Monday, August 17, 2026

Orange and Blue Will Do

One of my earliest posts was about the right way to combine color wheel opposites such as orange and blue.   If you're not familiar with color theory, color wheel opposites are the harshest visual combination.  But that doesn't mean you have to steer clear.   You can see my previous posts on orange and blue here and here, but the jist is: reach for a more muted shade of one to enhance the other. 
For today's outfit I combined an intense orange with a (muted) navy blue and a darker orange cardi to tone down the contrast.  Voila!  Visual interest instead of seared retinas.   

Outfit Info:  Emily and Fin Tiger dress is Thrifted, Ecosusi Bag, B.A.I.T. shoes, YeMak cardigan

Friday, August 14, 2026

Classic Floral from Chillinen

As a lover of William Morris, The Pre-Raphaelites, Victorian design, and Art Nouveau, I can tell you that this Midi Floral Linen dress was an instant Yes! when I was looking at dresses for this collaboration with Chillinen.  I love the design and the colors, plus, check out that fitted waist!  It's adjustable, so I can create that hourglass shape or go looser for comfort.  I have loved all the dresses I have tried from Chillinen and they've given my readers promo code BLEU for $12 off promocode for your first order and check out my YouTube review below for all the details.

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Chillinen Collaboration: Hello, Gorgeous! Oh, Wait, That's Me.

I cannot express to you how much I love this Black Lace Midi Linen Dress from Chillinen.  With all this elegance and vintage charm I feel like it's straight off the set for Audrey in Funny Face or Grace in Rear Window.  I just adore the way this dress hugs my waist but the sleeves and full skirt create an hourglass shape for me.  And it's so lightweight and comfortable.  I have a full and thorough review on YouTube posted below, but if you are interested in giving Chillinen a try, and I hope you will, use promo code BLEU to save $12 off your first order.

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Grace & Style with Chillinen

Friends, I don't know what it's like where you live, but around here, August is pretty miserable, so this collaboration with a brand that offers timeless elegance, vintage silhouettes, and natural fibers?  Um, yes, please!  The lovely people at Chillinen sent over 3 lovely dresses for me to try and I absolutely adored all of them.  We're kicking things off with this Vintage Blue Floral Midi Dress  (this is not an affiliate link)  This brand has everything I'm looking for and you can save $12 off your first order with my promo code, BLEU.  I've made a very comprehensive video review, which I'm including down below, so for this post, I'll just let the photos do the talking.

Outfit Info:  Midi Linen Dress in Floral Vintage Blue from Chillinen  Save $12 off your first order with code BLEU 


Monday, August 10, 2026

Have Your Cake and Wear It Too

I really cannot resist Palava's prints.  In fact I've had to really resolve not to go to their website unless I intend to buy, because I'm definitely going to fall in love with something if I look.  
Such was the case with this adorable cake print top which seemed like just the perfect blend of whimsy and practicality to add to my work wear.
Outfit Info:  Peggy Top in Cream Cakes from Palava, Skirt from Selkie, Bag from Ecosusi, Heels from B.A.I.T.

 

Thursday, August 6, 2026

The Library: Part 5--Windows

At long last, the penultimate installment in this single room renovation that I have poured so much heart, soul, and blog posting into.  I wanted this wall to have windows in it.  Why?  Because I grew up in a home that had been added onto and had a window over the kitchen sink that looked into...the laundry room...and I loved it!  I love quirky design features like that and so does Mr. Bleu, and since we are doing the work ourselves, we get to do whatever we want.  Originally I wanted to do the wall entirely of windows, but Mr. Bleu feared this would have some support issues, so when I came home, he had framed up the walls and left room for only one window on each side.

Was I disappointed to not have the thing I wanted?  Of course, but safety first!  Plus, I sort of felt like the single windows made this room look more like an old Victorian Bookstore, so I'm leaning into it.  It's been really interesting to change and adapt our designs as we go along.  I can't say that the visions I had in the beginning are the same as the finished products, but I'm happy with it.
Since we have two different colors on the walls, I had to strip and then paint these antique windows to match each side.  I had to do the same with the window framing, drawing a line down the center and painting each side to match.  It was one of those projects that I thought I could get done in about 30 minutes but ended up taking me about 5 hours.  At this point, I'm probably just never going to learn.
Both windows are now installed and open to promote air flow.  I haven't yet found the right curtains for the library side windows, but I remain hopeful.  Also, as you can see, we still have a ways to go in the library, finishing the underside of the cat walk and doing all the trim
And, since this is a home renovation post, you already know what I'm going to say next, right?  To be continued....

Monday, August 3, 2026

Out of Sorts Outfit

What am I doing today?  I really don't know.   The past few weeks have had so much activity I've been feeling dizzy and out of sorts from being pulled in so many different directions at once.  I put this outfit together in the midst of the madness because it does a lot of things at once.  It's casual but dressy, comfortable and interesting.  I've been wearing it on my weekends for a trip to the hardware store that turns into a birthday lunch for a friend that is followed by a grocery run that then leads to date night and I need an outfit that can do it all.
Outfit Info:  Opossum Tee from Modern Millie, Skirt thrifted Modcloth, Heels from B.A.I.T., Ecosusi bag, Polka Dot Chambray top is thrifted J. Crew 

© Bleu Avenue. Made with love by The Dutch Lady Designs.