Sunday Best and All the Rest

   Happy New Year!    After last week's Christmas post, I decided to take a short break from blogging. As it turns out, that was a good idea, since I found myself a bit busy! However, now I'm back on board and ready to share today's outfit with you! Yes, it's technically time for a topic post, but I neglected to plan in advance. ;)    My last few outfits have been on the dressier side, so here's one of my more casual options. This afternoon I wore it when I went with my mom to clean house for an older lady friend that we work for; No, I'm not a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. ;)          I usually prefer to sport loose tops when wearing pants, so today I put on this bright pink sweater. I like the cable detailing on the front as well as the folded shawl-collar (at least, that's what I'm calling it...let me know if there's another name for it). I accessorized with my silver chain and b...

  Paper bag luminaries on our front porch    Wow, is Christmas already nearly over? Last night and this afternoon my parents and I spent time visiting both sides of the family and now we are preparing to have a cozy evening at home. In the midst all the visiting and food and gifts, I've been remembering the One whose birthday is honored this holiday. Without Him, there would be nothing to be joyful about. :)      Though not on purpose, both my Christmas eve and Christmas day outfits ended up being teal with black. Perhaps teal is not a traditional Christmas color, but both outfits were festive. I've always thought shades of blue seemed appropriate for a winter holiday. :)    Above is what I wore to my aunt's house for Christmas eve. The blouse, cardigan and skirt are all thrifted. The gold bracelet I'm wearing is one that my Grandma handed down to me just last night.   ...

   The main purpose of the blog is to inspire you, the reader, in your fashion endeavors. In order to do this, I, the writer need to have some material which will inspire you. This begs the question, where do I come up with my ideas for style? Stay tuned, because I’m about to tell you, in case you hadn’t guessed. ;)   1: Books    I have read just about every book about clothing I can get my hands on (that is, if they fall in the spectrum of “books with lots of pictures”). This has been going on since long before I ever thought of writing a blog; it’s just something that has inexplicably fascinated me. It all began with books about historical costume, which I have always enjoyed drawing, especially in illustrating my stories. As I got older, I became more interesting in modern fashion and what different kinds of styles there were. Many authors of fashion have great information to offer about how to achieve different looks, try new styles and how ...

  (Birthday party décor)    As I suspected, I only posted once last week. Time will tell if I can remedy that this week. Happily, my busy days have resulted in fun outfits to share with you!   My personal style is not easy to define at this point. I have classic, retro, creative, and sometimes bohemian elements to what I wear. When dressing up for special occasions, my clothing choices are as varied as they are in day-to-day life. All the same, everything I wear has a "Paige" flavor to it. Following are a few outfits that I have worn recently that show my assorted expressions in the world of fashion. I may even present you with some inspiration in the process. :)      Last week, I attended a Christmas party for the local pregnancy care center that Mom and I volunteer at. My outfit was definitely feminine, ruffles and lace and draping folds. My new bo...

   In case you haven't noticed (which you probably didn't, since I often have trouble getting more than one post out per week ;) ), my weekly blogging goal is to do one outfit post and one topic post each week. This is my outfit post for the week, but it includes another topic as well. The latter is something that I wish didn't have to be here, but frankly, I'm desperate for some answers! Blogger has been acting rather peculiar lately, as well as the internet in general. That being said, let's start out with the fun stuff... ...such as this outfit! Monday was a day of running a couple of errands and relaxing at home. Even though I was wearing comfy jeans, Converse, and a long-sleeved knit t-shirt, the outfit was dressed up a little bit with the jacket I purchased during last month's thrift store expedition . I had my doubts about how the jacket would look with such casual pieces, but I think the effect was rewarding. The accessory of the day was m...

  Now that December has come, the temperature has definitely dropped, even in my home town's "temperate" climate. Some clothes make an easy transition into the cooler months. Your favorite maxi skirt and pair of jeans probably look just as cute with boots and a cardigan as they do with flats and a t-shirt. What about those less obvious pieces like sun dresses though? For the trickier items, I have a few tips that have helped me. Layering                 Layering clothes is something that I do just about every day. For modesty reasons, I already layer my dresses (oh, and the fact that our summer days rarely get above the 70's, at best ;) ). The transition to the cooler months just requires putting long sleeves underneath instead of short sleeves. Some dresses also look cute with a sweater over them, such as the plaid dress in the photo.    You might have to get creative...

   Greetings! It would appear that I am posting later than I meant to. Life has been rather busy lately, with times in in the midst of the hectic schedule where I've just been vegetating on the recliner watching movies. Sometimes one just needs to rest. :)   Another reason for my delay is that I forgot to have anyone take pictures of my clothes on Thanksgiving. Oops! Hence, the photos you see here are from today rather than Thursday. Thanksgiving was a beautiful, sunny day, while today is a lovely rainy day.       I wore the dress that was introduced here , a t-shirt and leggings for modesty and warmth, my boots, and a sweater that my mom had just refashioned for me a few days before. The color of the sweater really picked up on the red orange in the dress. One of the fun things about patterned clothing is that you can change the way it looks by wearing it with different contrasting or complementary colors. ...

    In one of my first blog posts (here) , I discussed my essential clothing items and what makes them so dynamic to my wardrobe. Today, I would like to expound upon my neutral colored dress. When my inspiration is running dry, this is the dress that I turn to. With little effort, it can fit many moods, occasions, and climates. Below, I have modeled five outfits to show you how to make a basic dress look fabulous.      First, is my "spring" look. I spruced up the dress by adding one of my favorite elements, which is my red leather belt. The dress has short sleeves, so throwing a cardigan on over it gives it warmth and adds dimension. With my elegant flats and green clutch, I could be ready to head out the door for a birthday party or dinner at a friend's house.         In the summer, I can wear my button-up dress with sneakers and tooled leather belt for a more casual ...

   How can a girl spend a November afternoon in a fun and rewarding way? Go thrift shopping! Today, my mom, grandma and I paid several of our home town's thrift stores a visit. Not only was it a lovely way to spend a girls' day out, but it also produced some cute purchases.   Technically, not all of our shopping was at thrift shops. We also visited consignment stores. The difference has confused me for a while, so here are definitions from thefreedictionary.com and Bing dictionary to help you and I out: * Thrift Shop - A shop that sells used articles, especially clothing, as to benefit a charitable organization. * Consignment Store - special retail outlet: a retail outlet that stocks and sells goods on a sale-or-return basis, or as an agent selling on behalf of others and receiving a percentage So, at a consignment store, the person who gave the items to be sold gets a profit. Typically, consignment stores stick with items tha...