I am a collector of a variety of things including china, silver and of course, shoes!
But one of my greatest loves is the Dept 56 holiday pieces.  I so look forward to the GD  having these in her home:

These are pieces I do not mind if GD plays with; I want her to learn to be gentle with her future heirlooms.

This time of year starts me thinking about editing - which usually causes me to find items I have not used in a while~I like this journey necklace but have not worn it in over a year:

 

I need to go thru more things but I normally wait until the new year:

But this photo made me go in search of this blue topaz necklace:

I am not tan - just a low light flash!  I need to wear & enjoy my stuff - 

this year was the 60th birthday so time is marching on!!

Do you plan to take inventory in the new year & find some new "old" things?
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When I dress casually I still like to look put together.  So I have been thrilled to find everyday wear in velour fabric - it looks dressy & keeps me warm without too many layers.  I like this black hooded shirt in velour and when I found these flats in the same type of fabric I was thrilled.

This will look great with pants in grey, red, pine green & other basic colors.
(The shoes are from Lands End)

I collect china and especially love holiday china patterns: these are some of my Thanksgiving pieces:

They are from 2 different pattern sets, though they "go" together.
As soon as I put away the Thanksgiving pieces I will take out all of the Christmas china and get it ready for the holidays ~ polishing silver is not my favorite thing to do but a necessary evil.

The princess was here for 2 days & she is growing too fast - the day is coming when she will not let me dress her in footies - why can't she stay 4 forever?
She is so stylish - her footies match my dining room!  We both love pink!

   

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I have been using Laura Mercier powder foundation during the summer and like it very much:

I use a powder brush for even distribution. It is light & comfortable to wear.
Now that colder temps are here I am enjoying her tinted moisturizer which also has SPF 20.  This is a light texture & is build-able ~ a very nice product.

I use Dr. Dennis Gross ferulic + retinol fibroblast anti-aging moisturizer first:

This absorbs quickly and my sensitive skin really likes it.
I need to order another one while the Sephora 20% sale is going on.

Have you started making the Thanksgiving menu?  Heaven forbid I should change mine;  the earth could stop spinning if I changed up my menu!
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Pink isn't just a color ~ it's an attitude!

 
This very cute set came recently: Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collector's Set from Tarte:

                                                       

• interchangeable & removable eye and cheek palettes which includes:
  16 full size, French-inspired Amazonian Clay Eye Shadows (0.07 oz. each)
• 4 full size Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes: Irresistible (soft melon), Envisioned (sheer coral), Limitless (peach rose), Intrigue (rose petal) (0.158 oz. each)
• 3 deluxe Maracuja Lip Glosses: Paris (raspberry), Cannes (light pink), Nice (nude mauve) (0.06 fl. oz. each)
• Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara
• Portable collector's compact (0.14 oz.)

The individual palettes fit in the blue case so you can take
your touch-up makeup with you. 
It is a limited edition set so if you are thinking about a gift ~ better get it!
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Ok ~ it's confession time  - the vanity in my dressing room has been looking like this:

So I bought this and hopefully life will become organized!

I hope it will look nice with my brush holder:

Organizing this space is a work in progress and I hope I like the end result.

The princess was here and got a haircut - she knows she is adorable:

You were born an original - don't die a copy.

I tried Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polish this week and it only lasted a couple of days even after using the top coat.  Gel polish products have a way to go before they are perfected.  I hope there is a new & improved soon ~ I want polish that will last more than 2 days!

This is a nice limited edition set from Tarte;

The picture on the box is the most true to the real color ~ the items are smaller than what appears on the box.  The cheek tint is the only item that was sealed & that sort of alarmed me.  I feel any product that touches the skin should be sealed.  I wrote the company about this and they simply stated that is the way this was made; therefore, I won't buy their products online anymore - I will wait to see them in person and be sure that my item is sealed.

My DIL is a teacher and takes her lunch everyday since she has to stay with the children.  She is a Southern girl so I knew she would like my tuna & macaroni salad;

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It's officially fall because this was in the grocery store:

And it's only 60 calories!  Life is good!

I could not resist this when I saw it in the store:

It's Sonia Kashuk's 15th Anniversary Brush Set.  There are 15 lovely purple brushes included which is great for me because I just don't keep my brushes - I know there will be something better coming along eventually.  This will make a nice gift ~ but I'm keeping mine!

Ok, I have to say this: putting a tank top over a pair of torn jeans is not 'stylin'.  No, not even adding a pair of designer heels. And such a sloppy OOTD would cause me to dismiss a blog. This did not take any thought, preparation or instinctive design sense.  I am drawn to much more creative designs and I hope you are.

I love Chilis and now some of their main dishes are available in the grocery store:

This was very good for lunch - of course, I added hot sauce, sour cream, bacon bits & shredded cheese ~ it was delish!!

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I have tried some new products that I like enough to keep in rotation:

The Bamboo Volume Spray by Alterna smells very nice and is great for fine hair.  The L'oreal Volume Filler is  a gel that thickens the hair ~ just a little product worked well.
I have not tried the eye lining tool yet as I am not sure where I put it!!!

I recently tried Dr. Jart Pore Medic Derma@Home Peeling. It's a thermal crystal scrub and 2 step process that only takes a few minutes.  It is a nice facial and I alternate it with a peel during the month:

I also use derma-abrasion crystals in the shower for all over skin renewal.
Battling wrinkles is a full time job!
This week has been difficult migraine-wise but a short review is better than nothing new to report.  I have some other new products to share once I feel well enough to try them out.  Have you tried something new that thrilled you?  Tell me about it!
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The mail lady brought some fun goodies recently:

This adorable train case (from Ulta) is filled with eye shadows, primer, gloss, eye liners and a variety of applicators.  There was also a GWP that had glosses, quads of eye shadows & brushes.  This will be fun to play with once I get my dressing room vanity in some kind of order!

I recently finished a bottle of  Alterna Caviar Working Hairspray - I really like this product and must have more - it worked nicely on my fine hair.    
A light hold that smells wonderful!

The migraine is now in control so I am off to rest - hope everyone has a great weekend!

I had my sweet munchkins this week and my dear hair designer agreed to cut their hair ~ she is so nice to work them in whenever I ask her ~ ~ hilarity ensued!!!!

                               

                                          We love you Miss Dawn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My dear platinum sisters be careful when applying oil/shine products to your hair.  If the product has a brownish color this could deposit on your hair.  It's best to use a clear oil like the one pictured here:

We want to keep our gorgeous color!

I am not crazy about the bronze polish - I think I need more color than this provides:

 I polished over the manicure with this - I am all about pink sparkles!!

When I need to be good, I fix salad for lunch:

This is a spring organic mix with cucumbers & black olives & Italian shredded cheese with light ranch dressing.
I keep canned tomatoes in the pantry for when I cannot get fresh ones and a variety of olives.  And to up the protein I use canned chicken or tuna.  When you live in the country you have to keep a stocked pantry:

These shelves are on both sides of the walk-in pantry and I don't know how I lived without this previously!
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ETA: If you become a follower by Sept 26,2014, you could win an eye shadow collection & other goodies!  Thanks for joining!

Since I bought a new color - Wild Card - in the Revlon Gel Envy collection, this will make my 3rd time trying this line.

This blue is out of my comfort zone but it is pretty and looks nice with denim.  But the plum color (pic below) was the most stead-fast in staying power - even though I used the top coat as instructed.  That's ok as it was my favorite look this fall.

And the price is so much better than $50 for one color - I just would never spend that much for one bottle of polish.
As I was finishing this post up this new color arrived so I gave it a quick try:

It's Revlon's "All In" and I do like it better than the above blue.  It has a metallic cast and I like the  effect it produces.

Here are some nice colors I found at a discount center that will be great for fall.  I can't wait to try the bronze & they were only about $1.50 each:

I don't want time to rush by - I have already seen my first Thanksgiving & Christmas ads!  But I will admit I have started going thru recipes and longing for the tree to come out.  The grandchildren are always delighted to help with decorating and are of the age that they will remember participating - it is so wonderful to see any of the holidays thru their eyes.

I love this song by the Moody Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-bgC1Yip6c

I want to share this recipe:  Starbucks Inspired Pumpkin Spice Latte
http://westcoastmama.net/pumpkin-spice-latte
All ingredients are dry so they can be stored for convenience~you don't have to leave the comfort of your warm kitchen!

I have a friend that loves my pumpkin raisin bread so I am off to bake!
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* Become a Follower (button on the right) by Sept. 26, 2014 and you will automatically be entered to win a new eye shadow collection with extra sample packets thrown in!!