Ageless Style - Summer Brights from Day to Night

 Ageless Style is a monthly style challenge and link up for women "over a certain age".  Each month we pick a different theme and style an outfit based on that theme.

This month Jamie picked our theme and she picked "Summer Brights from Day to Night".  I had a little struggle with this theme as I do not have a lot of brightly colored items in my closet and I really am not a night-life kind of gal.  I'm usually relaxing on the sofa at 7:00 pm and in bed by 9:00 pm.  Nevertheless, I shopped my closet and found this Joe Fresh skirt that I have had since 2013.  I really love this skirt, it's one of my summer favorites because it's so cool and comfy.  

As I scrolled through my Instagram feed I noticed that every time I wore this skirt I always paired it with a light colored top and sandals...probably because I wore it on hot days and I wanted to be cool.  So I thought it would be perfect to take this bright skirt, that I normally wear only in the day time hours, and style it for night...even if it's just make believe because I actually wore my "Night" outfit during the day and was in bed by 9:00 pm as usual. 😀

Day                          Night

In the first picture on the top right, I wore my bright colored skirt with a white tee tied in a knot to a garden.  Below I paired the skirt with a beige tank top to go hiking. 

Here I am wearing a pink tank and sandals with my skirt.

And in a really old picture, I wore the skirt with a white peasant top.  Like I said above, I always wore the skirt with a light colored top, and in all four looks I have sandals on.

But now, because of the challenge, I took this eight year old skirt and...gasp...syled it with a bold blue top!

I googled colors that go with coral and it said:   "Colors that go with coral are neutrals (surprise, surprise), golds, pinks, blues and greens".  But I actually figured that all out for myself when I held a colorful item from my closet up against the skirt.  Yet, I was surprised because before the challenge it never would have crossed my mind to wear a bold blue top with this skirt!  I ended up really loving the way it looked, I thought it looked so much better with a navy top than a white top, and it made me wonder why I never tried this look before.

So how does just darkening the top transition this outfit from day to night, you might ask.  Well, darker colors in general to me seem more appropriate for night time entertaining, partying, dining, or going out at night.  A white tee or tank would seem to casual and light to wear at night.

For footwear, I swapped out the sandals for navy blue ballet flats.  Dressy heels would be even better for a night time look, but I can't walk in those, so flats it is for me!

The most important thing in switching up an outfit from day to night is jewelry, and lots of it!  Here I am playing off the coral color in my skirt and wearing coral drop earrings with a multi-strand matching coral necklace.  I also wore silver bracelets and my usual rings.

My top has a ruffled neckline, which adds a dressy element making it even more suitable for night time activities.  Also, did you notice I have some pattern mixing going on here?  I'm usually not one who likes to mix patterns, but when they are this subtle, I can do it!

Switching out your handbag from day to night also can drastically change your look.  During the day I would carry a much larger handbag or crossbody bag, but at night, all I would need would be a clutch.

And that is how I took my Summer Bright skirt from a day time outfit to a night time outfit!  What do you think?  Did I succeed? 

Isn't this a pretty view?  This is a scenic overlook in a neighboring town of mine.  I live in such a beautiful area.

And now, be sure to check out what the rest of the ladies are wearing for this challenge and link up with us below!

Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits

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Cammi ~ My Happy Place

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Carrie ~ A Simple Lovely Life

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Daenel ~ Living Outside the Stacks

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Jamie ~ No Delusions of Grandeur

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Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style 

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Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After

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Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom

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Have A Great Day!  Amy

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Our Smokey Mountains Vacation - Day Five, Part One: Newfound Gap and Mingo Falls

This post is part of a travel series of our vacation in the Smokey Mountains.  To start at the beginning, go HERE!  The rest of the posts in chronological order are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE!

Day Five was our very last day in the Smokies and we knew that if we were going to be able to scratch ALMOST EVERYTHING off our "must see" list, we had to do it all today!    As always, we awoke before dawn and headed out to find one of the tallest waterfalls in the Appalachian Mountains.  One the way there, we pulled over to enjoy some of the amazing scenic views.

The best part of waking up so early is getting to see the sunrise over the Smokey Mountains.  

The Smokey Mountains is called "The Land of Blue Smoke" because of the "smoke-like, natural blue haze, and mist-like clouds that rise following a rainstorm".  The Cherokee gave this beautiful land its name (source).

We had a very ambitious plan today!  First we would stop at Newfound Gap to see the sunrise, then we would head out of the park to North Carolina to see one of the tallest waterfalls in the area.  After that we stopped at a farm museum and working mill, then off to Clingman's Dome, did a short  hike to Grotto Falls, then finished the day with a beautiful scenic drive on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail.  It was a long, but wonderful day for we managed to scratch off almost everything from our "must see" list.  Of course, I can't cover it all in one post, so Day Five will be broken into six  parts.

I really love scenic roads where they have pull overs where you can pull off to the side of the road and enjoy the view.  Of course we never get anywhere too fast, because we always have to stop at every single one!  They are all so gorgeous and the next one always seem to be better than the previous one.

It was a one hour and thirteen minute drive from our hotel, through the Smokey's and to Mingo Falls, but it was one of the most beautiful hour long drives I've ever taken in my life.

At 5,046 feet, NewFound Gap is the lowest drivable pass through the Smokey Mountain National Park.  A  "gap" is a low point in a mountain ridge.  NewFound Gap is also the boundary line between Tennessee and North Carolina.  

Newfound Gap has a HUGE parking lot so you can get out, walk around, take plenty of pictures, and just SOAK IN THE VIEWS!

After viewing Newfound Gap, we were back in the car and headed out of the Smokey National Park in search of the tallest waterfall in the area:  Mingo Falls.  They do not make this waterfall that easy to find, thank goodness for GPS.  It is located in the Big Cove community just north of Cherokee.  There is a cute shopping area called "Saunooke Village" only five miles from the falls, but we were there so early, nothing was open yet.

This is a super short, but steep trail, only 100 yards.   First, you have to hike up a lot of stairs.

After the stairs, there is a very rugged, rocky path.

But then you are suddenly treated to this beautiful 120 foot waterfall.  Isn't she a beauty?

Of course we both had to have our pictures taken with this beauty behind us.

And finally, be sure to watch the video below where I set my eyes on this gorgeous waterfall for the first time.  It was such an exhilarating experience!

I will be back next week with our visit to the Mountain Farm Museum.

 

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

June Stylish Monday - "Feeling Fresh and Fruity"

On the second Monday of every month a group of style bloggers and I pick a theme, style an outfit based on that theme, and then do a link up together where you can join too!  This month's theme is "Feeling Fresh and Fruity".  The ladies and I are showing either our outfits with fruit prints or fruity colors.  

When I first saw the theme of this month's challenge, I was going to purchase some cute dress like what Andrea is wearing.  I've seen so many adorable 1950's style fruit print dresses on Amazon or Modcloth that I just love.  I especially like all the cherry prints.  However, since I'm trying to maintain more of a minimalist wardrobe these days I decided to shop my own closet and I was surprised to discover that I had at least three items with fruit prints on already, two of which I'm showing in this post.

I decided to style this coral tee shirt with gold pineapples on it and a pineapple scarf.

When I think of fruit prints I  think of bright, fruity colors like coral, orange, fuchsia, purple, yellow, etc.  Many women don't feel comfortable in bright colors (I know I don't like to wear a lot of color head to toe) so I wanted to show how to incorporate the fruit print trend with neutrals so it's not so bold leaving one feeling like they look like a piece of fruit.  😃

I decided to pair my bright, fruity tee with a pair of tan pants.  I purchased these pants from a thrift store, believe it or not.  They were originally from Talbots.  I NEVER go thrift store shopping for clothes.  I just don't have the patience for it.  But I happened to be in the thrift store searching for baskets, when I spotted these pants and a really cute skirt, both for around $3.00 each, so I bought them both!  I thought to myself "I need to shop at thrift stores for clothes more often." 😂

I played off the metallic gold in the pineapples on the tee and carried a metallic gold bag and added a metallic gold belt.

For jewelry, I also used a lot of gold, but my bracelet has some bright, fruity colors too!

For footwear, I chose a comfy pair of flats that had a tan base to match the pants, but a floral print with bright, fruity colors.  And then to complete the whole look, I painted my nails coral to match my tee.

Now, it may not look it, but it was a cold, rainy day in the 50's when I took these pictures.  I didn't even want to take my coat and scarf off to take the pictures, I was so cold!  But I wanted to show you yet another way to add fruit prints to your outfit that doesn't have much bold color at all.  

I simply covered the coral tee with a blue jean jacket and then I put a fairly neutral pineapple print scarf over it.

The scarf is very neutral with a sheer white background and grey pineapples.  Only the bright yellow tassels have a lot of color.  The scarf is a great way to incorporate the fruit print trend without having an overwhelming amount of bright color.  

And now, let's see what the rest of the ladies are wearing this month, and be sure to link up your outfits with us too!

Shelbee

Shelbee - Shelbee on the Edge - “I bought this bright orange blazer a few months ago but had trouble styling it until I found this adorable fruity printed swimsuit. And I figured why not style a blazer over my swimsuit. It’s not like I follow fashion rules anyway!”

Ada

Ada - Elegance and Mommyhood - Fruity Floral Flounce!!! That’s what I am calling this outfit. Between the florals and paisley design of my ruffled skirt and those bright orange sandals I got the citrus fruity vibes and all the Summery florals going! 

                                     Nancy

Nancy -  Nancy’s Fashion Style - “I am feeling like a basket of fruit or a box full of fruit sweets, lol, in this outfit! Oranges, strawberries and raspberries! Love that color combination! I have ombre nails at the moment with red and orange. You can take a look at last Tuesday’s post for that!”

Emma

Emma - The Style Splash - "I bought this Fabienne Chapot striped cherry print dress on eBay. I'm a big fan of the Dutch brand and their quirky prints. A shirt dress is summer staple for me as they're cool and easy to wear."

Lucy

Lucy - Lucy Bertoldi.com   “This month’s collaboration got me digging into my wardrobe for something fresh and delish to style up.  Found this fun lime maxi decorated with cherries- how sweet!  Lime green is already a favourite with me- especially for summer- and with the added fun red-cherry print, well that’s enough to get me smiling😊  Fresh, quench-thirsting look for this hot Montreal summer- I’m ready!”

Michele

Michele - On Instagram as Seechele_styles - “Feeling fruity in my Target dress with lemon and limes and oranges on it.”

Andrea

Andy - Pearls and Pantsuits - “I love the retro feel of this fruit print tiered shirt-dress. I was looking for a simple tiered dress on Amazon, when this one caught my eye. I couldn’t resist its charm! I styled it with my red gingham print sandals that have been on repeat this summer.The fruit print and gingham combo makes me happy!”

Nicole

Nicole - High Latitude Style - “In interior Alaska, summer temperatures remain pleasant in the drought season except when it rains. The record is 100F in Ft. Yukon,but we already think 85F is too hot. In the monsoon season, it feels unpleasant due to the high humidity and temperatures in the 50F or so. Thus, in early summer, it’s shorts and tank tops with flip flops, in late summer, it’s rain gear and layering. Since the Sun is in the sky 24/7, sun protective clothes are my go-to.”

Julie

Julie - Fashion Trends and Friends and Instagram FashionTandF -  “Nothing says summer more than fruity prints and bold fun colors especially after long cold Illinois

Nina

Nina - Sharing a Journey - “We are definitely out and about these days.  My bright colors mirror my optimism for the sunny summer days ahead.”

Suzanne

Suzanne - Ask Suzanne Bell - “I love the vibrant pattern and color of this bold wrap skirt; it feels so optimistic, fresh, and cheerful. Bold prints can be a bit intimidating to style, so I say keep it simple, with neutral pieces; like this black ruffle top, raffia bag, and hat. From there, allow the print piece, to be the star of the show!”

And ME!

Amy - Amy’s Creative Pursuits - “Love fruit prints but you don’t want to look like a piece of  fruit?  Here’s  how to incorporate the fun fruit print trend into a neutral outfit.”

Have A Great Day! Amy

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