A Few of My Favorite Things

I am a girly girl...I am very feminine (at times) and I like pretty things.  But I am also sporty and adventurous. I believe you can be both...

I love flowers and plants...But my favorite flowers are roses (red) and then sunflowers.  My favorite plant is the Majesty Palm.  Flowers are so uplifting and a regular part of my life, and they bring me joy:

I love chocolates too:

I love soft, gentle classical music and artist instrumental music- I even play the flute: 

My favorite colors have always been hot pink and blue (different shades at different times, but currently turquoise):

My favorite earrings growing up were hot pink, heart shaped earrings like these.  I have worn these every day if I could:

And big, fluffy dresses and skirts like these (as much as possible):

I also have always loved gardens, gardens are a place of romance and beauty.  I love romantic stories:

I love beauty and anything beautiful (as long as its good for me).

I love sitting down reading inspiring books:

My desire has always been to go to Paris, France since a child and to learn French.  Parlez vous Francois?

 Thinking about what you enjoyed doing as a child can bring you back to who you really are as a person.  Someone asked me a few questions today about my favorite things and it brought me to the beauty of being me, a feminine, beautiful woman who loves beauty, romance and art!

What about you?  What are a few of your favorite things?

First Lady Fridays

I know it's not Friday, but it's okay... I'm posting it anyways because it's so relevant for so many...

Women are so powerful and filled with their own unique grace, elegance and authority; this is a God given beauty and power that is admired across nationalities and cultures.

Today, I was out helping at an inter city mission in Miami, FL when I came across a beautiful palm tree root.  I've been in Miami on a little journey and happened to be sitting somewhere a few days ago, looked  down and saw a palm tree root. There  were so many of them lined up right next to one another and they were so thin.  This shocked me and I began to wonder why would the roots be so much thinner than most trees, like the beautiful Magnolia Trees of my Georgia Home.

This was new territory to me so I began to admire the genius of God, why did He make the trees roots of a palm tree so thin and so many in number for such a massive tree that had to go through so much.  I asked Him!  And the thought came to my mind, "Because the palm tree has to go through so much...and the roots are flexible this way for the storms and hurricanes come."

This reminded me of an image I had seen before of a palm tree and teaching on how the palm tree can weather through the toughest storms, bending with the fiercest winds, but not being uprooted.

This is the power of a praying woman!  We are palm trees with thin, beautiful roots meant to carry us with graceful flexibility through the storms of life.  We are palm trees of elegance and grace, meant to be admired and to bring refreshment during the hardest times of life.  We are the beautiful, all uniquely glistening as the sun shines down on our many shades.

Oh, the lessons we can learn from God's beautiful creation.

Be Inspired.  Be Encouraged.  And, most importantly...be transformed!  Enjoy Beauty because you are!

Have a Blessed One,

Fashion Warrior~In the toughest of times, bend...don't fall.

I am like a palm tree, deeply rooted and made to conquer the storms of life (if they have to come).  And...so are you!

I thought this tree was magnificent and I even found out that its historic to the community I was in...

Another angle of me under a palm tree, this tree was massive and the roots climbed up the tree!

Be a tree, an entry and example to many other generations to come.  They will be the tree behind you (deeply rooted beautiful ones).

What do you think about my discoveries beautifuls?

Ways to Wear a Leather Skirt

Ways to Wear a Leather Skirt:

The leather skirt is such a fun versatile skirt that you can dress up or down.  My favorite style in the pencil skirt.  You can wear it with a t-shirt, a casual blouse, or a figure fitting shirt. 

And don't worry, you can wear a leather skirt even in the summer heat.  I'm in Miami and I wore a leather skirt today!  Pair it with a pair of fab heels, you can match a bright colored heel like bright red, fire orange, or hot pink with the same brilliant lip stick color.

Or you can do a more basic pump like a classic black or gold thin strapped shoe.

Below are a few leather skirt combos I thought were cute.  What do you think?

Kate Spade Delight

One of my favorite designers is Kate Spade.  I love the classic elements, a line skirts, and conservative edge.  She pairs these classic looks with bright, youthful colors!

Her fall 2012 line was a graceful blast from the past.

Welcome to the 1950s in 2013:

Kate brings back the radio purse

Check out these 1930s Vintage Saddle Shoes:

 

And here's a 1950s high heel saddle shoe:

This is Kate Spade's updated, open toe version.  So cute!:

Polka dots were so in style back then:

And here they are now, still so stylish:

But you've got the love in character in the 1950s Sunglasses.  Oh! And I love the gloves :-):

Kate Spade Brings them back:

 But then there's the wonderful hairstyles.  Hey!  I still rock a classic curly look from time to time:

The Pompadour & Curls:

 Kate Spade's Pompadour:

The Classic A-Line Dress:

Kate Spade's Rendition:

Thanks for stepping back into history with me!  What's your favorite look?

Old Skool Cool

I've found that some outfits are so ugly to me that they're cool.  Here's a classic example.  I am entitling this look, "Old Skool Cool".  Because you'd expect someone's grandmother to be wearing it, it has a character that makes it kind of cool if you put it together the right way.

I think the accessories and the cute skirt make this work.  It's a very modest, covered look but it is still chic.  The blouse has a lot of unique characteristics.  Take note of the v-cut sleeves at the elbows and the poofy shoulders and the way the blouse drapes gracefully on our models body.

I also like the way she added a cute little belt to add a touch of grace and modernity to this old skool type of skirt.  Her bracelets are also up-to-date and she tops it off with a cute hand bag in a complimentary color to purple with an unexpected pair of high heeled suede boots.  You could also add pumps to make a more retro look.

There's enough modern touches to turn this look into a mesh of old and new skool.  Great job!  Would you wear this?  What do you think?

 

Now, this second look screams, "ITALY!" to me and I loooovvveee it.  I put it in Old Skool Cool because of the Old Skool skirt.  This look proves that you can make any skirt look cool if you blend it was the right pieces and aren't afraid to make a statement.  The hat is amazing and the t-shirt is a great up-to-date touch to this entire look.  The shoes are also perfect because they're so cute.  Shoes can go a long way in bringing a piece of clothing to modern times!  They do wonders with skirts- especially wedges and heels.  Tennis shoes (sneakers) can also be paired with a skirt; this is an art!

First Lady Fridays: A New Edition Addition!

The Brilliant Idea just came to me to start a portion of my blog called, First Lady Fridays.  Fridays will be my day to encourage all the Lovely Ladies out there with words of Encouragement, Upliftment and what I'm learning in my journey with the GOD!

I'll start with this beautiful picture that spoke to me one day while I was on an Orthodox Jewish woman's website, entitled "Jew in the City".  I absolutely love her YouTube! show and recommend it.  It's full of humor and very insightful.

Sometimes it feels like He's so far away but in reality, God is nearer than we think, so near that right when I needed to feel Him, know He was there and that He was thinking of me I saw this picture on someone else's website with an amazing description of how God has some attributes that are like a mother's love for her children.  He is caring and kind.  He covers us with Him self in a close and intimate way, not far away like a distant God.  He is near and sees our every need!

So remember that today and cherish His presence in your life.  I sure am!

Accesorize: Creative Ways to Heighten your Wardrobe!

Accessories are such a fun way to add glamour to a basic outfit.  Today I want to show you how to add a bright or not-so-bright belt to your skirt or dress!!!

Okay we're going to start basic, but don't worry...it gets better.  This is one way to add a simple touch to a basic skirt.  A pencil thin belt can go a long way!

 I must admit that this is my favorite look of this blog entry; there's such an ease and natural flow to this outfit.  She wears the belt over a warm sweater with a cool white shirt.  The purse and sunglasses are a hit!  Imagine this same outfit without the accessories.  It would actually be quite bland.  Also, no need to overdo it.  She is doing well without earrings or a necklace.

And you can wear a belt over a jacket with no belt loops to make a really cool fashion statement.  Just play around with belts and layers until you get the look you want!

 Here are some really cool ways to add a belt to your favorite dress or khaki skirt.  Your dress does not have to have belt loops to wear a belt with it and the belt doesn't have to match the dress exactly.  Yellow and red go great with grey tones and a darker brown industrial belt goes well with khaki:

A red belt on a solid black or navy blue skirt/dress is almost always a winner:

 

This thin red belt brings out the classic character of this polka dot and navy blue look.  I love the bow!  Don't you?  And the matching red purse is a winner!

 

I hope you enjoyed these looks!  Now it's your turn...go for it and send me pictures! Tip for the economical shopper: I always find really cute belts at thrift stores for really low prices.  And Salvation Army has a half off day on Wednesdays where I live!  Find a thrift store and match up your new belt with an old timeless piece.