A Fashion Post

    

The Underrated Brown Leather Belt

I bet if you go and look in the back of your closet you have a forgotten accessory that can add so much to your wardrobe.....

 A BROWN LEATHER BELT!

I will admit I am not a brown loving person, but when it comes to a good leather belt, or a pair of sandals I am IN!! There is no other accessory that can be as neutral, or make a simple outfit go up a notch.

 A simple shirt dress will all of the sudden look more slimming and stylish when a belt is added.

Just look at how fun this white eyelet dress looks with a brown leather belt. Obviously I would have to wear a shorter heel and a longer hem, but this is an outfit worth copying.

Ralph Lauren's runway show using white eyelet and brown leather belt. He is the master at adding a chic looking brown belt to his outfits.

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Think about adding a brown leather belt to your maxi dress and top it off with a utility jacket or a denim jacket.

Another nice addition. I can't imagine this dress without it, can you?

Brown leather works with so many patterns and colors. This Michael Kors dress is unfortunately out of stock or I just might have it in my wardrobe. Notice this belt is woven, another classic look that can add a bit of a Bohemian vibe to your wardrobe.

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We all know the Bohemian look is so in right now. I tend to dress in a more preppy/classic way, but I will have to admit I always wish I could do a bit of a Bohemian look and this look is one I would be comfortable in. 

Don't forget about your white jeans and chambray shirt!! Add a brown belt and brown leather sandals and you will have an instant look of ease.

 A simple black maxi skirt and white blouse becomes a comfortable and cohesive outfit with the addition of the brown leather belt and sandals.

Another easy combination to copy.

Have fun with your wardrobe! Look in your closet and see what you can pair a brown leather belt with!!

An inexpensive option at Target!

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  This is not a new look, but this is a classic look that can take you anywhere.

Here is a cute outfit found on Target's website using their brown belt on top of an Anthropologie jumpsuit, looking very current and fresh with the slide, block heeled shoe. 

  A cute shirt dress that would look great with a brown leather belt and sandals, found HERE!

 The perfect white eyelet shirtdress to wear with a brown leather belt for a cool summery look. Found HERE!

Now go and look in your closet and find your long-forgotten brown leather belt and see how many outfits you can add it too!!

 

 

 

More Stripes For Our Backyard Patio

 

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Since Spring has arrived I think all of us are starting to look at our outdoor areas. I wrote about how much our yard plantings have grown their first year in my last post.

 

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When we designed our back yard I knew what I wanted to incorporate and found a wonderful landscaper that was easy to collaborate with. We made the decision to buy larger plants in the beginning so we would have many years of enjoyment back there.

 

 My friend Terri's porch of La Dolfina  blog.

We do have some more ideas planned for the back yard, but nothing  much different from what we now have.

I thought it would be fun to share one  of our future plans for our back yard area with you all, and maybe you will get inspired.

 

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In our previous home I waited for years to add something to my front porch. I was a bit reluctant that it might be a bit over board. Then finally one year I did not care if it was over board or not and I added something I had wanted for years.

BLACK AND WHITE STRIPED 

OUTDOOR CURTAIN

Of course I wanted to use a striped curtain somewhere in our new home too, and I have the perfect spot on our side patio....

See that column that is next to the brick planter. That is right at the edge of our side patio. I can see a striped curtain pulled back on that very corner.

Here is a side view of our side patio. I chose to use black and white striped cushions on our little bistro set and two white wicker chairs.

As you can see my scheme out back is black and white stripes with cobalt blue trimmed in white. We also have two black and white striped market umbrellas.

I love the charm of a market umbrella and it just seems to fit our yard.

I have not decided if I am going to use two curtains, one on each side of the post or just one. 

There are a lot of different places you can get the outdoor curtains, but one thing that is harder to find is a good outdoor fabric with a white background, and not the natural background. 

Pottery barn has  a nice selection and that is most likely where I will be purchasing them, but I am going to wait for them to go on sale. I need the longer length than most sites offer of 124"

Have you ever thought of using a curtain on your porch or on your patio. I wish I had not waited so long to use one in our previous home, but I am going to be sure and install one here in our new home, hopefully this year!!

 

 

How Did Our Garden Grow?

A Look At How Our New Home's Yard Has Progressed Since Last Year.

This time of year everything is blooming again and it all started this last week. We have been amazed at the changes in our yard since last year. I thought it might be fun to see the changes with a new update...

 We started with this in April of last year .....

 Then.......

 then more plants....

 Brand new plants, no grass yet ,or trellises for the vines, but making good progress




 Ahhhh Yes, we have grass........

( June 2016)

We added our own touches with glass table painted black and cobalt cushions, this table was purchased 47 years ago. Notice I had to add a little blue and white with the urns. The roses have grown and so have the vines on the trellises.

This is at the beginning of Spring this year.....

This year before the roses bloomed. You will notice no cushions, Yes we still have rain here in sunny California. Everything is flourishing and you can tell by the size of the plants they all seem happy here. Everything has grown so much that this week we have to do trimming of the boxwood to keep it neat and compact. It has almost closed up the spaces between each plant.

This was taken just a few days after the previous photo, the roses have started blooming ....

When I look out back I still can hardly believe this is our yard in our new home. It looks like it has always been here and we are it's new owners. Always grateful and so happy that we get to live here. 

We just planted the impatiens so they will fill in nicely within the next couple of weeks. I love it when they spill over the brick.

This is looking towards the gate where you would enter into the backyard from the driveway. You can see it is dusk and the lights just came on, this is one of my favorite times of day in our yard.

 This is the side patio that we can see from the great room when the windows are open we can hear our happy little fountain bubbling away. I have to have the sound of water.

 Before....


After....