Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Handmade Floral Christian Card


I made this card using "Colorful Blessings" card fronts.  The image is pre-printed and you simply color it in and attach it to a card front.


I colored the image with gel pens on the tiny, more intricate parts of the image, and Stampin' Up! markers on the larger areas.


I matted the card front on black, then on pink card stock, before adhering it to a card base.


Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Monday, April 29, 2019

Spring Instagram Round-Up!

It's been awhile since I've done an "Instagram Round-Up", so I thought I would do one for you today. And if you're wondering "What is an Instagram Round-Up?" they are pictures (selfies) of my everyday outfits that are posted to my Instagram Stories under the hashtag #OOTD (Outfit of the Day).  Most style bloggers do an #OOTD outfit because readers like to see what we wear on our ordinary days.  

I will mention the stores or brands of the items I am wearing because I know everyone is always curious where people shop, but I won't include links because everything I am wearing in the pictures below is either old or sold out.

This is an outfit I wore to a ladies church brunch at some one's home. 

Pants:  Burgundy Jeggings - Stitch Fix,  Tops - JCPenney 


I wore this outfit to church on a cold spring day.  I'm sure you've heard me say it many times before but when the weather is still cold, yet the calendar says it's spring, I dress warm, but with light, spring colors.

Cardigan - CJBanks, White Shell Top - Calvin Klein, Embroidered Jeans - Younkers, White Boots - Francescas .


This is an outfit I wore just to run into town to have my hair done.  That is why my hair looks so different.  I can never get it to look this way on my own.
The top is a short sleeve velvet tee from JCPenney,  white jacket - CJBanks, same embroidered jeans and boots above.


Here I wore the same jacket and booties as I did above but with a coral sweater and pearl embellished jeans.


 I wore this look to go shopping.

Top - TJMaxx,  pants - Liz Claiborne,  flats - Payless Shoe Source .  On a side note, I can't believe Payless is going-out-of-business, can you?  I have rarely shopped there in the last few years, but I remember shopping there a lot in my younger years.  Other than Walmart, there aren't many low cost shoe stores available anymore and it makes me wonder where a lot of people will be able to get more inexpensive shoes.


This is an outfit I wore to church.

Blazer and shell - CJBanks,  jeans - a.n.a. JCP,  booties - Blowfish


Well, I can tell by hair that this is an outfit I wore to get my hair done!  ha ha!

White sweater - JCPenney,  lace cami - CJBanks,  eggplant leggings - Stitch Fix,  black booties.


Another church outfit!

White choker top - JCPenney, red pants - Stitch Fix, black wedges - JCPenney.


And yet again, another church outfit.  Can you tell what a boring life I lead?  Seriously, the only time I leave the house is to go to church, shop, or get my hair done!  ðŸ¤£ And, I like it that way!!!  I'm a homebody.

Black embroidered bomber jacket - JCPenney, floral top - Ross, black pants - Stitch Fix, black wedges - JCPenney


This is an outfit I threw on just to pick my husband up after work and grab a quick dinner at Subway. Yea!  I did something different!

Nautical sweater - JCPenney,  jeans - a.n.a JCPenney, loafers - Dr. Scholls


And finally, here is an outfit I wore on a rainy shopping day.  Of all my daily outfits I've shown you, this outfit got the most compliments from strangers.  It always surprises me what outfits people tend to like the most.  Most women commented on how much they loved the scarf or boots!  Accessories do matter!  A cute scarf or a great pair of shoes can make an outfit.

Utility jacket - Stitch Fix, scarf - ?, distressed boyfriend jeans - JCPenney, white sweater - Talbots, booties - Francesca's.


I hope you enjoyed my Instagram Round-Up of Selfies.  Follow Me on Instagram HERE to see more!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Friday, April 26, 2019

How To Wear Pearl Embellished Jeans

Last summer our Younkers store went out of business at our local mall.  I waited till the very last week to shop there, when there was almost nothing left, but I scored the most AMAZING deals on what I did find.  I'm wearing two of my finds in this post:  a Calvin Klein white shell top and these pearl embellished jeans.  Now, I must admit I never would have purchased these jeans at full price, or even on sale, as they are very trendy, but I scored all these funky jeans for about $5.00 a pair.  On that same shopping day I bought these pearl embellished jeans, two embroidered pairs of jeans, pom pom jeans, and a pair of ruffled hem jeans.  It's sad to see stores close, but it's nice to score big on the going-out-of-business sales!


It was a fairly chilly spring day so I wore a black and white checkered coat.  I don't get to wear this coat often as it's a lightweight winter coat and our temperatures in Wisconsin are usually one extreme or another:  hot or cold.  But, the coat does come in handy on those rare in-between days.  The classic style never gets dated and I always get so many compliments when I wear this coat.  It's very old.  I bought it at TJMaxx years ago and it will be one of those items that will stay in my closet forever.  Such a fun and unique coat


This time of year I like to look like "spring" even though the weather may not always feel like spring.  I do that by wearing lighter colors like this blush cardigan from JCPenney (old).


The white Calvin Klein shell top coordinates beautifully with the white pearls on my jeans.  I think the trick to styling pearl embellished jeans is to have white somewhere else in your outfit.  In this outfit I have three white items:  the top, the bag, and the shoes.  The three white items coordinate and blend well together so the pearls in the jeans don't stand out too much.  The eye is drawn from the white top down to the white pearls in the jeans and shoes.  Also, because the pearls are such a dramatic statement, keeping the rest of the outfit simple or casual is a must for balance.


I will say these pearl embellished jeans are not for the faint of heart as you will get lots of attention if you wear them.  If I'm not in the mood to be gawked at and I just want to blend in with the crowd, I will not wear these jeans.  The jeans attract a lot of attention and I will always get comments every time I wear them.


Another attention getter are these white boots.  I wear these a lot in the spring because we have so much dirt and slush leftover from the winter and sandals or flats are just impractical.  These boots are so old.  I bought them at Francesca's years ago before white boots were even popular.  Every time I wear them I get compliments.  


For accessories, I chose all my jewelry to be rose gold (necklace from JCP, bracelet from Francesca's) to match my blush sweater.  I carried a black and white bag (old, JCPenney).


Rose Gold Tear Drop Earring - Charlotte Russe



So what do you think?  Would you wear these embellished jeans or are they too much for you?

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Shopping With Alethea at IKEA and More!

Whenever I visit my children in Illinois, I love to go to IKEA!  I don't buy much, I usually just purchase food items (have you ever tried their oatmeal cookies?  AMAZING!) and small decor items. My main reason for going is because I love to walk through their showrooms and get ideas!  I think their small space living ideas are incredible.

This small living space that my daughter and granddaughter are exploring, was so pretty!  I said "I could so easily live here!"  Of course, I'd probably have to get rid of all my crafty stuff and 3/4 of my clothes, but I could still live here!  I loved all the pink, especially the pink dividing curtain and the pink sofa.  


Here is the kitchen portion of this room.


And here is the entertainment area of the room.    

I had just finished painting my new living room when I was visiting my kids, so I was on the lookout for new furniture.  That's another reason I wanted to go to IKEA;  to check out their "all white slip covered furniture" that's all the rage.  Unfortunately,  although I found a lot of furniture that I liked the look of, (like the grey couch below),  I didn't think it was comfortable when I sat on it.


I was also on the hunt for interesting pendant lighting for another room in our home we will be remodeling next year.  I saw a lot of lighting I liked, but nothing screamed "Take me home with you!"

On a side note, notice the floral wallpaper?  Wallpaper is back in style, especially if you only wallpaper one wall.  I would never do wallpaper, because when I bought my house 25 years ago every wall (and ceiling) was covered in wallpaper.  I spent years stripping it off, so I would never put it back in.  But I will appreciate all the pretty wallpaper designs I see.


I spotted these curtains and made a mental note to consider them when we begin our next room remodel.  My husband and I discussed having a curtain to separate a living space from a sleeping space in that room.  These will work great!


Here is the famous "All White Slip Covered Couch" every Instagram woman wants in their home.   I sat in it, and just wasn't comfortable.  I also thought it was a little pricey for "cheap" furniture ($479.00).  And, I don't know, they just look kinda sloppy to me.  I get the attraction, but in the end, I passed as I didn't think they would work for me.


I really liked this wire storage rack idea, it would be perfect for long necklaces and scarves.


I took a picture of this showroom because the duvet cover is the same cover I purchased for my guest room.  When I decorated my guest room, I used pink as the accent color, so it was interesting to me to see my same duvet cover accented with blue.  If I ever decide to get rid of the pink, blue would work too!


One of the items I was considering buying for my new living room was a chaise lounge.  I liked the modern look of this one, but again, when I sat in it, it was terribly uncomfortable to me.


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how they decorated these pink vases.  I actually purchased two of these leaves the last time I was at Ikea, but I just left mine tall.  This is a brilliant idea to bend the stem and add an orchid.  I really must try this!


These planters are so cute too!  I've noticed the plain wooden bases on planters are really trending.


Another industrial pendant light I liked.


Here is the slip covered chair that goes with the slip covered couch.  Again, just not comfy and pretty pricey to me.  The chair is $349 alone plus another $169 for the ottoman.  One thing I noticed while shopping for new furniture for my home was how expensive ottomans are.  They are almost as expensive as the chair!  I wonder why.  It's almost as if they do that on purpose, because they know you NEED the ottoman to go with the chair, so they overcharge you.


I really liked this pendant lighting.


This 'basket' cover is actually sold separately.  I think out of all the lighting I saw, this one might work best in my home.  I love the texture it will bring to a room.


Alethea had so much fun in the kid's area of IKEA.  She loved playing with this play kitchen.  It blew me away with how she knew how to turn on the water faucet, fill dishes with water, and cook something in the microwave.  I could tell she must watch mom and dad cook in the kitchen a lot.


I did like these updated retro versions of wing chairs and found them the affordable at only $279 (current on line price) and the ottoman is only $69.


I'm keeping an eye out for a new entertainment center for our next room remodel.  I liked the industrial look of this one, plus the metal will help keep the grandkids from pushing the buttons on the tv components!


I've been trying to figure out what to do with the windows in our living room.  We really don't need curtains in that room, as there are no privacy issues.  I thought of having no window treatments at all, but it just seems kinda sterile to me.  So then I considered these:  they're not shades, because they don't roll up.  They are just stiff fabric that could actually serve as a room divider too.  They come in a variety of patterns.  I thought they were pretty cool, but hubby dismissed them because they would block his view.



More fun pendant lighting.



I always look forward to shopping at IKEA not just for inspiration for my own home, but also so I could eat in their cafeteria.  I love their Swedish Meatballs!  I tried their salmon dish once, but when a friend suggested I try their Swedish Meatballs, I've ordered that ever visit since.  They also sell their meatballs in their frozen food section, but because I was traveling I couldn't buy any to take home.  Alethea went crazy for them!  She loved them so much!



Finally, here are some other pictures I took while shopping with Alethea at other spots in Illinois.  The weather was really bad the week I was there, so other than the zoo and the children's museum, shopping and a movie/restaurant with my son was all I did.  That's O.K., as I love to shop when I'm in Illinois because they have so many more stores than we do in my small town.


Here Alethea and I played together at a play area in a mall while mom shopped in a nearby store.  Alethea loved these little chairs and I thought the colors of the chairs went so well with her outfit.  She is such a cutie pie.  Her mom texted me yesterday that Alethea got her very first "boo boo" when she fell down while playing outside.  I sent Alethea a text with kisses and lipstick emojis for her boos boos and Ashley said that she is "enjoying all the sympathy she is getting over her boo boos."



Well unfortunately this will be a temporary end to my travel posts (I will pop in on Wednesday with a few 'Staycation" posts).  My husband and I decided not to take a spring vacation this year so we could complete some much needed house projects instead.  I must admit, it was very hard on me not to take a spring vacation.  I always look so forward to getting away somewhere warm after a long, hard winter.  But we are taking a vacation in the fall, we are going back to UTAH!  I fell in love with the state of Utah when we drove to Las Vegas a few years ago.  Unfortunately, we had a car issue and we never got to Zion National Park, so we always planned on going back.  This time we won't be going alone, we will be taking our son with us.  He's never seen landscape like Utah before, so I'm sure he'll be blown away.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!