Embroidered Top For Spring

  Embroidery is everywhere this spring!  You can find embroidered bomber jackets, embroidered jeans, and lots and lots of embroidered tops and dresses.  I've always loved embroidery so this trend is nothing new to me, but I'm always happy to add a few more embroidered pieces to my wardrobe to fully embrace this trend.

 

I picked up this adorable gauze embroidered top at Ross.  One of the pitfalls of having to spend a lot of time at Ross and T.J. Maxx to hunt for decor for my newly renovated master bedroom was having to walk past all the beautiful new spring women's clothes first.  They got me every time!  I don't think I walked into either store once during the past few months without buying something to wear.  Stinkers!

 I love this top because of the embroidery of course, but I also thought the loose fit and the material would be perfect for the hot summer months.  And it has sleeves!  Does anyone other than me have a hard time finding short sleeve tops to wear during the summer?   Everything is either sleeveless or a tank top.  A nice little cap sleeve like this means I can wear a real bra with it and not have to worry about bra straps showing.

The neutral color of the top is a great plus because it will go with just about everything in my closet.  The embroidery colors are blue and red, so it looks best with blue jeans but I'd love to try it with red pants too.

I like the pleating above the bust line too.

The back has a cute keyhole opening.  It is sheer so you have to wear a tank underneath unless you're brave enough to wear to pretty bralette only.   

The top is also longer and curved in back...always a plus for me!

Because I didn't want to detract from the pretty neckline, I chose to wear brown/gold drop earrings instead.  They are kind of hard to see in this picture as they blend in with my hair a bit.  Maybe next time I will try red ones!

It was only in the forties the day I wore this outfit to go out to lunch and shopping, so I had to wear my green utility jacket (old, Dress Barn).  And actually, I wore my new Adidas NEO Courtset Sneakers for comfort but I changed into these old shoes for the photograph because the ground in my yard is so muddy and I didn't want to get them dirty.  I like these shoes too, but they are way too uncomfortable to wear for shopping.  I will have to show you my new sneakers another day....when it's less muddy!

A denim jacket would have looked great with outfit too, because it would have picked out the blue in the embroidery.

My boho cross body bag is from Francesca's (old).

I bought my shoes a few seasons ago from Payless.  They are as cute as can be and perfect for transitional seasons like Spring and Fall, but they aren't comfortable for walking long distances.  I did spend some time walking in them at the store before I bought them to make sure they would be comfortable.  And they were comfortable... at the store.  Then when I actually wear them I find my foot slides down and wants to squeeze out the openings of the leather.  Ouch!  So I save them for occasions when I'm not walking so much.

This is another pair of new jeans I bought.  If you've been reading my latest fashion posts you would know that I donated most of my old jeans and purchased a lot of new ones.  I want only stretch denim and mid to high-rise pants from now on.  They are far more comfortable.  These are Liz Claiborne City Fit Skinny Jeans.    Out of all the brands sold at JCP,  Liz Claiborne is my favorite.  I love the casual yet chic style.  I love the way her clothes fit my more mature body.  I know what size I wear in her brand so when I want to try something on I only have to grab one size instead of three different sizes.  I just really love the styles of this brand.  When shopping at JCP I always check out the other sections of the stores, but I almost always end up buying something from Liz!  Worthington is too dressy for my lifestyle.  And although I buy a lot of  items from Stylus or a.n.a, their styles can sometimes be too young for my taste.  But Liz is always perfect!  And yes, these jeans have spandex in them and sit slightly below the waist.  Go Liz!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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St. Charles, Illinois

This is a continuation of a series of travel posts of a week I spent in Illinois to visit my children.  To start at the beginning go HERE.  The rest of the posts are HERE, HERE,  and HERE.

The third day of my vacation to Illinois was a very special one because it was the day I accompanied my daughter and her husband to find out the sex of my first grandchild (It is a GIRL for those who may not already know! 😊).   The appointment was only suppose to take an hour but ended up taking most of the morning instead.  Since the majority of our day was taken up at the doctors office, we only had a few hours to spend sight seeing.  We decided to go to St.Charles because it was nearby and my son had previously visited and said it was beautiful.

St. Charles, like Geneva which we had visited a few days before, is located on the beautiful Fox River.   There isn't as much to do there as there is in Geneva (at least I didn't think so based on the short time we were there), but it is very pretty.  I would love to see it at night, because that is when my son visited.  He said the bridge was all lit up and it was just gorgeous.  Maybe someday I'll get back there to see that!

One of St. Charles popular attractions is the old historic hotel:  The Hotel Baker.  It is located right on the Fox River and has amazing architecture both inside and out.

We didn't get to see any rooms, but they let us snoop around the lobby a bit and take a peek at the reception hall.  I love this curved wall and doors.

There was an iron rail balcony above the doors.

How about these elevator doors?  They look like something out of an old movie.

 Every nook and cranny of this beautiful hotel was filled with exquisite detail.  I love the tile walls and stairs and the curved banister.

This is the hotel reception desk.  I love that they still have the old mail slots on the wall.  They could probably film a period movie here since so much is unchanged from when it was first built.

This is the reception hall.  Can you imagine having a wedding here?  Wow!  You wouldn't need to spend much on decorations...they are already here!

My daughter and I are both peacock lovers and we noticed immediately the gorgeous peacock stain glass on the hotel entrance.

Like Geneva, St. Charles had a beautiful bridge over-looking the Fox River.   The stunning building pictured below is the St. Charles Municipal Building and Plaza.  It was constructed in 1940 and is made of White Georgia Marble.  The tower is 84 feet tall.

Similar to Geneva, they also had a river walk and trails, but we didn't go on them.  We definitely need to go back another time to explore this area more in-depth.

And here is my smiling, happy pregnant daughter!

We did walk about a bit on main street to check out the shops and old architecture.  We loved this old movie theater!

And like most historic old towns they are filled with beautiful historic old homes like this one.  I love the stone work!

We found another old hotel on the main street, but it isn't used as a hotel anymore.

A cute candy and antique store.  We didn't go inside, so I can't tell you if the fudge was any good!

I LOVED this old gas station turned into a restaurant.  What a cute idea!  We should have had lunch here.  Instead we went to Culver's because my kids are both gluten-free and they have gluten-free buns there.  Maybe another time.

I snapped this view as I was walking across the street.  Overall, I didn't find as many interesting shops in St. Charles as they had in Geneva.  However, when I look on their website there looks like there is a lot more to do there then what first meets the eye.  I think if I ever get the chance to go back there (and I probably will since my kids live nearby), I will have to do a bit of homework first so I can plan my trip better.

Have any of you ever been to St. Charles, Illinois before?  What would you recommend doing or seeing?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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How I Dress For Spring When The Weather Is Not Spring-Like

I've been reading on a few blogs lately about how to "transition" your winter wardrobe to a spring one.  I don't quite understand this because to me spring, like fall, are transitional seasons.  You don't "transition" into spring, it gradually transitions into summer...at least in Wisconsin!  I always say we only have two seasons:  winter and summer.  Those few months in between winter and summer are usually winter temperatures mixed with a nice day once in a while if we're lucky.

Our average daily temperatures the past few weeks have been 38 to 48 degrees.  But in February we were blessed with a rare respite of 60 to 70 degree daily temperatures.  That lasted for about a week, and then we were hit with three snowstorms.  We can still experience snowstorms mid to late April.  So how does someone who lives in such a fluctuating climate dress for spring?  If you read THIS POST, you would know that I decided no matter how cold it got, I was done with winter clothes and would only wear spring clothes until summer time arrives.  On the day I wore this outfit (March 23, three days past the first official day of spring) it was only 38 degrees and this is what I wore.

 On this day I met my hubby for lunch and spent the rest of the day shopping.  I was only outside for short periods....basically a walk from the car to the store.  I was only a bit chilled for the few minutes it took to get inside.  Now, if I had to be outside for an extended period of time, I probably would have had a winter coat on.  But for what I had to accomplish this day, a scarf and light jacket was enough.

All the colors are light and spring-like, yet I'm dressed in long sleeves and layers for warmth.  I have a white tank top on under my floral blouse, but what really helped me to stay warm all day was the scarf.  It's just a light weight sheer scarf but I couldn't believe all the extra protection it provided against the strong cool spring winds.

My denim jacket is new this season.  I just picked it up at JCP.  I already own two denim jackets, but I was never happy with one of them because it felt uncomfortable in the back/shoulder area and the sleeves were too short.  So I decided to invest in a new one, and I'm glad I did because now I think I will actually wear it more often since it is so comfortable.  I also sized up to a size Large so I could layer underneath comfortably.

My floral top is several years old and is from The Gap.  If you'd like to see it in more detail, you can see it on this post HERE.  I styled it very similarly as I did today except with my old denim jacket, striped pants, pink scarf, and white sandals.

My pink bag is super old.  I bought it at least 12 years ago.  It's been sitting in my closet for a long time unused.  Several times I thought of donating it, now I'm glad I didn't since blush and pink are super "in" right now.

 I chose a striped scarf on this day to play down the florals in the blouse and also to have a little fun with print mixing.

In my last fashion post I mentioned that I bought a lot of new pants this season.  I wanted all my pants to be stretch denim and at least mid-rise (preferably high rise).   This is another new pair that I picked up at TJMaxx.  I thought the light blue color would be perfect for spring.

My white cut-out booties are a couple of years old.   I bought them from Francesca's.  Always check out their shoes any time you're in one of their stores, because they have some unique pieces.   Every single time I wear these booties I get compliments.  They are quite the attention-getter!

For jewelry I just wore simply white studs earrings and my usual rings.

I don't know what it was about this outfit but the day I wore it I got so much attention and lots of compliments.  Maybe everyone is just aching for warmer weather and appreciated seeing some spring colors.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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I Was Naughty (I Bought Another Bomber Jacket)

 O.K., if you remember THIS POST, I shared how I had been searching for a bomber jacket for two seasons or more and I could never find one I liked.  I finally bought a plain burgundy jacket for $20.00 at our local Macy's "Going Out of Business Sale".  I said in that post that I didn't want a black or embroidered jacket;  and look what I just bought:  A black, embroidered bomber jacket!  I couldn't help myself!  It was so pretty.  And quite frankly,  I said I didn't want one because I already had a black moto jacket,  but a black bomber jacket is totally different.  And I also said I didn't want an embroidered one because I found most of the embroidery on the bomber jackets a bit on the tacky side.  The embroidery on this jacket is GORGEOUS!  Plus, the burgundy color of my other bomber jacket does not go with most of my spring clothes, but black goes with everything.  So I will get a lot more use out of it.  O.K.  do you think I gave you enough excuses for buying yet another jacket I really don't need?  Oh, and I forgot the most important one.  My husband LOVES this jacket.  He went on and on about it the entire time I was wearing it.  Score!

I wore my new bomber jacket with another new purchase:  a.n.a.  Skinny Jeans.  In my last fashion post I shared that I donated a third of my old clothes;  and I got rid of a lot of jeans.  It was pretty heart breaking, as I owned a lot of expensive jeans.  But they were all low rise or made of regular denim.  I really only want jeans made with stretch denim and a higher waist line, and these fit the bill!  I also want skinny jeans that have that slim leg look without CLINGING to my leg showing every bump and bulge.  These are perfect!  They are slim fitting, but they don't cling.

Underneath my bomber jacket I wore an Old Navy eyelet top that I bought a few seasons ago.  The last time I showed you this top was HERE.

If you're looking for a bomber jacket, this one is still available HERE.  It also comes in other styles and colors.  I really love the blush jacket  and I am having a hard time resisting not buying that one too!  It's so pretty, and it would be perfect for spring.  Hmmm, maybe if I get another coupon?

I didn't wear a necklace because of all the detail going on with the eyelet top and embroidery, so I wore chandelier earrings instead.

What sold me on this jacket was the gorgeous embroidery.  It's just the right amount for my taste.  The embroidery allows me to wear this jacket dressed up or down.  If it were just plain, I don't think I could wear this jacket with more dressy outfits.

I stuck with the  black and white theme by wearing a black and white bracelet on my wrist, but I added some color to my outfit with a blush handbag from Charming Charlie's.

Because it is finally SPRING, I can show my toes once again!  I went with a peep-toe black canvas wedge (old).

I did size up when I bought the jacket because bomber jackets should appear over-sized, plus I like a more generous fit so I can wear whatever I want underneath.   This is a size Large.

It's so nice to be able to wear something other than a winter coat for a change!  Hopefully we've seen the last of winter here in Wisconsin.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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