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!