TRENDY TUESDAY...The first!

Greetings blogger friends!

Welcome to the first ever Trendy Tuesday! I am here to serve you and all your fashion needs. Ha - not really, but I am here to share with you some of the latest trends and exciting things on the fashion scene today. I am not, I repeat, NOT a fashionista! I am just a mommy - sort of tired of wearing the same ole thing everyday and ready to dress it up a little! My "baby" is a full-fledged toddler now, the days of no showers, (yes, that did exist - and if you have had a baby, you will understand what I mean!), staying in sweats or pj's all day and cleaning up spit-up are basically over in my house. We do have the occasional pj day, and yes, we sometimes have spit-up (or worse) - but generally my clothes do not provide a running tally of what my child has eaten all day.

So, if those days are gone, but I am still a stay-at- home mom without an "outside of the home" job to go to and dress up for, what do I do? What do you do if you are in the same position? Are we doomed to a life of sweatpants and hoodies? And what if we are not a size 2? Is there fashion in the double digits of sizedom? I pray the answer is yes, I pray that we can together "kick it up" style wise. No more frumpy, mommy uniforms. Commit now to putting together at least one new outfit and wearing it - to your child's next playdate. Make the other mommies envious of your fashion sense and style!

I appreciate all the comments and emails over the last few days. It has been great to hear from some of you that I haven't seen or spoken to in quite awhile. Those of you who invited friends... well, what can I say - you are the best and you know it! I will post the winning friend of my Old Navy gift card at the bottom of this post.

So, onto fashion!
One of my email friends had a question about jewelry: "Funny, I have never been able to pull off jewelry- it just looks ridiculous on me. As my new fashion expert, can you tell me, is there something wrong with me?!" Signed, DanFogelberg's Biggest Fan!

Well, Dan's Fan - I hear ya! Sometimes I get carried away and buy lots of jewelry pieces, but then get home and try to put them together and get NOTHING! Some days it is just simpler to wear the wedding ring and watch and be done with it. My advice is to start small. Maybe incorporate just a great basic necklace. Like this, not only is it cheap--uh...inexpensive - but it is trendy and could easily be wore with lots of different things. I think it would look great over a turtleneck or sweater such as this. Or even this.

You don't even have to put the earrings in - just go with the necklace. Usually the rule is put your jewelry all on - then look in the mirror and take something off. I really like the trendy, chunky type of necklaces and earrings, but I usually only wear one piece - chunky necklace, no earrings or neat, chunky dangling earrings, no necklace! I am short, I think this helps to keeping from "weighing" me down. If you are tall and thin - then go for it all. Us shorties, well, we need to limit it a bit I think.

So, try a few pieces of the costume necklaces - or if that is still too much for you - maybe just invest in a few bracelets, like this which is a bit pricey or this which is inexpensive and would go with any outfit.

So, Dan's Fan and everyone - start small, try a piece or two of costume jewelry and then remember to take a look in the mirror before leaving. It is no crime to take off the earrings, or the necklace. Gone are the days when we had to match from earrings to shoes.

Now, before we dive into the fashions out there for this Winter season - let's talk color. I found a great website that keys us in on the colors we should be looking for - click here.

Blues are really hot right now - all shades - especially popular now and for the upcoming Spring is the crayon colors. Bright blue, green, yellow and red. You can incorporate these great colors with all the basic neutrals that are probably in your wardrobe already.

Here is a great dress that is in that wonderful fun blue color - this type of dress can take you right into Spring, paired with a fun shoe like this or even just basic neutral shoe like this and you can wear it for church, or an evening out with the hubby. It is also great for most body types!

So, the great colors that are in the stores right now - bright, crayola crayon colors - jump in, buy a few accent pieces to spice up your basic wardrobe. There are lots of accents to choose from, coats, scarves, purses, shoes, and yes, even the aforementioned costume jewelry.

The best blouses I have found so far on this search are here, ANA from JC Penny. These are great, print blouses that will go with jeans, dress pants or skirts. They look great under jackets like this, or just alone for an unusually warm winter day. The bonus of these blouses is that they will carry right into Spring and even Summer. They are roomy and look great on all body types. So, best advice is to go and spend a few moments, trying on blouses like these, find some that you love and live in them for the rest of the season. You can easily dress them up for church or dinner, with a fun necklace, or fun pair of shoes and a bag. The look of the seventies and early eighties is back - let's embrace it and enjoy it where we can!

Well, my fashion blogger friends. This concludes the first of our Trendy Tuesdays. I hope you have found something here to help you start boosting your wardrobe and get motivated to shop a little bit for yourself. I will continue to troll the web and the mall to find the things that you just can't do without - fashion wise anyway! Remember to email me your questions or reply in the comment section. Come back and invite your friends!

I will be back next week with more!!!

Fashionably Happy,

Beverly

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And the winner is:

# 6 - Laura Roberts -- your gift card is in the mail! Enjoy!

(I used random.org, dice roller - I had a combination of 7 emails and comments. I listed them in order of receipt and then"rolled the dice." )