Sweater Vests: Yea or Nay?

This season I have been seeing so many sweater vests and/or sleeveless sweaters on fashion blogs, websites, and in the stores.  My initial thought was, "If it's cold enough to wear a sweater, you need the sleeves too".  But eventually, as always, the trend started to grow on me and I wanted to give one a try.  Actually, the only reason I finally broke down and bought this sweater vest was because I was a few dollars short of what I needed to use a J.C. Penney coupon and this was the only item I could think of adding on.  Oh J.C. Penney you little shyster you!  You always get me to spend more so I can use my coupon!

For my very first sweater vest purchase, I chose this a.n.a creme and black textured vest.  I ordered it on-line, and I have to admit I was really nervous about it.  I am such a top heavy woman, and I thought a thick vest would really add extra un-wanted pounds.  But then I realized that if it doesn't work out I can always take it back and still get my discount on the other item, so what do I have to lose?

When I received my vest and tried it on, I was pleasantly surprised.  Yes, it adds a little more bulk to the top of my frame, but the long, asymmetrical length helps elongate my figure so it balanced it out.

To keep everything in balance I made sure the rest of what I was wearing was form fitting.  I wore a skin tight, thin, sheer top (old, Express) underneath my vest and a pair of grey skinny jeans (old, Target).

The majority of the vest is stripes, but the back is solid.  There is also a metallic thread woven throughout the vest, so it will be perfect for a dressier look during the holidays too!

I chose silver jewelry to accent the silver metallic in the sweater.

I wore my new boots from Liz Claiborne.

Sorry for the Napoleon-style posing but it was so windy when we took these pictures and it was the only way I could keep my vest from flying open!  :)

I ended up keeping the vest.  My husband really liked it, and even though it didn't have sleeves I actually found it very practical.  Where my body needs the most warmth is my upper torso.  Heavy, long sleeves usually get in my way when shopping or working around the house.  This way I can stay warm, but still have my arms free so I can keep more active with ease.

I wore this outfit on a lunch date with my husband and shopping, so I kept the look fairly casual.  I can't wait to try it with a pair of black dress pants or leather leggings.  It might even look nice with a skirt!  We'll see.  Hopefully I'll have more outfits to show you wearing this vest.

So what about you?  Would you or have you invested in any sweater vests yet?  What do you think of them?  Yea or Nay?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE.

On Fall Break!

I'm taking a break to spend time with my wonderful family eating great food and thanking God for all the His wonderful goodness and blessings!  I'll return to regular posting on Monday, November 30th!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families!  Amy

Old Sweater, New Look

One of the goals of my fashion posts is to illustrate how to create different looks with the same item. After all, we all can't buy new clothes every week now can we?  When I first wore the cardigan I have on below, I paired it with flare jeans for a boho vibe (you can see that look HERE if you missed it),  but I wanted to see what it would like with skinny jeans.

It was a warm fall day with a high of 61 degrees when I wore this outfit.  Now I know my southern readers would break out the turtleneck sweaters and scarves at those temperatures, but for us in the north it's practically bikini weather.  As always, I wanted to look "Fall", but stay relatively cool.  I thought this cardigan would be perfect because it has such an open weave.

I wore my long, open weave cardigan with the same tank top from Express I had on in Monday's Fashion Post.  This tank top gets a lot of use;  I find myself pulling it out of my closet again and again.  It is so figure flattering because of the cut.  It's tight in the bust, so I don't have to worry about it slipping and showing cleavage,  and it is loose in the midsection so no tummy flab shows.  I just love these camisoles!  I have them in four different colors, but for whatever reason it is always the white one I wear the most often.

The only thing I don't like about these tops is the back.  I think the back is very pretty, but if I know my shoulders will be seen I have to wear a strapless bra--yuck!  I usually avoid those at all cost!

The picture below really shows the open weave very well.  See why this is the perfect cardigan to wear in warmer weather?  It isn't very warm!  It's just a pretty, thin layer and an extra layer of warmth if you need it.

I wore dark, straight leg jeans from Stitch Fix and a pair of dark brown tall boot from Famous Footwear (old).

For jewelry I chose a long, beaded necklace that was a gift from my daughter and blue and gold bracelets.

I felt the tighter, narrower fit of the straight leg jeans provided such a different look than when I previously wore this cardigan with flares.  The first look was definitely boho, this one is just casually chic!

If your wondering where these pictures were taken, it is the Riecks Lake Park in Alma, Wisconsin which is famous for it waterfowl.  In the fall the lake is filled with migratory birds like tundra swans and white heron.  They normally arrive in late October or early November, but we were here last Sunday and they still haven't arrived!  It was such a bummer.  We had friends drive over an hour to go see them with us, and all we saw was geese and a pileated woodpecker.  We think the weather has been to warm and the birds haven't migrated yet.  Either that, or we missed them.  Who knows.

But we still had fun hanging out with our old friends all day and I used this beautiful spot to take some quick fashion photos.  And since we had an extra person for a change, we got our photo taken of my husband and I as well!

I will be taking a blogging break starting tomorrow to spend time with my family for the holiday week.  I will resume normal posting on November 30th.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Using Negative Space to Create an Interesting Card

I am always looking for interesting, easy guy cards to inspire me so when I saw this one HERE I was ecstatic!  I thought the unique cut out with the inlaid stars was brilliant.

As always, I made my card even simpler by using a Kraft designer paper from DCWV that already had a design printed on it.  The only stamping I had to do was the sentiment.  

I also only cut the two stars out instead of three like in the original card.

To make the card, just position your die wherever you want the shape cut out on the designer paper.  Run it through your die cutting machine.  Cut a smaller shape using a smaller die and a colorful paper.  Cut your designer paper 1/4 inch smaller than your card base.  Stamp a sentiment directly onto the designer paper.  Pop up both the designer paper and the in-laid shape on dimensional.

I could see using this same design concept with other shapes as well;  like balloons, hearts, etc.  Just change out the papers and the shapes and you have a completely different card!

A quick and easy card with a lot of visual interest!  I love it!

Have a great day!  Amy

The Sweet Little Towns on the Mississippi River

In last week's travel post, I wrote about the advantages and disadvantages of living in Wisconsin and small town life.  What I didn't mention was that I live fifteen minutes away from the Mississippi River and a lot of historic, cute, fun towns.  Two of the towns near me are Alma, Wisconsin, and Wabasha, Minnesota.

Alma, Wisconsin is a sweet little town known for it's lock and dam, fishing, and bald eagles.  It sits at the base of a hill right next to the Mississippi river.  Eagles are as common as robins around here, for they come to fish from the great river.  It is also a migratory stop for tundra swans, white pelicans, and other waterfowl.

There is not a single home in Alma I wouldn't love to live in.  They all have gorgeous views of the Mississippi and are very colorful with lots of unique charm.

Isn't this just the cutest bakery?

The town nestles in the foothills of the bluffs, but homes also are built on the winding streets above the main street.

The motto for the city of Alma is "Step into Living History".  You can certainly see why by these buildings!

Don't you just love all the color?

I was absolutely stunned to discover that this is an actual eagle's nest.  I know eagles are big birds, but this is huge!  It's made mostly out of drift wood.

I stood next to it to give you an idea of the scale.  It's absolutely amazing!

Wabasha, Minnesota is just 15 minutes away from Alma across the Mississippi River.  Here is one of the bridges you can take to cross the state border.

 Wabasha is most famous for the location of where "Grumpy Old Men" was filmed.  It couldn't have been a more appropriate place to film this movie.  Every time I walk into the Kwik Trip in Wabasha, I see nothing but grumpy old men lined up on the counter drinking coffee and dressed like they are ready to go hunting.  It's so funny!

Of course boating and fishing are very popular in Wabasha because of it's location on the river.  It is also the home of the National Eagle Center.

This pretty waterfall was located near the Eagle Center on the Mississippi River.

This ten foot bronze statue is made in the likeness of Chief Wapasha II.

The Mississippi River is so gorgeous in the north.  When we were in Memphis a few years ago we noticed the Mississippi River was mostly brown.  Our tour guide said it was because everything from up north, comes down the Mississippi and muddies the water.

If you follow me on Instagram you may remember this little guy.  My husband and I were walking down a city street when the owner of a house stepped onto his front stoop with this beautiful parrot in his hand.  It was such a treat!  Isn't he just a sweetie?

That's all I have for this week.  I will be in Florida next week and we have lots of fun activities planned.  I can't wait to share my next travel adventure with you!

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE and Travel Tuesday!

Pure Innocence "A Little Birdie Told Me"

I have a sweet feminine card to show you today.  The main image is a Pure Innocence digital stamp.  The sentiment and notes are retired Stampin' Up!

I did a very simple layout;  just two layers of white card stock with a pretty pink designer paper behind.  The scalloped rectangle was cut with a Spellbinder's Nestability Die, and mounted up on dimensionals.

The only embellishment I used were white sequins.

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE.

Another Long Cardigan

I am absolutely loving all the long cardigans and I can't stop buying them!  I can't help it! They are so pretty, figure flattering, and practical for my climate.  So far I've shown you a beige long cardigan worn with flares HERE, and a grey cardigan worn with distressed boyfriend jeans HERE, and today I am wearing  a burgundy cardigan  with straight leg jeans!

Like the other two cardigans I have shared with you, this one was also purchased from J.C. Penney.  It is by Worthington, and what's unique about this one is the buttons down the front.

I wore my cardigan with a white camisole from Express (old) and my new Liverpool straight leg jeans from Stitch Fix.

Here's the back of the sweater.  I love the length!  This sweater will look great with leggings too because it covers the butt!

 For jewelry I wore a beaded triangle necklace I received from Stitch Fix and a wide, gold glitter bracelet.

I also wore my new suede wedge booties which are hardly new anymore since I think I've shown them to you a half a dozen times now.  But they are still new to me!  I just love them, they go with just about everything, so I have been wearing them a lot.

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Winter Park Village Florida

 Winter Park Village is an affluent outdoor shopping mall in Winter Park, Florida.  My family and I were there for only a short while back in August, but I hope to spend more time there next week.  My son and husband had to pick something up from a music store there, so my daughter and I walked around a bit to investigate.

The village is absolutely gorgeous, filled with tall, beautiful palm trees, old-fashioned lanterns & street signs.  I'm sure it's beautiful when it's all lit up at night.  We were there during the heat of the day, when the sun was the strongest, so the lighting in my pictures aren't the best.

I almost died when I saw The Cheesecake Factory.  I've seen a lot of these restaurants on my travels, but this building was by far the best I've ever seen!

This was another restaurant that looked really interesting and pricey.

  I loved their outdoor seating area.

I thought this tea place looked really cute!  I'd love to try some Chai Tea here someday!

The most fascinating and fun thing we saw in the village were the  life-size chess  and checkers games.

 You can actually play the games!  You pick up and move the pieces around.  Here is my son holding one of the checker pieces so you can get an idea of the scale.  That is my daughter and husband in the background.

I loved the elegant shape of this water fountain!

The village has lots of greenery.  It is filled with gorgeous layers of tropical plants consisting of tall palms, mixed with shorter ones, and also bushes, cacti,  and flowers.

One of my favorite tropical plants is Jasmine because I love the smell!

Hopefully I'll get back to the village on my next visit and I will have more photos and details of this beautiful place.

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!