Derby Days!!

Oh, it's (nearly) the most wonderful time of the year!!

I know my mind is still leaning towards spring, but it's nearly (well, sort of).....Derby time!!

For the longest time, I have wanted to host (or attend) a Derby party--well-- and to wear the hat!

Luckily, my favorite vintage website is all over it! (And thanks to my friend, Aimee, for introducing it to me!)

Here are some of my favorites:

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 Derby love! And cheers to finding the perfect hat. :)

xo,

B

A Charmed Life...

In 2010, my Mom gave me her charm bracelet for Christmas. It was something I had not seen since childhood--when although I was allowed to look at the charms, I was not allowed to touch them. The charm bracelet--long forgotten--was a memory tucked back into the recesses of my brain.

When I unwrapped the bracelet, I remembered everything about it. My favorite charms. The history behind them. My only regret to this day is that I was so excited about my Kindle that Christmas that I didn't ask my Mom about every single charm.

Most charms I remembered. Many of them were gifts from my dad to her and bring back many happy childhood memories and life changes. Some, I do not. What I love is that's an ultimate history of m/oury family.

It was also fun to see some of the new charms she picked to commemorate her own adventures!

Her last words to me about the bracelet: "Don't just try to slide it over your wrist. Make sure you use the clasp."

After Mom died, I put the bracelet away. It made me so sad, and the daily reminder of all of those memories was too much to bear.

I am not a big believer in signs. Whether I'm just jaded, bitter, or still searching, I mainly believe that signs are things we make ourselves believe in order to make us feel better.

But...last night I had a dream about my Mom. In this dream, I was apparently "in a snit" as she would say. When I woke up, I was thinking that I should call her and tell her about this because the dream was kind of funny. And then I suddenly remembered, I couldn't call her, and I was just heartbroken.

And then I wanted that charm bracelet. And I was reminded of my Mom's words to me: "Your life is GOOD!" (Which, of course, is totally true. I just had the most amazing pedicure.)

And you know what? It is. So I slid that bracelet over my wrist--clasp be damned. (But then one of the charms fell off later, so I might want to rethink that whole signs thing. Maybe. Why is it that Moms always get the last word?)

I am so inspired to remember that even when there are bumps in the road, there are still so many magnificent and joyous memories to make with the wonderful people (and Yorkshire) in my life. And I have made so, so many that it just makes me grateful and puts a smile on my face. :)

So, as requested...here are some of the pictures of the charms. Sorry they are not that great. My plan--I think--is to take the charms off the bracelet and make new ones, so I can wear them daily. As it stands, the currently bracelet has lost of charms and is pretty heavy. 

My Baby Picture

One of my favorites...a marriage certificate charm engraved with my parents' names. I love this.

Marriage Certificate Charm

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 From my Dad to Mom: a wedding ring charm

Wedding Ring Charm

A family vacay to Wyoming--there is also a charm for Mt. Rushmore for the same trip.

Wyoming

When we moved to the great state of...

Texas! 

 

 

My Mom's trip to Asia...

Asia

And I THINK this is from when she turned 21...

Birthday love

Happy Wednesday!!

xo

(images courtesy of Framed In The Doorway)

Jewelry Declutter

I decided to tackle a small little project today: decluttering my daily jewelry pile. For a while, I was storing my daily pieces in one of my depression-glass bowls. Well, everything ended tangled up in the bowl, and I was afraid I would chip the bowl.

Then I moved on to one of plastic storage things from Target, which worked for a while. But then everything started getting tangled up again, and I lost one of my favorite hoop earrings, which I am sure is around here somewhere. In fact, I'm sure the dog found it, and it's buried in her bed.

At any rate, I found this cute little floral jewelry tree at Target and decided to give it a try

Picking out the pieces I wear daily brings me a great deal of joy, and I like to wear accessories that are meaningful to me.

This is the Before picture. See how everything is jumbled together? Doesn't make it very easy to find my favorite pair of earrings.

Here's the cute little tree from Target...

This is the After....things hopefully will be easier to find...

This is my favorite...an earring-studded flower. :) The pink and yellow earrings are Kate Spade. I love the pink bows and gave the matching bracelet to a friend of mine who had cancer (and has fully recovered!). It's kind of hard to tell, but the earrings at the bottom are supposedly vintage Chanel. A girlfriend and I found matching pairs in an antique shop and gave them to each other as a gift. :)

This is one of my very favorite necklaces. It was a gift from my mom from her trip to Asia.(Notice my Texas charm bracelet peeking in the back. :)

My Texas charm bracelet along with a handmade bracelet from a dear friend of mine.

The neon pink bangle is another (on sale) Kate Spade purchase, and the flower cocktail ring was a birthday gift. The colored cocktail ring was picked up in a fun little shop in the French quarter.

A sparkly Christmas gift from my nephew coupled with my beloved watch, which my I got on one of my very special trips with my Mom...

And another one of my favorite necklaces...oh, and if you look down in the lower, right-hand corner, you'll see a pair of jade earrings that my Mom gave me. I don't wear them very often because jade is heavy. I like it for spring, though.

And there you have it!!

FITD love!

xo

(all images courtesy of Framed In The Doorway)

FITD: True Love

So, this blog post is a bit more difficult (but no less joyous) to write.

This is a Valentine's Day post dedicated to a dear friend of mine whose husband has been approved (and scheduled) for a kidney transplant tomorrow.

What a wonderful Valentine's Day gift.

My friends found each other in high school and have since loved and cherished each other ever since.

In the past few years, his health has been on the decline and the need for a kidney has been great. Watching my friend support her husband, suffer his pain as thought it were her own, plead for prayers...offer up her own kidney to support him. She is truly a remarkable human being

AND she keeps a sense of humor, supports her friends, and maintains a generosity of spirit.

Since my Mom died, she has yielded unwavering support.

Tomorrow, my dear friend, this Valentine's gift will be about y'all.

This post does not involve pictures of flowers or candy or cards.

But it does involve this: to my sweet Angela and Joe--a little English poem from  Gammer Gurton's Garland:

The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you

FITD love.

Your friend,

Brandy

Tea For One

When I was 32, I briefly worked in downtown Chicago near the Ritz-Carlton. Occasionally, I would treat myself to a glass of wine and an olive tray. I felt very grown-up. Sometimes I would bring a book and a journal. Other times, I would people watch and look out the window and daydream.

I always told myself I would treat myself to high tea there, but I never could seem to justify it.

I'm not an avid tea drinker. I like it, but I seem to drink it when I'm either cold or sick, and making tea basically involves a paper cup, hot water, and bagged tea. Sometimes, if I'm feeling really adventurous, I'll throw in some sugar.

But to me, there seems to be something proper and soothing about formal tea.

Here are some things on my imaginary tea tray:

Tea, of course, (And no paper cup for me!)

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And finger sandwiches, dahling...

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Followed by some miniature scones...

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With a delicate, feminine centerpiece...

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An elegant strand of pearls...

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The  perfect outfit and location...

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And no lady is complete without her hat and gloves...

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FITD love!

xo,

B

FITD: Friday Flights of Fancy...

So, sometimes when life brings some hard things to deal with, it's best to focus on the good.

Carousels remind me of childhood. Even now, I can hardly pass one by.

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I still can't skate without scaring other people, but how cute is this?

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Dr. Seuss, anyone?

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Am thinking of this to either showcase something of my Mom's or something that she gave me. What do you think? Maybe a card or a the clock she gave me? Still giving it some thought,

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And this new lovely Jo Malone...I love the idea of this fragrance. It makes me happy.

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And may you be happy always...

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FITD Friday and love!!

xoxo,

B

FITD Yorkshire: Guest Blogger

Happy Thursday, lovelies!

In honor of (upcoming) Valentine's Day, Duchess Elizabeth has asked if she could have her own post on fashion, food, fun, and...boys!

Duchess Elizabeth, thank you so much for sharing your time with us today. Can you tell our FITD readers a little bit about yourself? 

Absolutely! Glad to be here. I'm just over a year old. I enjoy chew toys, rib bones, playing fetch, playing at daycare, and hanging with my Mama and my Man.

Now your Mom tells us you have quite the wardrobe. Can you tell us a little bit about your fashion sense?

Well, I have several sweaters, which are wonderful given the cold weather here. Usually, Mama will put out two sweaters and let me choose. The one I start chewing on is the one she picks. I would say, though, that my favorite fashion tip is using my accessories. When Mama puts on my collar bling/charm, I know I can walk out the door in nothing but my fur and look fabulous. It's all about the details.

Signature color?

Pink, of course!

Where do you get your fashion inspo? 

Mama, Chanel, and Bruiser, from Legally Blonde

Tell us about your diet.

Well, Mama has me on a special dog food designed for me. I DO like my rib bones, though. And carrots and apples for a special treat.

But you have to work for those, right? 

Let's just say that THEY think I'm working for them. I have found that people are so easily manipulated.

How about your skin and hair care?

An excellent question. I would prefer Eau de Squirrel, but Mama is currently bathing me in her Jo Malone and Philosophy bath products. I like the Chewy Chocolate Lollipop because that's the closest to chocolate I'll ever get.

Any special boy dogs in your life? 

Maaaybe

As Valentine's Day approaches, what advice would you give people about finding love? 

Ugh. What a stupid question. Okay, look here's the deal: if there's a toy I want at daycare, I take it. If there's a lap available, I sit in it. If you leave your socks lying around, I cannot be responsible for my actions. I don't mean to be egotistical, but it really is all about me. I think I have a shirt that says that. Does that help?

Um...quite. Finally, what are some misconceptions people have about the Yorkshire?

Thank you for asking! The plight of the Yorkshire is dear to my heart. I may be a little dog, but I am not without some sass--as we speak, I am currently ripping out the throat of my toy, Monkey II. You can only guess what happened to Monkey I. We are not just purse dogs!!  I may wear a bow, but guess who can run faster and jump higher? It's not you.

Any other thoughts?

Dinnertime.

Thank you, Duchess Elizabeth, for your time!

Always :)

Sitting guard and showing off the bow (image via Framed In The Doorway)

FITD love!!

xo,

B and DE

Saturday: A Style and a Smile...Inner Grace

So, my initial blog post was going to be about how I accidentally trimmed my hair and gave myself a mullet.

And how my stylist saved me from  my scissors and produced a magical haircut.

(P.S. If you're not trained in scissors, please don't use them.)

And then tonight I received a lovely email from a high school friend who said how much she enjoyed my blog.

This post is dedicated to her--my latest love: Philosophy Inner Grace. Just like her. :)

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(images via FITD/my stylist and Sephora)

FITD love!

xoxo,

B