Out with the Old

I am starting a fresh new blog.  Since Ms. Colorful went back to college she has not had time to add to the posts.  Since this blog has gotten away from what it was intended to be, I felt a new blog for a new year was in order.  Hop on over to DressUp, Not Down! to see what I'm up to.

See you there...
JJ

Merry Christmas

Mistletoe Headband: DIY
Scarf: TJMaxx
Red Beads: Great Grandmother's
Cardigan: Target
Silver Dress: SteinMart
Red Snakeskin belt: Thrifted
Black w/Silver trim leather Heels: DSW
Silver Ring: Made by Hubby

  Alright, I'm thinking I should declare this my "sick dress".  Last time I wore it, I felt terrible...this time, about the same!  Maybe it has germs lurking on it???  Well, in defense of the dress, I WAS already sick before I put it on. :o)
  I was told by someone at church that my outfit looked very Christmas-y!  Yay, that's exactly what I was going for! 
  The Silver ring is my Christmas present from Hubby.  He made it from a Sugar Spoon!  It looks even better in person!  He also made me a bracelet, but it isn't quite finished so I won't wear it until he gives the "ok".

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!
JJ

Christmas Sparkle

Gold Hoops: Gift from Hubby
Necklace: Thrifted
Brooches: Here and there (the gold and pink one is vintage)
Belt: Thrifted
Sweater: Passed down from a friend
Skirt: TJMaxx
Brown Leather Gianni Bini Heels: Dillards (on sale)


I needed to wear Maroon to match two other ladies at church for a special we did.  I still wanted to look Christmas-y, so Ms. Colorful suggested the brooches.  The sweater used to have a white collar and cuffs, but it just didn't look like me so I removed them.  If I look tired, it's 'cause I AM!  I did a Christmas special for the morning service, then went back with the children to rehearse for the Evening Christmas Program, while learning a new song to sing (in the program), all while still working on Christmas presents at home.  I need to catch my breath!

Keeping it Christmas-y,
JJ

In the Christmas Spirit!

Mistletoe Headband: DIY
Ruby Earrings and Ring: Gifts from Hubby
Red Beads: Great Grandmother's
Green Czech Glass Beads: DIY
Red Bangle: 1 of a set of 5 bought in an Oriental Shop
Lime Green Beaded Bracelet: DIY
Green Crochet Shawl: Hubby's Grandmother
Red Leather Bramin Purse: Gift from Hubby
Lace Cut-Out Dress: On Sale at Macy's
Olive Patent Leather Flats: Mall in Colorado for friend's wedding

I made my Mistletoe headband last year, but only got to wear it once!  That would be due to making it in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT Christmas Eve!  It will be seen much more this year!  I had the hardest time picking out my outfit, finally I just started pulling back dresses in my closet.  When I ran across this one, it hit me to make it a Christmas outfit!  Spring/Summer dresses can come out in the winter too! Ha!  I'm wearing 3 to 4 shades of Green, but I like it best that way.  If everything matched perfectly, I would feel boring!

Hope you're in the Christmas Spirit too!!!
JJ

Flintstones!

 

Wilma Flintstone Necklace: DIY
Amethyst and Peridot ring and earrings: Gifts from Hubby
Dress: Dillards (on SALE!)
Grey tights with hearts: Target (for $1.50!!!)
T-Strap Heels: Thrifted
Bow Belt: Wet Seal (for $1!!!)

Every time I wear my big purple beads I think, "Wilma Flinstone would love these!"  I was so excited when I ordered the biggest Czech Glass beads available, when they arrived I was a little disappointed that I didn't order enough to go all the way around my neck, but the fresh water pearls ended up looking much better.  Plus, it would've been way too heavy for me to wear with more big beads!  Hubby had given me the Amethyst/Peridot set originally as earrings and necklace.  But after years of me only wearing the necklace occasionally, he had it made into a ring for me.  Now, I wear it ALL the time!!!  I bought the dress to wear on our first Anniversary, I love owning classics that never go out of style!

JJ

PS: It was quite necessary to take photos indoors due to heavy rain and cold!  Not my favorite place, but at least I stayed warm and dry.

Brrr!

Dress: Ross
Cashmere Sweater: Thrifted
Brown Velvet Jacket: Ross
Red Beads: Great Grandmother's
Flower Bolo Tie/Necklace: Found in an Old House
Black Patent Leather Pumps: DSW

Hubby asked if we needed to reshoot any of the pictures.  I said, "It's too cold, whatever you got will have to be good!"  FYI, our church is on a hill with no trees to break the wind...it's a miracle I made it inside without flashing everybody!  Thankfully, we have trees around our house, so we could get our pictures taken without any Marilyn Monroe Moments.

I bought my Sweater in late Spring when it was already getting a bit hot.  I felt a little silly buying a cold weather item at that time, but I just couldn't pass it up due to that one dark red diamond!  It's the quirky things that get me.  Hey, when you find the right thing at the right price who cares if the timing is a bit off.

JJ

Too Formal? NEVER!

Dress: BCBG via Dillard's on sale
Designer Vest: Thrift Shop
Beads: DIY
Ring: Gift from Brother

When I came across this dress at Dillard's, I fell in love!  The print, the colors, the floor length...but I thought where will I wear this?  I didn't want to only pull it out once or twice a year!  So I said, why not wear it to church?  I can get away with wearing a jacket or vest with it...and so I did.  I have worn it mostly with a denim jacket, but was too hot for that so I got out the vest and ended up loving the look.  I have been using a new plum colored eyeliner lately in combination with greys or browns.  I went with smokey grey and rose eyeshadows with it and it looked quite nice if I do say so myself.  I am wearing shoes under there, but I admit I did slip them off at church on stage and no one noticed. :o)

Happy Thanksgiving!
JJ

Seeing Red

Last week we stained the siding this wonderful orange-y red, so I couldn't resist posing in front of it in my red ensemble.

Dress: TJMaxx
Red Beads: Great Grandmother's
Gold Beads: Thrift Shop
Gold Hoops and Ruby Ring: Gifts from Hubby
Red Heels: Anne Klein from Marshall's
Cat: Nelson

I finally got my hair curled for church and would you believe it was sooooooooo windy!!!  I think windblown curly hair looks better than windblown straight hair, so I can't complain too much. :o)  Nelson was only a part of my look at home, he did not attend church service!  I was waiting on my photographer (Hubby) and Nelson thought I needed company.  I didn't have the heart to make him get down.

JJ

Better Late than Never...

Here's last Sunday's outfit.  I finally found the time to post...what a week!

Feather Hair Clip: DIY
Earrings: Dallas Market
Top Dress: Vintage
Under Dress: Ross
Shoes: Vintage
Cameo Ring: New Orleans French Quarter
Beaded Bracelets: DIY
Acorn Necklace: Swiped from Mom

A couple of the blogs I like list the components of their outfits as above.  I find it nice if I just want to know where one piece came from without reading an entire post when I don't have much time to waste spare.

I fully intended to curl my hair (it would've complimented the dress so much better!), but time was against me.  I woke at 5am to go....hunting (with my dad)!  By the time he got me back home to get dressed, I had less than 30 minutes to make it happen.  Our church starts at an earlier time than his!  I wish I would've gotten a shot of the back (I keep forgetting that!) as the under dress trails down in the back giving me a train-like effect that looks so pretty with the double layers of the vintage dress on top.  The vintage dress also has a cape-like collar in the back, I really really should have taken that photo!

JJ

PS: It was Ms. Colorful's Birthday and I know she took photos, but I went on strike and said she has to do her own posts as was the plan when we started this blog.  So I guess I'm the bad guy for her outfits, as of yet, being unshared!

Not sick enough to stay home

This is how you look when you get to go to church with a head cold!  Standing in the shadows didn't help much either. :o)

I got to wear my new wool sweater this morning, it has DUCKS!  A little boy at church thought I had an airplane on my shoulder, I smiled and said, "No, it's a Duck."  He seemed to like it all the more for that. :o)  Thankfully Mrs. Colorful cut my hair this week, so it played nice all on its own with no fuss from me.  I'm lucky most of my makeup stayed on, no sooner did I finish putting it on I had to blow my nose and wiped half of it off!  I really should've worn lipstick, but the lips were nice and chapped so lip balm got first choice.

I'm off to take some Benadryl!
JJ

I'm late, I'm late...

Not only is this post late, but I was also running late yesterday morning!  I wanted to put a little more into my outfit and curl my hair, but there just wasn't time.  Pretty earrings and nice lipstick saved the day, they fooled everyone into thinking I looked put together instead of focusing on my unstyled hair. :o)

I picked out my dress the night before (as usual), so went ahead and painted my toes then.  Otherwise, I would've had nice chipped polish since there wasn't any extra time when getting dressed, oh the benefits of a little planning ahead.  I asked the Hubby to grab my scarf on the way out the door, this time of year it tends to be cool INSIDE the church.  My new Calla Lily ring arrived this week, I commissioned it last month to be made with a dark green stone I bought in the Czech Republic.  I love it, it is HUGE, the Hubby thinks it looks like a trumpet. :o)

JJ

PS: Ms. Colorful has her pictures from the last two Sundays on her phone...hopefully I can get them from her today (don't hold your breath).

Loud then Toned Down

One of the men at church covered his ears when I walked in, letting me know he thought my outfit a bit loud.  His wife said he was just too drab. :o)  He was smiling and laughing, so I knew not to take it personally.

This was the Easter dress I made a couple years ago.  It was so much fun making exactly what I wanted!  My favorite part is the ruffle collar!  After that would be that it has POCKETS!  Oh how I love my dresses with pockets.  The hat came from an antique shop and is in such good condition!  Too much of the time vintage hats will have torn netting, but this one is perfect!  The complete sapphire set came from My Hubby. He gave me the ring and necklace on our 1st Anniversary, then added the earrings and bracelet later.

 
For evening Service, I was almost void of color!  Well, not really. :o)  I have a short peach under dress beneath the beaded black one.  I went with metallic accessories to keep it toned down.  The bracelet thingy is a metal bendy cord that can be twisted bent and wrapped as a necklace, bracelet, or whatever.  My Shellac nail polish made it one week and half a day!  I chipped off a couple nails on the way home from church this morning...they were loose and BUGGING me!  The remaining nails still look great, so if I can learn to leave them alone I think I could make it last two weeks like it's supposed to!

JJ

PS: The goofy grin is due to Hubby making me laugh!  He also took a picture of me rubbing my eye, but I didn't keep that one. :o)

A little late...

So last weekend we went to the City to see Guys and Dolls.  It was a lovely night out in spite of getting home at the wee hours (2am), then being a bit groggy for church!  Ms. Colorful had these pictures on her camera, hence the delay in posting.

 We did NOT plan to match!  I was supposed to wear a brown dress, but it barely zipped across my *ahem* chest anymore!  I was gasping for air, when My Hubby asked if I thought I could make it 3 hours without fainting...I changed.  Now I know why women used to faint all the time due to their corsets!

Now even though it was extremely late when we got in that night, AND it was raining Sunday morning (it's so hard to get out of bed when it's raining).  We both managed to make it to church (you saw my rainy post).  There was some concern that Ms. Colorful had skipped, but here's proof she indeed did not. :o)

I'm pretty sure I used to own a skirt just like this, but I think mom turned mine into a pillow when I decided not to keep it anymore. :o)  I talked Ms. Colorful into buying the bracelet so she could copy it and make one for me with her mad jewelry making skills!  Hmm...I need to remind her of that (it'd be a great Christmas Gift, hint hint).  Ha, I just realized that I'm the reason she bought those shoes too!  I am such a great sister to have around.  The shoes were at a Thrift Shop for only $8, but they were a 1/2 size too big for me!  I still kinda regret not getting them anyways and just popping in a shoe insert to make 'em fit!

Butterflies

Everyone who knows me, knows I love Butterflies!  So, when I saw this SILK BUTTERFLY Jacket (at a thrift shop no less) I snapped it up in a hurry.  I love silk and cotton, and this jacket is lined in cotton, not some yucky synthetic junk that makes me feel like my skin is suffocating!  I adore natural fibers, I barely tolerate the rest.  The only thing I don't like about my silky gold blouse is that it's a synthetic material.  I'm wearing my "mom jeans", the waist goes right below my belly button for a nice silhouette (no muffin top on this lady, thank you).  It just happens the jeans are Calvin Klein, fit great (I took them in when I lost a few pounds), and came from a Thrift Shop for $8!!!  My Red Snakeskin Belt came from a Charity Thrift Shop at a church.  Red Leather Heels are Anne Klein from Marshalls.  And best for last, my Butterfly Wing Necklace.  It is an actual butterfly wing encased in glass, it is equally stunning on the reverse side.  I bought it on that trip to Colorado for my Friend's Wedding as mentioned before.

JJ

PS:  I almost forgot to tell you about my nails.  I'm trying out Shellac!  It's supposed to stay on at least 2 weeks if not more.  So, hopefully, you'll be seeing red nails again next week!

It's Raining, It's Pouring....

So of course I had to wear my Umbrella Blouse!

I found my blouse at Goodwill, it was a dowdy old lady shirt.  But it had UMBRELLAS, I knew I could make it look cute.  After chopping off the sleeves, and adding a little ruffle in their place, I called it good.  My actual Umbrella was given to me for Christmas from my Mom (it came from an Antique Shop).  I bought my Hat and Bracelet at an Antiques Flea Market a couple weeks ago.  Hubby said I looked like a Gnome in my hat...which made me extremely happy, as I love Gnomes!  The Red Beads were my Great Grandmother's.  I'm also wearing a Gold Filigree Drop necklace and earrings set from my Hubby.  The dangley drops on all my jewelry went well with the umbrellas and rainy weather, I thought.  I bought my Quilted Black Leather clutch at Dillards one year with Birthday money.  Shoes are Black Patent Leather.  I had my HUGE Black Leather Belt made locally after wearing out a cheap fake one from the Mall.

JJ

PS: Sorry I couldn't post earlier...the weather was messing with my Internet Connection!