Rodeo in Roberto (Cavelli that is)

So, it is "Show Day" at horse camp and I did not have time to change clothes.  It was 100 degree's

with 100% humidity and I was sooo not dressed for hiking through the woods to the camp.  Open toed shoes and horse manure?  Not so good.  LOL

But the best thing is the jeans I am wearing.

Roberto Cavalli jeans! 

You can get these for $1,000 at Neiman Marcus all day long!

But I paid $8 at PS Too thrift store, and they were brand new!!!

They are my favorite find E V E R!

I am sure these jeans were not made for this....and I don't care!

So, here is an explanation of the next few pictures.  Kaja is amazing, but can NOT stand to have her picture taken.  I tried and tried, but no way.  So I told her I was going to tie her up and get one.  LOL

My friend Kathy grabs my camera and starts clicking away.  In the end we still didn't get Kaja's face, but we did have a lot of fun.  Except for "Sweetie Pie" the horse.  I didn't realized the rope was still attached to her.

woops.  Welcome to being me.

Kaja's friend is trying to get her to turn around.

This is as good as it gets! LOL





Ha! Gotcha Kaja!  And you are beautiful!

My little barrel racer!



One last try to get a close-up.




This is my favorite picture of the day because it shows Kaja so well.
She is so good at encouraging others and making sure everyone is having a good time.
I love you Kaja!



Of "Lillys" and Dragonflies

Hey, Blogworld!! Yes. I know. I've been MIA, and I'm sorry. I just haven't been feeling it, you know? I haven't wanted to have my picture taken. I  don't know what's been wrong with me. I just wasn't feeling it.

And I SHOULD be feeling it because Spring and Summer are my seasons! I LIVE for warm (HOT) weather. I also get a little Spring Fever and just want to play hooky from everything!  But, I'm back! I promise to try to post more. It won't be everyday, but I'll try at least a couple of times a week.

So, yesterday, Lise posted a picture of me in a cute, floral Coldwater Creek skirt that I scored at PS Too for $6. It still had the tags on it, people!  Viktoria, from Viktoria with a K,  said I looked "Lilly" inspired. Well, today I decided to actually wear some Lilly. Lilly Pulitzer, of course. I don't know if Lilly is big where you are, but it definitely is, in the South.  This skirt is another SCORE. I found this skirt, again, WITH TAGS, in a thrift store in Commerce, GA.  The tag said $119. I paid $8!! HOLY BARGAIN BATMAN!   AFTER I paid, I asked the girl if she knew what she had. (There were 2 more on the rack.) She said, No. It's just a skirt. I was like, Sweetie. It's a Lilly. You may not know what it is but those sorority girls at UGA do. Mark them up to $25 and put them on Craigslist during Rush Week! LOL

It's a reversible wrap skirt! I'll wear the other side another day.

Isn't that watch cute?! Leah found it when we went to Charming Charlie on Tuesday. I was going to be GOOD and just look, but she knows my weakness. And it is palm trees. A watch with palm trees AND a sparkly turtle?! Yes, please!

A few weeks ago, Lise brought me back the cutest dragonfly earrings from Dollywood. (In the picture above) They are like stained glass. I seriously don't know how I ever lived without these earrings. If I can't figure out what earrings are going to match, I know the dragonflies will! I think I've worn them 3 or 4 days a week since she gave them to me!!

There seems to be one other item I can't seem to live without lately. And that's my nude, thong sandals. Yes. I'm calling them thong sandals and NOT flip flops! They seem to go with EVERYTHING. And they were another score. Goodwill. $5. I don't think they'd ever been worn. The bottoms didn't look like they'd ever touched the ground. And I beat Lise to them! HA!

Got any article of clothing or piece of jewelry that you can't seem to live without?

Seeing Red!!

They say that if you're angry you are "seeing red".

But for the first time in years, I am wearing R E D and 

happy as ever!  Are you Green with envy at how cute this dress is?

I was afraid of feeling like I was wearing a tablecloth-but I am loving this.

And don't be blue, you can buy one too ($24.99)

Merona dress

Kaja's reaction to the outfit?

"You look like BBQ Barbie!!"    LOL!

And I am thinking you will be seeing me in red a lot in the future. 

I have never felt much attraction to red,

but

we have now officially fallen in love  <3 !



Dress:  Target $24.99- Go buy it!
jeggings- ATL
Red Shoes- Target $20!  You need these shoes

So, I am by my front door because there is someone there.......and....it's....
J O Y!!!
What's that Joy? You dropped by to see if I wanted to go shopping?
We are outta here!



Hey, I figured out how to write on the pictures!  And the shoes are so cute. Goodwill
And the skirt?  PS Too, Coldwater Creek with the tags still on!
Need we say more?  SCORE

It's nice to see your face around this blog!  You completely rock the pink.
By the way Joy...notice anything different about me?

Joy-OMG! You are wearing red.  I have been telling you for years to wear red.  It's about time!

LOL!  Times a-wasting and I think I hear Target calling our name!

Ladies- All I can say is that your challenge this weekend is to pick a color that you never wear.
Don't be yellow, be brave! 
Now find a way to wear it.  And have fun!

Love This!

Joyce (faithful blog friend) sent a link to a great blog.  I have been working on a tutorial of organizing the closets and love her ideas so I thought I would pass it along!

http://houseoffiftyblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-tackle-organizating-your-closet.html


Hope you enjoy it and have fun purging your closets!!!
Thanks House of Fifty!

Turn On The Brights

I put together an outfit and prance outside for the photo taking only to be met with Kaja giving me
"The Look"
And the conversation goes like this....
Me:  What is it?  
Kaja:  Y..e...a...h..  kind of.  I mean you look kind of like a beach.  And I thought you were doing this whole "new look" thing with things in your closet and trying different colors and you just look the same so I think you should go change and hurry because I don't want to be late for Horse Camp.

What was I supposed to do?  My 9 year old is taking her photography assignment very seriously. 
 And she is right!
I race inside grab lime green, turquoise and sparkle.  I am back in position within 5 Minutes!

TaDa!

Why yes, I AM in love with these glasses, thank you!
They are sassy.

Hey, Kaja...Is this more like it?
(She nods with approval and the picture taking commences)

Bright Yellow! 
From Sassy Pants consignment in
Athens- Go There!  Shop and spend
They are having a spring sale that starts today!!!
Hurry, before I get there.

Up close and personal
The scarf is from "Charming Charlies"

Thrifted shrug!  Yay!  I love sparkly things.

So, you can still look polished and fun at the same time!  Mixing brites, like any other color, is easy.
Just stay with the same tonal family and they are happy together.  Turquoise and lime green love each other
and make people happy.  The yellow purse was just a splash of sunshine!  I felt much better about my
outfit and am loving this "Thinking outside the box" with the closest.

A great thing about accessories, like here, is that I can wear the basic pieces here with lots of things.  Then spend less $$ on a few fun things to bring splashes of color:  The purse, scarf a brite tank, jewelry, etc....

Ok, so take another look at your wardrobe, and add a dash of color for a completely different feel!
And have FUN for heavens sake!!!

photography by Kaja

Weekend Wear (the tunic)

"Hey!!! Lady, get your lazy butt up and out of bed.
You have blogging to do!
I would do it for you, but you know, I'm a Poodle."



I am up and ready for anything!  Here is one of the my favorite maxi dresses that made
it through the "Great Closet Clean-Out 2011".   I got the glasses from
Tifosi....They are white and called "Lust".....need I say more?
(Thanks Kathy-I <3 these glasses)


 You were probably expecting some tailored outfit with a cardi with tags that say "Ann Taylor".  Nope.  This is unstructured, paired with leggings and fun silver jewelry and a chunky belt.  Glitz and still Glam!  Yay for change!  Boo for the weird things my camera is doing with the lighting.  Lets pretend that I meant to do this for effect, ok?  lol

The tunic top is a great addition to a wardrobe because you could throw this over a swimsuit at the pool
or beach.  Then again, it can be dressed up for an day of shopping or evening at
the hippest restaurant in town.  Yeah, I just said "hippest".  LOL

I think my favorite thing about the outfit is the gladiator sandals from ATL.  Hey, I have a thing about the store.  And these shoes just make me feel super cool.  And they catch the sunlight when I walk and sparkle which just makes me feel happy.

See how fabulous a tunic can be?  And they are perfect for travel with a knit material
because they just do not wrinkle.
What?  You are asking why I am shopping if I just cleaned out my closet?
Uhmmm....because.....oh yeah, I need some red in my closet for color.

Thanks for all the emails and Facebook messages about my last post.  It would appear that a lot of people out there are in need of a good closet cleaning. 
Stay tuned because I am working on the "Anatomy of a Closet" to help you out.
Or, I could just travel around the country and visit each one of you for a personal purging.....
Ok, that sounds like fun to me!!!

Spring Closest Clean-Out!

I threaten to do it, then I put it off, then.....yeah.

But finally I got in, got down and got dirty and decided to do a real closet clean out

and see what was in there!

What finally prompted me to invade, divide and conquer?

Kaja, my 9 year old, and my photographer, popped up with this comment the other day:

(She was taking my picture for the blog and I asked about my outfit),

"Well Mom, to be honest, it's like all the other days.  Very nice, usually blue and totally predictable."

PREDICTABLE?!!?!!!

I am 47 and that is the very word I did NOT want to hear.

And off to the closet I went.

Well, lets see...both green, one from ATL and one from Ann Taylor.....both could have been worn by Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music"
I am starting to see what you mean Kaja

I do love black and white skirts...but one has sequins, one has pompoms at the bottom and one has tulle and one.....
r i g h t.....oh my.

These are like the exact same skirt except one is Banana Republic and one Ann Taylor
Sigh....I keep buying the same dang stuff!

Shades of gray much?  Geez Lise!

I liked this best.  Bought at 3 different times, 3 different places
BUT...the same ATL sweater...just different colors.
Oh my.   The black one still had the TAGS on it!!!  Seriously? Yes.

Onward and upward! 
The real problem is that sometimes we get into a bit of a rut.
I learned quickly that I love neutrals and do not own one RED piece of clothing.
I do however own a mass amount of black, white, blues and CORAL (my fav!)
And that's about it.  All nicely tailored pieces and predictable.
This is not necessarily bad,  but I do not want to be HO HUM!

I finished the job and purged my closet!  I donated a lot, took a bunch over to "Sassy Pants" consignment, and turned over a new leaf.
I now know what is in my closet now so I don't waste $$ on duplication.  I have a list of a few items that would add
a pop of color and fun to  my wardrobe (ie: red stuff, or something).
And the biggest thing is remembering how I got here.
By not listening to friends when they said "You don't need another one of those."  LOL

Yes, this is me.  I'm cute, but I just don't listen!
I can't wait to start showing some of my re-worked wardrobe.
If you need an idea for a weekend project......Tackle your closets!!! 
Go girls!