March Goals: How Did You Do this Month?

(1) Creating community here at this blog: the two things I want to focus on this month are traffic and comments.

a) Toward that end, for traffic, I want to write one article, create one Squidoo lens and post one new video on YouTube this month.
b) For comments, I want to meet more bloggers and hang out with them a bit. Do you have a blog I could visit?


I've met some wonderful bloggers this month! What great finds!! And I did make a new Squidoo lens. How about that, huh? Not too shabby!

(2) Healthy changes: This is sort of a continuation of last month's goal about slowing down, drinking more tea, getting more sleep and eating more protein.

More water, less salt. Some slowing down. But I think I will move this over to next month because I am getting more and more inspired in this area and I love what the accountability of this group does for me.

(3) Avoiding last year's Easter disaster: My choice for an Easter ensemble last year was a BIG mistake! This month, I need to determine if it was just the color or other factors that made it so.

I still need to have my dress altered (shortened to tea-length is what I'm thinking) and I haven't decided for sure about the cardigan I'm going to wear with it. But I already feel better about it than I did last year. I'll figure it out!

So all in all, I feel pretty good about this month.

How about you? Did your month go well?

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Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

My Favorite Colors

Can you believe all the DUST on the mirror??? My apologies! Try to ignore it, and be mesmerized, instead, by what happens to my eyes with this beautiful warm brown eyeshadow I'm wearing. I really love the entire makeup look from that day!

The eyeshadow is a warm spring color that matches my eyes, the blush is a soft autumn color and the lipstick is deep autumn. LOL! And I love all of it.

Yeah, the thing about my mirror is that it's right next to my window that is always cracked. Usually, I remember to dust it right before I start taking pics, but I must have forgotten this time.

These pics I took on a day that was slightly overcast, but with just enough glare that I had to pull the blinds down. So it looks a little dark. Fun outfit, though!

What have you worn lately that was fun?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

What's Your Fashion Style?

Several months ago, a friend of mine found this fashion quiz and I thought I'd share it with you...

My Retro Fashion Persona was Free Spirit: 

"Your style is natural and a little bit romanticized, just like that of Ali MacGraw. You prefer natural and autumnal hues and are a master at mixing patterns to create a free-flowing style that's all your own." 

Absolutely true!! What was yours?

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Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!

Start the process of finding your season by taking my

seasonal color analysis quiz

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

My Favorite Accessory: It Matches My Eyes!

My friend, B., from Way to Be, wrote a post a while back, sharing her favorite accessory, a beautiful necklace (go check it out), and I thought I would do the same. My favorite accessory is not one that I wear all the time, but this bracelet is my favorite because it matches my eye color...

I wore it a while back with a sweater I love for the very same reason. They are both deeper than they look in this picture...

What's your favorite accessory?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

The Quest for an Easter Dress, Part Four

Hopefully, you've been following along and you know I am trying to make sure that last year's Easter disaster doesn't happen again. I know I have chosen the right color, but I am still trying to work on contrast & body-type concerns.

Choose the Right Accessories…

This one goes back to contrast. If your dress is all one color and it’s a maxi dress, but you are a deep autumn who needs high contrast, you may want to choose accessories in a different color. For instance, if your dress is ivory, you might want to choose earrings or a bracelet that has several colors. Or a scarf with a print that includes ivory but also has brown or peach or green.

On the other hand, if low contrast is best for you, consider tone-on-tone. A spring green with accessories in a deeper or lighter shade, for example.

My Accessories Plan...

This is my plan, both for contrast and for body type. I am going to make sure that I wear accessories that fix the whole rounded, apple-shape problem, and that create enough contrast that I don't look like an orange float (okay, that was rather mean-spirited, but blame it on PMS!).

I have been working on it and hopefully, have resolved both concerns. See the pic? This is the kind of solution I will be going for, I think. I also am considering wearing a different cardigan. I just got in a couple of new v-neck cardigans (in different colors) that I am going to try with the dress to see if they work better.

How about you? Have you found a great outfit yet for Easter or for any other upcoming special occasion?

I am linking up today with Nina from Momma Go Round for Real Momma, Real Style, to Jill at Glamamom for this week's Monday Mingle, and to Patti at Not Dead, Yet Style for Visible Monday. On Wednesday, I will link up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday and A Stylish Little Lady for Life Lately.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

March Goals: How Did You Do this Week?

(1) Creating community here at this blog: the two things I want to focus on this month are traffic and comments.

a) Toward that end, for traffic, I want to write one article, create one Squidoo lens and post one new video on YouTube this month.
b) For comments, I want to meet more bloggers and hang out with them a bit. Do you have a blog I could visit?


I don't think I'm going to be able to do the traffic goal this month, but I have been having a blast visiting new blogs and getting to know some of the other bloggers in the personal style arena.

(2) Healthy changes: This is sort of a continuation of last month's goal about slowing down, drinking more tea, getting more sleep and eating more protein.

This one's mixed. I have gotten more sleep this week! And I'm drinking more water, and trying to go easy on the salt. But the rest of it, not so much.

(3) Avoiding last year's Easter disaster: My choice for an Easter ensemble last year was a BIG mistake! This month, I need to determine if it was just the color or other factors that made it so.

Still not completely decided about the whole ensemble, but I'm getting there. I am considering a different cardigan, so it won't be all one color. Haven't tried it yet but I just got the cardigan in, so I'll try it this week and see how it goes.

How did your week go?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Pantone's Color of the Year: for Autumns?

Pantone's Color of the Year...

Did you hear?

Pantone has chosen its color for this year and it's one that may work for autumns!They are calling it tangerine tango. And here, it looks a bit springy, but I've seen it begin to show up in different forms, so perhaps it will deepen a bit? I hope!


What do you think? Here's an article you can read for more information: Pantone article.

(photo credit: H&M and Yahoo Shine)

(photo credit: Pantone)

Pantone Outfit Inspiration...

A Pantone Match From My Autumn Closet: Close Enough? (Maybe not!... :)

Pantone Tangerine Celebrity Match...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

What's Your Star Style?

At first, when I took it, my result was "naturally charming," with Ingrid Bergman as the star example. This fits, to some extent, because I do think I am a natural, in terms of style. But when I read the other personality descriptions, what seemed to fit best was "smartly tailored."

Naturally Charming: Ingrid Bergman

Your fresh, youthful spirit shines through everything you do. You are fun-loving but not impulsive. Active and sportif, you were possibly an athlete when younger—and, if so, probably still enjoy sports as a spectator or a participant. You’re capable and at ease in almost any situation, around a campfire or a boardroom. Your wholesomeness, loyalty, and steadiness gives people a feeling of comfort around you. There may be a seriousness about you, an unflinching understanding that life holds sorrow and pain, but you find ways to rise above those sad moments and help others to do so, too. You’re quick to laugh and quick to defend those you love. There’s a deep-seated optimism in you and a centered calm that is very attractive to people and animals. You are the rock many lean on—or wish they could.

I have never been an athlete, and to me, camping out, is dressing out of your suitcase in a hotel room. I do have the seriousness and unflinching quality, though. But centered calm & deep-seated optimism? Really???

So I took it again, changed the ones I had been deliberating about to the "other" choice I had been considering and came out "smartly tailored." So I must have qualities of both and should probably consider both style types for inspiration.

Smartly Tailored: Katharine Hepburn

You are intelligent, savvy, independent, quick-witted and never take no for an answer. You project an aura of refined self-confidence and positivity, and a plenty of sass thrown in for good measure. You say what you think and you mean what you say. If a group needs a spokesperson or a mistress-of-ceremonies, they turn to you. It’s easy for you to get exasperated and you often comment on life’s little ironies with a wry smile and a cocked eyebrow. Your speech is peppered with sarcastic remarks and funny stories, but if someone crosses the line with you, watch out! They will be singed by your regal glare.

What’s your star style, I wonder. Take the quiz and then, come back and tell me!

By the way, still thinking about the red carpet? Check out Kay's blog comparisons of this year's Oscar gowns to the same styles from yesteryear in one of the best "who wore it better?" posts I've ever seen!

Here's just one example: remember who wore this same design at this year's Academy Awards?...

I'm linking up today with Rolled Up Pretty for Whatever Whenever Wednesday. Join us! ...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Neutrals for a Deep Autumn Capsule Wardrobe

"Your strong features allow you to wear two dark colors together, or a light and dark combination; you should avoid pale colors on their own. In warmer weather, use ivory and pewter as the basis for your wardrobe, mixing with all the brighter shades from your palette." –Color Me Slimmer

In any capsule wardrobe, carefully chosen core neutrals form the foundation blocks for your new wardrobe. When you have them in place, you can add and update each season by choosing warm fashion or accent colors that help you create entirely new looks.

Best Deep Autumn Neutrals…

Ivory
Pewter
Dark brown
Deep olive

Deep Autumns Can Wear Black…

But you also can wear dark colors similar to black, like charcoal or navy. Or very deep olive. Etc. But if you are going to wear black, because you need to for work, combine it with warm colors for your very best look and make sure to wear those colors near your face.

Deep autumn is a blended season, so a totally cool look using black will not be nearly as attractive as one that involves pairing black with warm colors from the deep autumn color palette. Keep in mind something Christine Scaman said on her blog:

"Black can feel a bit leaden on those who do not contain it by Nature’s hand. Keep Dark Autumn darks penetrable and interesting. Choose the almost-black purples, blues, browns, and greens. In daylight, you should see colour. Once a woman hears that she ‘can wear black’, she wears it with a vengeance. On Dark Autumn, it’s not great or very good or good. It’s acceptable in small blocks with a lot of heat added in. Solid black is forbidding."

Creating a Deep Autumn Capsule Wardrobe Entirely with Neutrals…

You could actually create a whole wardrobe just using neutral colors and some autumns do. It's practical, and autumns are nothing if not practical. I encourage you to rely on them but not to stop there. It’s the start, not the finish to your capsule wardrobe.

Deep Autumn Neutral Color Combinations…

But for now, let’s look at the possible color combinations you could make just with neutral colors this spring…

Do you see how easily you could create a spring capsule wardrobe just with neutrals alone?

I'm linking up today with Melaina's What I Wore Wednesday! Join us...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

The Quest for an Easter Dress, Part Three

You may remember from last week's post or the one before that I am trying to choose something to wear for Easter that will not turn out to be the horrible disaster last year's choice was. And I've been writing about the process here, plus I'm sharing some tips for finding your own Easter ensemble (or any spring occasion).

Choose the Right Style…

Do you know your body type? As an apple shape, tucking things in is never a good idea for me! On the other hand, if your body type is more straight, a ruler type, you might want to tuck in and use a belt, with full or circle shapes, to help create a more defined waist.

Keeping your body type in mind will help you choose a dress that flatters you. It would be terrible to spend money on something that’s not quite right, and not know why. Believe me, because I know!!

Is My Ensemble the Right Style?...

Well, generally speaking, I look okay in the maxi-dress-plus-cardigan silhouette, but it helps if one or the other has a v-neck or if I create that with my scarf or necklace (I almost never wear necklaces, but have done it occasionally for just that reason). This year's cardigan choice can only be worn open, and its round neckline is not my best, so I may need an angular-looking necklace or scarf, or even to choose another cardigan.

What do you think? Should I try to find another cardigan to match the dress or try fixing it with a necklace?



Have you found the perfect dress or ensemble yet?

I am linking up today with Nina from Momma Go Round for Real Momma, Real Style, to the Bon Bon Rose Girls for this week's Monday Mingle and to Not Dead, Yet Style for Visible Monday. On Wednesday, I will link up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday and with A Stylish Little Lady for Life Lately.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

March Goals: How Did You Do this Week?

Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend! (Hope you get lucky!! ;)) 

(1) Creating community here at this blog: Continuing this goal, the two things I want to focus on this month are traffic and comments.

a) Toward that end, for traffic, I want to write one article, create one Squidoo lens and post one new video on YouTube this month.
b) For comments, I want to meet more bloggers and hang out with them a bit. Do you have a blog I could visit?


I've been having a great time visiting other blogs, but that's about it, this week. I keep having ideas for lenses and videos, but the wherewithal just has not been there. 

The time change knocked me out a bit, as usual. Does it affect you, too?

(2) Healthy changes: This is sort of a continuation of last month's goal about slowing down, drinking more tea, getting more sleep and eating more protein.

I've done well at all three this past week! I've even gotten off the computer before midnight a couple of times. 

The protein thing didn't go so well, but I was more conscious of what I ate and because of that, sometimes added protein and ate it first, when I wouldn't have, otherwise. I've been drinking more water, too.

(3) Avoiding last year's Easter disaster: My choice for an Easter ensemble last year was a BIG mistake! This month, I need to determine if it was just the color or other factors that made it so.

I've been immersing myself in style and body type material, and have concluded that while the color was the most important thing, and I have chosen an ensemble in the right colors this time, I will definitely need to pay attention to the accessories to snazz it up a little. And it came in this week, so next week, I need to try it on, accessories included, to see what works & what doesn't.

How was your week?

Have a great weekend! Ours started early when our apartment staff threw its annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast for the complex.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Having trouble deciding which season you are? I'd be happy to help!
Start the process of finding your season by taking my
seasonal color analysis quiz
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Warm Autumn:“This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.” ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints

Deep Autumn:"Sensible and straightforward as all Autumns, but direct in speech, and quick to absorb change with good evidence, they speak honestly and bluntly. What I love most, I believe, is that they are not one bit threatened or defensive about new ideas. The person may demonstrate more of Winter’s reserve, or more of Autumn’s passive and natural way, but there is always an element of fire." ~~Christine Scaman, 12 Blueprints