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The shell buttons on this fuchsia linen jacket inspired my choice of accessories for date night.

Three–quarter length sleeves are the perfect choice for this time of year. This fuchsia linen like fabric is also great for the cool evenings of early spring. The style of the jacket is rather casual with pleated details and shell buttons making it a good choice to pair with jeans as well as the tan pants I am wearing here.

I often take my cues for accessories from the details of a bag or jacket. For example, the buttons on this jacket are made from shell so I chose accessories made from natural elements as well. The back of the jacket features the same gathered details with buttons.

The bone and brass bangles have been in my collection for years. The necklace is one that I bought from the clearance rack at Belk a couple of years ago. It was damaged and was much more “in your face“ bright silver. Since I own a jewelry supply company, that was no problem for me. I replaced the missing chain and added a regal element to the pendant and antiqued the silver to tone it down a bit. The pendant also includes mother of pearl shell.

The tank top is from Coldwater Creek and it is a softer white, not bright white. The pants are my basic tan side zip pants from Talbots last fall. 

The jacket is by Peck & Peck from Stein Mart. It was on the 30% off rack last week. The Etienne Aigner shoes are several years old.

I hope you have a great day. Thanks for reading! 

Dinner with Friends

On most Friday evenings we join a group of friends for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Gourmet & Co here in Johnson City.

Our weather continues to be unusually cold for this time of year but I am craving color with those warm jackets so I added a fuchsia long sleeve tee under this one you have seen many times before. The bright color really added a new interest to it. The lipstick is Merle Norman’s ‘Cranberry’ which looks great with fuchsia.

This jacket was purchased from Coldwater Creek last year and the gray side zip pants are my old favorites from Talbots.

The matte silver chain necklace is from Stein Mart as is the tee. The clutch is Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J. Maxx. The shoes are Ros Hommerson.

Thank you for reading!

March Roars In

This was the brightest sky we saw all day today.

Between the snow, the sleet and the freezing rain it wasn’t much of a day for any outside activities. We wanted to test the new camera so we took advantage of a little break in the weather to snap this photo on my deck. Obviously we need to work on those settings.

We were on our way to join friends for dinner and a small birthday celebration. Knowing that our friends are true champions of the casual elegant look I dressed in jeans from Talbots, blue blazer and bright red scarf. Since it was 27 degrees I also added layers. There is a long sleeve red tee and a navy thin knit cardigan underneath. The boots are Ralph Lauren via T.J. Maxx and the bag is old. We arrived at the restaurant at the same time as our friends. My friend Dee and I had a good laugh because she had on a multicolored scarf but otherwise we had on the same thing.

Thank you for all your good wishes. Mickey is feeling much better today.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Wednesday Date Night

This was a beautiful day! The temperature was so mild that only a light jacket was required and the sky was the most fabulous blue all day. Date night was equally perfect!

The snow is gone now and there was no rain so I could wear my favorite booties from Nordstrom. They are by Vince Camuto and they have sky-high heels with a gold trimmed platform. High heels are still my guilty little pleasure! I feel so feminine and special when I wear them.

Tip: I never wear light colored pants in wet weather since it causes dark little water drop stains on the backs of your pants as you walk.

The necklace is one of my own designs. The ring is old from Stein Mart. The bag is from T. J. Maxx from a few years ago. I always buy unique evening clutches when I find them. For less than twenty dollars, you can really upgrade your look for evening.

I was sold by the belt detail construction on the back of this jacket. It visually cinches in the back for a more feminine silhouette. This jacket was purchased a few days ago at Coldwater Creek from their fabulous end of season sale. The pants are my favorite side zip style from Talbots also from the end of season sale. I’m wearing a sleek long sleeve slim fitting black tee under the jacket. Foundation tees or tanks made from thin silky material are great to wear with jackets when only the neckline shows. I wouldn’t wear them by themselves since they hug everything a bit too much but as a foundation they are perfect.

Since my top half is a full two sizes larger than my bottom half, I often wear a dark color on the top and lighter color on the bottom. This helps to visually balance my body.

By the time Mickey arrives for our winter date nights, the only good lighting happens to be in my dining room.

Dinner was the perfect ending to the day. That’s a goat cheese and arugula salad with Pinot Grigio I’m enjoying. We talked nonstop for two hours while we enjoyed our meal at our favorite restaurant in town, Gourmet and Company. When you are in Johnson City be sure to stop there for dinner. The first entrée on their menu is vegetarian and named after Mickey!

We have plans for a great weekend which will provide much more interesting backdrops for photos.

Thank you for reading.
I hope you have a great rest of the week!

Snowed in … again!

Another snowy weekend means I am mostly staying inside and waiting for the storm to pass.

I had plans to wear something much more exciting today, however a pending snow storm changed those plans. I’ve heard the way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans.

Here I am in my old reliable layers and easy to walk in Clarks shoes with my wet weather faux fur hat. Mickey was taking me out for a quick lunch before the roads got too dangerous to travel on.

Snow fell for the whole afternoon. I woke up to several inches of snow today.

It’s so beautiful, but absolutely no fun to drive in!

This is my back yard view from the side street after our last snow storm a few weeks ago.

What do you do when you are snowed in?

On this evening, Mickey and I sat in front of the fire with snacks and Scotch and waters listening to piano music playing the background. (Those are my favorite linen napkins with antique French post card scenes on them.) I don’t own a TV so we read, talk, share our dreams, laugh at our silly jokes and make plans for when the warm weather returns.

While we were having lunch in a nice restaurant earlier today I noticed something. How does one instantly know who the hostess, the waiter, the owner, the chef or the busboy is?

….By the way they are dressed of course.

What does your daily way of dressing say about you? Remember fashion is unspoken communication to those who see you but more importantly it can make you feel much more confident in the way you see yourself. You don’t need to be the dressed to the nines everyday but do put some thought into your outfit and try to show your personality and look your best. You never know who you might run into today!

Thank you so much for reading.

Have a safe and happy week!

Column Dressing

Column dressing is using color to create a long slender illusion.

I often use this dressing technique to appear taller and slimmer. Choose a top and pants in the same color and a topper in another color. A topper can be a sweater, a jacket, vest or a blouse left mostly open or even a large scarf draped across your shoulders.

Add accessories that tie into the color of your topper to look really polished and put together. Looking at the pieces already in your closet in a different way can often give you a new look.

Thank you for reading and for all your kind comments.

I hope you have a great day.

A Stroll Through Old Town

The oldest town in the state of Tennessee is Jonesborough. It is about seven miles from my home. Today Mickey and I went for a walk in the town square. It was an overcast day but a few of the pictures we took turned out.

Jonesborough was founded in 1779, 17 years before Tennessee even became a state. Can you guess what those steps are for? They represent the steps that were once used to allow passengers to board the stagecoach as it stopped on its way through town.

That’s the courthouse behind me. Mickey’s office was once located there.

 The town has many shops and restored homes. There is a town museum which includes a log cabin and a one room school-house. Jonesborough is the home to the International Storytelling Center, which holds the annual National Storytelling Festival on the first full weekend in October.

Today I wore a burgundy long sleeve tee with a waterfall cardigan from Ross in the same burgundy tone. The gray side zip pants are from Talbots. The short boots are Nichols from Belk. The bag is old by Nine West via T.J. Maxx. The statement necklace was a gift from Mickey a few years ago.

After a stroll about town in the cool air it was time for the short drive back to Johnson City for dinner at our favorite Carrabba’s Italian Grill. We are such regulars there that members of the wait staff often come to our table to visit with us even when they are not our servers for the evening.

We hope you have a great week!

Thanks for reading about our fun weekend!

Window Shopping!

After a week of snow and ice the sun finally showed up today! Early in the morning my neighborhood was encased in ice but the sun soon melted all of it.

When the weather allowed safe passage, I was eager to leave my home for the first time in several days.

Mickey took me out to lunch and we ran a few errands. It was so good to see the sunshine!

I’m wearing straight leg heritage fit jeans and a white tunic blouse from Talbots with Ralph Lauren booties via T.J. Maxx. The red bag is Tahari via T.J. Maxx. The tunic length sweater is from Ross. The animal print chiffon scarf is old. Layering for warmth can be tricky because it adds so much bulk to our silhouettes. To balance this effect I wore the slimmest jeans I have with boots which have a higher heel.

There will be no outdoor dining today!

Isn’t it wonderful to have a best friend? That’s my sweet Mickey with me in this photo.

We both have a weakness for chocolate desserts. A couple of times a month we will share one after a light lunch of salad. This way we don’t have to totally give up life’s small pleasures.

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful week!

A Sunny Sunday!

Mickey and I often take a drive over the mountains to Asheville, North Carolina. It’s only about an hour from my house but there’s so much to see and do there.

We walked around that corner behind me and into the artist owned Mystic Masala Gallery where I found a great necklace.

Many of the buildings in Asheville have an Art Deco design.

This is the Flatiron Building and in front of it is this sculpture of a flat iron…

I’m wearing the new necklace here. The pants are Peck & Peck from Stein Mart. The denim blazer is old from Dillard’s. The red long sleeve tee is from Talbots. The red bag is by Tahari and the booties are by Madden Girl.

On almost every corner there is a street performer.

This lady sounded so much like Tracy Chapman. They were all really good!

The Early Girl Eatery on Wall Street was made famous when Rachel Ray did a segment of one her shows here. We also had a great meal there!

Your table is ready! (Mickey’s piano keys scarf was the hit of the day. He got lots of compliments!)

We can never be this close to The Chocolate Fetish without stopping in for desert.

Awesome truffles to share!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well. Thank you for reading my blog!