Welcome back to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live! I am lucky to have joined a terrific group of bloggers who give a peek into the places and spaces where they spend their time. Today's topic is 5 Simple Fall Pleasures I Live For...and I have a list that is probably similar to many other people's: Cool weather Fall color and falling leaves Soups/stews Autumn/Halloween decor (note: I do not decorate for the season myself) Fall fashion Since I talk a lot about fashion

I am fortunate to have joined a talented group of bloggers for the Global Writing Challenge. Each month, we write about a very broadly defined topic, and the responses are quite varied. The newly revised group includes Deb’s World, Marsha in the Middle, Suzy Turner, Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After Again, Cat's Wire, Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa, and me. This month, Amy selected the topic Birthdays...which of course also suggests the complementary topic of Unbirt

Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the 1911 watercolor painting "The Mysterious Garden" by British artist Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. She chose this painting because "the colors, the ethereal symbolism, and the delicate femininity of the work really spoke" to her. source: https://shelbeeontheedge.com/ Since I do not have a giant billowing melon-shaped dress in my wardrobe to straightforwardly replicat

Last September, I posted about the weirdness of September as the month marking the "beginning of fall" yet still feeling very summery in much of the Northern Hemisphere, including Minnesota: September is a strange month! School is back in session, marking the unofficial end of summer for many people. The fashion world has turned hard core to fall clothing and outfits, urging us to shop for the cooler season. The pumpkin spice latte has returned to coffee shops, and the Americ

Marsha at Marsha in the Middle is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the circa 1663-1666 oil painting "The Concert" by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. She chose this painting because she was "struck by the use of light, shapes, and all the items in the room. There's a lot to choose from in this painting...." And she is not wrong! I might not have known where to start with this one, but... source: https://marshainthemiddle.com/ ...the blac

I have been welcomed into a wonderful group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers that focuses on styling preloved clothing and accessories in themed monthly posts (third Monday of the month). I hope that this showcase of secondhand items and outfits provides some shopping and style inspiration for anyone who is interested in creating great looks in a way that is sustainable for our planet and our pocketbooks. Today's topic is Maxis...and I was struggling to figure out how to st

Salazar at 14 Shades of Grey is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected an un-named 1932 landscape ink on paper painting by Chinese literati artist Huang Binhong. She chose this artist because she had recently seen some of his work on her trip to China, and it reminded her of West Lake when she was there. source: https://14shadesofgrey.wordpress.com/ I admit that I just was not on board with an achromatic black and white outfit, but fortunate

I have been welcomed into a wonderful group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers that focuses on styling preloved clothing and accessories in themed monthly posts (third Monday of the month). I hope that this showcase of secondhand items and outfits provides some shopping and style inspiration for anyone who is interested in creating great looks in a way that is sustainable for our planet and our pocketbooks. Today's topic is Summer Sparkle...and this was a tough one for me bec

Marsha at Marsha in the Middle is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the circa 1755 ink on silk scroll painting "Rooster, Hen, and Hydrangeas" by Japanese artist Ito Jakuchu. She wanted to find something that wasn't from a European artist, and a search of "obscure artists of the 17th century" turned up this piece, in which she loved "the colors, the movement, the flowers, and the roosters (or are they just plain chickens)." source:...

Today I'm continuing with my summer closet edit... -Grey tipped blazer post is here; -Navy short-sleeved jacket post is here; -Light blue Henley t-shirt post is here; -Slate blue skirt post is here. The fifth item leaving my closet is this navy pencil skirt from Walmart that I purchased 8 years ago for $10.50 (on sale). Just like with the slate blue skirt, I last wore this skirt in 2024 because in the summer of 2025, when I'd just left my job, I didn't feel like wearing skirt

Salazar at 14 Shades of Grey is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the July 1, 1919 cover for Vogue magazine by illustrator Helen Dryden. As she put it: "We’re at the height of summer, so I thought a summery image like this would be appropriate, and there’s a ton of inspiration here for an outfit as well (naturally, since it’s Vogue!)" Of course, I loved that there were so many colors and prints for us to work with in this drawing! sour

I have been welcomed into a wonderful group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers that focuses on styling preloved clothing and accessories in themed monthly posts (third Monday of the month). I hope that this showcase of secondhand items and outfits provides some shopping and style inspiration for anyone who is interested in creating great looks in a way that is sustainable for our planet and our pocketbooks. Today's topic is Summer Birthday Party...and I knew I wanted to "cele

Today I'm continuing with my summer closet edit... -Grey tipped blazer post is here; -Navy short-sleeved jacket post is here; -Light blue Henley t-shirt post is here. The fourth item leaving my closet is this thrifted slate blue skirt from M.M. LaFleur that I purchased 6 years ago. The $20 price tag was reasonable given that their skirts sell new for $195 and up. I have previously talked about this skirt as one that is high quality and feels very "fancy/professional" for work

Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the hand-colored etching "The Leader of the Luddites" published in 1812 by the printmaking firm Walker & Knight by an anonymous artist. As she put it: "While I don't condone violence of any sort, I still love what this illustration represents...opposition to technology taking away human jobs...I also love that this image offers some fun sartorial inspiration as well!"

Marsha at Marsha in the Middle is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the color lithograph "Stork Gather" by late 19th century Dutch artist Theo van Hoytema. She learned of this artist from another blogger, and she chose this particular artwork because "storks are beautiful, and the colors just spoke to [her.]" Of course, she had me at birds! source: https://marshainthemiddle.com I found it very easy to pull in pieces to interpret this a

Today I am featuring a denim skirt from Lands End that I like for its dark wash, knee length, and simple, classic silhouette. I consider this my warm season denim skirt because the length is perfect without tights. For cold weather when tights are the order of the day, I wear my somewhat shorter, more traditional "jeans-look" Levi's denim skirt (see Part 1 and Part 2 of my Levi's 30 wears post). A denim skirt is a great substitute for jeans in the summer, and it is more polis

Today I'm continuing with my summer closet edit... -Grey tipped blazer post is here; -Navy short-sleeved jacket post is here. The third item leaving my closet is this pretty blue t-shirt that I've had for 8 years. It's still in good condition after 19 wears, but this particular Henley style top is a bit of an awkward fit on my body, and now that it's a little snug, I don't love the way it looks across the chest because the fabric pulls oddly. I am not sorry to say goodbye to

This post is dedicated to the memory of our friend Iris from the Where Bloggers Live group. I think she would have appreciated this artwork! Salazar at 14 Shades of Grey is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the "Irises" folding screens by early 18th century Japanese artist Ogata Korin. In keeping with the summer season most of us are experiencing, she wanted "something summery and nature-themed" and thought this would be fun to interpr

I have been welcomed into a wonderful group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers that focuses on styling preloved clothing and accessories in themed monthly posts (third Monday of the month). I hope that this showcase of secondhand items and outfits provides some shopping and style inspiration for anyone who is interested in creating great looks in a way that is sustainable for our planet and our pocketbooks. Today's topic is Fringe...which is a tricky one for me because I don'

I am fortunate to have joined a talented group of bloggers for the Global Writing Challenge. Each month, we write about a very broadly defined topic, and the responses are quite varied. We recently welcomed two new members to the group: Amy and Cat. The newly revised group includes Deb’s World, Marsha in the Middle, Suzy Turner, Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After Again, Cat's Wire [Cat], Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa [Amy], and me. This month, I selected the topic o