Merry Happy

Happy Holidays

Sometimes

Sometimes I wonder why I get so depressed. I have everything I need and then some.

Sometimes I wonder why money seems to make some people unhappy. I'd like to try it.

Sometimes I wonder if there is any way skinny jeans could be comfortable. Same for stilettos.

Sometimes I wonder if there is anyone who thinks the political world is insane.

Sometimes I wonder if having fake body parts can really make a person feel better. I've always
     had a large chest. Didn't help me.

Sometimes I wonder if there are really families like I see on the TV commercials.

Sometimes I wonder how people can live with themselves after they mistreat other people and
     animals.

Sometimes I wonder why it's so hard for people to accept others who are different.

Sometimes I wish my brain would simply shut up.

Cover it up

Cardigans have made huge changes and I am glad. I remember the sweater sets that have been in and out for many years. I've loved the letter sweater type for forever. And I've been taken by the smaller cardigan that's been popular in the last few years. I especially love the print ones that add so much to a simple outfit. But there was a change in a lot of the clothing with the advent of the irregular hemline. And I find it more to my liking in that it doesn't hit at the wrong place on me and stay there. In the third pic the sweater is just that. It hits and stays right with my big rump. And it buckles under my oversize waist.

Now folks, just because my shape is not great doesn't mean I want to call attention to that fact. The sweater in the top two pics makes me feel less over than usual. I got the sweater on sale and I didn't really like it because of the zigzag pattern. But the fact that the pattern is sometimes horizontal and sometimes nearly vertical in the front makes it better for me. I saw that it was on sale and jumped on it never thinking that
it would be a favorite. And then of course I had to find some
things to wear it with. Not a problem in my heavily black wardrobe. Anyway It's my favorite of the weird sweaters.

 This sweater is really not a sweater at all but a jacket/shirt thing I got at Walmart a couple of years ago. It's cotton, hence the fading. But it's just the right weight for home. It will retire soon. In some ways being older is good in that we can poopoo what is thought about us when we wear old worn and loved clothes.

Kohl's is a  wonderful place for us plus sizes. With JCPenney, Kohl's is able to provide some stylish and pretty items for a reasonable price. This sweater jumped into my basket almost without me noticing. A really lightweight sweater, it too is great for home.It looks orange but is really a red/gold combo. And that staggered hemline is again helping hide my multi-lumps. I'm in love with it.

There are sweater dresses, sweater coats, mittens and boot socks, and leggings also in the sweater lineup. But around here the temp is a bit too temperate to go there.

Not French's

It's sort of mustard. But my mustard in the bottle is a little more yellow. Anyway, I like the color a lot. And this year there seem to be shades of this color and a mix with brown, etc, everywhere. I've seen the color called ochre, caramel, tan, and several other names. One place actually called a color I like "sweet tea".

There are several things I noticed about the mustard and other similar colors. One is that they mix well with most other colors. I'm not sure about the blue based reds but with blues, purples, greens, grays, and even with black, this color is a stand out. It has white, grays, and browns in this top. And It looks great with most of my black and brown pants.

Another is that this color is similar to what we used to call gold. But there is a slight difference, as if the color mixer threw in a dash of something else. And with the gray in this top I'd love to have a pair of gray pinstripe slacks. I'm not usually into gray. By itself I think it's dull. But not here. 

The top is more compatible with my skin tone than the old color gold was. I thought it made me look sick. But this doesn't. Of course, as you age your skin color does change some.

One other thing about this top that I love is the finish on the bottom. The fabric there is the same color but is sort of see-thru. Using that as an example it shows a way to add fabric to the bottom of tops that are too short..

This was my first foray into the mustard top. I like this one because of the different colors. There is an off white, a brick red, a brown, and an odd shade of blue that is almost teal. But alas, it shrank and I now need to add something to the bottom.

I am on the lookout for a caramel top, sweater, jacket, or whatever. I've seen one I love with off white polka dots and I'd love to find it in my size. It is such a luscious color.

December is really not the time to find bargain clothing. I was caught up in the thrift thing and resale thing. I got a great bag. Resale shop. Walked in the door and Bang! There it was as if waiting for me. Brand spankin new and a good price. And a great style. And my favorite colors. Pictured on a previous blog.

Now I must state that I got a new phone and have posted a couple of things via the phone. I got it for the picture taking function and to be able to put things into email and my blog. But I don't know how to use it well yet and I can only beg for patience on the part of my readers. With that I will also thank those of you who follow and I tell you that you make my day.

It came in the mail. From home shopping

It came in the mail.

It's in the bag.

I didn't make it to not buy anything in december. Oh well.

Summery

I get hot. Even in the Winter. So I'm wearing a summer top I picked up at the end of Summer sale at Stein Mart. The fabric is a cottony knit and it's so soft it would make great jammies.

I've been buying too much. So for December, I'm not going to buy myself any clothing. I Plan Plan Plan to make outfits out of what I already have. We'll see how that goes.

I'm just not lovin it

My hair. I'm just not lovin it. It's gotten long and I'm over it. I thought that this time I would be able to do stuff with it since I have a lot more time. It's fine but fairly thick. It's heavy and it falls out of just about any barrette I put into it. I suppose I could use a bunch of product on it but I don't like that either. It must be washed every other day due to oil.

Also, I went through the pics I've taken of myself in the last couple of years. You know, I look better in short hair. I also look better when my hair is a little lighter. I also look better when my makeup is a little darker. I also want to wear some of my killer earrings. Anyway, I am going to the salon today to make an appointment for a good cut. Then I'll get down to thinking about how short I want to go. I've decided I am just never going to be satisfied with looking the same all of the time. So I'll work with that.

 The outfit in this picture is my typical black pants and black sweater/jacket with a top I got at Stein Mart. The top is actually probably a summer top as it has short sleeves. But I love the fact that it's colorful. And I think it makes my yellow bubbles look super.

This is a pic of me with shorter and lighter hair. I think I like it but I want more of a graduated cut with a little less at the bottom. I think.

One other thing I'm interested in is the refashioning of clothes into better looking things. I don't have many things that aren't just fine as they are. But I'd like to find some laces and some other fabrics to upgrade the things I'm not in love with. I figure that if I have them but don't love them, I don't have much to lose.

I've finished Christmas shopping. Now all I need is to wrap and mail the things. I went to our new Publix yesterday and got a couple of things and while I was there I was able to get what I was looking for. So---done. It's a relief to not have to fight the crowds. I'd gotten the grandkid stuff before Thanksgiving just for that reason.

I do plan to go to the mall this week. I need to see people and decorations and hear Christmas music. It jump starts the holiday for me.

I'm still loving bubbles

 I'm seeing more and more scarves on the blogs I follow. And I follow a ton of them. I'm glad to have the bubble necklaces to add color to the neckline instead of the scarves. I've already stated that for the most part I would feel confined if I had a big scarf on. Claustrophobic. And the outfit in the left pic wouldn't need a scarf. I'm wearing a simple black slinky T and black pants with a floral cardi from Kohl's. I love the cardi because it is so soft and not wooly feeling. I think the turquoise adds enough pop.

 The sweater in this photo is also from Kohl's. I think they have as good a section for plus sizes as any department store in my area. This sweater wasn't on sale but was still reasonable and I wore my new orange mocs with it. It's not strictly orange but a combo of colors that looks orange from a distance. It's very lightweight and comfy for me when I'm at home.

I found the top in this pic at Stein Mart. They have some fine sales and it's too big but I got it anyway. I'll take it up sometime. I love the colors and the print. At first I was afraid that the print would overwhelm the necklace. But those bubbles are a strong statement.. I'm very glad I got too excited about the necklaces. I have 5 of them and I wear them a lot.

I'm in the market for a little bit darker makeup. I love the way this one feels and how it goes on. My skin is several colors and in order to get one makeup I'll probably have to mix two colors. I hate trying to find makeup and lipstick that works for me. Without any testers in the drugstore, I find it's so much guesswork. But I can't afford to go to the nicer stores to try on their makeup. The last time I did I ended up with a $45 bottle of makeup base and the season changed so it only worked for a couple of weeks. I used to lighten up a lot in the Winter but I don't any more. I've seen lots of makeup blogs and I'd love to make use of the expertise but I just can't seem to get everything just right.

I'm almost done with the Christmas shopping. I'm not going to be around my kids at all this Christmas so I'll be mailing stuff. I went before Thanksgiving. I didn't have the nerve to fight the crowds. I read that there were fights and people were injured in the rush on Black Friday. I'm probably going to finish Wed. of this week and have the stuff sent by the weekend. As soon as that's done I can relax and not worry about anything else.

When I was growing up we really didn't have much in the way of Christmas traditions. Mom cooked and I opened gifts. I'm an only child so it wasn't really any big deal. And unless Georgia Tech was playing football, Dad watched very little tv. We listened to Christmas music sometimes. When the kids were young I loved Christmas because their faces when they say their gifts were luminous. I have always loved the Christmas Carol movies, the cartoons, and reading The Night Before Christmas. White Christmases are really really rare here. I remember one. Just one.

Thanksgiving was hard for me this year. The diabetes thing made it hard to face a complete dinner. We were invited to honey's Mom's for the meal and I just couldn't go. I couldn't have the things I loved to eat at Thanksgiving. I don't mean I sulked or anything. I stayed home, watched tv, and played on the computer while honey went to his Mom's. And it was fine. But I am actually looking forward to Christmas Dinner. I'm having crab legs, shrimp, and scallops. Now that's a new tradition I can get behind.

I got some orange shoes. Now I need an orange bag.

It's in the bag

Sometimes I think I should have known then. I purchased this Sharif bag from HSN about 3 years ago thinking I like the fringe and the combination of leather and fabric. It was a tad off center in the fashion climate of East Tennessee. And God forbid that I should look like the other women in my area.

I should have realized that I was headed in a certain direction with my interest in fashion. Toward the boho look. And maybe toward a non-boho look that is just my own. The purchase was made at a time when I was totally into bags and thought the bag would define me to those who saw me. I supposed that just because I noticed that sort of stuff in others, they would see it in me.

Alas, not so. I got some compliments on some of my bags. This one, I actually never carried because when it came I already had one I liked better. So now it goes on eBay.

I found this bag with the peace symbol stitched onto it at TJ Maxx. It's by le Sac. I paid $69. And it was actually an accident that I found it. You see, I'd gotten some new bags at Charming Charlie's and didn't think I needed another. But I happened to walk down that aisle. And now I also believe in love at first sight. I actually gasped when I saw it because it is so me. Leather and everything. I took it as a sign that I'm on the right path.

After I got the bag into the cart, I found 2 pairs of shoes and a bathrobe. I hadn't been to Maxx in 2 or 3 years. I've already been back. But I don't go down the handbag aisle.

The next bag is my hippie dippy bag from Charming Charlie's. I was so tickled to see it that I snapped it up immediately. I'm following the boho boards on Pinterest. I've seen several of the gorgeous bags on those boards and I wanted one for my use. This is perfect except for one small problem.

It is not the big expensive boho bag that I crave. It has some trimmings on it but the more expensive ones are done in such a way that it would be difficult to make by hand. I mean the ones with the kilim rug patterns or the Southwestern ones.

Another boho style offering is the handmade and hand embellished bags. Those are my absolute to die for favorites. I've had a little work with crochet but I don't want a bag that is all crochet. I have finally decided to try to do something similar to the last 2 bags myself. I have tons of beads. I will try to thrift some things with lace on them that I can use. I'm going to hit the fabric

store for trimmings. The fabric stores also often have small bits of leftover fabrics that could be added. I think that having to purchase all of that stuff will probably make any bag I produce quite expensive. But to me it will be more valued because I had put a lot of work into it.

The bottom bag seems to be a conglomeration of yarns, trims, strips of fabrics such as t shirts. I will probably wait on that till I've had time to collect things. Garage sales next Spring will help. I have also

decided not to try going from scratch. There are a lot of totes and bags like that on Craigslist. I think I can use something like that if it's in decent shape and just sew embellishments onto it. That way I already have handles. Also I saw on You Tube how a girl took apart old handbags and reused things, handles, hardware, zippers, pockets, and even leather. That is the sort of reuse I am hoping I can achieve.

There are things that make me wish

There are things that almost make me wish I was young, tall, slim, etc. One is this pair of shoes. I'm not sure why but I think they are one of the coolest pairs of shoes I have ever seen. I tend toward flats, loafers, and mocs. I have bought 3 pairs of loafers, and 3 pairs of mocs this Fall. All on sale of course. And I don't feel a particular  need to be fancy or dress up. I've always heard that you should dress for the position you want. Well I want to be retired. And relaxed. And still to enjoy fashion and dressing.

The skirt at right is one of the things I'd like to have in a way. I love the print and the colors. But I'd be just as happy if it was a top or a blouse. I'd be able to enjoy the print year round then. I like some floral prints and I'm finding that they must have certain things to recommend themselves to me. Such as a background color that I really like. And some open space between the flowers. And a fairly large design,(read-not tiny flowers). And of course it would be nice if it would go with something I already have. And I have a lot of black pants.

Another thing I'd love to have would be this outfit. Without the scarf. I'm in love with the colors and with the shoes and with the bag. I know there is nothing boho about it but it is so feminine that I think I'd wear it a lot.

And I won't be tall, slim, and young, so I will be looking for anything with this vibe. I love the boho look and the fact that it is feminine. I don't subscribe to the total look thing because for me that would be deadly. I believe I have a bit of ADD. I do know I hate doing the same thing all the time and I hate looking the same way all the time and I hate wearing the same clothes and carrying the same bag all the time. The only exception is shoes. I love having lots of shoes but if one certain pair is really comfortable I'll wear it a lot. A whole lot.

Anyway, This coat would be a favorite of mine and since I know how to sew, I think I'll look into making some things in this vein. 

There are a few young things I'm not going to do, ever. One is wearing neon in anything bigger than a piece of jewelry. When you are the size I am, wearing a neon shirt like in the photo would allow people to see me coming a mile away. And I shudder to think of wearing that color on my butt. OMG. The pink skinny jeans are ok but again I couldn't wear them both because of their light color(I'm clumsy, messy, and big), and because I hate to be constrained. And the scarf, while being very pretty, would make me feel penned in. I enjoy seeing what the young people are wearing and sometimes there is something I can adapt to my use. These things, though, aren't really adaptable.

I'm learning so much from the blogs I read. One thing is what I like and what I don't like. And I've learned to try visualizing something on me before I get it. For instance, blazers. I like the boyfriend look. The small blazer isn't for me for so many reasons. The constrained thing comes to mind. I actually had a decent figure until about 10 years ago. But I have never been comfortable in tight clothing. And I was somewhat limited by a large bust. The funny thing is-I wore pencil skirts in the sixth grade, in the fifties. I wore sweater sets. I wore the add on collars. I wore flats. I had a beautiful pearl collar. I just wish I had kept it. By this you can see something of my perspective. What goes around comes around.

I'm a little bit boho

This bag totally rocks. This bag would become a treasured piece in my wardrobe for the rest of my life. And I'm going to try to create a bag with the same or similar feeling using yarns, some tweed stuff, jewels, etc. I have many bags that I love but that is necessary for me because I don't like wearing/carrying the same thing for a long time. I'm maybe a little ADD. I believe I have said that before.

I was in therapy for 3.5 years and during that time I began to see myself in different ways. I did some of what I called "Costume Therapy". There were certain clothes I had that just made me happy and made me feel sexy. Now I'm over 80 pounds heavier. I've discovered my style. And "Costume Therapy" actually makes more sense to me. So when I say I'm a little bit boho I mean that when I get dressed I'm going to wear a little bit of boho. If you look at the designs seen on the runways, in magazines, on the blogs, and on Pinterest, you will see that boho is ethnic prints, headbands, crochet, lots of jewelry(usually silver), either boots or barefoot, long hair, outdoor shots, and finally, skinny girls. I love ethnic prints. I love jewelry(gold). I don't do headbands, boots, long hair and I'm definitely not skinny.

I do like to be fairly simple in my clothing. The layering thing is sort of good for those of us who tend to be warm most of the time. The long hair can be pretty good for some of us. I find boots cumbersome. Barefoot is great in the summer. There is no way I'd wear a headband. And crochet is simply wonderful but there isn't much out there for super size women. And on top of that bohemian is an anti thing. A true bohemian wouldn't be caught dead following the crowd.

That brings me to my other 80%. The simple part of me. I love, love
beautiful jewelry. I love, love shiny

 sparkly jewelry. I hate wearing a ton of jewelry. According to the times I was learning about fashion, you get dressed, add your accessories, and then take one thing off so as not to overdo. Ha. Now I see that things are the opposite. More is more.

The gorgeous white-haired lady with the gorgeous standard poodle fits my idea of less is more. She has some edgy things like the leggings and the tunic. She has bracelets on one arm and a fantastic pair of earrings. To me she looks fabulous. Really truly fabulous. Of course I'd love to have that waist and also the dog. But the whole thing is actually 80%simple and 20%boho. Now see what I mean?

I have been collecting clothing that I am drawn to when I shop and that has some boho vibe to it. Crochet, unusual or ethnic prints, tunic shapes, and just about anything purple. I love the western jewelry even though it's silver. And I'd love to have a squash blossom necklace. But my 80% says that would be all I need to make an outfit pop. I'm totally in love with the idea of having things that are bold enough and unusual enough to stand on their own. Statement necklaces have a bit of that but I am not stopping there. I'll talk more about jewelry in the future. I have some definite ideas on the subject. For now, I'm going to have to go out into the rain to a meeting. And I hope you all have a fabulous day.

Friday, Nov 2 and that's all

See that not happy face. That's me today. I'm in a blue funk. It's Friday. From the time I got up this morning I've been in a blue funk. So today, I'm getting real. I hate having diabetes. I hate needing to change aspects of my life. I am in a blue funk. Trust me, they never last long. Anyway, I got the shirt I'm wearing on eBay and the necklace. It is a color changing purple glass and I love it.

That blouse fits my idea of boho, and it goes with tons of colors and it makes a great Fall piece. The weather here in East Tennessee tends to be warm/cool/warm/cold. And the weight of the fabric is great to handle that switch.

I'm looking for something that will get me out of my blue funk. The beautiful shoes Shybiker got for his birthday may just be the ticket.

Check it out. They are great shoes and such a happy color.
http://shybiker.blogspot.com/2012/11/friends-and-shoes.html

I'm pleased

Don't I look really self satisfied? Don't I look stylish? Well, now we can get back to the looking good for Judy thing. I don't look like the girls that wear the tight jeggings, or leggings, or other leg things. I finally made the crossover to animal print. In my own way. And the second pic is to show that I am still not mixing prints with the leopard shoes.

I am focusing on what I have that I like. These are things that not all folks value but as long as I do, fine by me. For instance. I have a truly wonderful collection of jewelry. I sold my gold stuff for the most part because I didn't wear it. I still have a few precious things but my enjoyment comes from color, design, and uniqueness of the pieces. No I am not saying my stuff is unique. A lot of it came from tv shopping. Not unique. But I think the way I choose to combine the things I have shows uniqueness on my

part. For the necklace I am showing, it is a purchase from eBay that is made of citrine chips. I love it. I ordered it and when it came, I realized that jewelry must fit the outfit. I had
a gold outfit I thought it would work with. But alas, the color of the necklace disappeared when worn with my outfit. And it wasn't the right length. So I put it in the jewelry box and now it works with things I have.

That brings me to the styling thing. I used to get dressed. Or I got dressed up. When I heard the phrase "how I styled" I thought it sounded sort of "precious". But I've learned a thing or two reading the blogs and I think I get it now. Several new words and ideas have come to mean styled. Like Pop. Does it pop? A pop of color. And I realize that the styling is what makes things either pop or not. No, the outfit I have pictured does not pop. But the necklace sort of pops with the outfit.
I imagine that a lot of girls would have worn a number of pieces of jewelry with the simple outfit. And I may do that some other time. However, this time I am sticking with the Simple part of my simple boho style. It works for me.

I'm pleased with the way too many pieces of clothing I have bought this Fall. I used to envy the girls I went to school with when their moms took them out for a new Fall wardrobe. I have forgotten much of the time I spent at home. My therapist said that is a good thing. But one thing I do remember is NOT going shopping for school clothes. I reached almost my full height in the sixth grade and didn't grow much after that except in the bust. A benefit in that I could wear most of my clothes from one year to the next. And I didn't have to face the overwhelming consumerism that many young people think is normal. My tennis shoes were Keds. I carried the same purse all year. And I got a new winter coat every 3rd year. Basic.

I have worked my way through the name brand thing. I know that for a lot of the bloggers it means followers and advertisers when they can show the name brand things in their blogs. But for me, no one I know knows or cares who made my bag, how much I paid for my jewelry, or where my favorite clothes came from. I don't have to keep up with the more serious bloggers. But where I do want to be is with those ladies, young or old, who go their own way and want to be appreciated for their eye for fashion, for their color and style sense, and for the way they want to be present in life. Thanks to the blogs, we have an arena. A nice one.

Moving forward

My recent post about discovering my style at this late stage in life has given me more energy than I had thought to have. For some reason I needed a label for myself to feel OK. And my label is Simple Bohemian. I explained the meanings of the label in the other blog post. But now I am showing how I've chosen to display it.

I can't/won't wear skinny jeans. I'd love to have a pair of straight leg jeans but I won't be happy with them till I have shrunk my big belly some. Hence, damned exercises for the stomach and a more stringent diet. So far I have been doing the easiest things to stay good with my blood sugar. But I love soups and I'm looking at some good recipes to help me maintain. I wish mom were here. She made the best soups.

Anyway, so many things have crystalized lately.The election has allowed be to ponder my liberal, feminist leanings. Having been in a relationship with a super controlling person, I'm over the idea of being controlled by anyone other than
myself. And I don't think any man should be allowed

to make any laws concerning women's bodies. And the thought of some of the candidates' opinions scares me to death. And I am an advocate for peace. I am not a hippie. But that 20% boho part of me says the testosterone levels in men have a lot to do with the wars and nasty rhetoric we have been hearing from men in the last 100 years or so. I'll let it go at that and just say that there are some beliefs that have caused just as much turmoil.

I do find myself in the position of trying to interpret the fashion side of simple boho. So back to jeans. I'm fat. In the belly especially. I have read and heard a lot about how that is very bad for the heart. I am also in terrible shape and have had real trouble making myself begin to exercise. In short. I just don't do it. I've been walking a little bit more. But my honey has recommended more shopping. Wait! What? Yep. That's what he said. Go to the mall and walk. Go to big stores and walk. Do anything to get moving. He is such a sweetheart that he doesn't even complain when I purchase things on my "walking"

trips. So I started to go to the mall yesterday. I had to return an item to a store nearby and then to the mall. But it was raining and cold and the mall was packed. I think I'll be going during the week in the mornings. That way there will be fewer folks to fight.

I have to mention the items I have pictured here. The top two tops were bought at Steinmart. I went on a whim to look for end of summer things when I found the first one. I have stated that I don't like the Missoni look and so when I found the top top, I thought hard about it. It has a lot of the zigzags that I am not fond of. But the overall look is, to me, boho. And I was so excited to find it. The minute I had walked into the store I saw

many items in the mustard color of the second top. I got a floral with mustard background. It was a little short and shrank a bit. So I'm not wearing it right now. I'm looking for some fabric to add to it at the hem and on the sleeves. Then I found the other top, again at Steinmart. I don't know why the mustard color gets me going but it does.

I hadn't intended to get into the leopard print. For the most part I don't care for animal prints and I see them overdone often. But the shoes are both comfortable and in style and cute. So I jumped on them. Thereby I opened a door. We'll see what happens.

I went to T J Maxx. For a long time I had stayed away from there because they didn't have much in the way of plus sizes. When I went there I found the bag by Le Sac. With a peace sign. And in leather. With woven handles. And did I mention with a peace sign? Love blossomed in the space of about 1/10 of a second. My Hippie instincts took over and the bag went into my shopping cart and my spirits hit the roof and I was on my way to a non-drug induced nirvana. Hippie bag, leather, peace sign. YES!!!

I've seen lots of recommendations for questions to be answered in blogs. One of the questions is "Who do you dress for?" And I am going to answer that one here. I dress for me. There was a time that if I wasn't wearing jewelry it meant I was depressed. For some reason wearing jewelry while depressed was not right. There was a time when I tried to wear clothing to attract male attention. There have been many times that I dressed trying to be in style. But then I found out that the people I was trying to impress with my style either didn't care, didn't understand my interpretation of style, or weren't drawn to me for other reasons. I couldn't fit in. Like when I was in college and wanted to get into a sorority. Didn't happen. But it wasn't my clothing. It was me. I just didn't fit.

So I dress for me. Now, my love says I am beautiful no matter if I have on makeup, fancy clothes, jewelry, or what. He has no sense of current style and could care less. And he wants me to be happy.
I'm happy when I dress for me. When I get up in the morning I will wear my favorite clothes no matter what my plan is for the day. I'm retired so no work clothing. And if I'm going to do something dirty or maybe paint, I'll change. Then I'll change back. It makes me happy to wear pretty things. It makes me even happier to have pretty things I haven't broken the bank to pay for. And I'm going to share that world with you.

I finally did it.

 I have always hated to try on things in the store. The last group of bras I bought were in boxes and from WalMart. But they had long since passed their last legs. And they had long since allowed my front to sag and flatten. I put on a top and looked in the mirror. My grandmother looked back at me. I've always skimped on undergarments. I had a large chest from the 6th grade on and mom always took me to the store when those things were on sale. It was a guess as to whether we could choose the right thing. I wore a 36DD in high school. The pointy cotton things. They had to be ordered for me because evidently I was weird. Maybe that is where I began to want to hide my obvious assets.

I actually haven't had a bra fitting until I went to Penneys and a lovely woman showed me how to measure for a new bra. And for the first time in a long time I have bras that put the girls up where they belong. I don't plan on getting a lift or anything like that. Too expensive.

The price of the bras I got was cut by $10 from retails found elsewhere. I was able to find them online and can order them when I need new ones.

While I'm on the topic, I have to say the store was a whole new experience for me. I have not gone to the store much because of the problems with my back. I have to sit sometimes when it starts hurting and there aren't enough places to sit in most stores. I know to go to the shoe dept or a dressing room. But the items at the store were really nice quality and good prices. When I walked in the store manager welcomed me and asked what I needed. She took me to the lingerie department and introduced me to the sales person. The sales person had a certificate in fitting lingerie. It was a great experience. I was able to visit some other departments and had good luck with things on sale and nice quality. Checkout was a breeze. In other words, after a difficult period, I think JCP is turning around their stores. Service was great. I don't know if all stores are doing this, but the one at Turkey Creek in Knoxville, Tn is.

I can't show all of the brand names I own because I don't own many. I'm not able to afford Michael Kors, Chanel, and most of the things I see on the blogs. I do enjoy looking at them and then I try to take aspects of some of the looks and make them my own. For instance, I had seen mustard colored clothing in a lot of blogs. So I bought a top with mustard in it. It shrank a lot. Now it is destined for the redo bag. And I finally found another one I like. Yay. I saw some crazy super shoes online and found some cheap at a local store that looked like them. Yay. I finally saw enough leopard print that I actually like it now and was able to find some leopard slacks that fit and feel good. Yay. And yesterday I was finally able to find a navy/natural striped sweater similar to many I had seen. It was in the men's department at the local Goodwill store for $2. I am so happy to be doing things this way because I actually like a challenge. And if I had the money to rush out and buy the brand name things off the rack I don't think the challenge would be much fun for me.

I would like to thank those of you who read my blog and those who comment. I enjoy seeing the opinions of others and I often learn new things from them.

This is a real eye opener

As you can tell I copied the pic from Amazon.com. I came back to blogging in hopes of finally finding myself. Pinterest started the whole thing. I had choices of lots of different styles to pin. Both in clothing and in home decor. I found myself drawn to the Bohemian look. I've always said I wanted to be a hippie. I've always loved Ali McGraw, Joan Baez, Nicole Richie, and other women who go their own way.

But the more I thought about it, I found that while for a day I can wear boho fashions and lots of jewelry, I could never live with a house full of patterns, colors, and textures. That started when I found myself drawn to a white quilt. My bedroom needs a lot of tlc. I put the white things in there with beige, light aqua, gold, and some black. TV, lamps, etc. I have Asian accessories. I have light woods. It is calm, serene, relaxing. And I love it. It's also nice that the quilt is washable. Love that. Anyway. Much as I love my boho, I don't choose to cover my home in it. So the style issue came up again.

I found out why the issue was a problem for me. At first when I considered all the things in the book pictured here, I believed that simple bohemian was, in fact, an oxymoron. Bohemian isn't simple. It just isn't. But I went through the book(a print version) and learned more about myself and what I want than I have in any other self-help book ever. I'm generally not a fan of them. Self-help books seem to want to deal with the inside life. That of the mind and heart. This one talks about coming at life from another angle. From the choices we make about what to include in our wardrobe and home. I read the chapters, descriptions, and looked at the photos many times before coming to the conclusion that my style is simple bohemian. The bohemian part of me is not just about clothing. It's about my total refusal to run with a pack. It's about the times I have tried to fit into someone else's idea of what is appropriate. And failed. It's about the fact that sometimes I may be shallow. I love visuals. I tend to put a lot of importance on visuals. I mean color, art, nature, etc. I haven 't let go of the deeper meaning of things but I am reinforced by visuals. Calmed by them.

I've been talking about the boho part but according to the book, life is about an 80%/20% split. My boho is my 20 percent. It's the icing on my cake. It's the avenue to joy. And the other part is simple. Simple. Simple. That word does mean a lot. Simple often means the bottom line. It means not messing life up with trivial things. It means pragmatism. If it works, why mess with it. It means not overthinking. It means I need to stick with what works for me. During our lives, some of us learn from the opinions of others that we can't trust our own minds to decide what we should do. We may think we aren't capable of knowing what is right. I think that is the worst sort of BS. If I don't know what to do, I ask for an opinion. Otherwise, I take the simple way. The way of least difficulty. I have a conscience which will tell me right away if I am wrong. If not, my grown children will. But as an older person, I am really enjoying this. Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte wrote this book. I bought it in the mood to learn about fashion. And I learned about life too. I will always be grateful to them.

Bubbled

I can't do a lot of the current fashions because of the way my body is built. I haven't seen a real beltable waistline in years. And yes, I should do something about it. I hate to exercise. I hate to sweat. Etc. But I'm trying to incorporate some of the things I see on the fashion blogs into my old lady wardrobe. In the days of my grandmother, dresses were the thing. The only grandmother I remember lived in Georgia and it was fairly warm there. I remember heavy stockings, what I call granny shoes, and dresses of somewhat flowy material. Belted. With the worst bras known to man. And my grandmother didn't seem to know there was such a thing as makeup. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her. I admired her way with crafts, especially crochet, and with her African violets.

When my mother got older she had a problem with heavy sweating and wore no makeup, and mostly polyester shorts and t shirts even in the Winter. So I
didn't have much of an example there about fashion. When I was a teen we 

were still wearing matching shoes and bag with our dresses to church and of course there were hats, gloves, and jewelry to match. I loved gloves but I have such large hands they are hard for me to find.

When I was growing up we would visit my mom's aunt and she finally was someone I would drool over as a role model for growing into old age. Of course so many things have changed since then. But she curled her hair, wore makeup, and had some of the most beautiful jewelry I'd ever seen. I don't mean expensive stuff either. I mean shiny, colorful, pearlized, and
just beautiful. She had lots of colognes. And I thought she looked like an angel.

I may have gotten my start at loving jewelry from there. When we went to visit I would, with her permission, go through her jewelry box and repeatedly try things on. I think that for me that was the stuff of dreams. Aunt Mae lived in a mobile home at a motel where my great uncle was caretaker. They weren't even well off. They did live in a pretty setting and I loved the few visits we had.

When I was getting married, it didn't occur to me to follow my dreams. The person I married didn't like jewelry or pretties as I call them. He was not into fancy, though his mom did like her tea and lady sandwiches. For some reason I completely left the teen dreams behind. I did want a bigger engagement ring and I still loved pretty jewelry. I had pierced my ears in college and loved earrings. But lack of funds and frowns from the ex inhibited my purchases. So, for the whole 22 years of marriage I tried to put pretties out of my mind. I managed to

decorate a pretty home and take care of the three children and cook well. I was definitely not encouraged to do things to fulfill my needs. I did do some art and some crafts in spurts but that was not what I should have been doing. Guilt took away those things. When the marriage ended I was alone(he took the kids) and at wits end. So I bought some jewelry. I used pretties for a long time to make myself feel worthwhile. And now I have a collection of jewelry that blows me away. I made a lot of jewelry too. So I think the time has come to begin selling some things. After all it's dumb to have so much you can't use it all.

Glum face on the right is showing more of the bubbles. I fell in love with them and use them in some ways as an alternative to scarves. I have such a short neck and large chest that scarves make me feel stifled. So the bubbles. I see them all over the internet. I haven't purchased any of the expensive versions. These are from eBay. I was so excited when they came. I have always loved statement necklaces and one of a kind pieces. I will be showing some more of them in future blogs. I also have yellow and turquoise in the bubble necklaces. But now I am trying to turn more toward some other ways of showing my style. The tops you see are slinky fabrics and most are from Susan Graver at QVC. I love the way the fabric feels, launders, and the way they fit. It's time to move to more mixing. During the summer I had a uniform. Slinky top, slinky pants, jewelry, and shoes. I don't wear layers because of my tendency to heat up. But it's Autumn now. I'm so pleased to be able to put on more items and make my outfits more interesting. You see, I have become more interested in fashion as I get older. 

I have again been searching for "my style" and I think I have found the direction I want to go. I have become aware that I always have wanted to be bohemian in some ways. Since the divorce I am adamantly against anyone telling me how I should look and what I must like. So in the book I'll talk more about  later I have found that my style is Simple Bohemian. I was squarely into upscale country type stuff when I was married because that's what he seemed to expect. And it was fun to do the decorating. I still love antique stores. But I also have gotten to the point of not wanting so much stuff around. You couldn't tell it by my house at this point but I am drowning. I have enough stuff to outfit an army of young marrieds and I've already sloughed off a ton of stuff. Now in my old age I am yearning for organization and calm. Peace. And for me it is not possible with too much stuff around.

I am bringing this up because I know that from the pics you can tell that I am not hesitant to bring more stuff into the house. I think that getting carried away is part of the insanity of not knowing what I like. I went nuts over the bubble necklaces. So I bought 5 of them. And while I love them, I need to be more aware of what I want and what I plan to do with it. You see, I bought the necklaces because they were a good price and made me feel expansive and up to date. I still feel that way about them. But I am not going to buy the black one that I want. I have enough bubbles to last me.

I am looking forward to trying out some new things. One is shopping with a style in mind. I need to get away from getting something just because it will go on my body. Another is making things I have into things I want. That sounds like fun too. Am I ready? Getting there.

 Autumn. Fall. The colors rock. The leaves aren't coming down here or changing much. Today the weather is wet and in the 50's. I know, not cold compared to our Canadian friends. But even so, it's sort of cool to me. Here in Tennessee the temps go up and down like a jack in the box. At least for Sept and Oct. Just a couple of days ago it was nearly 80. I would have worn my summer stuff and been perfectly comfortable. And I sort of tried. It blew me away how wrong it felt. The turquoise top and light color pants are definitely summery. But I just couldn't do it. It is time for Fall colors. So on they went. I really am stuck in my behavior patterns sometimes.

Also I am enjoying the new jewelry even more now. In the heat of summer I have trouble making myself wear jewelry at all. The weight of it and the way it makes me perspire if it's hanging on me really bothers me. Also, there is something Fall and Winterish about heavy gold pieces. I associate silver more with Summer.

A few things transition well from one season to the next. One of them is red. It seems to work with both Summer and Winter clothes. Black is a Winter color that I wear year round. In the Summer, the companion colors are bright and cheerful-yellows, bright greens, etc. In the Winter, red, purple, gold, etc pop with black. As a whole since my hair has been darkened I have tried to wear more color and not so much black. I don't do scarves but I find if I put a statement necklace in a bright color near the face I look better. And when wearing black, for me, makeup is a must. I have to admit the red necklace has been worn a lot lately because I love red pants. And it's warm like Fall.

I've been wearing a sort of rosy color lately. It isn't rose in that there isn't a blue tinge. It's a warm color and I think it enhances my skin tone which tends to be bland.

Today, I am going to the Marshall's nearby. I loved my visit to TJ Maxx. The items I got will be useful and I'd like a couple more things in good quality. I try to find clothes that work on my body and with my age without being too young. It's  shame my body doesn't look and feel the same age that my mind does. I'd be in jeans and t-shirts. And moccasins. Oh! there I go again. Trying to get to that one hippie wild hair that I've always had.

I appreciate your attention to my ramblings. Bless everyone. And I hope your day is just super.