How To Style A Cream Sweater

 Alfred Dunner Sweater and A Bit More

Hi everyone!  I think by now it's established that I love Alfred Dunner clothing. So, you probably won't be surprised that I'm styling a cream sweater by that very brand. I bought this about a year ago but haven't featured it on the blog as yet, so today's the day! I took these pics in the evening inside the house so the colors won't be as vibrant. As Miss Read would say, "I did my poor best!"

This sweater has so much to love in my opinion. The patterning, the zip up front and the sweet collar all add to my delight with this sweater. I own a red sweater in a similar style and just love it, as well. 

Now, one of the things I would like to do today is show you how to style a similar sweater with a collar using jewelry and scarves. In this pic I have added a faux pearl and diamond short necklace. The white pearls against the cream sweater adds a touch of elegance even when worn with jeans. I really like this look. Big fan of pearls here!!

Now here I've changed things up a bit by adding a red and blue skinny scarf under the collar that just hangs down without tying. This is such a vibrant pop of color against the cream background. Again, this styling would work well with a suit jacket and skirt or a pair of jeans. 

Now, you know how popular blouses with bows are right now? Well, why not a sweater with a bow?! I took a colorful, thin scarf and tied it in a bow to create a unique look for this sweater. You could do the same with a collared blouse. You're welcome! Hope you can get some ideas from this post for styling your own sweaters. Be sure to let me know in the comments what you like and what you might be willing to try, OK?

And now....for a bit more.....

Hurricane Zeta came through last night and this morning and did a job here in the mountains. It is rare that we are touched by hurricanes where we are located in the mountains of North Carolina, but this time we got heavy rains and some milder winds. We even had tropical storm warnings! Anyway, we lost power early this morning and it was out for about six hours. Here is a pic of the tree down the road that knocked down the power lines and caused our outage.  

Have a great weekend everyone!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Weekend Diary Walking In And Out Of The Woods

Here A Walk There A Walk 

Hi everyone!  I hope you enjoyed your weekend.  We seemed to be doing a bit of walking for ours.  These walks took us into the woods and also out of the woods.  I'm kind of going in reverse here but I'll start with today's walk which was around an area that skirts lovely neighborhoods, a rose garden and the golf course of The Grove Park Inn. 

It was pretty warm and there was a slight breeze today as we walked. By the time we were done I was really hot and had to change into a cooler top once we were home. You can see the golf course in the background. This was neighborhood walking but I still like to have my walking stick with me. 

The trees are just gorgeous right now and I love to crunch through the leaves as we walk!  The air has that good, earthy Fall smell that I love, also.  Fall is truly my favorite season.

The sky and cloud formations have been really pretty here, also. This was the sky yesterday as we sat outside eating our lunch. We have been so blessed with good weather still for outside eating and I am thankful. It rained while we were eating but our table had an umbrella over it so we were fine. 

On Friday afternoon, we decided to take a drive out to the Burnsville and Barnardsville areas and drive backroads to see the Fall colors and to check out trailheads that the Mr. wants to hike. We had a great time and didn't encounter much traffic at all. I'll tell you, though, the roads were very curvy and my tummy started to feel a bit queasy!

This was cool but also sad. An old abandoned store alongside the road. We pulled over to snap a photo. I hate that old stores like this are closed down. 

We found the trailhead we were looking for. 

I didn't want to hike far as it is a really steep trail, but we did take a few pics.  I'm always thinking about needing photos for the blog!  By the way, the jacket I'm wearing is my first purchase from Thred-Up. I decided to give them a try because I like thrifting and their return policies are much better than Poshmark. You can't make lower offers on prices with Thred-Up, however. The price is the price. But, they do offer sales with markdowns and even free shipping from time to time. I like the jacket and it is a good fit. 

Someday, I will get this man to really smile for our selfies!  He has such a wonderful smile but he never shows it in pictures!!

And, a couple more photos of the beautiful colors to end this post.  It's been a good weekend and I'm so happy that we were able to get outdoors and enjoy some walks and being together. Let me know in the comments what you did for your weekend, OK? Join me again on Friday for a little Friday Fashion and a bit more. I hope your week ahead is wonderful and keep the following scripture in your heart as you go through your week:

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.  Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?  In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12: 7-10

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Friday Fashion: Black Sweater, Red Booties & A Bit More

 How To Dress For A Fall Day

Guess what?  It's Friday!  And that means it's time for some Friday Fashion. Today, I'm featuring a cozy sweater (sorry, don't know the brand), booties by Impo and my current favorite jeans by Alia. (link is similar) The booties are a true red but they look maroon in this picture. Trust me, they're red!

I think everyone needs to have a cozy sweater or two that just feels wonderful when you pull it over your head. This sweater is like that. I own it in two colors, black and maroon, and have been wearing both colors as the weather has cooled. And, even though these booties are wedges they are quite comfortable to wear and to walk in. Very sturdy and supportive. They have memory foam in the footbed which is wonderful. (similar bootie)

You can see the fabric of the sweater better in this picture. It's a soft weave with some ribbing on the shoulder area and down each side. So, even though it's a plain sweater, there is some fabric interest added. It's also long enough to cover the derriere and roomy enough to hide the tummy which I appreciate. The two sweaters that I'm describing are yet another example of something I bought and then wasn't sure last year if I liked them or not. This year, I'm wearing them a lot. Go figure! So, if you're doing closet clean-out right now and you are kind of going back and forth about a certain item, you might want to hold onto it another year and just see what happens. Like me, you may decide you like it after all and wear it a lot!

So, with the weekend coming up I hope you have something really cozy and comfy that you can wear and just relax in and enjoy this beautiful Fall! Go check your closet and see what you can find, OK? And be sure to let me know what you find and if you have some fun plans for the weekend. Now, let me share a bit more with you. 

I've been enjoying doing some coloring of Halloween type pictures recently as my creativity outlet. I got these pics from Carol over at Comfort Springs blog. She has a special subscriber's page that she adds downloadable pictures to for each season and these have been such fun to color! I've enjoyed coming up with my own color schemes for the pics. Coloring is very relaxing to me and I'm so glad that "adult coloring" is a thing. For folks like me who don't consider themselves "crafty" or "artistic" coloring is a great outlet!

And, finally, in honor of Halloween coming closer, here is a Spooky Spider that decided to take up residence outside my kitchen window. Quite the spider's web, isn't it?!  I'm afraid I don't love spiders even though I know they are a useful part of nature. This one may have an appointment with the vacuum cleaner!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Public Domain Image

Weekend Diary Down By The River

 How To Spend A Sunny Sunday

Hello everyone!  It was a beautiful day on Sunday so the Mr. and I decided to devote our afternoon to an adventure down by the river. We found the perfect spot to sit, snap photos and enjoy the scenery. 

Ledges Park is known for attracting kayakers to the white water. There were about four out on the water when we arrived and I was able to snap some photos of this one. 

It's such a beautiful place and the Fall colors were lovely. This year's color seems to be a bit muted IMO but then, hasn't everything about 2020 been duller and less vibrant?! Why shouldn't the Fall colors follow suit! Still, I enjoy the colors no matter what. 

I caught the sunlight glinting on the water. So very pretty. 

And some lovely yellow flowers by the river's edge!

Interesting shaped tree. Lots of roots to climb over as we hiked!

This is one of our favorite spots to go to. We have been taking some type of "Sunday Drive" during Covid and this was a great choice for today. 

This was so funny....as we were getting back toward the parking area we saw a lady napping in a hammock and her dog was next to her in its own hammock and was just sitting and relaxing and looking all around. So cute!

I hope your weekend was a good one and that you have a wonderful week ahead! Let me know what you did in the comments section! I'll be back on Friday with some Friday Fashion. Until then, keep this scripture in mind as you go through your week:

"The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones." Proverbs 15:30

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Friday Fashion Wearing Blue Blouse Tan Pants and New Skechers

 Friday Fashion And Fun

Hey everyone!  How about some Friday Fashion?  I'm so enjoying this pretty blouse covered with blue flowers by Lark & Ro.  The bow can be left tied or untied and is even removable which is such a nice feature. I removed it later in the day because it got in my way as I bent over taking dishes out of the dishwasher. I can remember when bows on blouses were big back in the 80's. It was a fun trend then just like it is now!

I paired the blouse with the dressier pair of Alfred Dunner pants I ordered off of Poshmark.  These are lightweight and very comfortable. Alfred Dunner is definitely a good brand for me. I'm also sporting some comfortable Skechers running/walking shoes. These shoes are called "Skech-Air" and have air cooled memory foam which really adds to how wonderful these shoes feel! Love them and they look pretty good with the dressier pants IMO. 

Here's a close-up of the shoes.  So far, I haven't gone wrong with any pair of Skechers I have purchased.  The cushioning is fabulous. 

It was a bit chilly today, so I added a long creme cardigan over my blouse which gave just the right amount of warmth. My errands today were to have a flute lesson on my teacher's porch and then go to the grocery store before returning home. Would you believe I drove all the way to my flute teacher's house and then realized I had forgotten to bring my flute?!  What was I thinking?  We have had virtual lessons for months now and it was going to be a treat to be on her porch having a lesson but, oh well!  I think my memory is going! Anyway, I went through the drive-through at McDonald's and consoled myself with iced tea and chocolate chip cookies before going on to the grocery store. So, at least that was a treat for me!

And finally, I thought you might want to see what I settled on for arranging my little chrysanthemum plants and the pumpkin I bought last Sunday.  I decided to do this little arrangement on the metal table on our back porch and moved the yellow mum and the yellow pansies onto the porch "floor."  Just a little bit of Fall decor for our back porch!

I'll be back on Monday to share some more with you.  I haven't chosen a topic yet for Monday's post so we'll all be surprised!  Have a great Friday and weekend and I'll see you soon!  Oh...be sure to leave a comment. Love hearing from you. 

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Crafts, Hair and Fall Decor

 This And That About Several Things

Hello everyone!  Today, in true this and that fashion, I'm kind of throwing the kitchen sink at you with lots of different things! First off, I'm sharing some DIY crafts I've been working on lately. The notecards you see were crafted by yours truly using colorful stickers and blank Fall colored notecards. I find this hobby to be relaxing and enjoyable and I end up with nice notecards, as well!

I also created a Christmas arrangement similar to ones I've been admiring on Pinterest. The ones I've seen use bottle brushes, ornaments, Christmas beads and elves arranged in some type of vintage container. I think they are so cute and I thought about what I have that would work. My container is a snowman cookie jar without the lid. I then created the three paper Christmas trees using odds and ends and then added a bottle brush tree, a wooden snowman and a wooden Christmas tree, assorted miniature ornaments and a clear snowflake. I might try to add an elf when I get out the Christmas tubs but I didn't want to drag all of that out right now. I'm pretty pleased with this result anyway. It may seem early for thinking about Christmas decor but it's really not and I can visualize all sorts of arrangements using odds and ends of Christmas items to display around the house. 

In other news, I recently gave myself a haircut and updated my color. I'm still not really wanting to go to a salon and so, since Covid, I've been doing my own haircuts. It's really not as scary as it sounds. I'm mainly cutting off length and making sure my blow bangs stay feathery the way I like them. I figure it's only hair and it will grow back! I take off a bit at a time and compare sides to make sure it's even. With my bangs, I pull the bang area straight up and cut the ends allowing parts of the bangs to fall as I go. That makes the feathering happen. I'm happy with the results. 

This is what my hair was looking like before and I was really overdue for trimming and color. For color, I like to use L'Oreal (yes, I'm worth it) and it doesn't take long at all to complete the process. My hair picks up the color very fast so it's usually 30 minutes from start to finish. Not bad at all. For awhile I was considering stopping coloring of my hair. It's a personal decision for every woman if, and when, they decide to stop coloring. After considering for awhile I decided to continue with color. I've always done my own coloring mainly because I can't bring myself to pay the prices at the salon. For between $8-$9 per box of L'Oreal, you can't beat the price compared to what one has to pay at a salon!

I've already shared some of my Fall decor but here are a few items I haven't shared yet. This metal container from the Farm and Tractor Supply store usually holds pillows. But, I decided to fill it with my cloth pumpkins for a change of pace. 

Since I took the cloth pumpkins from the side table these wooden pumpkins are the only ones left in the patch currently! 

And, I just brought home some new mums, pansies and a little pumpkin for our back porch. It's raining so I haven't removed the tags yet. I'm thinking about the best way to display these to the best effect. 

Fall is such a beautiful time of year and I'm embracing this season as much as possible. Hope you are too! I hope to see you back here this Friday with some "Friday Fashion." Until then, have a wonderful week and let me know what you enjoyed from this post and what you are doing this Fall!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Casual Fall Wear Series Part 4

 Summer To Fall Tops With A Few Additions

Hi everyone!  We've made it to the last post in my series, "Casual Fall Wear."  If you missed parts 1, 2 or 3 be sure to click on the links to catch up. None of what I have shared is rocket science and, indeed, may be ideas you are already trying. But, if you are like me, sometimes I forget about certain fashion combinations until I see something that jogs my memory and makes me say, "Oh yeah...I can wear that!"  So, it's nice to have reminders. 

For today's post, I'm styling a summery red top from J.C.Penney and layering it with a white mock turtleneck top. I love the red color of this top and the flowers add a nice touch as well. I ordered this same top in a gold color thinking that both of these tops would pair well during the Fall over a tee or turtleneck. They run a bit large, also, which works well for layering. 

You know, tops like this are so easy to wear and just so comfortable and that's what I look for in clothing. 

I decided to pair the gold top with a blazer that I have owned for a hundred years...or close to that, lol!  Blazers are back big time this year, even with shoulder pads, so this plaid blazer is right in style once again. 

As you can see, I've chosen to do some pattern mixing for this look. But, if that is not your cup of tea, you can choose a blazer or sweater in a solid color. 

I must admit that it has been fun to do this series and think through the many ways to take summer looks into Fall in a casual way. Shopping my closet is always a fun thing to do and I encourage you to shop your own closet and see if you have a bright summer top that you can either layer with a turtleneck or tee or a blazer that you can wear on top. Have fun and let me know what you find, OK?  This ends the series, but I'll be back on Monday with some crafts I've been working on and a little hair info. See you then!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

flower tops by Liz Clairborne  on sale