Winter Style Files

Winter Style Files

I love fashion...always have, always will..its just something that makes me happy.

Now I'm not a total fashionista...I don't wear some of the latest absurd trends nor do I pay gobs of cash for items and I don't spend hours looking at clothes.  But I do like to take trendy pieces and add them into what I already own and add a few classics along the way.

And Polyvore.com is a GREAT place to play around with clothes...like a big closet..except the clothes are free to dress up in.  I like to create fashion-boards of styles I like and then save them...gives me an idea of what to look for online or in stores.  

Below are two that are my current faves and I'm setting out to buy a few things that are similar.  These are styles that have some classic elements but also a few trendy and fun items thrown in (keep trendy items cheap, pay more for classics is my motto).

Warm White Winter by sjdean 

White chunky knit sweater, $24 / Jacket, $315 / MICHAEL Michael Kors cream skinny jeans, $66 / Steve Madden brown slouch boots  $133/ Nica shoulder bag, $88 / Olivia Burton watch, $115 / River Island earrings, $7.98 / With Love From CA brown infinity scarf  $17/ Edward Bess lip gloss, $41 

The Links above are the actual items I pinned...I just liked them...doesn't mean I'm buying them but its a good launching point.  Nothing I pinned is too expensive except the leather jacket and I expect to pay about $200-350 for a nice jacket like that...but it will last and last. I have a black one already and am debating over whether to get a dark brown or cream one...love dark brown but the cream /camel one speaks to me too.  And those boots...oh I have a thing for boots lemme tell ya..borderline obsessive ;)  And that scarf..only $17...yup its definitely a must have for me..cute and animal prints are IN y'all!  The rest of the items I have similar ones of...I got the cream skinny jeans at Abercrombie though.

These are my new boots from Nordstroms by Dolce Vita..aren't they cute?

They are super comfy too...the black ones fell into my cart this week...they will be here Saturday!  I'm a shoe-addict what can I say...but I do wear them I promise!

Scarlet Biker Girl by sjdean 

Acne Studios dress / IRO black vest / Mango side zip black pants, $32 / Valentino engineer boots / Rebecca Minkoff handbag $185/ GUESS bracelet $32/ Luxury Fashion earrings / Pieces black metal ring, $6.77 / Loop scarf $17/ Hourglass Cosmetics blue lip gloss, $34 / Essie nail polish

I like the classic elements in this look..but with a side of biker girl thrown in ;)  A little fun with fashion I say.  Leggings are always in style...just remember to cover your tush..that's just not attractive in my opinion.  Love the black leather vest and motorcycle boots with studs...gives it a bit of "bad girl" right?  And the scarlet breaks up the monotone look and its just a fun color to add in.  The boots are like $2000...ummm yeah no...I love ya Valentino but I found boots similar at Zappos for under $150 :)  I have the leggings, sweater, rings, purse, lip gloss and scarf already...just need the vest and boots but on a cheaper price scale.

These are my other new boots...they are by Franco Sarto (one of my fave shoe designers) and super comfy...I wanted a flat black boot since I have already have lots of heeled boots...nice for slick weather.  Good for wearing with jeans and leggings this winter!  Although I've been thinking of getting me & Alexa some Hunter boots like these here (I want grey & she wants the feather blue).

Are you a scarf addict like me too?  They add such a nice pop of color or pattern to your outfits AND keep you warm when the weather is chilly.  I cannot wear turtleneck shirts/sweaters anymore because I feel claustrophobic in them (yup I'm odd like that and will start sweating & pulling at them like a weirdy) but I can wear loose scarves with no issue and they keep me warm.  If you have older sweaters or shirts they can revive them a bit and change it up for you.  I'm totally NOT a scarf snob..I don't care what the brand is as long as its a color/pattern I dig and its not scratchy.  And I love these scarves from Amazon.com...only $5-8 each and they come in SO MANY colors.  I have about 7 of them that Alexa and I share. Check out the other scarves on Amazon too for great deals and styles.  As much as I love the Kate Spade scarves I just cannot justify that price KWIM?  If you have scarves that aren't infinity loops...just tie the ends up tight and poof there you go...just tuck the ends under when you loop it around your neck and no one will know.

This is what I narrowed my purse choices down to for this fall/winter. ..I love the styles and the colors will go with most of what I have.  I have a black purse and a scarlet patent leather purse by Coach that I use during the winter as well...but it is time for a new brown one.  If you invest in a Coach purse and take care of it, it will last forever.  I use purses from 10 years ago still...they are worth the investment if you can swing it.  So not sure which one (although I'm leaning towards the first one)...oh hard decisions..I like these kind of decisions though right?

Y'all know I love my Essie nail polishes...they last forever and have the best selection of colors.  This fall these are my fave new colors they've come out with.

Don't Sweater It is a pinkish-beige...Cashmere Bathrobe is a sparkly graphite grey..Vested Interest is a grayish-green that looks great with jeans (its on my toes now) ;)

Buy Essie on Amazon.com as you can sometimes get TWO for the price you usually pay for one in the store..no lie!

And I love this Essie Miss Fancy Pants I have on now...its a nice greige color..good neutral for fall!

Fall In Love!

I've been doing some decorating outside over the past week for fall.

I try not to overdo it anymore even though I want to LOL.

Problem is we get so much wind in the fall here that I end up either re-doing everything

or fixing things everyday...and that is a big pain in my behind folks ;)

After 7 years I've learned my lesson well.

So I am planning on getting 3 more bunches of corn stalks for the front to bulk it up on the columns more.  We couldn't fit them all in the truck the first time..due to my..umm...over buying of mums..heehee.  I will do that this weekend though shhhh.  I used to get big bales of hay but got tired of cleaning it off the porch and yard (and I'm sure the neighbors weren't so thrilled either..ha).

The wind whips up the hill and onto my porch ferociously and knocks all those mums over.

BTW...see that luscious green grass...yup we just redid the front yard...hubby is very proud of his work so I thought I'd throw that in for him ;)

New pillows from HomeGoods (2 for $20)...love that dark orange color with the white rockers. They are a bit silky so they change in different lights.

Fall-licious!

This is by the front door...that red mum needed a drink when I took this pic...I watered it no worries.

I want one more large mum...will grab that this weekend.

This is my new fall doormat...from Lowes for under $15...loved the fun floral pattern and

pretty colors!  We get such harsh direct sun on my front porch that everything fades so I won't spend a ton of cash on things because I know they will have to be replaced.

I decorate my backyard as well...we spend a lot of time out here in the fall watching football and having fires.  So some pumpkins, mums and gourds come out to play.

*See more of my backyard area HERE*

I keep succulents under the cabana..they don't need much light or water and always look beautiful (the other one is on coffee table).  I added some pumpkins and my hurricanes from Pier One from a few years ago...they give off such a pretty amber glow in the evening.

On the table I used a bright yellow mum...love the pop of color.  Those lanterns I got on sale at Target end of summer sale for $3 each...they were dark brown. But I spray painted them gold, they look much better.  But by spring they will probably be coral...that's the beauty of spray paint y'all!

See the trees in the background...they are just starting to turn shades of beautiful.

Nothing better than the colors of fall!

I'm taking Alexa's senior pictures next week...not the school ones (those have been ordered already)..but the more casual pics.  And some with her BFF Grace (on the right) along with some outfit changes I've been informed..teen girls ya know.

So this past weekend we played in the woods to try settings/lighting/aperture/etc on my camera and shot some fun pictures. These were my faves and really showcase their beauty (no makeup, look at that skin), friendship and joy!  But we will do the formal shoot on Monday at a park with the beautiful foliage as the background.  Should be fun!

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Entering into the following fab Linky Parties:

Domestic Superhero

The DIY Dreamer

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Practically Functional

Savvy Southern Style

The Tablescaper

Thrifty Decor Chick

Fall Chalkboard Art!

It's Fall Y'all

This is my fall decor chalkboard I created using some of my fave things!

So I started out with a chalkboard I got off of Amazon here...loved the distressed look and size of these.

However I didn't want to attach anything permanently to the chalkboard..I wanted something I could change out each season.   I made an insert with black cardstock that can easily fit inside the chalkboard frame and come out when needed.  

I LOVE SUBWAY CHALK ART...

so this subway art was cut out on my Silhouette Cameo from one of their files.  Then pieced together after I inked it well with brown ink and glued onto my black cardstock.

 

Then I added some extra details with 3M foam so each element can be easily removed when I'm ready to change it for the season.  Nothing says fall like beautifully fall colored leaves to me..and crisp air outside..football..fires in the fireplace and comfort food.

I used an oldie but a goodie "Tilda in Fall Leaves"..one of my fall favorites..I used to love jumping into leaves.  Now I'm old enough to cringe at the bugs and spiders that may be lurking LOL...but I sure enjoyed it when I was young!

I colored her with a mix of Copics & TouchTwin markers.

Then I added some Stickles to the mix for pretty sparkle.

The leaves are older stamps from EKSuccess and then inked a bit and stuck on with small bits of 3M tape I cut up.  The leafy swirls are a Memory Box die cut out of dark yellow cs and inked and then I added some leaf punches to them.  

Some raffia ribbon tied at the top to finish it off.

I love the way it turned out and can't wait to think up ideas for a wintry version. Its the perfect size to hang, lean or add to a fall arrangement...hope you like it too!

 Entering her into the following Linky Parties:

Get Your DIY On {chalkboard style}

A Bowl Full of Lemons

From Dream To Reality

Domestic SuperHero

Sloppy Style!

Hi all!  Hope you had a lovely weekend!  Its raining in VA today and we have needed it badly. We've barely had ANY rain in the past 3 months.  But the temps went from the 90's to the 50's and I'm NOT digging that at all.  Especially since I have to man ticket taking duties at the high school for 2 hours for the freshman football game...then sit in bleachers for son's JV game at 7:30 pm.  Gonna be a cold, chilly night...boots and sweater weather!

Thought I'd share one of my fave recipes with y'all today.  Nothing hard, nothing earth shattering...just something my mom always made for us growing up that I continue to make.  Especially good for cooler weather and so easy to make ahead..I'm all about dinner prep that I can do ahead and then easily heat up when we get home after games or practices.  

Pizza Style Sloppy Joes...mmmmm so good..and sooooo easy to make!

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Ingredients:

-1 to 1.5 lbs of ground beef, turkey or chicken

-1 small onion or 1/2 large onion diced

-2-4 cloves of garlic minced

-olive oil

-1 jar of pizza sauce (I use the Ragu below) or use homemade

-1 pkg shredded Mozzarella or Pizza cheese

-salt/pepper

-red pepper flakes if you like some heat

-hamburger rolls

Cook onion and garlic till softened in olive oil.  Add ground meat to pan and brown.

Drain oil/liquid from pan.  Add pizza sauce and cook for 10 mins more stirring well.

Turn oven on BROIL. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and add buns, load them up with meat sauce and top

with cheese..keep buns open while broiling.  Broil them for 2-5 mins until cheese bubbles and buns brown..watch carefully as you don't want charred buns.  EAT & ENJOY!

*****

Depending on how much ground beef you cook up will help you figure out how much onion to cut.

I cook between one and one-half pounds of ground beef for my recipe..its enough for 6-8 sloppy joes depending how much you load the buns up.  So a small onion or half of a large onion gets chopped up and put in with some extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic (2-4 cloves).

Once onions and garlic are softened and cooked a bit (mmm love that smell) add your ground beef to the mixture.  And yes you could do this with ground turkey/chicken easily as well.  Cook beef until its cooked thru and browned.

Then you need to drain it...yup drain all that grease and liquid out of there so the mixture isn't runny.

My gram got me this gadget eons ago when I was first married...love it.  I think you can find them in Walmart/Target for around $2...it has little ledges on it that hold it to the pan when you are draining. Then you hold pan over sink or bowl and drain all that grease/liquid out easily.  I drain my grease into a cup so not to overwhelm the sink/septic...I'm a good girl...I do as told by the sink people ;)

Ta-Da!  The secret ingredient!

Ragu Pizza Sauce...in traditional or homemade..either works.

You can make your own sauce too..I do that on occasion but when I'm rushed for time during the week...cracking the ole' jar open is sometimes VERY worth it...and it tastes good.  

Add enough in so all the meat is covered nicely but you don't have a liquidy mess.

I use about 3/4th of the bottle of sauce most times.  Mix it in good, turn up heat for 10 minutes and stir well.  Add any spices at this time too...I add some salt/pepper and some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.  At this point once cooked you can serve it right away or pack it up for later.

Put your oven on BROIL now.

Next line a large 9x13 pan with foil...add your buns (I like potato rolls because they have enough bread/thickness to them that they don't get soggy and fall apart)...top with meat mixture..and then your cheese.  I use mozzarella on my sloppy joes...but you could use whatever your heart desires!  Keep the buns OPEN when they go in oven...ya hear?  Broil until cheese bubbles and buns start to turn brown...this doesn't take long so keep a close eye on them.

They come out of the oven all warm and gooey...omgoodness yum-yums for your tum-tums I tell ya!

My boys, Riley & hubby usually eat 2 or 3 of these bad boys at a time!

And there ya go...super yummy...easy to make!  Your family will thank you!

I serve mine up with roasted potatoes or sweet potato fries and a salad most times.

Enjoy!
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Entering this into these Linky Parties:

Give Me The Goods
Home Stories A to Z

From Dream to Reality
Savvy Southern Style
Domestic SuperHero
Family Fun Friday - Happy & Blessed Home
Practically Functional

Some Pretty Cool Ideas!

Hi friends!  No projects from me today...I'm in the midst of many projects of course..none of which are complete. And YES its driving me crazy but there is only so much time in each day and there's always those "other" chores I have to do...laundry, cleaning, cooking, picking up clutter from teens, yardwork, driving football boys to practice..y'all know what I mean right?  If I had a whole week to dedicate to projects I'd probably get 5 months worth done LOL!  But oh well...back to painting for me in a bit...I love what paint can do to transform a room but I HATE painting...HATE IT!

Ok enough whining from me...I want to share some cool thoughts, ideas and products today.  I read a lot I think I've told you before...if it can be read then I'm reading it.  Well not directions or manuals..I prefer to skip those (aka boring) much to the chagrin of my husband who only reads manuals (say what). I'm the kinda girl who opens something and wants to play with it and figure it out that way...its just how I am.  He however will read a 100 page manual for days before he even tries...oy vey...it drives me nuts.

Anywho, I diverge from my post topic again (not hard for me).....so I read lots of books and magazines and I clip lots of cool websites and products from them.  And I had gathered so many in my bedside table folder that I thought I'd type up a few to share and that I would be able to access them easily too.

Enjoy-----

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Fresh Paper

Keep Produce Fresh Longer

This gal invented FreshPaper after tea her grandmother made in India.

It inhibits bacterial growth so it can keep your produce fresh longer.

And I will attest that I bought some earlier this year and it DOES work.

(Whole Foods carries it)

Hukkster

Its like the bargain shopper's version of Pinterest.

You grab a button for your toolbar on your computer.

When you find something online you like, you "pin" it with the Hukkster button.

They will alert you when it goes on sale...saves time...saves money! Cool!

GlamGlow

Super Cleaning Mud Mask

Seriously one of my fave new beauty products right now.

Do you like those pore strips? I like them because you can SEE the gunk

that its cleaning out.  WELL GlamGLow is a mask and while its on you will see little 

dots on your face, that's where its sucking all the yukkies out of your skin.  Seriously cool

for the skincare geek in me.  Not to mention it smells good and your skin looks glowing and feels so soft afterwards.  Amazon has best deal on it!

Skimm

Ever get overwhelmed by all the news coming at you.

Just don't always have time to watch or read the news but interested

in what's happening around the world and here in the US.

Skimm sends you an email each morning with condensed versions of things you SHOULD 

be aware of and know.  And if you want more info on a news blurb its easy to find.

Keeps me abreast of things happening when I'm low on time to read about it.

Founded by women for women :)

Anker Charger

If you are a techno crazed user like myself and use your phone for everything.

Then you probably find your phone dying on you regularly. I know I do with my iPhone 5 at least.

I have a Zagg charger that I can carry and it has two USB plugs...perfect for taking to games and such and to share with my teens.

But its heavy and bulky...and that's where my Anker Charger comes to the rescue. They run about $20 and are not much bigger than a large lipgloss but they can charge a phone up for hours.  

For me its a MUST HAVE when I cannot get to a plug or mobile charger.

Julep Strawberry Mint Lip Balm

I'm a lipstick and lip balm hoader...there I said it..I admit it.  At any given time there are probably 10 liptsticks/balms in my purse...probably 45 in my makeup bag in my bathroom...and another 100 spread out into other purses, cars, coat pockets, travel bags and more.  Its a serious problem...but dry, chapped lips are NOT my thing. I hate dry lips and once cooler weather comes it gets worse.  So I've tried many brands and I love many of them. But I must say I'm slightly MORE addicted to this lip balm by Julep...its smells and tastes good, has a slight pink color and it works well and lasts long too. I think I have 3 so far...shhhh...but I love 'em!

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo

I love dry shampoo..I tend to have dry hair and its super fine. So dry shampoo allows me to go longer without washing which helps to not dry out my hair AND it gives me more volume to boost my fine strands. I've tried probably 10 brands...from cheap to expensive and most are pretty good. Bumble & Bumble has one out but its close to $35 and I loved it but way too pricey. So a friend told me about this (get it online or at Walmart or other local stores)...its only $6 and it smells divine.  So far so good..it doesn't deposit too much but remember to squirt in small sections, rub in with fingers and brush through quickly or you will get white sections that are a bit crunchy.  Those are tips for any dry shampoo.

Great for oily hair to get you an extra day without washing, great at getting smells (aka smoke) out of hair too.


Ok I'm outta here...lots to do this weekend per the usual!
Enjoy!!

An Apple A Day!

{pic source}

Fall Apples..mmmmmmmm!

Apple cider, apple pie, apple sauce, apple fritters, apple pancakes....

need I say more?

My favorite treat is to stop and get a Hot Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks now and again.

I'm not a coffee drinker...gasp...I'm just not!  But I love their cider and yes I have a recipe I make at home now and again too.  There's just something about treating yourself now and again that makes it that much more special though :)

I saw this Homemade Applesauce recipe the other day on the "Thrifty Decor Chick Blog" and 

it SCREAMED "MAKE ME"...no it really did...well in MY head it did.

Because I had just bought some fresh apples at the farmers market and wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. 

But like all recipes I have TWEAK them just a bit...I can't help myself...I'm TERRIBLE

at following directions.  I like to add a bit of myself to each dish I make I guess hee hee.

So you need to peel and chop 10-12 apples.

Now on her blog she had that nifty corer-peeler -swirl-cutter gadget...yeah I don't have that.

So I used my Pampered Chef peeler and my apple-core tool instead...it worked fine.

We all do what we have to, to get it done :)

Then you load all them apples in your crock pot

with your other ingredients.

Note: I have had this crockpot for 18 years..it was an engagement gift..it works great still.

I also have 3 other crockpots..I am a hoarder of kitchen stuff..no not really...well ok kinda.

I have an oval-fancy-dancy one for long tenderloins and ribs, a zebra one sent to me by my BFF Pat that is unused because I'm saving it for when this one breaks, and a smaller crockpot for dips.

See they all serve a purpose...they really do.

*****

Now here is where I changed up the recipe...I added brown sugar, maple syrup and more cinnamon to my recipe. Why? Cuz I'm a recipe-bad-arse like that...haha :)

No I like the flavor of brown sugar and maple syrup paired with apples so I knew it would work well...and it did!

RECIPE

10-12 apples (peeled, cored, chopped)

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of maple syrup (the thickest you have)

1/2 TBS of cinnamon

dash of nutmeg (optional)

Cook on HIGH in your crockpot for 4 hours at least!

No peeking or lifting the lid...or else.

Your house will smell divine...like Christmas...mmmmm!

Serve it warm, serve it cold...its ALL good I tell ya!

Your tummy will thank you when you are done...I swear it will.

*****

This is what you get when its all done.  

I used my Pampered Chef chopper tool (my name for it...shhhh) to chunk it up a bit more.  I like mine pretty chunky so I didn't do it too much.

I use a lot of Pampered Chef tools because I sold it eons ago...I have 1 of everything..I think.

Handy dandy they are!

And because I can take a healthy dish and make it bad for you in a BLINK-of-an-EYE---

I kept our applesauce warm, served it over vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled it with caramel sauce.

Oh yeahhhhh baby...good stuff...we were all wanting to lick the bowls of this one.

So if you love apples and simplicity...try the recipe.

Either Thrifty Decor's version or my edited version.

Let me know what you think and if you make it ok?

(and if your tummy thanked me)

****

Entering in these Linky Parties:

Common Ground: Be Inspired
Blissful & Domestic
Making Homebase
The Fun in Functional
Life on Lakeshore Drive - Bouquet of Talent
Give Me The Goods