Just wanted to stop in and say...

Leave it to Mickey and Judy to capture my feelings completely. Just perfect... :)

I do wish you all the most wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving day and weekend. I am currently partying with some dear friends in Texas and looking forward to a very special wedding this Saturday, so I'll be seeing you all again sometime next week.

Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

Image Credits: SimplyClassics.net

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Visit me on Tumblr! :)

Hello girls!

Well, I am currently away from home sweet home and visiting loads of wonderful people in Texas (down SOUTH - gasp! ;) which prevents me from doing any heavy blogging. I wanted to drop in and let you know that you can still get some fashion-y ideas and inspirations over at my new Tumblr blog, appropriately titled "Ooo... I Like It!"

Click the image if you want to see more. I hope you like it, too. ;)

Hugs,
Amanda

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Deborah Style

Last Sunday, two of my sisters and I sat down to watch An Affair To Remember with my grandmother. I'd heard much about this movie over the years, as Nana had mentioned it now and again as her favorite film (the end makes her cry every time). My curiosity had always been piqued by her description, and well knowing that she has great taste in old movies (not to mention the fact that she looked like a movie star herself back in the fifties :) I decided that we had to set up a night to see what this film was all about.

I was not disappointed. An Affair To Remember was thoroughly sweet, temporarily heart-wrenching and ultimately satisfying. And the lovely Deborah Kerr was just the icing on the cake. I'd seen her before, in The King And I, which is a favorite musical classic. (Seriously, every time I watch the dance scene between Deborah and Yule Brynner, I get goose bumps. :) She was a beautiful woman, a passionate and yet delicate actress; completely bewitching both in period dramas or contemporary films - made more brilliant in Technicolor by her soft, red hair. On top of all this, she was nominated for six Academy Awards. Not a bad achievement.

So today is Deborah's day on the blog. For the first photo, I selected a publicity still in which she is wearing a very striking ensemble. The basic wool suit is made magnificent by the addition of fur running down over the shoulders and wrapped about the cuffs. The delicately stitched buttons add a further touch. Her intricate hat is accented with velvet and the outfit is finished off with a pearl necklace and earrings. Of course, beautifully manicured hands and a huge ring make everything just perfect. ;)

The second photo shows Deborah and Cary Grant in a scene from An Affair To Remember. This film is one of the many in which insurmountable problems arise all because of miscommunication. It's always a good reminder to keep things honest and open in everyday real life. These things do not only happen in movies.

I have included this third photo simply because it proves that I am not the only one who has an addiction to solitaire... ;)

Have a lovely weekend! God bless.


Images: SimplyClassics.net

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Introducing Another Guest Writer! :)

I just wanted to take a moment to share a bit about our guest writer for today...

Abbe is another one of the lovely girls I met and became friends with on my recent trip to London. She was a blast to hang out with, whether we were exploring Fortnum and Mason's, taking tea at the Fan Museum (as pictured here - isn't her bonnet lovely? :) or trying on funky shoes in Bullfrogs. On top of being a whole lot of fun - she's a super classy fashionista with great taste in clothing and accessories!

Below is the article she wrote for AmandaBeth Online - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

-Amanda :)

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Deep Clean

{By Abigail Mae}

If you live anywhere near the top half of the United States, you will know that these autumn months are a time of change, when cold weather starts to settle in. It is time for the heavy sweaters to come out of storage, and the sundresses have to be packed away. For some, this is a happy time, others are a bit blue. Regardless of where you live or how you feel, it is still a good thing to start each season with a clean closet. (I do this every season but some of you will be more than happy with just twice a year.)

Being organized it a large part of being fashionable. It makes it so much easier to put a fabulous outfit together when all of your clothes are folded nicely, and hanging in their proper places. In order for you to wear what you have, you have to know what you have in the first place. You may just find that sweater that you lost a year ago, or those fabulous patterned tights that you had to have but then forgot about.

I have attempted to condense my way of doing things into six simple (really!) steps. Take what you like and make it your own, but here is my plan to get your closets (and room) organized, and working for you (instead of you working for them!)

Step One: Look around You

Take a deep breath and look around your room and. Are there shoes piled in the corner? Are your hangers all messy? Do you have clothes heaped around? This is a time to assess the damage. Be realistic with yourself and try to figure out how much time it will take to get your room in tip top shape.

Sometimes I am too busy to get started right away on a project, so I will set aside some time later in the week or weekend to devote to just cleaning/organizing. Or you can break it up into little five minute jobs such as; organize top dresser drawer, tidy nightstand, etc.

Step Two: Make a Plan

This is a good time to make a list of everything that needs to be done. While you have everything out of place anyway, this is the perfect time to clean your room (I mean CLEAN clean your room!). Divide your room into chunks. For instance, in my room I have a desk, a closet, a bed, and a bathroom. Then start to list all of the steps required to accomplish cleaning that specific space.

My list for cleaning my desk looks something like this:

Desk

• Organize Papers (throw out papers that you don’t need, file others, set out important ones)  
• Throw away pens that don’t work, sharpen pencils. 
• Put books back on the bookshelf. 
• Clean and polish desk, then put your things back, it’s also nice to put a new candle or fresh flowers out. 
• Clean out drawer and organize office supplies.

Before you start you should have a large list with all of your tasks written down in detail.

Step Three: Get to Work!

If you are going to do this all in one day make sure that you have everything that you need before you start. Turn on some music, something soothing or maybe upbeat, you decide! It helps to get yourself in the right frame of mind before you tackle anything. Preparation is very important!

Before you start make sure that you have:

• Trash bags (For junk and clothes that you send to Goodwill! Once it’s in the bag it doesn’t come out!)
• Laundry baskets (these will come in handy with sorting)
• Hangers (It is so nice to re-hang all of your clothes on matching hangers. They are $1.99 at Wal-Mart and they come in virtually every color.)
• Cleaning supplies (dusting rags, window cleaner, etc.)
• Diet Coke or Sweet Tea (Or whatever your favorite drink is. These just happen to be my favorite and make any event a party!)

Now that you have your supplies, get moving and most importantly, start checking things off of your list!

Step Four: Clean as you go

While you’re organizing things, this is the perfect time to clean things... Since everything is being sorted through now’s your chance to dust those shelves, move the bed and such.

Step Five: Sort

Everything is going to go into one of four piles (this is a good time to use the trash bags and laundry baskets).

• Toss - Throw it away.
• Mend - This is the clothing that you want to keep, but needs some mending before you can wear it again. You can also use this pile for shoes that need to be resoled or polished.
• Keep - Anything that serves a purpose and that you still want.
• Sell/Give Away - I like to take the clothing that I don’t want any more, but is still in good condition and do something with it.

I, personally take the high-end pieces to a resale shop. The nice, name-brand pieces I give to friends. And the off-brand I send to Goodwill. As a side note: please do not give your junk to goodwill, if the clothing is in bad shape just throw it out, they don’t need your stretched out tees, stained sweaters and gnarly flip flops.

Step Six: Put Away

This is when it all starts to come together! Fold your clothes, put them away. Re-hang dresses and sweaters in the closet. Re-organize your bookcase, etc. You should be just about done. Finish with vacuuming and dusting and “spot cleaning”, if you live at home your mother will be so happy that now would be a good time to ask her for, well, anything!

And there you have it! A few well spent hours and you should be well on your way to becoming a more organized girl. I hope that you can find this useful. I realize that everyone’s style of cleaning is different but this is how I like to get it done. I would love to hear some feedback on how this worked (or didn’t) work for you and what you did differently.

Happy Cleaning,
Abbe
______________________________________________________________________


Abigail Mae is 21 and lives in Northern Illinois with her family and 9 siblings. She works as a personal assistant to her father. When not at the office she can be found in the kitchen - baking! This is her favorite thing to do (besides fashion-y things). Her recent obsessions are gluten free recipes and cupcakes!

Her earliest style moment was at the age of 12 months when her mother tried to dress her in yellow overalls (Hey! it was the '80s!) and she said "I do not wear yellow." She would define her style as Classic. Some of her favorite designers are Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor, J. Crew and she simply adores Lilly Pulitzer!

Images Credits: MarthaStewart.com

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If you want a chance to keep your toes toasty warm... A GIVEAWAY! :)

I just wanted to give you fashionistas a heads up about this - a Whooga UGG Boots giveaway taking place online! Looks like they draw winners at least once a month so, if anyone is interested, click the badge shown here and go enter!

Good luck! :)

Hugs,
Amanda


P.S. I am so sorry that this link didn't work earlier! Hopefully it's all good now. :)

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Should Women Wear Pants?

That's a pretty controversial sounding title, isn't it? Don't worry, I just put it that way to get your attention. ;)

I realize that this can be a serious topic for some people, while for others, it isn't even an issue. With these things in mind, I am attempting to share my thoughts on women wearing pants, modesty and femininity....

Let's face it. Men and women are different. They were made to be different. And this is a good thing.  Besides looking different physically, they have different traits (women can multitask ;), roles and abilities. Neither sex is inferior to the other, but they are decidedly different. And I believe that that is  something we should celebrate rather than discourage.

I love being a woman - able to style my hair a dozen ways, wear different types of shoes, clothing and makeup. (Not that men don't have any opportunity to do a bit of that as well - except for the makeup part, please! - but it's true that we women have decidedly more variety. :)

First of all, for those who worry that women wearing pants blurs the distinction between the sexes... women's pants are cut and constructed differently than men's. Women's pants are shaped to reflect a womanly figure and often (especially in embroidery on jeans) there are little details that are distinctly feminine. Believe me, if a man was to wear those same pants - please no - it would look like he was wearing something that belonged to a lady.

Likewise, the straight, loose cut of a pair of men's jeans looks decidedly masculine on a woman (although there currently is a trend for more fitted pants on guys, which I find very unflattering :P ). This is part of the reason why I dislike the huge "boyfriend" trend that is going on right now, which sells jeans, blazers and shirts in male cuts... for ladies. Don't get me wrong, I believe that there are places where some "menswear" pieces work... but there must also be a distinction.

Women should be women! There's no "can" here - ladies, you are privileged to be feminine! This doesn't mean that you have to walk around in princess dresses, have hair like Rapunzel, wear red lipstick or toture yourself with stiletto heels. On the contrary! You cans still be feminine in overalls, short hair (hey! Look at Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina! :), or without pierced ears. Femininity is not something that can be painted on your face or put on your body. Don't get me wrong - clothing does help in making your outward appearance feminine (and we know how important your outward appearance is, don't we girls?), but the real deal comes from the inside and is reflected in your manner and spirit. True femininity walks hand in hand with inner beauty.

Now that we've got that straight, let's talk a bit about more about appearances and how your clothing reflects who you are inside or who you want to be. This can be pretty complicated, as there are no hard and fast rules as to what is or isn't feminine (although, of course, everyone does have their own opinions). I have occasionally seen women  (this is not the norm!) who wore loose pants, sneakers and a baggy shirt and looked positively masculine. None of those separate items by themselves made the women unfeminine, but when they were combined with an ungraceful attitude and demeanor, it didn't look so good.

Similarly, I have seen women who, although they wore a skirt, seemed very far from feminine in the rest of their attire - from the care of their hair all the way down to their shoes. While it is improbable that they would ever be mistaken for a man, nothing about them exudes a beautiful, feminine spirit.

It is my belief that a woman can look every bit as beautiful and feminine in pants as she can in a dress. Of course, there are different times and places for each. I love the combination of a beautiful skirt and top and find it the most flattering for my figure. Thus, that is my preference for church, weddings or other social events. During the week, I am a crazy lady who prefers to spend my time getting things done rather than ironing clothes, so... I live in jeans. I will admit that often I need to remind myself to make a little extra effort to be feminine in my appearance. This doesn't have to be something that takes a lot of time or effort. The smallest, simplest things made a world of difference.

Here's a little confession. While writing this article, I began to feel rather embarrassed by my lack of effort in my attire (today, anyway). I didn't look awful - comfy "house" shoes, jeans, a dark purple shirt and a brown sweater - but I knew I could do better. So I went upstairs and did four simple things that took less than five minutes.

1 - Put some earrings on - cute little purple-y things with hearts (approx. 40 seconds).

2 - Tied a black grosgrain ribbon over my hair (approx. 60 seconds).

3 - Tossed the brown sweater into a drawer (as dearly as I do love it) and grabbed a black one that matched so much better (approx. a minute and a half).

4 - For good measure, I made sure my red Mary Jane shoes were handy to slip on, in case somebody dropped in (no time at all).

Honestly, it made a world of difference. Not only in my appearance (I no longer looked like a careless workaholic) but in how I felt about myself. It really perks up your day when you know that you "look" like you are ready for anything. ;)

And it's really the details that make something feminine or not. Your choices in jewelry, colors, cuts, accents and accessories go a long way towards creating a beautiful and feminine look.

As far as modesty in wearing pants goes, I know that it can get a bit more sticky. Personally, I feel that a nice fitting pair of boot-cut, straight-leg or wide-leg pants are extremely flattering and completely modest. Just be sure that they're not too tight (no need to look like you are stuffed into them!) or too loose (you do want them to stay up!).

Usually, in order to get the right fit, I have to purchase pants that fit well over the hips, and then I take the waistband in with some darts (you can get this done at an alterations shop - it's pretty simple, so it shouldn't cost too much). For me, it's really the only way to get a pair to fit right.

I believe that the images shown in this post (taken from Ann Taylor LOFT's "Looks We Love") are great examples of pants and jeans that look flattering and are very modest. They also show how what you wear on top can really make the whole outfit feminine.

(Of course, now there is the whole "skinny jeans" trend to think and talk about. I think I'll save that topic for another day... lol)

Ok girls - now it is your turn! Please feel free to use the comments section to share your thoughts on pants, modesty and femininity. I realize that not everyone will agree and that is fine! As long as we do our best to make our own informed decision about what we will wear and don't get all ticked at others just because they see things differently, it will be ok. ;)

Lastly, I just want to send a hug to all my fab readers! You inspire and encourage me every day. To God be the glory... for He has done great things. :)


Images: Ann Taylor LOFT's "Looks We Love"