October Update

Happy October!

I am blogging every day this month at my other blog: ruthjleamy.com. I'm doing a series of daily prayers based on the book of Psalms.

I'm also hosting a discussion of my latest book, Only for My King, at Ministryforwomen.com.

And, since I do not have a colorful post for today, check out this colorful creative update for your old dresser.
Check this out: http://www.thenester.com/2011/10/31-days-of-lovely-limitations-day-2-missing-dresser-drawers.html

Three on Tuesday: Fall Color for your Home

I love fall colors: orange and green and rust and brown.

One of my favorite Etsy potters has lovely fall-colored items.

This "wee vase" could hold a small bouquet or just look charming on a shelf:

These pottery leaves would be pretty hanging from a fall wreath:

This little pendant's fall tones will add a little touch of handmade style to your fall wardrobe:

Monday Oops: lavender lipstick

When I was a very young bride, I worked in a bank. I had a beautiful gray skirt and a slightly sparkly purple sweater that made a beautiful yet professional combination. I found a lavender shade of nail polish which quietly complemented the outfit, and for some reason I no longer understand, I bought lipstick that matched the nail polish. The fact that it was grape-scented should have been a clue that it was not meant for the career woman, but at the time I just thought it was fun.

I remember wearing the outfit, complete with nail polish and lipstick to work one day. One of my co-workers gushed about how beautiful everything was.

"Your lipstick is lovely!" she exclaimed! "You look just like those people in the Titanic movie...."

"...you know, when they're all floating in the water around the iceberg."

Oh. Not quite the effect I had in mind.

Fantasy Friday: Wigs

Today's post is for all of us who'd love to try a vivid hair color, but aren't ready for a fulltime commitment. These wigs are all at MissVioletLace. She has many colors, but it is the green wigs that are on my "Someday when I have $75 to play with, I'll buy one of those" list.

Three on Thursday

So many beautiful fall prints are catching my eye this week!

The Chadwick's catalog has this beautiful harvest print skirt:

Chadwick's has good clearance sales, but I have not found their sizing system to be very consistent.

Kathy Van Zeeland has a beautiful floral and animal print:

Kathy Van Zeeland purses are out of my budget, but they do show up at Ross, Steinmart and Marshalls at lower prices.

Boden has floral skirts on clearance. They're still expensive, in my opinion, but they give me ideas about what to look for elsewhere.

Three on Tuesday

Three Favorite Things

1. Florals are big this fall, on skirts and scarves and purses. Here are two of my favorite scarves at Jasmine Scarfs.

I ordered two scarves from Jasmine a few months ago. Shipping from Turkey was not fast, but the scarves were worth the wait. When I opened the package, there was an amazing fragrance of spices and rose petals. It was faint and it didn't last, but it made me want to order again just to experience that fragrance. The scarves are lovely.

2. Coin jewelry. Search Etsy for the country of your ancestors, or a year that is meaningful in your life.

These Irish earrings are from DonnaKBaker.

3. Fall nail polish

Because of the bordeaux tones that are making small appearances in my wardrobe this fall, I searched for a brownish nail polish with just a hint of bordeaux. This is China Glaze "Brownstone" and I love it! My nine year old describes it as "chocolate color."

Monday Oops: dramatic eyes

Several months ago I saw a fun eye makeup idea and I decided to try it at home. It included black eye shadow and green liquid eyeliner. It was easy to do -- a smoky eye with black on the outside of the eyelid blending to charcoal. I used a Kat Von D Autograph eyeliner in the color Peacock (my favorite eyeliner, which seems to be discontinued at Sephora). I liked what I saw in the mirror, but it was very dramatic. Very.

It would have been perfect makeup to go with a sparkly little dress and huge earrings. Or a concert t-shirt (U2, perhaps), skinny jeans and heels.

I thought I remembered that the eye shadow (from Ulta) faded quickly the previous time I wore it. "I'll have to remember this the next time Mark and I go out for dinner," I thought, and I went on with my day.

I taught the children's math lesson, we went grocery shopping, and we ate lunch. And then I happened to glance in the mirror again.

The eye shadow had not faded. Not at all.

The eye shadow was still very very dark. And sparkly too.

I'd been grocery shopping...at noon...wearing out-to-dinner makeup, a gray t-shirt and jeans.

Oops.

Please tell me all about your latest makeup oops.

Fantasy Friday: Athleta

I love to browse the Athleta catalog and website. Athleta models are all smiling women who surf and hike on beautiful beaches and mountain trails. Their hair is windblown yet perfect and they hike forested paths while wearing cute skirts. They also do yoga in beautiful locations.

I neither hike nor surf. I live in Las Vegas. No forest. No beaches except the fake ones on the Strip. And I like living here.

Athleta does have something I need in my desert life: sleeveless shirts. Athleta carries fabulous tank tops that have inner support like a bra--an actual bra not an elastic "shelf bra"--and they're sized like a bra.

And they are way out of my price range. That's why I mention this company on Fantasy Friday.

However, Athleta does have clearance sales. I bought one of those tank tops on clearance and I wore it at least twice a week the last two summers. It's still in great shape.

I also bought a swimsuit at Athleta a couple years ago and I loved it! Their idea of a "full coverage tankini bottom" was a bit different from mine, so I was thankful I bought the shorts to go over it!

This year I bought an Athleta tankini on ebay--I bought the two pieces from different sellers on Ebay. I like the individual fit that a tankini provides, and Athleta offers a "meet and greet" length so there's no gap between the tankini pieces. (I prefer not to get a sunburned tummy.) This time I made sure the tankini bottom was actually shorts.

If you're looking for a few summery items, check Athleta's clearance. You might find something in a non-fantasy price range.

Three on Tuesday

1. Emerald Green is in the fashion magazines this season. Emerald is one of my favorite shades of green (along with avocado and lime and olive and moss and sage... oh, I guess I just like green in general!). InStyle magazine had a great suggestion for makeup: wear a little purple around your eyes when you wear emerald green clothing. Obviously you want to do this carefully--these two colors together look like a Mardi Gras party. But why stop with makeup? Why not wear a chunky purple necklace with an emerald green blouse?

2. Susan Isaacs twittered about a free trade jewelry website: Big Village. I found these amazing earrings there:

Be aware that this is a Canadian company, and the exchange rate is not what it used to be.

3. Don't miss Shari Braendel's advice on fall fashion.

Monday Oops

I think I'll do a series of Monday Oops Posts. Nothing cheers up a Monday like reading about someone else's failures, right?

I am blessed to be a Homeschool Mom to three fabulous females. This year I have a fifth grader, a second grader and a first grader.

We started school last week--just a couple subjects each day--and today we jumped into almost the full schedule for my fifth grader. My littles need help remembering their reading skills, so we are concentrating on that before diving into their complete routine.

I had this great idea for a photo. I bought the Homeschool Super Mom shirt:

and each of my daughters has a Homeschool Girl shirt from Great Products.


The girls all had new dresses for the first day of school last week, but of course Middle Child got confused and put on her Homeschool Girl shirt that day. She brought it to me and traded it for her first day of school dress.

Today was T-shirt day.

And today Homeschool SuperMom can not find Middle Child's shirt. It is gone.

Of course Middle Child doesn't care. Why would she want to match everyone?

So...no photo.

Any wardrobe goofs at your house today?

Fantasy Friday: Pixie Cuts

My fantasy hairstyle is a pixie cut.

Like Victoria Beckham

or Margaret Feinberg

(That's a great book, by the way.)

But my hair is too curly. I've asked several stylists and they refuse to cut my hair that way. It just won't work for me. Sigh.

So instead I'm going to ask for this look at my next hair appointment:

I was so happy when Melanie Moore won So You Think You Can Dance, because I knew that meant it would be easy to find a photo of her to take to my hair stylist.

Do you have a fantasy hair style? Something you would love to do if you had a different hair texture or more patience with styling aids or longer hair or ....

Style and the Middle Child

My oldest daughter chooses her clothes based on comfort. She likes long shapeless knit dresses.

My youngest daughter usually throws on the first clothes she sees in the morning. She might wear a sweater in July or a sleeveless dress in December. She is never cold or hot, and she manages to squeeze her size 5 self into size 2T shorts. Once in awhile she gets bored with her clothing and lies in the middle of the floor saying, "Oh I have lots of clothes, I just don't feel like wearing any of them."

My middle child looks for three things in clothing: pink, leopard print and bling. When she was four she wore a tiara constantly. She wore it to Walmart and to the park and after awhile I hardly noticed it. It was just part of her.

She is also the tomboy of the family. She smashes bugs with her pink shoes and she climbs trees while wearing a tutu.

Sometimes my youngest daughter will decide to match the middle child, but never the other way around. Middle child has no need to match anyone.

On Sunday I painted my nails a dark purple color. Oldest daughter came along and I did her nails the same color. Youngest daughter watched us and asked for lavender nails (youngest likes long words--lavender is preferable to purple).

And then we all showed our nails to the middle child: "Look! It's purple fingernail day!"

"Very pretty," she said softly, "may I choose my own color?"

And she chose sparkly peach.

Three on Tuesday

I know, I know, everyone else writes "Five on Friday" posts, but I'm already posting "Fantasy Friday" on that day of the week.

So why not Three on Tuesday?

So...Three Things That Caught My Attention Recently:

This DIY necklace project at the Pretty Life Anonymous. Simple. Beautiful. Wearable. Customizable.

This straight purple skirt at What I Wore. I love the way she paired purple with leopard print, and the skirt looks so versatile. I'd like to find a green skirt in that style.

This bag on sale at ninewest.com. It's casual with a hint of elegance.

What caught your attention online this week? Any beautiful clothing...accessories...sales...???

Fall Color: Bordeaux

Shari Braendel, author of Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad, recommended bordeaux as a fashionable color for fall.

I thought I couldn't wear bordeaux. I thought my red hair would clash with it. I avoid red and pink tones in clothing. Shari suggested I try wearing a few accessories in bordeaux with a color that works well for me: olive.

That sounded like such a fresh and fun color combination, I just had to try it.

So I've been collecting accessories in bordeaux.

This wrap

to wear with this moss green shirt (moss is very close to olive, right?).

This scarf

which I will probably wear with an indigo denim shirt and an olive skirt or olive jeans, and big olive earrings.

I found this amazing nail polish, which is a color somewhere between bordeaux and black. I'll wear it with my connemara marble ring.

And my husband crocheted a hat for me. Yes. My husband rocks.

It fits kind of like this hat, except I wear it a little further back on my head:

Last week I was hunting in my garage for a curriculum guide I need for my children this year and I found a beautiful Bible cover.

I thought I gave this away years ago, but here it is, and just the right size for carrying my parellel Bible, my keys, wallet and phone to church. It's the fall color and it works with this fall's purse shape as well. I updated it with a scarf.

What color is calling to you this fall?

Fantasy Friday: tartan skirt

Every year in April we attend a Celtic Festival. It's held in a park where peacocks roam freely, their colorful feathers blending with the kilt-wearing men and women who stroll around playing bagpipes and dancing in Irish or Scottish traditions.

I always look for a kilt or a tartan skirt, but they're rather expensive, and women's kilts tend to be very short or very long.

I found a tartan skirt online that I absolutely love. It's a straight skirt, which is more flattering for me than an A-line, and it's just below knee-length. The price keeps it a Fantasy Friday item (not to mention the very short season in which the desert is cool enough to wear a wool skirt), but I do love to look at it.

Wouldn't this be fabulous in fall with a pair of riding boots?
I'd choose the Irish National tartan:

How about you? Is there an item on your clothing wish list that reflects your heritage?

Denim Shirts!

I love denim shirts. They are such great neutrals when wearing bold accessories. An Amazon seller has a good deal right now on a pack of two sleeveless denim shirts. I think the sleeveless shirt season in the desert is longer than the sleeveless shirt season in the department stores, so I like to find online options.

A Colorful Cover

This doesn't have anything to do with fashion, but it is colorful.

Here's the cover art for my new book:

From the back cover:

Do you need a hero? I'm not talking about a flying man in a mask, but someone whose life is a pattern of service and surrender to God.

Only for My King is a book of heroes. In every chapter you will meet a Biblical example, a historical hero, a contemporary Christian and someone I know personally. They are artists, poets, missionaries and mothers. Each of them will point you to Jesus—the only perfect hero.

You will read scriptures that assure you of the Lord's care and support, hum along with hymns that put scriptures into poetry and pray through Psalms that express the desires of your heart.

This book is not a call to lengthen your To Do List, but an encouragement to surrender each area of your life to your King, trusting Him to empower you for His glory. The old hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be” serves as a framework to pray through our lives, responsibilities and talents as we surrender to Jesus Christ: the King we serve and the Friend we love.

...You serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:24)


Only for my King will be available in a few weeks. Watch ruthjleamy.com for updates.

It's a great day for a scarf!

Ok, maybe you don't want to wear one around your neck in August, but TextileMonster at Etsy is having a Free Shipping day. Remember, you can always put a scarf on your purse or around your head (which is a great way to hide the fact that you might need a haircut or a hair color refresh).

The scarves labelled "Neck Tissues" are a great length for head wraps. Necklace scarves are an "eternity scarf" shape and are wonderful if you like a very loose scarf effect. For most of the year in the desert, it is just too warm to have a scarf very close to one's neck, and these are a wonderful option. They are shown doubled in the photos, but they don't have to be worn that way.

Some of my favorites:

T-Shirts!

Graphic T-shirts haven't been a major part of my wardrobe since I was a teen. Last year, however, I saw some ideas (probably in InStyle magazine) for exactly what to do with a Graphic T-shirt. I thought they were just something to throw on when you're wearing jeans, but this article showed t-shirts under blazers and vests, and accompanied by brightly colored scarves. That sounded fun.

So I started looking for cool t-shirts. I found this one from OregonTuff:

I love the combination of Sacagawea and Rosie the Riveter. I like the image of a strong and capable woman. (Check out the OregonTuff website in the link above for more Northwest-theme shirts if you live there.) I wore the shirt under a denim vest.

And then I found these on Etsy:

Ahhh. Pirates. My husband was Captain Jack Sparrow for a our daughter's birthday party several years ago, and I've had a thing for pirates ever since. This shirt is made out of the softest fabric ever.

It's a British brolly! This shirt looks great with dark skinny jeans.

Today I discovered a site with homeschool t-shirts, and this one is calling my name:

I think it's on sale tomorrow.

Now here's a shirt that is very appropriate. The illustration is shown on a towel but is also available as a shirt:

And yes. Yes, I do randomly quote Jane Austen. I would love to find a shirt that showed Elizabeth Bennett is a sort of Wonder-Woman pose, or somehow represented in superhero fashion.

Of course I might need a coffee-themed shirt eventually:

And one last shirt on my wishlist:

How do you feel about t-shirts? Fun? Fashionable? Or something to wear when you're mopping the floor?

My fall wish list

Skinny jeans in misses sizes (Penney's misses jeans start at a size too big for me, and juniors sizes require a belt. I don't like belts.)

Green jeans in straight or skinny style

Boots--possibly riding boots--in brown, for less than $50

a tweed blazer in brown (I don't need this til winter, but I try to think ahead)

green ballet flats

a couple sleeveless blouses in basic colors

a couple feminine tank tops in basic colors

a denim pencil skirt

a ridiculously large colorful flowered ring
(I know where this is--it's at the Farmer's Market at Tivoli Village on Saturday mornings)

What's on your wish list?

Fantasy Friday: StyleFind

InStyle magazine has always been my favorite fashion magazine--it's just style without any gossip. I just discovered something on their website. It's called "Style Find" (you can go directly to stylefind.com) and it lists all the current trends in clothing and makeup and accessories with photos and links to buy the items.

I'm including this as a Fantasy, because most of the items there have over-the-top prices, but there are some real-life, stay-at-home-mom items too. For example, I clicked on "vests" and found one I like for $25, next to a fur vest for $975.

It's fun just to scroll through and see the different shapes and colors and textures.

In keeping with Friday's Fantasy theme, I'll show you a fringed vest which costs the equivalent of a month's rent and a car payment,

these amazing shoes that my cat would destroy in half an hour,

and this colorful purse.

Don't wear all three at the same time. :)

Product Review: Rosebud Lip Balm

If you read my other blog, you already know all about my favorite lip balm. It's Rosebud lip balm, available in regular, mint, mocha, brambleberry or strawberry fragrances. I don't think the regular one has a fragrance at all. I love the mocha fragrance--it wakes me up while it moisturizes my lips.

Rosebud lip balms give me a bit of shine while enhancing my natural lip color. For a little more color, I use a nude-colored lip liner before applying the lip balm. This is a great way to get a neutral lip color to balance a bold eye makeup effect.

This lip balm has worked well for me whether I'm in the dry desert or the windy northwest. I've learned that in the desert summer, it's best to keep it at home rather than in my purse--it tends to melt.

Sometimes these metal tins are a little difficult to open, so I bought some empty plastic lip balm containers on ebay, and I scoop a little Rosebud lip balm into them.

What's your favorite lip product?

Denim and Turquoise

Look at this: Denim and Turquoise. What a fun combination! It's a modern twist on western wear.

I've been browsing turquoise-colored accessories.

Emitations has this lovely bangle:

If you want some extra bursts of color, check Shopmamie:

HSN has some clearance options, including this:

TwystedCreations has a whimsical beaded necklace.

I love the handmade look of this turquoise chip necklace. Wouldn't it be great with black denim?

For a new twist on denim and pearls, this bracelet would be fun:

For a soft feminine style, this would be beautiful with an ivory shirt and jeans or a denim skirt:

How do you dress up denim?