End of the Year Link-Up

December 28, 2015

Hello sweet friends! Hope your Christmas was merry & bright while being filled with love, joy and peace + food, family and friends! Taking a break this week but leaving the link up open and featuring this lovely one from last week {see below}.

And since it’s Monday, it’s time for our link-up. Thanks to everyone who joined in last week. Whitney, Casey and I enjoyed reading your posts and searching for our favorite looks. Can’t wait to see what you lovely ladies link up this week.

Hosted by ~

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode ~ Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite…check out Casey & Whitney’s blogs to see if it’s you! My favorite this week is a Holiday Post post from Albion Gould. So colorful and festive and gorgeously blue for Christmas. I have to admit I’m crushing on that skirt with a black turtleneck! You can read the post and see all the looks here.

Now let’s get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts-fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!WehaveaddedaPinterest board wherewe’llbepinninglooksandanInstagram hashtag. Feel free to add #lovelylittlealamodetoyourlooksonInstagram that you link up with us.

Where you’ll find me linking up.

[inlinkz_linkup id=577621 mode=1]

Christmas Gift Exchange Reveal

December 22, 2015

Isn’t it just the best time of the year? Yes, it’s busy! Yes, we’ll all be tired and maybe dreading over eating come January but right now in this moment it’s just the sweetest time of year. And sweetness is what this post is all about, friends!

Today is the Blogger Christmas Exchange Reveal and you are probably here from Sarah’s blog {Foxy’s Domestic Side}. So glad you’re sharing in our fun posts and blog hop today. Well, there is definitely a back story to this gift exchange and it dates back to April 2014. That is when a bunch of ladies from all over the US and Canada met through a style challenge. We became fast friends via the blog world and continue to collaborate together through blogging. We launched The Blended Blog and share our individual creativity as another avenue to share our voices and friendship.

I have truly enjoyed these ladies. It is always a joy to read their blogs and see their families and what is going on in their lives. Each one has a busy life with marriages, children, families, jobs and even grandchildren. Admittedly, they are much better at blogging, reading and commenting than me. Busy ladies and yet they find time for each other. That is pure sweetness and a true gift. I am blessed to know each of them.

Well, last year we decided to have a gift exchange {you can read my gift reveal post here}. And of course we had such a blast that we had to do it again! Today is the day for our blog hop and gift reveal. YAY!!

My sweet secret Santa was Sarah who blog at Foxy’s Domestic Side. Sarah is married with two young children. When I say these ladies are busy, she is one that comes to mind. How she finds time to blog on top of her day to day life is beyond me! {hubby, kids, job, friends, soccer, fitness….she’s amazing}!

Well, she gifted and blessed me with something I truly wanted but had given up ever finding. Drum roll….the FUR VEST! What do you think? It’s perfectly gorgeous, isn’t it? I absolutely love it!

Do I look happy? I am happy and excited to wear this for some upcoming Christmas festivities.

For me this a perfect Christmas look with the green blouse underneath. I love the black/grey color scheme because much of my wardrobe reveals around black.

Thank you SO MUCH, Sarah! You kinda made my Christmas!

If you’re following the blog hop, the next stop is Nicole at Nick and Nic with the post about the gift I sent her. Here’s the link. Hope you enjoy our blog hop today.

Merry Christmas, friends!

The Meaning of Christmas + Link-Up

December 21, 2015

This post is part of The Blended Blog today. Please stop by and see what all of us are going over there!

It’s Christmas week already, which is hard to believe! Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year isn’t it? Typically, it’s busy with parties, programs and pageants as well as shopping, wrapping and traveling. What a whirlwind it can be! Yet, amongst all the busyness I am usually reminded of the sweet childhood memories with my family while I was growing up in Iowa.

At Christmas time there was usually a blanket of snow on the ground and the air was crisp. Our family {my mom’s side} would gather on Christmas Eve and attend church together. From there we all piled into Grandma and Grandpa’s house for the best homemade delights to fill our tummies. Being from Norwegian descent we had some traditional food and usually sang I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve in the native tongue {Norwegian that is}. Here’s what that sounded like.

Okay, they are probably better than we were but it was a sweet time!

There was always some favorite foods too, which were Norwegian, of course. For me, I always loved my Grandma’s lefse and my aunt’s kringla. I made a Pinterest board in case you’re interested in seeing what those are. The one food that I refused to eat was called lutefisk. It’s cod-fish dried {in lye}. It’s cooked in boiling water and served with hot butter. Trust me…the hot butter is the best part.

Follow A Lovely Little Wardrobe’s board norwegian recipes on Pinterest.

We also had a stories, laughs, a gift exchange and a birthday cake for Jesus. Of course we did! He’s the reason that we actually have the blessing to celebrate Christmas. It was one of my favorite days of the year growing up and I cherish those memories.

Now that I’m actually on the empty nest side of life and live far away from most of my family, Christmas is different. I still long for those favorite moments from my childhood and Norwegian food but what’s most important is that I still celebrate the birth of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.

Yes, I’ll still go to church on Christmas Eve and I like to wear something pretty. I’m not sure what’s going to be this year but this is my ootd from last year.

I’m sure we all have favorite Christmas songs. I grew up listening to Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis as well as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Some great singers and I loved pulling out the vinyl when I was growing up to hear the traditional carols being sung. Back in the 90’s a country singer {John Berry} released a version of O Holy Night that I simply adore and wanted to share with you.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear…Buddy the Elf said something like that didn’t he? This Flash Mob might just be evidence to support Buddy’s belief. It’s another personal favorite.

Merriest of Christmas to you, dear readers! I not only hope that you’ll enjoy time with precious loved ones and build joyous memories but honestly my hope is that you know the one whose birth is celebrated during this season. Be Merry. Be Bright. Be Blessed! And since it’s Monday, it’s time for our link-up. Thanks to everyone who joined in last week. Whitney, Casey and I enjoyed reading your posts and searching for our favorite looks. Can’t wait to see what you lovely ladies link up this week.

Hosted by ~

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode ~ Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite…check out Casey & Whitney’s blogs to see if it’s you! My favorite this week is Jennie’s post from A Pocketful of Polka Dots. I thought it was a great post where she collaborated with several other bloggers for holiday wedding looks. Everyone looks absolutely fabulously festive. You can read the post and see all the looks here.

Now let’s get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts-fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up! WehaveaddedaPinterest board where we’ll be pinninglooksandanInstagram hashtag. Feel free to add #lovelylittlealamode toyourlooksonInstagram that you link up with us.

Where you’ll find me linking up.

[inlinkz_linkup id=577620 mode=1]

Whatever is Lovely - Christmas Edition

December 18, 2015

One more week friends! Next Friday is Christmas. It’s always amazing how quickly it just arrives. I was thinking we all might need a few last-minute ideas for the season so I compiled a Christmas Pinterest board. Then again it might just be a place to grab ideas for next year. For today I’m sharing my top five from the board. Here goes…

1. Do you love the smell of Christmas? I sure do! When I saw this recipe for a little Christmas cheery smell I immediately pinned it. Planning to start some of this in the house this weekend.

2. I have to admit that I truly do have a little bit of a sweet tooth. I can bypass lots of sweets but I rarely meet a cookie that I don’t adore {read devour}. There are definitely some favorite cookies from my childhood and yet I thought these looked liked something yummy and new to try this season. Aren’t they just the perfectly cute Christmas cookies? The fact that they are ginger cookies makes it even better I think. Here’s the recipe.

3. When it comes to gift wrapping and decorating, I adore burlap. When I saw this burlap garland, I thought, yes, please! A lighted burlap garland covers all the bases for me. I might not get to creating it this year but I hope to next year. Here’s the directions.

4. I know we all get our fill of sweets this month so when I saw this non-sweet appetizer I was drooling over it. Looks yummy doesn’t it? A gorgeous little pull apart Christmas Tree bread would add a little savory to any Christmas party. The recipe doesn’t look difficult either. I love that people are so creative and share great little recipes like this one.

5. Hot Chocolate is a Christmas must, isn’t it? Okay, I admit all winter is hot chocolate time as far as I’m concerned. When I saw all these different ways to change up an old favorite, I just had to share it. I am pumped to try some of these on a cold winter’s night. Here’s the link if you want to see the original article.

That’s my short and sweet Christmas faves via Pinterest. You can see all my pins here. Enjoy!

I hope you’ll stop back on Monday when I’ll be sharing a post about Christmas that will be featured on The Blended Blog. Have a lovely weekend, friends!

Where you’ll find me linking up.

Fast Fashion vs. Quality Pieces

December 16, 2015

This post is dedicated to my forever stylish mom who loves beautiful fabrics and has a timeless and classic style. You’re awesome, Mom!

Hello, Lovelies! I’m so glad you’re here because as I promised I have something special for today. It all stems from the Capsules by Cladwell video that I shared on Monday. In case you missed the post, you can read it here. Cladwell has also started a blog {here} and a topic they are addressing is fast fashion. This video just spoke to my heart about clothing and consumerism. It’s what has been brewing in my heart for a while. Although I don’t have it all figured out I’m forging ahead with what I do know now and will build on it as I go.

Specifically, through Cladwell, I have been drawn to the quality of clothing today vs. decades ago and this idea of fast fashion. Those two ideas came together perfectly, so today I’m traveling back in time and sharing a little family history with you today. I’m dedicating this post to my forever stylish Mom!

I have been reminded of conversations with my mom and what fashion was like when she was growing up. {She was raised during the Depression and WWII era}. She told me that she basically had three dresses. Two of them were for everyday and one was for Sunday. They were all made by my grandmother and from the same pattern.

As my mom grew older she learned to sew for herself and began to excel. When I was growing up, I remember my mom was an extraordinary seamstress. {Actually, it was her hobby because she always had a job outside of the home.} She created beautiful pieces and outfits that were amazing! My mom could have walked a runaway somewhere with her style {okay, a very petite runway}!

Fast forward to now and I’m realizing more and more the vast quantity of clothing that is readily available to all of us, yet much of it lacks quality and is almost disposable. Today is my case in point for quality. I’m reaching back into my mom’s closet from yesteryear to bring you style and quality that was not fast fashion.

This first dress was worn by my mom in the 50’s or 60’s. It is still wearable and really in pristine condition. It’s so classic! I would wear it but it is incredibly tight in the waist and the arms. If I don’t want to eat or drink or move my arms, then I’m good but I can’t see that happening. My point is this: The dress is quality. It’s classic and stands the test of time. I’m not sure that is true of our fast fashion today.

Next up is this absolutely gorgeous black wool dress. I put this on and felt like a new woman! I’m not kidding, friends. It is timeless and elegant. Best part? My mom made this dress. I wasn’t kidding when I said she was an incredible seamstress! It’s from the same era as the brown dress. This one is actually not zipped up completely. The waist is just sooooo tiny!

Next up is another little number that my mom made as well. It’s really a pretty dress but the photos do not do it justice. My mom dressed classy and feminine is what I determined from each of these dresses.

At the end of the day, I have to say that my mom taught me and gave me a beautiful example of a classic and feminine style. Even though my personal style is a little different, I can reach back into her example and be ever so comfortable dressing in these classic type looks. I’m so thankful to have these pieces hanging in my closet. Who knows I might just wear them out and about someday {if I can get them zipped that is}.

Merry Christmas, Mom! I know you’ll read this today and will enjoy seeing me in these dresses. Thank you for your example of feminine and classic elegance. I am often reminded of your gorgeous style and eye for quality, which is evident in each of these dresses. I know you spent hours creating beautiful clothes for me over the years. I wish I had some of those pieces so I could turn up a sleeve or cuff and see your handiwork of love and excellence. I love you, Mom!

I wish I could be home for Christmas this year but I hope to see you in 2016 if the Lord wills it. xoxo ~ Love, your baby girl!

Where you’ll find me linking up.