Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Match Made In Seven Fall Fashion Favorites

 Wearing Your Fall Fashion Favorites



Hello friends and welcome to another edition of Match Made In Seven. I think you will be as excited as I am about this month's challenge! For those of you who are new to this collaboration of international bloggers, here is what we are about.

We are an international group of fashion bloggers who meet once a month. One of us chooses a theme in turn, and that can be anything. A book, music, a color, a movie. And then we style an outfit based on that theme. The theme of this month is chosen by me and is: Fall Fashion Favorites! Also, take a look at the other bloggers and how they have interpreted the theme this month. (See list at end of post).



I think of all the seasons we get to enjoy, Fall is my favorite! It is just so pretty with the leaves changing colors and the air getting cooler and fresher!
God is the best designer in my opinion!



Since our challenge this month is Fall Fashion Favorites I decided to share this pretty paisley dress chock full of Fall colors! I am enjoying wearing this dress so much and I'm showing you the dress with and without a jacket and with higher shoes and lower shoes, so you can think of the possibilities with what you own in your closet!


This dress is from J.C. Penney and the brand is "Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit" and there are many designs if you are interested. I'm pairing the dress with a vintage long chain necklace, gold hoop earrings, shoes with higher and lower heels and a leopard print purse. I love the 3/4 length bells sleeves and the pattern mixing on the dress. For extra warmth, adding my brown jacket is just the right touch! You may also notice that I am wearing hose. I still believe that there are times when wearing hosiery is appropriate and this is one of those times. To me, the outfit looks better with hose on my legs, plus my legs are warmer. I don't know how women go bare legged during the cooler/colder months, not even for fashion! I will also wear tights with this dress and perhaps boots when it is even colder. 


I was trying to blow you a kiss here and my husband, who was taking these particular pictures, said I looked like I was smacking myself in the face!


And that threw me into fits of laughter! My husband has always had the ability to make me laugh. Never let it be said that blogging isn't fun!!

Now, before you go look in your closet to see what Fall Fashion goodness you can put together, be sure to check out the other lovely ladies in our collaboration to see what they came up with this month!


Until Next Time,
Debbie
(Not a gifted or sponsored post. Photography by Debbie Ross and William Ross)

Friday, October 25, 2019

How To Get The Most Wear Out Of All Your Clothing

Getting Double Duty From Clothing


Hey Everyone! If you are like me, you want to get the most wear you can out of all your clothing, right?! That's why I'm excited today to be sharing lots of ideas with you about how I do just that. I did a little playing around in my closet and have come up with what I think are some cute outfit ideas that use elements that may surprise you! First up is the cute t-shirt that I just LOVE (wink!).


This t-shirt is super soft and cozy, easy to wear, perfect with jeans....AND.....(shhh don't tell anybody) it's really a pajama top! Could you guess that by looking at it? I couldn't. With today's casual wear fashion, including many pajama tops, you simply can't tell the diff between them being a cozy top or actual sleepwear. So, yeah, this top does double duty for me. Sometimes I wear it as a top and sometimes it's sleepwear. (Guess my secret's out!)


Next up, I've got my PJ's on, my sleep mask in hand, and I'm ready to snooze the night away! Nothing like a warm top to wear to bed, right? Especially when it's not really a pajama top at all but a long sleeved tee! I love wearing long sleeved tees as PJ tops especially on chilly nights. Cassie decided to photo bomb this picture and roll around on the floor. She says that being covered in fur is the best way to sleep!


So now, I'm wearing the same long sleeve tee, this time as a true top, and I've added jeans, shooties and a very cozy and warm white jacket. 


This jacket is perfect for the chillier temps we are having now. I love the jacket so much, in fact, that I have it in three colors; white, black and gray. Now...would you believe that this "jacket" was actually sold as a bed jacket? Yep, I had been wanting a bed jacket for YEARS and when I saw these for sale a couple years ago I snatched them up in three colors. They work perfectly as bed jackets when you want to sit up and read in bed or watch TV. They also are perfect as jackets or sweaters. I've seen jackets and sweaters sold that look just like these. Who could tell the difference?! 

necklace turned into a bracelet

And the bracelet I'm wearing here? Yes, it's a shorter necklace that I have doubled up to turn it into a bracelet! Double duty!

black and white duster

So, here, I changed to a black top and added a kimono/duster that I've shown you before on the blog. Notice that my bracelet is back to being a necklace? 


You should know by now that I love dusters since I've been showing different ones to you a lot lately! But, guess what else you can do with a duster? 


You can turn it into a scarf!


Yep, I love getting double duty out of my duster. Think of packing to go on a trip and you take a duster that serves two purposes!  And speaking of scarves.....

ways to wear an infinity scarf

Remember my new Paparazzi ring I showed you a few posts ago? Well, I'm using it as a scarf holder in this picture!


The scarf I'm wearing is actually an infinity scarf but rather than wrap it around my head twice I left it long, pulled up the bottom partway and put my ring on to hold it in place. So, I got double duty from both the ring and the infinity scarf!

Now, go get in your closet and see what items YOU have that can do double duty for you! It's so much fun to play dress up and see what new outfits you can come up with! Plus, getting double duty from your clothing can be a real money saver. It's a win-win thing! Let me know what new ideas I gave you in the comments and please share your ideas for getting double duty from your clothes!!

(Many of these pics were taken inside due to it getting dark and being cold outside! Sorry they are not super high quality. I did the best I could!)

Until Next Time,
Debbie

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Long Gray Cardigan

The Long and the Short of It


Hello Everyone! Is anyone else besides me astounded at how quickly October seems to be going? It seems like time is zooming by for some reason. I'm happy to report, though, that it finally is feeling like Fall around here and sweater weather is in right now. Today, I'm sharing a long gray cardigan that is perfect for those chilly mornings. 


I came across this cardi the other day when I was killing time waiting for a hair appointment and decided to wander into a boutique shop that I had never been into yet. It's called "Pink Regalia" and, if you are local, it is located between Apollo Flame Restaurant and my hairdresser, One Step Ahead, on Hendersonville Rd. 


This cardi was on the clearance rack which brought the price down by 50% to an amount I felt was reasonable. The cardi is long, similar to the dusters I have shown you recently, and I love the fact that it is not too heavy and that the long lines are very slimming!  The brand is one I had never heard of before, "I Joah." I looked up the brand and what I find online is quite expensive. I really got a bargain! 

In other news, we had rain this past weekend and it really brought out the color in the trees! Here is a picture I took today as the Mr. and I were driving down our road.


I've been wondering if we were going to get pretty color this year and it is finally here! This will be peak week I think at this rate. 

I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying these beautiful Fall days and cooler temps!

Until Next Time,
Debbie

Monday, October 14, 2019

How Do You Cozy Up For Fall?

Autumn Coziness


One thing I enjoy about Fall is all of the coziness that goes with this season. There is just something endearing about putting on a fuzzy jacket, sipping a hot cup of tea and soaking in all of life that comes in Autumn! Today, I'm sharing a list of some of my favorite Autumnal things!

Colors

A couple weekends ago I went on my annual retreat with a group of lovely ladies that form a wonderful supportive group. The Fall colors were just starting to peek out as I walked around the grounds taking pictures.


The red colors are always my favorite!


Or, perhaps I like the golds the best? It's hard to choose!

Foods

Fall is the beginning of soup season in my house. I love hearty and nutritious soups like this homemade chicken noodle soup made with organic chicken broth, chunks of chicken, a mix of whole grain and no yolk noodles and flavorful carrots. 


Each bite is guaranteed to make you feel good inside!


Or how about this luscious organic egg frittata that one of the ladies made for our breakfast during retreat weekend? 


As you can see from our table laden with goodness, we ate well during retreat weekend!

Decor

I'm continuing to add bits and pieces to my Fall dining room decor as I see something I like. This tobacco basket from A.C. Moore looks great behind the white mini pumpkins topping the corner shelf. 


I'm also moving a few things around like this bottle lamp. 


And this flower arrangement that was in the foyer now graces the top of the pantry cabinet in the dining room. I find it fun to rearrange items to create a sense of coziness from room to room. Sometimes I discover an object looks better in another spot. Finding a new space for a lovely object is part of the coziness!

Reading

I love a good book any time of the year, but somehow in the Fall, I go back to old favorites like "Tyler's Row" by Miss Read.


I love the illustrations in this old book which tells the story of a retiring schoolmaster and his wife who buy a set of four row houses in Fairacre and work on renovating the houses while two tenants are still in residence. 


Here's a little bit of page one if you are interested. I found this book in a bookstore years ago and just smelling the "old book" smell makes me happy!

Crafting


Fall is also the best time for doing a little crafting, especially with the holiday season coming up. Here's a sneak preview of a craft I have been working on lately. More on this craft in a future post! 

So, what's on your list for Fall coziness? Hope you'll leave a comment and let me know. 

Until Next Time,
Debbie

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Mixing Up Colors and Failing

Color Mix Fashion or Fail?

blue kimono worn with corduroy pants and blue duster

You know what? Sometimes you have a fashion idea and want to give it a try and when you look at the result you think to yourself....what was I thinking?  Yeah, I'm kind of feeling that way about this outfit. 

getting away from matchy matchy colors

I really love the individual pieces of this outfit. The tan corduroy pants I have had for years (Corduroy is back this season I read recently. It never left in my closet!) The marigold color top that is so easy going and comfortable to wear. And another kimono/duster today, this one in beautiful blue with pink flowers throughout. I'm just not certain I like these pieces together. Hmmm...

styling for autumn

I do admire bloggers whose posts show them so effortlessly putting colors together. They wear their color mixes boldly and look so lovely doing it!  Alas, I feel that this is more of a color miss than a color mix. 

kimono worn tied at the front

I guess at heart I'm more of a "matchy-matchy" girl when it comes to colors! I do love this duster, though. It is cut like the hot pink duster I showed you in the last post and can be worn down or with a tied front like you see here. Karen, if you are reading, this is what I was describing in the last post! I love that you can do this with these dusters. 

blue and pink duster
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And, oh, how pretty the pattern is on this duster! I am enjoying styling my collection of dusters/kimonos for Fall! But, next time, I think I'll choose a different color combo. But, does it really matter in the end? It's fun to play with colors we have in our closet and try out new combinations. Even if we get a miss from time to time. At least we're trying, right?! 

Now, go get in your closet and trying playing with colors and matches and mixes and let me know what you love in the comment section, OK?! 

Until Next Time,
Debbie

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Wearing Pink In The Fall

Interesting Ways To Add Pink To Your Fall Wardrobe

slip on sandals for Fall

Hello everyone!  Today, I'm sharing how I add pink to my fall wardrobe. Pink may not be a color you think of for Fall, but I love it year round! 


To keep the outfit more "Fall like" I started with a creme tunic top and tan pants as the base. Here I am in my kitchen with my ever present glass of tea wearing the base outfit. 


Then I topped the base outfit with what I call my "hot pink" duster (or kimono I'm never certain what to call these cover-ups). I guess the pink color of this duster could be termed fuschia or even magenta, but I'm sticking with pink! 

long kimono top

The duster material is scarf-like and has a square pattern throughout the material. It is long enough to cover up nicely and adds just a tiny bit of warmth for a cooler day in early Fall. 

magenta kimono with monochrome top and pants

One thing I really like about this duster is that it has separate sections at the front that can be worn down like I'm styling it today or pulled up and tied in the front while the back portion of the duster remains hanging down. So, it's a very versatile piece. You'll notice that because the duster color is brilliant, I chose to keep accessories light and minimal. Others may like adding lots of colorful accessories to add even more color, but I felt like "less is more" today.

pink ring and stretch bracelet

So, with minimalism in mind, I added my favorite clear bracelet and this pretty pink "statement" ring that I just bought last week. It's a pretty Paparazzi ring and I want to give a shout out to Keonna Geer the Paparazzi rep I bought the ring from. She is a sweet lady and one of the awesome bell ringers in our church handbell choir. If you are interested in any Paparazzi jewelry (only $5 per piece!) click on Keonna's name to be taken to her site. 

pink statement ring by Paparazzi

In this close-up of the ring you can really see the pretty pink color! In addition to wearing this piece as a ring I also plan to use it as a scarf holder and as a ponytail holder. You can get really creative with rings if you think about it!


Simple pearl earrings complete the jewelry for this look. 


Our weather here is slightly cooler today but sandals are still A-Ok especially these tan color BZees sandals that are perfect for this time of year. I've always favored slip-on type sandals for my feet. I never did like thong styles between my toes and, unless they have velcro attachments, the sandals that wrap around the back of the ankle and buckle tend to slip off my foot, so I'm happy with a slip-on for sure!

fuschia colored kimono

So tell me, do you enjoy wearing pink tones even in the Fall? Hope you'll leave a comment and let me know. We don't have to retire colors we love just because the seasons change, in my opinion. Go look in your closet and pull out the colors you love and feel pretty in and keep on wearing them!

Until Next Time,
Debbie