Fashion Over Fifty: Classics with a Pop of Color!

Hello!  For this week's Fashion Over Fifty post I thought I'd share with you a classic style with some pops of colors added for both fun and interest.  I wore the classic color combo of white and navy, but to make it a bit more trendy, I carried a bold, bright clutch in Tibetan Red (don't you just love that color description?)  from Express and added a minty teal statement necklace from Francesca's.

 Because it was yet another chilly, rainy day in northwestern Wisconsin,  I wore a classic trench as my outerwear.  I bought this coat last year from T.J. Maxx, and because of it's classic style, I'm sure I'll be wearing it for the rest of my life.

My white skinny ankle jeans are from A.N.A.

 My navy pullover tunic is from ModCloth.  It is very long, which I love, because it covers everything this fifty year old loves to hide;  yet, it is somewhat form fitting in the bust and shoulders so I don't feel like I'm wearing baggy clothes which can make an older woman look frumpy.  It is more loosely draped in the stomach area;  which is always the area I like to conceal.  The material is very sheer,  so I recommend wearing a tank underneath.  I wore a white tank to match my outfit,  but I could see really dressing up this blouse with a sequin or embroidered tank underneath,  or even a bold, contrasting color.

 Here is a close up of my purse.  It is larger than most clutches so my big wallet actually fits inside.  Normally when I use clutches or cross over body bags I have to change to a smaller wallet, which can be a real pain.

 My shoes were purchased last year from Famous Footwear.  They have a wedge heel and a back strap and the heel has a rope texture to it.

 And here is a close up of my statement necklace.  I love the lighter pop of color it brings to this outfit.

Have a great day!  Amy

April Christmas Cards

Hello!  Today I have my April Christmas Cards to show you.  As most of you already know, I play the Splitcoaststampers Christmas Card Challenge where we make Christmas Cards all year long so that were not stressed out during the busy Holiday Season.  I make five cards a month so that I will have over fifty at the end of the year.  I make a long style card (4 1/4 by 8 1/4) so that I can fit a photo card inside along with a Christmas letter.  To keep it easy on myself, I pick one layout and make five cards using that same layout.

This month I used the same layout and main image on all five of my cards, but I didn't have enough of the same designer paper to use on all my cards, so I switched that up a bit.

Here is my first card:  The snowflake is a Sizzix die which I covered in glittered.  All the sentiments were cut from a single sheet of designer paper.  All the designer paper is from DCWV (very old).  I used ribbon and old embellies from my stash to finish off the cards.  An MFT die was used to cut the banner beneath the sentiment.

 The little red and green embellies in the center of the snowflakes were found in the dollar bins of JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts a year or two ago.  They always have such fun and inexpensive things in their bins….it pays to dig!

 When I ran out of my glittery snowflake paper, I switched to this brown and white polka dotted one.  I used red and white ribbon behind my sentiment, and added a felt heart button, brown twine, and red and green ribbon for embellishment.  The little white dots you see on all the cards are adhesive dome crystals.

 And here is a group shot!

Have a great day!  Amy

Spring Vacation Day One, Part Two - Missouri Botanical Gardens

Hello!  Welcome to my second post of our first day of our spring vacation.   The morning of our first day was spent visiting The Gateway Arch;  from there we drove just a few miles to visit the Missouri Botanical Gardens.    As most of my readers already know, I love to garden and I have a very large perennial garden of my own;  so every time we travel, I always like to visit the local botanical gardens of the city we are visiting.  Well, during this road trip we went to four major cities, and we only had time to visit one garden, so I chose the Missouri Botanical Gardens because they are the oldest botanical gardens in the United States.

First of all, I can't even begin to tell you what sheer joy it was to feel warm air, and see flowers, trees and grass again.  When we left Wisconsin it was in the forties and there were still patches of snow on the ground.  After driving only about eight hours south, we started to see grass and feel warm air.  Oh, it was wonderful!  I was so happy that I will get to experience my favorite season twice this year;  once on this vacation, and when it ever makes it way to Wisconsin (still waiting for that!).  

Here is a lovely picture of some gorgeous pink hyacinths, daffodils, and blue grape hyacinths.  Needless to say I got down on my knees to smell these beauties!

 There was a beautiful green house on the property, and when we opened the doors I was immediately engulfed in the intoxicating and wonderful scent of this beautiful jasmine shrub hanging above a water feature:

 Here's an interior shot of this building.  I love the stained glass in the windows and the old door and brick pathway.

Outside of this building is a lovely patio of raised garden beds and tile paths.  There is also another pretty water feature in the middle.

 There were many interesting colorful blown glass artwork throughout the property, such as the yellow ones attached to the arches below.  They really helped bring in a nice pop of color when there is still is a lot of green because not much is in bloom this early in the season.

 Many of their trees were starting to bloom and were absolutely stunning.  I saw many varieties we can't grow up north;  so that was quite a treat for me!

 A beautiful bed of orange tulips.

This was one of my favorite trees.  I love it's massive pink and white blooms and how they cover the ground with petals as they fall.  It's so romantic.  Did you know that in China this is called The Princess Tree?   Traditionally, this tree is planted every time a baby girl is born, and when she is married the tree is cut down and items are made of it's bark for the bride's dowry.  What a beautiful tradition!

 An interesting fact about the Missouri Botanical Gardens was that it started off as wealthy estate, so there are many beautiful old homes and buildings on the grounds like these:

 A fun activity that children enjoy is the maze.  There is even a tower people can climb up to get this view of the maze and help guide the lost explorer to find his way out.

 There is one large dome on the property that houses  tropical and Mediterranean gardens.

 The gardens were filled with every type of spring flowering bulb you could imagine.

 There is a very large Japanese Garden on the property, but unfortunately it was closed the day we visited.  I did manage to stand on a bench and get this picture over the fence:

 Here are some close ups of all the colorful bulbs, spring pansies, and blooming trees and bushes we saw:

 This is a picture of me inside the dome of the Botanical Gardens.    There were many water features inside the dome, like the waterfall cascading behind me:

 I loved this mosaic tile of this water feature:   The violet blue annuals go beautifully with the tile.

 This gorgeous rose was growing next to the water feature.

 A beautiful forsythia bush.

 A lovely balcony overlooking this gorgeous Mediterranean garden inside the dome.

 As we were leaving the gardens,  this beautiful white magnolia tree caught my eye:  absolutely gorgeous!

I hope you are experiencing the joys of spring wherever you live,  but if your still waiting for spring to come like I am,  I hope these pictures have given you some hope that it will be soon!

Have a great day!   Amy