Rain Rain

 It actually rained here in Southern California last weekend!

We are having an unprecedented drought this year

so the rain was a joyous event

that had been predicted for a week

and 

I was ready!

 I tucked my hair up under my beret

for a fun weather proof style.

Wore my Ralph Lauren toggle slicker

and

celebrated the cool temperatures with

double scarfing.

 I saw this  for the very first time

in Italy done by the most dapper man I have ever seen.

My Dooney and Burke bag was the perfect pop of cheery color

as were  my red boots

paired with white jeans and nautical stripes.

I was over the moon 

being able to actually use an umbrella!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy 

as you style your life

What I Wore to the Pismo Beach Auction

 As I mentioned last week 

we went to Pismo Beach for my daughter's auction  for her department.
Ellis is majoring in event planning
and this was their annual fundraiser.

It was a beautiful event held inside a tent at the beach.

I packed a core wardrobe of creamy neutrals for our trip

and
 spent the whole weekend

in only two shoes

my white Birkenstocks seen Here

and 

my new Coach Glitter kitten heels.

The Coach shoe was the perfect choice for the auction.

They have the perfect amount of

glam and function

since the kitten  heel makes them a pleasureto walk in!

 My favorite styling is  working with 

textured monochromes
and 

creamy colors are  one of my favorites

as they always pair beautifully with my love of pearls.

These textured neutrals  were all perfect players in my creamy core wardrobe
and
 made for a lovely ensemble for the auction.

I paired  a textured off the shoulder sweater with my 

cream skirts

and
 yes that is plural skirts

as I layer my 

Rag and Bone silk parachute skirt

over my  knife pleated Theory skirt.

The movement of the two together

makes them the  most delicious to wear and walk in
and one becomes a slip for the other.

I finished off the is wonderful ensemble with

an antique crystal evening bag.

The tag you see in the photo

is actually the back side of hand done

calligraphy name tags for the event.

They were presented with pins

so the wearer could decide to 

either pin or tie!

I'm not usually a fan of name tags

but these were a pleasure to wear for the event!

 I was so very proud of my daughter

and
 the professional level of her event.

It's a wonderful thing to see your children

turning into successful and talented adults.

It's a proud Mama heart I have here.

You can see more of Ellis's  styling of the event Here.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Hello Monday … Hello Gratitude

I have realized through intentionally practicing gratitude

that when I am feeling  the least grateful

that is exactly

 when I need to dig deeper 

to find my gratitude.

I am a very all or nothing person

and

 this is never a successful outlook on life 

so I have to remind myself

 life is always filled with peaks and valleys

and

it is in life's valleys

that gratitude is most helpful

in getting to the next peak.

When I'm in a bad mood

or feeling depressed

my mind becomes a negative collector

mentally sweeping through all the areas of my life

to make a stand  that 

my life sucks

and

 everything is wrong.

In those moments

I have temporary blindness to any

and all good

and the rabbit hole 

 opens up with a siren song.

I am ready to blame anybody 

and

 everybody for my disappointments

to focus on hurt and position for attack 

and
 invariably

make my day 

and relationships 

all the worse.

So now when I  feel that kind of  bad

and can't quite 

get to the gratitude

I  back up

and ask myself

what is really going on

because I know by now

when I'm there

it's not really about others.

Today I know it is a frustration

over a relationship

that I can't control.

That I must remind myself

sometimes you must accept estrangements.

I can't choose to feel so bad about it

that I use it as an excuse 

not to seek out a beautiful life.

Today

I know I am also frustrated with myself

for a adding on 5 pounds recently.

I could blame menopause

but I know it is really loosing focus on

some daily choices.

Usually when I feel this disappointment

I go into self punishing mode

of denial.

Which invariably ends up

with even more bad choices

made to escape the harsh punishment.

So today

instead of going into these old modes of behavior

I am making new and different choices.

I  am going to dress myself lovingly today

in the body I have today.

I will  work to change my mental dialogue 

to kind and loving affirmations.

I will make a list of the l things I am grateful for today like

quiet coffee time

my bedroom sanctuary

free time 

that I have great wardrobe pieces to pull from

that we got marvelous rain this weekend
it is sunny today
and

that I am healthy.

I will realize today

that when I am feeling down

finding faults in others
or myself

will never improve my situation

but 

self kindness can.

Instead of trolling for the bad

I can remind myself

that having a bad day

doesn't mean it's a bad life.

I can take time for 

self kindness

instead of self punishment.

Today I am going take the time

to nurture myself

and
 practice self care

and for that

I am grateful.

as always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you find your own life gratitudes

Saturday Quotes

Trying New Looks

I have been playing in my closet this week

in my attempt to step up my daily dressing.

I have even been trying pieces that up until now I had said no to

I want my personal style to continue to evolve

and

 not just cling to my cherished standbys.

So this week I bought my 

very first leather jacket

and paired it with 

the only graphic T I have ever owned!

The jacket is from Target.

I didn't want to spend a lot on a piece

I wasn't sure how much wear it would actually get.

I paired the jacket with my wide legged pants from Anthropologie

and 

ankle boots also formTarget

for the very same reason.

Buying inexpensive pieces is a great way 

for me to try out some different looks.

Never having owned a leather jacket before

I am really happy with it

and 

ever so glad I tried it out!

I actually think this jacket will see a lot of wear

as I can definitely see it's versatility.

Here I traded the wide pants for jeans

and

 added my cashmere tunic over the white T

then added my statement brooch necklace and  black patent pumps.

I was so happy about the outfit

it was the perfect excuse to go for happy hour 

in Old Town Orange with my husband!

Oh the fun of an outfit you just love!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Linking up with
Judith of the wonderful

Style Crone
Share in Style

Connections … Part 4 in Write The Blog You Want to Read

Ask almost any blogger what their three top  aspects of blogging are

 and

 almost invariably

connections
 will be on the list.

When I came to blogging a couple of years ago

I had no idea

connections

would  end up to be on the top of my list as well.

I had read this sentiment of others

but just didn't really see it happening for me

as I am a bit of a happy introvert.

But I was wrong

and so happy I was

because I can definitely say

Connecting

has definitely been a huge unexpected 
blogging gift.

As I concentrated on using my blog

as an online journal

to express myself authentically

during my life transitions

I began to connect with  other women.

Sometimes they were on  the same journey
 and
sometimes very different paths as well.

But these connections
 were always  a godsend to me to be sure.

I began to see

I was not alone on this  life journey.

Sharing my heartbreak with others

was a cathartic path

to putting myself back together

even better than before

as I have developed much empathy and respect for others 

on my journey.

Last year I was talking with my family

that at this stage in my life

I needed to make new friends

as my children were all on their way to their own lives.

In the final years raising them I had neglected to 

plan for my future

in the friendship realm
(actually many realms if truth be told)

I found myself in rather a friend abyss

as many friends  had moved away

and

 the ones still remaining

were still in the heavily invested still in child rearing years
as I had once been.

I joked that there should be a 

match.com and EHarmony

for women my age looking to make new friends
in this new phase of life.

Finally months later it hit me …

I already had a perfect way to connect

with women
and
 opportunities
to foster new enduring friendships.

It was right here
blogging

where I could share not only my authentic self

writing out my thoughts

but also 

share my myriad of other interests!

I could also find others doing this

and 

sharing their own lives and interests!

I have had the privilege  of meeting

so many wonderful women

from all around the globe.

Women, who without blogging

I never would have met.

By simply
 having a blog
and

sharing my story

joining link parties

and
commenting sincerely

on other blogs 

and

posts that touch my heart

I now have wonderful friends

all around the world.

All because I started to blog.

Friendships that have grown from

just existing in this supportive blog sphere

to
 genuine friendships

in real life.

As a matter of fact 

in a few weeks I will be joining

some blogging friends on a 

fabulous girls getaway.

All because I started to blog.

By 

WRITING THE BLOG I WANT TO READ

I am able to find more of the 

LIFE I WANT TO LIVE

Because we all know by now

just how much richer life is

when we make  true connections

on this  journey that is life!

By blogging

I have been able to discover my interests

at this stage in my life
HERE in part 1

By blogging
 I have learned to find  and seek beauty 

and

 daily joy

by taking pictures every day

to record my life's moments.
HERE in part 2

By blogging I have learned 

to respect my own story

and

 let go of comparison 

and

 jealousy
HERE in part 3

With my blog I have been able to 

make true connections

and 

friendships

all around the world.

 Part 5 of this series

WRITE THE BLOG YOU WANT TO READ

IT CAN HELP YOU FIND THE LIFE YOU WANT TO LIVE

Will be talking about the gift of  seeking intentional gratitude.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you find more of the life

you want to live.

Vintage Travel Party Decor

We traveled up to Pismo Beach this weekend

for my daughter's auction at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

It was  their yearly fundraiser

and

 Ellis was the co chair for the event

in her Event Planning major.

The chosen theme

Vintage Travel

I was absolutely amazed

  how they executed

 the theme and decor

on almost no budget .

Just a lot of borrowing, donations

and 

a whole lot of creativity and work

in pulling it all together

with weeks of flea market collecting thrown in for good measure!

Jeff and I were able to help 

make succulent arrangements with donated plants.

Repeating plant usage

or flowers

in various sizes and containers

adds unity to any party decor.

Adding tiny pebbles to each succulent arrangement

gave them the perfect finishing touch!

Arrangements were made in

 wooden boxes

as well as

 silver pieces and crystal bowls.

I can't wait to hit the antique market this weekend

for some vintage silver pieces.

Adding in succulents 

is an almost instant style maker

when they are finished off with tiny stones!

Another item I am  definitely going to add to my styling inventory is

a collection of tree branch rounds.
The auction committee was able to borrow
for free
many of their party props from
Zest It Up
an event company located in San Luis Obispo.
Zest It Up had  so many inventive party decor ideas
like using tree branch rounds.

Cut thin they are the perfect grounding layer

for anything.

Cut thick they make for perfect lifts and levels when setting up vignettes.

I see can styling with  these pieces again and again.

Jeff has already agreed to cut a collection for me!

One of my very favorite elements of their decor

penant bunting

made from grocery bags and twine!

This was pure genius party decor!

Recycling grocery bags and some time

made for huge party impact!

Used throughout the space

instant party cohesiveness was accomplished

at No Cost

aside from some twine!

Another absolutely sweet bunting was made from

 cutting hearts from maps!

The maps were from AAA

and

 for any member…

they are free!

Since most all maps are printed on both sides

they are perfect for heart bunting

as both sides can show fabulously!

Another inspired decor was 

pinwheels

made from book pages

and

 craft paper!

Again almost no cost

plus

creativity

made for wonderfully inspired decor!

Using the pinwheel in each succulent arrangement 

as well as 

the focal tables

made sure the inspired designs

were sprinkled throughout the party.

Just one more way to unify the decor.

Tables were set just as creatively as the rest of the decor!

Centerpiece arrangements were made more impactful with

maps laid down  in the center.

Collected vintage books

some which were wrapped in music paper and twine

 were added next.

Next came the  succulent arrangements

and 

votives.

Layering in elelments 

is a cost effective way to add 

impact to your centerpieces.

To add even more 

cost effective impact to the table

placemats were cut out of craft paper

bambo plates were used with borrowed vintage silverware.

Finished of perfectly with

hand torn napkins

made from sheets form the thrift store.

Having almost no budget

never slowed down the party style for the

Cal Poly Auction!

So the next time you're planning your own party

remember

Creativity and labor

can always take party style

the furthest!

Congratulations to

Ellis and all the committee members!

You all showed just how far you can go with 

party style

on a budget!
Congratulations for your record breaking fundraising of
30,000$ !!!
A 50 percent increase from last year!
Styling really can make an impact!!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life