The summer sundress

On a sultry August summer day (Oops, okay it's actually unusually cool for August, and it's actually still July) the best outfit to choose for traveling is the summer sundress. I know this because my wonderful friend Beth Ann, arrived here today after traveling in a car for about 6 hours looking absolutely amazing. I wish I had a picture of her just getting out of the car in our driveway, but I was way too excited to see her since it's been four years since we've seen each other. Please let me introduce you to Beth Ann, probably my biggest Fashionrut fan, since she convinced me to post again tonight.

Reunited Friends!

While I've been back in my fashion rut the last few weeks, BA (short for Beth Ann!) arrived and she definitely outdid me in the fashion department today! This dress is from a store called, NEXT, in Oxford, England. She bought it on a getaway with her husband, Michael. The great thing about these loose flowing dresses is how comfy they are, especially, you know, after having kids and all that happens around the middle area afterward. I mean, I don't have to worry about that of course, but it's what I hear. 

All the women in England, as soon as the weather gets hot, run for a summer sundress. Never a shorts and t-shirt! I'd better learn this lesson before heading over there this fall!

Oh, and she also wore these incredible shoes, and she wants you know something about wedges. She says, "You think they are impractical and uncomfortable, but they are actually feel fantastic to wear and these particular ones go with everything!

The Pencil Skirt

I've recently (yesterday) fallen in love with something called a pencil skirt. A pencil skirt is long and thin--like a pencil--and reaches just above or a little below the knee. Wearing one and walking around, especially if one is rolling a suitcase behind you, makes one feel extremely professional, even if it is just around the house. I found these two amazing, like-new pencil skirts each for only $4 at the local Salvation Army store! (Buy resale, stop supporting sweatshops!) These skirts are so fun!

But honestly I didn't wear either of these outfits yesterday. I prefer to dress the pencil skirt down with a t-shirt like this:

This is me wearing the above stretchy pencil skirt in Granada, Spain with my daughter about 12 years ago. Even though the skirt didn't fit me for a lot of years after this, (I was having babies) I couldn't get rid of it because of this picture. 

I read a quote this week that said, ""One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art." 

It it my hope that you would know that you ARE a work of art! You are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:114) by a Creator who loves you with an EVERLASTING love and desires a relationship with you (Jeremiah 31:3). 

Fashionrut Friday

Happy Fashionrut Friday! Back in my jeans and T and lovin' it. Sometimes you just gotta relax!

Thank you to my five-year-old photographer all week, Caleb.
See his head in the window? :)

Also, here's one of my favorite songs by Rich Mullins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhKZn8gdN-E

Freedom in a plaid dress

Happy Fourth of July everyone! May you eat lots of hot dogs, watch incredible fireworks, and wear something FUN! Today, I'm thankful for the freedoms we have in America, and for the sacrifices that were made to bring us those freedoms. While celebrating our freedom, let's not forget those that still need to be set free, literally and spiritually. The freedom we find in Christ isn't something to keep to ourselves! Let it shine!

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free!" Psalm 119:32

How I bought five dresses for $3.

It's pretty simple. I take my and my kids' old clothing to a consignment shop. They sell the clothes, and I accumulate credit. Then I go there and spend an hour looking through about a hundred dresses, each of them unique, and try a bunch of them on. At a good consignment store, you can find brand name clothes that are practically new. They sift through and only take the good stuff. One particular day, I picked out five dresses averaging $6 to $12 each. They applied my credit to the balance and voila, I owed about $3. I saved money, and I didn't support a single sweatshop! If you are worried about buying consignment and being "behind" in fashion, I recently read in Nina Garcis's Little Black Book of Style, "If you do happen to fall in love with a trend, it is far more interesting to buy it now and wait a few years until it is out of style to wear it. But maybe I am the only crazy person who would do this." I say buy consignment and let someone else pay full price and store it in their closet first!

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." -Mark Twain

What to wear with a brown skirt

Today I pulled out a skirt to wear that I bought a long time ago and again, never wore because I had no idea what to wear with it. Why do I always run into this problem? So I googled "brown skirt," clicked on images for inspiration, saw light pink and brown, and came up with this:

I also had to iron the skirt, which is another reason I never wore it. Bringing out my iron a bit more lately, and I'm not sure how I feel about that! But so worth it because I discovered this skirt even has POCKETS! I'm not hugely into accessorizing, but my Aunt Jessie's pearl necklace went perfectly with the trim on the shirt. 

Color Rebel

When I was 16, someone told me not to wear bright yellow. It didn't match my skin tone. You know those people who say you should match the colors you wear to what compliments the color of your skin and hair? Well that advice kept me from wearing this AMAZING vintage shirt I had stuffed in my closet for ten years! No longer! Bold is beautiful. Wear it with style! 

Pay no attention to the jeans you see here! (In case you're just joining us, these jeans are my fashion rut.)  

Also, yesterday was my 18th anniversary and I wore this great dress. I paid about .60 cents for it, and I'll tell you how maybe tomorrow.