Thursday, October 23, 2014

Unbelieveable!! Cute and Comfortable Booties!!

 



If you are anything like me you are always on the quest for not only cute, but comfortable shoes, or in this case some winter booties.

I will admit I have an extremely hard foot to fit. It just happens to be the only skinny thing on my body! Okay well maybe my fingers are thin too, but that is another blog post, and another fit problem.

Today is all about the cute, and comfy booties I have found.

 via Jcrew


I already had one pair of really nice dark brown leather booties that were comfortable and looked nice with jeans, but I wanted to kick it up a notch with some of the newer looks that are so popular this year.

THE SEARCH BEGAN

The requirements were:
  • Comfort above all
  • Narrow enough to not move up and down on my heel
  • A flat or a heel less than 2in.
  • A neutral suede bootie
Zappos, and Nordstroms have become my Go-To place for online shopping. 

Both places offer free shipping  To and also for Returns.

This is the only way I can shop online.

After having several, and I do mean several pairs sent to me I finally found the winner…..

Booties suede neurtal Enzo Angelini
They are comfortable and just the perfect neutral to update my wardrobe!

Next I wanted a boot that I could wear with dark washed jeans with a slight heel to elongate my somewhat, okay! Really short legs.

I have found if you wear a nice bootcut jean with a shoe close in color, or black it will elongate your leg, and a little bit of a heel will add more visual length.

When these arrived I almost did a happy dance……

navy bootie sole society nordstroms

The heel is the perfect height to elongate, but not too high that I would feel tipsy. 

Yes, I do feel a bit tipsy in heels these days!!


 I really love the leather color, and texture on this boot. It is a matte finish it almost looks like a suede but it is a nice soft leather.  Very excited to wear these this winter.

Now if this was not enough boots I had to get one more pair. 

My DIL, and my Granddaughter both have to-die-for black patent leather boots. They look amazing on them, and I have always loved, and secretly wanted a pair. 

Soooooo in comes my last fun bootie to add to my wardrobe.

black patent bootie, nordstroms

These are by far the most comfy and they made me giggle with happiness when I tried them on!!! 

These will be my dress-up, dress down boots. Extremely comfortable, with some great cushioning inside the shoe. 

I am one happy girl.

This completes my boot wardrobe, BUT if I were to buy another pair it just might be a pair of leopard.

Probably not going to happen this year, but you never know what might happen in the future!!!

Ribbet collage Bootie wardrobe

If you love shoes like I do take a look at
my, “SHOE!” pinboard…
 

I have to give props to my sweet hubby for not giving me too much grief every time the UPS man delivered, yet another pair of boots!!

 
 

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

FALL + BEACH + PUMPKINS + LIFE = CELEBRATIONS

   


Last week was what I would consider our first, “NORMAL,” week since before my sweet hubbies surgery and recovery. I think we are on our way back to normal, folks!!

"Normal is my new favorite word!"

On Monday of last week we celebrated a normal day, and my birthday by going to Half Moon bay for the day!! It was a perfect day for us.

Half Moon Bay 9-30-12 009 (800x600)

First we stopped at the Half Moon bay nursery, my favorite spot to buy plants and flowers. I needed some plants for the wall planter that is by my front door.




Once you step out of your car, you can smell the ocean, and the pine trees, the air is fresher and more crisp, and you know you are in Half Moon bay.


Half Moon Bay 9-30-12 028 (800x600)

When you enter the nursery you see table after table of beautiful flowers. It is so fun to stroll up and down all the aisles as classical music is playing in the background.

All the plants are very well taken care of, and look so fresh and happy. This is one of my happy places.

Half Moon Bay 9-30-12 027 (800x600)

This years fall color scheme is all purples and whites for my home. 

I used pansies, cyclamen and ornamental kale and a few white mums for good measure for my plantings in the front……

Ribbet collage 2014 Fall plantings
  
Here is the planter after it got a fresh coat of black paint and new soil and plants……

P1140408 (556x800)

I added a couple of little white mini pumpkins that will work all the way into Thanksgiving! 

Don’t you just love these little guys? They always make me smile. Just like when I see a baby anything I smile.

The ivy wreath is a perfect addition for any season of the year. As you can see in the pictures of the nursery they have quite the array of topiaries to choose from.


 
 The ornamental Kale was so gorgeous I had to add just one to the planter. It was the perfect soft green and white….

P1140410 (593x800)
This planter resides on the right side of my front door, so it makes a nice welcome for visitors and for us too!!


I also purchased a beautiful blue/gray/green pumpkin for my porch. Since I don't do orange in my life these pumpkins, and the little white mini's fit perfectly for my home.


After a trip to the nursery we drove into town to our favorite small deli where they make their own bread and their sandwiches are always fresh and delicious.

On colder days I also get a small bowl of clam chowder to take down to the beach with us.

P1140391 (800x600)
We drove down to Mira Mar beach set up our chairs and umbrella and sat and watched the waves. 

There were birds digging for crabs, dogs chasing balls, and children body surfing and doing cartwheels on the beach. 

We were thoroughly entertained, and relaxed in our favorite place to be…THE BEACH…..

P1140386 (624x800)
When we got there it was chilly but it soon warmed up, and off came the blankets and jackets and shorts were the attire for the day.

No makeup, no hair-do, and I could not be  happier. Even though this was for my birthday the real celebration was the fact that we were there  living a normal life together……

P1140400 (800x746)
Dougie sporting his colors!! Under the sweatshirt is a polo shirt that also has a Giants emblem on it. 

I can not tell you how grateful I am that we got this day together, and it was a very normal, but still special day for us…..

P1140389 (800x600)
Dougie loves to take pictures of pigeons. I love the way the water is glistening like little sparkly diamonds.

P1140395 (800x600)
These little birds gave us quite the show, they would push their beaks down far into the sand, and catch little crabs. We watched them for a good hour. Busy little birds.

Right before the sun went down we walked up the stairs from the beach, and went to the Mira Mar beach restaurant, and had salad and their clam chowder, which I highly recommend, it was delicious.

We had a view of the ocean, and got to see the sunset.......

halfmoon bay 039 (800x600)
All and all a perfectly

NORMAL day

with the love of my life!!!

halfmoon bay 018 (800x600)

 
 

Friday, October 17, 2014

Benjamin Moore's Color of The Year for 2015



Benjamin Moore has announced it’s color of the year!!

It is more in the neutral category this year because this color can go with so many different combinations of colors.

Just as in nature 
GREEN is a neutral

ben moore color for 2015 Guilford green

 Guilford Green HC-116

This green is a wonderful neutral that can go with so many other colors. 

That is no surprise to me since I have used a color very similar as a neutral on my kitchen cabinets, and even on the ceiling in my living room. 


I even have a wallpaper in my entry with this color as it’s background.

P1140325
Notice the color of the striped wallpaper in my dining  that resembles this color…….

P1140340 (1280x960)
You can see that this GREEN is a neutral in my home and I mix it with black and white, and cobalt and white. 

Sometimes I throw in a dash of yellow, or pink, and even a lavender in my flowers that I bring into my home.
Mixing it with Blues…..

Guilford green and blues

I chose to mix this Green with the blue family in my family room……

P1140344 (1280x960)

My family room is next to the GREEN in the kitchen and it is black and white and cobalt blue and white……….



P1140343 (1280x960)

Benjamin Moore shows Guilford green mixed with many different color combinations…….

Guilford green and navy
It is stunning when used with black.


Fall Entry Hall 2012 001 (600x800)
In my own home I have used this green as a neutral in my entry hall with black and white.


Guilford green color family
This shows even more choices in  the Green family that Benjamin Moore is offering.

Next are the different color combinations that Benjamin Moore is showing to mix with  Guilford Green…
The Blush Family

Guilford green and blush
This combination would make such a lovely room. Beautiful colors in a living room, or a restful guest room.

The Berry Family

Guilford green and berry
Berry is a natural combination when it comes to Green. It is such a great color combination. 

I suggested this combination years ago for a clients home. 

We painted the homes exterior a very similar color to Guilford Green with white trim and then a beautiful berry color for the front door, it was such a cheerful house.

Guilford green and berry 2
Even natures greens and berries are beautiful together. Always look to nature for beautiful color inspiration!!


Guilford green combinations
Here is a perfect line-up of all the colors you can mix with Guilford Green!!

Now let your imagination take over, and see what combinations you like, or that you could use in your own home.

As with any declaration of Color of The Year, it is not going to work for everyone, it just happens to be my chosen neutral in my home. As trends go…….

“What goes around comes around again and again!!”

So with that in mind, always, always stay TRUE to yourself and what you truly love in your very own home!!!

BTW: Be sure and read Emily Clark's post about Guilford Green. She did some wonderful color combinations on her blog post. In fact her post is where I read about the announcement of Guilford Green being Benjamin Moore's 2015 Color of the year!