A Romantic Savanna Maxi Dress and a Link Up!

I'm so excited for today's fashion post because I not only get to show you this gorgeous floral maxi dress I wore in Savannah and for Mother's Day, but I am also co-hosting with Cheryl from Northwest Mountain Living & Style!

This is the first maxi dress I have ever purchased.  I've tried maxi skirts before, but I never liked them on me.  I did not think they looked good because they covered up the thinnest part of my body (my legs) and they chopped me in half making me appear shorter and wider.  Maxi dresses do just the opposite, they elongate the figure because it's all one piece;   you actually look taller in them!  As for covering up my legs, this dress has a sheer bottom so you can still see my legs!  Win, win!

All these pictures were taken at the gorgeous home we rented in Savannah.  Be sure to check Wednesdays Travel Post for a tour of the interior.  I felt this dress fit the Savannah "mood" quite well, don't you think?

I purchased this dress for an absolute steal from JCPenney.  It was on a clearance rack in March!  I actually bought two maxi dresses that same day and I wore the other one in Savannah as well.  That one also shows my legs!  Who knew I could find maxi dresses that showed my legs.  Anyway, by the time I used my JCP coupons I think I paid $14.99 for one dress and around $7.00 for the other.  What a steal eh?

In this photo you can see my legs through the sheer fabric.  It's much more noticeable in real life.

I paired my maxi dress with black sandals, a black straw hat, and a straw bag (all old).  I wore this hat and carried this bag all week long, but no, I did not walk around Savannah in these shoes.  Yikes!  I wore flats or sneakers most of the week.  These are for photography purposes only.  I did wear these shoes with this dress on Mother's Day though.  A lot less walking that day!

For jewelry I wore a red necklace, and red bracelets.  I added a red belt around my waist.

I'm so excited that I decided to give maxi dresses a try.  They are so pretty, feminine, yet comfortable as well.  I wore my maxi dresses all day walking around Savannah and I was very cool and comfortable.

And now, for the Link Up!  Here is what the lovely Cheryl is wearing this week.  I just love her!  She always has such a beautiful smile on her face and just radiates joy.  She has a great sense of style too!  I love her looks!  I have always struggled finding over-fifty fashion bloggers who wear clothes I would like to wear too...Cheryl is one of the few who looks I would definitely re-create for myself.  Be sure to check out her blog and follow her on all her social media links.  If you'd like to follow me, you can find all of my social media links on my Contact Page.  

Link Up Instructions:  

how

1. Follow to stay connected! 

2. Add our button above or a link somewhere on your site or post. You can copy the following text and link and use it if you want. (Linking up with Northwest Mountain Living & Style here.) This way other bloggers can join the party!

3. Have fun Blog Hopping around all the blogs that have linked up, finding new posts to read, and new blogs to support!

when & where

Every Friday morning until the next Thursday night, bloggers will be able to submit their favorite posts by clicking the blue Inlinkz button at the bottom of that day's post. You can add a blog link or an Instagram link. Adding your links will allow you to show off your hard work, make new connections, and gain new followers! 

let the party begin

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

An InLinkz Link-up

Savanna Day 1: A Trolley Ride

Today begins my very first travel post of Savannah, Georgia.  We were there at the end of April for 3 1/2 days and 4 nights.  And although I think that's a descent amount of time to explore the city, we could have easily spent another week there to see more.  There is so much to do!

When planning our trip to Savannah every one advised taking a trolley tour on your first day to get acquainted with the city and get your bearings;  so that is what we did!  

There are many different trolley companies and packages that tour Savannah.  We picked the "Overview" package with the Old Savannah Tour Company.  Our tour was a 90 minute ride through all the highlights of historic Savannah and it included some special visitors at various spots!

Right away my husband and I were oohing and ahhing at all the gorgeous homes!  I squealed with delight when I spotted this one.  Do you recognize it?  Don't worry if you don't, as we toured this home the very next day...but that is for another blog post.  Let's just say this home is "Infamous" for a well known murder that sparked one of the best selling books of all time...hint, hint!

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And now here were our special visitors.  I have to tell you I am so gullible that when this guy jumped on our trolley I started to remove my bag off a empty seat to make room for him.  haha!  But he wasn't a tourist, but an actor.  Three actors joined our trolley at various stops and shared a bit about Savannah with the tourists.

                                                                   Forrest Gump

Charles Green, a cotton factor who went to Savannah when he was a teenager and made a fortune!

Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin.

All the actors were so good and very entertaining.  I enjoyed the unique way they provided the history of Savannah compared to just a tour guide.  The tour company  has many different actors/characters, but only three join your trolley so you have no idea who you will get!

When the actors weren't doing their monologue, the trolley driver provided all the information of the history of Savannah and it's buildings.  She also provided practical information like  the best places to eat and shop and what homes were open for tours.

My husband took a ton of photos while on our trolley ride.  Below are some of the best ones that represent Savannah.

There were so many gorgeous, amazing churches in Savannah!  I'll probably do a post just on all the churches alone.  I loved the architecture.  

Savannah is known for it's moss covered trees.  They line every street and fill every single square.  Our tour guide said the ivy growing on the limbs opens up when it rains or is moist and then shrivels away when it's dry.  Here it is all opened up because they received rain that morning.

This is the police headquarters.  I loved the old police cars out front.

Our tour guide informed us that the little tiny house in the center of the picture is only 500 square feet and recently sold for $500,000!!!!!  Can you believe that?  Location, Location, Location!

There are many similarities of Savannah to New Orleans, like the use of wrought iron.

This is the Thomas Owens house.  We also toured this one, so I will tell you more about it in a later post.

Your admission ticket to the Thomas Owens House also includes admission to two art museums.  We actually enjoyed this art museum more than the house tour because it was once a house too!  It was very grand!

The trolley also took us down to the famous River Street.  And yes, this is the road that leads you there!  River Street was unbelievable!  I could not believe how old all the buildings and roads were.  There was so much pirate history there too!  But, more on River Street for a later blog post.

The best advise we received for Savannah was from an employee at the Visitor Center.  She informed us about the cities "Free Shuttle Service".   Although in the historic center, the home that we rented was quite a hike from most of Savannah's attractions.  But the "Dot" bus stop was only two blocks away from our house, so we were able to jump on the shuttle and save some steps many times!

After our Trolley Tour we then headed to the house we rented for the week to check in.  The house was so gorgeous and amazing that I want to do a separate post about it next week.  I just have too many photos to include and it would make this post too long.  

Once we checked in and freshened up we headed out to dinner.  We took the trolley to City Market to check out a pizza place our landlord recommended.  It's called Vinnie Van Go-Go's.  It's a cash-only pizza place and is considered to have the best pizza in Savannah.

It was definitely quite the interesting atmosphere.  This is the outside of the building, where most people eat as there is not much of an inside.

Here is my hubby patiently waiting for his dinner.  I just love quirky places like this.  So many people recommended fancy, high-priced restaurants to us, but these are the types of establishments we prefer.  Fun, different, good food without the fuss!

And yes, the pizza was delicious!  One slice of pizza was only $3.50, but then you had to pay 50 cents for each additional topping...so it does add up.

This is the inside of the restaurant.  Basically just a bar with a few tables on the end.  But you can watch them make the pizza dough, which is always a fun sight anywhere.  Look how low the ceilings are!  We noticed a lot of low ceilings in Savannah, especially on River Street.

After dinner we explored City Market a bit.  It is a four block open-air market since the 1700s with shopping, dining, and artworks in restored warehouses .  There is also musical entertainment in the street as it is closed off to traffic.   I must admit I was not that impressed with City Market as I didn't think there was a whole lot of shopping there.  

I was however very impressed with this candy store.  This is a company that has several locations throughout Savannah, but I thought this store was the best of all the locations.  They have a train riding overhead, and you are able to see the cooks create all the candies.  The candy was delicious too!  I got some dark chocolate bark and my husband purchased a turtle.

Next week I will show you the beautiful home we spent four glorious nights in!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Coral Bell Sleeve Top From Stitch Fix: Fix #15

This pretty floral coral top by Calvin Klein is the last piece from my Fix #15 that I have to show you.  Like the other four pieces in that Fix, I also returned this one.  It's a size Medium, but I could tell before I even tried it on that it would be too big.  I could have asked for it in a smaller size, but it had a very boxy cut so I wasn't sure I would like it even if it was smaller.  

The top does have a lot of redeeming values though.  I love the color, the print, the belle sleeves, and the black piping.  It even has a longer length in the back as it does in the front.  It just was too big and boxy and I thought it made me look bigger than I am.

I styled the top with white jeans, coral heels, and a black handbag.

In this photo you can see the nice longer length the top has in the back;  nice if your someone that likes to keep that part of your body covered.

I couldn't believe how my coral heels matched the top so perfectly!

I really did like the contrast of the solid black piping against the coral.

I chose coral earrings and a coral bracelet for jewelry.

The floral print is a pretty watercolor style, and I love the belle sleeves.

And this concludes my Stitch Fix #15 fashion posts.  In summary, here is what else I received in that Fix...all of the items were returned.

Skinny Pants:  Returned

Calvin Klein Performance Wear Top:  Returned

Floral and Gingham Top:  (Returned, but I wish I would have kept it)

Floral Fit and Flare Dress (Returned, but I wish I would have asked for it in a different size)

In summary, I received two items that I returned that I wish I would have kept.  I really wish Stitch Fix would let you keep the items longer before you have to send them back.  I feel I don't have enough time to get every one's feedback before I have to return them.  I've also learned to trust my husband's opinion more than my own!  GASP!  But he has always been right!  He really liked the floral dress and the floral and gingham top in this Fix too.  And in my sixteenth Fix, he was really right!  But you'll hear more about that next month! A friend of mine suggested that I ask Stitch Fix for these items again in my next Fix, so I'm gonna try that.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!