The First Steps In Decorating Our Guest Room

 

Sometimes life just moves along and things start happening and developing before you know it. That's what happened this past week.

We moved our queen bed out of storage and before I knew it we were planning on how to decorate the room. Of course I jumped right in and started trying to make some choices. Like I tell all of you to do, I tried to work with what I already had on hand.

This is the bed we got for our 35th wedding anniversary. It has since been replaced with a King, but I still love this bed. I had forgotten how much I loved her.

I dressed the bed with bedding that I already had on hand. Of course this made my brain start spinning.

I knew we planned on using the mirrored chest that we have in the  kitchen walk thru as a nightstand.

The finish looked pretty close to the bed and the fact that there really was so little of the wood showing made it an easier match.  The only problem was to find another piece for the other side of the bed and then we would have an empty wall here. Hmmmm?

This chair also looked really good in the guest room. I did not want to empty out one room to create another room, but it is nice when things can be switched out from room to room. That means there is a pretty consistent color scheme and style flowing throughout our home.

We both decided we would be better served to get two new nightstands. I realized that matching the finish of the bed would be pretty close to impossible so I thought if I could find something in the same hue but maybe lighter or darker I would be fine.

 I knew I wanted to keep this room navy and white, light and crisp. In order to tie in the bed which was a very soft cream I would need some pillows with an off white background that had a crisp clean look.

In the mean time we found an antique white night stand that we thought would work. We did not want to spend a lot of money in this room so I was delighted to find them at Pier1 on sale.....

Both of these have an antique mirror which is perfect to bring out the warm tones of the bed. They are from the Hayworth Antique White Collection.

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I liked the idea of a mirrored table in this room to make the room feel a bit larger and a little more special. I have several mirrors I can try once both tables are in the room but for now I tried one of my favorites. The Atoll mirror from Ballard. I painted mine swiss coffee since I did not want a distressed finish and swiss coffee is a nice warm off white.

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The mirror is too large for this table but would fit nicely above the small chest that will be going on this side of the bed. We still have to cover the mattress. I will  use a fitted sheet as a cover so the look is seamless. I prefer a tailored look.

As soon as I added the pillows and the lamp with the navy shade I knew that I needed white bedding with a touch of navy.

I looked at two types that I have always liked at Pottery Barn.

This is a very dark navy called midnight in their Grand Hotel line. I really love this look and have had it for years in a sandy/ taupe color. I was just a little concerned it would not pull the navy in the room and appear more blackish, than navy. So I kept looking.....

This bedding is in their Morgan organic line.

I think it will give me the clean lines and crisp look I want for this room. 

We need to find a chair for the corner and  a few other things for the room,  plus I want to add sheer voile curtains to the canopy frame at the head of the bed, but all in good time. 

Right now I think this will make the room presentable for guest.

Always fun to decorate another room in our home on a budget!!

The Process Continues!!

 

 

Adding Jewelry To Your Fall Wardrobe

 

This post is all about accessorizing with jewelry. Everyone has their own comfort zones on what style and kind of jewelry they are comfortable wearing. 

On a daily basis I am a pearl stud, gold bangle, wedding ring kind of gal. Basic, classic pieces are my go-to items. However I have learned over the years that one spectacular piece can make an outfit so I will wear that type of jewelry as well.

Since we all seem to have a mixed bag of goodies to choose from and some of us even have a signature piece that we wear repeatedly it is going to vary how you accessorize your outfits.

Today I will go through the process of how I choose what I wear in hopes that it might help, or give you a basic guideline or different way of looking at your own personal jewelry.

Since I have been working on my Fall wardrobe I am going to talk about a few pieces that I feel will make my wardrobe work harder for me.

As always I look at the colors in my wardrobe which will help me decide if I need a silver, gold, rose gold or other metal base to work with. I will also wear pieces that have a bit more warmth to them.

One of the main colors that seem to work very well for me for Fall are pieces that are tortoise. It is kind of like a leopard shoe, it just works with so many pieces therefore it becomes a neutral in my wardrobe.

I already have several pieces but have been on the hunt for a piece that will update my jewelry wardrobe. I began looking for a chunky link tortoise necklace and found several that I liked, but ultimately chose one which I will share with you later.

 At first this one seemed perfect but then when it came time to pull the trigger I realized for the look I  was going for I needed a single strand instead of a double strand. 

I went through my head with certain outfits that I would wear it with and the single was best for me. Remember I always buy a piece that will be worn with at least 2-3 pieces in my wardrobe.

This piece was fun with the different shades of tortoise browns, plus the gold links were a nice touch. I also liked the way the links were square which gave it a totally different look. This is still on my radar. I think I would have fun with this one.

This necklace had a dressier look to me and the more I look at it the more I like it. Again, it has the addition of the gold, an unusual shape in the link as well. I like the way it would lay flat. This is not what I had in mind when I started looking so I moved on.

This necklace was the color of tortoise I had in mind but the clasp looked inexpensive to me and the tortoise looked a bit duller to my minds eye. That could be photography but I don't want to take a chance on this one.

This necklace is more of what I had in mind and the clasp looks more substantial. It is actually from Jcrew and I have seen this one before, so this is the one I will most likely purchase.

After pulling together outfits in my minds eye I also started looking at some interesting bracelets.

Remember this scarf.....

This scarf has a definite equestrian feel to it which is a look I enjoy wearing so naturally that is the direction my mind went.

Once again I visualized outfits and decided I needed a chunky gold link bracelet in my wardrobe. I have smaller gold link bracelets, but nothing that looks substantial.

I found the perfect piece.....

 This feels just right for the look I am going for. Are you noticing how I pull jewelry together based on the looks and colors I am wearing?

In my looking I ran across this bangle which I had no intention of purchasing a bangle, but what is a girl to do when she finds the perfect piece that is so unique? You guessed it, she buys it!!!

It is about 1 1/2in wide. It has a hinge opening. I can hardly wait to get it. I purchased this on poshmark I like to look on resale sites at the jewelry because you can always find something unique that is no longer made.

I will be adding these pieces to my collection of other pieces with the tortoise look or colors in them.

In the process of looking for a few new pieces I also reorganized my jewelry to reacquaint myself with what I already have....

 I actually forgot about a few of the pieces I had. That was fun for me, it felt like I got something new all over again. The silver piece on the far right is a favorite of mine, it is heavy and it is a locket by Ralph Lauren. Timeless in my book.

Some more pieces I will be wearing this Fall.

Now for this new-to-me hanging canvas organizer. I purchased this last year and I am just now getting around to using it for my costume jewelry. It has pockets on both sides and hold a lot of jewelry. I think if I see my things I will be more likely to wear them....

Talk about a space saver!!!

Are you ready to go and play with your jewelry?

 

 

How To Choose Accent Pieces For Your Fall Wardrobe

By time you are my age you probably have established a base wardrobe that you can add new pieces to, in order to keep your look fresh and current.

 In my last blog post I shared the colors I will have in my Fall wardrobe this year.

Having a color palette is key in planning your wardrobe in order to be able to coordinate your pieces. As I have said before my hard fast rule for purchasing  a new piece of clothing for myself is......

 Once you have your base pieces it is time to add a few pieces that will add some fun,  and style to your wardrobe. Accessories are key to a complete wardrobe that has your personal stamp on it.

One of the pieces I have been looking for to make my wardrobe work better for me are scarves. 

I am not a big fan of the overly large scarves because they seem to add bulk to my already broad shoulders. However I have worn what I call neck scarves for as long as I can remember. I also love to tie one on my purse.

Since I am working with certain colors. I took a look at the colors and decided what scarves would work for me.

Here is a reminder of the colors I will be working with for Fall......

I had fun looking, and found several on resale sites like Poshmark and Tradesy. I found some better quality brands there at good price points. 

I only looked at pieces that said New with tags/NWT, or previous owned but no visible signs of wear.

The other thing I looked for are scarves with rolled hems. You will find your better scarves will have hand rolled hems.

Here are some of the scarves that caught my eye. I kept in mind the colors I am using in my Fall wardrobe.  I concentrated on finding some with greens that would work with the addition of dark olive in my Fall wardrobe.

This first scarf is a Burberry and the most expensive of the scarves I chose. I love the color combination and the fun plaid. 

I can see wearing this with a cashmere red V-neck sweater and my dark olive pants or just a plain white button down, or t-shirt and jeans.  This would be a staple in my wardrobe and something I know I would enjoy wearing.

 

I love the equestrian look of this scarf it looks very Ralph Laurenesque to me. I would wear this with camel and the dark olive combinations. I think a pattern like this is always a classic, especially for we preppy gals. It is very wrinkled so a trip to the cleaners will solve that. This scarf is silk and has a hand rolled hem.

I loved the colors in this scarf, it is just fun looking to me. This scarf is also silk and has a hand rolled hem. Another great looking plaid for the prepster in me.
 

This is by far my favorite. It has a very Hermes look to it without the pricing. Again it has an equestrian vibe to it. The pattern and the colors are what I was drawn too. 

This scarf is a Mondi and in pristine condition. What I liked the most about this was the contrast with the colors and the touch  of yellow with the olive greens both lighter and darker. I really can seeing me get a lot of wear out of this one. Another silk scarf with hand rolled hem.

This next scarf is something I would wear with navy, cobalt, and mustard gold, or camel. I can see this with a pair of dark washed jeans, white button down, a great brown leather belt and ankle boots and leather cross body saddle bag . I would wear simple pearl studs and a chunky gold link bracelet.

This is another Mondi scarf and it is silk with hand rolled hem. I love all of the colors in this and you can tell it will go with so many of the colors in my wardrobe.

When you are pulling together your own wardrobe, don't forget to add a fun scarf or two, or maybe three to the mix. They can add color, style and they will help you in pulling together colors  in your wardrobe as well.

In my next post I will be showing you some of the jewelry pieces I plan on wearing with my Fall wardrobe, so stay tuned!