A Fallish combo

I'm really enjoying my bubble necklaces. I thank eBay for them. When I got the first ones in white and yellow I thought the end of summer would be the end of the necklaces. So I ordered some more. Love them.

I am pleased to have a lease on life that allows me to change. I've decided that changing my mind about what I want stylewise has been good. I am not limited to one style. I look at the style blogs and I've had to remind myself of a few things. First, I hate panty hose. That means no matter how cute tights look on other people, I need to quell the impulse to buy some for me. They feel like panty hose.

Second, I hate things that bind. Hence, no skinny anything. I hate things that feel heavy, and so no scarves. And so on. But I am drawn to the fashions that have scarves and have lots of rings and bracelets. So I'm working on ways to add these things without feeling overwhelmed by them. I love the look of the "boyfriend" watch. But I don't wear heavy arm candy because of arthritis. I actually have a watch on in the above pic. Though to tell the truth, I usually don't care what time it is. I'm beyond having to meet a schedule. So the watch is just a glorified bracelet.

I  have mentioned Charming Charlies as a great place for accessories. They have the boyfriend watches and I have been tempted so many times. I have to tell myself no. And I'm not good at that. But, it does give me more money for other things. My newest wish is for the new smoking loafers. I lucked out at a Marti and Liz and found a pair in studded black in my size. I've been wearing them so much I think they will wear out before the end of Autumn. They are 9 West so should last. But I am crazy about them.

Also on the wish list for Fall is a Navy Blazer. Still looking. I don't know why I want navy since I have so many things in black but I love the navy with tans. And I think it's a classy combo. I'm looking for some fairly large and nice gold hoops too. I suppose I'm pleased that the list isn't very long. Sometimes I find myself feeling antsy and wanting to get out and just shop. If I had the funds, Oh, the damage I could do.

Have I ever

Have I ever seen a picture of myself that I liked? Well, not many. I'm very hard on myself and I am not improving on that as much as I would like.

Today I'm showing a top and a pair of earrings that I love. The top came from Kohl's and the earrings are from Charming Charlie. I have several things from both places now. And I'm usually very pleased with them. I saw a bag from Charlie's on ephemera  and loved it. It was a couple of years ago. I couldn't get that bag out of my mind. It had floral on a dark background and leather trim. Anyway, I looked up Charlie's on the internet and there was nothing around here. Alas, I gave up on the bag but put the name into my memory. I really wanted to find the store. And finally I did. It opened here in Knoxville last April. I'm in love. I love going there but I haven't been able to go without buying something so far. So you will see things in the future.

The fabric in the top I'm wearing and the style are very soft and feminine. I absolutely love the way I feel in it. I can almost convince myself I'm gorgeous wearing it.

That is the point. I am finding that there is a gap between the way I feel like I look and the way I do look. And there is a gap in the way I look to myself in the bathroom mirror and the way photos show me. And it bothers me. I don't know if it is because of movement when I'm seeing myself live. Or if the camera really does make me look ten pounds heavier, as I've heard. But whatever it is, I am not happy with photos. So I avoid them. I get up in the morning, get dressed and put on makeup and jewelry. I'm going to take photos. And at about three in the afternoon, I realize that I'm not going to take pics so I take off the jewelry and just slump into another fit of the procrastinator. Damn am I good at putting things off.

I'm falling for Fall

Ah, Fall. It is officially here. And am I glad. The colors of Fall haven't arrived on our trees yet. At least not much. But of course they've been in the stores for weeks now. I am seeing such beautiful things online. And on the ads I see. 

The colors of nature are wonderful but do not complete the palette that I want. I don't much like the colors being shown by some of the designers. Dark and drab. Dreary. Nondescript. Yucky. But here are shown some of the colors I love. The wonderful oranges, teals, tans, yellows, and even purples. They make my life and my day much more bearable when the weather outside is not so nice. 

The Jacket here is one of the new mustard colors that have been introduced in a lot of stores this year. I like it but when I tried on a plain mustard top I found that it doesn't like me. So I'd love to have a jacket or something to wear the color and to include another color underneath. I'd love to see this jacket over black, teal, or purple. Actually I'd love to see this jacket on me. Soon.

I have canvassed my wardrobe and the boho fashions I drool over on the computer are conspicuously absent from my wardrobe. I have a few tunics but not much in the way of real boho items. That comes from buying things which will go on my body and not from buying things I truly love. Bad. Bad girl.

I have decided that I will do more looking before purchasing. I have learned a lot from the fashion blogs and from the pics I have taken of myself. For instance, I am a changeable person. My mom carried the same handbag till it fell apart. Of course back then there was not the emphasis in "of the moment" that there is now. Anyway, I lose focus easily, and I need change often. Hairstyles are the most difficult for that because of grow out time. But I have a wonderful collection of bags. And I change pretty often. So I think it isn't a surprise that I don't have wardrobe pieces from way back when. Also because of the need for change, I won't spend a huge amount of money for any one item. And folks, boho is not cheap. I went to the Free People website and drooled. That is all I could afford to do.

As summer has waned I have weeded out things from my wearables that I don't like. I started last year and it is a good thing for me to do if I don't try to replace them. I ended up with two tops bought at different stores that were the same color and style. Dumb. I didn't really like either of them but only bought them because they would fit me. Now I want to dress with deliberation. I wear my jewelry. I have enough jewelry for several people. And I so love looking at it. So when I dress for the day, I put on jewelry. My mom was a garage sale person who actually bought clothing with stains on because it was cheap. Maybe I am trying to be a different sort of person. I know that when I put on my nice clothes, jewelry, and makeup, I feel better. Better. I look Judy nice. And that is a good thing because comparing my look to that of others is not good for me.

But looking at beautiful girls and women does help. I am not going to try to emulate a certain outfit. I am learning about forming a look. Senora Allnut, Sheila, Vixen, and others make a look with what they have and with what they are happy with. I love their blogs and have learned so much from them about me. And about what I want and about how I want to look in the mirror. I don't need dresses at this point in my life. I don't find them comfy. I want pants. So I will wear pants. And I will look at all the things I have to make an outfit and go from there. It's really more fun this way.

I'd love to keep changing

I'm having the best time with the bubble necklaces. As is my usual habit, I fell in love with them and bought more of them than I needed. I really should stay off ebay. Yeah, right.

Anyway, instead of wearing a scarf, I wear the bubble necklace. And pic number 2 is ample reason why. I am already quite ample in the front. So a nice flat necklace is much more comfortable for me.

I have been talking a bit about my shopping habits. The top I have on in the pics is by Susan Graver and is sold on QVC. It is the slinky knit I love and it came in a set of two with a red tank. As a matter of fact, I liked the set so well I got two more in other color combos. I plan on wearing the tanks in
the winter and pairing them with sweaters
or jackets. They are colors that are not seasonal, red, royal blue, and purple. So I can have a lot of fun with them. I have lots of the slinky pants and they too are fine for me in the winter. I don't get cold easily. That's fine for winter, and a pain in the butt in warm weather.

I love the blogs I have been reading about fashion. There are some really beautiful women out there in blogland. I used to want to look like them. I used to think it was important to have the Chanel, the Coach, etc. Around my area, unless involved in a country club, or supporting some cause, I have no need for those things. So I can enjoy looking at the eye candy from the other blogs and just enjoy. I am not wanting to copy any more. Hence, dark hair and a pic that makes me shudder. I have wiggled every which way trying to find a pose that makes me look thinner. No luck and I give up. I am what I am. But I have found that I can go for the feel of an outfit in a blog. Like combining certain colors. Or certain patterns. Like looking for button down shirts to wear with tanks. And searching for a pair of jeans that are close to my shape. And maybe even dieting. I like to use the fashions I see as a hint but not a road map.

Posing is a pain in the neck. I've decided that part of the problem is that I don't like to look at certain parts of me. Namely from the neck down. However, I am going to continue. I bought a pair of pants on the computer. That can be a problem because I don't look like the model shown. Well, this time, the pics I took told me that they go back. Fast. Never to be considered again. There are just some patterns that scream NO! when I put them on. This was one. So see? I saved some bucks. I have a full length mirror. But for some reason I don't look the same as in a picture. The stark reality of a photo is scary but maybe keeps me from making some mistakes. Hopefully.

I have much more of the shopping stuff to talk about. Don't expect a list of expensive items as I'm too cheap and don't have the money to buy them. I would like to be thought of as looking nice when I go out. Not Elle McPherson nice. Just Judy nice. I have lots more to learn about that. Isn't it nice that one doesn't get too old to learn?
 

A good day

Labor Day was a good day. I spent it with my honey and we laughed and talked and did one on one without the computer or tv getting in the way. It's amazing how much doesn't work if everything is done with half the mind elsewhere. I received the gift of totally unconditional love and I treasure it. Labor Day is one for the memory books.

I don't usually list where I get the things I wear. So I'll talk about that for a bit here. I do a lot of shopping online. Because of my knees, back, and weight, going out to shop has been like pulling teeth. And facing the mirrors in the dressing rooms is awful. I had to go try on swim suits a couple of years ago. Damn.

I got a suit but my stomach still hurts thinking about it.

I get many of my things from Home Shopping network. I like the slinky knits and the CSC studio has the best I have found. Also I am finding Susan Graver has some great things on QVC. And Kohls, Steinmart, and even Ross. So there are places to go. However, I'm disappointed in the offerings sometimes. I'm seeing a lot of polka dots, and mustard, and terra cotta colors on the computer. In small sizes. And not in stores. Drat. I finally found a mustard top at Kohls. But I so want more of that color. I got a terrific necklace from Ebay. It goes great with the mustard. A good Fall combo.

I have lately discovered more and more things I want from some local places. I'll take pics and talk about them soon. Jewelry and bags are so important to me. It's gonna be fun to share my collections.