Jasper & Jacquard

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New Directions

Happy New Year!  I hope that your holidays and new year have been fun and exciting for you.  On this end, I have been planning and prepping for a change.  Hopefully, you'll agree with me that this is a good change.  I've known for a while that I might want to split this blog into 2 parts.  I love clothes, fashion and dressing up or down depending on the occasion.  But I also love sports and have a new found love named running.  I did not think that a fashion blog was the place to discuss my running escapades.

So, I have created 2 new blogs.  For those of you who want to follow the fashion side of things, please head over to Jasper and Jacquard.  I am planning to expand the content to include personal style and how to create one that is all your own.

If you are interested in following my pursuits in health and fitness, check out A Fit and Lively Dash.  On this blog, I plan to discuss healthy living and how I try to incorporate it into my busy life.  Either way, I love Style, Spreads and Strength. But I think that I tried to cover too much under one umbrella.  So, I will no longer be posting on this site.  I will leave the site open as I ponder what to do with my current archives.

Happy New Year!  I hope that 2013 brings you the best it has to offer.

Sparkling in Sequins

The office holiday party occurred this week.  There was lots of anticipation buzzing about the office.  And there have been lots of chatter about the dos and don'ts for office parties on the airwaves this week.  I was trying to decide between this outfit and another dress that I have in my closet.   This outfit won because I was tired after work and could not deal with the thought of a dress when I was feeling cold.  I made the mistake of wearing 3 inch heels during the day and opted for a lower heel in the evening.  My intention was to wear flats during the day.  I was really excited to wear this blouse since I have not had an occasion to wear this top.  I am not a girl who is comfortable wearing sequins causally or during the day.  But I am glad that I purchased a light colored sequin top.  I usually gravitate to the darker colors in sequins.  But this works for some reason.  I opted for minimal jewelry with this outfit.  It's laid back but chic at the same time.  Mission accomplished.  What will you be wearing to the office party this year? 

Monday

Hi all!  I hope that you had a great Monday.  I started the day very tired and wondering when my next vacation day would occur.  Unfortunately, after counting my days I figured out that I had used up all my vacay days.  Ugh!  Luckily, we have a few holidays coming up.  Paired with some creative planning for weekends, I think that I will be able to make the next few weeks restful and relaxing.

Are you wondering how I plan to accomplish this?  So, am I.  But I am hopeful.  I will look to the things that recharge and excite me.  And mix this up with a little R&R.  So, I'll be spending time catching up with friends, going to movies, checking out new museum exhibits, attending yoga and Pilates classes.  In a word, I will do all the things that I enjoy and none of the things that feel like a chore!  I will watch TV shows that I enjoy, cook, smell the roses and reconnect with people who are important to me.  While I do these things now to some extent, I feel a little disconnected and I want to be proactive and intentional as we move into the holiday season.  Usually this time of the year is so overwhelming for me, that I end up heading for the hills and hiding away.  This is followed by recriminations and sadness over missed opportunities to connect with loved ones.  

So I challenge you to recharge yourself now.  Make a plan now to keep yourself grounded during the holiday season and plan to enjoy this magical time of the year.  I am secretly hoping that by doing these things, I'll also stay healthy.   Please share how you stay centered and less frantic during the holiday season.  

Why I blog about fashion?

I have a secret to tell you.  I love fashion!  I don’t try to hide this aspect of my personality.  But I have discovered that it is difficult to find folks who share my enthusiasm for fashion.  When I was a child, I loved playing dress up and imagining all the clothes that I could wear.   This turned into visions of modeling, which I pursued as a young adult.   Since modeling was not compatible with my long-term career goals, I now live vicariously through shows like America’s Top Model and Project Runway.

But knowing about fashion and perusing the fashion magazines is not enough for me.  I want to talk about fashion and discuss the reasons why wool is a better fabric than silk to use in the construction of a garment.  Or how ingenious CoCo Chanel was in using tweed (a serviceable and inexpensive material taken from her friend’s factory) to make her now signature suits for women.  What’s fun about fashion is that it is a topic that all women can discuss.  And discussing the pros and cons of one’s choice has great possibility since everyone’s approach to clothing and fashion is different. 

Chanel-inspired Tweed Jacket. Photo by Meanreds99

I would like to share my tips on clearly expressing one’s personal style.  A well-dressed woman always intrigues me whether she is wearing jeans or a ball gown.  There is a certain aura to a woman who is confident in her style.  This kind of confidence cannot be taught but once you uncover it within yourself, you’ll be unstoppable.   

So, this blog is a way to connect with like-minded fashionistas and to document my journey to becoming the well-dressed woman who turns heads for all the right reasons. 

Autumn colors

So I have some exciting news to share with you.  I love fall.  But today's weather is not autumn-like weather.  It feels more like winter.   Burr!  Good thing I had gloves in my coat pockets.  But back to fall.  I love the transition time when everything changes.  The leaves change colors and fall from the trees.  The weather becomes cool and brisk.  Activities like apple picking, corn mazes and fireside s'mores abound.  I look forward to the time when I can exchange my T-shirts and shorts for sweaters, scarves and flannel.  

I am really excited because I have started a new project this week.  I have signed up for an e-course, Blogging Your Way, offered by one of my favorite bloggers Holly Becker of decor8!  My BFF introduced me to Holly's blog about 3 years ago.  I recall being impressed by how pretty and organized this blog was (and continues to be!).  Decor8 has great design content and wonderful breadth and depth of information.  So, when I learned about this course I jumped at the chance to participate.  I don't know that my blog will ever compare to decor8.  But if I can come close to the presentation of this blog, I know that I will have made great strides and come a little bit closer to my goal.  Stay tuned!

Movie Night

Spent a wonderful evening catching up with friends and viewing a movie featured at the American Film Institute for the Latin American film festival.  There are great movies to be seen.  If you are in the DC area it's worth a look.   This outfit came together with the thoughts of comfort, warmth and versatility.  The first goal is to always look chic.  I also needed a jolt of java prior to the movie to ensure that I would not take a nap during the film.   I have decided that I will play to my strengths this fall and stick with colors I love and ones that move me.  This is easy as navy blue is my favorite color.  Add grey, cream, rust/burnish orange, burgundy, purple, black and brown and my fall palette is complete.  I hope to talk about how I put together my outfits and concepts for my wardrobe. Some of it is haphazard, but I try to stay focused.  Let's explore together!