a V neck with large wooden buttons

Worn over a "Life is Good" graphic peace symbol tee,

and with a straight, dark wash denim skirt 

Carrying a camel color shoulder bag with burnished hardware

I took this bag out of rotation for a couple of seasons,

and recently got it out and looked at it with new eyes

 I realized it complemented the short boots in this outfit 

in style and the color matches perfectly

It's great to shop your own closet!

Curved top studded camel tan short boots 

with stacked heels and studs

Wearing casual, understated jewelry with this outfit

An arrow collar necklace, a two tone wrap bracelet

and small gold tone hoop earrings

Another outfit with a cardigan sweater, this look is a bit more dressy

I chose a violet sweater with a purple grosgrain button placket

and wore it tucked in to a dark grey flared skirt

Carrying a cute little 1960's vintage

light grey pebble grain leather handle bag with buckle detail 

Adding some pops of color to brighten up this outfit- 

a purple hair band and purple and teal blue floral print silk scarf

More of the color purple in my jewelry, with both pieces being vintage from the 1950's 

An expansion bracelet and a great pair of large rectangular cut glass

 smokey amethyst color earrings

Wearing plaid bow detail pumps to finish the look

I am starting to pack my fall and winter clothes

and get out those for spring and summer at last!

I think this will be the last wear of these cute shoes for the season,

but I will look forward to seeing them again in the fall

Coming up on March 18th is our wedding anniversary,

Celebrating 26 years of marriage to this wonderful man-

I could not have chosen a better partner for the ups and downs of life!

You can see the reason for my color scheme

Matchy-matchy with my husband

I am fortunate that he enjoys dressing up 

Hope everyone has a good week!