it's perfect

It's soft;

it's comfortable;

it's white;

it's old;

it's perfect!

emboldened

Emboldened by one of my favorite fashion persons, Sheila, I donned my fairly recently-thrifted black slacks (Talbots).  I'd bought them off the rack at a ridiculously low price.  Didn't try them on.  They are a bit short.  I contemplated doing SOMETHING to lengthen them, but after seeing Shela's, I just rolled up the bottoms and decided to wear them with confidence!

Mine aren't as swishy as hers; neither is my cotton  lacy blouse quite as fancy, but I tied them together with a black patent-leather belt and look forward to a busy day - starting at 9:00 when I meet a friend for coffee.

I got ANOTHER idea when I saw a flower pin she was wearing in one of her posts.

I'm going to dig in a craft drawer I have,

heat up my glue gun,

and show my creation here later...

September Chic

Nothing says "chic" like a simple white blouse...

Fenicia, commenting on Fiona's post today said, "In the UK we are now coming into our most dramatic season. Autumn is wonderful here. Winter and summer are always disappointing! Spring is unpredictable."

I think that sums up my feelings about our N.E. Indiana seasons quite well.  While I'm deliberately holding off my fall decorating - inside and out - until at least September 15th, I'm geared up for chic-ness!

I'll be checking in with Fiona daily as she posts some of her inspiring and simple chic pointers this month.  For myself, I've decided to be more diligent about making daily entries in my hand-written journal.  I shall assign a single word to each day and see where it takes me.  Today's word is "mindfulness".


Being mindful of small details - like the cut of the cuffs of this sweet blouse - brings me pleasure.  So does finding white blouses at my favorite thrift store.

One can never have too many white blouses or little black dresses, I believe.

stay-at-home-style

Yesterday - wore this light, short jacket over a white sweater to church with a black velvet skirt.

It's a stay-at-home-day today.  I have household chores to do 

so choose to be comfortable.

Everything purchased at thrift stores.

I'm wearing my transitional-sized clothes

looking forward to smaller sizes

SOON!

lwb

Along with the "finds" I posted yesterday, I found this lwb on the $.50 rack of a different store!  I didn't try it on until after my shower today...and I am thrilled!  It's such a different style/cut for me, but I can't get enough of little white blouses!

 Behind me is this special heart garland that I received yesterday.  

You can read more about it here.

this too shall pass...

 
...the pounds must go (not YOUR problem) and when they do, I'll have the rest of my wardrobe to wear!  I'm determined not to buy clothes to fit me at this weight.  This is not self-punishment.  Just motivation.  So, please.  No lectures about loving myself and treating myself less harshly, etc..






Meanwhile, I found a different top in my closet - a white blouse - one of MANY.  I really enjoy white blouses and have a variety of styles waiting for me.  All from thrift stores or garage sales.

My life isn't too exotic, so this works.  Meanwhile, I created a simple and delicious dinner from leftovers yesterday.  You can read about it HERE.

These are MOST of the white blouses  I own...not quite.

Sunshine and Cottonwood Seeds

Today,
Sonoma capris and a long-sleeve white tee with a cut-out stripe across its top.
Some dangly earrings add to the pizazz.

A classic casual look for me on this sunny day!  

Sunshine and a serious wind
are sending the humidity scurrying.

At the same time, the cottonwood seeds 

are ALSO blowing furiously...

How about these cloth napkins?  I found them at "my" thrift store yesterday!  It had been a long time since I'd been there and there were many new goodies -- apparently the leftovers of the numerous garage sales the weekends of May and June.

StormWear

No sooner had I uploaded this picture than the sky turned even darker than my face and the rains began (again)!

I decided to add my white studded belt to the light-weight ruffled blouse I'm wearing with the brown plaid-patterned jeans  -- rolled up to acknowledge the heat that Spring has carried with it the past few days. 

I will be doing some research via the internet unless the storm stops me this morning.  I'm sure thankful my husband got the lawn mowed last night!

Finally! Sunshine!

Bring out the sandals!

Bring out the pink Vera Bradley bag!

This morning I meet a friend for breakfast decked with my thrifted blouse, scarf, belt, bag and capris!

Wednesday Style

White ruffly blouse, yellow belt & denim skirt -- NOT the same one as yesterday!  And below, a picture of a shelf that stands on the landing of our stairway.  I include it here to show some original pottery mugs that I purchased for $.10@ at a thrift store on our vacation (well, 5 of them anyway..).

The Ideal Magazines in the stack are also all thrifted.  I have some for just about any season or holiday.  I enjoy giving them in place of cards to special people in my life or just browsing through while I sip a cup of tea.










I'm also seeing a few of the small, wooden boxes that always catch my eye when I'm at a thrift store.  (They look a little dusty here.)  Do you see the wooden stool?  It, too, was a thrift store buy.  Yes, that's a mirror behind it and above it.  I have a "thing" for mirrors.

What Should I Wear When I Travel?

One of the magazines I read while riding toward our southern destination had this page with instructions about what to wear when traveling...

I was happy to wear MY black jeans which were close to those recommended by a fashion editor.  I wore mine with a white blouse, slip-on black shoes, and a silver necklace & earrings.  It worked for me!

Before eating a late morning breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we stopped in to check out this thrift store in Sevierville, TN.  I found some small figures for a Christmas project my husband is working on.  We met friends at their golf course home and traveled south, eating a wonderful  late afternoon dinner (salmon!) at Stone Ridge Tavern near/in Asheville, N.C.

"Slim Pickings"

Pickings were slim at the thrift store yesterday (or putting it more accurately, I don't "need" anything)!  I purchased this mustard-colored belt for a quarter, however.  I have just about given up finding the perfect mustard-colored T.  Maybe now that I've given up, I'll find it.

I'm wearing the belt today with white blouse and black skirt.  I've also chosen to wear this bracelet that I made in either junior high or high school art class!  (That makes it "vintage",  I believe! ) The earrings have a little of the yellow color and are in the form of clocks - good reminders to turn clocks forward tonight.

SOON...SUNSHINE!

Thanks, Sharon  (of My Style - Thrifting, Fashion and Me). I needed that!  The past TWO mornings, schools in our area have been delayed because of fog.  This morning, rain is falling.  BUT the temperature is quite mild.  Soon...
sunshine! I generally consider my blogs to be "award-free sites", but I'm making an exception today.

Casual white blouse

Black skirt

Black sparkly belt

Black jet necklace

THRIFT STORE BUYS--ALL

...and in honor of Sharon, some Fashion Bags of my own...both  thrifted at $1.00 days. The billfold was $.50.  I was desperately in need of a new one!
In my everyday bag (not shown here), besides billfold, brush, keys, lipstick and mascara, you'd find a set of tiny magnetic dogs (children's toy); small magnifying glass, magnet and tape measure for treasure hunting; one-too-many pens or other writing tools; my date book and a cloth handkerchief.  (I won't pretend that there probably is other stuff that I've forgotten hanging around the bottom of the bag as well.)

HAS THIS BEEN TRIED BEFORE?

...I don't mean "has this OUTFIT been tried before?"  (I HAVE worn everything I'm wearing today before.  Not in this exact combination though...)

But what I mean is would it be an adventure to try a week of wearing one item  from the day before the next day? (Yeah, I can see that this is a lot like the Capsule Challenge.  For me, it just wouldn't require the same amount of planning. ahead of time.  I'd only have to think "one thing" instead of "ten things".) Today I'm carrying over the white blouse.  The ruffles around the bottom and cuffs of the sleeves make extra accessories unnecessary for my activities today which include...

...helping set up, prepare, serve, and take down the simple meal at our community Lenten dinner and meditation over the noon hour.  In the early evening, I'm meeting a friend for coffee.  I want to honor and celebrate her birthday which occurred over last weekend.

Black denim vest

White "stretch" blouse

Gray skirt

Black suede shoes

Dark stockings

ALL THRIFTED and WELL-WORN

GET IT IN BLACK AND WHITE

I'm basically a "black and white" person - in fashion and in mindset.  

(That's not always good, I know.)

For today---fashion-wise--it actually turned out better than I expected. 

Uncluttered, crisp, clean.
All thrifted.

inVESTed still...

A man's leather vest today!  Brown with two pockets and belted with a stretchy brown belt with pink features in front!

I pulled out a white, ruffled blouse to feminize the look. Several brown bangle bracelets and brown leather shoes complete the look.  Everything is thrifted -- nothing recently.






Feeling a little left out since we have no live felines at our house, I am featuring an oil painting I found at a thrift store last week.  The colors are vivid and the cats quite charming in this amateur piece.