You Should Be Dancing.....YEAH!

Music and dancing have been a part of my life since I was a little girl.  I don't mean dance like ballet.  I'm talking free style, get your groove on, can't stop this train, my my my boogie shoes dancing!  I LOVE TO DANCE!!!

And if you think YOU might like dancing, but feel a bit timid or self conscious; I might be able to help! For  your dancing education and pleasure, I'm supplying you with some of my favorites with a bit of instruction with each.   Don't even THINK about how you look.  Trust me.  You look FABULOUS!

Just play along and you'll see what I mean!

1.  Word Up by Cameo
     To Do:  Hit the play button and then just stand in front of your computer.  Don't intentionally move, just see what parts of your body start moving when the music plays!  I defy you to listen to this and NOT move!!  And around the 3:40 mark is when you may even come unglued!  (Telling on myself here!)

2.  To Be Real by  Cheryl Lynn
     To Do:  Okay, with this one, it's all about the lip sync!  You don't just listen to or dance to this song....you PERFORM it!!  Your turn!  (Doing some desk dancing with this one!)

3.  Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People
     To Do:  Okay, with this one.....don't even get up out of your chair.  As I'm sitting listening to this one, it's all in the shoulders....a variation on the shimmy, you know what I mean?  Just get your shoulders into the beat and BAM!  You're there!

4. Got to Give it Up by Marvin Gaye
     To Do:  This one's all about the feet!  It just makes you want to shuffle a bit!

or maybe this'll show you what I mean!

5.  September by Earth Wind & Fire
     To Do:  I've saved the best for last!  The greatest band EVER!  I got to see them in concert with my sweet husband a couple of summers ago and I've got to tell you:  It was an almost spiritual experience!  You don't HEAR EWF's music.  You FEEL it.  You EXPERIENCE it!  But here.  See for yourself and this is a total dance free for all!

Okay, I know I said that was the last one, and it was as far as the dance lesson.  HOWEVER, one of my favorite lines from a song is from Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest.

"We like our fun and we never fight

You can't dance and stay uptight

It's a supernatural delight"

I wholeheartedly agree!!

Those Marants will make you happy....

But will they leave you content?

This morning I wrote a post on my other blog, Candy Bars from God.  It's on contentment and why it's so allusive.  I think it's a topic apropos for the fashion and style blogosphere also.

By nature of what we write about, we're always looking for the "next thing".  The Rebecca Minkoff bag high lasts just until her next bag comes out and then we need our next fix.

No finger pointing here!  I'm number one at this....I can talk a good game, but so often I find myself REALLY wanting some gorgeous wardrobes I come across online.  But anyway, that's what my post is on my other blog.  It was cathartic for me to write it and it was a realization.  If it resonates with anyone else, that's a bonus!  Hugs to you all!

When the Big Apple takes a bite out of YOU!

Source

My niece Tori, recently moved to NYC.  It was basically a lifelong dream and after months of deliberating and saving, she took the plunge!

But wait.  Before I go on....a quick background update.  Tori is North Carolina born and raised.  It's the only place she's ever lived and has grown up on southern hospitality, biscuits, and basic manners such as holding the door open for others, "Yes Ma'm" to strangers or women her senior, and basically an unrushed existence.

Now, back to the story.  Tori.  Moving to the big NYC.  Exciting, huh?!  I mean, a young single woman in New York City?  That's Carrie Bradshaw, right?  Going to glamorous hot spots every evening.  Living in a cute little walk up.  Even when Ms. Bradshaw was broke, she still looked like she was living the life, right?

Well, with Tori, it hasn't exactly been a Sex in the City experience!  In fact, it's been more like Sludge in the City subtitled "What the HECK have I done?!?!?"

As a creative catharsis to deal with this enormous life change, Tori started a blog.  There she documents her impressions, experiences, and musings.....all peppered with an enormous amount of her wry dry sense of humor!

Here are a few of my personal favorite posts of hers:

Now you're in New York.....so, now what?!

Ewwww...That Smell!

Polite is a Problem?

Every Teardrop is a Dead Person  (One of my absolute favorites!!)

Celebrity Non Sighting

If you're happy and you know it, you're not me  (Another favorite due to the philosophical musings of what really is happy and what it takes to obtain it.)

Happy Leo  (This one makes me smile out loud!)

So would you do yourself and me a favor and go take a look?  Tori is a sweetie pie, an amazingly talented young woman and.....dare I say it?  BRAVE!  Not just because of moving to NYC, but let's face it.  Any time we're leaving behind everything that is familiar to us, it's scary.  And homegirl has done it and done it with a sense of humor!  And if we didn't even share the same blood, I'd still have to love her to pieces for her moxie!

Scarves & Jewelry: Combining the Two

So as I'm taking pictures of a slew of scarves that I'm now selling in my store, it occurred to me to combine my favorite new necklace (the large cuff necklace at the top of the picture below....thrifted for $5!) and this gorgeous silver scarf.  The scarf itself seemed like jewelry to me, so to combine them just seemed so natural.  I think it makes for a GREAT statement look - the perfect way to add some drama to a neutral outfit!

Start with........

These are all of the ones I own.  I inherited the bottom two from my mother.  I rarely wear them, and now I'm wondering why!? 

* Side Note:  Don't we all have things we love in our closet or jewelry box that, for some obscure reason, we never wear them?  I'm making it a point to pull those things out and actually wear them and not just love them from afar!

Dress up a basic black dress with a touch of drama.  Of course, you could use any scarf you have.  Long rectangle scarves work best for this....to keep it a bit more casual, you could use a really colorful or whimsical scarf.

The scarf can be knotted around the neck cuff in a variety of ways. 

Simply folded in half and draped over the middle.

Wrapped around a couple of times and then tied in a square knot.

Use that same square know and double back the scarf ends to form a fluffy bow.

Don't want it draping down the front?  Why not wrap a silk scarf around your neck cuff and then tie off in the back?  

Of course, the neck cuff need not even show.  Use a large square scarf  and gather one end and drape over the front of the cuff.  Pull it down as much as you want for a bib effect.  You can then cinch the waist, like I've shown in the picture....or you can tuck it into a skirt or slacks.  I've shown this worn OVER a cashmere blend top, but you can wear it with nothing underneath (just be sure to cinch it firmly enough that the girls stay put!)

Put a jacket over it and you've got a peplum-ish look.  It's also a great way to take advantage of the great prints scarves offer without the price of a full silk print blouse! 

And finally, for now, tie your scarf like a men's necktie around your cuff necklace.  I used my thinner necklace that is actually shaped to lay flat on the neck.  

The more gorgeous scarves I find, the more I want to use them, but wearing them around my neck just gets too hot!  As Pam can tell you, scarves are a great way to get more mileage from the basics that you have and mix things up in your wardrobe.  I rarely see her without a scarf and she ALWAYS looks immaculately well dressed!

So please let me know if you give this a shot!  It's given me a renewed motivation to think outside the box where my scarves are concerned!

By the way, everything in my store is 20% off right now!