Restyling A Ball Dress

 

Jeff and I celebrated Valentines Day with a trip to 

the Laguna Beach Farmers Market.

I wanted to make it

'an occasion'

so I brought out one of my favorite 

pink ball dresses

Each time I bring out this beloved dress

I try to style it a bit different.

This time I added my 

white jean jacket

that I embellished with

cabbage rose brooches.

This is how I've worn the jacket before.

So not only did I restyle my dress,

look what a different feeling the denim jacket has with

the addition of the floral cabbage rose brooches.

These days I do love the challenge of restyling pieces that I own.

Here  I styled the ball dress  as

 a skirt

 by adding 

a wrap blouse.

Here I 

added a sweater

 and added a dramatic collar underneath

for another skirt version.

Here it is with my favorite 

white top underneath

which makes the dress function as 

a jumper.

this is one of my favorite ways to wear strapless dresses these days.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

2025 Accessory Roundup

A look at some of my favorite 

Accessory Looks of 2025.

I am reminded again

just how transformative

well chosen accessories can be to 

Outfit Styling

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Doing More Creatively and Buying Less

I've been working on my 

Wardrobe Recap for 2025.

I enjoy looking back

to remember what really worked

and 

what I want to create this year.

~ And just for the record

I don't get 'Dressed' in an outfit everyday.

I used to think if I tried really hard I could or would.

Now I realize some days I love wearing just whats cozy and comfortable

when I'm home in the studio.

I often wear a form of a uniform many days in a row.

So when I do feel like getting dressed

I want to have fun with my outfits. ~

Looking back this year

I realize my favorite outfits weren't even new.

They were  created and curated from pieces I have

reworked and reimagined.

I did more with creativity and bought less this year.

I have  fallen in love with the new renditions 

because they work for me!

 I love wearing them, especially my hat!

Life feels different to me

when I really love my outfit!

Which means I bring a different energy to what ever I do!

This is one of my recent favorites.

I began with a basic dress, that I have had for years.

The neckline was cut deeper than I want

so I always top it off in different ways.

To it I added a knit dress that I reworked by cutting it up the center

then I removed the sleeves,  turning it into a long vest.

The crew neck became a perfect backdrop

for my signature Shell and Pearl necklace.

My favorite part of the outfit

one of my newest creations

My feather hat!

I spent almost a week sewing on feather boa strips

to an older Lack of Color wide brimmed fedora.

My new Tecova leather boots, along with 

a faux fur purse finished my outfit.

It's an outfit that made my heart so happy to wear!

Sometimes when an outfit really comes together

magic can happen for me!

It did that night!

I had worn the outfit to get my hair done

with the aim to go out for cocktails later.

Long story short

 that evening Jeff and I got invited to 

an amazing party hosted by

Free Note Cloth

Luckily I had brought my favorite cashmere wrap.

It was the perfect addition for the outdoor event.

It ended up to be a magical evening

at an amazing venue

filled with the most amazing people

who also truly took the idea of

 personal style to Art form levels.

Thank you Freenote Cloth for an incredible evening!

It was truly an evening for the books.

and

 it happened because I loved my outfit!

Here's to Doing More Creatively

and

Buying Less!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Holiday Table Decor

The last couple of years

I have been decorating my Thanksgiving table 

with a nod toward Christmas.

This year I knew I wanted 

a Tablescape 

that was new and whimsical

that would transition easily to the Christmas season.

I was inspired when I saw the idea of 

deer in recycled cans!

I quickly ran with the idea

and now

it has morphed into my 

Christmas Design Scheme for 2025

Woodland Whimsy

I began my tablescpe with my very large piece of driftwood

which is a constant on our large dining table

that Jeff built decades ago.

I 'built' out my deer cans first by filling the cans almost 

to the top with tiny rocks.

(I think. sand would even work better).

I ordered a set of three deer families from Amazon

along with a collection of bottle brush trees.

I got the set with some gold trees 

as a color nod to Thanksgiving.

Lastly I added reindeer moss tho complete

the Woodland Theme in the cans.

I filled in the Tablescape with various candles

finishing off with fairy lights

that I leave on even during the day!

I made sure that the tablescape design 'read' beautifully from all seats at the table.

One of my favorite parts of my 

Woodland Tablescape

are the tiny pinecones mixed into the design.

This sweet addition was from my darling Grand Daughter Lennon.

I was lucky enough to have her over for several days

and 

Lennon came up with the idea to add the tiny pinecones for the deer!

She made sure to get one for each of the deer!

I was so happy how the tablescape worked into the room as a whole.

We have a small house with an open floor plan

so I always want my sight lines to be cohesive.

I actually make sure the outside works as well.

We put the tree up for Thanksgiving

but keep it plain of decorations until after the family holiday.

Having it up early feels like an exciting build to the holidays for me!

Plus it make Christmas decorating so much less stressful!

For place cards for the table

I used small wooden easels

with black canvases with chalked names.

Another lovely benefit of having Lennon over

is I made little heart tags with initials out  of self drying clay

while she did her colorful clay design play.

The tags are such a simple project

but I have been wanting to do them for years

but always felt 'too busy'

The actual making process is as simple as rolling out the clay

cutting out the shape and hole.

I finished by stamping the initial with black ink.

Time with Lennon in the studio

has made me so much more present.

Her sense of creative studio play and creativity

is so invigorating to be around!

She is a continual creative inspiration to me!

I always bring out my collection of

 whimsical salt and pepper shakers for the Thanksgiving table.

Speaking of whimsy

I was so happy with my

Thanksgiving outfit!

Especially how it spoke to my tablescape!

Of course I had a perfectly coordinated 

'Hostess Crown'.

These days I really do

 dress to make myself happy.

If not now, when?

My favorite thingabout Thanksgiving this year

is how everybody contributed!

I obviously did the decor.

Jeff did the turkey, stuffing and green beans.

Ellis brought a batched cocktail - a 'figgy martini'

home made rolls, the best sweet potatoes casserole ever and a delicious 

charcuterie board of hand selected cheeses and bites

from her favorite cheese store in San Diego.

Megan made a pumpkin pie from scratch!

And when I say scratch ...

she not only made her own graham crackers for the crust,

she cooked the pumpkin from fresh pumpkins!!

She also brought homemade butter for everyone as gifts!

My bother brought special pies

just like my Dad used to bring each year.

It fills my heart that everyone 

spent so much time and effort contributing to

the family celebration!

I once again set out trays of jewelry making supplies.

This time I added in enamel charms for Christmas.

It's always a beautiful thing to see how creative everyone is in our family!

Melts my heart!

Thank you so much for stopping by here!

I hope I was able to offer you some 

Holiday Decor Inspiration

my friends!

Paper Whites are planted in the living room centerpiece

working their way to Christmas!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life.