TJ Maxx Finds

I took Friday off from work for a much needed mental health day. After a late breakfast with a friend I had not seen in a while I stoped by TJ Maxx before I had to pick the kids up. I scored some interesting finds.
First are these blue and white china balls. They were $5.99 and are currently looking quite posh in a sea grass basket on my end table.

I love pewter serving pieces and have several. This shell shaped piece was $12.99 and will make regular appearances in my serving piece line up.

This wicker clutch has dark brown mock croc accents. It also has a short chain inside. I can see it going to several fun parties this summer. For $19.99 it had to come home with me.

This cute red, white, navy and yellow striped bandana is from Talbots. It's a crisp cotton and I can see it around my straw hat this summer, around a pony tail as well as around my next. It was $6.99. Another great find.

I do love to shop at TJ Maxx or Loehmans, Marshalls and Ross too for that matter. It's a little like treasure hunting. Some days you walk in and nothing jumps out at you. Some days, you find the perfect treasure.

Back to School Night and Feeling Better

Many of you have read my recent posts fretting about the school my kids go to. Overall it's a great public elementary school with top class staff. The principal is a great guy and really dedicated. Still, test scores went down this year and there are some people who are leaving for what seem like really weak reasons. All and all, I was a little worried. The I went to last night's Back to School Night and was totally blown away. The work the kids are doing in class was amazing and the teachers were so involved and so proud of the kids that I was amazed. It's not an easy time in public school and this school is doing a fabulous job!

This is AGB. He is in the 4th grade. What he is showing is a scrapbook the class made about the gold rush (remember we live in California). Each person had written a diary as if they were living in during the 49er gold rush and prospecting for gold in Sutters Fort. Then, they had each dressed in "prospector" type clothes and taken a picture for their class scrapbook with their "49er name". His was Beaver C. Morrison. He's also showing his wire sculpture and clay figure, both of which are baseball players.

Here is OPB. He is in first grade and showing me his work folder. The art in action program our district uses is amazing and they had such amazing things. He had written a book of "scary idioms" My favorite was "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't lead a bull to water".

This is CMB in the second grade. She is showing a piece of art in action drawn with chalk pastels that has her name hidden in the picture. Her class had also done a science project about the life of crawfish and snails. (we go to a math/science magnet school).

All and all, it was a great night. We also went to the science lab and the computer lab. All kids go to both labs at least once a week. We also visited the Reading Partners lab where kids who need a little extra reading help got twice a week instead of morning recess. AGB goes to reading partners and it has really helped him this year. I feel so much better!

Entertaining is Fun! or Fighting the Will to be Dreary!

Entertaining is fnu is a neat book by Dorothy Draper (1889-1969). Dorothy was a contemporary of Diana Vreeland and Elsie de Wolfe and became an icon of stylish living through her interior decorating and many books. Originally published in 1941 this book is a really fun read. Given the time frame in which it was written, not all of us live the lives her hostesses live. I know I don't. But the part I thought was the most important was how important it is to fight what she called the "will to be dreary". That over whelmming feeling of "why bother" or "I'm to tired" or "it's to much trouble". I fall prey to this every now and then. I work full time outside the home and have three school aged kids, two of whom have learning disabilities. Lately I have been feeling a case of the blahs. I was feeling sad that it was about to be Memorial Day and I didn't have any fun plans or invitations. The I decided I was being dreary. I called my mom and sister and are going to my folks beach place this weekend with the kids. I took Friday off from work just because and called a couple friends and am throwing a BBQ at my house on Monday. So there! Now I feel much better. How do you fight the will to be dreary?

In Praise of the Crisp Little Jacket

I've always been a cardigan lover. I own a ton. They are so useful for throwing over a dress, or pencil skirt and blouse, they go well with pants too. I work in an office with an odd dress code (really that's another post) and cardigans have been a go to for me. Lately however, the cardigans hav looked a little sloppy to me. Enter the crisp little jacket. My new favorite item this spring. The lovely one above is Bodens Sleek Cotton Balzer. I especially love the color and the cheeky dotted lining. . Makes me feel like Pippa Midleton, which can't be a bad thing right? So this spring I've been throwing assorted jackets over my trousers and pencil skirts instead of cardis. What do you think? Which do you like better?

Summering in Seersucker

Do you love seerucker? Do you wear it? I confess that here in Norther California it is not much in vogue. It simply isn't that hot here, nor does it get humid as it does in the South and North East. I am loving this post over on the Brooks Brothers blog, Rouges and Gentlemen. Follow the link to read the whole post. http://blog.brooksbrothers.com/the-clothes/summering-in-seersucker/

To me seersucker is summer, even here. I have a great pair of tailored bermunda shorts and a blazer. I prefer the traditional blue and white seerucker but have been know to rock pink and white. J Crew makes great seercuker bikini's too. I have some of them too. There is something about seersucker that just says summer. If if you aren't sitting outside with friends, watching the fireflies while sipping something cold and delicious, which of course is how I prefer to enjoy it!

Vineyard Vines Tennis Collection

How cute is this? I got an email this morning that Vineyard Vines has a new tennis collection. The items are all super cute. Do you think they would improve my game? You can check it out

on the Vineyard Vines web site.

Dressing for your body type - The Pear

There are a ton of articles out there about body shapes and how to dress them. I'm pretty much a classic pear. I have narrow shoulders, a small waist but curvey hips and thighs. I tend to wear a size 6 or 8 top and a 10 or 12 bottom. I'm also 5'8" tall. I'm going to share a few tips I have found work for me. I'm going to preface this with a reminder that these work for me and are only guidelines. Certainly not gospel. I'm also a lawyer, not a stylist or professional shopper.

1. Drawing attention upwards

Wear the right under garments to define the waist and create curves in all the right places. There’s nothing like a good lift to lift an outfit. This is really a no-brainer for any body type.

Look to create an “A-line” silhouette with clothes (fitted on top and roomier at the bottom). And the more pear-shaped you are, the more A-line you can go. We pears look exceptional in A-line dresses or skirts and should take advantage of this ultra-feminine look all year round.

Most pear-shaped gals have tiny waistlines. Show them off! Opt for waist defining knit tops, knitwear, blouses and button down shirts.

Don’t turn away voluminous tunic tops and dresses either. If they’re A-line and structured in the shoulders, the chances are high that they will work.

Wear V-neck tops and create V-neck shapes with your layers. V-shapes elongate the neck and draw attention to your slim midsection.

It’s imperative that anything that you wear on top fits properly on the shoulders because the eye is drawn to definition. As soon as your shoulder line is sloppy, the outfit won’t look as good.

Don’t shy away from boyfriend jackets. Find a style that’s more tailored than boxy, wear it open or belted at the waist, scrunch up the sleeves and add heels. Voila.

look for tops, knitwear, jackets and coats with interest. Tops with wide cuffs, bell sleeves, ruffles, zippers, embellishment, rushing, vertical seaming detail, large collar/lapels, wraps and princess lines all work. These design features naturally draw the eye upwards.

Wearing an eye-catching colour on top draws the eye upwards, so take extra care with the shades that you wear on the top part of your body.

The length of your tops should either catch you just below your hipbone (a few inches above crotch point), or past the thigh area. Avoid lengths that finish over the widest part of you, which is usually across the bottom or straight across the thighs. Pears can wearleggings with the right A-line dress or tunic because this look is about the dress and not the leggings.

Try to to add visual interest to your torso. Longer length camis underneath knitted tops and shirts can work as can a fitted shorter jacket or sweater as a third layer over these layers for the most flattering effect. The layers automatically create a visual balance between the top and bottom half a pears body.

Accessorize the top part of your body well, with necklaces, specs, scarves, earrings, hair clips (but not all together).

Tying scarves in vertical ways creates a flattering long lean line down the front of the body. Wear scarves!

Pears were made for the waist cinching belt look. Wear a waist defining belt over tops and dresses for extra definition and to lengthen the leg line.

2. “De-emphasizing” the bottom and elongating your legs

Keep your bottom choices simple and structured, thereby saving all the visual interest for your tops. No cargo pockets, side entry pockets, waist pleats, drawstrings or hip embellishments.

Yes, Pears can wear skinnies or straight legs if you match them with A-line tunics, dresses and heels. Belted tunic button down shirts look incredible so be sure to give that look a go.
Tucking skinnies into chunky knee-high boots is another great way of balancing out your silhouette when you wear tapered bottoms. This way of wearing skinnies might not require a longer top because you’ve balanced out the look with tall boots.

Keep the front part of all pants (dress and denim) free of detail and the rise mid in length (not too high or low). Make sure that there is enough ease through the hip and thigh. Fabrics with stretch are the best bet.

Keep the hems of pants boot cut or flared if you’re not sporting “the skinnies and tunics” silhouette. Pants that skim along the contour of your thighs always work best. Size up and have the waistband adjusted.

Keep walk shorts straight from the thigh down and knee-length and avoid lengths shorter than this. Clamdiggers (knee length Summer skinnies) will work if you pair them with longer tops.
Don’t force yourself to wear pants denim if you look and feel fabulous in skirts and dresses. Just wear skirts and dresses.

Knee length A-line skirts with vertical panel seaming are great. Stay clear of bias-cuts.
Pencil skirts and sheath dresses can also work if you keep the side seams straight from the hip down to the hem (no tapering). It’s also best to add a little length to this style of skirt and dress, so around the knee is ideal.

Try pointy or almond toes shoes with bottoms that are wider at the hem because it elongates the leg line. But round toed shoes are just as fab as long as you sport pants that are not to short!(hems should almost skim the surface of the ground).

Wearing some sort of heel (even if it’s just an inch) whenever you can will give you the height that automatically slims down your curves. Simple rule: the curvier your bottom, the longer and wider you’ll need to wear your pants and the higher you’ll need to wear your heel to balance out your silhouette. This doesn’t mean that you can’t wear flats. You just have to be careful with the pairing of flats with pants and jeans.

Wearing heeled knee high boots that are slim at the ankle with skirts or dresses in cooler weather is a great leg-flattering look.

I hope this helps! If you have other tips please share them with me!