Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

Hi Everyone,

It is hard to believe another 3 weeks have gone by! We have survived the brutal cold while feeling like bears in hibernation. I was getting cabin fever and lifted my mood by dancing around the house to classic rock songs. It is funny how a song can bring back such great memories. Do any of my gal pals remember dancing at Valley View Club House in Frankfort? As I was dancing around my house to Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” I found myself smiling thinking about those fun times with my friends.

I was recently out to breakfast with my friend, Sharon, and we got to talking about the emotional aspect of fashion. We both felt that what a person wears affects how they feel. That is so true for me! I am not an emotional eater but I am an emotional dresser. When I feel down I wear a fun outfit like the outfit with the maroon, furry vest and paisley pants shown in blog 3. When I feel like I look dumpy I wear the sexy, black, leather looking outfit in blog 1. When I am feeling insecure I wear animal print because it makes me feel like “I am woman, hear me roar!”. I recently read a poster that said “Never underestimate the power of a good outfit on a bad day”. There is research demonstrating the phenomenon that dressing/clothing has an affect on the personality of an individual. Some research articles discuss the positive affects on mood when wearing new articles of clothing and wearing certain colors while others show how clothes affects perceptions of one’s competence. You know by now that I am always looking for a good quote that highlights the topic of the blog. I don’t know the author but I love the saying “I’m nicer when I like my outfit”.

So let’s go back to the topic of animal prints and how it brings out my inner cougar. When I know I am going to go into a situation where I have to exude confidence, my natural choice is to go for an outfit with the print of a powerful animal. When I am going into a meeting where I want to make sure I am heard, I wear either a power suit or an animal print outfit.

OK, I am on a roll finding great sayings pertaining to this blog so I am going to hit you with another one. “Stress doesn’t really go with my outfit”. This quote helps me transition right into how garden design and fashion design both have an affect on your mood. There is something about a garden that takes all my stress away and lifts my mood. Check out the following picture.

Whenever I feel stressed I sit in this lounge chair and feel nothing but peace. The sound of the waterfall in the pond (not pictured) next to the chair has such a calming affect. When the gardenia plant behind the chair is in full bloom, the beautiful smell of the blooms transport me to the tropics and all my troubles fade away. My mood changes and I am re-energized to face whatever life throws at me. Just like sitting in my garden, my clothes can change my mood and my attitude.

I have quite a lot of animal print clothes so I decided to hang some of them so I can feel like “The Leader of the Pack”. The top I am wearing looks like it is made of snake skin. Not only does the top have a snake skin pattern but the material it is made of looks like real snake skin. The top is such a statement piece that I don’t wear much in the way of jewelry other than a brown topaz ring and black hoop earrings. The top has a black hood that I rarely wear on my head but it adds an interesting feature to the outfit. It looks great with the leather looking pants seen in other blogs. I am wearing this outfit with a high heeled pair of shoes but it looks just as good with flats. It is amazing to me that I love to wear snake skin patterns because I have such a snake phobia!

I love the ruffles and uneven hem on this cheetah skirt. It seems only appropriate that I wear it with a brown safari jacket. I am wearing a cream colored sleeveless top, a copper colored snake skin belt and a multi-layered, multi-colored chain necklace. I have accessorized with gold earrings and watch to match the gold chains of the necklace. I will tell you the only time I will wear a belt is when I wear a jacket or vest over it. I love these 3 inch wedge heels because the wedge gives me great support and the cut-outs on each side of the heel (you probably can’t see this) gives the outfit a little edgy feel. You cannot wear this outfit with flats.

This outfit exudes power and class. The silver and black material just shines in this alligator printed jacket. Since I want the jacket to stand out I DO NOT wear it with black pants that have a sheen. I wear it with black patten leather heels and silver and black accessories. Have you noticed that I keep changing the outfits in the background? I have more animal prints than I have pictures for this blog so you are only seeing a portion of them. I just saw a stylist on a morning TV show who stated that tie-dye will be more popular than animal print this year but that animal print never goes out of style.

I have heard it said that you shouldn’t wear black and brown together but as long as you wear a transition piece, the outfit will look great. This vest is such a piece because it has both colors in it. This vest was made by the same woman who made the first top I showed in my last blog. She loves to combine different patterns and this piece is made up of different animal prints. I love South Haven craft shows! Under this vest I am wearing a black turtleneck top and brown pants. One of the great features about this vest is that you can wear just about any animal print in your accessories. I chose to wear a zebra patterned necklace and earrings. The rest of my jewelry is of gold tones because of the gold in the necklace. My brown shoes have a 1 inch heel and a brown buckle on them.

Well that is all for now. I wish I could say I was doing well on my diet but I am not. As I am going through my closets to figure out what to give to Amvets, I say to myself “Am I ever going to be able to fit into this again?”. While I would like to be able to say “yes”, I have doubts. I haven’t lost any weight but neither have I gained any so that is a plus! In March I start spring clean-up in my garden if the groundhog’s prediction comes true. Working in the backyard tends to help me lose a few pounds and tightens my muscles.

It will probably be another 3 weeks till my next blog. I have to start getting my house ready before putting it up for sale. Until then, remember,

God loves you and so do I.