Suit-able for Sunday



This morning, in addition to teaching a class, I'll be filling in on the Praise and Worship "team".  I wanted to wear something that would be attractive but not call attention to "ME"!

I decided to wear this matched skirt and top purchased a few months ago at a church sale.  I don't think I've worn it yet. It is extremely well-made but very plain.  There is a side open pleat in the skirt.  The top buttons down.  It is dark "army-green" in color.

I decided to wear it with a gold belt and a gold & silver brooch.

PROUD NEW OWNERS...

We're the proud new owners of a 40 year old La-Z-Boy recliner.  A tag under this chair tells us it was sold to "Fortunoffs House and Garden Inc. at 151 Fulton Avenue, New Hyde Park, New York" .  "Expect to ship 07-31-69".  We found it, unpriced, at a thrift store.  The price quoted was 1/4 of what my highest limit was!  My husband spent quite a bit of time scrubbing off a caked white substance from a couple of spots.  Otherwise, it is in remarkably good condition.   I don't think it is actually leather - but would like to know for sure.
I REALLY LIKE CHAIRS.  ALL KINDS OF CHAIRS.

FIT AT LAST

 
It was fantastic to find these jeans at a thrift store yesterday!  I have a shelf full of jeans in my closet - none of which fit well.  Too short, too long, too tight, too loose...I need to get rid of them and start over. These, however are perfect.  Just right for wearing as I run errands today.  A slight flare on the bottom makes them easy to get in and out of.  You can see the lace details on the neck of my T-shirt below.  I'm also wearing some brown tortoise shell bangle bracelets, a brown belt, and brown slip-on shoes. I'll add the wool jacket when I leave the house.

What Should I Do With It?





It's all so different for me - the long sweater look....
    I'm enamored with the buttons, very thin and special.  Pearlized!
    And look at that sweet placket in front.
I'm not sure what/if for a necklace...
    It's one of the most comfortable, soft sweaters I have ever worn.

Sweater - 50 cents at the Curiosity Shop in Auburn yesterday!

I'll be playing the piano and leading the hymn sing at the nursing home today.
I always look forward to this.

RED TO THE THIRD POWER





Another plaid skirt with a lighter background than the one I wore a couple of days ago...
Deep red T-shirt
Burgundy jacket 
When I couldn't get a good match on top, I decided to throw in a third shade of the red family in the form of a
Bright red belt
The necklace also has beads of a red shade and one large gold bead--the color of the belt buckle.


Many years ago, a furniture store in a small town near the place we lived was going out of business.  I needed a lamp and found this one at a very, very good price.  I have never been sorry I purchased it.  It has occupied various places in various homes we've lived in and always cast a beautiful light on any subject it graces.

I saw a similar lamp shade on Susan's blog yesterday, and it reminded me of this purchase and the pleasure of it.  I went in and took a picture of it immediately!

RE. THE "Can you be TOO dressed up" QUESTION


A relatively new blogger, a young collegian male, weighed in on the question - maybe unaware (maybe not) that it was floating around this week. I recommend his post!  It is well stated, short and to-the-point.  (I also happen to agree with him, AND he's a fan of thrift stores!)

It's always more important to be slightly overdressed than underdressed.

I don't have a 9 to 5 job outside my home. However, it's important TO ME to feel that I'm prepared to meet the public without apology about my personal appearance.  Dressing up gives me incentive to keep the house "up" and to take pride in various responsibilities.  Dressing up saves time.  I don't have to change clothes to go out and have fewer clothes to wash and dry. 





Of course, if it's a "dirty work" day, I dress appropriately, but I've found that I can accomplish most household chores while dressed in my typical wardrobe.  Aprons are a GREAT invention!  Today I'm wearing a Pendleton cranberry colored skirt that I found in a thrift shop yesterday, a white T-shirt from my dresser drawer, and a denim vest.  White studded belt and silver earrings complete the look along with navy blue stockings and navy blue shoes.

After seeing the photo, I decided to wear a darker denim jacket instead of the vest.  It just seemed that there was too much "white/light color" on the top.  Once again, a photo saved the day!

Low Heels Week


For Sheila who is graciously dedicating this "low heels week" to ME after my comment about feeling "blah" because I can't wear those fabulous high-heeled ones.  I can't wait to see all of her posts.  (I've blurred this picture deliberately after seeing something in the background I couldn't crop out!)




Today I'm wearing the same shirt as yesterday with:
   2 fine gold chains (necklaces)
   Plaid skirt
   Olive green stockings
   Thin black belt
                   and SHOES - low-heeled, black pumps!

...all thrifted at one time or another except the shirt which I explained yesterday!

Getting Down to Business





A no-nonsense outfit for serious business today!
I have a get-it-done mindset this morning and this outfit  "feels" right.

Black top, (WalMart, on sale - actually the tops I bought for all the girls in our family to wear for our annual Christmas photo)
Gold belt, thrifted
Black and white Pendleton skirt, thrifted
Gray stockings
Black shoes

Looks like I need a necklace yet.  I'll DO that!

Sunday "Go-To-Meeting" Clothes




I got these earrings at a thrift store in a town we passed through yesterday to celebrate my parents' 63rd wedding anniversary with them!  One half a dollar bought the sweet silver hearts with blue and black beads!



With a beautiful scarf my sister gave me for my birthday, a brown tweed jacket with brown velvet collar and a blue skirt, I'm dressed for church this morning.

I'm also wearing a thin brown belt and brown shoes.  The off-white lace top was thrifted, as is most everything else....

Can an Old Dog Learn New Tricks?



Except for the quality of this picture (cellphone being my only camera option), I'm rather proud of this look.   I shall have to search to see where I got the inspiration to give credit where credit is due - but I saw a denim vest layered under a black and white jacket SOMEwhere, and I went to The Closet to see what I could come up with.

(The necklace is outside the outfit right now just for showing off.)

If I pay enough attention to the wonderful fashion blogs out there, I just may get this "layering thing" figured out!  Maybe you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

UPDATE!  Style Artisan is where I saw it! See it for yourself - and a lot of other good stuff, too!

Coffee House and Thrift Stores





A pink tee with sequins, short black velvet jacket, black patent leather belt and black denim jeans...thrifted  items all...worn to the Coffee Shop where my friend treated me to the house special with a buy one/get one free coupon! 


Then we headed to two thrift stores.  Among my buys this morning, these wonderful finds:


The Day after the Massachusetts Election


Yes, I follow politics. No, I'm not a resident of Massachusetts.

It was warm enough to take this picture on our front porch this morning.  I'm wearing the $.50 top (Fieldgear) that I found at the closest thrift store yesterday along with a brand new red candle, a Henri Nouwen paperback, and two 24" men's shoestrings for a grand total of $2.14.

A thrifted pink belt and scarf complete this at-home outfit.  My plans for today keep me close to home.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness


By the end of this week, I am determined to have made some of my own laundry detergent following the directions of a trusted friend.  Click here to see Kathy's formula.  I have seen other similar recipes and have been curious, but this time I KNOW the source personally.  So I'll be off to gather Fels Naptha soap, washing soda, and Borax powder from the grocery shelves in the next couple of days.

The final trigger was seeing the Fels Naptha post at An Affordable Wardrobe.  Apparently it is a stain remover to rival even my current favorite, Spray and Wash Stain Stick.  I should have enough of the soap bar left after making my detergent to experiment on stains!

By the way, the saying in the title is said by some to have come from ancient Hebrew writings. However, its first appearance in English - though in slightly altered form - seems to be in the writings of Francis Bacon. In his 'Advancement of Learning' (1605) he wrote: 'Cleanness of body was ever deemed to proceed from a due reverence to God.'  About two centuries later John Wesley in one of his sermons (1791) indicated that the proverb was already well known in the form we use today. Wrote Wesley: 'Slovenliness is no part of religion.'Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness.'  From "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

Wool Casual Jackets




It's warm, it's stylish.  I love the buttons and the pockets.  I have three of these wool jackets - all thrifted.  One is primarily green; the other brown.

Today I'm wearing it with the same skirt I wore yesterday, a new scarf ( Christmas gift from my mother-in-law), and gray stockings.




I still remember a jacket my grandmother owned similar to this. It hung in a small closet in their garage. She would don it when she went to the garden on chilly days. Maybe that's why I like these jackets so much...

The Color Blue


This jacket and matching blouse are lightweight, but I like the color they bring to my black skirt.  They were gifts to me last summer.  The skirt is out of my closet, thrifted years ago.

Three strands of pearls are my accessories.

I teach a women's Sunday School class and like the simple lines of this outfit for my up-front responsibility today.

Texas Ware Plates


I found ten of these vintage Texas Ware (Melmac) dishes Thursday at a thrift store.  I don't need ten plates, but they were in such great condition and it was so unusual to find ten of them that I made the purchase.  The wheat pattern in tones of green and brown reminds me of my Kansas birthplace.

Casual and Comfortable





Thrifted (everything!) for Comfort 
      Denim shirt dress
      Black patent leather belt
      Burgundy stockings
      Black "jet" necklace

Wha'cha Call It?





I found this split skirt(?) on the 50 cent rack at a local thrift store this week.  I decided to wear it today with a burgundy top and tights.

(Actually not sure if this is a split skirt, culottes, or wide capris!  Is there another name for them?)


This is a necklace that I haven't worn for a long time.  I think it looks fine with this black belt and black suede shoes.

BUSTier or HIPier?


I probably won't be doing any further experimentation in the bustier department!  But honestly!  I DID see a couple of applications that I thought were worthy of trying - even at my age!  And thus yesterday's excursion into edgy fashion. 

As I said, I didn't leave the house that way.  And after further investigation, I see that my concoction was more  HIP-ier than BUST-ier.  Today I'm dressed in my  typical sedate-wear...




...except for my stockings.  My husband asked, "What color are THOSE?"

Bustier or Bust



I was working diligently this morning to create a temporary bustier - having seen several on various fashion blogs.  I used a scarf and experimented.  It's not ready for "prime time" just yet.  But in the process of attempting to fasten the scarf, I used the pin that is visible above--a turquoise colored maple leaf with a faux blue sparkling stone in the middle.  This led to a turquoise ring on my right hand and a necklace to match.

I'm not sure if it's all too matchy-matchy.  And I'm not walking out the front door like this--just to be safe.

I think I'll present myself today with the look on the left and leave the bustier to another day.

Luncheon Attire




Here's what I'm wearing to our 1:00 luncheon. of the  No-Longer-Red-Hatters today.  It's kind of a relief not to "have to" wear purple and red - although that was fun.  So today I'm wearing a black top that I thrifted yesterday for $.50 under a Pendleton black jacket with black velvet collar.  A black belt with gold buckle wraps the waist of the plaid skirt.

Gold hoop earrings and a gold necklace "match" the belt buckle.  No surprise that all you see is thrifted, right?

Second Sunday in January




I'll wear this newly thrifted top with a Pendleton black and white pattern skirt to church this morning.

A triple strand of pearls and some pearl-and-red clip-on earrings are my accessories.

Warm and Wooly


I've had this sweater "forever".  I thrifted it years ago.  A child's sweater, it fits me snugly and warms me nicely.

Yesterday I thrifted the vase(?) that matches the small plate I'd thrifted at the same store a few days before.  I may look up the potter to see if I can find any information.  I just like the colors and pattern.


Today I'm Wearing and Wondering...





Wearing...a little color since the skies may  remain gray....          
All thrifted and found in drawers and/or closet. 
I'll work mostly at home today - although afternoon may find us at Borders...

Wondering...why yesterday's pictures turned out so sharp and clear and today's (and others in the past) so fuzzy...

I'm Smiling!


I'm working at it!  Smiling when I take a picture.  Elaine gave me some great tips yesterday - like "curl up the sides of your mouth and snap it." 
  • Maybe I'm smiling because I really like wearing scarves now - in fact, I feel a little naked without them!
  • Maybe I'm smiling because you can't see my lined, cuffed, woolen navy blue Talbot slacks which are just a tad short for this season.
  • Maybe I'm smiling because my husband's pulse remains back to normal and because of the thrifted pocket square he wore in his thirfted jacket pocket on Tuesday.
  • Maybe I'm smiling because of the twenty-five cent round pillow I found yesterday at an estate sale!  It SO matches the tiny one next to it on my "birthday chair".




I definitely have a lot to smile about today!

What I Wore To My First Cardioversion




This morning I belted the new poncho/cape and wore it with a skirt and ankle boots.
It kept me warm and comfortable in the somewhat chilly room where I waited while my husband underwent a cardioversion.  (The procedure was successful for the time being.  We are prayerful and hopeful that the normal rhythm to which his heartbeat was restored will continue.)

I like the belted look!  Thanks for the suggestion (another benefit of blogging)!

New Fashion Frontier for Me



(See why I call my fashion awakening a Wii on my other blog....)

In addition to the wooden candlestick in my previous post, I bought this poncho/cape at "my" thrift store yesterday.  I don't remember wearing anything like this before, so it is a little awkward figuring out how to drape it (there is a hole for one's head to go through).  I welcome all gentle suggestions.




I like the color (hot pink) and have teamed it with a necklace/earring set that was also thrifted or purchased at a garage sale - I can't remember which!

A Trio of Wooden Candlesticks


Today I visited my favorite thrift store - my first visit in 2010.  I purchased the tall candlestick on the left.  It joins two others I had gotten earlier at thrift stores.  (The largest one is partially hidden behind the one holding the white candle.)  Tomorrow I'll model the cape I bought today.  The price was definitely right!