Smiling Sunflowers

 Dress: Sunflower Print Mixed Media Dress by eShakti (size 30) via Gwynnie Bee Try Then Buy

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Born

Earring & Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

Sunflowers! One of my favorite flowers...I couldn't resist buying this dress. It's such a great girlie swirly length & the bottom half fits wonderfully...the top is big since I have to get the size 30 because the sunflower fabric has no stretch & it comes above the waist. It's similar to this bird dress I bought last year, that I regret buying. But I will love this sunflower dress forever. 

 Smiling happy sunflowers make me feel joyful. I started buying flowers at farmers' market this year when the sunflowers started showing up...they greet me every morning on the kitchen counter when I make my iced coffee & I start my day off with a smile. Every time I wear this dress, I will remember those first sunflowers & how important it is to do things for yourself that bring you joy.

 I'm not sure what's up with those orange swoops...

I first wore this dress to try out the smelt fries at The Tin Fox in Kate's new 'hood. They were alright. My salad was gross, but those maple syrup cheese curds were worth trying...I don't need to have them ever again, but they were good. We'll stick to Gates & Brovi for all our smelt needs. 

 Girlie cocktails...

I also wore this dress on the weekend I visited my grandma & mom. I've always loved the ceiling in the upstairs where I sleep. The three of us drove into Detroit (20 min.) to cruise around Belle Isle & look at Canada. That fountain is gorgeous.  

Then we went out for Polish dinner in Hamtramck...YUM. And later we played Gin Rummy. 

Casual, Cute, & Comfy

 Dress: Dolce Vita Dress in Citrus Print by Effie's Heart (size 4x) via GB Shop

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Born

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, various family members, & me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I had this dress from Gwynnie Bee back in spring of 2017, & bought it shortly later when it showed up in the GB Shop. I thought it read a bit too grey/cool for me to buy at the time...but I knew it would be something I'd wear endlessly...like all the Effie's Heart super cute comfy dresses. I wore this dress several times before retiring it for the year. 

My only issue with this dress is something that happens to all the dresses in this style after several washings...the pockets curl out & are a bit droopy, which looks sloppy...I need to pick up some iron on interfacing, or something, to fix this issue. 

 No make-up/accessory pics were taken of this outfit. 

I first wore this dress to attend Concerts on the Square with Kate. I wanted to wear something that was the equivalent of a hug as the sores on my legs were hurting me badly & getting me to feel pretty ugly. But, girlie time helped! And wine. And tuna poke. This was a perfect summer evening...not hot or humid...the theme of the night was songs by Journey & Queen. The mix of those things made this a record breaking crowd of ~55,000 people. We were most looking forward to Queen, but the singer sounded just like Steve Perry, so that ended up being the best part of the night. 
I also wore this dress to meet my dermatologist & get one of my sores biopsied...& give a gallon of blood for various tests. And after that...David & I travelled to Milwaukee to pick up an antique mirror for our bathroom that we found on eBay. The seller ships via Greyhound & we no longer have a bus station in Madison...so Milwaukee was the closest. So we hit all the Restores while we were there. My childhood bedroom furniture was much like the cream & gold set below, fabulous chairs, & a vintage buffet...all things we left at the store. We found a brand new, still in box, Toto toilet...& seat...$100! That will go in our basement bathroom. And David spied that awesome metal rack that he's going to make wooden drawers for so I can use it for jewelry storage...it would have never occurred to me. 

Time for a haircut with Gen. Morning Glories at the dog park & smiling sunflowers on our kitchen counter. 

Finally, I wore this dress to drive to the Detroit area to visit my grandma while my mom was in town...we went out to dinner with my Aunt Kathy & Sandy...then sat around my grandma's house talking. 

 And took pictures...

Traveling Trolley

 Dress: Theresa Dress in Trolley Print by Effie's Heart (size 3x) via Gwynnie Bee Shop

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: ?, thrifted

Earring & Necklace: Babil & Bijou, former etsy shop

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, Mom, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I snapped up this dress when it showed up in the GB Shop for $15...they were out of my typical size 4x, but I took a chance on the 3x as it is a true wrap dress & I remembered there being a lot of room in the larger size. It was a perfect fit...I didn't want for an extra inch of fabric anywhere...so, now I know...that at least in this style of EH, 3x is a great fit. In looking at the photos of me wearing the 4x last summer, the top on this one fits better, but there is more swirl to the skirt in the 4x. I'll take a better fitting top. 

None of the green sandals I own were quite the right match...but I wish I would have went with one of them anyway. Metallic just doesn't pop. 

I love the soft colors in this dress & how they look against my skin...

My make-up with this outfit included...Sunrise Blue eyeliner from NYX; Acid Rain, Mildew, & Moonflower eyeshadow by Urban Decay; MAC lipstick in Dozen Carnations; & OPI nail polish in Greenwich Green. 

I wore this dress about 1/2 a dozen times...the first time was to have girlie happy hour with my girlie at Heritage Tavern. 

 Pretty ice cubes.

 $5 happy hour tacos...the yummiest deal in town.

 The art of eating an artfully made deviled egg...

 Olive romping at the dog park...

Buying flowers from farmers' market every week has made me ridiculously happy this summer...best $5 ever spent. I also wore this dress to do my final consult with Maggie for my farmers' market tattoo. 

A few weeks ago, I drove to the Detroit area to visit my grandma while my mom was there visiting her. I wore this dress on my last day & for the ride home. My favorite part of the visit came on this morning...my grandma was making her bed & I helped her get the other side & she told me about this quilt her mom made for her, by hand, as a wedding gift back in the 40s. She has been using it every summer for decades & it's still in nearly pristine condition. These are the kind of stories you only get to hear when you show up. 

We were going to go to The Pancake House for breakfast, but no one but me wanted to wait. Breakfast at National...where I got my first senior discount! Grosse Point Woods had this adorable dog statue art all over town that different artists decorated that made me smile while I was there. 

Art Faire on the Square

 Dress: Sweetheart Neck Flutter Sleeve Dahlia Classic Navy Dress by Leota (size 5L) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit) 

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Born, thrifted

Earring & Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I was wrong, *this* is the last Leota in a size 5L you will see me in. This dress was so pretty with the various shades of blues & bright yellow, I wish it had fit me better. Leota is now tts, so I won't be making this mistake any longer. Had I gotten this in a 4L, everything about it would have been lovely. 

Usually these yellow teggings are much brighter than any other yellow I have going on...but not this time...they were a perfect match. 

 I sure miss Savers for collecting cute shoes for cheap. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Deep Blue & Sunrise Blue eyeliner from NYX, UD eyeshadow in Maiden, Huda Beauty Electric Obsessions eyeshadow palette, UD lipstick in EZ & Big Bang, & Aim to Misbehave nail polish by Essie. 

I wore this dress to wander around the Art Faire on the Square with David. These precious elephants were the first thing to catch my eye. I should have bought them...she would have sold them to me for $100 for both. Another artist painted in fabric...

This guy had a huge booth full of amazing jewelry...but I couldn't seem to find the right piece for me, maybe next year. 

This is the kind of speaker I need. I liked this work of cut up books collaged together...I would like to do something like this on one of the many windows I've collected. 

Our favorite artist, Bruce Holwerda...we didn't buy anything from him this year...but his art decorates several walls in our office. Kate & Jason brought one home to hang in their living room. A few pretty outfits I spied while peering at the art. 

David discovered this guy, Jon Ladd, from Tennessee who makes English bridle leather belts...he got three in British Racing Green, Black, & Burgundy...all with brass hardware...Jon fit him on the spot & cut to measure. This top hat guy spoke to David & we bought a large copy for David's home office...the original is pictured below. We saw this mossy driveway on our walk back to the car...look for photos there in the future. 

Abby Jeanne // Seasaw

 Dress: Sleeveless Black Cocktail Embroidered Fit & Flare Dress by eShakti (size 28) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Fly London

Earring: The Gilded Gypsies

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

Adorable idea for a dress...but a weird fit & thin cotton sheeting material that wrinkled the minute I moved made it less than ideal to wear. The armholes were much larger than they needed to be, & why not a few cocktails embroidered on the back of the dress?! The length was good & it had pockets. 

Wouldn't this have looked cute with a few cocktails on the back?

I had to work to get the bra not to show too much...but it's also red, so it matched. 

My make-up with this outfit included...NYX Faux Blacks eyeliner in Oxblood; Urban Decay eyeshadow in Mildew, Gash, & Moonflower; NYX lip palette in The Reds; & An Affair in Red Square nail polish from OPI. 

The end of an era...Epic bought the Ella's Deli carousel & the fun stuff inside...it will be missed. 

I wore this dress to see Seasaw & Abby Jeanne with Kate at The Memorial Union...it was supposed to be outside on the water, but it was raining buckets...so inside then. 2 Shitty Barn bands that were great together. 

Girlie dancing, girlie posing like Bucky, & girlie outside on the terrance after the rain...

Below there is a disgusting photo of my leg & some health issues I've been dealing with for over a month now...I'm going to give you some space so you don't have to see it if you don't want to.


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These terrible sores popped up on my legs back in July...this photo is towards the beginning, so not as bad as it got. In addition to being hideous...they hurt quite badly. I went to several doctors who didn't know what it was & put me on antibiotics before getting a referral to a dermatologist. After many many tests, it was determined that I have Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis, which is a condition where the small blood vessels become inflamed. This was the best outcome as some of the other things tested for were quite serious. It may have started as a virus & this was how my body reacted...they don't know. The doctor suspects this will be a one time occurrence...but it has been difficult to get rid of. I am on a high dose of prednisone in hopes that will clear it up. So far, I am still getting new fluid filled extremely painful sores on my ankles...this makes it nearly impossible to wear shoes other than flip flops. So, if my shoes don't seem to fit me in shots, this is why...also, I am blurping out the sores where I can because they make me feel so ugly. Just yesterday, the pain finally eased up a bit...so I am hopeful I will someday no longer look like this.