The Dance

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I've always loved dancing. Mom enrolled me in ballet/tap/jazz as a girl and I stuck with it a few years. But ballroom/social dancing always looked infinitely more cool to me. My first taste of that was as a 16 yr old at my first prom when our high school band director asked me to dance and he effortlessly led me in my first swing dance ever. I was hooked. Later I dated a German man who was quite good at ballroom dancing. What fun we had! After professional school (when i had my life back) ballroom dancing lessons were available at the local university. My husband and I tried it out without much success. Then Dancing With The Stars came on television and reignited my interest.

Years later (January 2014) my friend B called and said "we're going salsa dancing". I joined the crowd that night and my life has been forever changed. The $5 lesson was fun and we learned so much in only an hour. The teacher was starting up a new beginner session that month.  I started taking lessons and have learned so much and have made some very cool friends along the way. There was a core group of students who kept progressing through Salsa I, Salsa II, Salsa III, then eventually Rueda. We even took part in the International Rueda Flash Mob day on March 28, 2015!! We were on TV and in the newspaper!

Alas, our teacher is leaving the area. I'm so grateful to him for all I've learned and for the new circle of friends I have because of his classes. I know this is not goodbye, rather a 'see you later'. A new creative vein has been tapped in my brain and I feel so lucky for this awakening.

Awakening

Percussive rhythms of my youth
Are awakening
Left brain gives way to right
Order and expression marry
In beautiful silent communication
Listening with fingertips, eyes and hips
Salsa, Cha Cha, Merengue, Rueda
The Dance is infinite
Joyful gratitude abounds.


Thanks for the memories K.

Fine Frugal Jewelry or My Mom Gifts Me GREAT Jewelry!

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Hello all! Sorry I've been gone so long. Let's make up for lost time!!! While deciding what jewelry to put on the other morning with my outfit, I reflected on the fact that I don't have a lot of 'fine' jewelry. I tend to purchase costume jewelry for myself at resale shops/thrift stores. That way, I can have more variety at a lower price. The fine pieces I do have usually are gifted from either my mother or my husband. I have received some great pieces from my mom over the last 30 years. Feast your eyes:

This silver and pearl ring with a few diamond accents is awesome.
I wear it both for work and dressing up.

This gold and marquis garnet ring is a classic piece I get a lot of wear out of.
I wear it at work and for dressing up. Garnet is my birthstone. Yay Mom!

This garnet is great for casual. It has a more modern look than the ring above. 

This Y shaped gold necklace came from Mom in the late 90's. Love it! Great for work/casual/dress-up.

This infinity necklace was a recent gift from Mom. I love it! Great for work/dressing up.

Mom worked at a jewelry store during my high school/college years. I think some of the rings came from there. It was a great little  jewelry shop in the old downtown of my home town. A place where you were personally greeted upon entering. The jeweler could repair just about anything. They were an authorized "Add-a pearl" dealer. My Aunt started me an add-a-pearl necklace when I was a girl. I cherish that necklace.

Having family members gift you great jewelry is a frugal and fashionable way to accessorize any outfit. Plus the sentimental value is priceless. Yay for Moms with great taste in jewelry! Thanks Mom you're the best!

What about you all? Do you have family members/friends that seem to always hit the nail on the head when it comes to gifts of jewelry? Please share in the comments below. I love to hear from viewers!
Have a great week everyone!

Five Fall Faves

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Happy (almost) Fall!!! As the leaves start to change and the temperature cools here in the midwest my thoughts turn to my favorite pieces for casual outfits. My strategy is pretty straightforward.  Start with a foundation of a fitted tee and skinny jeans. Then add either black flats, ankle boots or riding boots. The "third layer" could be a soft cardigan, or a vegan leather jacket for a more edgy look. Add a scarf to jazz it up and your Fall Look is complete!

scarf, New York and Co.
fitted tee, Hollister, Karma Resale
skinny jeans, Levi's The Skinny, Walmart
ankle boots, Old Navy
cardigan, Old Navy

my FAVE black purse, Coach, featured in this post



My favorite way to wear a cardigan in "iffy" weather

 

Vegan leather jacket, JCPenney

As you turn your thoughts toward your own Fall Faves don't forget those gift cards that still may be lurking around the house from last Christmas, your last birthday, or maybe even 2 or 3 Christmases ago!!! Sometimes the gift cards we get aren't for a store that we frequent so they sit there not being put to good use. The folks at Raise.com have come up with a way to sell your unwanted gift cards here: http://www.raise.com/sell-gift-cards. Site users are also able to buy gift cards at a discount https://www.raise.com/buy-gift-cards.  I've got a Coldwater Creek gift card I'm going to sell. I've got my eye on either an AMC Theaters card at a 16% discount (cha-ching!) or an Old Navy card at a 10% discount (woot-woot!) What a great idea for us Frugal Fashionistas!
Leave me a comment letting me know your Five Fall Faves or what gift cards you plan to buy/sell and remember, you're beautiful!

A Timeless Combination

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Hello all! I've been on hiatus in the last few months due to planning and executing a trip to England for 5 in June, then life took over. Well, I'm happy to be back! Recently a good friend of mine and I took off on a road trip and ended up at this winery with the most awesome view, Aeries Winery in Grafton, IL. They had a great menu with live music. A little factoid:  the place you are viewing is the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.

Black ballet top, Limited, decades old
White skinny-ish jeans, Lauren Conrad, Kohl's, 2 yrs old
Summer purse, Cato, resale shop
Noat sandals, black, old

This outfit is just classic, in my opinion.......black, white and a punch of red works on most skin tones/hair colors. It also fits with one of my main fashion mantras: stick with solid color, classic pieces that can be mixed and matched & punched up with different accessories such as jewelry, purses, scarves, or a denim jacket. I believe it was Coco Chanel who said before you walk out the door, take one piece off.  For instance, I could've worn one of my many silver bracelets on the right wrist, but I chose not to to simplify the look. Less is more.

My friend and I had such fun on this outing! We ate at the winery, then indulged in ice cream and fudge, walked around down by the river and talked about the best way to stake tomato plants. We've been good friends since high school. Thanks S, you made my day!

Hey blog viewers.......I love to hear from you. Feel free to comment below. Do you have a favorite classic outfit color combination? Do you have a friend you've known for decades? Let me know below in the comments. Toodles!

ShoeaHolic No More: Guest Post: 10 Frugal Fashion Tips and Tricks

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Hey there blog viewers! Hop on over to shoeaholicnomore.blogspot.com to see my first ever

                                                       GUEST POST!!!



ShoeaHolic No More: Guest Post: 10 Frugal Fashion Tips and Tricks: Frugal Fashion Today's post is brought to you by Valerie from  Fast Frugal Fashion  and it is full of great tips to help you with fashio...



I'm so excited to share these Frugal Fashion Tips and Tricks with all of you and with her viewers as well.



Happy Viewing!

Neutral Shoes -- The Haul

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Hello everyone! One fashion principle that I've learned over the years is to have neutral bottoms and then jazz them up with colorful tops, scarves, statement necklaces, etc. This concept applies to shoes as well. In fact matching up the pant and shoe color is tres chic. Taking that a step further, matching up the shoe, hose color and skirt is a great look as well. So, two weeks ago the neutral shoe gods were smiling down upon me as I acquired a few SEVERAL pairs of neutral shoes. Feast your eyes....

black ankle strap espradilles, Walmart, $10
Going to wear these in England this June for tea at Fortnum & Mason's

Beige, ankle-strap, Seycelles-like wedges, Old Navy, $20
LOVE LOVES LOVE these!

Black, Seychelles-like wedge, ankle-strap sandals, Old Navy, $20

Spring, beige ankle boot, Old Navy, $20

Snakeskin cut-away flats, Old Navy, $20

For these last four at Old Navy I employed a new strategy of mine which definitely saves time. I go on the store website and zero in on some items I really like, then when I go in the store it's less overwhelming. I can zoom right to the items I came looking for, try them on and be in and out in 30 minutes. Remember, for us busy women it's gotta be fast, frugal and fashionable. I've had compliments on all the shoes in this bunch I've worn so far. I tell ya, you can't beat the price either. Similar wedge sandals seen on the latest post on Kendi Everyday go for $86. These were less than one fourth that price!!! So, here's to frugal, fashionable neutral shoes for the Spring and Summer. Happy outfit creating!

Solid Colors Rock the Easter Dress

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Happy Easter everyone!!! I was wondering what to wear this Easter Sunday as I have two sort-of "fall-back" Easter dresses. One is a floral print I picked up at Anne Taylor about 5 yrs ago, and the other is a white, drape-necked, fitted bottom (above-the-knee) dress I picked up at New York & Co. about 3 yrs ago. With both being above the knee, I usually apply self-tanning lotion 3 - 4 times at the knee/shin/calf area. The floral one I usually wear a fuschia shrug over and the white one I usually wear a coral swing knit jacket over. This year I discovered an amazing sale at Old Navy a week ago. 
Feast your eyes......

navy tank dress, Old Navy, recently
beige wedge sandals, Old Navy, recently
coral swing jacket, H & M, old

statement necklace, Old Navy, recent

This outfit holds true to one of my fashion mantras. Stick with basic, solid color pieces that will mix and match easily. It is then very easy to jazz up the outfit with accessories such as a scarf, a statement necklace, bold earrings, or a belt.

Happy Easter! Hope your day was pleasant and enjoyable. Look for an upcoming post that will feature these sandals that were purchased with several other neutral shoes recently -- THE HAUL!