flowers and vintage mix




please excuse my tardiness and my over-exposed picture.






when jane and nita throw a party you know i try my best to be on time.


so pardon me for being late.



are you allowed to attend two parties at the same time?  i hope so because that is what i'm doing.




i've got gorgeous green hydrangeas freshly dried from my garden and they are on a very old solid maple dresser that i bought about 20 years ago for $8.  my boys have always used it and it's been every color in the rainbow and had more stickers on it than i could count.  it's kind of sentimental to me when i think back to all the times i yelled at them to pick their clothes up off the floor and put them away.  which they rarely did btw.




that's an alabaster bird feeder that holds my vintage turquoise and the lamp looks old but it is new from urban outfitters.  the vintage clock and the newish little picture frame holding a picture of stella completes the arrangement.




you may recognize this fabric and think i'm overdoing it and normally i'd probably agree with you except in this case because in this case...i LOVE this fabric.

now that i've said it out loud and have it throughout my house i'll probably be sick of it by next week.  i sure hope not.



so i think (and you can correct me nita if i'm wrong) that by mixing the vintage pieces with the fresh flowers and the new pottery barn headboard that this is a mod vintage mix!

did i ever tell you that i got my pottery barn sofa and this headboard from our american express rewards points?  i did and it only took 20 years.


&


have a great big beautiful week you guys.




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40

the september issue

fair warning, this is a long post and full of obnoxious pictures of myself and my wardrobe.  so if you are not interested in project 333 this would be a good time to click that button.  i do it all the time so don't feel bad.
 
i'm a couple of weeks ahead of myself here but courtney's project 333 comes to an end on oct 1st.  i thought i'd share with you what i've learned about myself while being involved with it.  i've said this before but the best thing about the project has been that i discovered my personal style.  because i've always loved fashion i've always thought i had a little style.  the problem with my style was that i was all over the map.  i often bought clothes for a life that i thought i wanted to be living instead of the one i actually was living.  the result was a closet full of clothing and only a few pieces that i actually wore on an everyday basis.  by narrowing down the contents to 33 items there really isn't room for impractical choices. and since moving to this place with only one small closet, space is definitely an issue too.  and so now that the project is over for me (you can still participate) i don't think i will limit my wardrobe to only 33 items permanently, but 40 or 50 sounds very reasonable to me. and the idea of applying a random number to your possessions without any purpose is silly.  because of project 333 i now know what works for me and what doesn't.  for instance i adore levi's and button down shirts.  during the fall and winter i reached for these items over and over.  jeans and a shirt paired with a herringbone jacket is my kind of heaven because this outfit truly fits my lifestyle.  when spring came around i would wear my white levi's and i still found myself reaching for a chambray shirt to go with it.  then when summer was in full swing i switched to shorts but i really found myself wanting to wear lightweight summery dresses. that is something i will correct this year.  more dresses!  i definitely made some shopping mistakes but not as many as i used to and overall i'm extremely happy with my purchases.   my biggest mistakes were in this order...the red saltwater sandals.  they are definitely cute but honestly do not look good on my feet.  they are new leather and that bothers me quite a bit.  next would be the few cheap tops i bought for the spring.  you can see them here.  i just never reached for them and i don't know why so i can't explain it.

just in case you were wondering, my usual first step when shopping is to start in the second hand shops.  i'm fortunate that we have so many good ones in redlands.  then i try to buy natural fiber clothing that is american made or compassionately made.  and if i had to sum up my style in a few words it would be...levi's, herringbone, vintage leather goods, pretty dresses and vintage turquoise.  that's me and i'm not sure i could have said that so succinctly prior to this project. 

and i cannot emphasize enough what seeing myself in actual photographs has done for me either.  i highly recommend it.  even if you don't have a blog get someone to snap a few pics of yourself in your favorite outfits.  it's a real eye opener.  i really need to do a separate post on this subject.


well now we are at the obnoxious part of the post.  here are some of my favorites that i wore over and over and over and over and over.




  errands, hanging out, movies, baling hay.  perfecto.




ditto






there isn't a thing about this outfit that i don't adore.






i wore this kayce hughes dress constantly last spring and now into early fall without tights.
i LOVE it.





this outfit couldn't be more me.





remember this el cheapo jacket from forever 21?  i felt so guilty b/c it was made in china. 
well, the truth is i wore it to death in the spring and it is none the worse for wear.  not a thread out of place.





chambray, denim and a vintage handbag. 
 kill me now.







yes, well what can you say about a $2 maxi skirt that i wore everywhere.  honestly, it was getting embarrassing.




and this rrl shirt and vintage bandanna, a gift from alex that i adore.  that kid knows me.







and one of the kayce hughes dresses i just bought.  so me.




are you still with me?
are you sick to death yet?

how about what didn't work?







love the look but the shirt was too thick and heavy for my climate.








i bought this kate spade dress for the upcoming reunion and loved it but it was too sheer and needed dry cleaning.  ebay.




returned this also.  it's longer than the kayce hughes dresses but there just wasn't any movement to the dress or something of that nature.  anyway, i wasn't comfortable in it.


i think there are a few more that didn't work for me but i'm afraid if i post another picture of myself i'll vomit. 


so that's it for project 333.  i hope that all i've learned sticks with me,  i hope to never wander around a department store again aimlessly looking for something to buy just because a advertising agency told me to.   target, i'm talking to you!  
those missoni flats are on ebay for $140.
that is stupid.  why not save for the real thing?





xo
janet


ps - i rarely watch tv but i'm up all night  (click to watch the trailer)which airs tonight and stars christina applegate and will arnett. 


i'll be away from my computer for a few days so i want to wish you an early happy, amazing weekend.
let's all squeeze every last drop out of summer that we can!







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51

the endless summer





well then, that subtle scent of fall i told you about last week?  it is long gone.
that's what i get for even mentioning the word herringbone in september.

luckily for me while in san diego kayce hughes had quite the clearance sale.  i was purchasing these dresses for next summer but because of this ridiculous heat i'm getting to enjoy them now.  are you familiar with kayce's clothes?  they have such a classic american sensibility to them and they are so comfortable.  if fall ever gets here all i have to do is put a cardigan on and these dresses will be good to go just about anywhere.  plus, everything is machine washable which makes them such easy, everyday clothes.  i was beyond thrilled when these arrived and i realized they had pockets.  yay for pockets!  if project 333 has taught me anything, it's that dresses rule in the summer.  i only had 1 dress on my summer list of 33 and i'm fixing that now.

kayce is the mom to seven children.  yes, you read that right. why or better yet, how she is not in the looney bin is beyond me.  in addition to that she also runs and is the designer of her own clothing company. 
she's talented, gorgeous, has amazing employees who are genuinely nice and i better stop now because i'm starting to hate her.







i wore this dress last night to a meeting and a gentleman said, "that's a cute dress janet, you look like you are wearing a tablecloth."
well now.   





kayce hughes sleeveless evy dress
julie lorusso fabulous pearl bracelet
round sunglasses (99 cent store)
copy kate bag (hanging in there like a champ)
naturalizer sandals (goodwill $5)




ok, on to dress #2






sleeveless evy dress in plaid
i love it!




pop over here now to see kayce's fall line. it's pretty fabulous. 


raise your hand if you're happy it's friday.
xo
janet
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56

herringbone and figs




well yes, here we are in september.  i've obviously survived the sun and sharks and am quite rested.  although nothing about travel, even local travel is restful to me.  it's always go, go, go.
 
like a lot of people, fall is my favorite season.  here in southern california it is a very subtle season but delightful just the same.  currently we are still firmly ensconced in summer but little hints of fall are in the air.  you can smell it and feel it.  i'm looking forward to next month because it will be the end of one full year of taking part in project 333.  time sure flies when you are counting clothes.  i've learned so much and will share more about that in a later post when...i'm done counting clothes.  




figs, figs, figs



i've also been making fig jam.  again, delightful. 

i use this recipe.  i use the whole fig, skin included.  who knew that most of the skin would dissolve during cooking and the part that doesn't tastes just like the figs.
oh mother nature you just kill me.

herringbone jackets, fig jam - it's really starting to subtly feel like fall to me.


here's wishing you all a most delightful weekend.

xo
janet


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