A FASHION POST: How I Shop And Plan My Wardrobe

This past month was my birthday and for this year my sweet hubby took me shopping. I must admit it was really fun for me.

Over the years I have noticed when I am shopping I shop by color first. As the day goes on I usually wind up with an unintentional color capsule for my wardrobe.

This year was no exception, and I found some additions I can add to items I already own, and I  a couple of capsules started emerging for my Fall/Winter wardrobe.

First let me show you some of the pieces I will be working with.....

 Navy and cognac seemed to keep popping up all day long!

I am so glad to see cognac, or tobacco come back in.

I wore this color a lot a few years back and actually wore out a pair of pants. Then as fashion trends go, I could not find this color, so I am extremely happy to have found it this year.

Here are some of the pieces I worked with a few years back, and many of these same pieces will still work with my newer pieces and color capsules.

 This capsule consisted of black, white, cobalt, and kelly green.

I am pretty consistent when it comes to the colors and styles I wear. I call it classic grown-up preppy style.

These are just a few of the shoes that will work in my wardrobe, trust me I have more. In fact I was a lucky girl and purchased three new pair.

and

and

I think you will be able to see and appreciate how my new shoes will be working with my Fall/Winter wardrobe. 

Notice all are casual and flat? That is what works for me these days so why not get something comfy and cute?

And I can't forget my booties.....

I think I am pretty set!!

 Let's take a look at how the color capsules turned out......

Here is a line-up of colors I can mix together to further my wardrobe.

 

This next scheme is a little unusual for most, but you will have to trust me on how this can work...

 I plan on wearing my cognac pants, leopard flats and bright pink cashmere sweater together.

 Or I could wear my cognac pants, pink checked shirt and navy vest. These are just a couple of ideas.

See how pretty it looks!

The next color capsule that started emerging while I was shopping was......

As you can see from the pieces I have to play with the navy is a constant, and so is the cobalt blue. 

By adding bright yellow, bright pink, or cognac I can really make my wardrobe work for me.

Of course there is always a little black and white thrown in there since that is always the base in my wardrobe.

Shopping Tip:

 

When I shop  I always use one criteria before purchasing a piece, unless it is a special occasion dress....

...I ask myself, "Can I put this with more than 2-3 pieces?" If I can it will be a good purchase for me, but if I can't, I have to be honest with my self and let it go. My goal is to make my wardrobe work for me and go further.

Look in your closet, and put together like colors, and you will start to see a color capsule emerge. 

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Ask yourself what pieces do you need to make your wardrobe go further for you. Write down those pieces and look on line first to do a little pre-shopping.

Once you see what is available in the market, and you have your list you are all set to go and have some fun shopping!!!

btw:If you would like to see what I am pinning for this Fall/Winter season check my pinboard out here....

FALL/WINTER LOOKS

 

 

Where To Start When Decorating A Room

   

    What Is Your Design Springboard?

In my years of consulting there was one question that was asked by most, if not by all...

 Where do I begin? 

Which should I choose first? 

The sofa, rug, curtains etc? 

 I wish there was one pat answer but it truly will vary from project to project. 

I did offer a guideline that seemed to apply in the cases where the homeowner was doing an entire room with new purchases.

I would tell them to choose the least available element first. 

In other words, a rug or sofa will be much more limited on choices that you will like than maybe curtains or accessories.

 Paint is a bottomless pit, paint can always be custom mixed, so I never start with a paint unless the walls are going to be the statement, and all other furniture pieces are going to be neutral.

In bedrooms I would have the bedding chosen before we would move onto other choices. 

 In living areas, such as living rooms or family rooms. it would be the sofa or an area rug.

There were the occasions where there was a fabric or an accessory that the homeowner absolutely loved and we would use that as a jumping off point, or what I like to call a spring board.

 On many blogs you see design boards and I love looking at those. Do you ever wonder which element they started with first, what was their spring board?

 In this post I thought it would be fun to look at some rooms that are well done and think about which of the elements the designer or homeowner would possibly have chosen first.

Here is a perfect example of a room with a lovely rug. I would venture to say the client wanted neutrals and some blue in her room so the shade of blue for the fabric was the first choice.

  The reason I think that is because there can be a multitude of different shades of blue in the rug and it will still work. The color of blue on the sofa and day bed are a very specific shade of blue and they are the statement piece in the room. What a gorgeous room done by none other than Candace Olsen.

This room is done in all neutrals with a pop of black and the only lively colors are in the artwork.

 I would imagine that the rug with its interesting border was chosen first for this room.

The right hue of neutrals could be taken out of the background of the rug. The fabrics on the sofa and chair were obviously chosen for their texture and for the fact that they match the rug quite nicely.

 What keeps this room so interesting is the colorful artwork and the use of black in all the right spots. What a warm and inviting room.

Here we have a very handsome bedroom. The back wall is covered in a unique patterned wallpaper. This would be my first choice. In this room I think the spring board is the wallpaper.

 There will not be that many wallpapers that will be pleasing to you so I would find the perfect paper and work off of that.  They kept all other pieces dark and sophisticated and then added this great pop of bright yellow to liven it up.

This keeps the room from not becoming  too serious and dark. The yellow also brings out the gold tones in the wallpaper background.

This room is a good example of one that could have started with several pieces such as the fabric on both chairs or the wonderful armoire.

 Since the armoire is a statement piece with an unusual color I will guess the armoire is the room's spring board or jumping off point.

 Because this room has a country feel and also looks like a home that is on the water, all the other choices were probably pretty easy to make according to color and theme.

I find this picture interesting. Since this is such a large statement piece of art I think the room started here.

 I am not one that matches art to a room, because that can look contrived and I find art to be such a personal statement.

  You will notice just washes of the green overlaying the beautiful lavender color. Using green in this room is fresh and a natural with this piece of art.

The room is kept interesting with the use of texture and pattern in the fabrics. I like these fabrics. These are what I call non-committal fabrics. They are fabrics that will go with just about anything.

I hope this gives you a few options of how to get a jumping off point or Spring board for your next room project.

 I gave you guidelines, but never be afraid to use an accessory that you love as your starting point.  If it inspires you, you can plan a room around it and you will love the process of planning and the end result of a room you love to live in.

"Enjoy the Process" Of:

 Finding your own Design Springboard for your next project.

 

 

A BEAUTY POST: "My New Favortie Skincare Product!"

 

Do you look forward to cleaning your face at night before you go to bed? I am sure you are all moaning a little and saying under your breath, half the time I don't even clean my face before I go to bed. So that would be a big NO!!

I hear you and I will admit I did not always clean my face before I went to bed and trust me now I am regretting that bad decision.

GOOD ADVICE SO LISTEN UP!

Younger ladies take heed!!  (think bigger pores and wrinkles as you get older) Clean off that make-up at night!

Recently I have been researching, and reading a lot about how the Korean women take care of their skin. To say I am impressed with what I am learning is an understatement.

After reading and watching copious amounts of information on the subject I decided to try a few of the Korean products.

Since I already have my own skin care products I opted to try some things that I did not already have.

Have you ever tried a new product and you immediately fell in love with it?

Well that is what happened when I tried the product I am sharing with you today.

The premise for Korean skincare is so different than what we practice in the  United States. They spend more time taking off their makeup than they do applying it. They use makeup to enhance rather than camouflage like we do.

Their skincare is like a special, luxurious ritual, and something to look forward to at the beginning and end of each day. 

I know!! Sounds hard to believe, and trust me I was skeptical until I started a few of their processes.

The main one was to double cleanse!
First you clean with an oil cleanser to dissolve any make-up, oil dissolves oil.
Next you use a facial wash, nothing that strips your skin, if your skin feels tight, you are stripping it.
They use a toner to balance the skins PH and THEN.......
They use an ESSENCE!

Even the name sounds lovely

 E-S-S-E-N-C-E!

 When I was watching a few videos of women that seem to make sense in what they were using on there skin, this particular essence kept showing up.

via

(use this link to get $10 off a $50 purchase....https://share.peachandlily.com/x/0qGe4g)

They all raved about this one product and said they would never be without it.

The essence is what prepares your skin to receive the products such as serums, moisturizers.

If your skin is moist it will receive other products better. Think of a dry sponge how it plumps when moist, but if you applied a lotion or cream to a dry sponge it would just sit on top and not penetrate.

This is how it is explained by a board certified Korean esthetician, Charlotte Cho, and founder of the Soko Glam shop.

I have always thought, ( I know it's not true, but) that Starbucks puts something in their coffee that makes you want more and more. 

WELL, that is how I feel about  this essence, I can't seem to get enough of it. I love the feel, the soft clean scent, the nurturing feeling, and the glow it gives my skin.

Seriously I look forward to my skincare now. I never use  to, and either dreaded it, or felt guilty for not doing it at night.

Now I have a nice, lovely skincare regime that I truly feel like my skin is getting nutrients and what it needs.

I am trying some other products as well, but was so excited about this product that I had to share it with you now. 

I will only recommend a product that I feel really makes a difference, so I will wait until a length of time goes by before writing about them.

If you are not on the Korean skincare wagon, or have not even heard of it, trust me you will be very soon.

I really feel like they are ahead of our western ways in skincare and it is worth a try. I only wish I had heard of this in my 30's or even 40's.

Here is the book that breaks it down in a very understandable and entertaining way...

 via

I am not an expert by any means, just a lady trying to do her best to take care of myself, and always searching to learn about new things!

In the upcoming weeks I will write more about some of the other products I am giving a try.

If you want to try out this essence use this link and you will get a discount....

https://share.peachandlily.com/x/0qGe4g

 

 

What I Have Been Up To Lately!!

  

A Whole Lot of This and That!

 The day we got the keys!!

We celebrated our one year houseaversary this past week! I can not believe it has been one year. It has been a wonderful year for us both and we feel grateful every day that we get to live in this wonderful community.

The first thing on our agenda this past year was to get our backyard in and it is thriving and we enjoy seeing green out our window every single day.

Inside the house we really have not added any personal touches other than our furnishings. Until recently, my sweet hubby began a project that I have been very excited about.

I wrote about it in my last blog post. Well this week the sconces above the mantel were installed by the electrician and to say this girl is delighted is an understatement. I am giddy!!

 It all turned out just as I had envisioned it. The glow they add to the room at night makes it feel like home sweet home.....

Next in line will be the molding around the niche. He is waiting for a special saw to arrive so he can start the next project. It is all in the details that make a home uniquely your own.

This past week we also celebrated my birthday which turned out to be a week long celebration. 

How often does your hubby say, "Let's go shopping!?" Not that often ! He was such a trooper as I shopped, coordinated and made some big decisions. Okay NOT big decisions, but kind of big to me, at least.

I felt like a spoiled princess to say the least. We had fun and we took our time and I think I made some really good purchases. 

I feel like I have a nice Fall wardrobe now. Here is a little hint of the color capsule that evolved for my Fall wardrobe.....

AND

I promise I will write more about what I purchased in upcoming post.

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?

Can you believe it is only 11 days away from Halloween. October has already zoomed by. 

This year for Fall decor in our home I have used all white pumpkins in different sizes. I also have two larger green and white pumpkins that I used as well.

 I used these throughout our home, inside and out.

This little planter will greet you as you walk up to our home.

 As you come to the door we have this hanging on our wall. We had one very similar at our previous home and I just had to have one here, at our new home.

Keeping it simple I used the large green and white pumpkin in the entry. I placed it in a dark brown basket to mimic the basket texture in the oil painting.

The next area I addressed was in our kitchen dinette on the low boy where I used the other larger pumpkin and a vase full of fresh eucalyptus.....

Still keeping it simple with green and whites and baskets. Notice how I am repeating the elements? Repeating elements will give a nice visual flow when you are adding decorative elements, especially for Holiday or seasonal decor.

Next is the great room where I added three pumpkins to the mantel and a group of baby boos and candles sitting on a zinc tray under the TV.

Originally I had the baby boos and the candles arranged on the mantel, but once the sconces were installed it just became too busy to my eye so I switched them out. Here are the two different versions so you can see why it made more sense to simplify the mantels composition...

Here is the entire wall so you can see how the mantel and the TV niche read as one unit and therefore have to be treated as such......

 I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE!

I  have  been planning this years Christmas decor.  Trust me I am not one that rushes from one Holiday or event to the next, I love to enjoy the moments of each. 

However, I am a planner and it takes me time to dream about what I want to do. I think I enjoy the planning process and sourcing more than anything. Last years color scheme and elements were.....

 2015

This year is going to be a softer, lighter version of last years color scheme......

2016

As it evolves I will do a post so you can follow along with my process.

So this is what I have been up to lately and enjoying every minute of it!!!

As always.......

BTW: If you follow along with me on Facebook you probably have seen most of what I posted today. If you don't follow along on Facebook and would like to just click on the green "f" below or on my sidebar to stay up to date with the comings and goings in my little journey called life!!